I have had the t-mobile Ameo now for 12+ mths and was thinking of
upgrading to the nokia E90, just wondered what peoples thoughts were of this phone
i.e call quality, reception, screen etc....
Thanks
if you like windows mobile then stick with windows mobile, if you prefer symbian then go with the e90 as it's got a better screen and it's more portable. I'm kind of into symbian at the moment, and i've always thought nokia's are good in terms of reception and sound quality. Invariably it boils down to if you're familiar with windows mobile to the extent that you could ever get by with anything else. I think there are more applications on windows mobile and a bigger development group but if you're only going to be browsing, calling, texting, listing to music and watching videos i think you'll definitely be better off with the e90. That's only my opinion though
E90
You'll find nothing on E90
extremely slow
not good sound Quality
not good camera ( smilar with N80 )
built! in but not working GPS ( crazy tomtom )
but
Good screen resolution and colours, some usable applications and some portable than X7500.
Not very portable...
he have 4" screen...
No tv out
yes that's it.
not anymore.
If I was you...
I will never do that for an E90
You may checkt it by your self
http://www.gsmarena.com/compare.php3?idPhone2=1857&idPhone1=1887
Thanks for replys
the link was very helpfull on compareing the 2
cryptkiller said:
Thanks for replys
the link was very helpfull on compareing the 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Equancy, your criticisms are unfounded, and that GSMArena article seems to favour the E90 to me.
The E90 is NOT slow - where did you get this information?
Music quality on all Nokias is very good in my opinion, though whether you like the software is down to personal choice. Athena also has good music applications available for download.
Speakerphone is also good - this applies to most of the newer Nokia plines. although the speaker on the Athena is also pretty good. GPS is fine - I don't know where you sourced your information - and has support for A-GPS. It works with a number of GPS applications including googlemaps and Routefinder and even supports Geocaching. There is no Tomtom support at present, but unless you rely on Tomtom you will not be fazed by this.
Browser is a safari derivative and is faster than Pocket Internet Explorer. It also requires less scrolling since the screen resolution is higher. The greater depth of colour and soon to be released Flashlite 3.0 with full flash support will only improve the internet experience. Hardware includes category 6 HSDPA support (3.6mbps as opposed to Athena's 1.8max)
Support for word and excel editing, and bluetooth keyboards.
internet radio plugin.
FM Radio with station download support.
Superb video support with no need to re-encode (with coreplayer). although the Athena has a graphics chip it is not supported, bizarrely so video performance isn't as good as it could've been.
clamshell design protects the screen, therefore a case is not necessary (though advised). In the event of a catastrophic bump the screen will not be damaged.
There is nothing wrong with the camera. Ok, it's not as fast as a Sony Ericsson cybershot camfone but it's a hell of a lot better than the Athena's laggy specimen - and has VGA 25fps video recording.
The Athena however has a big screen and is a powerful windows mobile device. I re-iterate, if you LIKE windows mobile, have lots of software and don't wish to get a Symbian device then don't bother with the E90. I don't wish to debate the advantages of each operating system as it's about what you prefer, but the Athena and E90 both have varying advantages and disadvantages which you'll need to weigh up when you come to upgrade.
Check THIS link for a more descriptive comparison
IMHO nothing! beats the athena so far. The E90 will and cannot give you any feeling of "upgrading"! Allthough high res, the screen is much smaller than the athenas, and nothing to watch movies on f.ex. how many 3rd party programs can you get your hands on for it? 5?! Its not a usb host, doesnt have tv-out, its TI OMAP2420 processor running at 330 MHz is only about half of the athenas intel, as a gps its screen is simply not the right shape "very wide and very short", hell, even the fact that on this very forum you can get a ROM which kicks ass so much more than anything symbian ever coughed up should be enough and it doesnt even have a touch screen..
And if you wonder about leoni1980's objectivity just do a search on his username on this forum and do a few min of reading.
Good
N95 has a gps antenna but who can say ıs that perfect?
You've read reviews so good.
but lets take a look...
1-
Code:
Music quality on all Nokias is very good in my opinion, though whether you like the software is down to personal choice. Athena also has good music applications available for download.
1-I don't know where you get this informations from but actually + exactly NOT! not all nokias by exm: N80,n90,E65,6300 I can write much more...
also E90 has very loud en noised speakers!
2-
Code:
Speakerphone is also good - this applies to most of the newer Nokia plines. although the speaker on the Athena is also pretty good. GPS is fine - I don't know where you sourced your information - and has support for A-GPS. It works with a number of GPS applications including googlemaps and Routefinder and even supports Geocaching. There is no Tomtom support at present, but unless you rely on Tomtom you will not be fazed by this..
2-Oh come on! have you tried him GPS? I guess no...
3-
Code:
Browser is a safari derivative and is faster than Pocket Internet Explorer. It also requires less scrolling since the screen resolution is higher. The greater depth of colour and soon to be released Flashlite 3.0 with full flash support will only improve the internet experience. Hardware includes category 6 HSDPA support (3.6mbps as opposed to Athena's 1.8max)
3- Have you any Idea about opera on pocketpc? yes ınternet explorer not so good but he uses less ram, who have 3,6 mbps internet? so you must be so rich...
4-
Code:
Support for word and excel editing, and bluetooth keyboards.
internet radio plugin.
FM Radio with station download support.
4- Comment not necessary. I don't understand why you wrote here
5-
Code:
Superb video support with no need to re-encode (with coreplayer). although the Athena has a graphics chip it is not supported, bizarrely so video performance isn't as good as it could've been.
5-Px270 also have video encoding function and I can watch DVD-9 movies, but E90 I don't think so.
You read reviews in a Symbian web site what do you waiting for.
Results makes me not amazed.
I don't talk about:
Perfect GPS, fully funcitonal touchscreen, perfect camera, SDHC support, remote desktop, TV-out, Radio, 8 gb hdd Linux support...
Now you can continue with your ( or not ) E90 but i'm still with X7500
Regards.
[email protected] said:
IMHO nothing! beats the athena so far. The E90 will and cannot give you any feeling of "upgrading"! Allthough high res, the screen is much smaller than the athenas, and nothing to watch movies on f.ex. how many 3rd party programs can you get your hands on for it? 5?! Its not a usb host, doesnt have tv-out, its TI OMAP2420 processor running at 330 MHz is only about half of the athenas intel, as a gps its screen is simply not the right shape "very wide and very short", hell, even the fact that on this very forum you can get a ROM which kicks ass so much more than anything symbian ever coughed up should be enough and it doesnt even have a touch screen..
And if you wonder about leoni1980's objectivity just do a search on his username on this forum and do a few min of reading.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have no axe to grind, and if you'd READ my previous post you'd see that I said it's about choice.
Some people don't need a tv output. I've had it on two devices and never used it. USB host is useful if you wish to plug card readers or USB infrared readers into your device but not much use for viewing movies from as it's only USB 1.1. On the subject of movies, although the E90's screen is smaller the fact that it plays movies better counts for something.
On occasion I have been very frustrated with Windows Mobile, but on the whole I've mellowed. I still own a Hermes and still like to tweak it: I follows Schapp's updates and like finding new applications to use. I liked the Athena's screen and I liked typing messages with Fingertouch on the screen.
All I was saying is that the two devices will be right or wrong for you depending on needs. If you NEED a big screen then the Athena is the one to go for. If you NEED tv out ditto. It also has more developers on its case, but I would SUGGEST that the Nokia would be a better choice for multimedia purposes and possibly browsing (so long as you don't mind the smaller screen). If you want more of a data centric/input device, maybe something for stocks and shares and E-book reading with ready-to-go memory then the Athena will be a better choice.
It's not about how many extras a device has on it so much as which of those extras you actually need, and how good you need them to be.
I judge this from experience, and [email protected] I wonder how I can possibly be unobjective if I currently own both a Windows Mobile device AND a series 60 device. Do YOU own both?
EQUANCY said:
N95 has a gps antenna but who can say ıs that perfect?
You've read reviews so good.
but lets take a look...
1-
Code:
Music quality on all Nokias is very good in my opinion, though whether you like the software is down to personal choice. Athena also has good music applications available for download.
1-I don't know where you get this informations from but actually + exactly NOT! not all nokias by exm: N80,n90,E65,6300 I can write much more...
also E90 has very loud en noised speakers!
2-
Code:
Speakerphone is also good - this applies to most of the newer Nokia plines. although the speaker on the Athena is also pretty good. GPS is fine - I don't know where you sourced your information - and has support for A-GPS. It works with a number of GPS applications including googlemaps and Routefinder and even supports Geocaching. There is no Tomtom support at present, but unless you rely on Tomtom you will not be fazed by this..
2-Oh come on! have you tried him GPS? I guess no...
3-
Code:
Browser is a safari derivative and is faster than Pocket Internet Explorer. It also requires less scrolling since the screen resolution is higher. The greater depth of colour and soon to be released Flashlite 3.0 with full flash support will only improve the internet experience. Hardware includes category 6 HSDPA support (3.6mbps as opposed to Athena's 1.8max)
3- Have you any Idea about opera on pocketpc? yes ınternet explorer not so good but he uses less ram, who have 3,6 mbps internet? so you must be so rich...
4-
Code:
Support for word and excel editing, and bluetooth keyboards.
internet radio plugin.
FM Radio with station download support.
4- Comment not necessary. I don't understand why you wrote here
5-
Code:
Superb video support with no need to re-encode (with coreplayer). although the Athena has a graphics chip it is not supported, bizarrely so video performance isn't as good as it could've been.
5-Px270 also have video encoding function and I can watch DVD-9 movies, but E90 I don't think so.
You read reviews in a Symbian web site what do you waiting for.
Results makes me not amazed.
I don't talk about:
Perfect GPS, fully funcitonal touchscreen, perfect camera, SDHC support, remote desktop, TV-out, Radio, 8 gb hdd Linux support...
Now you can continue with your ( or not ) E90 but i'm still with X7500
Regards.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yeah!!! very glad to see some enthusiasm about the Athena!!
EQUANCY said:
N95 has a gps antenna but who can say ıs that perfect?
You've read reviews so good.
but lets take a look...
1-
Code:
Music quality on all Nokias is very good in my opinion, though whether you like the software is down to personal choice. Athena also has good music applications available for download.
1-I don't know where you get this informations from but actually + exactly NOT! not all nokias by exm: N80,n90,E65,6300 I can write much more...
also E90 has very loud en noised speakers!
2-
Code:
Speakerphone is also good - this applies to most of the newer Nokia plines. although the speaker on the Athena is also pretty good. GPS is fine - I don't know where you sourced your information - and has support for A-GPS. It works with a number of GPS applications including googlemaps and Routefinder and even supports Geocaching. There is no Tomtom support at present, but unless you rely on Tomtom you will not be fazed by this..
2-Oh come on! have you tried him GPS? I guess no...
3-
Code:
Browser is a safari derivative and is faster than Pocket Internet Explorer. It also requires less scrolling since the screen resolution is higher. The greater depth of colour and soon to be released Flashlite 3.0 with full flash support will only improve the internet experience. Hardware includes category 6 HSDPA support (3.6mbps as opposed to Athena's 1.8max)
3- Have you any Idea about opera on pocketpc? yes ınternet explorer not so good but he uses less ram, who have 3,6 mbps internet? so you must be so rich...
4-
Code:
Support for word and excel editing, and bluetooth keyboards.
internet radio plugin.
FM Radio with station download support.
4- Comment not necessary. I don't understand why you wrote here
5-
Code:
Superb video support with no need to re-encode (with coreplayer). although the Athena has a graphics chip it is not supported, bizarrely so video performance isn't as good as it could've been.
5-Px270 also have video encoding function and I can watch DVD-9 movies, but E90 I don't think so.
You read reviews in a Symbian web site what do you waiting for.
Results makes me not amazed.
I don't talk about:
Perfect GPS, fully funcitonal touchscreen, perfect camera, SDHC support, remote desktop, TV-out, Radio, 8 gb hdd Linux support...
Now you can continue with your ( or not ) E90 but i'm still with X7500
Regards.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Dear God - have you been taking lessons in eloquency???
I hadn't noticed that the site was Symbian until you pointed it out to me - It was the first thing that came up on Google. Its points seemed fair to me though.
"I can watch DVD-9 movies"
"perfect camera"
"Linux support"
May I just say that based on your comments thus far I don't respect your opinion, and I hope that the people on this forum can contribute some genuine and reasoned criticism.
you didnt notice that a page called "allabout symbian" was a symbian suported site???
I have had both symbian and wm devices during the years. At the moment I own three wm6 devices, touch, tytn II and athena and I think it might continue to be like that ;-)
[email protected] said:
I have had both symbian and wm devices during the years. At the moment I own three wm6 devices, touch, tytn II and athena and I think it might continue to be like that ;-)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well at least you're not spouting rubbish. I don't think my argument was unjust and yes, I was a bit of a berk for not noticing that the site was a symbian one....
On the topic of screen, I like Athena's shape better. It's good for both portrait and landscape. I think E90's screen is not suitable for portrait use.
eaglesteve said:
On the topic of screen, I like Athena's shape better. It's good for both portrait and landscape. I think E90's screen is not suitable for portrait use.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You've got a point. To be honest I like Athena's screen better. I had the E90 for just over a month in November and got chance to have a good play on it. I liked the fact that the resolution was so high and that the screen was protected but overall I prefer a large screen - who doesn't? I think i'd put video performance above screen size if judged soley on multimedia, but not in other aspects.
I'd LOVE to know how Equancy plays dual-layer discs on his Athena, wouldn't you Eaglesteve?
I think they each have their advantages.
leoni1980 said:
I judge this from experience, and [email protected] I wonder how I can possibly be nonobjective if I currently own both a Windows Mobile device AND a series 60 device. Do YOU own both?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
if you do as I advised to do a search on yourself on this forum, you'll see that VERY MANY of the posts is about you not liking, or not being satisfied with the Athena, and that you have gotten rid of it.
Your situation is that you simply don't need an Athena. You're happy with a N95 8gb whatever, thats fine, and you are probably excited about the E90 too, although I don't think you have extensive experience with it? but to "objectively" compare the E90 with the Athena is not plausible. You have to take all the specs and usability to consider any competition. And where the Athena is equal to most of E90 specs and functions, the X7500 has a lot of functions that the E90 simply doesn't posses at all
If all you needed was a N95, and to play around with the hermes.. superb!! I am happy you figured out what your user needs are!
It doesn't make you an objective voice though, that you didn't need an Athena with all its splendor...
leoni1980 said:
You've got a point. To be honest I like Athena's screen better. I had the E90 for just over a month in November and got chance to have a good play on it. I liked the fact that the resolution was so high and that the screen was protected but overall I prefer a large screen - who doesn't? I think they each have their advantages though.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm a portrait user 99% of the time. In landscape, the device is harder to hold with my left hand, keyboard covers up too much of screen, and you're left with too little screen space, given that the task bar is longer. Only when watching movies and using GPS I like landscape better.
[email protected] said:
if you do as I advised to do a search on yourself on this forum, you'll see that VERY MANY of the posts is about you not liking, or not being satisfied with the Athena, and that you have gotten rid of it.
Your situation is that you simply don't need an Athena. You're happy with a N95 8gb whatever, thats fine, and you are probably excited about the E90 too, although I don't think you have extensive experience with it? but to "objectively" compare the E90 with the Athena is not plausible. You have to take all the specs and usability to consider any competition. And where the Athena is equal to most of E90 specs and functions, the X7500 has a lot of functions that the E90 simply doesn't posses at all
If all you needed was a N95, and to play around with the hermes.. superb!! I am happy you figured out what your user needs are!
It doesn't make you an objective voice though, that you didn't need an Athena with all its splendor...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I do go through periods of frustration with Operating Systems in general. What I was feeling during previous posts does not necessarily hold true now. If you read and understood my posts in this thread you will see that I have weighed up the advantages and disadvantages of each device. In light of the predominantly negative attitude to the E90 in this thread, and taking into account that it is on a site wherein most contributers will soley own Windows Mobile devices I have taken a slant that leans more towards Symbian perhaps. The question from the poster though was:
I have had the t-mobile Ameo now for 12+ mths and was thinking of upgrading to the nokia E90, just wondered what peoples thoughts were of this phone i.e call quality, reception, screen etc...."
So far everyone has just slagged off the E90, despite the fact that they have never used it. Some people even seem to be getting angry that I present points in favour of the E90 (depending on what type of user you are), but I have presented good points in favour of the Athena too.
I would like confirmation from Cryptkiller of whether he was after adult, experienced comparisons or a Symbian/Windows Mobile slanging match. I may have only had the E90 briefly but it seems I have more room for constructive criticism than most here, aside from Eaglesteve who has provided sound comparisons based on what he KNOWS of the two devices.
well spoken leoni1980 hope our points of view have shed some light on cryptkillers situation.
I did see that you where weighing pros and cons by the way, just that the outcome of it all came off as being biased..
why N95 over a tytnII though?
[email protected] said:
well spoken leoni1980 hope our points of view have shed some light on cryptkillers situation.
I did see that you where weighing pros and cons by the way, just that the outcome of it all came off as being biased..
why N95 over a tytnII by the way?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm due an upgrade and I MAY get the TyTn 2. I originally got an N95 on upgrade because I already had everything else. To be honest I thought it was a bit crap at first, then a firmware update made things better. Since christmas I've had the version 20 firmware which makes the camera and general performance great - it even improves battery life. There's loads of software available for mulltimedia and general fun pursuits - great Ngage games and this and this in the pipeline too!
I'll see how I feel next month I think...
Related
Isn't that weird that there is still nothing better on the market than Exec?
And nothing is even announced to come!
Or maybe I missed a news about a PDA/Phone with better specs than Exec.
I love gadgets and am a bit confused when I have nothing to wait for :wink: .
And I'm going to Japan and Hong Kong in a month and was thinking to buy something there.
rottie said:
Isn't that weird that there is still nothing better on the market than Exec?
And nothing is even announced to come!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't mind - I've got until December before I change my Exec - so glad I took out a 1 year contract rather than an 18month one.
Keep a look out for the SE p990i..... should interesting :roll:
BR
agent003 said:
Keep a look out for the SE p990i..... should interesting :roll:
BR
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Impressive specs, but the tiny keyboard isstoo small. Should sell well enough though - Wifi and 3G? Damn nice. Might face some competition from the XDA IQ (Orion).
The non-flush keyboard flap is awful too. http://gsmarena.com/sony_ericsson_p990-pictures-1318.php
Nice looking from the camera facing side though!
And that plastic thingy supposed to be better than my Exec? :lol:
rottie said:
And that plastic thingy supposed to be better than my Exec? :lol:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i'll second that
I sometimes wonder if they are so shunted for creativity & innovation! The same old crap revamped over and over again, and people still keep buying it! Unbelievable!!!
The OS is so lame, it makes me wonder how people can even use it! The applications you get for the SEs are so "compromised" and pathetic, that i really wouldnt even dream of having one of those in my gadget kitty!
again, my honest opinion....no flame war intended, but i would enjoy a breakout nonetheless
Cheers,
San
I have ordered my P990, its a phone PDA not a PDA phone. Looking forward to having a reasonable amount of user memory (>64Mb) and great MP3 playback and photos. Also I suspect I'll get two days life from the battery unlike....Also I don't expect to need to reset it every two days...Its amazing what the naff OS from Symbian can do (e.g. real-time processing)
Edit: also looking forward to having caller ID on my JabraBT800 and stereo BT playback
jah said:
I have ordered my P990, its a phone PDA not a PDA phone. Looking forward to having a reasonable amount of user memory (>64Mb) and great MP3 playback and photos. Also I suspect I'll get two days life from the battery unlike....Also I don't expect to need to reset it every two days...Its amazing what the naff OS from Symbian can do (e.g. real-time processing)
Edit: also looking forward to having caller ID on my JabraBT800 and stereo BT playback
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am going to take a serious look at the P990. I had a P800 which I didn't like much (it promised far more than it delivered), but the P990 seems leaps and bounds ahead. I then moved on to a Treo which was OK but underpowered both hardware and OS-wise. I then got a JAM and now an O2 Exec - but don't think much of Windows at all - although I couldn't survive without TomTom! I don't think any PDA has come anywhere near the quality of the Psion 5. What went wrong...?
"Looking forward to having a reasonable amount of user memory"
I've a bucket load of stuff on my XDA, never ran out of memory. Ever.
"and great MP3 playback"
Hey, me too!
"and photos."
Check. 640x480 pics look glorious. What res you running in, and on what size screen?
"Also I suspect I'll get two days life from the battery"
I get a day, but I charge every evening, so it's not a problem.
"Also I don't expect to need to reset it every two days"
Windows Mobile 5.0 is reliable. Obviously Beta software etc occasionally needs a reset, but in practice, the thing is reliable.
"Its amazing what the naff OS from Symbian can do (e.g. real-time processing)"
Sorry, what? My XDA doesn't process in real time? Really? How does it multitask?
"also looking forward to having caller ID on my JabraBT800"
Caller I'D works well through my headset via Voice Command, no need to take the headset off to look at the number.
"and stereo BT playback"
Hey, me too!
@Belfast Bikes, real-time processing means Symbian does everying there no need for two OSs unlike WM5 devices. I was trying to point out that the P990 is more a phone then PDA; some people need a rock solid phone over a PDA. On memory, I do need to reset because of low RAM and I prefer to install my apps on the main memory as I do when I use all my other devices. The Universal's 27MB user memory is very low for a USD1000 device in 2006!
@page3, totally agree about the Psion 5 - fast, easy to use and rock solid (I think I had to reset my 5MX about twice in 12 months). The Psion 5 design is from 1997! Here we are 9 years later and we have to suffer slow devices that are unreliable!
jah said:
@Belfast Bikes, real-time processing means Symbian does everying there no need for two OSs unlike WM5 devices.
On memory, I do need to reset because of low RAM and I prefer to install my apps on the main memory as I do when I use all my other devices.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've never reset due to low memory,ever. I use gspocketmagic to actually close the apps I don't need, perhaps that helps?
As for needing two operating systems, I have no idea what you're talking about.
@Belfast Biker
re: Real-time OS
Look at these links:
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2006/02/13/microsoft_single_core_phone_os/
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2005/12/30/singlechip_rtos_phones/
All *current* PocketPC/WM phones require two OSes. One runs the phone radio and the other runs the rest of the PDA. They have to be working together in order to give you a usable device. Once these are integrated in a RTOS, we should be able to do more with less. This should result in more efficiency, less weight and smaller motherboards. Technically, it should also reduce the price, although that, of course, will likely never happen!
SE990 UIQ ...
Hi folks,
I own a SE P910 as well. It is pretty similar to the 990 apart from WiFi and 3G and the screen size - the 910s screen is larger ;-)
Well, compared to PPC/Phone Ed these show a different attitude.
PPC/PE are sort of PPC with the possibility to call and the SE 9XX are phones with a PDA.
Compared to my Universal the 910 definately is NOT slow once apps are loaded and you can leave a whole lot running berfore you'll notice any slow-down. I have several apps on that thingy and I have to admit there definately is light and shade - just as everywhere, in the PPC world as well.
Concerning the keyboard you are right - this is tiny with the 9xx but text recognition (scribbling on the screen similar to Transcriber) is more accurate by far.
Phone operation (there are some people left that really use their phones to phone ;-) ) is a whole lot better: quality of sound, scroll through options by a 5-way wheel switch, options in general are better and usable compared to PPCs.
And something striking is that these devices don't have a Reset-switch - they really don't need it ....
It just depends on what you want so please don't damn a device just because it is different
Have fun!
Andreas
I am still trying to decide what i should buy. HTC Shift, HTC Omni and HTC Kaiser will be announced in Q3 just like HTC X7501. I am still waiting as my friend WU told me to do. I will wait till Summer July or September where more juicy stuff will come and therefore I decided not to buy HTC Athena.
One is a UMPC and the other is a Pocket PC. Compare both in all ways, from price, technical spec's and style.
I find the Shift to be much better than the Athena. What do you all think?
I have the Ameo now, and by the time the novelty of that has worn off, the Shift will be out.
And of course, I'll have to have one of them as well.....
nuclear said:
I am still trying to decide what i should buy. HTC Shift, HTC Omni and HTC Kaiser will be announced in Q3 just like HTC X7501. I am still waiting as my friend WU told me to do. I will wait till Summer July or September where more juicy stuff will come and therefore I decided not to buy HTC Athena.
One is a UMPC and the other is a Pocket PC. Compare both in all ways, from price, technical spec's and style.
I find the Shift to be much better than the Athena. What do you all think?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I will never buy the HTC Shift, and none of the UMPC. You see, i think PPC and UMPC are completely different product. I don't like UMPC, you can't turn it on in one sec, even you put it in stand by, it will still take a while. And also, none of the UMPC can last for whole day, i do not want to charge my device every so often.
I want my device to be 24hr connect to Internet to check mail, that you can't do with UMPC.
So i still prefer Athena, and don't forget this, i can use my U1000 to do remote control to my home pc.
If you compare Athena with other PPC, yes other PPC might have better spec when it comes out, but i find it quite hard to go to any smaller screen size then Athena. So again, it's all depends on personal needs and use, personally, i find Athena meets my needs
I agree with Wu. Why would need some slow device, I have it at home. When I am mobile I want something that would last for whole day, would be with me when I need it to check my emails, use it to go on MSN or Yahoo messenger, would have big screen and wont take ages to respond in some action (for instance Symbian phones).
schoofter said:
...wont take ages to respond in some action (for instance Symbian phones).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Wait till you see E90 in action it will blow Athena apart
I don't like XP/Vista in my phone. Slow startup and wake up from hibernation is a huge problem. Another con is since it is essentially a XP/Vista machine, it uses the ordinally desktop application which comes with all none-essentially adds-on and this blown up the size they needs. 40G storage will depleted in no time.
Battery staying power is another huge issue for UMPC.
Granted E90 is quite good but Symbian apps. is more on multi-media centric, so professional softwares are quite limit and hard to come by.
raven2000 said:
Wait till you see E90 in action it will blow Athena apart
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am sure E90 would be a interesting device but after my N73 I doubt I would like any other Nokia. It is all sparkly and nice on paper and when you read it on Net it is super duper but when you start to use it then it gets on your nerves. Nokia maps is so nice on first look but would be with maps of other countries? I don't think they would ever make map for my country so no use of it and you can't use any other app for GPS because it is made just for Nokia.
schoofter said:
and wont take ages to respond in some action (for instance Symbian phones).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Welllll, that's some really controversial statement
All the Symbian devices I've ever used performed WAYS faster, than their CE/WM competitors, though the specs were usually much lower.
E90 ????
raven2000 said:
Wait till you see E90 in action it will blow Athena apart
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't know with you all, but for me what is nokia E90 caps so beat Athena. I don't have them both, but
1. Do E90 will be supported by many software developer?
2. Do it will doing many "assistan" thing?
For me it's not a "smart phone" at all... it's just a phone...
Once again it's personal opinion, i doubt if someone already use PPC/Palm will move to NOKIA thing...
But everyone have their opinion..
cornelius said:
I don't know with you all, but for me what is nokia E90 caps so beat Athena. I don't have them both, but
1. Do E90 will be supported by many software developer?
2. Do it will doing many "assistan" thing?
For me it's not a "smart phone" at all... it's just a phone...
Once again it's personal opinion, i doubt if someone already use PPC/Palm will move to NOKIA thing...
But everyone have their opinion..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i totally agree with you, i think E90 can only be call a phone, looks at the number of third party software that PPC has, yes it might be faster on E90. But slow is just usual for Windows device, for example, Windows is slower then Mac, but does that mean everyone will run and get Mac? No, because windows has much more application.
chtan said:
I don't like XP/Vista in my phone. Slow startup and wake up from hibernation is a huge problem. Another con is since it is essentially a XP/Vista machine, it uses the ordinally desktop application which comes with all none-essentially adds-on and this blown up the size they needs. 40G storage will depleted in no time.
Battery staying power is another huge issue for UMPC.
Granted E90 is quite good but Symbian apps. is more on multi-media centric, so professional softwares are quite limit and hard to come by.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I always with 2 devices with me, 1 PDA and 1 Phone..
Before Dopod 900 / Nokia E60
Now Dopod u1000 / Nokia E60
Get the smallest and most powerful phone around for normal phone call.
Nokia E series (edit/view word/powerpt/excel.. wifi, Really good webbrowser + another Opera), PDA (Contact/Schedule/Todo can make it by 1 hand..)
WM5/6 for web/email/entertain and relax ur eyes
its very interesting..
im thinking of either the E90 or the HTC Advantage! the advantage will be out earlier and the prices of both will not differ by much. at the end of the day, the desicion of buying one rather than the other relies on what do you really want from a phone/pda.
maybe someone can help me:
my interest after all is to:
-have a device good with making calls and good for using to sync with your PC. both have the abilities but one rather probably has a better phone functionality than providing a pda/sync functions.
-as for multimedie, i have my digital camera which will never be replaced but to have a 3 mp is not too bad to take pix of some urgent things
-as a music player im not too picky as long as i get some sound
-storage wise, Advantage has plenty of those and it beats E90 easily.
-emails and so forth are important ot me. however, i would liek to upload email from my organization server which can be done through B.berry connect i suppose only. i believe both phones have the capability of doing such a thing, right? but i think the wm5/6 has a better email capability in geenral than symbians, right?
-i would get some softwares to add to my phone ans it seems windows based phones have far more titles (professional ones atleast).
-battery life: i think the E90 wins here..not sure.
-GPS capabilities: not sure which set has a better nad a more reliable one. it seems like nokia has introduced maps which can be downloaded on individual basis which is a nice idea depending on the country you are travelling to.
-multimedia again---watching movies..hmmm..it could be interesting if you are in your car as a passenger for a while..i guess it is easier to watch it on an advantage due to bigger screen..and the hard drive will assist in having bigger files on board. what do you think? but how many movies can you watch with the battery before it runs out of juice?
interesting comparisons and it is difficult for me to decide really as both devices cost lots of money and i dont want to make a desicion then regret. perhaps a user fo both devices can shed more light.
Cheers!
you said: but one rather probably has a better phone functionality than providing a pda/sync functions.
so E90 will be able to do phone thing than Athena becaus lack of earpiece on athena and vibrate notification...
just get yourself a bt headset(Jabra BT8010 is recommended) and everything will be fine, or may be excellent?
By way of encouraging discussion -- The HTC X7500/7501 is the closest current HTC product to the emerging class of computers being dubbed UMPC (ultra-mobile PC) that seems to be catching fire. Of course the appeal of the UMPC is its reliance on currently popular PC OS -- WinXP or Vista, as well as its small size (most have screen sizes between 4.5 and 8 in). The Athena's 5 in VGA screen, relatively powerful cpu, 8GB HDD, and form factor with the easy-to-use keyboard makes it very close IMHO to the appealing features of the UMPC's, although it's not officially classified as such because it uses the WinMobile OS rather than XP or Vista. I'm personally torn between my x7500 (with WM6) and one of these UMPC -- have tried the Sony Vaio UX390N but sold it because I found its limitations (unreadable screen, reliance on mouse vs. touchscreen, slow processing with vista) too great. But there are a number of newer UMPC versions coming out that seem worth trying (but who can afford them?).... the OQO Model 02 is only slightly larger than the Athena but offers Vista (at twice the Athena price).... the Raon Everun due out shortly is also only slightly larger than the Athena but not as powerful as the OQO but seems like a "hot" seller.
As a longtime proponent of pocketpc/pdaphones and similar pocketable devices, I'm intrigued -- what thoughts do others in this forum have regarding the emerging UMPC compared to our Athena/Advantage devices?
brucewilsonpa said:
By way of encouraging discussion -- The HTC X7500/7501 is the closest current HTC product to the emerging class of computers being dubbed UMPC (ultra-mobile PC) that seems to be catching fire. Of course the appeal of the UMPC is its reliance on currently popular PC OS -- WinXP or Vista, as well as its small size (most have screen sizes between 4.5 and 8 in). The Athena's 5 in VGA screen, relatively powerful cpu, 8GB HDD, and form factor with the easy-to-use keyboard makes it very close IMHO to the appealing features of the UMPC's, although it's not officially classified as such because it uses the WinMobile OS rather than XP or Vista. I'm personally torn between my x7500 (with WM6) and one of these UMPC -- have tried the Sony Vaio UX390N but sold it because I found its limitations (unreadable screen, reliance on mouse vs. touchscreen, slow processing with vista) too great. But there are a number of newer UMPC versions coming out that seem worth trying (but who can afford them?).... the OQO Model 02 is only slightly larger than the Athena but offers Vista (at twice the Athena price).... the Raon Everun due out shortly is also only slightly larger than the Athena but not as powerful as the OQO but seems like a "hot" seller.
As a longtime proponent of pocketpc/pdaphones and similar pocketable devices, I'm intrigued -- what thoughts do others in this forum have regarding the emerging UMPC compared to our Athena/Advantage devices?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Battery life is what separates the men (athena) from the boys (umpc). Even the ulv editions don't have that much staying power I have tried the Sony umpc TZ...., and now have the Stylistic ST5112 (not real umpc cos of larger screen) which claims 10hrs battery life, but not really getting that much.
personally i like zippy performance...
and the thing with vista is... with a 1.2ghz chip as these current umpcs are offerning these days...
i dont feel its well worth it for laggy performance...
and it really depends on what your use for the said device is.. ?
is it going to be primarily a workhorse type eqiupment ?
or is it going to be a simple phone that is powerful ?
i prefer to go for something like an athena... for quick work on the go...
but if im going to be doing any REAL work that requires a computer as in web design / various other apps ... i dont see myself successfully utilizing a umpc...
i prefer the large displays at home for webdesign and coding etc.
and there are many of small notebooks you can buy these days for a good price ... in the range of something like 10" notebooks
this is no bigger than a 8.5 x 11 notebook great for note takign etc.
i was thinking of getting one for college work...
boinger66 said:
personally i like zippy performance...
and it really depends on what your use for the said device is.. ?
is it going to be primarily a workhorse type eqiupment ?
or is it going to be a simple phone that is powerful ? ...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think this is the key point -- and one which is acknowledged by some of those doing reviews of UMPC -- right now the UMPC's available, while pretty cool in lots of ways, still have a lot of limitations so they can't even match what our WinMobile devices can do. OTOH.... I keep asking myself if I really use all that power of my "primary" computer (core2duo laptop with lots of cpu power, ram and large HDD)..... maybe my challenge is to decide just what I really need??????
I am curious. Has anyone used the Advantage to drive a PPT presentation on a projector? How limited is P-PPT?
That would really drive my behaviour.
jab said:
I am curious. Has anyone used the Advantage to drive a PPT presentation on a projector? How limited is P-PPT?
That would really drive my behaviour.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I use PocketSlides from Conduits. http://www.conduits.com/products/slides/
While you do have to go through a "convert" step, I have found that it faithfully reproduces all features and layout, including most animations. Also allows editing on PPC, which for me is the downside to PocketPPT and why I have never given it a try.
I have projected presentations and videos with no problems using the VGA cable. (Other than troubles finding a video player that handles MPEG-2, which 90% of my stuff is encoded in.)
wgary said:
I use PocketSlides from Conduits. http://www.conduits.com/products/slides/
While you do have to go through a "convert" step, I have found that it faithfully reproduces all features and layout, including most animations. Also allows editing on PPC, which for me is the downside to PocketPPT and why I have never given it a try.
I have projected presentations and videos with no problems using the VGA cable. (Other than troubles finding a video player that handles MPEG-2, which 90% of my stuff is encoded in.)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
have you tried TCPMP ?
I personally think it boils down to cpu, I would love to have the ameo running vista, xp, but it would take ages to do anything. I was looking at umpc's today, "was really looking for a bluetooth mouse, no joy as usuall, thanks pcworld." and thinking, nice, but the cpu isnt that much better than my ameo, plus running vista, which is cpu hungry, I just think no, I would like one, but since I got my ameo I don't turn on my pc as much, unless im video converting or doing somthing, which a umpc would be to slow. dual core and a 64 bit operating system, I like speed.
with wm6, or 5, I can do pretty much what I need to do. and lets face it I can remote desk top if I really wanted to do somthing else while I was killing time at work.
its a nice idea, but I think after contiplating one for this lenght of time, I think WM6 is enough for what your average Joe does with it. Be it presentations, excell in my case or sending emails.
Anyway, thats my drunken opinion, and im off to bed.
boinger66 said:
have you tried TCPMP ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
honestly, I tried it once a while back and it really gummed things up. I do use CorePlayer, but no mpeg-2 support yet. guess I need to give tcpmp another go...
wgary said:
honestly, I tried it once a while back and it really gummed things up. I do use CorePlayer, but no mpeg-2 support yet. guess I need to give tcpmp another go...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
download the tcpmp file that mackaby posted it has all the codecs in it
boinger66 said:
download the tcpmp file that mackaby posted it has all the codecs in it
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Does it have WMA support? I could not play a film with that format on tcpmp
victoradjei said:
Does it have WMA support? I could not play a film with that format on tcpmp
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i didnt know there were wma films...
i thought it was windows media audio .. implying audio only ?
boinger66 said:
i didnt know there were wma films...
i thought it was windows media audio .. implying audio only ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
WMV, sorry. My question still hold
victoradjei said:
WMV, sorry. My question still hold
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes it has support, but is very poor. Corecodec are aware of this and will improve on the new Coreplayer over time, but for now, the best solution for WMV is to stick to WMP.
Personally, I detest playing vids in WMV.
jab said:
I am curious. Has anyone used the Advantage to drive a PPT presentation on a projector? How limited is P-PPT?
That would really drive my behaviour.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It works fine, I have just loaded a 20MB PPS file to the Hard Drive in the Ameo and it runs great via the 4in1 output cable to the projector, no video embeded, just text and photos, not quite as fast as the laptop but it certainly works well - the time lag is only apparant on certain slides with a number of pictures embeded in them - Mike
so talk about getting off topic...
but anyways to get back on...
i am actually considering the htc shift... but it will really depend on its price point... as i find it would be good for me to use at school... ofcourse the athena would still be my main device
I've been buying HTC devices every year since the very first XDA came out. It seems to get harder each year to choose a device as more choice becomes available. I don't think the Athena was out last year (or only just out and a bit out of my price range) so it wasn't really a consideration.
Anyway I went for an Orbit/Armatis which I've really enjoyed, it has just about everything I need. Perhaps the only improvements I would make is 3G, VGA, more memory, faster processor and I do like the sound of the tv-out. So sounds like the Athena is still on the cards.
I'm just a bit worried I've missed the boat. What I mean is, is it a bit outdated now? Will they bring out a smaller/lighter version soon?
Other questions you could answer for me are as follows..
How have you all coped with the size?
For those of you using them as phone (rather than a umpc) how have they stood upto being in your pocket (without the case/keyboard)
I've heard they're not too good playing Divx movies (700mb variety). Is this true. Will the Roms available here correct this?
Any more advice great fully received.
Many thanks
DannyBoy
Now is good many peoploe are looking for something new Umpc's, Asus eee or shift type things and a few going on ebay mine will be gone soon i expect but its a great device if ur using as a phone a lot get a good BT headset like LG Style-i
Id recommend it, as long as you wanted a mini-pc, rather than a phone. The internet features, harddisk, screen, and connectivity options really tick all the boxes, and the enhanced roms really improve the product.
If you want to use it as a phone, be prepared to use a BT headset or the wired option, or the speakerphone. I can't fault it on sound quality, but if you're a pub regular, you'll feel like a bit of a tit having it on your belt or in your pocket. Either that, or face swapping your sim out to another more portable phone. Luckily I've got a work mobile as well, so I can take that out with me.
The TV out is pretty good as is the VGA, provided you're not putting it on too large a screen (only 640x480 res). But is ok on my work monitor, watching last nights telly programme that I missed, or a film. One thing to be wary of, is that you MUST run the movies off the Microdrive (or memory). If you try and play it off a USB keyfob, its just too slow to support it. MP3's are ok (although can take a fair few seconds to load).
All in all, it comes down to if you want a mini-pc, or a phone with PDA functionality.
the size took quite a bit of getting used to but once u get the feel of its awsome w/the 5" touch screen.i use my jabra bt8010 and its probably the best bluetooth stereo headset for the athena coz its got a caller ID and vibrate.i usually keep the athena in a pouch or in my pocket.i dont use the case since it makes it fatter and kind of akward to hold.playing divx,xvid,flv..etc videos are great on the athena.there are specific settings to be made in TCPMP and once they are set ur good to go.ive never had any problems playing videos after making the settings.just make sure u go look for a demo or someone with on and test it out for a while and try to get a feel for it.hope this helps
If you're mainly looking for a phone, I suggest you look elsewhere. But if you want internet on the move, this is just about the only device in the market currently. The smaller screens may be VGA, but the're too small to run REALVGA program. REALVGA is one of the greatest improvements to WM6's useability. If I have access to a notebook, I would of course prefer to use that to surf internet. But on the road, do I want to carry a ASUS eee with me just to surf internet or would I prefer to just carry an Athena? The answer is clearly Athena. But please don't expect the speed and functionality of a full web browser like some do.
Besides the large VGA screen, the presence of harddisk AND MicroSDHC is also brings about benefits that no other devices AFAIK can offer. By installing all your programs in the Microdrive, you give yourself the ability to swap the MicroSDHC (currently 8GB each max) in and out. I place all my musics, pictures, and videos on MicroSDHC. This means I have UNLIMITED storage capacity. Currently I have close to 80 applications on my microdrive, and uses less than 10% of microdrive's capacity.
GPS works great on screen of this size, although it looks good enough on smaller screen.
Another application of mine that works great on this 5 inch screen is Meta Trader 4, which displays chart of shares, currencies, commodities. The ability to know what's happening to your investments anywhere anytime is just fantastic.
Carrying it around has not been an issue for me. I have a home made belt pouch with velcro flap. I carry the device without keyboard, as a software keyboard called Tengo is far better than the hardware keyboard anyway.
I don't have any issue using the phone even without bluetooth headset, but others prefer to use it with one. Someone just posted a wristwatch styled headset which should complement this device perfectly. Google "bluevision watch" and you will be able to read more about this.
I don't have any issue with playing videos. It looks excellent from my perspective (always smooth and clear), although some think that it is crap, something I could never never understand. I don't compare that with my home theatre system's quality.
Next comes the camera. Its quality under bright daylight is excellent, but in indoor situation it is a bit lacking.
MP3 plays very very well on this device. Battery life is reasonably long. Depending on the use, about a quarter of people polled in another thread run it down in less than one day, a quarter in one day, a quarter in two days.. something like that.
In summary, this is the best convergent device in the market with the most ideal size imaginable. HTC SHIFT has got the size completely wrong IMHO. It is too big to be carried around 24/7 whereas Athea is not.
I've been a very very satisfied owner for about 9 months now. If I lost it today, my next phone is still going to be Athena, of course, unless they come up with a skinnier and lighter version, with FM radio, TV tuner, and infra, without reducing the size of the screen.
Thankyou for giving such detailed opinions guys. It is much appreciated.
I think i'll get one but probably second hand rather than start a new contract.
Looking forward to playing with the Rom's in here. they look great.
The athena is a cracking device, but for me it was a case of it falling between two devices and not doing either as well as they could be done.
too small to be a laptop and too big to be fone
so i have gone down the separate small fone and small laptop route.
i found after a while the phone function just became a pain in the bum and i actually wanted XP and not WM6 functionality
spacecat said:
The athena is a cracking device, but for me it was a case of it falling between two devices and not doing either as well as they could be done.
too small to be a laptop and too big to be fone
so i have gone down the separate small fone and small laptop route.
i found after a while the phone function just became a pain in the bum and i actually wanted XP and not WM6 functionality
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
And I'm the opposite - I want a machine for instant email access and web access with GPS etc which I can carry. I ahve a computer at work and at home.
The truth is, I'm afraid, you're going to have to make up your own mind! It is a big device but very usable (especially with a bluetooth headset). Everyone has their own opinion of it / uses for it but they may not match yours.
if you use the GPS function in a car its a no brainer, as its nearly as a cheap as a decent satnav and can do a lot more.
otherwise ..like he said
spacecat said:
if you use the GPS function in a car its a no brainer, as its nearly as a cheap as a decent satnav and can do a lot more.
otherwise ..like he said
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
GPS in a car does not meet my need. Only a mobile one allows me to find direction after parking my car. You don't have to drive to enjoy the benefits. I use it to find points of interest such as restaurants . I use it while walking downtown to get to unfamiliar places rather than carrying a heavy streets directory.
Only a mobile one lets me play golf with a golf GPS software, telling me how far I'm from water hazards, from green, from trees, etc.
Only mobile GPS allows me to bring it overseas.
Also, after trying out a few 'dedicated' GPS, they are just inferior to mobile ones in terms of functionality.
Sure you can tell me that there are dedicated mobile GPS around which can satisfy my needs. But how many devices do you want to carry? For me, I want to take with me only one convergent device. I don't want a dedicated phone, another dedicated GPS, another dedicated web surfing subnotebook, another dedicated mp3 player, another camera, another video recorder. I'm sure there are people who fervently wants the best equipment dedicated to every single task, but that's their choice. I'm very happy to have made the Athena choice and sticking with it until a better convergent device comes along.
eaglesteve said:
GPS in a car does not meet my need. Only a mobile one allows me to find direction after parking my car. You don't have to drive to enjoy the benefits. I use it to find points of interest such as restaurants . I use it while walking downtown to get to unfamiliar places rather than carrying a heavy streets directory.
Only a mobile one lets me play golf with a golf GPS software, telling me how far I'm from water hazards, from green, from trees, etc.
Only mobile GPS allows me to bring it overseas.
Also, after trying out a few 'dedicated' GPS, they are just inferior to mobile ones in terms of functionality.
Sure you can tell me that there are dedicated mobile GPS around which can satisfy my needs. But how many devices do you want to carry? For me, I want to take with me only one convergent device. I don't want a dedicated phone, another dedicated GPS, another dedicated web surfing subnotebook, another dedicated mp3 player, another camera, another video recorder. I'm sure there are people who fervently wants the best equipment dedicated to every single task, but that's their choice. I'm very happy to have made the Athena choice and sticking with it until a better convergent device comes along.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
? im referrering to the GPS system in the Athena
Let's not forget I've had it built into a device literally half the size of the Athena for a year so its not really a selling point for the Athena.
Have you seen this? ...7501!
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=3153290&Sku=H224-1010
As an ex Clie pda user, I have ditched the little keyboard and use the WM6 version of graffiti text input, and have never looked back at the keyboard again. With the supplied leather case, it improves portability so much it can fit into the back of my jeans pocket.
Haven't loaded gps, but will in the coming year.
A must is the Jabra bt8010 for stereo bluetooth, and phone use, so you don't have to pull out the athena everytime. Otherwise you are using the speaker phone to talk to people, not the best.
I would have to say, if you want the screen size, the Athena is hard to beat when you look at the spec sheet. Most UMPC's don't have a cell phone built in. Most cell phones don't have a big screen that give you pda functionality.
I would say the only other alternatives is the HTC Touch, if you can live with the smaller screen size.
My only gripes on the Athena:
Video performance @30fps is BAD
Occasional A2DP stereo bluetooth skips, A2DP is so good I would never use an iPhone or iPod or any phone without it again!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
If they come out with an Athena2, this is what I would like to see:
Solid State Hard Disc of at least 32GB
Solid video performance
Drop the keyboard - it scared away a lot of people with the gimmicky magnet attachment and small useless size.
To sum up, if you like the large screen of the PDA's (480x320), and love pda functionality, then you will like the Athena. It lets me carry only one device.
DON'T FORGET THAT THE CES SHOW IS ONLY A MONTH AWAY, there could be a new device that manages to top the Athena there, lets hope it is the Athena 2!
keithwwalker said:
As an ex Clie pda user, I have ditched the little keyboard and use the WM6 version of graffiti text input, and have never looked back at the keyboard again. With the supplied leather case, it improves portability so much it can fit into the back of my jeans pocket.
Haven't loaded gps, but will in the coming year.
A must is the Jabra bt8010 for stereo bluetooth, and phone use, so you don't have to pull out the athena everytime. Otherwise you are using the speaker phone to talk to people, not the best.
I would have to say, if you want the screen size, the Athena is hard to beat when you look at the spec sheet. Most UMPC's don't have a cell phone built in. Most cell phones don't have a big screen that give you pda functionality.
I would say the only other alternatives is the HTC Touch, if you can live with the smaller screen size.
My only gripes on the Athena:
Video performance @30fps is BAD
Occasional A2DP stereo bluetooth skips, A2DP is so good I would never use an iPhone or iPod or any phone without it again!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
If they come out with an Athena2, this is what I would like to see:
Solid State Hard Disc of at least 32GB
Solid video performance
Drop the keyboard - it scared away a lot of people with the gimmicky magnet attachment and small useless size.
To sum up, if you like the large screen of the PDA's (480x320), and love pda functionality, then you will like the Athena. It lets me carry only one device.
DON'T FORGET THAT THE CES SHOW IS ONLY A MONTH AWAY, there could be a new device that manages to top the Athena there, lets hope it is the Athena 2!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I agree with your wishlist. I'd add to that TV tuner, FM radio, infra. Would also be nice to shed some weight and thickness.
I hope there is an Athena 2 soon. This is a wonderful size for a convergent device.
Just a reiteration here, but it is about personal preference. I tried to get along with the athena with pks rom, and although it was noticeably better than before it still didn't quite do it for me. I had constant complaints about the quality of voice calls using the speaker phone, and although a bluetooth headset worked fine, for me it still wasn't as practical as i would've liked. I went back yesterday to an n95, and bought a nokia n800 for portable browsing and email (although the n95 is more than capable here anyway). The two combined cost me about the price of an athena, and for my personal needs they work together to give a superior experience. The n95s gps locks on much quicker than the athena's so is in many ways a more practical device to use for personal navigation - especially with google maps' integration of the internal gps. The browser on the n95 is also better than pocket internet explorer, but when required i have the unbeatable os2008 browser to hand with the n800. Nokia have also just released a firmware update for the n95 which makes everything snappy and enjoyable - how it should have been all along really! The only thing i really miss about the athena is texting on a big screen. For some reason i really enjoyed that. The wmwifirouter app was useful too, though that's not exclusive to the athena. I think among the current fold of handsets the only thing that sets the athena apart is the screen size. There is nothing else on the device that can't be seen elsewhere. It just didn't cut the mustard for me as i had to persevere too much and it was a little embarrassing to use, but as they say - each to their own. One final point i will make is that i DON'T THINK the athena is a good convergence device. It provides no more than a big screen. Video performance is often shoddy, browsing does not offer full internet, the camera is pretty crap and usb host is only really of use for hid and playing music\photos. Aside from the large screen, usb host and touchscreen the n95 8gb offers: better multimedia playback (multi codec with coreplayer), a far superior camera, with shockingly better video recording functionality, integrated gps which locks on quicker than the athena and a quicker browser which allows effortless access to all but flash sites (soon to be remedied. With flash lite 3.0).. If the athena is a convergance device then the n95 8gb is just as good, particularly given it's size. You can even use a bluetooth keyboard with it. P.s. I typed all this on an n95 and it was a piece of cake!.
leoni1980 said:
Just a reiteration here, but it is about personal preference. I tried to get along with the athena with pks rom, and although it was noticeably better than before it still didn't quite do it for me. I had constant complaints about the quality of voice calls using the speaker phone, and although a bluetooth headset worked fine, for me it still wasn't as practical as i would've liked. I went back yesterday to an n95, and bought a nokia n800 for portable browsing and email (although the n95 is more than capable here anyway). The two combined cost me about the price of an athena, and for my personal needs they work together to give a superior experience. The n95s gps locks on much quicker than the athena's so is in many ways a more practical device to use for personal navigation - especially with google maps' integration of the internal gps. The browser on the n95 is also better than pocket internet explorer, but when required i have the unbeatable os2008 browser to hand with the n800. Nokia have also just released a firmware update for the n95 which makes everything snappy and enjoyable - how it should have been all along really! The only thing i really miss about the athena is texting on a big screen. For some reason i really enjoyed that. The wmwifirouter app was useful too, though that's not exclusive to the athena. I think among the current fold of handsets the only thing that sets the athena apart is the screen size. There is nothing else on the device that can't be seen elsewhere. It just didn't cut the mustard for me as i had to persevere too much and it was a little embarrassing to use, but as they say - each to their own. One final point i will make is that i DON'T THINK the athena is a good convergence device. It provides no more than a big screen. Video performance is often shoddy, browsing does not offer full internet, the camera is pretty crap and usb host is only really of use for hid and playing music\photos. Aside from the large screen, usb host and touchscreen the n95 8gb offers: better multimedia playback (multi codec with coreplayer), a far superior camera, with shockingly better video recording functionality, integrated gps which locks on quicker than the athena and a quicker browser which allows effortless access to all but flash sites (soon to be remedied. With flash lite 3.0).. If the athena is a convergance device then the n95 8gb is just as good, particularly given it's size. You can even use a bluetooth keyboard with it. P.s. I typed all this on an n95 and it was a piece of cake!.
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Sorry, I disagree that web browsing and emailing experience is even practical at all with N95. The device is just too tiny for such purposes. I went to the shop and asked the assistant to demo it. It is way way too slow for once. The screen shows a small portion of that Athena would have shown. The input with the keypad is completely unacceptable and unpleasant.
I hate to say this, while I understand your desire to find a better browser and email client on Athena, I don't think N95 is a better one.
eaglesteve said:
Sorry, I disagree that web browsing and emailing experience is even practical at all with N95. The device is just too tiny for such purposes. I went to the shop and asked the assistant to demo it. It is way way too slow for once. The screen shows a small portion of that Athena would have shown. The input with the keypad is completely unacceptable and unpleasant.
I hate to say this, while I understand your desire to find a better browser and email client on Athena, I don't think N95 is a better one.
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I think that was too polite.
Leoni, you can't seriously be suggesting that a buggy S60 phone with a tiny screen and a gimmicky media player is even close to the Athena. My other half has an N95 and even she (a gadget hater!) thinks it is a dysfunctional version of the Iphone (now that is quite an insult, coming from her!). The only good think about it is the camera.
Leoni is right, it is about personal preference. But iof you want decent browsing, decent email, decent screen size, decent satnav, the N95 is most certainly not the way to go. Sorry.
a viewty and an EEE pc thats the way to do it
spacecat said:
a viewty and an EEE pc thats the way to do it
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my brother just got the viewty, nice camera but the rest sucks lol
About to sell mine X1 after four weeks,6500 sek and this device really sucks..
It´s not all about wm itself but the device..
It´s buggy,not very advanced in features and dead slow for a start..
Reception,camera and end user experiance is a joke compared to a rather basic nokia these day..
Like the size and looks though but that´s it..
My nokia e90 is far more advanced then this and that device is 18 months old..
So what is it,please tell me?
GASP....BLASPHEMER **points at Micke401**!!!!
Its all personal opinion really. For me, coming from the LG Viewty its like going into the future. I made the official decision to sacrafice the 5MP camera for a QWERTY keyboard. There are also more 3rd party apps than you could download in a life time!
i understand you somehow, i have the device for 2 days and by now i have nothing but trouble with it.
I already have a hardware defect and alot of software/stability issues with WM.
the screensize and resolution is cool, other than that i dont really see why this has been hyped so much all the time...it does the basic stuff but once you try some third party software all you get is alot of problems.
After all the camera is average, video playback is average, no emulator works right, browsing is average, panels are crap slow, most of the third party software i have tested (TouchFlo3d, Slide2Unlock, Batty) cause freezes and other weird behavior...
well maybe its just my phone but in the last 2 days i rebooted the device (which takes AGES) for about 30-40 times and did 2 hard resets.
Another thing I love about this phone is this forum! All of the problems ive had (not many i must say) Have all been sorted out on here. No other phone ive had has had this much end user dedication!
Isn't that fair if you install beta/ known for not working / software for other hardare (e.g. Touch HD) stuff (TouchFlo3d, Slide2Unlock) on the machine and you complaints about it's stability?
For me, nokia (e.g. N95) is great for it's multimedia capacity (excellent camera and stereo speaker). But even it's built-in GPS software crash the phone so often and it's just a piece of ****. Not to mention that they can't provide any touchsceen device until the up coming 5800
Nokia isnt any better...
its just that on my Ipod touch everything just works...but i know that the iphone/ipod all have the same hardware and OS, so its quite easy to get stability going and Apple is reviewing all apps before release.
toxical said:
Nokia isnt any better...
its just that on my Ipod touch everything just works...but i know that the iphone/ipod all have the same hardware and OS, so its quite easy to get stability going and Apple is reviewing all apps before release.
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That's true. But it also limit and put a big burden on what developers can do "officially". Based on the Apple's SDK, multi-tasking and real-time navigation are not going to happen to 3rd party software and that's suck. And many other killer apps (Skype, Internet sharing) on other platform won't be happen as well. (Well, at least "officially).
WM is no where perfect but it gets most of our jobs done.
The fresh out of the box windows mobile device is a HORRIBLE experience. There's no ifs and or buts. Even the HTC devices with touch-flow are nowhere near the user friendliness of an iphone.
The difference between this and the ultra user-friendly iphone devices is that you can customize it to do whatever you want - which takes a ridiculous amount of patience and research to get to that point.
I can't use the iphone any longer because the e-mail system is horrid and everything is locked. The iphone will destroy the xperia in terms of multimedia capabilities. All depends on what you need in a device.
my experience is exactly the opposite:
i was a bit disappointed because of the slow panels but after installing the "sbp mobile shell" this issue was fixed. i dont use the panels anymore because my personal "usage-profile" fits perfectly with the features of the "spb mobile shell".
additionally i installed following tools to complete the things i need:
- skype
- divxplayer
- gpstoday
- mobipoket
- flash_lite (for flash-sites in opera)
- blackstone keyboard (replaces the popup keyboard)
- blackstone volume control (replacec the volume control)
- total commander (to establish a LAN to my workstation)
- SRS WOW HD for better Sound
- advanced config tool to tweak some options
i have done a few softresets after installing some tools. i have never done a hardreset and my phone works _really_ stable.
the only issue i had was with google maps and gps because of a missconfiguration of my connection settings (my fault).
so far the x1 is the best smartphone i ever had (after nokias and older se-smartphones).
also: this forum helps alot !
- quadword
dunno man... i've had the x1 for a few days and i swear i've had the thing get stuck on me at least 10 times a day.. pressed the reset button under the battery cover god knows how many times.. i dont blame se for this its just windows mobile thats messed up imho.. i've moved back to the iphone for my primary phone i just use the x1 for typing while im driving..
SCtud said:
The fresh out of the box windows mobile device is a HORRIBLE experience. There's no ifs and or buts.
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I disagree, ive had winmmo devices (with or without phone capabilities) since windows ce first came out, and ive always found its to be a worthwile o/s. Granted the Iphone interface is amazing especially with its dual touch capability. But i wouldnt (IMO) say the winmo experiance is horrible
I'll take WinMo over multitouch any day.
WinMo gives me all the basic things i need BUT it can actually handle real games like Warcraft 2, Age of Empires, Syberia and so on (sure they're old, but they're my favorite) compared to the acclerometer arcade games of the iPhone...
Windows Mobile is meant for configurability, the sweetness of doing anything you like with your device and tons of 3rd party programs(probably the most than any other mobile platform).
Saying that X1 is crap, is like saying HTC Diamon, Touch Pro and Touch HD are crap too. This is quite silly of course because they have almost the same hardware and OS, and those HTC devices (at least the 2) have done a great job for many users.
X1 is good for its big screen (resolution), hardware keyboard and the standard connectors (audio and USB jack which current HTC devices lack), the rest of the features are already present on other mobile devices, nothing really new.
Summing it up, comparing the iPhone OS and Windows Mobile is like OSX vs Windows. Some users like the shiny clean interface, while others like to get the job done and be able to control their hardware with tons of programs. Some people don't like to mess with the device but others are dying to do so.
I vote xperia!
My first winmo device was a cassiopia. And I've had just about everythin in between. I won a gen1 iPhone in some dev conference and played with it for awhile before giving it to my brother in law. It was horrible to type on and locked up frequently without any additional software. IMHO it's a toy.
The panels are software. They're not quite right yet but I don't find them to be slow on my device. (Without any other large running applications in the background).
If I don't use the panels at all, I can load TF3D and Blackstone cabs and device works very well. Of course if you even hit the panel button it will crash, but if you don't it works fine.
There are some software issues to be worked out but when hasn't that happened with the first production rom on a WM phone?
Except for the annoying bluetooth turning off and the email signature (patchable) issue I think this is the best device I've had. Far better that the TYTNII. (IMHO)
This site is also a major reason...
well thank you for all the input in this matter.. guess it's all about taste and what to expect from a high end device like this.
I am very unhappy with this one going back to my E90 but thats me,more feautures better camera and even flash right out the box suites me fine.
No struggle no hassle just simple and plain usage and everything works..
Any bid is a good bit when i comes to this crap so if in sweden feel free to make an offer..
Micke401 said:
well thank you for all the input in this matter.. guess it's all about taste and what to expect from a high end device like this.
I am very unhappy with this one going back to my E90 but thats me,more feautures better camera and even flash right out the box suites me fine.
No struggle no hassle just simple and plain usage and everything works..
Any bid is a good bit when i comes to this crap so if in sweden feel free to make an offer..
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I enjoyed my E90 (before I had my iPhone 2G which I am now tired of hence my silver X1). The E90's camera is better? I haven't really used the X1 camera yet. Would love to see some comparison shots X1 vs E90.
Okay, another X1 owner here.
I've had the device for 2 days now and what can I say:
THE BAD
- it is slow
- WLAN sucks, the range is very very very very weak.
- No Cisco VPN, only IPSEC+LT2P and PPTP, but a lot of companies use IPSEC+something else from Cisco, which doesn't work on the X1. On the iPhone it does.
- Generally limited connection options to WLAN, I still can't connect to our campus network, but all the iPhone people have no problem.
- panels are crap, the placeholders aren't even updated, they're all in English although I have German (the panel itself is then German)
- Basic WM concepts: for example: Error boxes have a close button (tiny), but can be dragged around (whole box). Why, I ask, why? Who would want to move an error box, instead of closing it???
- Recessed screen.
- Small icons on the top.
- Media player sucks, no gapless playback, no EQ, etc.
THE GOOD
- Amazing touchscreen. Very very precise, and I can do everything with my finger.
- Amazing speed on WM core applications (file manager etc)
- WM basic PDA capabilities: Tasks/Calendar/Mail all work very well.
- SPB Mobile Shell
- Keyboard is usable I think.
- Camera is good, but a tad slow.
- Active sync is okay.
- Office Mobile!!
- PDF Viewer <--- very good
- Sound quality over headphones is good, radio is very fast.
SUMMARY
Panels and WLAN suck. Everything else is okay or good. The X1 is an okay purchase, but waaaay too expensive in comparison with an iPhone.
RECOMMENDATION
- DON'T get it for your girlfriend/wife/grandma. It's utterly complicated to find out how something works, everything is not intuitive.
- GET it if you want to spend A LOT of money on a device which is worse than for example an iPhone in most areas, but has a few missing features you really need (for me it's tasks, screen res and video)
please stop, stop complaining about a thing that you have purchased only because of marketing or shopping compulsion. Next time read (internet, reviews, forums) and think ("is that the thing that I need?") before buying a 600+ euros device that you don't know what really is.
Once again: noob, stay away from windows mobile, use symbian, s40 or iphone, but don't pretend to be a pro with winmobile and then ***** because you can't use it in the way you suppose to
guap said:
please stop, stop complaining about a thing that you have purchased only because of marketing or shopping compulsion. Next time read (internet, reviews, forums) and think ("is that the thing that I need?") before buying a 600+ euros device that you don't know what really is.
Once again: noob, stay away from windows mobile, use symbian, s40 or iphone, but don't pretend to be a pro with winmobile and then ***** because you can't use it in the way you suppose to
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I second that.
guap said:
please stop, stop complaining about a thing that you have purchased only because of marketing or shopping compulsion. Next time read (internet, reviews, forums) and think ("is that the thing that I need?") before buying a 600+ euros device that you don't know what really is.
Once again: noob, stay away from windows mobile, use symbian, s40 or iphone, but don't pretend to be a pro with winmobile and then ***** because you can't use it in the way you suppose to
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I have in fact a touch dual and i think even this device surpasses this one.. AND i read the reviews belive me and this was a lot of money down the drain..
I expected at least the feautures my 18 month nokia have in a slick format with a touchscreen but no,it`s so far behind that it is rediculus.. No good for me i want more,i do not want to search this otherwise exellent forum for things that already is done in my E90.
I was just curious about what other think about it,if it suits you thats fine but for me it`s simply no good..