Database Users

Considering the K-Jam... suggestions ?

I currently have a Jasjar, but I'm finding it too big...
I love all the features, but I want to be able to use it one-handed, throw it in my pocket, etc... the K-Jam seems like a good alternative.
The only things that I'm not liking about the K-Jam are:
- Lower rez screen (but it's smaller than the Jasjar, 3.6" vs. 2.8"... so its still pretty sharp... and I can't really see where I couldn't live without it)
- 2.5" headset jack, and on the bottom... (kinda annoying... but could use an adapter... but still a hassle because I currently plug my MP3 player into my car, my headphones AND speakers at the office, and I'll have to have an adapter sticking out of the bottom of my phone now...)
- Mini-SD card... (SD is much better to go above 2GB, even up to 4GB... and it's not exactly a well known or used format... SD is cheaper, and Memory Stick Pro Duo is coming down in price since the PSP came out... but what can I do)
Also, does it work well for one-handed use ?
Any ex-Treo users who care to comment ?
Any ideas ? Suggestions ?
Thanks !

The wizard is a solid device. Go for it!!
You will love the extra battery life and size. I really could not imagine having a universal clipped to my belt weighing my pants down.
I upgraded from an alpine and I could not be happier.
Higher screen REZ is not needed on a screen that small. The screen is much sharper compared to the alpine.
The OMAP cpu is just enough processing power to run everything out there.
Also, I noiticed you were in Canada so I doubt you were making use of the 3G power of the universal(probably another 5-7 years for Canada). The wizard is EDGE enabled so if you use rogers you will see great data download rates. I was lucky enough to already be signed up with fido and their $50/month unlimited data plan when rogers took over fido so i am paying $50 a month for unlimited EDGE use. I am quite sure FIDO does not offer this plan to new subscibers anymore.
My only compliants with the wizard are:
-HTC needs to make better use of the device by increasing screen size without increasing the size of the device.(all HTC devices)
-The stylus hole is a joke. My stylus hole wore out within 1 week and now my stylus slides out of the hole very easily. Soon it will probably be falling out. Didn't they bother testing this at all???
-no GPS.

hey audible,
thanks for the reply !
I am with fido / rogers as well and I signed up for the unlimited plan as well... are you in Montreal ? and where did you order your K-Jam ?
so yeah I'd be good using the EDGE support... I often use my p800 as a bluetooth modem with my laptop.
a few questions:
- that sounds bad about the stylus... is there a solution ?
- have you experienced any issues multi-tasking with the OMAP ?
- have you ever tried a VGA screen on a pda to compare ?
- how's the k-jams one handed use ? have you ever tried a treo for one handed use in comparison ?
- did you remap the explorer and mail buttons to something more useful ? like windows and OK ?
- does the 2.5" jack bother you ? do you use an adapter ?
- does the keyboard slide mechanism feel solid ? I'm worried now after what you said about the stylus...
thanks and look forward to your reply !
Posted from a Universal !

- that sounds bad about the stylus... is there a solution ?
I haven't had any probs with my stylus yet, except it may be a little looser than when I got it.
- have you experienced any issues multi-tasking with the OMAP ?
Nope, I can have several apps open at once (eg. Calender, Notes, Email, MSN, IE x 2 (using PPCPlus), TCPMP playing MP3) and its fine.
- have you ever tried a VGA screen on a pda to compare ?
It resembles the crispness of VGA screen because of its smaller size, but in no way matches the res.
- how's the k-jams one handed use ? have you ever tried a treo for one handed use in comparison ?
Haven't tried a treo, but WM5 is great for one handed use. I can do most things without the stylus. The Win and Ok keys on the keyboard make it even easier.
- did you remap the explorer and mail buttons to something more useful ? like windows and OK ?
You can, but I find their defaults good.
- does the 2.5" jack bother you ? do you use an adapter ?
I rarely use it, but yes when I do I use an adaptor.
- does the keyboard slide mechanism feel solid ? I'm worried now after what you said about the stylus...
I am happy with the slider. It seems pretty solid, and the screen definately feels like it will stay up when it is up.

Hey mitchello,
thanks for your feedback !
Audible:
Any comments ?

Wizard (imate K-JAM) is awesome!
Moving from a Blue Angel to the wizrd has so far been very pleasing. The smaller screen has been a little daunting, especially trying to use the "finger" stylus, but beyond that I highly recommend it.
Stability and features in WM5 are nice, and should not be discounted.
I'm on T-Mobile in the US, and EDGE is great at around 150kbs, compared to 30kbs via GPRS.

i upgraded from my IMATE PPC and i love the K-JAM , it is a little slow , but the battery is great.. i love the deviced , once you get used to it and all features you will love it..
i used adapter to play MP3 in my car and it work great...
good luck

i upgraded from my IMATE PPC and i love the K-JAM , it is a little slow , but the battery is great.. i love the deviced , once you get used to it and all features you will love it..
i used adapter to play MP3 in my car and it work great...
good luck

Hey rah,
thanks for the comments !
Good to hear someone else who uses it to play tunes in the car.
What about one-handed use ? Do you feel you have to do finger aerobics to do certain things, like open the start menu ?
I've heard of people mapping the Send Call button to the Start menu in the Today screen...
I'm wondering if I could map Send and End to Start and OK in every screen except for the Phone screen ?
Any comments ?

Xda Excalibur vs Hermes comparison

Just let you know my comparison of the two units after 5 days with the Xda Cosmo after having the Trion for the last 4 months. My Girlfriend brought me the Excalibur as a pre Christmas gift 8)
After 4 months my Trion main speaker stopped working and I have currently sent it back to get it replaced. All in all I was quite happy with the Trion except for a few quirks.
1. Media Player was buggy with the storage card
2. Never got WM5orage working properly (either had to stopo all my programs running on the storage card which included removing items from the Today screen).
3. Screen alignment problem.
I got the Hermes originally as it looked like a device which I didn't have to use the stylus much to access most of the functionality and in 90% of cases I got by with just using the jog wheel and a couple of presses with my thumb (I had the very first xda device and was turned off by the need to use the stylus to do simple things such as dialing and looking up contacts )
I had noticed due to the operating system PPC vs smartphone the PPC needed much more processing power and hence battery life was preety much limited due to the power from the CPU 400mhz vs 200mhz ( maybe of the extra functionality needed for the touchscreen ).
Differences in the devices
1. Xda Excalibur is more responsive even with the slower CPU. Contacts work instantly on typing on the keyboard. On the hermes there is always a delay in searching for contacts.
2. Excalibur supports multiple languages in its rom and therefore there no need to reflash the rom with the rom with your appropriate language.
3. A2DP works flawlessly on Excalibur being aku 3.2. No need to install cab files to get it working and no sound quality issues and no need to get somone to write a bt stack driver to get around the microsoft one.
4. Programs in general for smartphone seem to be running better than on Pocket PC. Tomtom 6 Navigator doesn't run on the Cosmo but Tomtom 5 work just fine and performance actually seems better on the smartphone even with the lower CPU. Same is notice with other PPC vs Smartphone progams I have eg Skype and Fizz Traveller
5. Cosmo has 128 MB flash ram which is really useful as I was always trying to install everything on the SD card with the Trion to get as much memory possible for standard stuff such as emails, ringtones etc. Yes I know you can tweak the Hermes to get ringtones from the SD card but it just a hassle changing the registry settings.
6. For some reason Windows Live Beta works on the Cosmo. It stopped working on the Hermes about a month ago and never worked since. The smartphone version looks really nice as well and functions much better as I have noticed with all smartphone vs ppc programs.
7. WLAN works much better on the Cosmo compared to the Hermes eg handling of connection settings when WLAN is turned on. On the Hermes I always had to go through the process of changing my connection settings every time I switched by WLAN on an off.
8. Battery life on cosmo is much better. 3.5-4 days use compared to 1.5-2 days use on Trion. Probably because of CPU (I also changed the Hermes to GPRS only to try and save battery life due to UMTS draining the battery)
9. Not to sing all praises for the Excalibur. The only drawback I have found so far for my purposes is the Microsoft Office editing functionality is not possible on the smartphone.
10. 2MP camera vs 1.3 MP camera but I really cannot see much advantage in the quality as the 2MP wasnt that great to start with. Yes the Hermes has a led light but I doesn't really help with indoor photos. The 1.3 MP camera seems to be better quality than other 1.3 MP cameras before and for emails, web photos and MMS quality seems fine for my purposes as I wont ever print out photos from a camera handy.
11. Lack to UMTS/HSDPA on Excalibur. Loose the speed but you'll gain heaps on battery life.
12. Microsoft Media Player works with the SD card. No disappearing songs 8)
13. Price. The excalibur is less than 1/6 the price of the Trion on contract. My Girlfriend brought the Cosmo on contact for 60 Euro. I got the Trion for 320 Euro on the same contact.
14. and I think this is the killer. The excalibur have looks to die for. The Hermes is thick and although many people would say it is solidly built after using the Excalibur it makes the Hermes look like a oversized flimsy machine. The Excalibur is thin and compact with a large screen. Fits in your shirt pocket or even slide it into your jeans!!! HTC have outdone themselves with the build quality I haven't seen any phone build as solid including the razr. I fells like the device is made out of titanium or magnesium with a soft feel rubber all along the back of the device and for the keys as well, ( I cat't stop touching the device it feels sooo.. good ). My Girlfriend who is really fashion concious absolutely loves the look of the device. Photos on the net do not do it justice you have to see it in real to appreciate it's looks for me one look and it was love at first sight. (I first got a look at it from a female collegue who got the phone)
It took me a day to get used to the smaller keyboard and maybe bigger thumbs might have some problems but with rubber keys feel beautiful and make each key feel distinct during typing. The excalibur really is a one hand device even with the d pad and keys only. The touch slider is just a added bonus with flexibility.
After writing this I have noticed that this is more of a sales pitch for the excalibur than a comparison of the two devices but I have found my perfect device which does everything I need without any problems ( performance, bugs and quirks ). If you dont need the UMTS speed I must say Excalibur is the way to go. If you really need UMTS and 2MP camera then wait for the Calivier ( the UMTS /2 MP / 300Mhz version of the excalibur, rumoured to release in Spring next year ).
For me the excalibur seems to have a quite launch compared to the expectations of the Hermes maybe because on paper the Hermes looks better in terms of specifications but for usability it's excalibur all the way.
Now what to do with my Trion when it gets back?

excalibur is a smartphone right ?

Yes it is a smartphone but I think that is why it is much more responsive. Microsoft has done something right with wm5 for smartphone. Theres not much a smartphone cant do now compared to the pocket pc now. except for the microsoft office editing capabilities. I tried skype today and for some reason it was much more clearer than the pocket pc version.

it depends what you use it for..
if youre like me who has to do Office work, watch movies and play tradewinds then the touch screen is VITAL.. personally i dont have any issues with my hermes as the ones youve mentioned above..
and ofcourse there is the touch screen

I just got myself a smartphone (samsung i607) after having the wizard for a year. I was thinkign the same thing you are about smartphone functionality. i was wrong though. There is an extreme lack of third party programs for smartphone. In particular, there aren't any good web browsers whatsoever for wm5smartphone. not a single one. You also cannot customize the homescreen without downloading predefined ones online. I never found one i liked. I like to use data instant messaging programs. and there is a flaw in all of them for smartphone. They don't have homescreen plugins and there is absolutely no onscreen display that you have received a message when the program is in the forgroud. In fact, i hated the lack of flexibility on the smartphone so much that 24 hours after buying the i607, i bought the hermes. I'm still waiting for it to come, and cant wait to start doing everything i used to do with the wizard only faster.

k2snowboards88 said:
I just got myself a smartphone (samsung i607) after having the wizard for a year. I was thinkign the same thing you are about smartphone functionality. i was wrong though. There is an extreme lack of third party programs for smartphone. In particular, there aren't any good web browsers whatsoever for wm5smartphone. not a single one. You also cannot customize the homescreen without downloading predefined ones online. I never found one i liked. I like to use data instant messaging programs. and there is a flaw in all of them for smartphone. They don't have homescreen plugins and there is absolutely no onscreen display that you have received a message when the program is in the forgroud. In fact, i hated the lack of flexibility on the smartphone so much that 24 hours after buying the i607, i bought the hermes. I'm still waiting for it to come, and cant wait to start doing everything i used to do with the wizard only faster.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I Have both, S620 to work and TyTn for play, and I had Wizard.
Try opera mini... better than IE and I use it also on HERMES
I've found a LOT of home screens (motorola Q has many of it) but also I like to play with XML, using just notepad and I have now my PERFECT , tre pages (scrolling), Home screen!
Office problems? try the new DATAWIZ suite, much better than office embedded in TyTN
Great as navigator and fits in my jeans pocket (the BACK pocket) and in my shirt pocket!
I 've sold the wizard believing the HERMES was the empowered Wizard. It Is the STUPID WIZARD'S BIG BROTHER believe me!

I've tried opera mini, and i dont particularly like it. I consider it to be a step down from the standard PIE with the reg edit to make PIE identify itself as a desktop computer. I guess i just miss the adaptability of my wizard. My hermes will be here soon though. I'll never make the mistake of selling my old phone before getting a new one again. If i dont like the hermes, i'll still have my blackjack. After a week, i'll decide which one to keep.

Blue Angel II - Where is it?

Why doesn't HTC make a Blue Angel II?
It seems that many of us have other devices like Wizards, TyTNs, etc. but we keep hanging on to our Blue Angels. Why is this?
Is it the Big Screen (for me this is the biggest item)?
Is it the fast speed?
Easily accessible Battery?
Is it the Rugged Build?
It seems to me that HTC is long overdue for a Blue Angel II with the Following Specs:
1) HSDPA & HSU (whatever it's called)
2) High Res 3.5" to 4" screen
3) Keyboard (and maybe a mouse of some kind)
Size like I-Phone (maybe a little thicker with keyboard)
4) FM and AM Radio (AM for the older folks like me who listen to talk radio)
5) Bluetooth 2.0 EDR
6) Charges with mini usb
7) TV receiver also????
8) Can still play music when turned off.
The Omni has similar specs but there's not much data on it. It looks like a mini laptop which folds open.
What do you all think?

Because they are working on this!
HTC Shift and that is not all!
But you are right, BA is the top model!

Blue Angel rulesss

It really is amazing how I'm still sticking with my BA since it was released.
Every year I look around to find a PDAphone to replace the old fellow, but I have to realize, that there isn't a better one.
I would accept the same device with 640*480 and 3G/HSDPA
Been thinking about the Kaiser, but since WM6 is running on my BA now... =)
Why throw the good cash out the window?

Same thought here. Best money I've spent in BA!!

rambo6 said:
Why doesn't HTC make a Blue Angel II?
It seems that many of us have other devices like Wizards, TyTNs, etc. but we keep hanging on to our Blue Angels. Why is this?
Is it the Big Screen (for me this is the biggest item)?
Is it the fast speed?
Easily accessible Battery?
Is it the Rugged Build?
It seems to me that HTC is long overdue for a Blue Angel II with the Following Specs:
1) HSDPA & HSU (whatever it's called)
2) High Res 3.5" to 4" screen
3) Keyboard (and maybe a mouse of some kind)
Size like I-Phone (maybe a little thicker with keyboard)
4) FM and AM Radio (AM for the older folks like me who listen to talk radio)
5) Bluetooth 2.0 EDR
6) Charges with mini usb
7) TV receiver also????
8) Can still play music when turned off.
The Omni has similar specs but there's not much data on it. It looks like a mini laptop which folds open.
What do you all think?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That will be a beauty, i would surely go for it. BlueAngle rules.

noob @ xda....but a loooong time BA user (Dec2004)
I love the BA...the only things it lacks are a good built in GPS & HSDPA/UMTS/EDGE (can never have enough fast options for net access). Even without these two things I still am able to use it to impress people (even iphone fanatics...no custom apps).
TyTN II looks good but the only thing that keeps me away is the sideways keyboard, I wish they would put out a TyTN II with a slider KB like the BA. Single handed KB is great when you really need to multitask...multitasking is the reason I got a HTC.
Rugged Build story: I dropped it from 5ft+ (I had it chest level & I am 6' 3"), on a SF sidewalk...it died..or so I thought took it back home and all that happened was the backup battery reset and once I synced it with my pc everything was back to normal. This wasn't the first time its been dropped so I figured it was time to get a new device, but the build is awesome in this. But since it was a hard reset I finally decided to put WM6 on it (thank you all the great xda developers here), now its faster and more useful.

rambo6 said:
Why doesn't HTC make a Blue Angel II?
It seems that many of us have other devices like Wizards, TyTNs, etc. but we keep hanging on to our Blue Angels. Why is this?
Is it the Big Screen (for me this is the biggest item)?
Is it the fast speed?
Easily accessible Battery?
Is it the Rugged Build?
It seems to me that HTC is long overdue for a Blue Angel II with the Following Specs:
1) HSDPA & HSU (whatever it's called)
2) High Res 3.5" to 4" screen
3) Keyboard (and maybe a mouse of some kind)
Size like I-Phone (maybe a little thicker with keyboard)
4) FM and AM Radio (AM for the older folks like me who listen to talk radio)
5) Bluetooth 2.0 EDR
6) Charges with mini usb
7) TV receiver also????
8) Can still play music when turned off.
The Omni has similar specs but there's not much data on it. It looks like a mini laptop which folds open.
What do you all think?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
and a 3.2 MP camera ...
I would sell my house to get some thing similar !!!

I love my Blue Angel ! 3 Years with me, never let me down.
I Love it! Blue Angel is the top for me.. Every time a look around for new PDA, look at new release from HTC, never found all i have in BA. Best thing - Size is exactly what a device like this must be! 3.7 display - not too big, not too small. I broke my lcd+touchscreen, replaced from e-bay, and I am still using it.
Don't like the idea of GPS in the unit. Better on Bluetooth - in your car mount BA don't have clear view to the sky.

Blue Angel II (if any) should not have key board.
I love my Blue Angel, after upgrading to WM6, I dont like to buy any other available in market.

I like Blueangel the way it is, but wanted it to have a better processor (520mhz would be nice), VGA Screen, Accelerated video, 3G and landscape keyboard.

EmZvr said:
I like Blueangel the way it is, but wanted it to have a better processor (520mhz would be nice), VGA Screen, Accelerated video, 3G and landscape keyboard.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hmmm...
Wouldn't that be *exactly* a Universal?
I have both of them! They do rock, indeed!
Cheers,
vma

vma said:
Hmmm...
Wouldn't that be *exactly* a Universal?
I have both of them! They do rock, indeed!
Cheers,
vma
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
exactly... i wanted to upgrade to a universal, but since wm6 came out i stayed on with it. its nice to have a dinosaur that can rock along the newer models.

vma said:
Hmmm...
Wouldn't that be *exactly* a Universal?
I have both of them! They do rock, indeed!
Cheers,
vma
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's right but I don't like it's design, only if there were buttons in the front.. And I think it's not video accelerated which is very important to me. Or is it ?

Hi,
I am not sure if it is videoaccelerated or not, but I can tell you that all applications I like work as good or better on my Universal as on my BA:
- Emulators
- TomTom
- TCPMP
The Universal is slightly bigger than the BA and one has to get used to the tilting screen.
On the other hand, it is much nicer to have the Universal in the back-pocket of your trousers than having then BA attached to the belt, where it get's hit by doors or other things, when you move to close to walls...
And believe me: the VGA screen is suberb!!!
Cheers,
vma

Same Here
BA is the best. Love it very much although i was given a gift of HTC TyTn.

E-TEN X800 or M800 seems to be my current candidate for BA replacement.
BA is a really good dinosaur. Hard to let it go.
However, remember that there are some awfully crappy things about it. It's not perfect.
- somewhat power hungry
- awful cradle connector
- audio out funtion in cradle connector newer worked for me (for any carkit)
- has confirmed hardware issue with buttons (loss of response - makes gaming hard)
- has crappy WM2003SE (because, face it... no WM5 WM6 ROM is stable and bug free enough)
I agree, that it's hard to find a decent replacement for it.
All model have too small screens...

Won't go back......
I checked out all the other models, older and current, before I bought the BA. I have a Wizard, which now resides in a drawer, only as a back-up, in case something happens to my BA. The only criticism I have of the BA is that they no longer manufacture it, so I too hope HTC comes out with something to replace it. From what I've seen of the newer models and what I read on this forum everyday, I'll stick with the BA.
BTW, robal, take a look at the rom I,m running. Since upgrading from 2003se to this rom, I have had 0 issues. It's fast, stable and battery life is acceptable.

i've since moved on from my BA to a hermes and now a kaiser......i miss my BA.

well BA has its design faults
1.the cable which connects lcd to motherboard is weak and after some sliding it cracks - this effect can be solved (extend the durability) with Polyethylene Foam Tape on the cable
2.after sliding there there are sme scratches below the hardware keyboard - repainting
3.the stylus pin (inside the device) which hold the stylus from falling off also cracks after too many usage - i fixed it with silicone (as i lost the pin) and it works fine over a year now
other than that the device is pretty solid and had no problems with it
most are the new WM problems but without proper drivers it is almost inpossible to be solved
in comparission with kaiser the BA has better video acceleration for the moment (this will change when the proper kaiser drivers are released)
What BA miss (the things i miss in it):
internal GPS
54 mbit wireless
better camera (2 mpix)
OpenGL ES hardware acceleration
larger rom space (32 mb right now if it was larger we can create more complete rom images for BA)
larger storage space 60 mb (everyone needs more space)
What BA miss (the things i do not miss in it):
3G/3.5G/HSDPA etc - high speed data connections - due to high proces of this types of connections i do not really need them
Video Call - the same as above
the CPU speed and the amount of ram in BA are enough for WM 6 and 6.1 even if it was released in 2004...
but maybe proper replacement is the Universal or the Kaiser (for now)
we will see what will happen in near future

htc advantage x7501 vs x7510

I currently own an axim x51v. I was planning to switch to the htc advantage x7501, but have been waiting because of price. Since reading reviews on both the 7501 and 7510 it sounds like the 7510 is the better choice because of 16 gig flash rather than 8 gig hard drive and 'future' version of WM. However the keyboard seems like a turn-off. I have also read they removed some hardware buttons which isn't a huge concern to me. I will buy one of these devices in the future. Does anyone have advice (battery life, functional keyboard, anything to convince me to go with one over the other). also, has anyone heard price or US availability for x7510?

No one.....?
Anything.........?

I think X7510 is only availabe in Europe at the moment. If you're in US, you could only get X7501 instead of X7510. I would not think it is such a bad decision, here is why:
I would not discount the seriousness of the lack of buttons if I were you. For me the inconvinience is quite real. So much functionalities are now missing due to the missing hardware buttons. Just to describe a couple of them for your consideration:
- Without hardware button in MP3, you probably can't switch off the screen while the musics are being played. You can't change song with the button. To do anything, you have to take the device out of the belt pouch (instead of letting it stay in there) and use the touchscreen to control it
- If you're using say Tom Tom GPS system, and decides that you want to make a phone call. With X7501, you could just press the ok button to minimise tom tom, and use any other program you want before returning back to tom tom. Without such hardware button, you most probably exit tom tom to do whatever you want, then restart tom tom. How inconvinient!
You might want to be aware that there is an ongoing effort to change the microdrive in X7500/7501 into a 32GB SSD. If this turns out to be successfully, then there is no question in my mind that the modified device is way way superior to the X7510. X7501/7500 also has a larger battery, which is expected to last longer once we successfully upgrade to the SSD.

Excellent, first real feedback i've had on this topic in about 3 days and countless forums. When i first heard about the x7510, obviously i thought GREAT! this is the7501 with everything 'fixed.' As i mentioned earlier i was concerned about the keyboard. But the biggest turn off of the x7501 for me was the 8 gig hard drive, thought this would kill any chance of decent battery life especially with a 5" screen.
I definitely agree that a 32 gig SSD would put me to the X7501 all the way. Thanks for the advice. Any idea when we might see this upgrade?

I hate to disagree with you steve, but...I disagree on this specific point:
eaglesteve said:
- If you're using say Tom Tom GPS system, and decides that you want to make a phone call. With X7501, you could just press the ok button to minimise tom tom, and use any other program you want before returning back to tom tom. Without such hardware button, you most probably exit tom tom to do whatever you want, then restart tom tom. How inconvinient!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You don't have to exit an application to use another one, just because you're missing some hardware buttons. In my instance, there are a number of ways around this issue:
1. I use Wisbar Advance 2, which has a show desktop link in its menu.
2. Also under WA2, I have one icon in the taskbar that also has the same function.
3. I configured the camera button to launch the phone app, since the camera is something I use so rarely.
Having said that, I fully agree that the missing buttons and especially the joystick is a big step back - my usage scenarios may differ from yours, but the extra input options are too useful to just drop, especially since they're more precise than using the screen.
Edit: Ugh, I forgot that GPS programs tend to be fullscreen, which means solution 1 and 2 wouldn't work. No 3 does though, although it means sacrificing one button for that alone. You could also get a button mapping program like AE Button Plus, which would multiply the use you can get out of one button.

weaselcossey said:
But the biggest turn off of the x7501 for me was the 8 gig hard drive, thought this would kill any chance of decent battery life especially with a 5" screen.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's hard to say whether the x7501 would have better battery life with a flash SSD drive since we have no direct means of comparison at the moment. I've had however compared the difference between an 8GB CF card and an 8GB MD in my previous PDA - the difference in battery life was about 5%-10% at most. I also saw some benchmarks a couple of years back on battery drain between a CF card and a MD, and the difference really only lay in one area - drive spinup. A CF card of course doesn't have a spinup mode, where the drive platters and head have to be powered and moved. In standby and in operation, the difference in battery drain between the two was minimal.
That calls into question whether caching of MD contents (for instance, when playing video), would really have an impact on saving battery life compared to forgoing caching completely, as the constant power-ups and power-downs may drain the battery faster than one power up and then constant use. To balance against that of course, is that its probably safer on the drive to cache, as the drive heads would most likely be parked if you drop the device, or bump it into something.

hishamh said:
I hate to disagree with you steve, but...I disagree on this specific point:
You don't have to exit an application to use another one, just because you're missing some hardware buttons. In my instance, there are a number of ways around this issue:
1. I use Wisbar Advance 2, which has a show desktop link in its menu.
2. Also under WA2, I have one icon in the taskbar that also has the same function.
3. I configured the camera button to launch the phone app, since the camera is something I use so rarely.
Having said that, I fully agree that the missing buttons and especially the joystick is a big step back - my usage scenarios may differ from yours, but the extra input options are too useful to just drop, especially since they're more precise than using the screen.
Edit: Ugh, I forgot that GPS programs tend to be fullscreen, which means solution 1 and 2 wouldn't work. No 3 does though, although it means sacrificing one button for that alone. You could also get a button mapping program like AE Button Plus, which would multiply the use you can get out of one button.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't know about WA2. I don't use it and have no intention of having it. Similarly I do not intend to have AE Button. Assuming that AE button can perform the job of joystick (can it??) Most of us will not have it either. I do not want to sacrifice the camera, thank you. In fact, now I use the action button for camera, as this reduces blur.
What I'm saying is for the general situation.
I think while there may be work around if we explore hard, fact remains that it will not be as convenient anymore. I think you would agree with me that my point still stand - that having all the hardware buttons is far better than having just some of them.

eaglesteve said:
I think while there may be work around if we explore hard, fact remains that it will not be as convenient anymore. I think you would agree with me that my point still stand - that having all the hardware buttons is far better than having just some of them.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Oh I don't disagree with you, just for that specific situation (which I had to clarify as well). I won't miss the extra buttons so much as I would the joystick, though.

How serious of an issue is the shock resistance of the 8 GB micro drive? I plan to carry the advantage on my hip, at least during summer months. I've never owned a mobile device with an actual spinning hard drive. What are some effects of this this thing getting bumped against a doorway? Even if the possibilty of swapping the micro-drive for 16 or 32 GB SSD, will this change cost more than the x7510? I'm still waiting for the x7510 to be released in US, whether I buy it or hopefully see a substantial price drop in the x7501. Right now i'm leaning towards the x7510. Any feedback on the micro-drive would be appreciated.

It has a shock sensor which protects the MD. I've dropped it a metre on my carpet before without problem.
If it is 32 gb with the hardware buttons at the same price or slightly more expensive than 7510, I'll still take X7501 anytime, if I'm doing the purchase myself. The keyboard does not come into the equation because it is really not needed at all for me. The hardware buttons are however very important. I can describe so many situations where I'll miss it very much, but I'll describe just one more there:
When using email (i have 5 email accounts), with the joystick, I can go from one inbox to another just by pusing the joystick In 7510 I think this is no longer possible. You would have to click menu->go to -> then click on the account that you wish to change to. With 7501, you just push your joystick to the right or left to go to the next/previous account.
Software wise, I'm sure we could get every single software that comes with 7510 into our 7500/7501. Powel is a great cook. You just watch what he can do.

Thanks for the feedback, eaglesteve. I'm still on the fence. I'm sure once the x7510 is released, and I see the substantial price difference, i'll go with the x7501. I am almost always away from my desktop, and consider a laptop too inconvenient. The keyboard is something I use quite often. i think I would enjoy the new keyboard, as my fingers get tired on my wife's at&t tilt. I use my mobile devices all day for surfing, e-mail, of course all the organizational stuff, and occasionally music,video, or games. However, as it often goes, money is a factor. I'll update when I make a purchase, and follow-up with my thoughts/regrets.

I will suggest to consider (in a business environment) X7500 and related as a perfect SECOND phone.
The problems IMHO are related to the MIC ("please say it again" is common in handsfree mode) and a LOUD sound from speakers (even at the minumum). Without BT headset is hard to use as primary phone. I use BT (Sony Ericsson Bluetooth HBH-DS970 - Headset) but many times I leave the X7500 in my room, and when I am back, without BT auto reconnect... my X7500 rings and is disconnected! Moreover I have to remember to charge BT too, I have disconnect problems in radio noisy environments,...
Wired headset? no thank's. I an really happy, but I have also the S620!

current expansys/uk prices:
X7500 - 634.95 GBP
X7510 - 699.96 GBP

£699.95, how much is that in U.S. dollars??

If you're going to use it notebook style,then you would need the keyboard. Go for the x7510. If keyboard is used, you will not miss the buttons. In mail, for example, you could use left and right arrow keys to move from accounts to accounts. It is people like me who use it as tablet that would miss the buttons.
It may take you some time to work out your OWN preferred way of using the device. With or without keyboard? With or without headset? What type of headset? What dpi? Which program launcher? Which office software? Which browser? I think the main thing is the open mindedness and willingness to experiment to get first hand knowledge of all possibilities. One of the ways will appeal to you personally the best.

eaglesteve said:
If you're going to use it notebook style,then you would need the keyboard. Go for the x7510.
It may take you some time to work out your OWN preferred way of using the device. With or without keyboard? With or without headset? What type of headset? What dpi? Which program launcher? Which office software? Which browser? I think the main thing is the open mindedness and willingness to experiment to get first hand knowledge of all possibilities. One of the ways will appeal to you personally the best.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I fully agree, and plus remember: a 5' screen and fast data connection means remote connection to you Office/Home PC and a good experience in 800x600 resolution using logmein (available also for free) or something better (and not free)
I use it as PC remotely connected, and I use it "locally" as organizer, e-mail, web browsing, music/video player... My "office platform" business is done remotely, fast and SAFE (no really "critical" data/documents on the go) and I use VISTA or XP !

weaselcossey said:
£699.95, how much is that in U.S. dollars??
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
about 1100 dollars

weaselcossey said:
£699.95, how much is that in U.S. dollars??
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
about 1400
going at the rate of 2 usd-> 1 gbp
just a rough estimate, use xe.com to get a good one

rorydaredkign said:
about 1400
going at the rate of 2 usd-> 1 gbp
just a rough estimate, use xe.com to get a good one
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Looks like the same price as Dopod U1000 when it was first released early last year.

eaglesteve said:
- Without hardware button in MP3, you probably can't switch off the screen while the musics are being played. You can't change song with the button. To do anything, you have to take the device out of the belt pouch (instead of letting it stay in there) and use the touchscreen to control it
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Eaglesteve, how do you control your music player (which one) and how do you get the screen to actually turn off, mine always stays on limiting the battery life severely.
I agree with you on Tomtom, I use that a lot in the car and the OK button is great, my old Universal didn't work like that and was a pain.

is everyone happy with touch hd?

Never & ever be the case, I guess.
I just got touch hd last week and personally I am not that happy with it.
Previously I used Axim x51v for some years for navigation with external bluetooth based gps reveiver.
#1. I miss the hard key to turn on/off the bluetooth/wifi
#2. I miss the led indicator of the wireless status
#3. for touch camera, I also miss the hard key to trigger it.
Maybe I am old fashioned. For touch screen, I should use the on screen button. But I do feel a bit inconvenient.
#4. The touch screen doesn't respond to touch. You must press with some strength. It is even worse than Axim 51v.
#5. difficult to plug in/out sd card
#6. I soft reset axim once/twice a week to get best performance. But to access soft reset button is not convenient.
#7. I miss the D-pad.
Apart from that, I got a bad pitch on the upper left screen.
My axim x51v doesn't have any bad pitch after years of heavy use.
Should I keep it or return it?

im playing with it for about 7weeks and hmm...
1. Useless
2. ye i miss it too but hm.. i wasnt look at it anyway.
3. yup its a very bad. to aim focus and shoot. but it a pda not camera.
4. no, no, no I didn't have x51 but thd screen is I think very good with response.
5. dont tell me you changeing card every 5 mins
6. this is becouse you dont need to reset it. (htc thoughts) IMO is not so hard to get to it.
7. hmm in first week I miss it too then i realise its not nessesery.
i think you can keep it one more week and then ask yourself. shoud i sell it or not.

Most of your issues are things that you should have known about before you bought it. If they bother you then why did you buy it?
As for the soft reset button being hard to access - you don't need to use the soft reset button to do a soft reset. Just press and hold the power button for a few seconds. Easy!

It depends on how you see it.. Compared to my other touchscreens telephones the Blackstone rulez!
But then the downparts..
1. Its slow and laggy
2. Its buggy and unstable but I guess and hopes that this is the windows version and that some cooked roms makes it more stable..
3. Crappy sound quality with the 3.5 headphone output
4. Got damn I will NEVER EVER have a phone without a REAL hardware keyboard!
5. Did I mention that typing on the screen SUX?
And yes I still have the default ROM, since Im running Windows 7 Beta 1 I havent been able to hax0r the phone so I can try other ROMs..

henrik.dk said:
Never & ever be the case, I guess.
I just got touch hd last week and personally I am not that happy with it.
Previously I used Axim x51v for some years for navigation with external bluetooth based gps reveiver.
#1. I miss the hard key to turn on/off the bluetooth/wifi
#2. I miss the led indicator of the wireless status
#3. for touch camera, I also miss the hard key to trigger it.
Maybe I am old fashioned. For touch screen, I should use the on screen button. But I do feel a bit inconvenient.
#4. The touch screen doesn't respond to touch. You must press with some strength. It is even worse than Axim 51v.
#5. difficult to plug in/out sd card
#6. I soft reset axim once/twice a week to get best performance. But to access soft reset button is not convenient.
#7. I miss the D-pad.
Apart from that, I got a bad pitch on the upper left screen.
My axim x51v doesn't have any bad pitch after years of heavy use.
Should I keep it or return it?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I too was disappointed slightly with the HD when I first bought. But I stuck with it, tweaked it and I'm now a lot happier than I was.
#1. I miss the hard key to turn on/off the bluetooth/wifi. To navigate to Comm Manager and use on/off function is very straight forward. Takes 3 buttons presses at most.
#2. I miss the led indicator of the wireless status. You can download different task bar icons, countless available if you search whoch have better wireless status indicators
#3. for touch camera, I also miss the hard key to trigger it. You can use apps like HD Tweak or AEB Plus and remap soft keys so camera is one click away
#4. The touch screen doesn't respond to touch. You must press with some strength. It is even worse than Axim 51v. Again use HD Tweak and change sensitivity of touch press
#5. difficult to plug in/out sd card. Gonna have to live with this one. Not as bad as you think compared to some other phones
#6. I soft reset axim once/twice a week to get best performance. But to access soft reset button is not convenient. Try using Touch Off. Easy app for soft reset/trun off etc
#7. I miss the D-pad. Use 3rd party apps. Can be found in Themes, Applications and Software forum
To improve performance I'd recommend reading up on the wiki for some tips. HD Tweak & Advanced Config shoould also help. Also, there our countless cooked roms out there which have been tweaked for performance. All you need to do is search!!

my X1 is better...

Thank you for all these information.
The capability to adjust touch sensitivity is really super. I will definitely try it.
Do you have any recommendation of wireless tools also?
Regarding D-pad, I really cannot image it can be implemented by 3rd applications.
But your response had made me think that I should keep it ....
Fallen Spartan said:
I too was disappointed slightly with the HD when I first bought. But I stuck with it, tweaked it and I'm now a lot happier than I was.
#1. I miss the hard key to turn on/off the bluetooth/wifi. To navigate to Comm Manager and use on/off function is very straight forward. Takes 3 buttons presses at most.
#2. I miss the led indicator of the wireless status. You can download different task bar icons, countless available if you search whoch have better wireless status indicators
#3. for touch camera, I also miss the hard key to trigger it. You can use apps like HD Tweak or AEB Plus and remap soft keys so camera is one click away
#4. The touch screen doesn't respond to touch. You must press with some strength. It is even worse than Axim 51v. Again use HD Tweak and change sensitivity of touch press
#5. difficult to plug in/out sd card. Gonna have to live with this one. Not as bad as you think compared to some other phones
#6. I soft reset axim once/twice a week to get best performance. But to access soft reset button is not convenient. Try using Touch Off. Easy app for soft reset/trun off etc
#7. I miss the D-pad. Use 3rd party apps. Can be found in Themes, Applications and Software forum
To improve performance I'd recommend reading up on the wiki for some tips. HD Tweak & Advanced Config shoould also help. Also, there our countless cooked roms out there which have been tweaked for performance. All you need to do is search!!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

complain - as it worth to complain.
I really cannot live with phone+axim+gps when I go outdoors.
Moandal said:
Most of your issues are things that you should have known about before you bought it. If they bother you then why did you buy it?
As for the soft reset button being hard to access - you don't need to use the soft reset button to do a soft reset. Just press and hold the power button for a few seconds. Easy!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

i came from X1 I LOVE THE HD

I bought mine in Dec 08, and so far ive been real disappointed.
* constant lag
* battery sucks
* non standard USB port
* Flaky paint work
but the biggest critism is the lack of structured apps compared to the iphone and android phones. I'll gladly pay for apps that are easy to download and install, hell even nokia have their own store.
Seems to me HTC just rushed through these phones without thinking of after sales products.
Ive always disliked Apple but im seriously going to have a look at the new iphone this summer....anyone wanna buy my HD

henrik.dk said:
Thank you for all these information.
The capability to adjust touch sensitivity is really super. I will definitely try it.
Do you have any recommendation of wireless tools also?
Regarding D-pad, I really cannot image it can be implemented by 3rd applications.
But your response had made me think that I should keep it ....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Go to themes, Applications and software and type in D-Pad and see whats going on. They're is currently threads on this where some have acheived a simple D-pad and others are still trying to implement more advanced ones. Also search under mortscript and a game pad similar to the nintendo gameboy has been created for your gaming needs.
For every fault which the HD has, someone in this excellent community has either fixed it or is trying to fix it. You just have to know where to search mate.
Only things which can't be fixed are hardware ones like increasing camera quality or flashlight. Otherwise, happy searching!!

sthapa said:
......but the biggest critism is the lack of structured apps compared to the iphone and android phones. I'll gladly pay for apps that are easy to download and install, hell even nokia have their own store.
Seems to me HTC just rushed through these phones without thinking of after sales products.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
iphone approve every game which appears on their device. Because the HD is WM they cannot approve every game as anyone can basically create games for windows. This is the main reason my HTC do not provide one web site for all apps & games.
Typical websites for apps and games would be:
www.handango.com
www.pocketgear.com
http://www.spbsoftwarehouse.com/?en

henrik.dk said:
Do you have any recommendation of wireless tools also?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You could try these 2 amongst others

but spartan, why do HTC need permission to sell games/app that run on WM ?

Sometimes people just complain for the sake of complaining
sthapa said:
I bought mine in Dec 08, and so far ive been real disappointed.
* constant lag
* battery sucks
* non standard USB port
* Flaky paint work
but the biggest critism is the lack of structured apps compared to the iphone and android phones. I'll gladly pay for apps that are easy to download and install, hell even nokia have their own store.
Seems to me HTC just rushed through these phones without thinking of after sales products.
Ive always disliked Apple but im seriously going to have a look at the new iphone this summer....anyone wanna buy my HD
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Constant lag? Mine is as fast as I need, and that's quick.
Battery sucks? I have no problem going a full day using virtually everything, and talking a few hours on the phone. After that, I recharge it through my USB port and up-date everything via ActiveSync. Perfect!
Non-standard USB port? Oh, please. The standard USB port fits perfectly. I use a standard USB port to connect my computer to the HD.
Flaky paint work? I haven't had a single flake of paint since I bought it four months ago. Perhaps you have a bad batch.
Don't paint every HD with the same brush. Your complaints are irrelevant to me because they simply are not true when you apply them to my HD.
Peter

sthapa said:
but spartan, why do HTC need permission to sell games/app that run on WM ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think you may need to re-read his post

sthapa said:
but spartan, why do HTC need permission to sell games/app that run on WM ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think what spartan was referring to is the fact that the iphone is locked (unless you JB it) They control what you can and can't have whereas WM you are free to have anything you like.
There are millions of apps/games/etc for WM phones so all you need do is search on forums like this and on the net to get what you want. HTC don't need get any permission because ultimately they don't control the phone. It's up to you to install what you want. HTC are in the business of providing phones not the 3rd party programs you run on them.
As regards the thread: I'm very happy with my HD. I'm not a camera user so this aspect of the phone has never bothered me, I just look at it as an extremely handy extra feature.
Soft reset - just install a program as has been said
SD card - Not needed to swap the 8Gb card as yet and can't see any real instances where I'd be constantly needing to swap it with any frequency.
Dpad - never used it on my trinity so not missed it on the HD
Battery life is amazing - I have watched all 3 Pirates of the Caribbean films on 1 charged battery (that was one hell of a long day waiting round for people i can tell you!)
After about 2 months of constant (reasonably heavy) use there are no visible marks or scratches on the phone and people are constantly amazed at it's looks.
So all in all I'm happy but perhaps I'm less fussy than most people here.

The phone Rulez. Period
Sure, a D-pad would be nice and it would be even better if you could attach the car battery to it (consumes like a bloody ($*T%(#$*^). Yes, for a plain phone it is both big-ish and a bit heavy
Nonetheless a) It is not merely a phone b) Rulez (see above)
If you want to compare crappy WM devices, just have a try at LG KS20

@sthapa - Think both dao & Aaronc1978 answered you query efficiently

I tried the hd tweak and the sensitivity adjustment is just for touchflo
but not for the touch screen itself. I used phatpad a lot for note taking in axim. But for HD touch, it is almost imposssible to draw a continuous line
since the strengh required to press the stylus is way too bigger.
Anyone tried to use phatpad in HD?
Fallen Spartan said:
Go to themes, Applications and software and type in D-Pad and see whats going on. They're is currently threads on this where some have acheived a simple D-pad and others are still trying to implement more advanced ones. Also search under mortscript and a game pad similar to the nintendo gameboy has been created for your gaming needs.
For every fault which the HD has, someone in this excellent community has either fixed it or is trying to fix it. You just have to know where to search mate.
Only things which can't be fixed are hardware ones like increasing camera quality or flashlight. Otherwise, happy searching!!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse