Database Users

Is everybody happy? No pun intended.

My salt grain:
Moving from an i-mate JAM, I'm returning my JASJAR/V1640 to Vodafone.
1.- Too, way toooo heavy. And also too large.... Unable to be carried on a belt clip. Haven't seen anything so "odd" since the old Ipaq line. Does anyone remember the Phillips VELO?
2.- Short memory, really short. It doesn't even stand up against the "old" JAM. Having the same specs, 68 MB RAM is not acceptable for WM 5.
3.- Battery life is misserable. Again, facing the same day ussage, mine didn't come close to the JAM. And yes, I do have and use an SDIO WiFi card.
4.- I haven't really noticed any significant advantage on the OS side to justify the move from wm2003 SE. Not to mention incompatabilities.
5.- And last but not least, in this price range they should be doing better.
Maybe a future JASJAR II (Whatever the specs) will made the point for a change.
:-(
I'm alone? :wink:

Looking Glass - when people are posting exactly the same thread on why the JasJar II doesn't do 3D holographic projection, contain a neural net and can only transport mechanical, and not biological tissues through time, sometimes we just have to accept that these devices will never be perfect, so we have to live with their flaws and seek to improve them.
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Ouroboros
Every phone I've used has flaws, sometimes critical flaws, but it's a buyer's market - we shouldn't have to accept less then 100%, but we're phone hacking geeks :wink:
V

@vijay,
happy to accept devices are not perfect but so many online reviews of the Universal claim this is the best device ever, the best Smartphone. But the shortcoming are too basic (poor call quality, flaky BT, unstable PowerSave etc) and therefore I like 'Looking Glass' am not too happy given the retail price of this device. I suspect the next HTC device will be better as they will learnt from the shortcomings of the Universal.

I don't like the Universal very much personally. I use my Magician as my main phone, and only use the Universal for development.
I like its screen, but it's large, heavy and slow.
However, I want a device with a large screen, VGA screen, camera, and the latest OS.
It has 2 cameras, built in wifi, 3g, a nice keyboard and many other features. The new OS has major teething problems, but all in, you get a great technical piece of equipment. Know what you want and why, and be prepared to tweak the hell out of it.
It has major flaws, and it's not a very good phone until you get a good bluetooth setup and voice command on it. But it probably is one of the best phones money can buy right now, from a hardware point of view. But if it's not a good phone, why buy it?!
V

I love the Universal (xda exec). It allows me to surf very fast wherever using 3g, and play games, and also email and sms and skype when I am away from home. It has my address book and vital documents. The screen is sharp and larger then most things out there. It weighs nothing in my backpack and I find it mostly very reliable, including BT & wifi.
Point to note: I do not use this as my voice cell phone. In my view it is a mistake to use this kind of device as a phone. Its too large for evenings out and the battery life compared to phones is small. It is a super PDA, not a cell phone substitute. If people want a light cell phone with great battery then buy a nokia or motorola. If you want a smartphone (the whole concept of which I hate, as without a decent screen no programmable device is useful) then then orange c500 is great (Typhoon).
rgds

I agree with point 5, this is not quite the machine it should have been for $1,000. Where's our 96mb RAM and USB host that had been listed in the pre-release versions? I think the size, weight, and battery life are acceptable given the form factor and features. Honestly, whenever take my JasJar out of the case I can't believe how slim it actually is!
Overall I'm really pleased with my JasJar right now. My main concerns were sluggish performance but the new ROM has made a significant improvement on that front. Are the "features" we gained with WM5 worth the upgrade from the previous OS? Eh... maybe not. It's nice to not have to worry about data loss due to a dead battery but I think I'd prefer the better performance we got from our 2003SE PE devices.

Interesting points here and I find myself agreeing with most of them.
I've been using a PPC for a number of years now and the Universal for me was just a natural upgrade from the hx4700 I had before. I got mine at the end of December and have yet to make a voice call on it.
However I do find myself using it a lot for picking up mail, spreadsheeting, web surfing and lots of PIM work - all things the hx4700 did very well but the Universal's built in keyboard works so well that I don't think I can have another device without one now.
WM5 does to me seem a worthy enough upgrade. Not having to worry about losing data is the killer feature and again one I won't go without again. Everything else seems a slight advance on WM2003SE which is good enough for me.
I got mine from O2 - £200 up front, £23 a month for the 36mb tariff and I got £50 cashback. All in that will make it about the same as I paid for the hx4700 so I am very happy.
I was that impressed with the concept that I bought a Wizard from O2 in a similar way - £70 up front, £12 a month with £30 cashback. That one is my main phone (work paid for sim card is in it so I'm paying a fixed amount) and is also very good.
These are my first PDAs not from HP and so far I am happy with the choices I made.

I have been reading this forum but seldom posted anything; but this time I want to express that I love universal
Moving from I-mate Jam, I especially love the universal VGA screen. I read books a lot using my PDA phone and using universal my eyes are becoming much more comfortable.
I also like the keyboard, which suits me a lot who types over 50 sms/day.
Size is big, but I'm getting used to it now

I have only had my Orange SPV M5000 for 3 days, and flashed it with the new ROM yesterday. It doesn't seem that slow compared to my Jam.
Sure it is a monster. I swore I would never get one.
But I would be hard pressed to give up the VGA and keyboard now. Reading books and email were my two main applications, and the extra space is great. Browsing with WiFi is also much more usable.
Time will tell if I get too frustrated with WM5!

It is only a matter of time...
I would like to tell the world that my man and I are very happy with our Qtek 9000s. It truely is a modern feat for the PDA & Ppc PE world! A true convergence device. True there are quirks about performce wise but just give it time and people especially the ones ever present in xda forum and buzzdev will tweak it to the maximum. I love wm2k5 and is a big step compared to 2003SE! I have a Himalaya and I have seen it grow from wm2003 to wm2k5 and what a great story it is. I know deep in my heart the Uni will follow in the foot steps of the Hima! It is just a matter of time!
My respect and admiration for the people who make our devices run a revolutionary as well as technological roller coaster ride namely Buzz, Tofclock, ViJay, vivi, DotFred and many others more. More power and let the eternal light of tech wisdom shine upon you!

Yep, its big & heavy & sometimes a bit slow, but I would not go back to using my Blue Angel. I use this device as my only phone, for SatNav, email and web surfing. I've not used the Wizard, so can not really compare it, but it looks like many people will prefer it to the Universal, but I chode the Universal for 3G i.e. 384K networking
I really love the VGA screen and proper keyboard and the the bluetooth and Wifi implementations seem better than the Blue Angel's. As for memory, I install most programs on my 4Gb SD card so I still have some storage left, but I agree that 128Mb would have been better, especially since TomTom insists on using 9Mb of it for UK postcodes
If your major use is as a phone, then this isn't the device for you. It is adequate as a phone, but its true value lies in the PDA and networking functions.

The Universal for sure has the best screen I have ever seen on a mobile device and the keyboard is also very good. Surfing with WiFi using Opera (not PIE) is a dream. eBook reading is great as long as you don't use DRM ebooks stored on the SD card and use the PowerSave option (MS Reader can have problems when you re-activate).
But why does WM5 functions (settings etc) not use the VGA capability? Why is the BT signal so weak so that at 2m it struggles? Why the need to reboot every few days? Why the delay on incoming calls? Why make a device that is fantastic in some areas and very weak in others (e.g. no soft menu keys under the screen when you want you want to use it in PDA mode)?

I am very happy with my XDA Exec. I got mine because my kids broke my trusty Dell Axim X3i PDA and the fact that the Exec is also aphone was just a bonus. As a PDA it is everything I wanted and more! One question I have for Looking Glass is why are you using an SDIO Wi-Fi card on a device that has buit in wireless?

UH OH !!!
I'll keep schtum on this one guys ;-)

vijay555 said:
and it's not a very good phone until you get a good bluetooth setup and voice command on it. But it probably is one of the best phones money can buy right now, from a hardware point of view. But if it's not a good phone, why buy it?!
V
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
RE: recent thread titled "The Biggest Problem with the Universal"
Vijay, (no disrespect sir) but after all that shenanigans a few weeks back..... it is a phone and not a PDA with a phone or whatever??
(whoops... there I go again!)
Cue Gajet, SiliconS, so on and so forth :lol:

philtech44: I didn't really read that thread, but my opinion is based on practicality. I wear a suit all day, and see a lot of guys struggling with XDAs through the day. I'm very happy with my Magician in my pocket (!), but no suit would last long with a Universal in my pocket. Hence, it's not a very good phone for me merely on the basis of size/weight. But, I'll be the first to say that its hardware is near unsurpassed: I love the VGA screen, makes 'net browsing feasible.
So, I can't imagine a very good middle ground: it has great hardware, but that requires a large size. Thus for me, it's a very well equipped PDA, that happens to have phone features. But with a good bluetooth headset etc, I can leave it in my case and pop it out when required (!). But I'd still rather have a Magician with a fold out VGA screen :wink:
V

whilst we are on about how to make the universal perfect:
1. Case made of titanium alloy
2. Screen fills lid completely - 800x480
3. 1mm thinner base
4. CDMA2000 and EDGE for travelling to the US
5. HSDPA (for 3mbit 3g in europe)
6. Double, or more, battery life.
7. Intel 2700 3d accelerator
8. Compact flash slot
9. nintendo ds cartridge slot and emulator (screens side by side on 800x480) - ;->
10. Wifi g and new n standard
11. Driver and cable for ipod (to stream videos). Would not want a hard disk as (a) it drains battery, (b) I can upgrade my ipod when high capacities come out without upgrading my PDA
12. 128 or 256 mbyte program memory
13. Dual or quad core ARM cpu (circa 2020 !!)
I wouldn't change the form factor one bit. Its very comfortable for a micro-computer. As I have mentioned before, I have a small cell phone for calling, would never use this kind device as a main phone.
)
rgds

@colonel,
my Vaio laptop's normal battery gives me 6.5 hrs battery life so better battery life should be possible. But I think HTC should fix the basics before trying to add features for features sake. I think the next bunch of HTC devices will be much better than the Universal (HSDPA already planned). Regarding memory, my 14 month old Nokia 9500 has much more user memory then the leading edge Universal (80mg versus 30mb). I see the radio, BT and memory as basic features that should be very good given the USD900 price tag of the Universal.

jah said:
@colonel,
my Vaio laptop's normal battery gives me 6.5 hrs battery life so better battery life should be possible. But I think HTC should fix the basics before trying to add features for features sake. I think the next bunch of HTC devices will be much better than the Universal (HSDPA already planned). Regarding memory, my 14 month old Nokia 9500 has much more user memory then the leading edge Universal (80mg versus 30mb). I see the radio, BT and memory as basic features that should be very good given the USD900 price tag of the Universal.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Have you compared the battery size between of your Vaio? Batteries are fairly standard capacities per size right now, and its going to take a new breakthrough for us to really gain more battery time.

Re:TyTN possibly knocked off its Throne!

A Device to Surpass the 8525?
Will there be one soon? within the next 2 or 3 months or so? I know when I got my 8125 the 8525 came like in 5 months or so after. I just sold my 8125 and I am currently using a Motorola RaZR for backup. B4 I go purchase the 8525, i want to know is there a sequel coming any time soon so I can save my money and wait? And Do people really think dishing out the cash they did to upgrade was a good choice? Thx alot for the responses and sorry if this was a repeat I didn't see anything of it yet.

I feel understand your hesitation.
I got myself the i-Mate K-JAM (HTC Wizard) late last year after a bit over a year with the i-Mate JAM. I thought I'd be using that new phone for at least year.
And then the HTC Hermes was released. I couldn't justify spending more money after recently upgrading my phone. But thankfully, my telco offered a deal I couldn't refuse for the Dopod 838 Pro, so I happily took it up.
Hopefully, there won't be any new releases that warrant a change!
But more than simply the release of new handsets, I wish HTC would stop changing the type of memory card that their phones accept. From SD to mini-SD, and no the micro-SD! It's a hassle having to go out and buy a new card AGAIN each time you get a new phone! hehe

I remember when i got my first phone and I'm not even sure how i even came to even own a PPC it all started with a T-Mobile MDA-II,SPV C500,SPV M500,T-Mobile MDA Pro and now T-Mobile MDA Vario II i could not even wait for the 8525 to come out so i got a MDA V II and most of the phones that came out were not even available here i always thrown the money for a new phone that came out never felt it was a waste just go for it

I remember reading during the summer that they were going to release after the Hermes a 128mb of ram Pocket PC.

thx all for the responses, i know the memory card is annoying but the companies making the memory cards are prolly paying HTC money for more sales on their new products by switching out the memory cards. I hate it wen companies do that kinda stuff.

most probably the "next" hermes will be the HTC Herald, have a look at the specs:
http://wiki.xda-developers.com/index.php?pagename=HTC_Herald

My vote is the Cavalier would be the next killer phone before the Herald.
Check out my comparison of the Hermes vs Excalibur
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=287684

pof said:
most probably the "next" hermes will be the HTC Herald, have a look at the specs:
http://wiki.xda-developers.com/index.php?pagename=HTC_Herald
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think the herald is a follow up to the wizard. I am just basing that off of the cpu and the improved hardware buttons.
Later, Lew

The i-mate SP JAM Communicator looks like it could definitely trump the Hermes:
(it's the second phone discussed in this article)
http://www.reghardware.co.uk/2006/12/06/i-mate_roadmap/
Built-in GPS and A2DP, 256 MB flash, TV-out, and possibly a 532 MHz processor.
Sounds like we may see it soon, too (Feb 07).

Re:TyTN possibly knocked off its Throne!
Is it just me and a couple of other people, or does the spec of the upcoming Athena not sound closer to what we wanted out of the TyTN, bar size of course. I'm still in limbo presently, but if the 'updated specs' are true, I'm getting pretty exited about it.
Check the news thread here:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=286884
And no, it is not the next HTC Universal, more like the first HTC PPC/UMPC or UMPPC.lol

good lord, how do you talk with that thing?! It'd be like holding a ghetto boombox up to your head.

specs are cool.. but i would have to stick to my hermes.. that thing looks like to much of a hassle... that device would make it totally impossible to text and drive.. i mean, not that i would do that, that would be unsafe

The specs sound fine but..but...but... I use a seven inch mini computer with full specs and 2.4 Ghz processor / CD/DVD RW etc etc and runs Windows XP/Vista. This mini computer, with all that, is only marginally bigger than the Athena!! Obviously Id rather have my mini computer cos it's got everything.
For travelling, casual use, fun and lets be honest the challenge and size I would have the Hermes not Athena.
So for me its
1. Full size 20 inch PC
2. Mini (but full spec) PC for travelling but still good 7 inch screen
3. TyTn Hermes small enough to be a phone but lots of other things besides - cos let's face it phones by themselves are just boring!
Mike

Re: WM5 UMPPC? Or Dual Boot Technology?
mikechannon said:
The specs sound fine but..but...but... I use a seven inch mini computer with full specs and 2.4 Ghz processor / CD/DVD RW etc etc and runs Windows XP/Vista. This mini computer, with all that, is only marginally bigger than the Athena!! Obviously Id rather have my mini computer cos it's got everything.
For travelling, casual use, fun and lets be honest the challenge and size I would have the Hermes not Athena.
So for me its
1. Full size 20 inch PC
2. Mini (but full spec) PC for travelling but still good 7 inch screen
3. TyTn Hermes small enough to be a phone but lots of other things besides - cos let's face it phones by themselves are just boring!
Mike
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Can't argue with you there Mike.
mackaby007 said:
I can't lie. I'm thoroughly confused as to which is the most ideal portable solution for my needs. One thing is for sure....I want only one device to carry around and it must pretty much do all things. I love the power and 'real configurabilty' of a WinXP/Vista UMPC, not to mention the 'real' and 'actual' 'processing capabilities' i.e. I can still video edit, download (at proper speeds) and actually get the true browsing experience as was intended by whichever website I venture to, not to mention play the occasional PC game in glorious DirectX 3D with high resolution and no need to encode video files to a suitable codec and resolution.
However, Coreplayer is improving in leaps and bounds and can already play my Ripped DVD's in native format, albeit the 400Mhz CPU struggles a little, so theoretically speaking, with a 624Mhz CPU (or more if overclocked), videoplayback shouldn't be an issue in the Athena. Games is really neither here nor there to me, as I rarely play them (I just like to have the choice), but there are some great titles already on WM5 and they are sure to improve as PPC CPUs' improve in power and performance.
Pocket IE and other mobile browser variants are acceptable for now, but still seriously lacking compared to their XP counterparts, but still doable, providing screen real estate is improved via a bigger screen in VGA mode (covered in the Athena).
Storage doesn't seem to be an issue with the Athena as it supposedly will ship with at least 8GB of HDD (battery drain problems), but this can be overcome with the larger iminently released 8GB+ SD Cards etc which can be used for Program installations and the in-built harddrive for storage capacity.
Then you can't ignore the communication advantages of mobile broadband/HSDPA, 3G Video conferencing and GSM, not to mention in-built GPS!! Damn....I think the confusion is lifting...I'm starting to sway towards the Athena or such like devices.
Then there's the Graphics accelerator. If they can get that ATI chip to be a little more versatile and possibly stick their top end mobile accelerator in the Athena, we'd be a lot closer to the UMPC format, which I prefer but without the bulk.
To be able to hook up an external hard drive via USB for 'true mass storage' would be a deal clencher for me. But every one has their own needs and desires in the devices they choose to buy, but for me, the Athena is getting pretty damn close if the specs thus far are genuine.
See here:
http://www.engadget.com/2006/12/21/htc-athena-x7500-a-umtshsdpa-quad-band-UMPC/
and here:
http://www.mobile-review.com/pda/articles/htc-athena-en.shtml
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So as you can see, there are reasons to go for the all in one solution, but as we all know, it comes down to personal preferances, however, it looks like some other interesting developments are on the horizon that incorporate both WM5 and Full XP/Vista software and PC hardware. Sort of Dual boot options, but no specs as yet.
See here:
http://www.4winmobile.com/viewtopic.php?t=4179

That thing looks huge... I keep my Hermes in my front pocket - I doubt I could do that with that phone!

hrmmm,,,,
maybe notebook manufacturers will need to develop a bag/case with a shoulder strap for this upcoming device.
I think too much convergance in technology can be a bad thing. it is better to have a device specific to your needs and does the job transparently (as in my case) than an all in one device that is "clumsy" and you spend most of your time on debugging the technology, not using the technology to become more efficient in your work.
my 3 cents....
My devices (what is in my office at the same time):
* Work PC desktop with 20" LCD (no screen alignment issue there...lol) - used for word processing and email/browsing.
* Sun Microsystems Ultra workstation running Solaris - namely used for integrated circuit design and intensive simulations of complex telecommunications scenarios
* Rohde and Schwarz - Vector Signal Generator (gsm/umts test vector generation for ASIC hardware testing)
* R&S - spectrum analyzer
* R&S - baseband signal analyzer
* Asus S6F 11.1" notebook - mainly used at home and when travelling (camel leather casing, sweet)
* Imate JASJAM - used 40% of the time for email when out of the office and liasing with industry, and 40% for voice, 20% mucking around
*lava lamp (so retro i know)
It will be nice to have all of the above in one nice device, i just need someone to carry it around for me....lol

Did I mention my Wimshurst Machine (so 19th Century) but great for that moment when the battery goes flat.
Oh and my new project is to find a way to greatly extend battery life so the old Wimshurst Machine becomes obsolete on my travels. As you will see below I can manage to charge myself up ok, just can't quite mange a slow voltage controlled release into Hermes tends to disappear in a blue flash when I shake hands with anyone (perhaps a large capacitor is the answer.) (Courtesy of Hermes vs Van De Graaff productions 2006)
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mikechannon said:
Did I mention my Wimshurst Machine (so 19th Century) but great for that moment when the battery goes flat.
Oh and my new project is to find a way to greatly extend battery life so the old Wimshurst Machine becomes obsolete on my travels. As you will see below I can manage to charge myself up ok, just can't quite mange a slow voltage controlled release into Hermes tends to disappear in a blue flash when I shake hands with anyone (perhaps a large capacitor is the answer.) (Courtesy of Hermes vs Van De Graaff productions 2006)
Mike
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
nice vandegraff mike,
the problem is, it creates thousands of volts, but merely any amperes. it would take for ever to charge the 1350mah battery.
You should maybe try a jacobs ladder. we just finished building one. you cab place the hermes in between the spark of the two electrodes.
the hermes will receive one hell of a 'shocking' charge.

Listen after 3 hours on the Van De Graaff you don't really care about anything anymore!!
And.... so... er......you don't think it'll work then??
Mike

ok mike,
this is what you need to do.
fly to melbourne and visit science works (http://scienceworks.museum.vic.gov.au/about_us/lightroom.asp)
our university has a high voltage theatre there
ask the exhibition operator to place your hermes in the path of the lightning strike (2 million volts).
If it survives, then you have atleast 3 years usage without recharge.

Should I come back to the TyTN? or get a Blackjack

Hey, I've spent some substantial time outside of the windows mobile world. Started using a Nokia E61..great device just kinda slow. And I messed the blackberry pearl and then kept the Blackberry 8800 for a long while. Just recently I purchased a Dash for the 3rd time and I'd have to say this is the most stable and fun experience I've had thus far. My major gripe is navigation through the OS via the DPAD. So I've decided to get a blackjack/i600...OR Return to the super powerful beast the TyTN/8525/Hermes. I'm trying to see if I really need all those features in comparison to the Blackjack. Copying and pasting natively within a web page is something I miss. Heck, being able to literally copy and paste any piece of text no matter where you are - i miss. Back when I owned the TytN previously I had 2 gripes. The Core Player/tcpmp issue with ATI. (I see there's a patch now ). And I would randomly not be able to connect to the internet at times because it would come up with a "answering modem has disconnected" and keep doing that till I soft reset. I believe that was a radio rom issue to be quite honest. I've gotten used to the one handed use and exposed keyboards. Do I really want to return to this world? I tweaked my MDA & TytN to the best capability a few months ago. Ahhh the good ol Molski Faria days! . The keyboard on the TyTN is perfect btw. Never a miss type. And usually if I had to emergency respond to a text at a stoplight, I'd be able to do it so fast that it would defeat any purpose of randomly trying to type one handed. I dunno. Any feedback would be appreciated as I'm purchasing something today

i used the 8125 then upgraded to 8525, i tried the blackjack for 2 days and hated it, even thru it has 3g its slow and the applications take so long to open\load, 8525 is so much faster and user friendly and yes u will need the apps even thru u think u wont, also the functions, call quality are so much better, i also tried the pearl and did not like it b\c of the blakcberry connect and time it takes to connect to web, go with the tytn u will not be disappointed, blackjack has nothing on it, u cant tweak it out like u can a tytn, u choose slow web whn u can get lightening web

I'm curious...
...do you always need someone to hold your hand when you make a simple decision? ;-P
Get a hermes and stop pi$$ing about with inferior devices ;-D

woah there. If you dont need a touchscreen on it i would say get a blackjack. I have a samsung i320 and it is great. I have a hermes too though and that is also great but if i dont need all the functionality of the hermes. ie. the bigger screen then i always take the samsung. I cant wait for the i600 to come out on orange. In fact, im going to ring them right now.

Simple answer: the Hermes will depreciate in value less quickly, so it's a better investment.

Yes I need someone to hold my hand. Hence, me participating in a glorious forum such as this one. I seek knowledge from your experience. I'm still sitting here torn because part of me says just get a i600 and leave the rest to a laptop/psp for multimedia purposes. Same can be said about keeping the Dash since I already do own it. But one thing I am noticing and disliking a lot with smartphones is that they cannot keep up with my typing. I've tried about 6 of them. 2 blackjacks and 4 dash's . I'll admit the dash is better but still, when i type fast I ALWAYS have to backspace for mistypes. . TyTN never had this problem. the i600 could have fixed this. too bad there aren't many owners. I have an offer locally for a 8525 for 400.00 and im close to pulling the trigger..but I'm rationalizing things out. Needs/Wants/etc

GO on, push the button and order the Tytn, you know you want to
Its the best device of its kind ive used and ive been looking for something like it for many years. I had intended to keep my nokia 6230 charged and use it when i just wanted a phone if i was going to the pub or something, but i just cant go back to a lesser device now. Besides, having google on my tytn is just too handy for pub quizzes
Its a very fast and stable beast these days with the new batch of WM6 roms and radio upgrades. I have very few problems with my setup below, and mine is pretty well loaded with apps too!

I would recommend the Tytn as out my personal experience the Tytn is the best device available.

Nah, still get a hermes Best phone I've ever had
As for it not keeping up when you type and having to back space to make corrections....I recommend Mavis Beacon for that ;-D

Well, for what it is worth, you chose to post this in a forum that is 100% dedicated to Hermes. Therefore, you are getting the expected response - almost universal recommendations to get the Hermes. Now, assuming you are not insane or stupid (as I am sure you are not) then clearly you expected this result. Thus, one can assume that you WANTED to be urged toward the Hermes. This can only mean that you want the Hermes and have from the beginning. GET THE HERMES!

Go Tytn
My Windows mobile 5 tytn was good, but since upgrading the rom to WM6 (LVSW) it has been great. It's fast and very stable. Battery life is approx 2 days.
Go Tytn

dialekt said:
Yes I need someone to hold my hand. Hence, me participating in a glorious forum such as this one. I seek knowledge from your experience. I'm still sitting here torn because part of me says just get a i600 and leave the rest to a laptop/psp for multimedia purposes. Same can be said about keeping the Dash since I already do own it. But one thing I am noticing and disliking a lot with smartphones is that they cannot keep up with my typing. I've tried about 6 of them. 2 blackjacks and 4 dash's . I'll admit the dash is better but still, when i type fast I ALWAYS have to backspace for mistypes. . TyTN never had this problem. the i600 could have fixed this. too bad there aren't many owners. I have an offer locally for a 8525 for 400.00 and im close to pulling the trigger..but I'm rationalizing things out. Needs/Wants/etc
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The weight test??
Mike

todd_jg said:
Well, for what it is worth, you chose to post this in a forum that is 100% dedicated to Hermes. Therefore, you are getting the expected response - almost universal recommendations to get the Hermes. Now, assuming you are not insane or stupid (as I am sure you are not) then clearly you expected this result. Thus, one can assume that you WANTED to be urged toward the Hermes. This can only mean that you want the Hermes and have from the beginning. GET THE HERMES!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
90 percent true for the most part although you come to second guess yourself every now and then. and sometimes you end up with something you thought you wouldn't ever consider again. Ladies & Gentlemen I ordered a Nokia E61i - yes the new one with camera. So who's bidding to see how long I last? (what's the icon for an ashamed face).
a day - a week is all i really need to judge this device..and if it fails then I fail.

Well...
I replaced my TYTN with a Samsung I600. I would be curious to know how many of the people who replied ever tested BOTH device....
I still own both...
While I don't discuss the pda feature of the tytn I have to say it was the worst phone I've ever had.
The I600 is just a little bit slower in apps using, navigation speed also is comparable. On the other hand is far much more stable.
Signal receiption and voice quality is far much better.

best mobile device out there

Any of you thins is there any device (or device + phone combination perhaps) out there or coming shortly better than the Athena platform?
If so which one and why, what device would make you to ditch your dear Athena if any, and expend your hard earned cash in something new?
My device is dead cold and I been looking around and failed to be excited with the new iTOY 3G or the 7510, the Samsung Omnia looks kind of interesting, no devices with a 5"screen which is something I love on the athena, so probably my best bet will be a reasonable priced second hand Advantage....or a cheapo thing and wait a few months to see what's new? or iTOY and other mobile device companion?
If somebody think is worth to make this thread a poll and attach that colour bars at the top please do so
Regards

PBL1 said:
Any of you thins is there any device (or device + phone combination perhaps) out there or coming shortly better than the Athena platform?
If so which one and why, what device would make you to ditch your dear Athena if any, and expend your hard earned cash in something new?
My device is dead cold and I been looking around and failed to be excited with the new iTOY 3G or the 7510, the Samsung Omnia looks kind of interesting, no devices with a 5"screen which is something I love on the athena, so probably my best bet will be a reasonable priced second hand Advantage....or a cheapo thing and wait a few months to see what's new? or iTOY and other mobile device companion?
If somebody think is worth to make this thread a poll and attach that colour bars at the top please do so
Regards
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Samsung OMNIA... very strange resolution=problems for SURE
Imate 9502? May be...
Raphael is the best choice IMHO but athena is far better
It is simple: software could be developed from users, but Hardware don't. And Athena is STILL the best hardware in the WM business

sergiopi said:
Samsung OMNIA... very strange resolution=problems for SURE
Imate 9502? May be...
Raphael is the best choice IMHO but athena is far better
It is simple: software could be developed from users, but Hardware don't. And Athena is STILL the best hardware in the WM business
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Totally agree with you.
5 inch screen is so important. I can surf the net without having to zoom in and out which drives me crazy after a while.
Standard aspect ratio is very important for the sake of getting software.

My acer Aspire One has ousted my Athena as my web browser. Check it out online somewhere, it realy is small, btu never pocket size. Best netbook there is in my opinion.
But if youre looking for another pocket device, my vote goes to the Raphael/X1. Although, the athena screen is so big you will probably miss it.
Rory

rorydaredkign said:
My acer Aspire One has ousted my Athena as my web browser. Check it out online somewhere, it realy is small, btu never pocket size. Best netbook there is in my opinion.
But if youre looking for another pocket device, my vote goes to the Raphael/X1. Although, the athena screen is so big you will probably miss it.
Rory
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Acer Aspire One could not be practically brought alone with you all the time, is not instant on, does not have long enough battery, cannot be used without a table or chair, ...
Raphael. The screen is too small. Movies, internet, Softmakerall need bigger screen to be enjoyable.

I agree with you both,
The reason Omnia called my attention was that it match Athena specs and in some case add better ones,16Gb internal memory and memory slot good camera, Fm radio that works with the GSM, the haptics touch screen gimmic and the funky graphics
still no 5" screen and funny resolution that remains to be seen how well it works.
The 9502 looks Ok but not worth to compare with Athena (also the advantage looks better IMO) and the Raphael/Diamond devices, the same thing.
Why after a year there is no better device than Athena bugs my, not for technical reasons for sure.

I LOVE my 5 inch screen....sooo sweet!

PBL1 said:
(...)
Why after a year there is no better device than Athena bugs my, not for technical reasons for sure.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Market... still not "mature" and IPHONE is the perfect example.
BT blocked to avoid file transfers, no way to download anything from browser, no file explorer, eeven no easy way to set an MP3 as ringtone... SUCCESS ???
Sorry folks, we are ALIENS from the future and the market is for Neanderthal men, we are looking for a beautiful lighter in a place were the fire was just discovered!

I just bought a HTC Advantage x7501 this last week. While I was looking the only thing that came close for me were the upcoming MID's. Though, I don't think they take sim cards (not sure). But, I wasn't looking for the mobile phone aspect of a mobile device. They also run Linux although there might be some that come out with Windows Mobile.
I am happy with my Advantage, it's a great upgrade from my Dell Axim x51v.

I just won the bidding on ebay so an "less than 2 moths old as new Advantage"should be on my way, hopefully all is right and everything goes as expected
soo back on course.
My problem with MID and similar devices is the ridiculous battery life, I was looking at the QPQ2, real use battery life just over 2H but al least there is a battery on sale with twice the capacity for that device.
Cheers

Indeed it is very true that the one isn't practical to carry around, but if you have even a small bag with you it can easily be stored. My mum even commented that when i'm at uni it will be good because it won't look like I have a laptop in my bag, it'll just look like a normal bag.
Although I do admit I was a bit silly suggesting it, I should have known he really wanted a ppc.
Rory

Although I do admit I was a bit silly suggesting it, I should have known he really wanted a ppc.
Rory
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not at all, you make a very valid point, indeed with some laptop devices becoming very portable and affordable it is a real possibility to carry a "real computer" and a mobile phone, some peple mentioned eee pc and a celular in other threads.
besides the opinion of the people about possible devices out there is the idea of this thread in the first place
cheers

Athena against Idildo?
I'm not an expert but do NOT change your Athena against an I-garbage. It is a gadget for apple fans. I had one for one week before selling it away.
Cheers.

I made the choiceto get an iPhone, and it does everything I need in such a cool manner. Well cool if you're 18, everyone loves it... I would love to be able to share it's internet to my laptop though...
Anyways as always a mattr of personal choice.
Rory

wow i see that i'm not the only person who had an itoy for just a week. i had it returned. and then i bought my x7501.

I have both, Athena and Iphone.
In CAR terms i have SMART and HUMMER.*
Nothing to compare but nice to have both in different situations
http://www.pinklily.com.au/images/media/smartcar.jpg
http://car-reviews.automobile.com/images/cars/ArtImages/56131/alt.jpg
My DASH is the FIAT PANDA 4x4 , small, nice to have in light snow or living in the countryside...
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* EDITED... for IPHONE a better definition could be... MAZDA MX5 Roadster
http://www.mazdaforum.com/models/miata/mx5/images/miata-mx-5.jpg

sergiopi has a good point.
unfortunately i only had enough money to buy one hummer
ciao!

hi, so im not the only one that have these kind of thought's and idea's.
i was thinking about buying a netbook like the msi wind and having a (more or less) small phone like the raphael only for the situations when the netbook is not with me. even if that means i have to drop my 'one device for all situations' idea .
so i played around with a friends diamond (should be the same screensize as raphael or?), but i cannot get warm with this solution, not only because wasting money for 2 devices that are used to do similar things.
so i sitdown and wait for htc (or someone else) to do the trick and bring a raphael like device but with a 3.8" screen, for me everything below a screensize of 3.8" (the size of my old htc universal) is to small to be used as 'one and only' device.
greets mad

madbird said:
hi, so im not the only one that have these kind of thought's and idea's.
i was thinking about buying a netbook like the msi wind and having a (more or less) small phone like the raphael only for the situations when the netbook is not with me. even if that means i have to drop my 'one device for all situations' idea .
so i played around with a friends diamond (should be the same screensize as raphael or?), but i cannot get warm with this solution, not only because wasting money for 2 devices that are used to do similar things.
so i sitdown and wait for htc (or someone else) to do the trick and bring a raphael like device but with a 3.8" screen, for me everything below a screensize of 3.8" (the size of my old htc universal) is to small to be used as 'one and only' device.
greets mad
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I will suggest MSI WInd and HTC S630. the 630 as phone is almost perfect: easy to fit in the pocket, cheap, full Kb, great opera mini, all (calendar, contacts, task) sync, landscape screen NON TOUCH (means no plastic film over MUCH better view, also considering the needs for a touch screen phone of a screen protection)
I fit in your jeans REAR pocket, or shirt's pocket, great (3g) for internet connection, add a small EXTERNAL GPS and TT6
If you need a TRUCK (MSI WInd) better to have a PANDA 4x4 TURBO ( HTC S630) as everyday's CAR

Sergiopi, you and me are evidently the same person...
iPhone and Athena, and both of us love cars... wow
lol
One thing, I wish I was able to put WM on my AAO, as its the best mobile OS there is. If it could be just like the Shift and the unlocked snapvue that would be awesome.
Rory

My Review/Test of the XiaoMI MI2 (edited January 11)

If you like my review, and want to help me make other high quality review, feel free to make a donation (to help me buy accessories or other materiel i may review)
If you wish to help me, but can't do a donation and if you are going to buy on the same site as I, you can ask me per PM a referal link. When registering through that link, you help me get coupon codes on that site, so i can order accessories and complete this review )
1. Introduction
Since Google announced the Nexus4 (LG), the entire worlds speak and write about that Phone.
Unfortunately, the Nexus4 is a rare phone.
It may be in stock in some countries, but in my country (France) it is impossible to get it for a cheap Price.
During that time other “Chinese” devices make their apparition.
These devices may be even cheaper and more powerful than the Nexus4.
At the beginning, I was thinking to replace my Galaxy Nexus with a Nexus 4, but one post on Google+, that complains about the poor camera quality and the constant out of stock status for the French play store made me change my mind.
So I turn to the xiaomi MI2, a smartphone with nearby the same characteristics as the Nexus4, witch runs into MIUI.
For these not knowing what here are the main specs :
- 2GB of RAM
- a quad core CPU at 1.5Ghz
- a 2000mAh removable battery
- a powerful 3D chip capable of running all latest android games
- a 4.3” display, with even more PPI than the iPhone5 !
- no sd slot
- Normal simcard slot
This Chinese phone, made by xiaomi ( the same that created the MIUI Rom) is sold in China for 1999 Yuans (about 245€ )
Unfortunately, xiaomi does not sell worldwide, so you need to buy this phone at other place, where it will naturally cost a little more.
We can find the 16GB version for 300€.
Other website who make even more money with this device propose it for 350-400€.
I bought this device on one of the cheapest website I found: ibuygou
If you wish to buy it there, the best advise I can give you, is to buy it using PayPal.
First the euro change is better, and second, well PayPal is secure, you have 45 days to make a complaint (for example if it was lost or damage during the order, or if you don't get the product you ordered)
I bought the 32GB version, it cost me 369€ with DHL delivery (so the same price as a 16GB Nexus 4)
One interesting thing to know: the package is very resistant, you can also find videos where two people are standing on it, without breaking it content! I tried it (without the phone in ^^) and indeed the package did not break. So the phone is ready for a long transport, nothing can happen ^^.
Because this is an import, on some country you may need to pay Taxes (it was the case in France). This cost me 14€.
Warning: it may cost a lot more, if the customs checks the content of the package.
Indeed a lot of Chinese Website declares less than the real price. This way YOU pay less taxes, and the delivery man is not attempt to lost the package for his own business ^^
In some countries, if the package is a gift, the customs may not make you pay (I never saw this for my orders, but well I may be possible ^^ )
In France, even a gift with a love message on it, needs to pay taxes. At least at DHL ^^
When I saw the package I thought: holly crap, they scam me with style :/
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But no, they didn’t, I really received an original MI2 with two gifts: a back cover and an OTG cable (that was really nice ^^ )
As you can see on the package, it is a 32GB Version (yes the phones says that too ^^ )
The phone is really protected, there is even a transparent paper with some Chinese advices on it. I guess it is for telling what the buttons does… well even without knowing Chinese I find this out ^^
Here are the charger (US/Chinese) and the USB Cable (also very well pack)
The free OTG cable gift
And here the blue back cover. I prefer the white one, but it is glossy, so you will see the fingerprints on it, and I hate that.. So in use the blue one
Here you see what it looks like from the side
The orange 2000mAh battery (you can choose the colour of replacement battery, but I don’t know why… you never see the battery of a phone ^^ )
One thing that surprised me: charging the phone, when it was turned off shows the battery percentage level. That’s cool
Don’t take care of the dust, it was only visible because of the flash from my camera. I never saw Dust on it with my eyes ^^
2 Possible weakness or strengths
a) good performances
The first owners of this phone made a lot of benchmarks. And MI2 is much better than the top selling android phone: the galaxy S3.
For info, I made a simple Antutu test, without any customisation, tweaks or overclocking. And I get more than 21 000 points
At normal use, it react really fast, there is no slowness
B) an amazing screen for a really simple usage
Some people may say that a 4.3” display is too small, I think it is the best size to be used with one hand, without needing giant hand or to do finger gymnastic
On my galaxy nexus, I could do everything with one hand, but in some cases I needed to change the phone position do everything with my thumb and in this other position, the phone is not firmly in hand, so this could be dangerous if you don’t stay focused
For the difference between 4.3 and 4.65” it is really MINIMAL. Indeed, the MI2 has all its content on 4.3”, whereas the Nexus has the soft keys in the 4.65”.
Until some rarely apps that run full screen, every app on the nexus will run on a 4.37” surface. So the Nexus has only a really small advantage of 0.07”.
Yet, the MI2 fit better in the hand, because it has less borders than the Nexus.
I went from a phone measuring 135.5x67mm to a phone that measure 125x63mm.
The MI2 is 1 cm less height and almost a half cm less wide. So some actions became easier.
The screen is also a lot better, because of the PPI value. The same image looks a lot sharper on the MI2.
C) a phone not so thin as other rivals
Another possible weakness is the thickness. Indeed the MI2 is not the thinnest of all phones. I was a bit afraid that it might be too big (it is almost as big as the bottom part of the galaxy nexus).
In the end this does not disturb me, the phone fit in the hand, and it does not looks like a BIG FAT phone. Sure with 1 or 2 mm less it would looks even more amazing, but this would be at the cost of a lower battery . Indeed the more a phone is thin, the less place is left for the battery. Less place for battery => less battery capacity.
D) MIUI
This phone is running Android, but not stock Android! It is running MIUI (a graphical change that may look a little more like iOS)
It has also a dual Boot (you need to choose it in the recovery)… So if you break you first boot, you can use the second one. I tried it, but it seams that I have some kind of conflict (maybe because system one is up to date French and system two is the default Chinese rom… maybe they both need to have the same language or version)
I admit that a always installed MIUI on my phones, so having one that came out with it was a good point for me. This phone is like a Nexus for MIUI ^^
But this is like everything, you like it or not… I can’t choose for you
Some people will say: MIUI = iOS on android, that is not true..
MIUI is a graphical evolution, with some nice features.
If you look at Android 4.2, you may noticed that Google introduced some icons in the notification bar for setting Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and so on… Most ROMS increase the ability to toggle on click or go to the settings on long click… this kind of feature exists on MIUI since android 2.3 !
3 : Testing some stuffs
On internet there are a lot of review or test for the MI2, but most of them only test the performance and nothing else . So I’ll test some useful points :
The audio
The GPS
The Camera
I’m not a specialist in these domains, but I had a few android phones (every time high end models) and I must admit, that I was never 100% happy with them
If there is ONE phone that was a real peace of crap, it was the HTC Desire HD!
The audio level is like a buzzer. The music was awful. I had a lot of trouble hearing what my contacts told me, this was even worse if you were in your car or a noisy environment.
The GPS was REALLY the worse I ever had, the precision was bad, it jumps from street to street and needed a lot time for the fix. Telling me to turn left 30 meters AFTER I should turn…
Having a high end smartphone, that is not good in these 3 points, is really not a high end one!
A) The audio
I replaced my HTC Desire HD with a Galaxy Nexus, it was better, but yet not was I was searching for.
On Galaxy Nexus you need to install a mod or software to boost the volume because it is too low by default.
The MI2 is doing A LOT better at this point. You can play a movie with volume max and the full room will hear it The GPS vocal navigation is clearly audible even in a noisy car.
There are still phones that does even better (like the Sony Ericson neo my wife uses, but this one is really too loud ^^ )
The Dolby equaliser of the MI2 has nice effects and you direct hear the difference.
Calling sound is also super clear. Even with noise you hear your contact well.
The only little weakness could be the vibrate level. I think it is a little too low.
B) the Camera
The software part surprised me, (ok I was used of the stock camera, so it was not difficult to do something that looks better). Here everything is clear and on the right place, there are a lot of settings also.
The photo and video quality on low light is a lot better than my galaxy nexus. Indeed; the
Galaxy Nexus does good pictures, but only by daylight. If it is a little dark, or if the light is artificial, the quality decreases fast.
Here are two picture of my dog (click on picture to see the full size picture)
In normal mode:
In HDR mode:
Unfortunately it is raining so I can’t test good daylight picture. I May add them later if the sun will shine again ^^
The video is also excellent. You can save 1080p videos and you can also set 90images per seconds (useful when you film something that moves)
C) the GPS
As most of the latest high-end devices, the MI2 is also compatible with Glanoss (the Russian GPS). This should help having faster and better GPS performance (indeed the more sat your phone sees, the better it can know where you are)
Testing a GPS in a house is … useless
A GPS should find it position (the fix) but also guide you right (not too early and not too late), it should not jump from one street to the other or position you in the middle of nowhere.
People saying that a GPS is amazing because it fix in less than 10 seconds in there room are noobs ! (Yes a lot of people said that the Desire HD had an amazing GPS … whereas a blind could guide you better than this phone! )
So I did a quick ride with my car to test it
I went in my car, turned the GPS and run Cygic (my software)
Fix in less than 2 seconds (my nexus needed more than 1 min, sometimes I also needed to open the window and hand it out to boost the fix time)
But as said fix alone is useless, so I told my GPS to bring me to the nearest town.
It guided me well, not a single error, every order was given on the correct time (not too early or too late).
Then I run GPS Status and GPS Test to know the signal quality and the amount of satellites.
Unfortunately, I did not succeed to do a screenshot for GPS Test ( I was still in my car needing to drive when the fire turn green )
But it find me about 10 green sat that had values between 37 and 42.
For GPS Status I succeeded doing a screenshot: we see directly that it uses a LOT of satellites (so it uses both GPS and Glanoss)
It finds about 21 sats and used between 13-15 of them.
The error precision is 3-5m, whereas my Nexus had 5-10m
If the weather change, I may test it in the forest, but I don’t like going in the forest when it is wet…
D) the OTG Cable
For every tests here, I needed to connect the USB device to the OTG cable first, and then the OTG Cable to the smartphone, other way it did not works :/
Here are some tests I did :
- FAT32 USB stick => works (I may test NTFS and Ext4 in future)
- 2.5” self powered hard drive => did not works, the phone does not give enough power
- Nikon Coolpix S3300 Camera => did not work, maybe the same issue
- USB PS3 controller => it works (the game needs to be compatible)
- USB Keyboard => it works and you can configure the keyboard layout in the menu
- USB Mice => It works a cursor appears on screen
edit from January 11 :
The 6 januray i asked ibuygou if they can make this kind of test (Xperia) :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=F92CvRflk18
The support answered me than i can do this test, and if it break they will send me a new MI2.
Unfortunatly i declined the offer, i did not wish to wait for a new phone ore pay more taxes.
But to MY SURPRISE, ibuygou did this video (they also said my name in it ^^)
here is the video (warning : at the begining there is a screen protection on the phone so don't be afraid
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=84z_BIrLlp4
So I hope you find these review useful.
If there is something specific you wish me to test, just ask me
ps: sorry if there are some errors in the text, i'm French and i tried my best to do an English review as good as i could. (if corrections are needed please feel free to pm me the correction so i'll edit this post)

i really like your review.
im hoping to receive my order next week.
can you share more information about battery life, built quality of the phone
Do you use any bumper/case? Its not even gorilla glass, so i kinda afraid about that point.
also, where you order the accessories from?
I want the dark blue panel, and external batt + charger.
the only option is alibaba. but i was looking for something geographically closer so it will arrive faster
and just last mark, to make sure, it uses regular sim card, correct? like in galaxy s2, not s3 (microsim) ?
edit: I just saw you wrote this as one of the points at the start of the post. thank you for clarifying

Testing the battery is something complicated, indeed you need a given procedure that you do on more than one device, so you can compare it.
If i told you i stay 2 days you'll be happy but i may not told you, that during these two days, i didn't use the phone, so only saying that the device stay X hours/days alone without any further information is useless.
the quality is amazing, people that saw the phone (by far) will think it is an iphone5 ^^ (same formfactor)
i'm not using any case or bumper (i may plan to buy one to be sure the phone is well protected)
I don't know if it is gorilla glass or not and i really don't wish to test it, i hope it is... to be sure i may buy a screen protector, but unfortunately, i did not found something cheap right now
the accessories i have, are gift i received from the site i bought it (i gave a link on first post)
the cover was included in their december deal. The OTG cable was a surprise gift
Yes the phone use regular sim (no micro or mini sim)

you're correct about battery life,
my intention was just if it rally feels as 2000mah, comparing to your galaxy nexus, for example
but nevermind
about screen protector, look for nillkin products, i heard they're good and they have both matte and clear screen protectors.
they also have lite & full version, wheres the full has also protection for camera lens
I like the blue cover. its some sort of matte feeling?

nice review
alain57 said:
Testing the battery is something complicated, indeed you need a given procedure that you do on more than one device, so you can compare it.
If i told you i stay 2 days you'll be happy but i may not told you, that during these two days, i didn't use the phone, so only saying that the device stay X hours/days alone without any further information is useless.
the quality is amazing, people that saw the phone (by far) will think it is an iphone5 ^^ (same formfactor)
i'm not using any case or bumper (i may plan to buy one to be sure the phone is well protected)
I don't know if it is gorilla glass or not and i really don't wish to test it, i hope it is... to be sure i may buy a screen protector, but unfortunately, i did not found something cheap right now
the accessories i have, are gift i received from the site i bought it (i gave a link on first post)
the cover was included in their december deal. The OTG cable was a surprise gift
Yes the phone use regular sim (no micro or mini sim)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i like your review a lot

in fact i don't know if a screen protector is needed
on chinese xiaomi forum ( http://bbs.xiaomi.cn/thread-4506805-1-1.html ) they said that the MI2 has dragontrail glass (something like gorilla glass, maybe even better)
and when you see how this guy tested his Xperia : http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=F92CvRflk18
unfortunately, i'm not going to do this kind of test on my phone ^^
but if someone send me a MI2, i would be happy to do this test

Thanks for the review alain.
Im going to get a Xiaomi MI-2 32GB from the same site. Hopefully they wont take too long to dispatch it.

so why does xiaomi doesnt say it in the specs?
is it for real?

a lot of company does not say it for gorilla glass too
i don't understand that, for me this is a kind of information, that is as important as the CPU spec
but maybe they don't say it, to prevent people beeing mad if they get a scratch ... after all, its a protection, but it does not protect against everything ...

Bilhouse said:
Thanks for the review alain.
Im going to get a Xiaomi MI-2 32GB from the same site. Hopefully they wont take too long to dispatch it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
if you order it through my referal link that is in my review, i can get some cashback. i'll use this cashback to buy other material like a 3100mAh, screen protector, hdmi cable or what ever (if they had it on stock).
Each material i get with the cashback, will be reviewed and tested like i did for this phone ^^. So if you guys order phones with my link, i'll get stuff for less price and i promise to make a review of each material I get that way.

Kudos again, just an excellent review. Thanks once more for sharing!
Swyped from my Android/iPhone Killer

I also find there are lots of xiaomi M2 from an english Taobao
I also find there are lots of xiaomi M2 from an english taobao: BuyChina.com as follow link:
w*w.buychina.com/products?keyword=xiaomi+m2&cid=

alain57 said:
if you order it through my referal link that is in my review, i can get some cashback. i'll use this cashback to buy other material like a 3100mAh, screen protector, hdmi cable or what ever (if they had it on stock).
Each material i get with the cashback, will be reviewed and tested like i did for this phone ^^. So if you guys order phones with my link, i'll get stuff for less price and i promise to make a review of each material I get that way.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The referal link was removed. This is not the place to place links to make money.

Good job~

Sadly the MI2 does not have gorilla glass. I found out the hard way - dropped mine and now have a couple of small scratches on the screen
The good news is the screen protector film made them invisible

Watch out where to order from third party Chinese online stores. Many fake MI-2's are sold.

rattlelv said:
Sadly the MI2 does not have gorilla glass. I found out the hard way - dropped mine and now have a couple of small scratches on the screen
The good news is the screen protector film made them invisible
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Methinks Gorilla Glass would not have been impervious to the drop either. Supposedly the Mi2 uses Dragontail which is as good or better than Gorilla, and as evidenced by a youtube video circulating around demonstrating Dragontail on a Sony (Ericsson?) phone, I'd have to agree.

zelendel said:
The referal link was removed. This is not the place to place links to make money.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
it was not to make money, but to receive coupon codes to order MI2 accessories that would be in other review late :/
i don't get sites, that remove the link on real review... on spaming post i could unsterstand it, but on high quality reviews....
but well its true, its in the forum rules, so my mistake sorry for it
its funny that a lot of donation link are allowed, but not this kind of stuff ...

viviandress said:
I also find there are lots of xiaomi M2 from an english taobao: BuyChina.com as follow link:
w*w.buychina.com/products?keyword=xiaomi+m2&cid=
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
so few messages, but still nearly all of them for this site ... kind of strange for me...
on these kind of site, they are a lot fake phones sold... some people had the same problem with aliexpress ....
so people be aware
ps: xiaomi sells it 16GB phone 1999yuans thats 320$, so if people sells it less.... there is a HUGE chance that they are fakes !

rattlelv said:
Sadly the MI2 does not have gorilla glass. I found out the hard way - dropped mine and now have a couple of small scratches on the screen
The good news is the screen protector film made them invisible
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
because it breaks does NOT mean it does not have a protection !
All galaxy S series have gorilla glass ( http://www.corninggorillaglass.com/products-with-gorilla/samsung ) and my girlfriend dropped her galaxy S and it was totaly broken..... no way to make it invisible ...