I have no idea if this is possible, but I'd love to be able to use my athena as a handset, not just a speakerphone. I know it's huge, but I've had my device for three months and am still not happy with the headset solution. I've tried the popular jabra, jawbone, and lg style-I options, but don't like having to carry and charge another device, or wearing a headset (even just for calls), and although it's not awful, the sound quality (especially outgoing) often just isn't good enough for business calls.
What I'd like to do, if it could be done, is come up with a makeshift handset mode where the left speaker is turned off and the lowest setting for the phone volume could be much softer (so that the whole room doesn't have to hear the incoming sound). I don't know if it would be necessary to adjust the mic gain down any, but I don't think so.
The ideal solution would have something akin to a phone profile setting that would allow me to toggle between the default speakerphone setting and the new handset settings. But, it would be acceptable even if I had to just stay in handset mode (maybe with the ability to just turn up the call volume to have a mono speakerphone).
I am a total novice here, but is there a way to hack the registry (or better yet, some audio manager app) to change the balance settings on the speakers and to decrease the lowest possible volume settings for the phone?
Of course, I'd probably carry the device without the keyboard so that I didn't have to take it off and put it somehwere every time a call came in.
Is anyone else wanting something like this? Can anyone help? If I'm just nuts, please be kind in saying so
Thanks.
It sounds like for what you desire, someone would have to write a program to do that. If there was a program that did that, I would be interested in trying it out.
basically you have to accept the fact that its JUST TOO BIG
to ever be used as a conventional phone.
After I took ONE call on mine , i went straight out and bought a headset and its much better than using any phone which i loathe to do anyway.
I dont think of my athena as a phone , its a mini laptop that can make phone calls, you have to accept that or get another phone
erm... it could possibly be done.
However: the speaker(s) on it are clearly not usable as the kind that would permit you to humiliate yourself by having it to your ear; they're too loud for that and in the wrong place.
However, it should be possible to make some sort of speakerphone mode (like with video calling) that you can just talk into the mic with.
the question is, do you *really* want to make yourself look like that big a bellend in public?
i understand your dilemma but the only other real solution i can think of is to use a wired headset, it has better outgoing sound quality and you don't need to charge it.
Thanks to all for the quick replies.
Irus, I tried the wired headset for a while, but always had trouble with trying to both check to see who was calling and get the headset untangled and in my ear before the call went to voicemail. Tried a couple of the retractable headsets, but they broke pretty quickly.
Olipro, um never heard the term "bellend" before, but I think I have a pretty good idea what it means And, well, I guess the answer is, "Yes, I *really* do." I know it will look strange, but I personally am even less fond of the bluetooth headset look (I know most here will TOTALLY disagree with that, just my opinion).
Anyway, I realize that the hardware is far from ideal for this, but I think the right side speaker (though pointed in the wrong direction) would be right at my ear if I were speaking into the mic. Olipro, you say the speakers are way too loud. Are you saying that they aren't capable of producing softer sound? I just assumed that they could be set to a lower volume. Is it actually a qualitatively different type of speaker and sound? (I'm honestly asking.)
Can a program be written to mute the left speaker and drastically reduce the volume of the right speaker on calls when in "handset" mode?
What do you say, Olipro? If it wouldn't take too much time away from your much anticipated rom cooking, would you consider working some of your magic to help me "humiliate" myself "in public" I'd even gladly send you pics of myself in the act of "bellendizing" myself afterwards.
evermore said:
Thanks to all for the quick replies.
Irus, I tried the wired headset for a while, but always had trouble with trying to both check to see who was calling and get the headset untangled and in my ear before the call went to voicemail. Tried a couple of the retractable headsets, but they broke pretty quickly.
Olipro, um never heard the term "bellend" before, but I think I have a pretty good idea what it means And, well, I guess the answer is, "Yes, I *really* do." I know it will look strange, but I personally am even less fond of the bluetooth headset look (I know most here will TOTALLY disagree with that, just my opinion).
Anyway, I realize that the hardware is far from ideal for this, but I think the right side speaker (though pointed in the wrong direction) would be right at my ear if I were speaking into the mic. Olipro, you say the speakers are way too loud. Are you saying that they aren't capable of producing softer sound? I just assumed that they could be set to a lower volume. Is it actually a qualitatively different type of speaker and sound? (I'm honestly asking.)
Can a program be written to mute the left speaker and drastically reduce the volume of the right speaker on calls when in "handset" mode?
What do you say, Olipro? If it wouldn't take too much time away from your much anticipated rom cooking, would you consider working some of your magic to help me "humiliate" myself "in public" I'd even gladly send you pics of myself in the act of "bellendizing" myself afterwards.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you are so desprate to use the athena this way, I think the safest and easiest way is to put adhesive tape over the speaker holes to muffle the sound, and then punch a few holes in one to your liking
You could Just superglue it to the side of your face
you really will have to face the fact that you may have to develop this programme yourself if you wish to use the ameo as a normal handset - i use the term loosely - the problem with it is that whilst the ameo is the coolest gadget going as a mini pc, it is the most embarrassing thing in the world to press against your face, and also leaves you open to a VERY easy snatch if you get it out in public. And yes people who look like bellends are more susceptible to street crime. That's a fact, i'm sure of it. I chose my ameo knowing of its failings and devised my own solution of using it for data purposes only with wifi or a bluetooth dialup connection to my phone, which in turn i use for making calls and texting. Other people use bluetooth headsets and seem to get along with them fine. Until a kaiser quality device with a vga screen comes out i am happy to accept the ameos inconveniences and love it for what it is.
evermore said:
.......
.....Are you saying that they aren't capable of producing softer sound? I just assumed that they could be set to a lower volume. Is it actually a qualitatively different type of speaker and sound? (I'm honestly asking.)
Can a program be written to mute the left speaker and drastically reduce the volume of the right speaker on calls when in "handset" mode?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You might want to try PocketZenPhone, a software that does profiles for the phone. It is an on-going project and the developper handles requests which he incorporates into the soft. It might just be a case of developing another profile for you called "semi-mute" or something .
Or just stick with a BT headset, like the rest of us.
Thanks very much, Abram. Will check that out.
Guys,
I have been using Athena as a normal phone.Reduce the in call volume to zero and yes u can talk like a normal phone.If u are in very quiet environment, then fellows might listen what u r talking,but in any normal circumstances no one can hear what u are talking and eventhough the incall volume is zero, orther person can hear.Looks like HTC made an alternative arrangement, but any way it works fabulously
hdubli,
what do you mean when you say "reduce the in call volume to zero"? Do you just mean moving the slider all the way to the bottom? For me, that's still pretty loud. I can hear it easily well away from my ear. Or, do you mean something else? Thanks.
evermore said:
I have no idea if this is possible, but I'd love to be able to use my athena as a handset, not just a speakerphone. I know it's huge, but I've had my device for three months and am still not happy with the headset solution. I've tried the popular jabra, jawbone, and lg style-I options, but don't like having to carry and charge another device, or wearing a headset (even just for calls), and although it's not awful, the sound quality (especially outgoing) often just isn't good enough for business calls.
What I'd like to do, if it could be done, is come up with a makeshift handset mode where the left speaker is turned off and the lowest setting for the phone volume could be much softer (so that the whole room doesn't have to hear the incoming sound). I don't know if it would be necessary to adjust the mic gain down any, but I don't think so.
The ideal solution would have something akin to a phone profile setting that would allow me to toggle between the default speakerphone setting and the new handset settings. But, it would be acceptable even if I had to just stay in handset mode (maybe with the ability to just turn up the call volume to have a mono speakerphone).
I am a total novice here, but is there a way to hack the registry (or better yet, some audio manager app) to change the balance settings on the speakers and to decrease the lowest possible volume settings for the phone?
Of course, I'd probably carry the device without the keyboard so that I didn't have to take it off and put it somehwere every time a call came in.
Is anyone else wanting something like this? Can anyone help? If I'm just nuts, please be kind in saying so
Thanks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
well I think evermore had a very good and valid question to ask,I too have just bought the same phone and I too am faced with exactly the same problem. I don't mind walking around with this phone in my hands holding it to my ear,if anyone wants to try and grab it,good luck to them,I would trash it first and them second. But what really P****D me off with the replies to this posting was the number of muppets who couldn't come up with a constructive and helpful answer to this problem. OBVIOUSLY they are used to little girlie phones and don't remember the old days of BIG phones or their limited intelligence doesn't allow them to post a constructive reply, and as for the comment of "bellend" well I am surprised the originator managed to find the internet,let alone use a mobile phone!!
So if there is some intelligence out there for us novices,please lets read it,otherwise use the superglue to permanently glue your laptop shut
John
A Constructive Idea
johnmcavoy said:
well I think evermore had a very good and valid question to ask,I too have just bought the same phone and I too am faced with exactly the same problem. I don't mind walking around with this phone in my hands holding it to my ear,if anyone wants to try and grab it,good luck to them,I would trash it first and them second. But what really P****D me off with the replies to this posting was the number of muppets who couldn't come up with a constructive and helpful answer to this problem. OBVIOUSLY they are used to little girlie phones and don't remember the old days of BIG phones or their limited intelligence doesn't allow them to post a constructive reply, and as for the comment of "bellend" well I am surprised the originator managed to find the internet,let alone use a mobile phone!!
So if there is some intelligence out there for us novices,please lets read it,otherwise use the superglue to permanently glue your laptop shut
John
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The originator of the 'bellend' jibe just happens to be the man who devised a working CID and SIM unlock solution for this device: he would have been somewhat ancapacitated if his laptop had been glued shut.
I think that the use of such informal and slightly crude words as "bellend" is acceptable given the incorrigable nature of the problem: the idea of pressing a mini pc up against your face is crude in itself.
Given that I used to believe I could make a flying machine out of a monopoly board, a leather jacket and a tricycle, perhaps the same naive 4 year old might have thought it possible to turn a handset large enough to eat a ploughman's lunch off into a pocketable handset. I've grown up a little since then, and I use the Ameo for what it does best, rather than trying to make it into something it isn't.
YES I remember BIG phones. I also remember BBC Microcomputers, Shellsuits and televisions with teak surrounds but fortunately I've seen fit to move on since then, and find them a little embarrassing now.
If members wish to inform other members of the fruitlessness of their ideas then I don't think this is a problem (particularly if these members [Olipro] have a track record and know EXACTLY what they are talking about): the solutions of course are obvious and oft-discussed: bluetooth headset; turn volume down and press against ear; or don't use it as a phone at all.
Maybe you can't have your cake AND eat it.
johnmcavoy said:
well I think evermore had a very good and valid question to ask,I too have just bought the same phone and I too am faced with exactly the same problem. I don't mind walking around with this phone in my hands holding it to my ear,if anyone wants to try and grab it,good luck to them,I would trash it first and them second. But what really P****D me off with the replies to this posting was the number of muppets who couldn't come up with a constructive and helpful answer to this problem. OBVIOUSLY they are used to little girlie phones and don't remember the old days of BIG phones or their limited intelligence doesn't allow them to post a constructive reply, and as for the comment of "bellend" well I am surprised the originator managed to find the internet,let alone use a mobile phone!!
So if there is some intelligence out there for us novices,please lets read it,otherwise use the superglue to permanently glue your laptop shut
John
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Feel better now? ;-)
Olipro said:
erm... it could possibly be done.
However: the speaker(s) on it are clearly not usable as the kind that would permit you to humiliate yourself by having it to your ear; they're too loud for that and in the wrong place.
However, it should be possible to make some sort of speakerphone mode (like with video calling) that you can just talk into the mic with.
the question is, do you *really* want to make yourself look like that big a bellend in public?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, I would like to request a hack for the phone so I can make myself look foolish and like a big bellend (whatever that means) in public.
I don't think I can look either foolish or like a bellend...no matter what I do. I just got it like that. LOL ;-p
I may even start a new trend. he he he
Hi to all and hope you guys are having a great day! YEA BABY!!!
hdubli said:
Guys,
I have been using Athena as a normal phone.Reduce the in call volume to zero and yes u can talk like a normal phone.If u are in very quiet environment, then fellows might listen what u r talking,but in any normal circumstances no one can hear what u are talking and eventhough the incall volume is zero, orther person can hear.Looks like HTC made an alternative arrangement, but any way it works fabulously
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Quite frankly, this works with me, if I feel like holding the x7500 to my head. Of course, the call volume you hear depends on how good your hearing is, so YMMV. I find myself using a BT when I'm around others, either the LG Style-I or the Jawbone. (I'm eyeing the Jabra BT 8010 also). But the bottom line is you can use the x7500 as a handset this way if that's your preference.
Perfect solution!!!
Okay, get ready for this guys!
I found a perfect solution for everyone wanting to use the Athena like a regular phone. It'll take a little bit of work but it seems to be worth it. Check out the project site I found. It enables you to make the Athena or ANY other cell phone work like a regular phone. Just need to adjust the instructions for the Athena and it looks like we have ourselves a real solution.
Hope this helps someone ;-)
http://www.vonslatt.com/proj-handset.shtml
Ok, ok...all kidding aside, one of the coders may want to write something to make this possible. I would use it. I've been caught without my headset before and didn't want to answer the phone because there were people around me. This is a good backup solution and I would use it as that...a backup i ncase my headset battery went out (even though I have a spare headset) and in case I forgot my headset at home....GOD forbid!
ltxda said:
I found a perfect solution for everyone wanting to use the Athena like a regular phone. It'll take a little bit of work but it seems to be worth it. Check out the project site I found. It enables you to make the Athena or ANY other cell phone work like a regular phone. Just need to adjust the instructions for the Athena and it looks like we have ourselves a real solution. http://www.vonslatt.com/proj-handset.shtml
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I love it! My only suggstion is the guy in the picture needs to ditch his hat in favor of the tin foil model with the built-in antenna.
Okay, so I enjoy the fact that when I'm making a phone call I have a nice large button on the screen that lets me switch between speaker on/off.
What I would love, however, is a button that allows me to turn on/off my bluetooth hands free option. There is this ability if I hit menu and then select it from the list, but I'd prefer to have it as a nice big, easy to hit button on the screen.
Is there any dialers that have this?
Any answers to this, as I would dearly love it as well!
Are we alone?
You mean to say with almost 400 readers, Red & myself are the only ones with this request? Please, there has to be someone out there with the wherewithal to code this into a dialer?
Same here!
I'd like something like this as well.
A lot of people would like a feature like this. It's just others are either too lazy or too shy to show their support so you never know how many people might actually want this.
+1 from me. Just need the BT feature to turn off A2DP so when people call me while im listening to music i dont have to reject them.. then hit bt on my today screen and call them back.
I think it would be cool. I think a LOT of peoples issues with showing support is more based on the general philosphy of a lot of the threads here. Ie. if you cant say something productive or help somehow dont say anything. I follow that mostly, especially in threads about development of new programs. Unless I myself and trying it out and have a bug to report I tend to stay fairly quiet.
That's just my two cents on why so many people have read it and not said anything. Clearly if over 400 people have come here its probably because they thought they could try the dialer out!
RedRamage said:
What I would love, however, is a button that allows me to turn on/off my bluetooth hands free option.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Isn't it enough to push the green button on your handsfree device in order to transfer the call to that device while on call?
Sascha
SaBo said:
Isn't it enough to push the green button on your handsfree device in order to transfer the call to that device while on call?
Sascha
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
In short Sascha: No, well at least not with the Motorola headsets and car kit I use... sometimes this works, but more often than not it will hang up the call, even if the call hasn't been transferred to the Bluetooth unit, which is both frustrating and quite odd.