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I am considering purchasing the Atom as a replacement for my much-loved XDA2. However, several reviews and user comments in other forums have indicated that the Atom suffers from:
1) Poor quality construction- Cheesy plastic case
2) Buggy/Slow WM5 OS
3) Poor camera
What about the experience here? Do you all agree with the comments above? Would you recommend Atom as a replacement for the XDA2, or another device? Thanks
Someone has already asked this question, see my response.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/viewtopic.php?t=50054&highlight=
and
http://forum.xda-developers.com/viewtopic.php?t=49399&highlight=
Bad Buzz Responses
Thanks, Experimenter for your post, but no one has addressed the issues I raised except to say that they love the device. Many more reviews say exactly the opposite....... my favorite "looks good, works bad". Can the users in this forum polear give me some advice on this? Thanks
Here's my 2cents opinion
Hi Pharmer,
Well let me address the issues u raised :
1) Poor quality construction- Cheesy plastic case
2) Buggy/Slow WM5 OS
3) Poor camera
Its hard to answer your questions simply because it can be quite subjective.
Best is for u to walk into a shop and handle one yourself, then you can decide on 1) ... try out the camera and decide on 3)
Some ppl complain that the black makes fingerprint smudges obvious ... but really, my peeve, which applies to almost all PDA phones, is when u hold it to your ear to make calls you'll get a greasy touch screen.
I use a casing to protect the screen.
As for your point #2 I've not had problems after the ROM upgrades ... then again, just like a PC, it really depends on what you install into the handheld. Lots of times its the quality of the additional software u install, or if u install and uninstall lots of stuff to try em out.
Software I currently use :
TCPMP to watch movies and listen to MP3 using STEREO bluetooth
HICALC calculator
Resco Explorer and Registry Editor
Pocket Informant
O2 Plus
Not had any problems using my Atom with all these loaded. In fact, I'm extremely pleased with my Atom right now.
As for the camera, yes it has been pretty poor (by my standards for a 2MP) but seems to have improved with each ROM upgrade. Seems to take pretty decent pictures now. I have found you get best results outdoors on a bright day and indoors don't do as well.
well end of the day I can only say that if you are looking for perfection then it'll be a long wait ... every device will have its flaws ...
I made my purchasing decision based on :
1. Decided on Atom's slower wireless 'B' instead of other devices which had faster 'G' as I don't expect to be doin major surfing on a tiny device ... just needed the connectivity for email and occasional browsing if a PC is not available. What is important is at least WPA support which the Atom has. Even the 'B' is faster than my broadband access and I transfer files via active sync or using a card reader so wireless speed not an issue there.
2. Selected the Atom because of the STEREO bluetooth which allows me to watch movies and listen to MP3 in full stereo ... This feature has not been available on most other devices until recently I think.
3. Sleek and small size. Not too clunky, but some ppl prefer a keyboard for SMS so I suppose it may not be for everyone.
Atom Qualities
Hi, Experimenter- Thanks for your reply. As to why I don't just go look at one in a store, you might be interested to know that the US carriers generally do not carry these phones. As far as I am aware, no US carrier has the Atom. In the US, we usually purchase them unseen (except for pictures) from websites. Even T-Mobile US doesn't carry the phones the T-Mobile in Europe carries. As for any carrier-based service- for the phone, forget it.
Anyway, sorry for the rant, but that's why we depend on people like yourself to give honest opinions before we buy. The pictures of the Atom look pretty good, but the majority of the revierws have been bad suggesting that perhaps this is a phone that needs some improvement. My second choice is the 128mb Jam(charcoal). Looks like a similar phone to the Atom but with WM2003se instead of WM5. All the reviews on WM5 indicate that this os needs a little improvement too.
Finally, your comment that none of these phones are perfect is true and I'm certainly not looking for perfection. My MDA2 is still pretty good and perhaps its not time yet to upgrade.
atom's camera
hi experimenter i would like to inquire about the atom's camera in the latest official rom.. how many seconds does it take the atom to load the cam? and how long does it take to save pics shot? thanks dude.
about the overall performance, would you give a rough percentage of its increased speed performance compared to the previous rom (it's ok if it's your opinion). thank you very much
Re: Atom Qualities
Hi
Giving my 3 copper coins worth on ATOM too, since I am a user since last December 2005. I've been carrying other larger and powerful XDA devices before this, so I think the ATOM has it's hits and misses. IMHO, the usual benchmark on buying an ATOM is based on 2 very important criteria:
(a) Are you a COOL GADGET person?
(b) Are you tech-savvy and able to tinkle a bit on the the WM2005 registry?
I am not sure about the specs of the alternate JAM devices you have mentioned, but I reckon the hardware specs should be similar to ATOM except for the cover design and the OS.
WM2003SE is in the market longer, and there are better support of software. But that will means that it is possible for ATOM to downgrade to WM2003SE as well?
Very few pple however, will do that. WM2005 is here to stay, but as with everything M$, gave every1 more time to tweak the bugs.
Hello. I've been following the Kaiser thread ever since I heard about it, and with the same anxiety of the owners of that phone i've been waiting for the miraculous drivers to appear. I'm looking forward to upgrade from a HP hx2750, to a new pda with phone. After a few research I concluded that the pdas the fit my need are the HTC p3600 (trinity), p3600i (500Mhz processor version) , the Tytn 2 Kaiser or the coming Eten X800 and the I-mate 8502 which in my option is the best off all those but I doubt it will be available sooner than April 2008.
From all those the p3600i and tytn 2 seemed more appealing. So I have to pick between the p3600i (since i'd rather have more ROM and processor speed though paying a bit more) or the kaiser, tytn 2.
I like to play videos, take pictures and once in awhile play a few games, but also have a decent scrolling and browsing speed since I'm used to the hx2750 wm6, BUT, i'm not sure if the drivers will ever be made or work properly... in other words I wouldn't like to have a crippled phone as expensive as that kaiser(not getting contract!). The p3600i looks great is not so buggy but doesn't have keyboard and this is something I always missed in the hx2750. Neither I know if the keyboard in the end is really that useful cause it looks very hard to type in...
I heard better things from htc in past times but now they don't seem to care for consumers opinion, so that's another question. I dunno if it's better to get the kaiser and wait for drivers or get something more solid. I heard new windows 6.1 will come out soon, so might be a help or push to fix problem. I prefer more the kaiser but the p3600i is impressive too...
So i'm here asking for whoever wants to share its opinion... What's the best buy p3600i or tytn2 (kaiser, tilt)?
Is htc giving up the kaiser for real?(no more drivers, no more production of that model? And does the p3600i as any issue too?
P.S:I really refer to the p3600i not the updated p3600(trinity)
Heavy s**t
My penn'orth:
The TyTyn 2 is SOOOOO heavy and bulky. although the 3MP camera is nice, the keyboard is not really that useful as it's fiddly to use and the bulky size and weight for me do not justify the tilt / keyboard.
For it's size I'd say go with the 3600i.
It may be useful in terms of getting responses - to specify which driver issue you are talking about - I'm not sure myself!
I would like to add that you should keep in mind that the P3600i is still relatively new and that if you plan to immediately flash the ROM to your favourite cooked TouchFlo variety you will be unable to do so for a while so you'll have to stick with the original stuff for now. Apart from that I would say that a big part of your decision-making considerations would be the hardware keyboard and how important having one means to you - to be honest I hardly use them. Additionally, I HATE to feel the looseness/play created by the moving parts, and I like a solid phone with only buttons - no flips, slides or twists. Another consideration is battery life - not sure exactly how they compare, but I have a feeling there is not much difference between the two (keeping in mind that the P3600i has a faster processor than the Kaiser). I am not sure how the cameras compare either, but the Kaiser should indeed produce better results, though I will say that the P3600/P3600i's photos are not that bad either. Another factor, presumably, is the cost. I am about to buy a P3600i today and it's running me USD$599 - the TyTN II is USD$750. For me it's the P3600i, but of course, the choice is yours. You have to look at all the differences between the two phones (read as many reviews as you can) and the environment you will be using the phone in and the type of usage you will demand from it to fine-tune and make the best decision for yourself.
I had to make the same decision and ended up with the p3600. For two reasons:
1st: The P3600 comes with almost the same functionality, like wifi, gps, hsdpa/umts and so on - but is cheaper and smaller. Besides that the P3600 has no performanceproblems with applications or videoplayback.
2nd: I dont do any SMS-texting, neither do I write any e-mails from the phone. So the keyboard wasnt too important to me. Since there are some nice programs for fingerfriendly onscreen keyboards, I can type small texts without any difficulty and quite fast.
You definitely get more for your money with the p3600 ... which is useless if you need to write 20 emails a day on your phone ...
The drivers issue I made reference to (Htc tytn 2) problem is the fact it has a video performance worst than earlier models, it's slow and paused when scrolling, can't play games with proper frame rates. This is blamed in the lack video drivers... the tytn 2 or kaiser thread is filled with users seeking a solution to that.
The p3600i is a beautiful device but I don't know till when the 64MB memory will be a issue, and the kaiser offers 128Mb...
I don't really mind not having a cooked rom as long as the new one isn't that bad or buggy. About the touchflo I don't know really what is and how useful is but I suppose is something like finger scrolling... don't think is useful in such small screens... ^^
My hx2750 screen is almost as big as the p3600! I compared them side by side!
Does anyone knows if any htc device will be updated to wm6.1?
Thanks for all opinions...
Hi all,
contract is up on my current phone in 20 days, have to option of either:
getting a Touch HD NOW on a 12 months contract.
or waiting for a few months to get the Pro2
What would be your advice?
p.s. the last winmo device i had was the i-Mate kJam
I guess this isn't an easy decision .
First thing to do is to look through the specifications (here and here).
I think the biggest difference is the hardware keyboard, as the Touch HD hasn't got one.
All other things are (more or less) equal, but the Touch HD has a bigger screen (although 0.2 inch aren't much at all).
Another important thing to consider is the support of custom roms. Whereas the Blackstone is fully supported (HSPL, USPL, Kitchen, many roms), there is nothing for the Rhodium so far, and it will probably take some weeks after the device is released.
So, if you aren't happy with the stock rom, you can't change anything about it in the beginning .
Since we are all Blackstone owners in this forum here, nobody would actually tell that it is a bad device, and you should take the Rhodium, as the Blackstone is just great, but probably the Rhodium will be also.
But: You should make sure that you will be happy with HTC itself. There are a few people, who regret their purchase of a HTC device, as they aren't happy with Windows Mobile, with the HTC support policy, and some things, like the video playback, which isn't really good so far.
I think the best thing to do, is to read through the forum, and to try the Blackstone in a shop next to you.
hi,
cheers for your comprehensive reply.
With regard to being happy about HTC in itself i see no problem there, i had a succession of smartphones for a few years (around the C500 era) and really enjoyed fiddling with them and customising them to how i liked.
The main decision for me was whether i would be jealous of the Pro2 when it comes out becuase it is so much better, but looking at the specs i dont see vast differences.
The exclusion of a hardware keyboard doesn't really bother me too much, although i can't say for certain as i haven't had the chance to use the Blackstone yet (2 phone shops near me have it on display, both are non-working models). I'd be progressing from an N95 and the main draw is the screen real estate, as i use the internet a lot.
The one thing that did worry me slightly is the touch screen element (resistive v capacitive) however i've barely touched an iphone since they've been around (not an apple fan) and my last touch screen experience was a k-jam so it much be an improvement on that?
Cheers
Mundo
The lack of a hardware keyboard doesn't bother me at all, as SPB keyboard makes input really easy. This makes the Blackstone really handy, it has the right dimensions, whereas the Touch Pro (and probably the Touch Pro 2), will be a little too thick, but thats just my impression.
Using Opera to browse the internet makes really fun and works just great with the touch screen. Maybe you'll find some videos on youtube or so.
The disadvantages of this kind of touchscreen is that there is no multitouch, so you can just touch the display at one point at each time, but for me its just ok.
Customizing the device with the tools flying around here, is really great, so if you are keen on tinkering with your device, its just right for you .
I would go for the black stone ..... Hands down
It's really gotta come down to how you intend to use the device.
I'm not a big emailer from my phone (I've got a work blackberry), but the focus of the Touch HD has to be the huge screen. It is bigger and better than the iphone, but it comes at the expense of the dpad and buttons.
If you can live without the keyboard, IMHO the Touch HD is the best device around right now.
However, aren't you tempted by the Pre? You could convert your contract to a PAYG and wait until you see what's coming. New iphones and possibly the pre are a few weeks away, apparently.
V
Would like to have a thread where people gave their thoughts and stuff why they bought a D2 instead of some other device and so on. So let me start of here:
I upgraded from Diamond to Diamond 2 because the screen is bigger, it got memory card, it got 4 much better hardware keys and the D-Pad is gone (I hated it on my Diamond). Also because it got more RAM and memory built in than the Diamond.
my first winmo phone was an O2 Flame. massive bulky thing, though it sported a nice big 640x480 screen.
id briefly used a touch pro through work and i loved manila and also the great aesthetic design of their phones... well most of them. after pouring over the specs of the phones in my budget it came down to 2 devices, the HD and the D2.
in the end i went with the d2 as the main difference was screensize. having previously done the whole GIANT PHONE thing, i turned to the D2 as it packed the same punch in a slightly more compact and classy frame. dont get me wrong, the blackstone looks sharp, but with its all black design its a bit plain for me. nothing compared to a little brushed metal here and there.
i'm mighty impressed with the phone so far, extremely clean and crisp screen, fast fast fast, great video playback etc. and although it sounds funny, it feels like you get your moneys worth because its a solid little brick to hold. none of this flimsy plastic nokia stuff. not only does it feel good but its taken a beating. ive dropped it countless times during my drunken shenanigans and so far its got a slight split in the digitiser between the 'H' in the htc logo in the top left corner and the frame, and a few dints in the metal casing. still works a treat.
another good thing, which should also apply to the blackstone, is that the two devices are similar enough that alot of community built software that will work on one, works on the other with minimal or no tweaking. this gives us access to much more apps/customisation/themes than we could normally expect from a device that has unique hardware/software
I've been using a Dell Axim x50 for years and symbian phones (Noika's).
Just got sick of carrying two units around (and I could get a sim free TD2 from work for 100 quid, I'd be daft not too).
Getting tomorrow morning and I've got the afternoon off to play with it, flash a few cooked roms and load lots and lots of pointless software I'll never use (as usual...)
Love this WM
I have used S710 before and lost that. Also used HTC Touch for few days . Since then I am in love with WM phones.
I opted for TD2:
1) One of the BEST WM phone that I could get in my budget.
2) Bigger screen
3) Better touch
4) Upgrade for WM 6.5 will be FREE (May be WM 7 will work on this )
5) Better H/W (CPU, RAM, Available Free space etc)
6) GPS is inbuilt + has 3G + FM Radio
7) Last but NOT last, it is from HTC
Upgrade from P3400
I had an HTC P3400 Gene for 2 years and the time came for an upgrade.
My criteria were:
It had to be HTC
It had to have GPS, WIFI, 3g, Touchscreen
The Diamond 2 was the right solution at the right time at the right price!
This is my first handheld device
I think this one includes every new technology, including the ones mentioned above this post
I cant wait for the new free 6.5 + manila 2.5 update
... because it told me to.
I went backpacking around Europe for 5 weeks (great fun!), but before I left I wanted a new phone with Wifi & GPS.
I watched some Touch Diamond 2 reviews and I really liked the interface and some of the stuff you can do with WinMobile. I was sold!
- Bored on a 13 hour flight? Watch some TV shows!
- Lost in Spain at 3am? Use TomTom to find the hostel!
- Want to share photos from Croatia? Find a wifi hotspot!
- What does that sign mean? Use Google Translate!
- Lost a printed copy of your booking? Open the PDF backup!
This phone made backpacking too easy
Best winmo phone I've ever used!!
I had the original HTC Touch (ELF) and really liked its form factor but it was kinda slow.
I then bought the Samsung Omnia but was really disappointed with it's performance. Really bad lag on the Omnia.
I then saw the review for the D2 and was really impressed with the performance. Just had to have it. Takes great pictures too.
Beats the Omnia by a mile.
previous previous phone is nokia 7610 which sucks because of it physical keypad.
previous phone is htc touch (elf) which attracted me because it is mainly touch screen and windows mobile has a wide selection of applications.
it served me well although little internal disk space and ram.
upgraded to topaz, because of xda-developer community, which has selfless cooks like NRGZ28(EnergyROM), windows mobile 6.5, good hardware, good battery(can last around 1.5 day), and time to trade in my old phone for a new one.
Before I had the htc P3300 a very good and complete pda, but my actual htc D2 is better than P3300 for all points of view:
- camera
- display (size, sensibility and risolution)
- rom e ram size
- general performances
- 3g connectivity
- form factor
- software included.
Actually I started to love D2 because of its default wallpaper. It's a pic of fire and at the first look it looks like a phoenix. Really beautiful! And then I started to know this phone. Big touch screen, GPS, WIFI, 3g, and more beautiful than Diamond. So I got it.
TD2 or Ominia 2? Ominia 2 actually has got better specs.
Bought TD2 as I used to own a Himalaya which lasted 4 yrs. But I was dead wrong as my TD2 earpeice died within 2 weeks.
Ckth said:
TD2 or Ominia 2? Ominia 2 actually has got better specs.
Bought TD2 as I used to own a Himalaya which lasted 4 yrs. But I was dead wrong as my TD2 earpeice died within 2 weeks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Omnia may have better specs, but HTC has always been a clear choice for me, I never liked Samsung or any other carrier. And who uses the original headset anyway?
I had 5 or so Palm organisers, but left Palm behind and jumped to Windows Mobile about 3 years ago when Palm were unable to offer a reasonably compact phone/organiser. Never needed a keyboard, but wanted wi-fi, bluetooth and hi-res screen in a compact package. HTC with TouchFlo seems the best ergonomics so went for the TD2 (Topaz).
My first smartphone was the Diamond 1 and it's possibilities and this forums really blew my mind.
TD2 was the natural upgrade, more screen size, ram etc. and overall SMALL SIZE. I still miss a good camera with flash and TVout, those two features would make the phone perfect.
my td2
i had the htc touch, like it, but went onto the sony p1
loved the p1 but it was getting old (i still use it every so often)
but liked the look of it
was going for the pre, but the constant delay, annoyed me so i got this and love it
Because i liked the Elf, Polaris, Diamond, and now the Diamond2
Had qtek 9100 previously and after that I had Hermes for almost 2 and a half years -that got old (and I got it paid) so I searched for a new phone. Looked at Touch HD but it was way too expensive compared to TD2 (altough I would have liked the 3.5mm headphone plug).
the reason i bought a TD2
I was naive
honestly...it's the worst phone i've ever had
Ever since getting one, i always hated the Iphone and would always slag people off if they had one...but you know what...I bow my head in shame and confess that i should've got one.
Iphone waste too much money on tv adverts...they should just make that says
''The Iphone....Atleast it works'' because it does.
My TD2 is absolutely useless...I've had it for about 4-5 months
It just doesn't work most the time. Or it crashes loads. Or just does stupid things that i don't tell it too
The battery is also useless...
If someone says their battery lasts longer than 1 day with normal usage...they are LYING! and lots of other people will agree.
At first, when they said the battery would last 4-5 days, i was teasing all the iphone users because they get max 2 days...but now i keep the fact that my battery is useless a secret. because theirs is better.
I've tried TF3d and SPshell but at the end of the day a pig with make up on is still ugly.
It's really the worst phone i've had (and i've had a lot) and i will never be going back to HTC
now that iphone has hspda...i can't think of a reason why not to get one. At least it works!
Well my topaz screen is being replaced for the second time (Newton Rings) so will come back pristine. Its 9months old now, so next time will cost me. Do I sell on ebay now or keep? what would you do?
I mainly surf, read feeds , tomtom calendar and email.
I'm looking at iPhone, Leo or HD. Screen size appeals for browsing, or perhaps keep, but feel sure the rings will reappear. Is Leo too big? too problematic?
Looking for thoughts if you were in the same position? any regrets? Anything else I should consider??
Just upgraded from the Topaz, I'd say go for it m8!
It's a bigger device but you'll get used to it very fast and it's just an awesome experience from my Topaz. Sold my Topaz for 250 euros and bought my HD2 for 585 so not much of a loss. Bought my Topaz for 380 euros in Sep 09.
Hope this helps.
Thanx - appreciate it! Is the battery much different (I've read loads of conflicting views and sounds a little worse than the topaz if I had to average the comments -is that you take on it?)
Anyone else?
Can't really tell, cause I have my HD2 since yesterday. Looks like the battery life is worse than my Topaz but I can get a full day with it.
Cottonpickers,
There's a few threads on here asking very similar question to yours. One that I commented in the other day has a few links I provided of polls that help to give you a sense of balance and perspective and, hopefully, answer your question.
Just have a quick scan through the posts here to find it.
WB
Any more sharing of experience, impressions from Leo (HD2) users?
I heard that the Leo sucks software-wise.
Does the 1Ghz Snapdragon really lives up to its hype?
I made the upgrade from Topaz... I love it... It is WAYYYYY faster, screen is amazing... I use Swype and happily MSN/sms/email without a hitch,.. in fact, I'm much faster now than I was on the Topaz.
Software is plentiful if you know what you want and know where to look. I'm sure the Isheep has loads more of pretty and perhaps useless apps... I dont game so much on my phone either... this is a top of the range business phone... If you would like to game, then the Iphone is for you. If you want to do the stuff you mentioned, you wont regret the upgrade. I look at the Topaz now that my wife is now using and wonder how the heck I managed to do anything with that size screen... and although the Topaz is bigger, it feels much more comfortable to use now. Its so thin it almost feels a little like a slate/tablet device
i've had the HD2 for almost a month now and can get through a day's usage before the battery gives out. That's with weather updating every 3 hours, twitter every 2 hours and direct push and hotmail push on. Add to that about an hours worth of phone calls and about 20 texts, the battery seems to be ok, but it does depend heavily on how you use the phone.
The 1GHz Snapdragon does make a huge difference and you will notice it, i've come from a Touch Pro and Xperia X1 and the speed difference is immediately noticeable.
As for software, most of the programs I used on the touch pro and x1, work without any issues, so whatever you had on the Topaz should work on the HD2 as well
As mentioned above, the HD2 does feel a little like a slate/tablet device.
Great advice - thanks all. I found that poll on whether people were happy with Leo in the end (thanks for directing me to find that) , and I was surprised how positive it was.
Also surprised at all the comments that the Leo is not too big in the pocket due to its thinness which was a big concern
On this basis, I think I'm goinig to bite the bullet, and ebay the topaz. (unless there's any I'm missing) and go with the Leo. I'm less in to games and more into a good 'mini slate' and sounds like that is the Leo