I’m going to start this off by saying that this is not a review of the AT&T Tilt, the HTC Advantage, or the iPhone. These devices have been reviewed in depth already. This is more of a reflection on my use of the 3 devices mentioned. My primary phone is the AT&T Tilt, my wife uses the iPhone, and I bought a HTC Advantage 2 week ago.
I wanted to see if the Advantage would augment or even replace my laptop and Tilt, like a true convergence device. I mentioned the iPhone because my wife has one, and so I have access to the use of it along with the 2 other HTC devices.
All of the devices mentioned are box stock so to speak. They are locked to AT&T with the exception of the Advantage, which as you know can work on any GSM network, but for me it is used on AT&T’s network.
I was able to use all 3 while on a week’s Christmas vacation trip to Minnesota (I live in Jacksonville, FL.) to see my parents. I transitioned to the Advantage one week prior to leaving to get used to it. It worked as expected, sync’s to my laptop with Vista and Mobile Device Center no problem, as does my Tilt. Connected to AT&T’s network no problem. I was always able to get my e-mails and made and received calls on it, and Bluetooth worked flawlessly. I paired my Jawbone with no problems. The only software problem I encountered with it so far has been with Windows live services. It would fail to sync completely, signing out and then back in repeatedly. I have had zero lock ups and have not had to reset it yet. The GPS worked without a hitch and was able to use it with both Google maps and Live search to navigate. The only problem I can find to fault this device with is the size and weight, but I knew that when I got it. It is not designed to be carried around with you all day. I found myself leaving it in the car or on the desk and checking it throughout the day. I did carry it with me while walking around the Mall of America in Minneapolis. Throughout the whole trip I had excellent network coverage and the high speed 3g worked everywhere I was at. All and all the Advantage did everything it was advertised to do.
While at my parent’s house in Rochester, I also used my Tilt. Once again it worked as it has always been working. The only problem I have with my Tilt is it has a tendency to drop calls while using the Bluetooth headset (Jawbone). This has happened several times and I have read here on these forums that I am not alone with this problem.
To be honest, after using both devices I think the Advantage is at a slight disadvantage. Now, I realize they are meant for two entirely different types of users. I can do everything I need to do on the Tilt. The Advantage can do everything the Tilt can do, and has way more storage. The size, weight, and portability are just too much to work around for me. I must say though, that looking at that nice big VGA screen on the Advantage will spoil you.
I am more than happy with the performance of both devices, as well as the other HTC devices I have used in the past. (AT&T 8525)
Here’s the other point I wanted to make, and why I have mentioned the iPhone. I pay all my bills online, so I needed to be able to log on to my bank as well as other creditors to make payments. Of the 8 online bill paying websites I needed to access, I was only able to complete 3 of the tasks. The websites would not render correctly no matter what changes to the display I made. As a note I use a program called PIE+ by Rensoft, and it works great on my Tilt and the Advantage. I was able to log on and complete the other 5 transactions with the wife’s iPhone, in the Safari browser no problem what so ever. That’s the only thing I like about the iPhone, and it is not enough of a reason to switch to one, she likes that phone and it’s nice, but I prefer the functionality of windows mobile.
I would like to add that I am not a noob, nor am I an expert at using WM6; I learn new stuff about it every day on this site. I thought it might be interesting for someone to read about my experience with these 3 devices, and how they were used in my everyday life.
In conclusion, I would say that for me, the choice clear. I will stay with my Tilt, and possibly find a new home for the Advantage. I don’t know though, it’s like a guilty pleasure to use the Advantage.
One more thing I just thought of, maybe a HTC Shift is what I need.
Anyway thanks for reading.
My week with my advantage
It all started on christmas eve, i bought my advantage off someone on these forums, who got conned into buying an ameo with a blocked imei. Im 17 so i hardly ever call, and when i do its when im out with my K800i. It has been like this since i got my hermes in June. And texts work for me, so its a perfect buy, way cheaper then normal, and probably the best spec of a pda phone there is.
I got it out of the box, and i was actually surprised by the size. I thought it would be bigger, but its not really massive, seeing as i had a hermes. Its probably the same depth as a hermes, and width is about double the hermes, and height is id say about 1cm shorter then the hermes length. And, most importantly, it fits into my school blazer pocket perfectly, so no belt clip.
Straight away, i downloaded the latest athena project rom. I was surprised by the amount of apps cooked in, coming rom hermes where every rom is stripped bare, because of the half size rom.
I fired it up, played around a bit, but i found that even with double the ram, and more then 50% extra processing power, it was the same speed. But thinking about it, this is probably because it has to render double the number of pixels.
I downloaded google maps, tried to get a gps fix, and so far ive been able to get a fix in my house fdrom my bedroom window [5 satellites] and the living room window [3 satellites] i havent been able to when ive been in a car. I got tomtom for it, and the success has been the same. But quick gps does i think speed up getting a fix, but it may just be psychological.
The best app on the rom is id say real vga. The icon are massive on 192 dpi, and when i changed to 96 dpi, at first it was tiny, but now im used to it. Another massive plus is snapvue. The calendar is great and the viewing od new sms at the bottom is excellent. Then only thing wrong with it so far is that the clock never syncs fast. its always approx 10 secs after the normal clock. And, when i turn it on in the morning, it shows the time it was turned off at at night. And by turn off, i mean like screen off, not power down.
Yesterday, i had some trouble with it, when i turned the screen off, it wouldnt turn back on, i had to soft-reset. it did this twice in a row. but since then it hasnt done it.
That is the only problem so far [touch wood] that has caused a soft reset.
Wisbar advance desktop wouldnt work, but now i worked out that 96 dpi is just like qvga? lol. so my old hermes WA2 and WAD themes will work.
Thanks for reading, and i liked your "review" cib911.
x
cib911 - After getting a good case for my Athena (Tough-as-Nuts; it has the same quality as a good holster), I don't even notice its on my belt most of the time. I even have moments where I think I've lost it and reach down to make sure its still there. When I had some cheaper cases in the beginning it was a drag, literally. Especially one that had a swivel belt clip which held it so far from the belt it had leverage to twist the belt outward with each step. But the good case makes it an easy carry-everyday item now.
Hey cib911, I'm gonna assume you flew. Did you use the Advantage on the flight, around 3hours would be my guess. How was the battery life and what were you using it for? music? Movies? Work?
I've been considering one to add to my TyTn / Fujitsu p1510 stable.
thanks
cib911 said:
I’m going to start this off by saying that this is not a review of the AT&T Tilt, the HTC Advantage, or the iPhone. These devices have been reviewed in depth already. This is more of a reflection on my use of the 3 devices mentioned. My primary phone is the AT&T Tilt, my wife uses the iPhone, and I bought a HTC Advantage 2 week ago.
I wanted to see if the Advantage would augment or even replace my laptop and Tilt, like a true convergence device. I mentioned the iPhone because my wife has one, and so I have access to the use of it along with the 2 other HTC devices.
All of the devices mentioned are box stock so to speak. They are locked to AT&T with the exception of the Advantage, which as you know can work on any GSM network, but for me it is used on AT&T’s network.
I was able to use all 3 while on a week’s Christmas vacation trip to Minnesota (I live in Jacksonville, FL.) to see my parents. I transitioned to the Advantage one week prior to leaving to get used to it. It worked as expected, sync’s to my laptop with Vista and Mobile Device Center no problem, as does my Tilt. Connected to AT&T’s network no problem. I was always able to get my e-mails and made and received calls on it, and Bluetooth worked flawlessly. I paired my Jawbone with no problems. The only software problem I encountered with it so far has been with Windows live services. It would fail to sync completely, signing out and then back in repeatedly. I have had zero lock ups and have not had to reset it yet. The GPS worked without a hitch and was able to use it with both Google maps and Live search to navigate. The only problem I can find to fault this device with is the size and weight, but I knew that when I got it. It is not designed to be carried around with you all day. I found myself leaving it in the car or on the desk and checking it throughout the day. I did carry it with me while walking around the Mall of America in Minneapolis. Throughout the whole trip I had excellent network coverage and the high speed 3g worked everywhere I was at. All and all the Advantage did everything it was advertised to do.
While at my parent’s house in Rochester, I also used my Tilt. Once again it worked as it has always been working. The only problem I have with my Tilt is it has a tendency to drop calls while using the Bluetooth headset (Jawbone). This has happened several times and I have read here on these forums that I am not alone with this problem.
To be honest, after using both devices I think the Advantage is at a slight disadvantage. Now, I realize they are meant for two entirely different types of users. I can do everything I need to do on the Tilt. The Advantage can do everything the Tilt can do, and has way more storage. The size, weight, and portability are just too much to work around for me. I must say though, that looking at that nice big VGA screen on the Advantage will spoil you.
I am more than happy with the performance of both devices, as well as the other HTC devices I have used in the past. (AT&T 8525)
Here’s the other point I wanted to make, and why I have mentioned the iPhone. I pay all my bills online, so I needed to be able to log on to my bank as well as other creditors to make payments. Of the 8 online bill paying websites I needed to access, I was only able to complete 3 of the tasks. The websites would not render correctly no matter what changes to the display I made. As a note I use a program called PIE+ by Rensoft, and it works great on my Tilt and the Advantage. I was able to log on and complete the other 5 transactions with the wife’s iPhone, in the Safari browser no problem what so ever. That’s the only thing I like about the iPhone, and it is not enough of a reason to switch to one, she likes that phone and it’s nice, but I prefer the functionality of windows mobile.
I would like to add that I am not a noob, nor am I an expert at using WM6; I learn new stuff about it every day on this site. I thought it might be interesting for someone to read about my experience with these 3 devices, and how they were used in my everyday life.
In conclusion, I would say that for me, the choice clear. I will stay with my Tilt, and possibly find a new home for the Advantage. I don’t know though, it’s like a guilty pleasure to use the Advantage.
One more thing I just thought of, maybe a HTC Shift is what I need.
Anyway thanks for reading.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i would try opera. it works on all the sites i do online payments on. i would also try my rom. u'll be spoiled by it and with hardspl u can always return to stock if needed for warrenty.
what i would do is loose the keyboard like i did because of the teksoft fingertouch keyboard included in my rom and use the qwerty layout which is layout 1(ull see on the bottom left hand corner a red square with number. thats used to change layout).
without the keyboard the athena is now close to moto razr thin. but as wide as about 2 razrs side by side.
coming from a hermes i do not have a problem with the size. it fits into my jeans pockets and i love the power of the device. with my rom the device just flies. i can throw everything at it and do anything i want with it.
rorydaredkign said:
It all started on christmas eve, i bought my advantage off someone on these forums, who got conned into buying an ameo with a blocked imei. Im 17 so i hardly ever call, and when i do its when im out with my K800i. It has been like this since i got my hermes in June. And texts work for me, so its a perfect buy, way cheaper then normal, and probably the best spec of a pda phone there is.
I got it out of the box, and i was actually surprised by the size. I thought it would be bigger, but its not really massive, seeing as i had a hermes. Its probably the same depth as a hermes, and width is about double the hermes, and height is id say about 1cm shorter then the hermes length. And, most importantly, it fits into my school blazer pocket perfectly, so no belt clip.
Straight away, i downloaded the latest athena project rom. I was surprised by the amount of apps cooked in, coming rom hermes where every rom is stripped bare, because of the half size rom.
I fired it up, played around a bit, but i found that even with double the ram, and more then 50% extra processing power, it was the same speed. But thinking about it, this is probably because it has to render double the number of pixels.
I downloaded google maps, tried to get a gps fix, and so far ive been able to get a fix in my house fdrom my bedroom window [5 satellites] and the living room window [3 satellites] i havent been able to when ive been in a car. I got tomtom for it, and the success has been the same. But quick gps does i think speed up getting a fix, but it may just be psychological.
The best app on the rom is id say real vga. The icon are massive on 192 dpi, and when i changed to 96 dpi, at first it was tiny, but now im used to it. Another massive plus is snapvue. The calendar is great and the viewing od new sms at the bottom is excellent. Then only thing wrong with it so far is that the clock never syncs fast. its always approx 10 secs after the normal clock. And, when i turn it on in the morning, it shows the time it was turned off at at night. And by turn off, i mean like screen off, not power down.
Yesterday, i had some trouble with it, when i turned the screen off, it wouldnt turn back on, i had to soft-reset. it did this twice in a row. but since then it hasnt done it.
That is the only problem so far [touch wood] that has caused a soft reset.
Wisbar advance desktop wouldnt work, but now i worked out that 96 dpi is just like qvga? lol. so my old hermes WA2 and WAD themes will work.
Thanks for reading, and i liked your "review" cib911.
x
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
quick gps is ment to speed up the time for a lock so it isnt ur imagination. i am glad u love my rom and ur device. only comment i have is with the gps i actually get as good signal in my car as out of it.
i use the htc branded case and it sits in between the dashboard and front windshield of my car. it doesnt move around bc of the design of my car and the device with case. it is pretty much stuck in there and wont move no matter what i do with the car yet i can still remove it by hand from that spot.
Hey cib911, I'm gonna assume you flew. Did you use the Advantage on the flight, around 3hours would be my guess. How was the battery life and what were you using it for? music? Movies? Work?
I've been considering one to add to my TyTn / Fujitsu p1510 stable.
thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes I did use it on the flight. 1 hour to ATL. and 2 hours to MSP. The battery held up fine. I haven't put any music or movies on it yet, but played some games. I use it more for e-mail and as a lap top replacement.
i would try opera. it works on all the sites i do online payments on. i would also try my rom. u'll be spoiled by it and with hardspl u can always return to stock if needed for warrenty.
what i would do is loose the keyboard like i did because of the teksoft fingertouch keyboard included in my rom and use the qwerty layout which is layout 1(ull see on the bottom left hand corner a red square with number. thats used to change layout).
without the keyboard the athena is now close to moto razr thin. but as wide as about 2 razrs side by side.
coming from a hermes i do not have a problem with the size. it fits into my jeans pockets and i love the power of the device. with my rom the device just flies. i can throw everything at it and do anything i want with it.
Today 06:27 PM
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Glad you mentioned your ROM, I haven't had to courage to try it yet. Don't want to brick it, plus I'm still adding cabs and configuring it. I am thinking about flashing it now though.
cib911 said:
Glad you mentioned your ROM, I haven't had to courage to try it yet. Don't want to brick it, plus I'm still adding cabs and configuring it. I am thinking about flashing it now though.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just do it, unlock with Olipro's unlocker (best do all 3 steps) then flash the ROM - you won't regret it and it's almost impossible to brick your device.
Confucious said:
Just do it, unlock with Olipro's unlocker (best do all 3 steps) then flash the ROM - you won't regret it and it's almost impossible to brick your device.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
olipro is right: his ROM makes a world of difference to the usability of the athena. its a great device but in the end the size just got too much for me. there were also one or two disappointments for me. im an internet addict and found that neither opera nor pie did full enough job for me. i also thought video playback was less than acceptible, with lipsync gradually worsening throughout many films and general playback quality a bit hit and miss. it was possible to convert movies to a format that worked well but this was too much of a trial for me. perhaps i expected too much of the athena's raw power but try copying a video recorded on an N95 (330mhz ARM proocessor) onto the microdrive and playing it with tcpmp or coreplayer and you'll see that the athena was clearly never designed to play movies. this rendered the 8gb of storage a little redundant for me, and it remained pretty empty.
taking its relative spec into account i never thought the device showed itself any more nippy than the hermes. web pages for example rendered around the same speed on both devices, but i get the feeling that's a fault with windows mobile as a whole and not the athena.
overall i loved texting on the athena. there's something about the feel of it (minus the silly keyboard) that i grew fond of, and theres an abundance of really great apps out there, but in the end it never fulfilled my expectations and i felt obliged to sell it before its value depleted further.
if the size doesnt bother you and you're not too bothered about watching movies you'll definitely be sold when you try black touch though. its great, and no doubt it's helped HTC a lot as the stock ROMs are crap. without black touch i would have sold my athena months ago.
Related
I was thinking about getting one but was wondering how it is to use as a everyday phone? is it just to damn big? manageable? will it fit in a pocket? any pocket? I have a herald now and my my main reason for thinking about the switch is texting and wifi surfing (vga screen has gotta make it a joy to use). anyone have any build quality issues? im uber anal about build quality,especially at this price!! any other comments are welcome. Oh I did read some reviews and went through on here but I wanna know what the real life owners think after owning it for a while.
i got it , and i say it's almost accommodate %95 for everyday use , it has all features that you need , you never get stuck in any place you go , i mean when i'm in internet cafe i use wifi ,
when i want to listen to a song the original headset make it very coool and it rocks really they have a hi quality ,
when i want to take a photo in with my friend in college it shot nice though it have a 1.3 MP it can expand to 2 MP ( in camera options ) and the color and details is very good
and when playing a video clip it have a very very nice quality ( with VGA screen and 520 MHz) it's very powerful ,and it can play %90 of known multimedia files ( by using Core Player )
and it got very powerful application to be be used for every day task
and and and and............. , i recommended it by %95
very stylish device
i use it as everyday phone, organiser and modem for laptop. very pleased. Phone is a bit clunky, using stylus to dial can be a fiddle, but no problems otherwise. Works great with bluetooth headset and voice dial
regards,
Brian.
Use it as an every day phone. VGA mode, VJBigPhone and use my finger for dialling - no problems at all. Only thing is that I cant have anything else in the pocket I put it in, but thats no big deal.
sigh, i really wish i could hold one before I buy it. it sounds like im gonna need my own private shirpa to lug it around for me!!
honestly there are only 2 reasons im thinking about getting one..
1) surfing the net. Im hopeing that between the bigger screen and the vga resolution that it will format webpages better than the qvga "smaller" screen of my herald (i hate scrolling)
2) .......well maybe there is only the one reason, lol! i feel like a flake. im still pretty new to the windows seen as i have been a symbian guy for a loooong time.
I suppose honestly I use it as a phone first and everything else second. how would y'all rate the build quality on this thing?
VJBigPhone???
I use my Vodafone V1640 as an every day phone. It is quite chunky in the pocket, but I'm quite used to it now. I love the fact that it can be sat on the desk like a little laptop, so I can browse websites without having to actually hold the device during lectures at uni.
I'd love to have a thinner phone though.
Build quality: quite good, the hinge is still in very good form after about half a year's usage.
http://www.vijay555.com/?Releases:VJBigPhone
Never had a problem with build quality, in fact had less problems with this phone than I did with the Alpine.
gquipster said:
http://www.vijay555.com/?Releases:VJBigPhone
Never had a problem with build quality, in fact had less problems with this phone than I did with the Alpine.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sweet, thanks man!!
Another question, are there any draw backs to the vga hack? will it still run qvga apps?
Some - not all. I use VGA all the time as I love the amount of info I can see on the screen.
For instance the built in games (Solitaire etc) don't scale particularly well, and I emailed the guy who wrote PocketConquest etc to inform him that his games didn't work in 640x480 but apart from that not had any problems.
Applications I use on a near daily basis:
Calendar,
Pocket Outlook (Text messages AND Email),
Internet Explorer,
Notes,
Pocket Word,
Adobe Reader 2.0,
Microsoft Remote Display Control,
Pocket Excel,
Terminal Services (with full-screen hack)
I also have PocketPutty which I use fairly frequently and am looking for a decent VNC client.
G
I use it as my primary Jack-of-All-Trades device.
It's my PDA, my phone, my remote control, my book reader, my GPS system, my car MP3 player, my secondary Internet booth, my gamebox, my e-mail reader (I'm driving Blackberry sh*t out of my company!).
Often I carry it in my hands, or a shirt pocket. In the car it's stored in the door.
With PocketBreeze and a new original battery from e-Bay for a mere fraction of O2 replacement price, I'm now a happy camper!
I have used it as a every day phone now for allmost one and a half year. Last weekend i replaced it out with a Motorola A780. Now it feels like i dont have any phone in my pocket becuase of the size (even though A780 is also a big cell phone).
I think the universal is a good pda, but as a phone it isent reliable. I have tried out a lot of diffrents radio versions but it is still unstable.
But, one day i will switch back to my Universal, and that day we will have fully linux support in it. And then it will be reliable again
wow, thank you for all the replies!!!
I have one on the way and I can't wait to get it!
I picked up a moto pebl to use if I wanna go out and only want a small phone (like the bar or formal functions) I can't remember the last time I was this pumped abut getting a new phone! man, the uni owners seem to be a most loyal crowd. Again, any and all comments are welcome as I don't know my a** from my elbow with not only the uni but PPC as well.
For me the size of the Universal becomes a problem only during summer months. Wearing shorts etc.
Apart from that it fits perfectly in my trousers,jacket pockets.
To be honest because of it's shape I prefer to carry it in the pocket than my Wizard, it just fits better...
But yeah, sometime the freezing and other "adventures" drive me mad!!!
If ya wanna get your hands round one just pop into a phone shop and ask around,,, im sure pleanty of places still have one or two left instock as this is the kinda phone only the people who want it buy, if ya want it ya get it,,, ive never turned back and its my best toy to date :lol:
-DTM
Use it every day. Never had a problem and everything is at hand. Can't fault it.
Used it every day for work and home, found it to be great, i have 2 of them But now i have a wizard and its much better than the Exec as a phone....
stevef1
Well, I got it.....
NOt sure if I like it yet or not. seems like most of the apps I have don't work due to the screen
I can't even get marsware weatherpanel to work. I may end up trading it off but im not to sure yet. that and the rf dont seem to great where I live but ill give it a bit more time.
Anyone wanna trade me??
I will say that I love the keyboard and the screen is amazing!!! Size isn't to bad and weight dont bother me none either. I have only had the phone for a few hours so ill give it some time before making a decision.
razamataz said:
Well, I got it.....
NOt sure if I like it yet or not. seems like most of the apps I have don't work due to the screen
I can't even get marsware weatherpanel to work. I may end up trading it off but im not to sure yet. that and the rf dont seem to great where I live but ill give it a bit more time.
Anyone wanna trade me??
I will say that I love the keyboard and the screen is amazing!!! Size isn't to bad and weight dont bother me none either. I have only had the phone for a few hours so ill give it some time before making a decision.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Upgrade the ROM and start to explore the Uni - you will very quickly find any other phone wholly inadequate!
apd said:
Upgrade the ROM and start to explore the Uni - you will very quickly find any other phone wholly inadequate!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
upgrade to what rom? I'm I have wm6 on here or is that not what you mean? is there a "best rom" to use?
At the moment i have the universal, and uses it primarily for navigation and reading e books. have normal SEk810i for phoning.
i have been waiting for the omni, but date keeps pushing and no official responses has been made whether it comes or not.
And now i have found me a very nice offer that i can afford
Its the HTC Advantage X7500 and not the 7501.
How simple will the upgrade be to wm6 ?
and what other differences is there beside the fmradio (which doesn't matter to me)?
should i go for this or should i wait ?
One last note, the size of the athena doesnt scare me, i like big screen when reading and using navi.
I bought one 7500 couple of months before. The upgrade to WM6 was easy, but... I wouldn't buy it again - the microdrive makes me very big problems (it stops working in unpredictable times - not realiable) and also the GPS chipset inside is not SirfStarIII, be careful, if you need it for detailed measurements... :-(((
the athenais an amazing device look at the thread in the upgrading section called 'athena & WM6 getting rid...' and have you considered the shift it is bigger but a huge screen gps and phone 30GB vista and everything you could everneed (apart from a great battery life if using Vista) it is a bit more money and not released till 21st of december in uk not sure about ret of world also a higher screen resolution
spzero said:
the athenais an amazing device look at the thread in the upgrading section called 'athena & WM6 getting rid...' and have you considered the shift it is bigger but a huge screen gps and phone 30GB vista and everything you could everneed (apart from a great battery life if using Vista) it is a bit more money and not released till 21st of december in uk not sure about ret of world also a higher screen resolution
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Why does everyone keep saying the shift does large screen GPS, None of the GPS solutions for Vista are as good as tomtom and the like for PPC and none of the pictures of the shift show it using the full wide screen when in PPC mode, this means that the 4:3 image in a 7" wide screen is barely over the 5" screen of the athena anyway.
Shift would simply be to big for my tastes. need something that can fit in my pocket easily due to my job. and the battery life discourages me also.
so today i went in with both legs and bought a brand spanking new athena.
i had won one on an auction, but after winning i got email from the seller saying sorry but it has broken and he has to cancel auction. ( still thinks he was pissed not getting the doe he was expecting )
so now i have gotten it today. have hardSpl'd it and flashed the pk3 rom. and i have that warm feeling inside again
i have to say that with mobipocket installed it is just perfect for reading, and when it comes to navigation, i have the full tomtom6 and so far no problems with the gps reception. and if the problem should arise i have my tomtom bluetooth antenna to be fired up in case..
so for now i will enjoy my new toy and hope it will last me a good while (wife will go mad if i want a new one for at least the next year ...)
what i have seen so far has been all good, hope it lasts
charon72 said:
Shift would simply be to big for my tastes. need something that can fit in my pocket easily due to my job. and the battery life discourages me also.
so today i went in with both legs and bought a brand spanking new athena.
i had won one on an auction, but after winning i got email from the seller saying sorry but it has broken and he has to cancel auction. ( still thinks he was pissed not getting the doe he was expecting )
so now i have gotten it today. have hardSpl'd it and flashed the pk3 rom. and i have that warm feeling inside again
i have to say that with mobipocket installed it is just perfect for reading, and when it comes to navigation, i have the full tomtom6 and so far no problems with the gps reception. and if the problem should arise i have my tomtom bluetooth antenna to be fired up in case..
so for now i will enjoy my new toy and hope it will last me a good while (wife will go mad if i want a new one for at least the next year ...)
what i have seen so far has been all good, hope it lasts
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
welcome to the club
spzero said:
the athenais an amazing device look at the thread in the upgrading section called 'athena & WM6 getting rid...' and have you considered the shift it is bigger but a huge screen gps and phone 30GB vista and everything you could everneed (apart from a great battery life if using Vista) it is a bit more money and not released till 21st of december in uk not sure about ret of world also a higher screen resolution
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
IMHO, the Shift cannot be compared to a Windows Mobile device.
I carry a Windows notebook computer as well as a Windows Mobile device.
Now, that I have an Advantage, I find myself using the notebook computer far less often. The long boot-up time of the PC, and the easy synch of my data along with nearly-instant "on" of the Advantage, make my Advantage my first choice nearly all of my away-from-office time.
charon72 said:
Shift would simply be to big for my tastes. need something that can fit in my pocket easily due to my job. and the battery life discourages me also.
so today i went in with both legs and bought a brand spanking new athena.
i had won one on an auction, but after winning i got email from the seller saying sorry but it has broken and he has to cancel auction. ( still thinks he was pissed not getting the doe he was expecting )
so now i have gotten it today. have hardSpl'd it and flashed the pk3 rom. and i have that warm feeling inside again
i have to say that with mobipocket installed it is just perfect for reading, and when it comes to navigation, i have the full tomtom6 and so far no problems with the gps reception. and if the problem should arise i have my tomtom bluetooth antenna to be fired up in case..
so for now i will enjoy my new toy and hope it will last me a good while (wife will go mad if i want a new one for at least the next year ...)
what i have seen so far has been all good, hope it lasts
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I congratulate you for making this wise decision. SHIFT is TWICE the area of Athena and three times the weight. It also is quite useless on the road because it has completely unacceptable battery life. Even if it has GPS, proper camera, MP3 player on the WM side, and voice call, it's not going to be worthwhile. Even if you don't mind lugging this phone along, you can't really use it worry free because anytime it's going to run out of power. Do you want Vista that badly? That's the real question. Even if you really really need portable VISTA, it is wiser to have ASUS eee PC, with an Athena.
In my mind there are two types of portability. The "body portability" and the "briefcase/backpack portabiliity". In first type of portability allows you to either put the device in your normal size pocket or a normal size belt pouch. The second category allows you to bring it along for holiday and travel, but you would not really need it to be carried on your body. Phone/GPS/MP3/Internet Browser/Camera/Radio should be converged into one device of "body portability". More serious work related and very infrequently used device such as VISTA could accept a "briefcase portabilty" as those applications typically requires much bigger screen and keyboard. These two types of device should not converge.
The real issue with SHIFT is not weather it can have phone, full WM6. It is the weight, size and battery life. Athena is the one to go for.
eaglesteve said:
I congratulate you for making this wise decision. SHIFT is TWICE the area of Athena and three times the weight. It also is quite useless on the road because it has completely unacceptable battery life. Even if it has GPS, proper camera, MP3 player on the WM side, and voice call, it's not going to be worthwhile. Even if you don't mind lugging this phone along, you can't really use it worry free because anytime it's going to run out of power. Do you want Vista that badly? That's the real question. Even if you really really need portable VISTA, it is wiser to have ASUS eee PC, with an Athena.
In my mind there are two types of portability. The "body portability" and the "briefcase/backpack portabiliity". In first type of portability allows you to either put the device in your normal size pocket or a normal size belt pouch. The second category allows you to bring it along for holiday and travel, but you would not really need it to be carried on your body. Phone/GPS/MP3/Internet Browser/Camera/Radio should be converged into one device of "body portability". More serious work related and very infrequently used device such as VISTA could accept a "briefcase portabilty" as those applications typically requires much bigger screen and keyboard. These two types of device should not converge.
The real issue with SHIFT is not weather it can have phone, full WM6. It is the weight, size and battery life. Athena is the one to go for.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
HERE HERE.
Very well put Eaglesteve.
I have, and will always have issues with the size of the Athena - as a phone I struggle to get along with it, and continually go back to my Hermes. The past few days with the Touch Dual ROM however I have warmed to it and think if you don't mind vociferous phone conversations or connecting bluetooth earphones it's actually a very good bit of kit.
I never use the keyboard as it adds bulk and isn't as nice to use as Fingertouch, I would LOVE a Linux hack but don't see one happening soon and I think web browsing is not as smooth and reliable as it should be, but you can't have everything I suppose.
If you enjoyed your Universal then I have no doubt you will be a happy member of the Athena club, and the Shift?!?! I wouldn't touch it with someone else's bargepole owing to 3 critical - and no doubt predictable - factors:
1 - It's too small to be a laptop replacement; too big to be a cellphone replacement.
2 - Owing to its expense and niche market, development will be VERY restricted.
3 - battery life is grimly short.
As previously stated, buy an EEE if you want a bit extra to go with your Athena - the cost of this AND the Athena is less than a Shift alone, with twice the battery juice.
leoni1980 said:
HERE HERE.
Very well put Eaglesteve.
I have, and will always have issues with the size of the Athena - as a phone I struggle to get along with it, and continually go back to my Hermes. The past few days with the Touch Dual ROM however I have warmed to it and think if you don't mind vociferous phone conversations or connecting bluetooth earphones it's actually a very good bit of kit.
I never use the keyboard as it adds bulk and isn't as nice to use as Fingertouch, I would LOVE a Linux hack but don't see one happening soon and I think web browsing is not as smooth and reliable as it should be, but you can't have everything I suppose.
If you enjoyed your Universal then I have no doubt you will be a happy member of the Athena club, and the Shift?!?! I wouldn't touch it with someone else's bargepole owing to 3 critical - and no doubt predictable - factors:
1 - It's too small to be a laptop replacement; too big to be a cellphone replacement.
2 - Owing to its expense and niche market, development will be VERY restricted.
3 - battery life is grimly short.
As previously stated, buy an EEE if you want a bit extra to go with your Athena - the cost of this AND the Athena is less than a Shift alone, with twice the battery juice.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Whether or not you find Athena's size to be a problem depends on how to use it. For me, I completely dislike the hardware keyboard. It's no where near as fast and accurate as Tengo software keyboard, so I don't have the burden of carrying it and the leather case.
Next, if you try carrying it with the pockets of your shirt or trousers, you will find it too bulky and heavy. The right way to carry this is to use a proper belt pouch. I have a self made one. I carry my Athena 24/7, even at home. The only time it comes off my body is when I shower and sleep. In my belt pouch I am completely unaware of its presence. I will not be able to do the same with SHIFT.
hardware keyboard is interesting but daft, unresponsive and a burden when it comes to answering calls. the universal's design is better in a sense (and it doesn't wipe hard drives), although once the keyboard is removed the Athena feels a lot nicer.
i have never used Tengo. is it better than fingertouch?
leoni1980 said:
hardware keyboard is interesting but daft, unresponsive and a burden when it comes to answering calls. the universal's design is better in a sense (and it doesn't wipe hard drives), although once the keyboard is removed the Athena feels a lot nicer.
i have never used Tengo. is it better than fingertouch?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
much much better
many more options
leoni1980 said:
hardware keyboard is interesting but daft, unresponsive and a burden when it comes to answering calls. the universal's design is better in a sense (and it doesn't wipe hard drives), although once the keyboard is removed the Athena feels a lot nicer.
i have never used Tengo. is it better than fingertouch?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
much much much much better. bigger hitting area, more accuracy, takes up less real estate, more comprehensive and complete in functionality than Finger Touch . I've posted a comparision somewhere under the thread called "Finger touch, much better than tengo".
To add to the idea of using an Athena along with an Asus, you don't even have to link them with USB for the Asus to get network access. Get the (beta) wmWifiRouter and your Athena turns into a portable wifi hotspot. Then your Asus, and anyone else travelling with you with a laptop, gets internet on the go.
techntrek said:
To add to the idea of using an Athena along with an Asus, you don't even have to link them with USB for the Asus to get network access. Get the (beta) wmWifiRouter and your Athena turns into a portable wifi hotspot. Then your Asus, and anyone else travelling with you with a laptop, gets internet on the go.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
hey, thats what i do, and it works a treat. for anyone who cant be bothered to search ive attached it. just go to start, settings, connections, wifi, add new. give the new connection whatever name you like and make sure you tick 'ad hoc'. then just run wmwifirouter. simple.
And because of this program there is less of a need to hack the ee to add internal bluetooth like some have lately. I cant think of any reason, actually.
Wow, i am really amazed to how this thread has boomed since last night
My main reason for never even considering the shift is size and battery life.
and every night when i go work i bring my laptop anyway.
The job i do is nightguard for a mentally handicapped man in his thirties. this involves long hours sitting in a chair watching him doing weird stuff and sleeping on the couch. so i need a device to keep me company in the chair
and it has to be something i can flick shut at seconds notice in case he gets a seizure (bad spelling i know) or freaks out. and for theese reasons SHift would be very impractical.
i like the look of shift and would like to have it just for playing around with it, but i also know i would tire of it really fast, so i dont see a reason to waste my money on a shiny new toy i wont use(have plenty of those)
The athena is now 2 days old and bringing it to work now for the third night and so far it has fulfilled all my expectations and even more.
combined with mobipocket it is absolutely fabulous to read on, and i am even considering leaving the laptop at home
So far i am very happy to have made the transition from the universal.
And on a side note...
Now my mom can discard her old Moto A1000 cause i am giving her the universal instead
leoni1980 said:
I would LOVE a Linux hack but don't see one happening soon
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What is a 'Linux hack' ?
eaglesteve said:
I carry my Athena 24/7, even at home. The only time it comes off my body is when I shower and sleep. In my belt pouch I am completely unaware of its presence. I will not be able to do the same with SHIFT.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Do you wear it when you have sex?
spacecat said:
Do you wear it when you have sex?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I thought everyone has sex with his Athena. No?
I currently have a nokia n800, that i am using less and less due to the fact that it is NOT a cell phone in any way. My second latest device is an HTC Touch Dual, i love WM6, and just about everything except the build of the phone. I am getting some disturbing side to side motion in the slide, and it effects how you press the top power on/off button. Luckily i have a squaretrade warranty and im gonna return it and get my money back. Now the point of the post, I have just picked up a new in box, unlocked, x7501. Should arrive in the next couple days and I am totally stoked, I cant wait to see the 5 inch screen! Any quick tips for a new x7501 owner? Thanks for all the help!
flash pk's rom, and instantly switch to realvga 96dpi. gives you masses of screen space. I got mine on christmas eve, and its been a joy to have. just installed all my fave apps and now got it working just how i want it. the realvga thing is my top tip.
x
Thanks very much, i just cant wait to get it! One of the things im most excited about is using an rss reader on the home screen and being able to see more than the first 4 words of the headline, thats how it is on my touch dual!
lol. at first i was annoyed by the large screen. on my hermes, i had the cube and an iphone ui, along with pocket plus on another page using wisbar advance desktop. then along came my athena, and when i finally got a working iphone vga theme, it lookes so stupid. now ive got pocketplus 4, with diary and gprs monitor integrated for all my shortcuts, and resco today plugin for my memory usage. perfect, and shows how you adapt to a device.
And youll probaly get a whole page of rss, with 96dpi, i think its like having 4 qvga screens right next to each other.
rory
x
rorydaredkign said:
lol. at first i was annoyed by the large screen. on my hermes, i had the cube and an iphone ui, along with pocket plus on another page using wisbar advance desktop. then along came my athena, and when i finally got a working iphone vga theme, it lookes so stupid. now ive got pocketplus 4, with diary and gprs monitor integrated for all my shortcuts, and resco today plugin for my memory usage. perfect, and shows how you adapt to a device.
And youll probaly get a whole page of rss, with 96dpi, i think its like having 4 qvga screens right next to each other.
rory
x
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I did the opposite and got rid of my Ameo for an N800!
Waiting for Gnokii to be ported so I can use the N800 to send sms/make calls through my N95. The ameo was good but too big, based on the fact that i couldn't 'detach' the cellphone aspect of the device and therefore always had to have an oversized phone on me, whether at the office or on a night out.
I prefer to have a phone (N95) and N800 (via bt dun) for Internet browsing as the browser is infinitely better than either opera or PIE on the Ameo and the sreen res is higher - despite the smaller size - but that's just my personal preference.
yeah, the n800 is still a great product, and it can do a wonder of things. The best part is the linux os, so just about all the best software for it is FREE! I would have never put my n800 down it it had cell abilities. The responsiveness of the touchscreen on my n800 blows away any touchscreen phones ive ever used...I love typeing with the soft keyboard on the n800 Huge thumb buttons. my touch dual has been the biggest dissapointment of all my cell phones....only because as each day passes i feel like the top slide portion is going to break off. Its been getting more play in its slide every day ...Im fairly confidant that i can handle the size of the advantage just fine...as long as i get me a good small earbud style bluetooth.
touchlasvegas said:
yeah, the n800 is still a great product, and it can do a wonder of things. The best part is the linux os, so just about all the best software for it is FREE! I would have never put my n800 down it it had cell abilities. The responsiveness of the touchscreen on my n800 blows away any touchscreen phones ive ever used...I love typeing with the soft keyboard on the n800 Huge thumb buttons. my touch dual has been the biggest dissapointment of all my cell phones....only because as each day passes i feel like the top slide portion is going to break off. Its been getting more play in its slide every day ...Im fairly confidant that i can handle the size of the advantage just fine...as long as i get me a good small earbud style bluetooth.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
wait for cellphone tool to be fully functional on OS2008 before you get rid of your N800. It will enable you to connect through your regular cellphone to make and receive calls and texts. The Athena is really no better than your Touch Dual aside from the screen: in fact if i still had my Athena I'd have swapped you!
In order to get over the problem of the Athena's size I bought some Sony earbud Bluetooth headphones, but I never managed to get caller I.D. working and it still didn't get over the size issue: I still had to take the damn thing out with me in some form or other! Without headphones the sound quality of calls through the loud speaker is appalling.
Would be nice if you could get back to us in a few weeks with your thoughts
this user bought an Athena less than a month ago and is selling it already due to usability issues.
I decided the Athena was more trouble than it was worse, and its size was simply unjustifiable given its poor video and browsing performance. Nice screen though, that I have to agree on!
Still got my Hermes though.
I don't think the sound is appaling without headset. I normally use just the speakerphone and have no issue with it. As long as I can have a phone conversation, I don't need the clearest sound in the world. It's a much better solution than having to carry another device. Just my personal preference. Others would like to have headset, which is also a much better solution than having to carry an additional device. I understand you prefer to have multiple devices, and have no problem with that. Hope you allow me to be as happy with Athena as much as you're happy with your N95/N800/Asus eee combination.
eaglesteve said:
I don't think the sound is appaling without headset. I normally use just the speakerphone and have no issue with it. As long as I can have a phone conversation, I don't need the clearest sound in the world. It's a much better solution than having to carry another device. Just my personal preference. Others would like to have headset, which is also a much better solution than having to carry an additional device. I understand you prefer to have multiple devices, and have no problem with that. Hope you allow me to be as happy with Athena as much as you're happy with your N95/N800/Asus eee combination.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I had two Athena's and both had sound issues, though I naturally used to hold them to my face rather than away from me. This was probably the problem. I didn't like broadcasting my conversations to the world though!
I like everyone to be happy of course Eaglesteve and I really don't begrudge your love of the Athena. I like my setup because it gives me more choice, and since I am a browsing addict the N800 fitted the bill better since it not only has a better browser but a higher resolution screen for displaying web content. It lacks a GPS golf companion but that's not something I need right now .
I tend to drift in and out of love for things though. If Windows produce a better mobile platform I'll probably be back to them (after testing it with my Hermes of course). I just wish, Eaglesteve, that Windows were a little more open with outside developers. Perhaps then the true power of the Athena could have been felt. It could have been SO MUCH BETTER - a true multimedia powerhouse.
Aside from the obvious loss of Windows Mobile applications, if Linux were on the Athena THEN we would see what it could do - great video playback, fully functional Firefox browser, USB and a HSDPA modem....it would kick my EEE into touch, since INHERENTLY it is a bloody excellent bit of kit, marred by Microsoft's restricted and buggy software.
well i got my Advantage yesterday Soo, much in love with it, even without changing anything yet. Took it to the bar last night and gave everyone around me gadget envy I picked up the cheapest jabra bluetooth at frys until i order the one I want off ebay soon. So far, the responsiveness of the machine is noticibly faster than the touch dual, not to mention all the other issue ive had with my dual. I know the advantage has a faster processor and all, but i only have about 15 programs installed on my touch dual and at times it lags soo much i try a soft reset, and it boots up with the same lag. I think the roughly 200MHZ bump in processor speed will help a little with this. I love how the keyboard and advantage fit into its leather case, very creative. I find myself using the soft keyboard more than the hard keyboard so I may end up leaving the keyboard at home most of the time. Secondly about the keyboard, when you attach it to the advantage as a screen protector and use the clear portion for the "sub display" I found it very finiky to get the sub display to appear, and i definatly couldnt get it every time I tried. I'll update you as I begin to modify things
Ok, now to begin with the flashing, before I try flashing PK's rom, do I need to do any kind of unlock on the phone first? Its already factory unlocked to any carrier, but I thought i read that there was another unlock that had to be done to allow custom roms. THANKS
edit* It appears that i need to run olipros 3 step unlocker first before installing PK's black rom. Now on PK's page it says that the latest rom version does NOT INCLUDE a radio, and they reccomend upgrading your radio to version 1.50 before flahing the rom.....any tips on how I would go about doing this before I flash the rom?
Hey touchlasvagas, I would like to share in your excitment. I just recieved my Advantage this past Thursday 1/10/08. I too, went to work and made some gadget envy with my supervisor (the guy who hooked me to PDA's). All in fun. The screen is phenomonal. The clarity is superb...and coming from the x51v (which is another amazing machine) there is alot more to see with softwared installed. The processor is extremely fast. After updating the Opera and reworking the configuration...the internet browser does a fine good job at work and school.
I hope I can find an extended battery somewhere!
I'm following your post so please post when you discovered the steps to unlocking, flashing, and all the other good stuff.
Just sharing in the excitment!!!!!
Kenjari
Kenjari, is yours a factory unlocked x7501 as well? Im ready to begin the flashing, I just want to get word from someone regarding the fact that it states the radio is left out from PK's rom....the radio for what? He recommends updating the radio rom before flashing and I have no idea what hes talking about hopefully someone chimes in so I can get a'flashin
touchlasvegas said:
Kenjari, is yours a factory unlocked x7501 as well? Im ready to begin the flashing, I just want to get word from someone regarding the fact that it states the radio is left out from PK's rom....the radio for what? He recommends updating the radio rom before flashing and I have no idea what hes talking about hopefully someone chimes in so I can get a'flashin
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Touchlasvegas, I believe he is refering to either the Bluetooth, GPS, or Wifi. I will scan the forum to see if I can dig up more information. I could be wrong though.
Yes, I have an unlocked x7501.
If I'm wrong...hopefully someone will come along soon.
the phone comes with radio rom installed, but it might not be 1.50.0.0. people claim this is the best, but on both of my wm devices, ive only had one radio rom. so if you dont have signal problems with your advantage, there isnt much need to upgrade radio [my opinion]
x
thanks for the info rory, i havent tested out my wifi yet, however the gps and everything else seems to be working great, so i would imagine i have no real reason to upgrade my radio. Looks like in the next couple hours i will give olipros unlocker a try and then flash the new rom
kenjari i would say hold off on flashing for right now, i believe i followed all the steps and now it appears i have a bricked, or at least semi-bricked advantage in front of me I made a post with all the descriptions of what i did and what happened, please feel free to check it out if you can help
touchlasvegas said:
kenjari i would say hold off on flashing for right now, i believe i followed all the steps and now it appears i have a bricked, or at least semi-bricked advantage in front of me I made a post with all the descriptions of what i did and what happened, please feel free to check it out if you can help
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
touchlasves, I just responded you your other post. Please take a look. I think you're still safe. Anyway, it's a good idea to wait fo touchglasvegas to complete his experiment from the viewpoint of risk management.
thanks eagle, im gonna try pks rom now as soon as i figure out which exe file to run first
Thanks for the advice touchlasvegas and eaglesteve. I hope everything works out okay. Let me know if there is anything you need me to do. I can research with you if you want!!
I am trying hard, coming from android but its very difficult the apps are so lacking. I do miss my google sky maps, and my real working gps. For some reasons gps on the HD2 is garbage, I dont even know if it works.
Open market is a big help on the HD2, and following a lot of tweaks, its manageable , I dont want to risk flashing it.
Any app recommends?
flash the device
resco explorer is good
zenonia is a great game for windows as is ivy the kiwi
what else? chainfire graphic acceleration
gtx5 theme
I don't do gps really at all...never have so that's an app I don't use...
tcpmp/coreplayer will help
Dutty's Task Manageris a must have.
I would post the link but I'm not allowed to since I'm a new member. You can find it in the Apps repository thread.
HD2
Hi,
I too came back to Winmo from android, and to be quite honest I miss nothing.
Yes I dont have the cool Bic concert lighter app, or the flashing cop car light app, but the phone does what its supposed to do. Its a productivity thing.
Keeps track of my work Exchange account, my other 3 email accounts. Edits Office documents on the fly, oh and has the best screen ever placed on a phone.
And the GPS works great on this phone. No you cant get the free turn by turn Google app, but for 29 bucks (its a steal) you can get Co-Pilot, which works well and doesnt require an internet connection to guide you. Try out the Co-Pilot, it works really well for me, and it now has TTS for street announcement and free live local search!
fhaines
Your GPS works fine, open google maps, hit menu, press "Use GPS", then press the small blue box which contains a small light blue dot on the bottom right side of the screen. Be sure to give the phone enough time to connect to the satellites displayed on the top right side of your screen.
I've never had a better GPS on any phone.
I like my HD2 after using it over 2 weeks.
However, I wish the standard keyboard was better. I HATE hitting the 'xt9/abc' toggle when I want to hit a or z. I also HATE accidentally hitting the show/hide icon for the keyboard and hiding the keyboard while I'm typing. I converted over to Swype due to this.
I also wish the HTC Messaging app didn't lag. I makes the phone feel slow when I'm trying use this app.
I'm coming from android too and to be honest I was thinking on cooking my Own Rom cause all of the ROMs available are not to my liking either to sloooow or crappy icons or maybe missing some tweaks and home tabs BUT! I rather Go back to my android (Had it since day 1)
I given up hope on HD2 sad I know I expected to be WWAAAAYYYY much more of a better phone.
I got the phone 2 weeks ago But I find myself using my G1 more.
so I'll prob sell it on Craigslist and get a N1 (which was my actual fir option)
You will probably endup doing the same
I like my HD2 Hardware not the operating system
Bitter sweat to say the least. I really like this phone, it has some crazy advance features over today phones but the software (WindowMobile / Sense UI) has really let me down. I did my research (as I do with all phones) so I was really excited to try something new (I have an iPhone) but it's been more headaches than joy.
The only reason why Im holding on to it is in hopes WP7 or Android ROM comes soon, as of right now, I've swapped my sim back into my iPhone.
Well, I took the plunge and did what i feared the most. I added a ROM and I'm loving this phone. No more lag, freezes, bugs, or having to have 10 cabs installed.
digitallysick said:
I am trying hard, coming from android but its very difficult the apps are so lacking. I do miss my google sky maps, and my real working gps. For some reasons gps on the HD2 is garbage, I dont even know if it works.
Open market is a big help on the HD2, and following a lot of tweaks, its manageable , I dont want to risk flashing it.
Any app recommends?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
best device i've owned (and i've had about 8). just get the tweaks so customize it and add a few key apps (for me: resco explorer, resco photo viewer, iGo8 -GPS - work great for me, & core player). my device runs almost flawlessly.
without a doubt this is the best windows mobile device I have run to date everything is flawless!\
trust me when I say this
MESS WITH A CUSTOM ROM
you will love your device. its as easy and fast as a jailbreak
digitallysick said:
I am trying hard, coming from android but its very difficult the apps are so lacking. I do miss my google sky maps, and my real working gps. For some reasons gps on the HD2 is garbage, I dont even know if it works.
Open market is a big help on the HD2, and following a lot of tweaks, its manageable , I dont want to risk flashing it.
Any app recommends?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If apps are you're looking for, it'd be best to go back to Android. Apps are not the strongest draw of the HD2. App development for windows mobile is essentially dead, as developers are now focusing on WP7.
On the note of GPS, it works great for me. I use it every morning on the way to work (helps me navigate around traffice jams).
So far love the build quality as its super solid with no slop like my former TILT and Fuze. The only issue I have is with the camera design which stick out too far and is unprotected from fingerprints and scuffs. The case they provide really doesn't shield it. WISH they would have kept the same design as the Euro/Asia specd HD2 so that accessories could be interchangable. They have some really good cases for the HD2 but not the TMobile versions. Getting screen protectors that truly fit and not leave gaps seems to be a problem as well. LOVE the screen and true capacitive touch.
Software so far - only owned it a week at most and its not been used all that much is pretty fast and the screen is amazing. Wished the bluetooth caller id announce worked and had the ability to record conversations which does not work. Status and other things work fine - so maybe they'll be some fix in the future.
BIG issue is with the 3g network reception. Goes from EDGE to 3g at will. Seems to lock on 3g when return from standby or power up for a few minutes then it will jump to E. Been doing this since I got it - don't think its a design/hardware issue just requires an update in the radio. Will not return it as in more populated areas it locks on 3g and stays locked. Will see. Had AT&T before so not too familiar with TMOBILE in my area. Download speeds are only in the 800 range. ATT in great area would get around 1200.
Voice quality so far is on par or better than AT&T but the volume could be a little higher even with it set full high.
For the price I paid with a new two year contract of (99 - discount code) 75 through a 3rd party and I get the AAA activation waived and 14% off my bill I definately can't complain. Ordered the phone last Monday - received it Wenesday.
Loving my HD2 with the energy tom
stim141 said:
So far love the build quality as its super solid with no slop like my former TILT and Fuze. The only issue I have is with the camera design which stick out too far and is unprotected from fingerprints and scuffs. The case they provide really doesn't shield it. WISH they would have kept the same design as the Euro/Asia specd HD2 so that accessories could be interchangable. They have some really good cases for the HD2 but not the TMobile versions. Getting screen protectors that truly fit and not leave gaps seems to be a problem as well. LOVE the screen and true capacitive touch.
Software so far - only owned it a week at most and its not been used all that much is pretty fast and the screen is amazing. Wished the bluetooth caller id announce worked and had the ability to record conversations which does not work. Status and other things work fine - so maybe they'll be some fix in the future.
BIG issue is with the 3g network reception. Goes from EDGE to 3g at will. Seems to lock on 3g when return from standby or power up for a few minutes then it will jump to E. Been doing this since I got it - don't think its a design/hardware issue just requires an update in the radio. Will not return it as in more populated areas it locks on 3g and stays locked. Will see. Had AT&T before so not too familiar with TMOBILE in my area. Download speeds are only in the 800 range. ATT in great area would get around 1200.
Voice quality so far is on par or better than AT&T but the volume could be a little higher even with it set full high.
For the price I paid with a new two year contract of (99 - discount code) 75 through a 3rd party and I get the AAA activation waived and 14% off my bill I definately can't complain. Ordered the phone last Monday - received it Wenesday.
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If you're looking for a really nice case that protects the camera, check out the leather cases at noreve.com. The leather flip case is very nice and you get to choose from different leather types and colors. It's made for the euro version, but it fits my tmous hd2 fine. Protects real well, too. Dropped my hd2 on my driveway the other day... couple small scuffs on the case, but phone is fine.
I too came from android g1, I didnt realize how much i loved android when I first got the HD2, After I figured out how to operate it, took about 48 hours, figured out how to sync it with WMDC got all my contacts and email. IT FREAKIN ROCKS. I am so impressed with syncing up with outlook on my computer and to my hd2. I have pretty much found all the same type of comparable apps as android. but so i love it!
I have also flashed it with a new rom as as long as you follow the instructions step by step, and use tested radios and roms. watch youtube videos so you know what goes on with your phone during the process so you dont get freaked out.
Are You Happy-Discount?
stim141 spoke about a discount code...paying only $99.00, as well as other "deals." Where did you get that code and how do you apply it?
I'm, in LA been living on the Edge with my Advantage 7501 onTMobile. Would rather have 3G than Edge, and a slimmer device.
And what ever happened to the 4.8 inch HTC Thoth (Athena2)?
bagua
I love my HTC HD2 running energy ro and battery lasts way longer than it did with stock rom
ecyoral said:
I love my HTC HD2 running energy ro and battery lasts way longer than it did with stock rom
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Hm people I have heard people say that ROM eats batteries. Nice to see yours is lasting longer. This is my top rom to use when I get the energy to root my phone, kinda scared as of now.
BUT YES..... I love my phone even through the freezes, bad reception, and constant 3g loss of signal.
Hello all,
I am looking to buy My streak next month and I would like some personal impressions (pro's and con's) from actual users.
I have read the wiki and the FAQ's (great stuff)
I am currently using the Xperia x1 and I love it but its time to upgrade. (im also selling one as I have 2). I live in NYC and of course I have ATT.
I am all but sold, but some personal experience from the highly respected XDA community would be nice.
thank you.
I have a real love hate relationship with mine. I've had it since June, but will be selling it soon to get the upcoming HTC Deisre HD.
PRO
Super screen, quite repsonsive, really bright. HD youtube looks fantastic on it. Really snappy to use. Internet is a joy to use.
\
the CON is as a phone it sucks. It's just too big. It took a while to make up my mind, but if you use your phone to make calls a lot, it may be a little big. I've even dropped it a couple of times due to it's large size. Support seems weak as well.
I got it a couple weeks ago and love. In my opinion its the best android device for At&t so far. The aria is a mid-lower end and the captivate feels cheap so i settled for the streak
When you first get it you will be amazed at how big it is but after using it for a couple weeks it feels normal and other devices (evo and iphone) feel SO small in your hand. One handed use sometimes is a bit hard when on the home screen but theres ways to go around that.
Browsing is awesome, haven't had to many issues due to the lack flash. Games are amazing on the 5" screen, haven't done too much movie watching but do watch the occasional youtube video.
Don't have anything bad to say about it other than its aspect ratio is set to "long" (think widescreen tv) while most android devices out there are "not long" (regular 4:3) so some apps won't look right but i have been seeing updates in the market for added streak support.
One downside though would be the connector/charger which is a PDMI connection. The cable that comes with the device is a tad too short and a spare cable from dell is $19.99!
Overall i'm happy with it and would recommend it if its your cup of tea. Also its a really big attention grabber. You don't understand how many times girls have came up to me and asked what it was and how i just pulled it out of my pocket. Then there is those that hate that say its too big as they play with their little iPhag phone..
I also came from an x1 and streak has been great for me, I can only think of glowing comments.
The obvious question is the size, but really its not that noticeable over any other phone (actually I would argue its less noticeable than the x1). If you want an approximation of the size, put a casio calculator in your pocket, keeping in mind that the streak is significantly thinner than it.
Plus as fone_fantastic mentioned its a real head turner, and seriously not as ridiculous to use as a phone as it seems, its a great device, highly recommended.
Wow, thanx for the responses, keep em coming, I'm a pretty big guy 6'1 210, I dont think I would mind the size and that is what actually interests me most.
I'm happy to see some of you love it. unbelievably its not being demoed in any of my nearby att stores, so I havent had any hands on time with it. another draw to it is that I havent seen a single person with one (just like my X1), and I'm a waiter, I see tons of people and tons of phones...but no Streak's I like having the stand out device. just a bit worried about dell's first attempt at a phone
like I said keep em coming please.
strboy said:
Wow, thanx for the responses, keep em coming, I'm a pretty big guy 6'1 210, I dont think I would mind the size and that is what actually interests me most.
I'm happy to see some of you love it. unbelievably its not being demoed in any of my nearby att stores, so I havent had any hands on time with it. another draw to it is that I havent seen a single person with one (just like my X1), and I'm a waiter, I see tons of people and tons of phones...but no Streak's I like having the stand out device. just a bit worried about dell's first attempt at a phone
like I said keep em coming please.
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Lol I'm a waiter too, its just as sea of blackberries and iphones. Wish I could just pull out the Streak and show off
Ha! we arent supposed to either, but I will sneak it in and show guests sometimes, (my x1 that is)...I don't get the wow factor I used to but....Streaks a coming.
and Yeah i see tons of Iphones all my co workers have Iphone 4's and BB torch's, I cant wait till I get my streak.
The Streak does everything I could wish and more, if there's one bad thing it's that it is a bit fragile. If you decide to get one make sure you also get a decent protective case.
I don't use mine as a phone (data only contract), but as a MID I think it is great.
The screen size (and quality) is perfect for browsing while remaining truly portable. It is my first Android device and thanks to that is endlessly customisable and has got me tinkering 'under the hood again' which is something I hadn't realised I'd missed.
Build quality wise it isn't bullet proof but given that you take care of it you shouldn't have any problems.
I have a love hate relationship with mine to. I love it totally:
Web browsing: what other smartphone can you visit and read a website with not having to zoom in a scroll left and right to read text on any site?
Ease of use: it's a Android!
Reliability: the HTC HD2 is at this time the closest competition IMO, used to have one but it was so unreliable with it's wifi i soon started to hate the sight of it!
Size: fits in any pocket i have, including trousers.
Don't watch TV, but wait until you veiw youtube on it or start view photo's you'll never wnat a small screen again.
What i hate about it is when others who complain about the size! they new the size before they bought it right, so they obviously worry far to much about what others think of them! that's not the streaks fault it's theirs. If i'm standing at some busy junction and i answer a call, if others start looking then i think they just want one to and they're eyeing it up to see what it is
The galaxy tab will be released next month, but portable it's not! look at the size of the bezel around the screen! that would look strange, holding a netbook up to your ear
I know it's a bit off topic but the Samsung Tab won't be getting voice on the US side.
now back on track
I love the streak, best parts are as said before, screen size, browsing experience (I use dolphin HD, skyfire and regular browser) each one i like for different things, I do browsing mostly on it.
cons. my streak won't charge but it's ok ( I paid half price), besides that, is that it doesn't have froyo which I don't mind at all, the other thing is that there are not many devs for this phone/tablet yet, but nothing to worry. Also the down side is the "PDMI" port, there aren't any third party chargers, cables, docks but I hope they'll come down eventually.
I'm skinny 5'10 and the streak doesn't feel all that big when against my head, no one even notice when I'm on the BIG phone talking to someone, I don't get any weird looks, but when I lay that "flipflop" on the table everyone looks at it and wants to have a go.
I've used the X1 and had several HTC's as you can see on my sig, one thing tho is that you might miss the physical keyboard, but you'll get around it, the screen is so big that the on-screen keyboard are not bad at all, I personally use "multi-touch keyboard" and that does the trick for me.
hope that helps.
Yeah, I think that this device is one of the best things I have ever bought.
the only down side will be in two years time.
Once my contract is up, I don't think I'll be able to go to anything smaller! 5" is the exact maximum size for it to be held comfortably (I definitely wouldn't get a Galaxy tab to use as a phone). But I cannot face going back to a smaller sized screen it ouwld feel like a step back.
And I'm wondering will there be a Streak II ? Or any other phone like it in 2 years time.
I can just envision my self wandering around with a forlorn look on my face muttering "I want 5 inches, I want 5 inches" (and probably get arrested when i walk past a school)
I'm in love with this phone device. The screen is awesome. Very responsive and big enough for me to type fairly accuratly on.
Talking on the phone feels normal. I didn't expect it to, but I've had only minor issues with calling. I have found myself sometimes hunting for the speaker but find that I can hear fine if I just hold the Streak a hair away from head. Basically my fat head was muffling the sound if I had the phone resting against it without having the speaker right over my ear.
I do wish that Dell would answer someone's post about the screen failures. I suspect there was a build quality issue with at least the early Streaks.
I also wish someone would get 2.2 working on a Streak so I can do remote desktop and have full exchange support, oh and Flash.
To add 1 more con, there is no VPN support if you use windows vpn LP2T, but hopefully it'll get sorted on 2.2.
I was starting to panick somewhat after I ordered the Streak & agreed to sell my current HD2 to a friend soon as it arrives, and then came across some negative reviews and discovered many people were having problems on this forum with the firmware issues related to upgrade to Android 2.1 & the limitations of stock Android 1.6. (which version are u positive guys using?).
Now having read this thread, you guys have got me optimistic & excited again!
Can't wait for it arrive next week. Hopefully I will once again feel "...this is the best phone I have ever owned", just like I did when I got my HD2, and the HTC HD before that. I don't think I could bear the disappointment of feeling I have taken a step back in the eternal quest for the ultimate personal communication device which I embarked on about 15 years ago with the Nokia 2110, followed by a variety of iPaq (HTC-made) PDA's, Ipaq phones & various HTC-branded devices.
Thanks guys for sharing your impressions.
THJahar said:
Yeah, I think that this device is one of the best things I have ever bought.
the only down side will be in two years time.
Once my contract is up, I don't think I'll be able to go to anything smaller! 5" is the exact maximum size for it to be held comfortably (I definitely wouldn't get a Galaxy tab to use as a phone). But I cannot face going back to a smaller sized screen it ouwld feel like a step back.
And I'm wondering will there be a Streak II ? Or any other phone like it in 2 years time.
I can just envision my self wandering around with a forlorn look on my face muttering "I want 5 inches, I want 5 inches" (and probably get arrested when i walk past a school)
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LMao...I'll look for you in the papers two years from now
SAman1 said:
I was starting to panick somewhat after I ordered the Streak & agreed to sell my current HD2 to a friend soon as it arrives, and then came across some negative reviews and discovered many people were having problems on this forum with the firmware issues related to upgrade to Android 2.1 & the limitations of stock Android 1.6. (which version are u positive guys using?).
Now having read this thread, you guys have got me optimistic & excited again!
Can't wait for it arrive next week. Hopefully I will once again feel "...this is the best phone I have ever owned", just like I did when I got my HD2, and the HTC HD before that. I don't think I could bear the disappointment of feeling I have taken a step back in the eternal quest for the ultimate personal communication device which I embarked on about 15 years ago with the Nokia 2110, followed by a variety of iPaq (HTC-made) PDA's, Ipaq phones & various HTC-branded devices.
Thanks guys for sharing your impressions.
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My sentiments exactly,
Question regarding the size, with my X1 I rarely ever hold it to my face I always use the Stereo headset that came with it, does the streak have on also (bundled) is it any good?
another ex-X1 user here. Love the streak and can't think of another device I could replace it with currently. In fact it's hard to leave it alone and the battery gets quite a hammering
Yes you get a stereo headset with the streak and it's not bad at all really. I don't use it myself (got some Ultimate Ears 'phones which sound incredible and I only use handsfree over BT in the car) but it should be fine...
I've kept the X1 for when i'm doing "rough stuff", like photographing 4x4 events - can just shove it in a pocket out of the way whereas the Streak would probably get damaged. For everything else though (especially in the car for satnav, music etc) it's one hell of a good device.
I really hope 2.2 makes it over cos that last little piece of the jigsaw - embedded flash in the browser - will make it a stunner. Keep an eye on the thread about USB hosting as well. If that can be actioned there are a lot of possibilities there too. For example I want to be able to download the occasional shot from my camera to check on the Streak's fairly well calibrated screen. I can also resize and send if necessary and POSSIBLY even back up the camera's memory card! (IF it works of course!!)
Everything works better than it did on the X1. BT streaming, web browsing, emulation (PSX for example), graphics, user interface (and i was using a custom WAD desktop on my X1), call quality, you name it
Up until I got the Streak I thought the X1 was the best phone I'd had but this is a whole other level!!
triondave said:
I really hope 2.2 makes it over cos that last little piece of the jigsaw - embedded flash in the browser - will make it a stunner. Keep an eye on the thread about USB hosting as well. If that can be actioned there are a lot of possibilities there too.
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I've been following that thread, with the hope that one could maybe use the USB port with a serial port adaptor to connect to Cisco routers and maybe run an Android equivalent to Windows Hyperterminal app to configure Cisco routers? I guess that's a bit far-fetched since no Android drivers would be available ...but as you mentioned, there are many other possibilities to this USB Host functionality which are likely to work.
Which version of Android are you currently running tho? Is it stock or modified?
Can you get a full 12hrs availability from the battery daily with say, 2 hrs voicecalls, & 2 hrs HSDPA internet plus a few sms's?
Also wondering if you know what the USB connector on the Streak is called? Can't see myself unplugging the cable back & forth between my bedroom, the car & the office every day. Should be easy to make up the USB host cable as well as a few spare charging cables while I'm at it if I can source the connector somewhere.
Hi - running stock O2 2.1 build 8105
I generally have to charge by about 3pm after starting at 7am BUT the screen is pretty much constantly on during that time and as far as I can see from my use the screen hammers the battery more than anything else (it's surprisingly good on wifi at home if the screen gets turned off regularly). At home it'll go all day with occasional use and usually MSN Talk running in the background.
Not entirely sure what you mean by what the USB connector is called. Do you mean the PDMI one that attaches to the phone? Well, I say PDMI but it's not 100% proved yet is it, as far as I can see from what I've read. It does seem almost certain that it is though. If you find a source let us all know!!
triondave said:
Hi - running stock O2 2.1 build 8105
I generally have to charge by about 3pm after starting at 7am BUT the screen is pretty much constantly on during that time and as far as I can see from my use the screen hammers the battery more than anything else (it's surprisingly good on wifi at home if the screen gets turned off regularly). At home it'll go all day with occasional use and usually MSN Talk running in the background.
Not entirely sure what you mean by what the USB connector is called. Do you mean the PDMI one that attaches to the phone? Well, I say PDMI but it's not 100% proved yet is it, as far as I can see from what I've read. It does seem almost certain that it is though. If you find a source let us all know!!
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So you use the Streak like a PC - screen on & in use almost continuously? Based on that it would probably be safe to say it would last me all day with less than 4 hrs screen on time (screen is mostly off during phonecalls I guess due to proximity sensor) & fairly typical/light mobilephone use. That's great to know, thanks.
Indeed, perhaps the name PDMI will help me find it somewhere in Asia, but probably best to have a closeup picture of it. As long as someone makes a connector that fits the slot and we can find out Dell's pinouts, should be ok. When my unit arrives next week I'll at least have the USB cable to check the connector for myself .
Anyways, my apologies to the OP for having gone a bit off topic there.
I'm convinced now I'll be happy with the Streak, despite some minor challenges no doubt. Besides, if it turned out to be perfect, how would we find a worthy upgrade in another year from now....