The 1,000.00 USD Audio to Earphone Speaker Contest - Windows Mobile Development and Hacking General

Ok folks, I know this is something that has been said to be impossible to do beforehand, but I want to know how far we can push it - I am offering 1,000.00 USD to the one brave developer who finds a solution to reroute all audio (be it music or VoIP data) to the *earphone speaker* of the whole HTC WM5/6 lineup in software only. 50% of the devices are not enough, it has to be all of them. It also has to be a new development that can be integrated into other WM software easily and that remains exclusively under my rights unless I decide otherwise.

sounds interesting... though I am no coder. But it seems a bit too difficult - for 100% of HTC WM5 and WM6, if not entirely impossible.

Yes, it might be downright impossible since people said before that HTC didn't implement the possibility to do this on the hardware level. But if there is even a slight possibility I want to enable people to put some more work into it. I hope that there is a solution after all and if the compatibility mark drops to 90% it would still be ok (just you get nowhere if you start low ;-))

Related

Dissapointed!

Well I only got the phone yesterday and I've already had it with it.
I upgraded the ROM to 1.12 no probs, but the voice quality is really poor, the bluetooth headset (BlueTrek G2) is even worse, dialling with one hand is impossible. They really need to work on the phone functions for these devices. I can't use this for my work phone, it is unreliable and has a worse signal reception than other phones. CallerID with Photo ID doesn't work, the screen keeps turing on for no reasin when in your pocket so when you take it out you end up pressing the screen and doing something you didn't want to do. I regret buying this after one days use. I will be putting it back up on eBay soon.
Hello mate,
I think your disappointment comes from your expectations: you didn't buy a mobile phone. What you got is a PDA with embedded phone features. Nothing more, nothing less.
I used to have a MyPal A620 and (lately) a Nokia 6630. That was a real pain in the shadowed zone ! Two devices, two chargers, two car holders...
Now I still have a PDA (that is what I badly need) plus a GSM phone in one single device... no need to carry the Nokia mobile with me anymore.
If what you're looking for is a mobile, drop the Magician and go for a TRUE phone. It is understood that the phone section could be largely improved but at the end of the day I can live with it .
C'ya'round mate.
I love my Magician and I have no complaint at all about it.
Since November last year, I have bought 6 units one after another - four for my family members and two for my assistants at work.
On each of these 6 units:
- the voice quality is superb
- the bluetooth handset with Windows Mobile logo on it supplied by Microsoft as a free promotional item is fantastic
- I read my manual and understand how to use speed-dial with one hand
- I read my manual and have no problem using selected photos and ringtone through Caller ID
- I read my manual and understand there is such a function as "button lock" to stop accidental switching on of the pocket pc
- the phone is highly reliable and the reception signal is better than any mobile I have ever used.
I think you need to give it more time.Learn how to use it! :wink: There are settings in there to stop the screen coming on unless you press the power button so it never really comes on.Phone quality could be better but comparing to a house phone,have you ever hear a mobile phone of any description with REALLY good sound quality?I haven't and i've had my fair share!It's no worse no better than any other on the market as a phone-as a device it's nothing short of amazing.Pm me if you want a program to make dialling easier :wink:
@saldous
Try another Radio Stack like the 1.11. Some people report reception problems only with the latest (1.12) Radio stack.
About your problem with the screen not being locked when the Magician is in your pocket: Get MortSaver (free software), configure it correctly with its options and assign it to one of your hardware buttons. This locks the screen but you can still see some basic information, like SMS notifications, time battery and so on. This basically substitutes a lock function of a mobile phone.
When you got used to the possibilities of this great device and shipped around all these little problems you'll get (trust me, there are tons), you will never want to get back to a "normal" mobile phone. Show me only one mobile phone that does all of the following:
Works as remote control for all your devices (RemoteControl 2)
Can control your PC via Bluetooth (Pebbles)
A good music MP3 player with great sound (MortPlayer)
Is a video player with good video quality, even DivX(BetaPlayer, Media Player)
Plays great 3D games (Tomb Raider, Flux Challenge ...)
Works as a USB stick (CardExport 2)
Can be extended with WLan feature (Sandisk Wifi SD card)
Can be used for navigation (TomTom 5 + BT GPS)
Has a real internet browser, a great calendar (PocketBreeze)
And all this more reliably than the magician does? Come back to earth! All these features have the price of more bugs, more workarounds and more additional software that is needed. But to almost every problem, you will find an appropriate solution in this forum and with additional software (SpriteBackup, SK Tools, SPB Pocket Plus, Resco Explorer, Check Notifications, PocketZenPhone...)
Software like PhonePad makes one hand use possible and almost as good as with a mobile phone.
I will try some of your comments but don't expect to have to pay for additional software to use the device!
I have already set the device to lock the buttons so I only press the power button to turn the screen on, but if I receive a SMS etc.. the screen come on in my pocket. There is no way to stop this.
Audio wise, people I have called say it sounds like I am in a fish bowl !
As for the web browser, I tried to reply to this thread and it wouldn't let me login to the site, but I could browse the forums just not reply.
I have installed MortSaver as per your recommendation, there are no options to configure in it. How do I configure it?
saldous said:
Audio wise, people I have called say it sounds like I am in a fish bowl!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Dont let anyone fool you: the audio quality of this phone is horrible and unacceptable. This is a known problem and audio ROM updates/patches will not help you.
I bought one earlier this year, it sucked. I complained, got a brand new replacement this week with ROM 1.11WWE - the audio still sucks.
You need to return the phone. If you are within the return period of your seller - do so ASAP. If you live in the UK, be aware that under UK consumer laws you can return this device as "not fit for purpose", especially within the first six months of purchase. During that period, he onus is on the seller to prove that the device is fit - and a phone sold via subsidy from phone companies would HAVE to have proper audio quality - which this device does simply not.
Read here to understand what your rights are if you are UK consumer:
http://www.dti.gov.uk/ccp/topics1/facts/salegoodsact.htm
saldous said:
I will try some of your comments but don't expect to have to pay for additional software to use the device!
I have already set the device to lock the buttons so I only press the power button to turn the screen on, but if I receive a SMS etc.. the screen come on in my pocket. There is no way to stop this.
Audio wise, people I have called say it sounds like I am in a fish bowl !
As for the web browser, I tried to reply to this thread and it wouldn't let me login to the site, but I could browse the forums just not reply.
I have installed MortSaver as per your recommendation, there are no options to configure in it. How do I configure it?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You are not obligated to keep it. If you cannot handle tha device than just sell it and be happy
@saldous
The extra software is not needed to make the phone work. It works, as you also confirmed. It makes it better than any phone you can get at the moment! That's worth the price.
MortSave has a link to its options in the start menu. I configured it that it automatically turns off the phone, lets notification popups go through and can only be turned on by the power button. It completely protects the screen when SMS etc. go in - like locks for mobile phones.
The web browser: This is the most complete built in web browser you can get in a phone. Tell me about a better one! Nokia? Motorola?
I love my Qtek S100 - it's an amazing little device... and gives me zero problems as a phone or a pda
Use the Button Lock feature!
For the Screen, use the Button Lock feature in System Settings
From your Magician, START > SETTINGS > SYSTEM tab, select BUTTON LOCK, and select LOCK ALL BUTTONS EXCEPT POWER BUTTON.
For the audio problem, i guess you might have to get your Magician serviced since it is still under warranty or get a replacement. Its not worth that you pay that much and still have problems with your new Magician. There could be another reason for your audio problems, the signal strength in your area, the weather at that particular day and the location from which you called that day.
Yes the Magician and for that matter all PDA's lack advance phone features that you find in Nokia or other phones, dont loose hope, in the future maybe someone will take initiative to bring to you all those features too.
regards
clueless
Why are people always saying that the phone is crap? At least I never really had problems regarding reception and sound quality. Maybe the latest phone stack is not the best - well, just downgrade it.
Regarding the usability of a phone, I even prefer to dial with my magician.
I have to do the following to call someone:
1. Turn it on (kill MortSaver if active -> I have to press the corresponding button)
2. Press the Contacts button and go to the contact I want to call via pressing up or down (holding gives me the alphabet -> very fast)
3. Press right or left to select the number I want to call for that contact (mobile, home or even email) and press the green button to call
In my opinion, a Nokia isn't as easy to use when calling someone.
Heres what I have to do.
Press voice command button
say "call John"
it says "call john?" back
I say yes and it dials
Too easy if you ask me!
Got to love voice command!!!!! :wink:
I also use voice command for contacts. When I want to call someone who's not saved in the contacts, I press that green telephone button and dial the number using the virtual keypad. This may sound stupid, BUT CAN IT BE ANY EASIER THAN THIS?
And for everyone's sake, stop complaining about the Magician not having a keypad like other phones, and it's so much easier on Nokia's, bla bla bla ...
If you want a PDA/Phone, the Magician is pretty much the best you can get. If you want a mobile phone, get a bloody mobile phone!
Dandie said:
Why are people always saying that the phone is crap? At least I never really had problems regarding reception and sound quality. Maybe the latest phone stack is not the best - well, just downgrade it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Because the quality control on this model is crap.
When I returned my jam for warranty repair (SIX separate problems it had), the customer service rep from the vendor that sold it said to me (and I quote), "Yes, we aware - we have had a lot of complaints about sound quality and defects on this phone".
Phone stack is not the issue, nor is ROM. The sound quality and speaker defects that showed up on my brand new Jam in Feb (WWE 1.01) were exactly the same problems on the replacement Jam I got last week (WWW 1.11). So anyone discussing "radio stack" or "ROM" is just leading you on a wild goose chase.
The phone is not well made. Period. That is why there are complaints.
For something that does just about everything I think i'll settle for the sound quality,after all it isn't really THAT bad.I've had worse.I'd rather have this device than a 7230 or something like that so it's not a bad trade off for all the benefits
I think we just have to stop generalising here. The HTC Magician is selling very very well in most countires, irrispective of the brand or carrier selling it.
Yes, some people found a porblem with the sound quality, but most of us here didn't. Or at least not to the extent of considering returning it back. Mind you, HTC design and produce models for HP, Motorola amongst others so they must know something about quality.
Unfortunately, it's too early for the Magician to have some serious competition. The only reasonable contender is the E-TEN M500. And that's still a bit "chunkier" that I would I hope for!
Some people might not be ready to be early adopters of such a "revolution" in mobile technology.
Such people, I think, should settle for a traditional conservative device!
kta said:
Mind you, HTC design and produce models for HP, Motorola amongst others so they must know something about quality.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That is exactly why this kind of lax quality is not acceptable. Its not like they are a newbie - who has not made this type of product before. They are a near-monopoly in the PPC phone market i.e they have a huge experience curve. And audio is not exactly esoteric technology for a company in the phone business.
Its one thing for people to try to pass the problems off as a few people complaining. But when the people out there in the market selling the thing willingly admit that there is a problem with sound and speaker quality - its best to stop dreaming up excuses.
From the posts, it look like some people get unstable magician while other don't. I do agreed that magician is the among top ppc model because of the design which is small like ordinary mobile phone but with a capabilty of pda & phone. Many of pda user change to magician in order to avoid bringing 2 devices at the same time.
It is HTC and their partner responsibility to ensure their product are not made to meet the demand/order without any standard quality control.
Well, I have NO audio problems with my HTC Magician device at all (O2 Xda II mini brand running on Vodafone Australia). Sound quality on my end is perfect and I have asked a number of people I speak with if they have any trouble hearing me and they have said there is no problem at all.
I do feel that the speakerphone is a little underpowered - in quieter environments it is fine but at medium noise level I struggle to hear the other person. I can live with that.
This is simply the best device I have owned.

Does universal works as a phone nicely ?

Is it true that you have to do the flip-and-rotate dance everytime, when you have to receive the call(or make the call) & when you dont want to use the speakerphone ??
I leave my phone in the closed clam position, got Microsoft Voice which tells me who's calling, so all I have to do is push the red or green on the side to ignore/answer the call...
jmdrizen said:
I leave my phone in the closed clam position, got Microsoft Voice which tells me who's calling, so all I have to do is push the red or green on the side to ignore/answer the call...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
but what if you are in laptop/clamshell mode?
then do u have to do the flip and rotate dance?
If you are laptop/clamshell mode, you can just answer with the buttons on the hinge, and answer the call with it shut. You probably wouldn't want it unnecessarily rotated, since you'll get face grease on your screen.
If you want to see who's calling, a quick lift and shut is all you need.
Cheers,
Steve.
imate blows
I can't speak for anyone else, but I can tell you that my experience thus far has been really ****ty as far as using this unit as a phone. the reason I say this, is that despite having updated my unit to the latest ROM upgrade , I'm still experiencing missed calls!
This despite my repeated attempts at contacting the clowns at the live online service at imate. Their email service has been better, but has yet to offer resolution to this immense problem. I say immense b/c I have paid around a grand for a pda with a phone which is completely unreliable as a phone.
Bear in mind, this is my imate experience.
hope this helps.
Re: imate blows
edved said:
I can't speak for anyone else, but I can tell you that my experience thus far has been really ****ty as far as using this unit as a phone. the reason I say this, is that despite having updated my unit to the latest ROM upgrade , I'm still experiencing missed calls!
This despite my repeated attempts at contacting the clowns at the live online service at imate. Their email service has been better, but has yet to offer resolution to this immense problem. I say immense b/c I have paid around a grand for a pda with a phone which is completely unreliable as a phone.
Bear in mind, this is my imate experience.
hope this helps.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
LOL you paid how much? you must be one of the unlucky ones. since I got my device, I've not really had a problem with the phone part, just the camera at the moment, which seems to be rom related.
Re: imate blows
edved said:
I can't speak for anyone else, but I can tell you that my experience thus far has been really ****ty as far as using this unit as a phone. the reason I say this, is that despite having updated my unit to the latest ROM upgrade , I'm still experiencing missed calls!
This despite my repeated attempts at contacting the clowns at the live online service at imate. Their email service has been better, but has yet to offer resolution to this immense problem. I say immense b/c I have paid around a grand for a pda with a phone which is completely unreliable as a phone.
Bear in mind, this is my imate experience.
hope this helps.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
LOL you paid how much? you must be one of the unlucky ones. since I got my device, I've not really had a problem with the phone part, just the camera at the moment, which seems to be rom related.
Re: imate blows
edved said:
I can't speak for anyone else, but I can tell you that my experience thus far has been really ****ty as far as using this unit as a phone. the reason I say this, is that despite having updated my unit to the latest ROM upgrade , I'm still experiencing missed calls!
This despite my repeated attempts at contacting the clowns at the live online service at imate. Their email service has been better, but has yet to offer resolution to this immense problem. I say immense b/c I have paid around a grand for a pda with a phone which is completely unreliable as a phone.
Bear in mind, this is my imate experience.
hope this helps.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
LOL you paid how much? you must be one of the unlucky ones. since I got my device, I've not really had a problem with the phone part, just the camera at the moment, which seems to be rom related.
I have never had any problem with the phone. But I have taken a couple of actions:
1. Disable the video phone component, it is bloaty and if you dont use video phones saves 3mb of operating RAM
2. I extended the time it takes to go through to voice mail from 10 seconds to 30 seconds
3. I dont vet any calls, if available, I just answer from the hinge whilst close, so I dont do any flipping to see first
4. My phone always answers at the beginning of the second ring, that with a 30 seconds to voice mail works fine
5. I never let my phone go below 15mb of available ram so it doesnt slow down.
So as a phone, its fine, as a pda its brilliant.
how d'ya do that
1. Disable the video phone component, it is bloaty and if you dont use video phones saves 3mb of operating RAM
is this an easy thing o do?
cheers.
very easy, its posted on WIKI.
http://wiki.xda-developers.com/index.php?pagename=Universal_Registry
States
To set or remove the operator phone skin
The setting is at 'HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Security\Phone\Skin'
The 'Enabled' DWORD value can be set to '1' to show the operator skin or '0' to show the default skin
For example, to show the default skin
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Security\Phone\Skin\Enabled = 0
You should try the link to view many of the registry hacks for the universal.
There is also a maintained forum on hacks with downloadable cabs here
http://wiki.xda-developers.com/index.php?pagename=Universal_Registry
Re: imate blows
LOL you paid how much? you must be one of the unlucky ones. since I got my device, I've not really had a problem with the phone part, just the camera at the moment, which seems to be rom related.[/quote]
Can't say I use the camera much, except perhaps for the strange or abnormal chest xray I may see at work. Otherwise useless.
Yes, I ended up paying a grand for this thing. Impulse purchase. What did you pay jojo?
I paid $1500 AUD, about $1100 USD.
I have always bought my phone outright for an unlocked phone that is not dependent or tied into a phone network.
Plus there are extended taxation benefits....
I love mine as a phone, best reception on both ends I have ever found with a phone.
Like everyones said, you can essentially answer a call 4 ways.
1. Default (clamshell shut)
2. Open it and flip it to portrait mode
3. Open it and use it in laptop mode w/speaker phone
4. Bluetooth headset.
personally the idea of Microsoft Voice Command sounds good cos I like to know whos calling, have it tell me would be pleasent
In any case, despite the ringtone not kicking in till the end of the second ring, I have scarecely missed a call. Actually short of not having the phone in an audible radius of me I dont think I have missed a call.
Its always good to have system memory but I dont notice a change in the phone service when my ram dips below 15mb.
Re: imate blows
edved said:
LOL you paid how much? you must be one of the unlucky ones. since I got my device, I've not really had a problem with the phone part, just the camera at the moment, which seems to be rom related.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Can't say I use the camera much, except perhaps for the strange or abnormal chest xray I may see at work. Otherwise useless.
Yes, I ended up paying a grand for this thing. Impulse purchase. What did you pay jojo?[/quote]
I paid £150.00 for mine
so u mean i can answer a call with clamshell shut ??
is that true?
The answer to your question is yes. You can answer the phone with the clamshell shut.
Cons:
You will not be able to see who is calling.
You will need bluetooth or wired headset to answer the phone.
Caller ID numbers are available but not the caller name on Bluetooth devices like the BT800.
Personally, I use my Qtek 9000 more as a PDA than a phone.
It's a much better PDA than it is a phone. The keyboard and the screen on the Universal are the main reason why I bought it.
My advise, if you're planning on using it more as a phone than a PDA, then consider other devices. As a phone, it's heavy and bulky. As a PDA, I can only sing praises (except for the occasional soft resets that I have to do).
FYI, here are the main uses that I use the Universal for:
1). Streaming music while I'm driving
2). Watching avi files while I'm on break
3). Daily planner
4). Going online to check on info
5). GPS device with software and an external bluetooth GPS receiver
6). MSN messenger while I'm on road trips
Hope that helps in your decision.
I don't know how much you'll be paying for the Universal. I did pay a lot for it (since it's not available in the US with any cellular companies) but I consider one of the best investments I've made in a PDA/Phone.
modem_man said:
The answer to your question is yes. You can answer the phone with the clamshell shut.
Cons:
You will not be able to see who is calling.
You will need bluetooth or wired headset to answer the phone.
Caller ID numbers are available but not the caller name on Bluetooth devices like the BT800.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Incorrect, the phone will answer perfectly well if you just pick it up and press the green button on the hinge. The three holes on the right of the case are for the sound to come through and the mic is at the bottom on the left of the keyboard.
This is a well thought out device.
If you have personalised ringtones for most of your contacts you should have a pretty good idea of who is calling anyway.
thanks everyone for blurring away the doubts
PReDiToR said:
modem_man said:
The answer to your question is yes. You can answer the phone with the clamshell shut.
Cons:
You will not be able to see who is calling.
You will need bluetooth or wired headset to answer the phone.
Caller ID numbers are available but not the caller name on Bluetooth devices like the BT800.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Incorrect, the phone will answer perfectly well if you just pick it up and press the green button on the hinge. The three holes on the right of the case are for the sound to come through and the mic is at the bottom on the left of the keyboard.
This is a well thought out device.
If you have personalised ringtones for most of your contacts you should have a pretty good idea of who is calling anyway.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Or... Get Microsoft Voice 1.5, and the fantastic patch by R. Works A1 on mine, I keep the phone clam shut in a zip case. And get a "Call from X" loud and clear telling me who's calling... no need to open or owt, just red/green on the hinge... fantastic...

Camera Light as Notification LED

Would it be possible to make the camera light flash when an event occurs. For instance, when a call is received, or when you receive a message. I for one tend to put my pda face down on my desk, just in case something falls on it (It also prevents dust from collecting on it, as it's a bugger to clean off) so it would be a novel use for the light. The camera light woul definitely draw attention to the phone, much more than the little orange flashing light that's there atm...
Anyone know of anything which may do the job?
---
Posted From My Wizard
extremly good question would make sense.
lets see what we come up with.
-Brian
VJCandela could quite easily be modified to do this.
It doesn't support the Wizard though, I've never had one to debug on
V
vijay555 said:
VJCandela could quite easily be modified to do this.
It doesn't support the Wizard though, I've never had one to debug on
V
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well I love mine far to much to commit it for scientific research
Why can't all of these little bits of hardware all be accessed in the same way on all devices... It's silly having to access them directly. It's a bit like the sounds and notifications thingy. There are loads of notifications, so why can't we change them all without having to install other programs? Because you can in the full blown windows...
Yes, but on PCs the hardware has to be made hardware compatible, or interfaced by appropriate drivers. On the PPC you're not working to a strict hardware platform, so you get different cameras, different scrollwheels, different audio etc. And that's even just withinHTC.
We're working at a driver level, or even worse, hardware level, and that requires some device specific work.
If it's any consolation, the Hermes and the Universal are much more similar then the Wizard and the Hermes, for example. So perhaps things are moving in the right direction.
V
vijay555 said:
Yes, but on PCs the hardware has to be made hardware compatible, or interfaced by appropriate drivers. On the PPC you're not working to a strict hardware platform, so you get different cameras, different scrollwheels, different audio etc. And that's even just withinHTC.
We're working at a driver level, or even worse, hardware level, and that requires some device specific work.
If it's any consolation, the Hermes and the Universal are much more similar then the Wizard and the Hermes, for example. So perhaps things are moving in the right direction.
V
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Granted the platform differs, however, there should be a method to activate and de-activate the camera flash that's semi universal, I refuse to believe the camera application that comes with the wizard is written specifically for it.
nKrypteD1 said:
Granted the platform differs, however, there should be a method to activate and de-activate the camera flash that's semi universal, I refuse to believe the camera application that comes with the wizard is written specifically for it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, this is essentially what I was getting at myself, I just didn't know how to word it at the time...

I'm part of the club!

Haha sorry guys for posting an essentially pointless thread but I've been ALWAYS wanting an Advantage and I finally got one coming for a good deal. I'm pretty geeked. I also have a Touch as a backup so I may only use this during certain situtations. My main and ONLY concern was that it doesn't have an earpiece but I'll figure something out. I think I may take a BT headset apart and flatten it to the back or something. I'm sure I'll post my efforts here so look out.
Does anyone have a suggestion to what the "best" ROM is available? I'm looking for speed and stability and one that works with GSEN on an x7500.
Cheers
no clue since i own the 7510
but GSEN works perfectly for me.
Coolest thing is when watching videos in CorePlayer, with GSEN, it rotates on the fly, and it doesn;t matter how you have the thing aligned, it'll always show it correctly
AllGamer said:
no clue since i own the 7510
but GSEN works perfectly for me.
Coolest thing is when watching videos in CorePlayer, with GSEN, it rotates on the fly, and it doesn;t matter how you have the thing aligned, it'll always show it correctly
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sweet can't wait. My luck it won't work on the 7500...
if you want gsen to work with your 7500, you would have to download roms made by irus or sogarth. i've installed these on my 7500 and gsen works just fine. if you don't install these roms, most likely you will come up with a message saying "cannot locate gsen 3" or something like that. so far these roms that they've released are the best for the 7500 (if you want to have the autorotate feature). although gsen will work, there are many applications / games (ported out from the htc diamond) that work for some and at the same don't work at all for others.
however, roms by michy are also fantastic...though they don't support gsen....but i think he's working on that =)
congrats, juice. Its definitely not intuitive/easy-to-use in the phone department, not like most dedicated phones on the market. I recently went back to using an old flip phone for a week (trip to Disney, didn't want to loose or damage my Athena) and it definitely made me yearn for ease-of-use for simple phone calls. But, with a device that can almost literally do everything you have to accept some trade-off.
Many of us use the Jabra BT8010. It somewhat makes up for the shortfalls since its has vibrate, caller ID, and gives you a private earpiece. Also gives you stereo of you want that.
I've been thinking about trying to find a cheap flip or candybar phone that supports bluetooth HFP with Athena as host, or HSP, or PBAP and SAP, or maybe CTP ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bluetooth_profile ). Bottom line, the ability to use the dedicated phone as a phone without having its own SIM. But, it would be a larger solution than just sticking with my 8010 and would probably need charging every other day so I stick with my 8010. The battery on the 8010 lasts forever.
techntrek said:
congrats, juice. Its definitely not intuitive/easy-to-use in the phone department, not like most dedicated phones on the market. I recently went back to using an old flip phone for a week (trip to Disney, didn't want to loose or damage my Athena) and it definitely made me yearn for ease-of-use for simple phone calls. But, with a device that can almost literally do everything you have to accept some trade-off.
Many of us use the Jabra BT8010. It somewhat makes up for the shortfalls since its has vibrate, caller ID, and gives you a private earpiece. Also gives you stereo of you want that.
I've been thinking about trying to find a cheap flip or candybar phone that supports bluetooth HFP with Athena as host, or HSP, or PBAP and SAP, or maybe CTP ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bluetooth_profile ). Bottom line, the ability to use the dedicated phone as a phone without having its own SIM. But, it would be a larger solution than just sticking with my 8010 and would probably need charging every other day so I stick with my 8010. The battery on the 8010 lasts forever.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Good info thanks alot. Yeah I sometimes take a bunch of calls and sometimes hardly ever. I'm thinking I'm just going to ignore calls that I can call back later in private over speaker. I'm also going to try and stick my ear up to the speaker(probably not possible since the speakers look located on the side). Holy $hi4 would that be hilarious looking. But my main prob will be the calls that I have to take in public... I'm serious about flattening out a BT headset to the back or side.
Have you seen the guy who put a BT headset in a glove? Same concept. Take apart a BT headset it ends up being mostly wires and/or a little chip(s). Maybe put a slight mold/cover over it so there might be a minimum hump. But at the size it already is wouldn't be a deal breaker in any shape or form. It however would need to be charged separately. I'm going to be carrying it without keyboard or case so I'm trying to minimalize it's "footprint" all around. Having to carry another piece of tech like a BT headset I think would get very annoying. I will probably keep one in the car though.
Speaking of the car, thats another reason I'm getting this. My commute to work just doubled and I always wanted a "car computer". IMHO mounting an Advantage(or a UMPC for that matter) is the quickest easiest way to do that. I can watch the news on my way home from work via Sling(not that I would ever do that because it's very dangerous and probably illegal). Check realtime weather not to mention big screen GPS. Oh can't wait to test Live Search with the Satellite view. I also got some webcams set around my house that now I can watch in VGA!
This is going to be interesting.
not sure what you find so hard about the Athena as a phone.
but using any BT headset, specially the Jabra BT8010, you can do a simple 1 click, and say who you want to dial, and it dials it for you.
sooooo easy to use.
my Palm Treo never worked so well, even with th same features.
techntrek said:
and it definitely made me yearn for ease-of-use for simple phone calls. But, with a device that can almost literally do everything you have to accept some trade-off.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Dedicated phones are 1-hand friendly, with all my other phones (since 1993) I've been able to use memory dialing or even dial a new number without even looking at the phone while going down the road.
With my BT in my pocket where I can't get it when I'm driving, its a multi-step process to make an outgoing phone call right from the Athena... turn off BT takes 3 button presses, then dialing can take from 2 to many more... then turn BT back on when I'm done... and most if it also can't be done with one hand.
Nothing as easy as using a dedicated phone, even with my old Motorola Star-Tac.
hey juiceppc - also make sure you upgrade your phone to radio 1.58 if you are often in 3G coverage. Otherwise I recommend 1.57.

Deflated

Got my new HD from Uk Mobiles. Was really looking forward to it. What a let down. Is this really the phone that is raved about? What does it give me that my Tytn didn't apart from a bigger screen, welcome but not essential, and built in GPS?
It is no faster in real use, the volume is so low when using Tom Tom that it can't be heard (unlike my Tytn which needed turning down and could be used in my old diesel Transit with no problems) and the lag on the GPS is so bad that you need to stop on roundabouts for a cup of tea and a biscuit so that it can catch up and show you which exit to take (if the sound worked I would have known because Jane would have told me).
It only changes orientation automatically in one or two items of software and it came with a rubbish little carry bag instead of the very usable belt holder that came with the Tytn.
Most of the software that is available was available on the Tytn, it seems to be only the extra screen real estate that makes a real difference.
It has no external buttons, something I didn't realise I would miss.
It's just as crap at syncing over bluetooth as the Tytn, I know that's a software issue but it just adds to the frustration and disapointment.
edit: Orange have identified a fault using a flow chart questionaire and have given me a fault code, Uk Mobiles are replacing the phone. If I can't come up with fixes for my issues, or rather the phone's issue my own are to deeply ingrained, before the new one arrives it's up on ebay.
What am I missing? Can it be turned into a usable phone or should I sell it on ebay, seek out a second hand TytnII and accept that I can't handle change?
Volume on mine is too loud actually,
Get HDTweak to enable the louder volume
Orientation can be changed in almost every app.
I use Mobile Magic to manage my Orientation apps
I have also fully tweaked my phone and I love it also coming form a Tytn.
I also miss the hardware buttons and most of all the slide out keyboard but I can now type just as fast on the softboard.
Your right about the speed not being any quicker but I can cope as can the phone.
My advice is if you feel like you say then sell it. however as with all HTC phones they have to be tweaked to get the most out of them.
That's why this place is such a god-send, Without this forum I doubt that many of us would own a HTC device.
Graeme, I know you're pain. When I got mine last November I struggled for a week to get it to sync with my exchange server and I had bluetooth issues as well. The stock rom seemed unstable and slow. I don't have any of those issues anymore and haven't for a long time. May I suggest trying a cooked rom. There are some great chefs in this forum that have refined and tweaked things such that, in my opinion, allow the HD to run the way it was intended...smooth and fast. My HD is solid. My point is, before you put it up on ebay, give one of these roms a look.
I'm sorry to hear you feel this way. I know others feel the same and similar threads have been created. Would recommend sticking with phone and trying to become adjusted to it. Read up opn other threads andpossible use software to improve phone. Plenty available on thjese forums if you search.
No need for another thread is similar ones exist.

Categories

Resources