Database Users

Want to move to a Kaiser ? Think twice !

Hello,
I am a Prophet owner, and I just bought a Kaiser. I would like to give you my experience of it, maybe it will make you avoid to do the same mistake I did !
I wanted to buy this Kaiser for 3 things :
- better performances
- Built-in GPS
- hardware keyboard
The performances, for now (I mean with no overclocking), are just the same than the Prophet (wich is overclocked at 240 Mhz). Even reading AVI files is not faster. We know that this is because HTC did not make the drivers for Windows Mobile 6 to use the Qualcomm processor capabilities. Will this change in the future ? Who knows ... I don't think it will change, even if a petition for that is on the run.
Maybe in the future an overclocking utility will help us, like it did on the Prophet.
The built-in GPS works fine, from my point of view this is the only thing I have nothing to say against it, except one thing I didn't think about : I thought that having a buit-in GPS would be less power consuming, but it's wrong. When I was in my car with my prophet, all I needed was to enable the bluetooth for both the GPS and the Jabra handset, so I could answer the phone even with the GPS activated. The GPS had its own energy.
But with the built-in GPS, I also need the bluetooth to answer the phone, plus the power consomption of the GPS chipset.
So there is no power economy when you have a buit-in GPS, instead you will have a bigger power consomption.
This, of course, is not an issue when, in your car, you can plug the Kaiser to a power source. But it may be an issue when doing sport/trekking (using Vito activetrace for exemple), every time you use your GPS when you're not in your car (in that case, I had a better autonomy with my Prophet and an external GPS).
The hardware keyboard disapointed me. All the keys on it don't give the same feeling when using it. I mean for exemple one key will give a soft feeling, another will give a hard feeling... Many people in the Kaiser threads report that typing fast on this keyboard is difficult because sometimes you think you pressed the key and it's not the case, sometimes you think you pressed it twice without wanting this ... I had a HTC universal, the keys feeling was a lot better on the universal, but the device was bigger...
Also the spacebar sometimes produce a "double-click" feeling when you press it, just depending on where you put your finger on it. This is very annoying because you never know if you pressed it once or twice.
So when using the Kaiser keyboard, you always need to look at the screen to be sure that every pressed keys just answered !
In the first weeks I had it, I prefered to use the onscreen keyboard ! Now, I am trying to get used of the hardware keyboard, but it's sometimes painfull.
The pad is a lot better on the Prophet. When you press the Kaiser pad, you have a "looseness" feeling, in fact the pad moves itself (for about 1 millimeter). It gives the feeling that the Kaiser is a cheap device. Also, the size of the pad is very bad for gaming : it is so wide that you need to move your finger from one side of it to the other side. You just can't play very fast action games (I'm think about "Commando" on the C64 emulator for exemple).
Also when you push the pad too hard, the screen moves a little just like if you wanted to open the hardware keyboard.
For sure, this is not a gaming machine, the Prophet was a lot better for this !
The fact the pad is moving, and that the Kaiser is made of plastic (instead of metal for the Prophet), makes me want to protect more my Kaiser than my Prophet. So I need to buy a leather case for my Kaiser, wich increases the size that my Kaiser takes in my pocket (I didn't feel the need to buy a case for my Prophet). The Kaiser is also a lot heavier, but difficult to blame on this when you know all the Kaiser has inside... or can we ?
Also :
- no more infrared port (I was using it on my Prophet to sync with my laptop).
- no more headset connector (now you need to use an adapter to connect it on the USB port !).
- micro-sd door quality very poor ! Each time I open it, I think I'll break it.
- 3 Megapixels camera as bad as the 2 Megapixels of the Prophet (even with the autofocus feature).
I wanted to sell my Prophet and its external GPS, but I really love this device. Now I don't know wich one to sell !
So again, if you plan to buy a Kaiser, just think twice. I hope with my post you will be now advised of the Kaiser issues, so if you buy it anyway you will not say what I said "Oh ****, I didn't know !".

Very nice post! Objective! There should be more posts like this, so people can make informed decision.

Thanks a lot !
I would like to add another information, related to Microsoft this time.
The fact of using Windows Mobile 6 on the Kaiser did not give me anything more than the Prophet Windows Mobile 5.
I do not see any new interesting feature. I don't feel any difference, except that:
Windows Mobile 6 is still missing a real "close task" button (it still does not quit the application), and still no cascading menu. So we still need to use an application like Wisbar. The problem is that Wisbar does not work well on Windows Mobile 6, you can't change the color of the wisbar buttons, wich unfortunatly are not the same color as the Windows Mobile 6 theme.
I tried another application done for the Kaiser, it works great except I can't access to the parameters from the start menu, but this issue is related to the fact that my Kaiser is french. For english Kaiser's, there will be no issue.
So for now, because of these "menu/close tasks" issues, I still prefere to use my Prophet Windows Mobile 5 wich is working fine with Wisbar ...
It's a shame that microsoft Windows Mobile is still missing these features after something like 10 years of existence of Windows for pocket pc !

dizzy33 said:
I tried another application done for the Kaiser, it works great except I can't access to the parameters from the start menu, but this issue is related to the fact that my Kaiser is french. For english Kaiser's, there will be no issue.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There are so many programs to close programs who have NO problems with other languages than english.
I have a german WM6 ROM and i tried the original HTC taskmanagers, QuickMenu (wich has the settings bug), WkTask (is implemented in my ROM) works great and now i use the "BatteryStatus" plugin which does overclocking, closing tasks, app-launcher and so on.

htc advantage x7501 vs x7510

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Upgrading from Kaiser

I've been looking at this phone alot latey as am thinking of upgrading from my beloved Kaiser. Is it worth the upgrade in general. Interested to here your views?

I consider it too.
I would not call it upgrade but CHANGE from "practical" to "eye candy".
However it's not that obvious as it seems:
* no buttons compared to Kaiser - I am so much used to quick shortcuts (internet, messaging, OK button, jog dial, camera, voice speed dial remapped to brightness toggle)
* GPS bug scares me - Kaiser has very good gps (even for walking around), Touch HD may be affected by the same terrible bug as touch pro - without good GPS device is useless for me
* lack of HW keyboard - I can probably live without but sure to miss accuracy of physical buttons
* TouchFlo sucks from practical point of view - I prefer Spb Mobile Shell (I am heavy device user, TouchFlo is nice but not very useful), I would install it on my new HD
* fingerprints - with Kaiser - almost non-existent, with touch HD - fingerprint magnet
* battery life - it's impossible Touch HD lasts longer with the same usage pattern (1350 mAh both devices)
What I do like is:
* device is beatiful (because of no buttons - Kaiser is more like vintage thick-brick "Pocket PC" compared to beatiful Touch HD
* 5 MP camera -- Kaiser camera quality SUCKS, Touch HD should be much better
* SCREEN SCREEN (I still own HP Hx4700 4" VGA - it's so cool display, I miss it)
* performance (no more 2D drivers issue)

I am getting one as soon as it is available.

I would recommend you to READ here first:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=437730
I´m going for it!

rdy2go said:
I consider it too.
I would not call it upgrade but CHANGE from "practical" to "eye candy".
However it's not that obvious as it seems:
* no buttons compared to Kaiser - I am so much used to quick shortcuts (internet, messaging, OK button, jog dial, camera, voice speed dial remapped to brightness toggle)
* GPS bug scares me - Kaiser has very good gps (even for walking around), Touch HD may be affected by the same terrible bug as touch pro - without good GPS device is useless for me
* lack of HW keyboard - I can probably live without but sure to miss accuracy of physical buttons
* TouchFlo sucks from practical point of view - I prefer Spb Mobile Shell (I am heavy device user, TouchFlo is nice but not very useful), I would install it on my new HD
* fingerprints - with Kaiser - almost non-existent, with touch HD - fingerprint magnet
* battery life - it's impossible Touch HD lasts longer with the same usage pattern (1350 mAh both devices)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Obviously can't get a HD???
I have a kaiser and love it to bits. But to be honest
1) No buttons is a god send, it was the only fault with the kaiser the build quality around the buttons was suspect
2) GPS lag? The HDs not even released yet where did this info come from?
3) Keyboard. Thought this could be an issue also, but realised that i don't ever use my kaiser keyboard anyway and the new software versions are just as good.
4) TF3D. SPB mobile shell sucks! I used the programm for months and it basically made my device slow and how was it you put it 'a finger print magnet!) Touch flo 3d is without a doubt the best phone UI bar the iphones.
5) Fingerprints. Again with SPB ms my kaiser looked like a slug had spent the night on my screen, how do you know that the HD is a finger print magnet, and if it is wipe then of this can't be seen as a bad thing, this is the future!
6) Battery. Battery life on the HD is meant to be very good due to tweaks on the chipset + more advanced software.
To summerise the HD is a year more advanced than the Kaiser so you will be getting a smarter phone. The main thing it lacks compared to the Kaiser is a keyboard, as is well documented there are work arounds for that.
I will be getting the HD.

donbronzi said:
Obviously can't get a HD???
I will be getting the HD.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You have already decided then.
I was very fascinated with a new device but GPS lag issue (suspected as it is the same chipset as faulty Touch PRo) needs to be resolved or denied before I buy it.
90% I'm buing it when sure GPS won't be an issue.
TouchFlo vs. SpbMobileShell is not so important, because lovers of TF3D will use it, haters (like me) will use alternatives - no one gets hurt

http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=437533 -- it stops me from buying it, I need to be 100% sure GPS won't be as faulty as on Touch Pro

rdy2go said:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=437533 -- it stops me from buying it, I need to be 100% sure GPS won't be as faulty as on Touch Pro
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Probably will be the same, as they use the same Qualcomm chip with integrated GPS.

rdy2go said:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=437533 -- it stops me from buying it, I need to be 100% sure GPS won't be as faulty as on Touch Pro
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes sure i will be gettig 1 ASAP!!
I agree that if there is a gps lag problem that would be an issue. However the is no indication that that will be the case other than the chipset, and whether these are purely hardware, or part software, the latter of which can be rectified.
Time will tell but i shouldn't think HTC would let another device out without looking into the GPS issue first?

I wait for the enthusiasts like you to check it
IF you tell me "no GPS lag at all", I'll buy it the very next day.

I wait for the enthusiasts like you to check it
IF you tell me "no GPS lag at all", I'll buy it the very next day.

rdy2go said:
I wait for the enthusiasts like you to check it
IF you tell me "no GPS lag at all", I'll buy it the very next day.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Good call, it has been a strange device in the way there has been very few thorough pre release reviews. Once mine has arrived i will be sure to inform you on the GPS and anything else you want to know.
Here's hoping!!!!

Oh my ...
This is the deal breaker for me.
Without a good GPS, it is hard to replace my Kaiser!
Although, I dont really like TomTom 7 running on my Kaiser. It is so slow when calculating route!

gogol said:
Oh my ...
This is the deal breaker for me.
Without a good GPS, it is hard to replace my Kaiser!
Although, I dont really like TomTom 7 running on my Kaiser. It is so slow when calculating route!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Do all the HTC with GPS have this slow calculating process?
I personally use Destinator, but have been using it with O2, Mio and Eten's without any problems. Very quick connection mind you, they use SIRF III GPS chips. I am thinking of changing over to HTC because of the large screen.
I guess I will be watching the reviews about the GPS speeds.
Does anyone know if Destinator software have problems with HTC devices. Shouldn't, but I feel it is good to ask all you HTC users.
Cheers.

I think that slow calculating is TomTom 7 specific issue, at least with my Kaiser.
I dont have that problem with TomTom 6 before.
Probably, TomTom 7 is much more complicated ...
I would use TomTom 6 because its not much different.
globalgpj said:
Do all the HTC with GPS have this slow calculating process?
I personally use Destinator, but have been using it with O2, Mio and Eten's without any problems. Very quick connection mind you, they use SIRF III GPS chips. I am thinking of changing over to HTC because of the large screen.
I guess I will be watching the reviews about the GPS speeds.
Does anyone know if Destinator software have problems with HTC devices. Shouldn't, but I feel it is good to ask all you HTC users.
Cheers.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

Your question is too general.
Kaiser doesn't have problems with GPS - Diamon and Touch Pro are reported to have annoying lag which renders them unusable for driving.
Touch HD uses the same chipset yet many potential buyers hope it's going to be OK this time

Well I've dived in and ordered one. Now the waiting on delevery.

Xperia X1 to Touch HD - My thoughts and experiences

First off, this device is by far the best windows mobile device that I have used. I only considered WM devices when choosing this because I am dependent on expensive WM applications that I have bought for work.
I recently upgraded from an XDA touch cruise (Polaris) to an Xperia X1. That phone was great, really very fun to use. The screen was very sharp and the optical device made navigation excellent and kept screen touches to a minimum. I was initially disappointed with the keyboard and thought I would get used to it but I never did. I began to question whether I actually needed a hard keyboard. Also the bluetooth issue really bothered me and I really wanted more screen real estate more than any other feature. As a side note I thought the panels were a useless gimmic, I personally found them slow and without any real use.
After two weeks I got upgrade fever again and sold the X1 on ebay in order to buy a simfree Touch HD. This upgrade was effectively cost neutral and I waited patiently for my Touch HD. Here are my pros and cons
PROS
1 - The screen. It is glorious. The resolution and size are unparalled on a handheld device in this country. It is so user friendly and very sharp. Skyscape ebooks display beautifully. Viewing websites on Opera is also far superior to the X1 as despite similar resolution - the size makes all the diffence. It compares very well beside my new ipod touch (2nd gen) - the brightness on full is about 80% of the ipods brightness but it is still sufficient to render excellent contrast ratios. Where this screen smashes the ipod is in resolution - text on websites is very sharp when on full screen compared to the apples soft blurry rendering which suffers as it does not have as many pixels per inch.
2 - User friendly and it just works. Seemless connection via bluetooth activesync, connects beautifully without problem to my Parrot CK3200 car kit with full phonebook synchronisation (inc battery/signal strength bars). Mapped some of the buttons using aebplus and that increases the useability further. You quickly get used to not having a dpad and it becomes enjoyable interacting with the device without a stylus - I havent had to use mine yet.
3 - Haptic feedback is a nice touch
4 - Very fast GPS tracking when you turn on TomTom7
5 - Jetcet wireless printing is a useful bonus add on - however I cannot get it set up correctly with my ML1510 laser printer connected to an airport express.
6 - Accelerometer paired with Gyrator 2 is wonderful!
CONS -
1 - Its been said before but the lack of proper calendar implementation including tasks into TF3D is very disappointing. I currently have only one appointment on the display depsite having a full weeks schedule. If I add another appointment for today then it will display on the home screen but not tomorrow Like many others, I have missed birthdays and appointments because of this omission. I dont personally want to get rid of it and use SPB shell because it helps define the device itself! I would be willing to pay to get this properly implemented.
2 - GPS does lag by 1-2 seconds on TomTom which despite my heavy GPS use does not really affect me however if it bothers you it is worth considering. The lag is the same as the Polaris. On the X1 the lag was only 0.5-1 second
3 - I cannot map the home button or long press end key yet - I will continue to plug away at this.
So in summary the best phone and handheld device I have used. I am keeping this phone and really enjoying using it! Hope this helps people who may be unsure what they are looking for.

Thanks for the comparison The_Flyer
I was in the X1 vs. Touch HD dilemma but have since opted for the Touch HD.... it would be nice if it arrived though.
The killer point for me was the large touchscreen. I am fine using my finger and a stylus for writing so I didn't really need the hardware keyboard.

SingaporeAirlines said:
Thanks for the comparison The_Flyer
I was in the X1 vs. Touch HD dilemma but have since opted for the Touch HD.... it would be nice if it arrived though.
The killer point for me was the large touchscreen. I am fine using my finger and a stylus for writing so I didn't really need the hardware keyboard.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I was wondering between the two myself, and then i asked myself do I need a hardware keyboard?
Turns out i don't need it.

I actually went into the Voda shop, with a bunch of dosh in my hand, ready to walk out with an X1.
They had a demo one, which I played with - and was reasonably impressed with.
Got ready to do the deal - quoted the Voda web site prices - "oh no, we're not allowed to match them"...
At the time I was gutted (and I certainly wasn't prepared to pay an extra £10 per month for the same deal), so wanderred across to phones4u.
Came out of there with my head swimming with options, and decided I'd best do some more research - things had obviously moved on a bit in the 3 months LOL
long story short (ish) - HD arrives tomorrow
(though it should have been today )
nice write up the_flyer

the_flyer said:
CONS -
1 - Its been said before but the lack of proper calendar implementation including tasks into TF3D is very disappointing. I currently have only one appointment on the display depsite having a full weeks schedule. If I add another appointment for today then it will display on the home screen but not tomorrow Like many others, I have missed birthdays and appointments because of this omission. I dont personally want to get rid of it and use SPB shell because it helps define the device itself! I would be willing to pay to get this properly implemented.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Have you had a look at Pocket Informant with its touch features. Maybe this will help. Can't say as I don't have the HD yet, but using an eten x500 at the moment.

Thanks - I am currently using pocket informant and it works great as a today plug in however it does not integrate within TF3D and hence the love TF3D has to be deactivated for it to work. Function v aesthetics

Thinking about upgrading from the Touch Pro 2 to HD2 - Some input!?

Hiya,
I've had my trusty Touch Pro 2 (GSM version) for some time now, I'm thinking about upgrading to the HD2. I would like some input before taking the leap! The main reason I want to upgrade is due to the lag/slowness of the HTC Touch Pro 2, this is preventing me from using the phone to its fullest, disabling a lot of functions etc just so I can try and optimize speed.
Has anyone here upgrade from one to the other, If so, How significant are the performance gains?? I'm overclocking the TP2 CPU to 710mhz, but it still seems quite slow, is the HD2 worth the upgrade from this perspective? Also - how significant is the extra ram??
My other problem is the lack of physical keyboard, the last four phones I have owned have all had physical keyboards, this Touch Pro 2 keyboard is the best by far, for anyone going from a physical keyboard to the HD2, what's your experience? does the 4.3" screen compensate for lack of a physical keyboard?
Please note: Phone will be used mainly for business purposes, i.e. emails, internet, organizer, stock quotes etc. I only very occasionally used the music player.
Thanks for any help

went from the TP2 to the HD2 about a month or two ago. The bigger screen rocks. Once you spend a little time with the capacitive display on the HD2, you'll hate having to touch the TP2s screen.
You will forever miss the physical keyboard. Not a day goes by where I'm typing out a text where I ****ing hate the damn onscreen keyboard. The arrow placement as well as the T9/ABC keys are just too damn inconvenient. I'd take the extra bulkiness anyday to get the TP2s physical keyboard on here.
I never upgraded my TP2 to 6.5 because I always read that it ate way too much memory. You won't have that issue on the HD2. It's super speedy. The onlly thing you'll experience any lag on is HTCs reworked messaging app. Luckily that can be disabled.
My only other gripe about the HD2 is that with Manila 2.5 HTC took out the battery usage statistics on the Power settings page. Other than that, take the plunge. The HD2 is a phenominal phone. Once you start using the glorious capacitive 4.3" screen, the only thing you'll miss from the TP2 is the keyboard.

so you think overall (despite the lack of keyboard) it is worth upgrading from TP2 to HD2??

join us, join us.
No really, do join us. This is one of the few true superphones out this year, and will still be relevant for at least a year.
I had a TP2 before the HD2. The HD2 is so slim compared to it. You won't notice the difference in your pocket though, it will take up slightly more room b/c of it's screen. I have to say though, that 4.3" screen really is space efficient. Screen quality-meh, just a tad better than the TP2. Comfort...TP2 feels more confortable hands down, whether its in your hand, held next to your ear, or in your pocket. Keyboard? Gosh, let's just say that if you are a very very high texter, keep your tp2, or better yet downgrade to a messaging phone..those are faster anyways. Otherwise, for occasional users, Swype makes the keyboard actually bearable. In terms of speed, HD2 blows the TP2 away. It doesn't really run stuff faster, but it is more capable of running stuff. (No freezing, soft resets, low memory, etc) But that's a major gripe of WM phones prior to the HD2. So if thats your biggest gripe, I would even more urge you to upgrade. Not to mention, you can grab one for a song these days.
Here's the thing, I know you are unsure, as you expressed in post #3. Your post asking for confirmation shows you feel the #2 post is mixed. Well let me make this clear: My post OVERWHELMINGLY tells you to upgrade.
Cheers!

hands down, lack of keyboard is worth everything else that you gain with the hd2.
going back is now simply unthinkable (particularly because of the screen and snapdragon)

Well... I'm not a particularly HEAVY texter. However, I do need to occasionally edit documents on the run/write emails. You are correct, my biggest gripe at the moment is with the whole speed thing. I want to be able to use HTC sense as it was designed without having to turn everything off to conserve CPU power/memory. I also feel restricted as I don't really install any 3rd party apps due to fear of 'cluttering'.
In saying that, the TP2 has been very trusty, other than the speed and ram issues, the keyboard has been nothing short of flawless and the stability has been impressive (coming from an Xperia with the infamous SOD issue, this TP2 has been in a league of its own).
I guess another issue which bothered me is the screen rotation time for the keyboard to switch things into landscape, that was quite an annoyance on the run.
I do keep a blackberry bold as a backup phone, so I guess if I really missing a physical keyboard that much, I can give it a whirl. So yeah.. I have gone ahead with my purchase, hopefully won't regret it! Now... time for the 'extras' - docks and such!

if it wasn't clear in my first post.... UPGRADE!!!!
seriously! though you'll miss the keyboard, the phone is still a whole new beast that you'll fall in love with. Hell, just watch a movie on the 4.3" screen & you'll be sold.
If you lived in Phoenix, AZ I'd say come & have a look at mine for an hour to help nudge over to the HD2 crowd.

I changed my phone 2 weeks ago from TP2 to HD2.
My main thing was also the keyboard. But when you rotate the HD2 you get the same keyboard, only on screen... But it works great.
I love the speed, love the big screen, dont miss my physical keyboard.
Just do it......

Touch Pro2 is a good phone. HD2 is a great phone.
My previous 2 phones both had hardware keyboards and I wondered how I would manage without when I got my HD2. It did take some getting used to and if I'm honest I can type faster on a hardware keyboard than on a touch screen. My typing speed is improving all the time though. If you cant get along with the standard SIP, Swype is uncanny in its ability to correctly guess the words you want.
My friend got a Touch Pro2 as a free upgrade and was happy until he tried my HD2. His TP2 went straight on to ebay and he now has a HD2 and is delighted.
I don't want to sound too evangelical but go for the HD2 it really is as good as everyone on here says it is.

I left the TP2 for the HD2 a couple of months ago. Wow, so much better. If you type a lot though you'll miss the keyboard. I just ordered a Mini Bluetooth keyboard that I'm hoping will make the HD2 the best of both worlds!

I forgot to mention, I really mis MS voice Command on BT. Doesn't work on the HD2. Cyberon works fine, once you add the fix here on XDA...
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=593529&highlight=voice&page=5 See post #47.
Makes the HD2 finally work with BT and a Voice command app!

Nakel said:
I forgot to mention, I really mis MS voice Command on BT. Doesn't work on the HD2. Cyberon works fine, once you add the fix here on XDA...
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=593529&highlight=voice&page=5 See post #47.
Makes the HD2 finally work with BT and a Voice command app!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
MS Voice Command v1.6.23562 works fine via bluetooth on my TMOUS HD2 with Miri & DINIK's v19 ROM.
As far as the TP2 and HD2 go, I still use both daily. The TP2 for work, due to it's keyboard, and the HD2 for personal use. IMHO, the combination of screen size, increased CPU speed, double the RAM, quadruple the ROM, along with the ability to run a well functioning Android 2.2 build, all make the HD2 the obvious winner over the TP2.
Best to all,
R

rhacy said:
MS Voice Command v1.6.23562 works fine via bluetooth on my TMOUS HD2 with Miri & DINIK's v19 ROM.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No kidding?! Thanks, I'll try that setup! I've looked all over, this is the first I've found an HD2 working with MSVC over a BT headset. It really takes the command and verifies over the headset?

Nakel said:
No kidding?! Thanks, I'll try that setup! I've looked all over, this is the first I've found an HD2 working with MSVC over a BT headset. It really takes the command and verifies over the headset?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, MSVC works exactly as it does with my TP2 via BT. I use it with the Jabra BT3030 & BT8010 headsets, as well as the Motorola S705.
If you would like, I can attach it. It installs with an installation error, but works as intended.
Best to all,
R

Thanks! No need for the attachment, I have the cab for that version. I sincerely apreciate the offer though. I'll be trying that version soon!

If you want the most awesome Windows Mobile 6.5 device, go for it!
If you just want an awesome device, I'd pick something else.