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Hi all... After some thorough and deep thinking, I have finally decided to buy another Windows Mobile device. HTC Wizard is definitely the device of choice for me, as it has the one thing I need to have, a QWERTY keyboard... Except the processor powering it kind of downer (although my hopes are up again with the recent benchmark). But today, out of nowhere... I got myself a BenQ P50 to be tested! The fabled device that shook the gadget world last year, and off course, a laughing stock of many because it's only available in Taiwan and some part of England if I'm not mistaken...
I work for a gadget magazine, and the arrival of the P50 is a shocking event indeed in my country (it is sold by private importer, not BenQ). It has BT, Wi-Fi, [email protected], and QWERTY keyboard WITH backlight! (I remember reading it doesn't have a backlight) And should I mention the price? It's only US$610! US$40 cheaper than the O2 XDA II Mini (the price might hike as demand soar... And I bet it will)
Off course it only has 64 Megs of RAM and ROM so WM 5.0 upgrade is out of the question. But it has QWERTY keyboard and Wi-Fi, with a proven fast and power efficient processor. But currently, XDA II Mini has nothing to offer besides longer lasting battery to boot against the P50 (The P50 has a laughable 1260 mAH)
One thing I like about WM 5.0 is the persistent storage, but other than that, nothing... I dunno... It's very tempting to buy the P50, as the Wizard might be available early next year here in my country... I am ready as I can be to let go my Treo 650.
Ive heard really bad things about the BenQ - poor build quality, poor performance, poor battery life etc...
The Wizard's TI CPU is far more battery efficient than Intel processors and (apparently) does more per clock cycle than an Intel CPU.
The Wizard is smaller (because the keyboard can be slid away) and the keyboard is backlit too.
Windows Mobile 5.0 is a godsend - persistant storage means that not only will you never lose your apps or documents but you'll also have a longer lasting battery!
I seriously would forget the BenQ.
Okay... Your point is very much valid except for performance (the joystick doesn't offer good tactile feedback, and the QWERTY keyboard is not as practical as the Blue Angel). As of speaking, I am running spb benchmark program on the P50, XDA IIi result will follow... I will update my post after the benchmark. But anyway, does anybody have a benchmark result for the Magician?
From what I read on the Hofo thread on the P50, the ROM and its updates are horribly unstable and have all kind of flaws. Screen not turning off, problems with speaker, etc etc. Enough bad news for me to wait for the Wizard. WM5 is something I really look forward to, since I hate worrying about batterylife and losing my data. I have Big Storage on my Compact, so I save almost everything in there, but still WM5 would be ideal for me. Plus the benefits of the Wizard over the magician in terms of Wifi, keyboard and a better bluetooth stack are enough to convince me of the Wizard.
That P50 looks really nice. Keyboard, WiFi, only problem is it says WM2003 and not WM5. But as it isn't released yet who knows. Any idea on expected date and price?
Personally, i don't really like the look of the P50. It just looks odd with the keyboard squished on the bottom. Also ooks like the keyboard will be very akward to use as it's right at the very bottom and all that weight hanging out of your hands, far to dropable.
It is for sale through various channels, just check out the thread on the P50 on Hofo (www.howardforums.com). There are quite a few people who own one there and all are more or less unhappy with it. It is definitely running 2003 SE and there is no WM5 upgrade to look forward to. prices etc can also be found there. To me the P50 looked nice a year ago, but with the WM5 devices around the corner the P50 is old school and too late to market.
As promised, direct comparison between the P50 and XDA IIi (Alpine) using spb benchmark... From the left most column... BenQ P50 (optimized mode), BenQ P50 (battery save mode), and Alpine (Turbo mode). The modes I stated is located on the battery tab on the settings menu. Well, it's a good news benchmark wise... Especially on the graphics, despite the processor of both device push 320x240 pixel, the small screen probably helps. Dunno, it seems consistent that devices with smaller screens perform better on spb's graphic index bench.
And yes... The unit I tested is horrible... If I closed the mic when using speakerphone, there's a weird feedback sound. The sound from the speakerphone is minimum (I use the speakerphone to speak normally, because the internal speaker is so weak) but when I used the speakerphone the mic often brushed my cheek... And there's that electric feedback sound problem. Not to mention the very dark camera... It's very awful... The picture taken with my Treo (VGA) is whole lot better in quality :x
But after all, I am reviewing an engineering sample, so probably that's where the problem is... I'll be asking for a non sample product next monday.
Battery... Well, it's not that bad, comparable to the Alpine's 1300 mAh actually.
But all in all... This device (feature wise) can bring down the Magician to its knee (discounting the problems it have). But compared to the Wizard...It's like you guys tell it is... A no contest... But I will monitor closely the processor power of the Wizard.
I want to know wich one you think is better htc prophet or o2 Atom!
imho;
speed, size = atom (though ive never used one)
batterylife = prophet
im pleased with the jamin but its just too slow.
The Prophet and the Atom both have absolutely the same battery life. In a recent benchmark that was done my Mobile01, it was shown that the Atom actually had a longer battery life (by 4 minutes) than the Prophet.
You can check their review here:
http://mobile01.com/newsdetail.php?id=2471
Speed-wise the JAMin IS SLOW. The Atom on the other hand is much faster especially after the latest ROM Upgrade.
The JAMin however has a really good camera. Its one of the best i have seen in its class.
THANKS ,I think I made up my mind I am going for the O2 atom but I have to find out were to get it first Its hard to get hold of!
universaldoc said:
Speed-wise the JAMin IS SLOW. The Atom on the other hand is much faster especially after the latest ROM Upgrade.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I was under the impression that the Prophet is fast and the Atom slow.
Atom is nearly there
Having owned an Atom for three weeks, I have to say it is certainly the best PDA/Phone I have used. Initially I was horrified at its performance (or lack thereof!), but the second ROM update has finally got it to where it should have been. It is certainly faster than my XDAII, XDAIIs and is up there with XDAIIi. It is also very stable, running more than a week without needing soft reset. I use Battery Pack Pro as a PPC management utility (known to slow down systems) without any real speed issues, and have it loaded up with a number of apps inc Cash Organizer, Collins Eng-French dictionary, Personal Vehicle manager, 1-Calc, and Illium e-wallet. They all work fine with WM5. I intend to load either Destinator or Navman once they get WM5 versions out. Co-Pilot already works with WM5 so I might use that if nothing happens soon.
Windows media chews vast amounts of memory, and everything slows when it is running. On the other hand, the A2DP works very well with my HP BT Headphones, inc track forward/back.
Two disappointments though. No BT Voice dialling, which I would have thought to be mandatory with a Handsfree Profile (the Exec has it!), and the Camera. The Camera is better than it was with the earlier ROMS, raising its performance to at least "crap" level, but it really a waste of time. It is slow to open, often crashes the system, is very slow to respond to a button press (lots of pictures of my feet as the shutter triggers up to 3 seconds after the shutter noise), and the white balance is all wrong, lots of red "flaring" and a blue tinge to the dark areas.
However, I didn't buy the system expecting to ever use the camera so that doesn't worry me. Photos from the Prophet seem much better so if a camera is important to you, give the Atom a miss.
Apart from the Voice Dialling issue therefore I think it is just about perfect. Its as small as many straight phones, has a reliable Bluetooth with decent range (unlike the terrible IIs with its 3 foot max range), has a robust Radio Stack (with reception as good as my Nokia 6230i, Atom has no external aerial connection although that never seems to make any difference anyway), a clear screen and very good stereo speakers.
A pair of hardware buttons to complement the WM5 interface would be an improvement, and a stronger battery cover wouldn't go astray.
Overall, I'm pretty happy, which I never was with the other models. It will be interesting to see what Quanta do with a larger form factor. A IIi sized machine with VGA and WM5 would be interesting! Cheers
People sang the Prophet's praises here
http://forum.xda-developers.com/viewtopic.php?t=38148
They gave me the impression that the Prophet is all that plus a bag of chips.
27 said:
People sang the Prophet's praises here
http://forum.xda-developers.com/viewtopic.php?t=38148
They gave me the impression that the Prophet is all that plus a bag of chips.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
if that ,what about the speed and the fm radio and the size?
have a look at this; http://pocketpcdubai.com/i-mate_PPC/jamin/reviewp2.html
what is slow ?
hi,
i have seen a lot of messages saying the htc prophet is slow. i would like to know what slow means for each poster, slow doing what ?
is skype slow, is wmp 10 slow, or is everything slow ? any information of relative stability of the platforms would also be appreciated.
last thing, i have read that he camera on htc prophet is better. ok, but is it really any good for taking pictures, or is it just a gadget.
thanks for all help,
scott
i read both bad and good things about the omap cpu. in theory its meant to be good but in practice sadly its not very good. yes, software isnt optimised for the chip.. but who here wishes to wait for a year or 2 before all software has been updated? and before then, we may have 1ghz pocket pcs :/
i love everything about the prophet over my original jam.. but sadly the cpu choice htc made completely ruins what could have been the ultimate device.
ive tried the eten m600 recently but wasnt happy with a few things and now im unhappy with the prophet im tempted by the o2 atom.. one last chance for me to find the perfect device?
for now, i think i will be going back to my trusty and speedy jam and my exec.
I agree with Camtech - the Atom is a neat device though only with the latest ROMs is the speed acceptable. Earlier ROMS were painfully slow and most stores are now selling Atoms in Australia and doing updates for customers.
There are some reported issues most noticeable the BT needs work - units are reporting a noticeable hiss on BT audio (including A2DP) and a personal favourite, the BT used to work hands free with my BMW but after the latest ROM it doesn't! :roll:
Early adopter pains - the Atom has only been released (AFAIK) in Asia/Oceania.
universaldoc said:
The Prophet and the Atom both have absolutely the same battery life. In a recent benchmark that was done my Mobile01, it was shown that the Atom actually had a longer battery life (by 4 minutes) than the Prophet.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't have an Atom but can speak about the Prophet. I'm running into the 3rd day of usage without a charge and the battery is still 23%! I've taken a good number of calls, recieved a 4MB file over BT, had WiFi switched on for about half an hour and listened to about 2.5 hours of MP3s.
Not bad I think :wink:
I am thinking about getting a Prophet next. The speed issuse is my only concern.
I see that you can increase the clock speed on the Charmer since it's the same CPU I guess it will work on the Prophet. Anyone tried this?
This http://forum.xda-developers.com/viewtopic.php?t=40457 thread says 472MHz! that would do me if it can play DivX 624x352 video at 100% speed.
I have the Jamin (Prophet). And heres the skinny on the "Slowness"
It is slow. And it will be noticeable. But when people compare slowness from a device. We are talking about 1/2 second to a second slower. Thats about it. For normal operation, opening windows, menus, programs, the Atom will be .5-1 second faster. How much is that really? It depends on you. .5-1 second faster is VERY noticeable. But what does mean for your productivity? The Atom will get something done a few seconds faster.
Thats about it, really.
Now when it comes to running something while your doing something else. It may be slow enough to be unuseable aka SKYPE (if you had 1 second lag on a video game, that game is effectively unplayable, etc). But when it comes up usually when your Mp3 is on, your surfing the internet, and you suddenly get a call. Or when your GPS is on and you get a call. You will feel it lag, and it WILL still work. Your just talking about the feeling of "snappiness" etc, but the end result is not much different. The Atom will pick up a call and be in call on maybe the first ring. It will take the third ring maybe for the Prophet to pick up the call. Both while in GPS or something.
Realistically speaking, NONE of that matters. So what if what your device slows down a bit? Even if you miss a call, does that really affect anything, when you can just call the person right back?
So what if basic usage is about 1/2 second slower?
I won't get into the overclocking of the OMAP. Suffice to say, it makes it just as fast as the Atom/Eten when you activate it for specific applications, or keep it overclocked (which would makes all usage very fast).
Now heres the part where NOTHING the atom can do will overcome its inadequacies:
Lack of 850mhz. If you care about using your phone first, then you want reception. If your on Tmobile, congratulations you have no reception in many buildings, basements, rural areas, even suburbs. N/A if your not in the North America.
Crappy Camera. Utterly unuseable camera functionality and picture quality. My Jamin takes DIGICAM quality pictures, saves very fast, and the shutter time is close to 1 second.
Build Quality and Battery life. Whoever quoted that review which showed equal battery life, WRONG. That review has been updated by the editor and the Prophet is estimated to have about 25% MORE battery life. I don't know about you, but the first thing in a device like this you should be worrying about IS Battery life.
As far as I'm concerned, the Atom has NOTHING on the Prophet. With the glossy and reportedly cheap casing, lack of 850, and useless camera. The Prophet is my all in one 4GB Mp3 player, Camera, PDA, and phone. Overclock it when if you really feel you must, and then the Atom loses the one single advantage it ever had.
As a consumer, this was pretty much obvious to me. I wouldn't buy an inferior product. So I bought the Prophet after reading the reviews.
Just finished first 24 hrs with JAMin. Works well in all areas and only slightly slower than my JAM. Was able to use Tom Tom, play MP3 in MortPlayer and take a call. After call both apps kept working.
I was also won over by the build quality of this device over the ATOM and the £100 price difference!!
Melchior said:
Realistically speaking, NONE of that matters. So what if what your device slows down a bit? Even if you miss a call, does that really affect anything, when you can just call the person right back?
So what if basic usage is about 1/2 second slower?
As a consumer, this was pretty much obvious to me. I wouldn't buy an inferior product. So I bought the Prophet after reading the reviews.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Soo.. you wont buy an inferior product, but you bought a phone that sometimes doesnt pick up a call? That's inferior.
I couldn't think of anything more ANNOYING than not seeing/hearing my phone ring, and then 2 hours later realising someone tried to call me about something really important, or even more annoying, hearing it ring and not being able to answer it. If i had to call back every 2nd or 3rd person who called me, my mobile bill would go through the roof.
Ruxton said:
Melchior said:
Realistically speaking, NONE of that matters. So what if what your device slows down a bit? Even if you miss a call, does that really affect anything, when you can just call the person right back?
So what if basic usage is about 1/2 second slower?
As a consumer, this was pretty much obvious to me. I wouldn't buy an inferior product. So I bought the Prophet after reading the reviews.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Soo.. you wont buy an inferior product, but you bought a phone that sometimes doesnt pick up a call? That's inferior.
I couldn't think of anything more ANNOYING than not seeing/hearing my phone ring, and then 2 hours later realising someone tried to call me about something really important, or even more annoying, hearing it ring and not being able to answer it. If i had to call back every 2nd or 3rd person who called me, my mobile bill would go through the roof.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You gotta be kidding me. Missing a call would NEVER happen, unless you are running SKYPE, GPS, Internet Explorer a video in the background. I'm saying the issues at hand aren't even really ISSUES. I'm not saying it actually AFFECTS the device under normal usage. Please READ my ENTIRE post next time instead of taking quotes out of context please.
Wth are you smoking with the phone bill argument? Are you magically getting charged for the missed call or am I missing something?
When people argue about the OMAP's speed and give retarded examples that either never happen or happen ONCE in a blue moon. First of all how many times are you going to be using a GPS (in your car) and receive a call. In such RARE circumstances, the only difference between the Atom and the Prophet is that the Prophet might lag a little more than the Atom. How many times will you be playing a video and suddenly receive a call? For all intents and purposes, the Prophet's processor copes with and WORKS for any sort of realistic multitasking scenario. The Atom's ofcourse works a bit FASTER.
ALL of this MOOT when you overclock. Set your overclocking preferences to when you open your GPS, or load a video file, or using the internet. Guess what, the Atom no longer has ANY advantage if you choose to do this.
Unfortunately for the Atom, you can't overclock OR overcome its lack of 850, much touted but unuseable 2MP camera, and inferior build.
Again, as a consumer, I will be doing my research and buying the best product. I happen to be on Cingular. If you happen to live outside of North America, and you don't care that the device your buying costs about $100 more and is (-) Camera. The Atom IS better for you. In the US, you either go Verizon for the best reception, or you can go Cingular for great reception and more choice in GSM phones. If your on T-Mobile, God won't even help you on your reception. I speak from experience when moving from T-Mobile to Cingular, it was like Night and Day in most areas.
I'm not defending the Prophet because I bought it. I can easily sell it IF there was a better device. I bought a Wizard 2 WEEKs ago, and that didn't fit my taste at all, so I promptly sold it. I'm trying to let people understand that depending on your user habit, location, and NEEDS of a device, the Prophet or Atom may be more suitable.
AS it boils down in comparison
The ONLY thing the Atom has: Speed
The Prophet has: Camera, SD card, Reception, and Build Quality.
Overclock, and the Atom has absolutely NO advantage.
If you don't wish to overclock, dont need the camera, don't mind the mini SD, don't need the 850mhz, and prefer the shiny black finish, the Atom IS a better device for you.
For most of us (especially in the US), the Prophet's features and versatility far outweigh its slightly slower operation. Overall, I think most people would agree that the Prophet is a better device than the Atom. I would much prefer my cheaper 4gb Mp3 player, 2MP Camera, Phone, Internet and PDA all in one over a 2gb Mp3 player, inferior reception phone, and slightly faster internet and pda functionality.
I NEVER missed any call no matter how many applications I have open. The OMAP has a dedicated code for phone related applications so no matter how many apps you have open, the phone is always responsive.
I sometimes missed calls on the magician when I had many apps open. Phone app responsivness on the Prophet is better than the Magician's!!
Melchior said:
It is slow. And it will be noticeable. But when people compare slowness from a device. We are talking about 1/2 second to a second slower. Thats about it. For normal operation, opening windows, menus, programs, the Atom will be .5-1 second faster. How much is that really? It depends on you. .5-1 second faster is VERY noticeable. But what does mean for your productivity? The Atom will get something done a few seconds faster.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Translation - one of these items will be annoying compared to what you are used to - the other would not. Let's put it this way, I wouldn't go out and buy a PC that was slower than my previous one, let alone for more money.
Melchior said:
The Atom will pick up a call and be in call on maybe the first ring. It will take the third ring maybe for the Prophet to pick up the call. Both while in GPS or something.
Realistically speaking, NONE of that matters. So what if what your device slows down a bit? Even if you miss a call, does that really affect anything, when you can just call the person right back?.
...Unfortunately for the Atom, you can't overclock OR overcome its lack of 850, much touted but unuseable 2MP camera, and inferior build....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Depends on if you think you spent your money on a phone - or a toy. And judging by your fixtion on the camera ( the camera in all these phones are a joke frankly). I'd have to wonder.
I'm much more interested in buying phone from someone that makes the phone part work well, before they go spending effort on a toy camera. Talk about a messed up sense of priorities...
Build quality remains to be seen - proven only by long term usage.
There is not point in touting a device beyond its weaknesses. The Prophet/Jamin may be fine for some. But its sheer folly to go around pretending that its weaknesses would not affect anybody or that 850mhz is an issue that affects most of the world - it doesn't. Many people dont give a fig about 850. We don't live in US or Canada.
skagen said:
Let's put it this way, I wouldn't go out and buy a PC that was slower than my previous one, let alone for more money.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
But then I also wouldn't get a new PC that only had half the storage of my old one. I have a 4GB card in my Magican that I will have to throw away with the Atom.
My contract is up in July if nothing else comes out before then with:-
* Full size SD / SDIO
* Wifi
* 400+MHz
* WM2005
* 2MP+ Camera (ideally with autofocus & optical zoom)
* Same form factor as my Magician
* USB2
* USB Host
* D3D hardware
* VGA (ok now I'm dreaming)
* Built in GPS (the new sort that work indoors)
Then I guess I'll have to go for the Prophet due to the investment in my memory card.
Maybe I can just set the clock speed to 400Mhz permanently and live with shorter battery life......
From Ubermobile:
http://www.ubergizmo.com/15/archives/2008/01/viliv_umpc_is_extremely_portable.html
Similar slider/keyboard format as Shift, but:
- Menlo processor (good for battery life, bad for speed)
- Looks like Windows XP option (my preference)
- Assuming same screen as its brother, it will have 7" 1024 x 600, 16million vs 256k colors
- Same HDD options as Shift
- Only 512mb memory (expandable?) vs 1gb not expandable
- WAN optional only with external modem (actually my prefernce, since I'll use my HSPDA phone - HTC Trinity - as a tethered modem rather than pay for 2x data plans)
- GPS (sirfStar III, not that POS Qualcomm i have in my Trinity that is probably in the Shift)
- Estimated MSRP of $700-$800 vs. $1,600 for Shift
So, no Snapvue, no phone guts, and with an estimated ship date of 3Q2008, it'll probably beat the Shift to the shelves!!! <grin>
Man, waiting until 3Q (assuming they really do this and do it on time) would be painful, but if it comes in with the specs they list, it could be the winner for me.
Mike
seems quite bad .. i would say 40% of interest of the shift is in that one .. but maybe it's nice for you.
the Shift is not the perfect devise for everyone ... so maybe this device is for you
landshark said:
- Menlo processor (good for battery life, bad for speed)
Mike
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Menlo processor 1,86 GHz - A110 800 MHz
Am I missing something ?
Hey MM -
My understanding is although the Menlo is running at a higher clock speed, it is a different architecture so a higher clock speed doesn't really translate into faster performance. I did some internet searching (sorry, didn't save the links) which suggest that the Menlo referenced here will be about the same as the Stealy A110 which is the 800mhz version included in the Shift.
Of course, it should have much lower power consumption, so maybe we could get better than 2hrs out of the battery.
why not oQo e2? it's good and have most of shift ability
landshark said:
Hey MM -
My understanding is although the Menlo is running at a higher clock speed, it is a different architecture so a higher clock speed doesn't really translate into faster performance. I did some internet searching (sorry, didn't save the links) which suggest that the Menlo referenced here will be about the same as the Stealy A110 which is the 800mhz version included in the Shift.
Of course, it should have much lower power consumption, so maybe we could get better than 2hrs out of the battery.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Very interesting!!!
Thanks Mike
koala996 said:
seems quite bad .. i would say 40% of interest of the shift is in that one .. but maybe it's nice for you.
the Shift is not the perfect devise for everyone ... so maybe this device is for you
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't really understand what market the Shift is really 'for'. It's a very strange device which doesn't seem to offer much in the way of practicality. It's low-res screen and poor battery make it an ineffective laptop replacement - my old Sony Vaio TX had FOUR TIMES the battery life. The size is not as small as other devices and it would appear it only has two features not seen on other UMPCs: phone functionality (which is surely just a further battery drain) and windows mobile device functionality. Wouldn't it be more practical though to have a proper phone with Windows Mobile built in and tether it via bluetooth or WMWifirouter when the internet is needed?
I'm looking for UMPC but it seems the Shift has too many negatives and there appear to be better things on the market, particularly given that I'm not really bothered about making phone calls from one.
Battery life, screen resolution and keyboard quality are for me the critical elements of a UMPC.
(oh and size)
If anyone can explain why they would rather have a UMPC with phone and windows mobile built in than a UMPC WITH a normal, practical windows mobile device I would be interested to hear. Seems the convergence with the Shift is a bit over-the-top and might be more impractical than practical.
leoni1980 said:
I don't really understand what market the Shift is really 'for'. It's a very strange device which doesn't seem to offer much in the way of practicality. It's low-res screen and poor battery make it an ineffective laptop replacement - my old Sony Vaio TX had FOUR TIMES the battery life. The size is not as small as other devices and it would appear it only has two features not seen on other UMPCs: phone functionality (which is surely just a further battery drain) and windows mobile device functionality. Wouldn't it be more practical though to have a proper phone with Windows Mobile built in and tether it via bluetooth or WMWifirouter when the internet is needed?
I'm looking for UMPC but it seems the Shift has too many negatives and there appear to be better things on the market, particularly given that I'm not really bothered about making phone calls from one.
Battery life, screen resolution and keyboard quality are for me the critical elements of a UMPC.
(oh and size)
If anyone can explain why they would rather have a UMPC with phone and windows mobile built in than a UMPC WITH a normal, practical windows mobile device I would be interested to hear. Seems the convergence with the Shift is a bit over-the-top and might be more impractical than practical.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I personally like the concept of HTC Shift, yes i think you are correct to treat Shift as an UMPC, however what make Shift so special is because the duo mode that it offers and the form factor. It's fair to say there are no other device which has the same concept as Shift, at least not in the market yet.
It all depends on people, some people prefer to only carry on device which does everything, some prefer to carry separates. For those people who prefer to carry it all on one, Shift is really quite a nice option. It's important to notice the difference between laptop and UMPC, they serve different purposes. If anyone is new to UMPC, i suggest you visit a well known website call UMPC Portal, they have lots of information here. And it's interesting to know, HTC Shift occur to be the most viewed device there in rank 1, and it has stay in that position for for a long time.
Hi foks,
I'm getting my Silver Xperia this Friday (Can't wait)
Got some questions.
1. Hows the Camera?
2. Hows the flash/flashlight?
3. Hows the speaker sound?
4. How is the sound quality trough 3.5mmjack? (Or does it depend on what ear pieces you use?)
5. Hows the battery life? I'm almost 24/7 on msn 3G in some cases H and my TyTN II starts in the morning with 100% and ends in de evening 50/45%. How is this on the Xperia?
6. Hows the scroll pad?
7. Hows the panel?
8. Hows the phone in general?
9. Xperia X1, or Touch HD???
I've used the Xperia for 2 hours a while ago (Demo) and coudn't test everything cause the software wasn't correct.
Thank you.
xmoo said:
Hi foks,
I'm getting my Silver Xperia this Friday (Can't wait)
Got some questions.
1. Hows the Camera?
2. Hows the flash/flashlight?
3. Hows the speaker sound?
4. How is the sound quality trough 3.5mmjack? (Or does it depend on what ear pieces you use?)
5. Hows the battery life? I'm almost 24/7 on msn 3G in some cases H and my TyTN II starts in the morning with 100% and ends in de evening 50/45%. How is this on the Xperia?
6. Hows the scroll pad?
7. Hows the panel?
8. Hows the phone in general?
9. Xperia X1, or Touch HD???
I've used the Xperia for 2 hours a while ago (Demo) and coudn't test everything cause the software wasn't correct.
Thank you.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Take your time and read some posts on this board. You will see that all your questions are answered in detail.
Edit: What the hell I will answer them even if I don't own one yet (but I've read many posts here).
For a 3.2 megapixel camera it is good but seems average, competing with other phones that have more megapixels.
The Flash is a LED light and as all LED lights it fails to be a proper flash. It helps a tiny bit to give some light in dark areas.
Average, some people complain it is too quiet while others are okay with it.
The sound quality is quite good from the 3.5mm jack. If you have cheap earbuds it will sound bad. With better equipment you will always have better results. That's the case for all audio devices.
Battery life is excellent considering other phones. This is a major plus for the xperia.
For scrolling it is good, though some members are annoyed if used for directions (instead of the standard direction pad) because they find its behaviour erratic. You can calibrate it for your needs, with the sensitivity options or disable it completely.
Average. Some panels are quite good, others are just gimmicks. The transition from portrait to landscape seems a bit laggy. Other than that it seems to work okay. Unfortunately panels don't run in parallel, so when you change from the Radio panel to another FM-Radio stops.
The phone is pretty good although some people question its high price. The craftsmanship is among the best. My opinion is that it is the best WinMo phone right now. When it matures it will definitely pay off its value.
Do you want a large screen (same resolution) or a hardware keyboard? If you need keyboard go for X1 if not go for HD.
Next time search please.
XavierGr said:
Take your time and read some posts on this board. You will see that all your questions are answered in detail.
Edit: What the hell I will answer them even if I don't own one yet (but I've read many posts here).
For a 3.2 megapixel camera it is good but seems average, competing with other phones that have more megapixels.
The Flash is a LED light and as all LED lights it fails to be a proper flash. It helps a tiny bit to give some light in dark areas.
Average, some people complain it is too quiet while others are okay with it.
The sound quality is quite good from the 3.5mm jack. If you have cheap earbuds it will sound bad. With better equipment you will always have better results. That's the case for all audio devices.
Battery life is excellent considering other phones. This is a major plus for the xperia.
For scrolling it is good, though some members are annoyed if used for directions (instead of the standard direction pad) because they find its behaviour erratic. You can calibrate it for your needs, with the sensitivity options or disable it completely.
Average. Some panels are quite good, others are just gimmicks. The transition from portrait to landscape seems a bit laggy. Other than that it seems to work okay. Unfortunately panels don't run in parallel, so when you change from the Radio panel to another FM-Radio stops.
The phone is pretty good although some people question its high price. The craftsmanship is among the best. My opinion is that it is the best WinMo phone right now. When it matures it will definitely pay off its value.
Do you want a large screen (same resolution) or a hardware keyboard? If you need keyboard go for X1 if not go for HD.
Next time search please.
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Click to collapse
Foo don't know if you know me. But I'm a active member. I know how to use the search button. But all that searching and reading takes some time. And I don't have the time a.t.m.
Still thx.
1. Hows the Camera?
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I think the camera is quite good compared to my other phones. I never took a pic with the touch pro so i can't tell u if that was good or bad. The video quality is pretty decent too.
2. Hows the flash/flashlight?
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Never used the flashlight to take a pic but i would its just like any other. Pretty awful.
3. Hows the speaker sound?
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Speaker is way too low for me and the fact that the speakers are right by where u would hold the phone so ur covering the speaker when ur using it.
4. How is the sound quality trough 3.5mmjack? (Or does it depend on what ear pieces you use?)
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I'm watching a movie on it right now and the sound is pretty good i guess. I'm no expert but i also have no complaints.
5. Hows the battery life? I'm almost 24/7 on msn 3G in some cases H and my TyTN II starts in the morning with 100% and ends in de evening 50/45%. How is this on the Xperia?
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MY GOD!!! The battery is the sickest thing i've ever seen. I had WIFI, bluetooth (which keeps cutting off), screen on max brightness, Running TFL3D and streaming video and i got 4-5hrs out of the battery.
6. Hows the scroll pad?
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I like the scroll pad its a nice work around for having no directional pads on the keypad.
7. Hows the panel?
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I like the panels too. They aren't as slow as i thought they would be and its good to be able to just change ur today screen. Having TFL3D as a panel is what made it the greatest for me.
8. Hows the phone in general?
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GREATEST PHONE I'VE EVER USED!!! One of the worst keyboards but the phone is the greatest.
9. Xperia X1, or Touch HD???
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That is a personal decision. If u don't mind not having a keyboard then go touch hd otherwise i would go xperia x1 i personally wouldn't even have the touch pro in the ranking.
Bxsteez said:
I think the camera is quite good compared to my other phones. I never took a pic with the touch pro so i can't tell u if that was good or bad. The video quality is pretty decent too.
Never used the flashlight to take a pic but i would its just like any other. Pretty awful.
Speaker is way too low for me and the fact that the speakers are right by where u would hold the phone so ur covering the speaker when ur using it.
I'm watching a movie on it right now and the sound is pretty good i guess. I'm no expert but i also have no complaints.
MY GOD!!! The battery is the sickest thing i've ever seen. I had WIFI, bluetooth (which keeps cutting off), screen on max brightness, Running TFL3D and streaming video and i got 4-5hrs out of the battery.
I like the scroll pad its a nice work around for having no directional pads on the keypad.
I like the panels too. They aren't as slow as i thought they would be and its good to be able to just change ur today screen. Having TFL3D as a panel is what made it the greatest for me.
GREATEST PHONE I'VE EVER USED!!! One of the worst keyboards but the phone is the greatest.
That is a personal decision. If u don't mind not having a keyboard then go touch hd otherwise i would go xperia x1 i personally wouldn't even have the touch pro in the ranking.
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Thx.
One more question tho, How's the FM receiver?
I've only used it once at my house. It had horrible reception but i live in iowa so all radio reception is horrid except npr
xmoo said:
Foo don't know if you know me. But I'm a active member. I know how to use the search button. But all that searching and reading takes some time. And I don't have the time a.t.m.
Still thx.
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Oops I missed your post count, sorry if I sounded bossy.
Xmoo, you have to give it to them they are learning to read and get others to read at last
I do know your rep so I'll chime in..
Camera is about the best I've seen on a htc device, but that doesn't say much it's okay within obvious limits, video is pretty good..
flash is htc LED flash, say no more.
speaker is tinny and weak, as expected, single tiny speaker that you can cover with your hand far too easily, this has good and bad points.
Earpiece during calls is superb, plenty loud and people sound very clear with wonderful deep roundness to it. I described it to someone yesterday as like listening to BBC Radio 4! I also get comments from people telling me how clear and loud I sound, my Dad keeps phoning me 'cos he can actually hear what I'm saying for a change.
headphone sound through included headset is superb, rich full lows and really zippy high, and that's without the audiobooster. it looks like the vodafone tweaks have boosted the lows and reduced the highs a bit.
Battery life is good after first couple of days (of playing far too much). SE appear to have done some work on tweaking this, especially standby. I left mine on without using it last night, it lost 10% in 10 hours
poor connection (constant searching), UMTS bowsing and WiFI kill it though lost about 40% in 3 hours.
I've grown to love the optical touchpad, at first I hated it, and set the sensitivity all the way down, but with use I've set the sensitivity really high and use it instead of the D-pad keys most of the time.
Panels I find are boring very quickly, the card effect is good to show off down the pub. Pretty gimmicky overall, works very well to impress p*ssheads though! TF3d works very well, for me at least and is better..
Maybe I'll install the SDK and see what you can actually do with them, potentially it looks like you could use them as a container for running today dlls I think.
Overall phone is best WM device I've tried, I was a bit cautious coming from the Athena, but I've even got used to the small size (for me at least it feels small) but that's cos the last two phones were Uni and then athena.. And I've got huge hands, so it disappears, there's once or twice I've left the house and gone back to find the phone as it's so much smaller than those two you don't notice it's there, to realise that I've got it in my pocket all along! (a bit embarrassing as I've got music playing)..
I did contemplate selling it and getting a HD, but I've really grown fond of this, if I was offered a direct swap I'd be tempted but I'm very very happy.
FM radio is okay, don't tend to listen to radio much, but it picks up all the local and national channels here.
Main drawback is that it's probably the most mainstream WM phone there's ever been, I think that's a good thing, but it does mean we've got loads of new users in here that don't really understand what XDA_Developer is about and think people are here to tell them how to use their new pocket power ;D
:edit: one more thing, and something I noticed the first time I turned it on, the Wifi is the best I've ever used. I was picking up a signal from my router at the end of the drive, that's better than my laptops Sparklan a/b/g/n
I'm getting about 3 times more routers picked up travelling through built up areas than I ever did with the athena.
fards said:
Xmoo, you have to give it to them they are learning to read and get others to read at last
I do know your rep so I'll chime in..
Camera is about the best I've seen on a htc device, but that doesn't say much it's okay within obvious limits, video is pretty good..
flash is htc LED flash, say no more.
speaker is tinny and weak, as expected, single tiny speaker that you can cover with your hand far too easily, this has good and bad points.
Earpiece during calls is superb, plenty loud and people sound very clear with wonderful deep roundness to it. I described it to someone yesterday as like listening to BBC Radio 4! I also get comments from people telling me how clear and loud I sound, my Dad keeps phoning me 'cos he can actually hear what I'm saying for a change.
headphone sound through included headset is superb, rich full lows and really zippy high, and that's without the audiobooster. it looks like the vodafone tweaks have boosted the lows and reduced the highs a bit.
Battery life is good after first couple of days (of playing far too much). SE appear to have done some work on tweaking this, especially standby. I left mine on without using it last night, it lost 10% in 10 hours
poor connection (constant searching), UMTS bowsing and WiFI kill it though lost about 40% in 3 hours.
I've grown to love the optical touchpad, at first I hated it, and set the sensitivity all the way down, but with use I've set the sensitivity really high and use it instead of the D-pad keys most of the time.
Panels I find are boring very quickly, the card effect is good to show off down the pub. Pretty gimmicky overall, works very well to impress p*ssheads though! TF3d works very well, for me at least and is better..
Maybe I'll install the SDK and see what you can actually do with them, potentially it looks like you could use them as a container for running today dlls I think.
Overall phone is best WM device I've tried, I was a bit cautious coming from the Athena, but I've even got used to the small size (for me at least it feels small) but that's cos the last two phones were Uni and then athena.. And I've got huge hands, so it disappears, there's once or twice I've left the house and gone back to find the phone as it's so much smaller than those two you don't notice it's there, to realise that I've got it in my pocket all along! (a bit embarrassing as I've got music playing)..
I did contemplate selling it and getting a HD, but I've really grown fond of this, if I was offered a direct swap I'd be tempted but I'm very very happy.
FM radio is okay, don't tend to listen to radio much, but it picks up all the local and national channels here.
Main drawback is that it's probably the most mainstream WM phone there's ever been, I think that's a good thing, but it does mean we've got loads of new users in here that don't really understand what XDA_Developer is about and think people are here to tell them how to use their new pocket power ;D
:edit: one more thing, and something I noticed the first time I turned it on, the Wifi is the best I've ever used. I was picking up a signal from my router at the end of the drive, that's better than my laptops Sparklan a/b/g/n
I'm getting about 3 times more routers picked up travelling through built up areas than I ever did with the athena.
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Very Very thx, this was very usefull.
Another thing, i've seen a option to download panels. Is that for $ or for free?
Another thing, i've seen a option to download panels. Is that for $ or for free?
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Click to collapse
Free... for now.
Insaneboy said:
Free... for now.
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HAHAHA True
fards said:
Main drawback is that it's probably the most mainstream WM phone there's ever been, I think that's a good thing, but it does mean we've got loads of new users in here that don't really understand what XDA_Developer is about and think people are here to tell them how to use their new pocket power ;D
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Couldn't agree more.
Well, basically I got an Xperia Z (which at first I didnt like and gave to the missus but then got back) so the XP was left in a drawer for a few months.
I bought a Gameklip and Dualshock and was loving the 1080p gaming but what was irritating was the feeling that the pairing didn't quite feel 'connected' if that makes sense. Also, as crazy as it sounds, there are quite a few apps that dont support the Z due to the resolution. Some games that I had recently bought weren't compatible.
So, now I have dug my XP back out and TBH I prefer using it as a phone as the Z suffers from a really uncomfortable affliction being that the sharp edges dig in your ears when you talk on it. Also, the XP feels nicer in the pocket.
So Im happy again thanks to the Xp. Im using my JXD mainly for the gaming side of things but as a phone and occasional gamer the XP is king for me!
(just a little question though...... has anyone managed to boost the signal with an antenna mod on their phone yet? My signal is significantly worse than it was with my sim in the Z!)
LONG LIVE THE XPERIA PLAY!!!!!! :laugh:
XPlay is truely a nice phone.
I feel that the games dont have to be fancy but instead, they must be entertaining and fast to open/close for maximum portable gaming, like GTA 3 and emulator games for example. Theres no way in hell I'll replace my Play in the near future. Im gonna wait for "the next XPlay" because I know it will happen. Dedicated handheld gaming is not that profitable for game developers and hardware makers because people dont want to carry multiple devices in their pockets and seeing how Smartphone hardware is getting closer to Vita's hardware, Sony needs to realize that Vita cant stay competive performance wise for too long. Having a smartphone brand that does gaming would work much better if they would roll out different models more often. Seeing how Sony is focusing more into cloud streaming and in-house streaming, I think XPlay 2 is inevitable at some point in future
Little side rant there...
(just a little question though...... has anyone managed to boost the signal with an antenna mod on their phone yet? My signal is significantly worse than it was with my sim in the Z!)
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I dont know about XPlay's wifi/general signal strenght... mine seems to have fairly good reception but for wifi you could try small app simply called "wifi booster". It works for my tablet fairly well.
If you move around with your Play around alot, you should also try changing it into "plane mode" and then back to regular mode. I have noticed that sometimes my Play kind of gets "stuck" when I visit areas with poor reception and the bars stay around 2 bars instead of the normal 4. Plane mode sometimes seems to fix it.
Thewonderboy said:
and seeing how Smartphone hardware is getting closer to Vita's hardware, Sony needs to realize that Vita cant stay competive performance wise for too long.
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The Vita's internals do not have any type of hardware advantage over high-end smart phones. It uses a quad- core ARM Cortex-A9 with an embedded Imagination SGX543MP4+ GPU, which is the same GPU found in the iPad 3. Today's Snapdragon 800/Adreno 330 found in high-end phones quite handily spanks the this particular hardware, as a matter of fact.