Database Users

Sorry Magician it's time for an upgrade.

I'm obsessed with having the latest tech and greatest and my poor Magician is beginning to feel a bit too dated. I'm looking to upgrade to a new windows mobile device within the next couple months and I'd like to get some suggestions.
Points to consider:
I don't like, want, or need a keyboard. To me that's just unnecessary bulk. I am a graffiti master. (I won't rule out devices with keyboards as long as they don't add too much bulk)
This also means I want a device as small as the magician.
I hate smartphones, so no MotoQs, BlackJacks, etc.
I need QuadBand.
I'd like a speedy device, the faster the better, battery life is unimportant cause I rarely talk on my phone and I'm never far from a charger.
Wifi would be nice but not a deal breaker.
Other than that I'll take any suggestions.

Just bought a Hermes yesterday. Feels fast enough, same form-factor as my Magician (just a little thicker), quad-band, wifi etc. Must say I like the keyboard very much, although switching between characters, numbers & symbols could've been more intuitive.
Looks like all my favorite apps work very well on the Hermes too & I expect an official WM6 by HTC to be released soon. Course one can experiment today with all the marvelous developments being presented on the various boards.
Wish you a wise moment, cause when you're not in the position of trying & buying all the new devices it's a very hard decision to make.
Cheers, M

i tryed htc 3600 for a while, its not bad... gps, wifi, better camera, same speed, but... wm5, so no memory managment...
Im back on the s100.

Best HTC phone as of right now?

Hey guys! I am an avid reader of this forum and i was just wondering.....i'm looking to upgrade to another HTC phone. I currently have the wizard and i LOVE it! Just curious as to which HTC phone i should upgrade to, Are any of them as "open source" (for lack of a better term) as the wizard? As far as the community and the custom roms go? Any suggestions?
I was looking at the Tilt? is that a good choice?
Also, when i am buying one is there anything to watch out for like there is with the wizard? Like the G3 and G4 versions

TYTN 2 !!!!

Hmmm....i've kinda spent the last few hours just browsing through the forums on the newer phones, apparently there is some kind of video driver issue with the Kaiser....should i wait for maybe the touch cruise?

I will second XabdullahX's vote of the TYTN 2!!!

PhroztBite said:
Hmmm....i've kinda spent the last few hours just browsing through the forums on the newer phones, apparently there is some kind of video driver issue with the Kaiser....should i wait for maybe the touch cruise?
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I also vote that the Kaiser/Tilt/Tytn II is the way to go (I bought the Tilt and am loving it). Its a little different with the key layout than the wizard. I'm getting more used to everything being around the D Pad, but at first I didn't care for this (I still have to be careful not to hang up on a call when trying to press the right soft key). The phone has a ton of memory and is fast.
What you've been reading about in the Kaiser forums on the video driver is that the phone is capable of so much more, but HTC isn't using the proper drivers. What it does do is still very good, and personally I'm very happy with it and feel it was money WELL spent... Supposedly a media player app (don't recall which offhand but its a commercial one) is coming out with a new version that has fixed drivers or something in it. A lot of people are waiting to get their hands on this to see if they can use that to improve some other things.
So if you are a heavy watcher of movies or high performance games, you may want to evaluate the Kaiser/Tilt/Tytn II a little more. But for the majority of the uses of a PPC, its a fantastic phone...
OK, not to brag, but I have my Tilt fully loaded right now with Dutty's 7b ROM and a lot of apps (almost everything I have loaded into the phone's memory and not to my storage card). I have 85MB of free storage memory and 55MB of RAM free. HUGE change compared to the Wizard where you are trying to eek out every bit of space by cramming everything on your SD card and not having but a couple of apps open at a time to conserve precious RAM...

Yep, the Kaiser it is, or if you dont need a keyboard the Polaris.
Surur

I like the kaiser a lot too, but from personal experience, they have some issues with these devices. Hardware and software related. In particular, the BT Stack seems to um, SUCK big time. A couple of my friends had them (Tilts) and they both had horrible BT performance. Either they couldn't connect to certain Headsets/Car Kits or they couldn't walk five feet away from the device while connected without a bunch of static. These are common problems.
I'm waiting to see if they announce some kind of fix for that. It may just be the Tilt versions - not really sure, but BT stack issues are major to me. I always use BT.

apart from the fm radio and no keyboard and screen the cruse is pretty much the same hardware as kaiser so unless that suffer from the same driver issue as kaiser
only the keyboard thing should be the factor of which one to get if you ask me

shawndh said:
I like the kaiser a lot too, but from personal experience, they have some issues with these devices. Hardware and software related. In particular, the BT Stack seems to um, SUCK big time. A couple of my friends had them (Tilts) and they both had horrible BT performance. Either they couldn't connect to certain Headsets/Car Kits or they couldn't walk five feet away from the device while connected without a bunch of static. These are common problems.
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I must be lucky. I work in a home office upstairs in our house, and I can use my jawbone BT connected to my Tilt and walk downstairs to the kitchen and only get a small amount of scratching sound. When I was using my Wizard, by the time I got to the bottom of the stairs I knew I had forgoten my phone as the scratching and popping sounds were pretty bad.
Could be that this was because I was using the unofficial AKU AT&T ROM (I immediately upgraded to this when I got my Tilt as I at first understood it was an official AT&T upgrade). Now running Dutty's 7b which is based off the HTC rom and my BT sound is even better and more clear than the AT&T roms ever were, so it could be more the AT&T rom than the HTC rom with BT issues.

tilt
i just got my tilt(kaiser) and in my personal oppinon...it totally kicks ass...seriously. i was kinda wondering bc of how much it coses but let me assure it was well worth it

The Kaiser is a terrific device and I'm very happy with it. Ofcourse there are some issues (like the video drivers, and audio glitch) that do not make it perfect for all uses.
If you want to play a lot of games or video or so, don't go for the Kaiser right now - that situation might improve, I'd wait and see what happens.
Note that the Touch variants all have the same issue.

HTC TyTN II and HTC Touch Cruise (same as TyTN II but without keyboard) are the best phones out there.

Call me crazy but I like the wizard still. I have a Hermes 8525, Faraday 2125 and I tried out the Tilt for a day. Not much differant then the Hermes but has a ton of memory. For a smart phone, the Faraday is awesome.

Pumpiron579 said:
Call me crazy but I like the wizard still. I have a Hermes 8525, Faraday 2125 and I tried out the Tilt for a day. Not much differant then the Hermes but has a ton of memory. For a smart phone, the Faraday is awesome.
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'
agreed...i LOVE my kaiser....but at the end of the day im always like damn that wizard was one hell of a phone....seriously

i have a 8125 and a 8525 also tried tilt because my friend has one and he let me plaay with it for a day
if your looking for speed of course go to 400mhz but it does not mean that wizard is slow because of frequent change in roms it can match the speed more or less
only thing here is the memory of course tilt has the most; second is tytan and last but not the least is my 8125... what makes the wizard advantageous is that it has a double speaker unlike tytan the speaker is placed at the back it produces less sounds in a process
I dont know if 4gig or 8gig can support the wizard but it has happened to kasier and tytan
IMHO:
one last and important thing that I have noticed is in the wizard forum all of the good rom makers has not made roms nowadays??? that is the only sad part
in kaiser and tytan rom makers are very much active this makes the HUGE difference between the phone

character said:
IMHO:
one last and important thing that I have noticed is in the wizard forum all of the good rom makers has not made roms nowadays??? that is the only sad part
in kaiser and tytan rom makers are very much active this makes the HUGE difference between the phone
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Did you forget XM6R5, That rom is awesome.

yeah aside from mfrazzz... I miss the times when there are too many roms to choose from maybe it is because people here know now about cooking and still I am a noob for cooking and trust cookers t put there files here???
oh well I can only blame myself actually...

As my Nike is bust (see my sig) I will probably be looking to get another HTC phone in it's place. So I'm asking the same question.
From what I've read the Kaiser and TyTn 2 are the best, am I right in thinking that one of these two would be the best phones to have? Like the first post, I'd like a phone that's 'open source' so to speak (ie. popular, lots of mods for it) and WiFi and SD slot.

i can ask nothing more out of my vogue, till i get my hands on the touch HD

My vote is for the Tilt/Kaiser. I bought mine off craigslist for $200. Best $200 I'd spent in some time. I love my Wizard but the ROM's available for the Kaiser are just amazing and the device itself is fast, Stable, and just plain fun to work with.
Kirby

Is it worth trading Hermes up for Kaiser?

Yes, I have searched the forums and up to this point I'm looking for something more specific into my situation, more like word of wisdom from whomever have had both devices for practical usage. And I don't have the luxury to keep both.
What I love about the Hermes that's not found in Kaiser are flash light, IrDa, and comm manager button. On the other hand Hermes is missing GPS, bigger memory, the "possibility" of having hardware accelerated graphics, supposedly better camera, tilting hinges, and in my particular case front camera (I'm using 8525 and there's no _practical_ solution to put the front camera in and if I were to get Kaiser it better be NOT AT&T tilt that has no front camera as well).
I'm afraid I'll be missing Hermes exclusive features if I switch to Kaiser, even though I don't use those features too often. It is however very tempting especially the built in GPS feature (yes I have followed the hidden GPS thread and struck down by the bad news that we can't practically revive the chip in Hermes).
I'd like to hear a word of advice or two from you guys please.

Hmm,
Difficult one this. When i first heard of the Kaiser I was all setup to swap my TyTN for a new device. Then I started to read the Kaiser forum and got wind of all the deficiencies there are with the kit.
Bottom line is I decided to stick with the TyTN, not only because of its features but because it is so customisable and there is shedloads available for it on here and elsewhere.
I have never seen the lack of a built in GPS as an issue. I have a separate receiver attached to my car keys. Whenever I am out and want to use a navigation tool on the TyTN, I simply switch on the external GPS unit and off we go. Simple.
Until some of the known issues are resolved with the Kaiser then its not on my list. You probably want to pose this question in the Kaiser forum as well to see what their views are.
Hope this helps.
WB

First of All when you Upgrade the ROM with this forum customized ROMs you will lost the warranty of your new device (Kaisar) and as usually the warranty last for one year you have to wait that long. If you are not planning to change the ROM then its a good practice to change the mood and taste every year but only if you got enough money. Because these type of devices don't return much on selling or trade-in facility. I was planning the same but now I realise that I only need a Windows based device for my information to be organized and not new the functionality or more ram matters. Well I am thinking to go for HTC Touch Diamond when it will be launched in my area.

Good question, cyberblue. I have kinda been in the same boat as you. I have recently qualified for a 'reduced-price' upgrade ($299) through the new Cingular, and was toying with the idea myself.
But after reading up on all the issues with Kaiser, and realizing that I am finally comfortable with my array of software, my setup, my customizations, my abilities to tweak the ROM myself, and other comforts, I find no need to spend any extra money. I just don't think the 'advances' made in ANY device thus far do not justify switching.
That's MY take, even though I have not owned both.
-pvs

By destiny's randomness, I have both devices. You might be surprised, but I am using the Hermes. Why? Here's why:
- I really like the flashlight, which is not present on the Kaiser.
- Duttys ROM have Internet Call that works thru the front speaker, the same you use to make calls through the cellular network. On the Kaiser, I could not make it work that way, only thru the rear speaker. Since I use VoIP a lot, it is very convenient to switch between cell and voip.
- I also use WebCamera Plus, that currently has a video cropping problem on the Kaiser. On the Hermes, works like a charm.
- Is nice to have a remote control everywhere, using NoviRemote.
- The Hermes doesn't weight as much as the Kaiser.
- My personal experience is that the battery of the Hermes lasts longer.
Obviously, what I miss of the Kaiser is:
- The embedded GPS: one good practical app for this is VitoFindMe. This cannot be done with an external GPS, at least not in a practical way.
- Tilt screen. For watching videos, it adds a lot of comfort.
- The 3 mp camera and better photos overall. The photos of the Hermes look more like your typical cell phone camera. The Kaiser ones are almost the quality of a dedicated digital camera.
- I like the stylus a bit more. The telescopic stylus of the Hermes is a bit awkward.
- It is a bit smaller in size.
What is not an issue for me is:
- The Kaiser doesn't have commcenter button, but you can access it by long pressing the send button.
- The bigger memory of the Kaiser. I install almost everything on my 8 gb card, so memory is not an issue on the Hermes.
Thats my humble opinion. Cya.

i also have both and personally i think if it wasnt for the gps and the extra rom and ram it wouldnt be worth a second thought i love my kaiser but its a labor of love. if you really want to know what your getting into read all the radio and rom compatibility issues with one you might not get sound another and youve got no camera. and the tilt screen only comes in handy for videos but the hermes trashes the kaiser when it comes to any task that involves graphics. that being said i jumped at the chance to get one and would do it again plus the new roms really make a difference now i can play most snes games

Thanks a lot for all your insights guys, I have a strong feeling I'll stick with my Hermes. I'll try to post in the Kaiser forum just to see if anybody there has traded their Hermes for Kaiser and whether they regret it

Are these a good buy?

I am thinking of upgrading from my Wizard, its a little slow on some aps (eg Opera) and doesn't have 3G. Are the Jades a good choice? Any others to consider?
The things I need are Windows mobile, 3G, WiFi and bluetooth. The GPS built in would be great as I wouldn't need to use a bluetooth one for MemoryMap, etc.
Also what price should I be able to get these for (in £)?

Looks pretty good, but....
I just picked up an Orange branded version, which to be fair could do with having the standard HTC Rom installed.
Pros are: I got this one for £150 (saw one go on ebay for £137) which I think is a good price for a phone PDA with the most current OS. Its SMALL, easily pocketable. Has a lot of good features and hi speed internet
Cons: I dont like the buttons much, and think that QVGA is a little poor for this day and age, no tilt sensor, only on screen keyboard and people do moan about the battery life.
As always, its depends what you want, I have a Touch Pro and a Kaiser, so am biased towards the keyboard models, but if its dinky you want, this could be the one.
Hope this helps...
MS

The Kaiser looks interesting, however I rarely used the keyboard on the Wizard. Presumably the Jade is also a tad faster.

Jade is fast. Also no hotfixes on offer in support section of htc website: there are already two for the new diamond.

i have both, Wizard and Jade.
Jade is thin, fast and good looking and the build in GPS is a major improvement.
I pimped the good ol' wizard with WM 6.1 ROM (hubby is using it), and i must admit.....it performs above expectations, though it looks like a refrigerator next to Jade.

concerns...

Hi, mobilephones direct have fluffed my order and so it doesnt look like it is going to turn up any time soon. Since I place my order I have seen a lot of concerns raised about this handset, oddly I had these concerns prior but i had been convinced these were no longer an issue. Firstly 3d performance doesnt look like it is going to be great and a few people are having issues with small menus on the screen. Where video performance is very good due to lack of driver support it isnt as good as the Acer F1 and maybe the TG01.
My question is, should I be reconsidering this phone being that the F1 is much cheaper to buy and on monthly contract. Does anyone have an opinions on the F1 or TGo1 that will swap me again?

When it's your soul and happiness at stake, I doubt people jump in and try and talk you in having a HD2 still.
It's your "call" not ours.

ok, dont try to convince, just give me the facts.

the main difference is properply the capacitive screen on hd2 vs resistive on the other two devices.

ostendk said:
the main difference is properply the capacitive screen on hd2 vs resistive on the other two devices.
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Well, that, plus the extra memory on the HD2 (448MB vs 256), the larger screen size, and of course the whole Sense UI, which includes HTC-skinned versions of many of the standard OS utilities - the F1 just runs plain WM 6.5. Oh, and I don't think it has a compass.
Of course, the HD2's single biggest advantage over the F1 is the fact that it's supported by this website.

Shasarak said:
Well, that, plus the extra memory on the HD2 (448MB vs 256), the larger screen size, and of course the whole Sense UI, which includes HTC-skinned versions of many of the standard OS utilities - the F1 just runs plain WM 6.5. Oh, and I don't think it has a compass.
Of course, the HD2's single biggest advantage over the F1 is the fact that it's supported by this website.
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+100 on the support
and everything else actually.

I have similar hesitation and I have tempted a lot for Acer neoTouch. On paper it really looks as perfect device – optimal size, powerful CPU, resistive screen (yes I’m still not sure if capacitive screen is advantage for Windows Mobile), enough memory, GPS and decent battery life. But just before went for neoTouch I have very bad experience with other Acer's phone– E101 and I was totally disappointed from build quality and mostly with Acer technical support. The device had an obviously hardware issue with the screen and Acer simply refused it. It was terrible experience and I don’t want to hear for Acer’s smartphones anymore.
Speaking for Toshiba TG01, I’ve read a lot of complaints for many hardware and software issues. Also I think it is hugely overpriced, since it cost almost as HTC HD2. Maybe it’s true that TG01 has better 3D performance, but I do not think this could pay all other flaws. Moreover, a WM device hardly is a right platform for 3D games at all, so this HTC’s flaw is not a real pain in my opinion.
In conclusion, the HTC HD2 has its flaws (as every other device in the market) but doubtlessly it is the best WM phone for now. And the support of this forum is a huge advantage that cannot be easily ignored. Most probably I’ll go for it very soon

martoto said:
I have similar hesitation and I have tempted a lot for Acer neoTouch. On paper it really looks as perfect device – optimal size, powerful CPU, resistive screen (yes I’m still not sure if capacitive screen is advantage for Windows Mobile), enough memory, GPS and decent battery life. But just before went for neoTouch I have very bad experience with other Acer's phone– E101 and I was totally disappointed from build quality and mostly with Acer technical support. The device had an obviously hardware issue with the screen and Acer simply refused it. It was terrible experience and I don’t want to hear for Acer’s smartphones anymore.
Speaking for Toshiba TG01, I’ve read a lot of complaints for many hardware and software issues. Also I think it is hugely overpriced, since it cost almost as HTC HD2. Maybe it’s true that TG01 has better 3D performance, but I do not think this could pay all other flaws. Moreover, a WM device hardly is a right platform for 3D games at all, so this HTC’s flaw is not a real pain in my opinion.
In conclusion, the HTC HD2 has its flaws (as every other device in the market) but doubtlessly it is the best WM phone for now. And the support of this forum is a huge advantage that cannot be easily ignored. Most probably I’ll go for it very soon
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Thanks this is exactly what I was after, however there have been a lot of new problems posted now so I am going to cancel my order for now and continue with my HD, I have just found a fantastic cooked from called magnificent 4.1, its the best I've tried and I have tried about 30 roms in the last few months.

I had the TG01 for a couple of weeks and sold it meanwhile; also was considering the F1.
The TG01 is a great device and was first on the market with the Snapdragon, and I loved web and e-Mail on it and how thin it is.
Still the voice quality (calls) is simply not good enough for me for business use. Additionally, the battery is not only weak, but also unpredictable (the % thing did never work, although it seems to be solved now). Also I got connection problems on Bluetooth in both of my cars.
The reason I always get back to HTC is quality. Reception, bluetooth stability, USB connect (in my cars) is always fine - I had all the major HTC devices in the last years.
I was also tempted by the F1 but did not order after reading couple of experiences that the device is great and even faster than the HD2, but again lacks the professional phone qualities (speaker not loud enough, reception). Also I got used to the HTC sense thing...
At moment my portfolio is a TouchPro, a Snap (fantastic device and my favourite whenever I don't need excessive web access) as well as a Palm Pre. The last one is the sexiest device around, I love the interface and especially the Touchstone charges. This is my "weekend" device where I usually use more web accesss. The battery life by the way is incredibly bad.
But whenever I go on a business trip I get back to one of the HTCs.