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Gigabyte g-Smart i128 - GREAT PHONE! Anyone else with it?

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READ WARNING AT FOOT OF MSG
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Hi,
Does anyone else have this phone? I took the gamble after reading a lot of reviews about the g-Smart range, mostly negative, and upgraded to this from the MDA Pro/HTC Uni.
I have had only two glitches with it todate, and neither serious, was wondering if anyone else had this handset and what their views are.
If anyone has got the handset, and from the London/Essex/Kent areas of the UK if they can post the settings that they have for the TV tuners, it would be GREATLY appricated.
Also does anyone know of any themes or add-ons designed for this device?
All in all, I'm glad I ordered the 128Mb version from Thai instead of getting the 64Mb version available to the UK, if anyone is thinking about this phone, I truely recommend it!
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WARNING - WARNING - WARNING - WARNING - WARNING - WARNING
PLEASE ENSURE THAT IF YOU ALTER THE ROM IMAGE OF YOUR GIGABYTE HANDSET THAT YOU USE THE CORRECT VERSION FOR YOUR DEVICE. IE. UPDATING THE G-SMART I (64M VERSION) WITH A ROM IMAGE FOR THE G-SMART I128 *WILL* BRICK YOUR PHONE.
YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED
WARNING - WARNING - WARNING - WARNING - WARNING - WARNING

I am also looking for the same..can u post more info as how is the speed, Visibility and especially the TV TUner..and if possible post some screen shorts..

yes more info and pics plz,wot are the pros and cons?

jaceuk said:
yes more info and pics plz,wot are the pros and cons?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Screen shots I can work on, but not able to get them at the mo as Mrs has the camera, but as soon as she's back, no problem...
These are compatible with PAL and NTSC, but not the french system SECAM (or something like that). The picture quality varies from area to area, I've had not that good picture at home in Kent area, but in London it's blinding, then visited someone else in Kent and great aswell.... if you can get a portable TV working, you'll get this working! You don't have to use the aerial thing if you're not keen, the headphones have an aerial built into them aswell...
If you are interested please DONT bid on any of the ones on eBay for ~100, they are ALL cons, if you look at the feedback, they are all from (0) feedbackers, no-longer members, and is a scam to get your dosh.
The only seller I've found that I would recommend is the one that I got it from in Thailand called Gadget-Gear, if you do a search for that name you will see he has stock of the 64Mb and 128Mb version.
The 128Mb version is the one to go for, it is expensive about US$830 including postage, but when you think of the prices of new HTC devices... not that much...
The 64Mb is available to purchase from www.expansys.co.uk, but I wouldn't get this version, as there's a lot less RAM and the glitches aren't fixed.
With the 128Mb version you get the aerial, a spare battery, desktop battery charger, and case all bundled with it, these are bits that are optional extras with the 64Mb one.
There are several great features that this phone has that my HTC uni doesn't, following are the pro's/con's compared to that, but all in all I think it's a GREAT phone.
PRO - Answer phone facility - which allows screening, you can hear the messages live as they are leaving it. Messages are stored on the phone, saving network costs.
PRO - Size & Weight - small handheld, and light.
PRO - Mapping of the hardware buttons - with the Uni you could map the Record button to do something different if you held it... with the G-Smart you can do this with all eight main buttons.
PRO - You get the super high capacity battery as well as the standard one, so you can choose slim phone, or long lasting power.
PRO - Phone recording - when set up, press the camera button during the call, and the call will be recorded and saved to the phone. Handy to prove what was said - (but remember to notify the person first,,, may be illegal otherwise... blah blah)
PRO - Background effects - out on the beer with mates? Told the Mrs that your at work... activate the overdub and she'll here the sounds of the office, the street, the station, airport etc in the background of the call...
PRO - 2.1 megapixel camera.
PRO - Pocket Ghost is preinstalled and great to backup/restore!
CON - no hardware keyboard,, but get TenGo Thumb... and who cares?!
CON - Mini-SD and none provided, but you can pick up a 1Gb one like I did from eBay for under a tenner including postage... great stuff.
All in all as I say, I've had one real problem, but it was my own fault, put a tweak that wasn't compatible on the phone, and crashed it, but hard reset and hey presto!
I've heard the customer service isn't that good from GB but I've not needed to use it, I tend to rely on forums like these to speak to real experts anyway... but the problem I had I got in touch with Gadget-Gear as first thought it was down to the phone and he was incredibly helpful.
As far as the phone, the build quality, the case and extras supplied...Gigabyte, you've done a great job.

Here are some pictures of my pride and joy...
I've put it next to a Sony Ericsson Z520i, so you can judge size etc, don't have any other phone at the mo.

hdubli said:
I am also looking for the same..can u post more info as how is the speed, Visibility and especially the TV TUner..and if possible post some screen shorts..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Speed. fantastic, no issues with it at all, runs a lot smoother than my Uni ever did, got LOT more free space!, lot more memory for applications to run.
Visibility, the screen is a lot more sharper than my uni, and my mates O2 Mini, can't think of the HTC model of that one...
TV, as I've said, it's as good as the signal you have available, I've had crystal clear pictures in UK with PAL-i though. :-D

This is where I got mine from...
Great seller...
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/NEW-GIGABYTE-...ryZ64355QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

There's a favorable review of this phone on a Thai website http://www.mrpalm.com/getcontent3.php?tid=389 My wife, who happens to be Thai, translated it for me & it echoes most of what jmdrizen says.
I'm looking to buy either the O2 Atom Exec or Gigabyte g-smart i128 mainly because I want a smaller pda phone. Not too fussed about a hardware keyboard as I'd rarely use it. Also camera quality isn't important for me either.
I want the phone to be fast because I use it primarily for GPS, Skype, watching the odd video & a bit of internet surfing.
jmdrizen I have a few question if poss
1/ Mr Palm says that the screen is a bit 'yellow' is it really bad?
2/ He also says that the speaker is very loud & clear, best of all the pda phones he's tried so far. I notice that speaker is on the back of the phone so when its on a table with the screen naturally facing up is the sound muffled & low or is it still loud enough to be heard acroos the room?
3/ Have you tried it with GPS or Skype - how does it handle these programs.
4/ How long did it take to arrive & did you get stung by customs. My wife is going to Thailand @ Xmas time but I can't wait that long..
Thanks

zen123 said:
jmdrizen I have a few question if poss
1/ Mr Palm says that the screen is a bit 'yellow' is it really bad?
2/ He also says that the speaker is very loud & clear, best of all the pda phones he's tried so far. I notice that speaker is on the back of the phone so when its on a table with the screen naturally facing up is the sound muffled & low or is it still loud enough to be heard acroos the room?
3/ Have you tried it with GPS or Skype - how does it handle these programs.
4/ How long did it take to arrive & did you get stung by customs. My wife is going to Thailand @ Xmas time but I can't wait that long..
Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
To answer those:
1) Not noticed this, if anything I think the screen is sharper and clearer, I've compared it to the HTC Uni, O2 Mini, and Sony Ericsson W800i, and myself and my colleagues rate the Gigabyte g-Smart i128 as the better screen. Once every now and again - and extremly rarely - the screen shows a few dots like you get when your TV signal loses for a second, but that's it, and it is VERY rare.
2) The speaker is great, it is louder than that of the HTC Uni, but then that doesn't take much! You're right that it's on the back, but the camera lens sticks out about 1-2mm which means the speaker won't be flat on the table if you lay it flat, I've not noticed any problems with the audio, loud, crisp and clear. Great for when I'm in the car and got the TomTom going...
3) I use TomTom Navigator 5.21, which runs like a dream, fast, and pairs with the TomTom Bluetooth without any errors or problems, first time and everytime.
I've not used Skype much, don't know anyone with a Skype contact, but this comes preloaded with SkypePLUS which has extra settings and features to the normal Skype.
4) I had a slight snag with the delivery, Gadget-Gear stated it would take 7-14 days from Thailand to UK, which is acceptable, he posted it with Thailand Post, and gave a tracking number, about 5 days into it I got impatient, and emailed him discovering that for some reason it was posted back, but Gadget-Gear was already on the case, and posted it FedEx Express to me, all in all it was in my hand 7 days after I paid for it. Fantastic - I have nothing but praise for Gadget-Gear, the manual is in Thai, but you can download a copy of this, which I can't post at the moment, but will try again later... but the phone is English OS ROM, and he chucked in a UK adapter aswell.
I ended up purchasing a UK plug and Car adaptor, which are available from expansys.
Hope this helps!!
Oh and more importantly, I forgot... call quality - FANTASTIC! Clear and loud.
ALSO, another great thing about this phone is the Bluetooth Headset software, once the headset is paired, it will use that as the speaker if you like, so you can have TomTom or whatever audio you have going threw your headset. It has Voice Commander, not the cut down Voice Dialer, so is a lot better for voice commands.

zen123 said:
There's a favorable review of this phone on a Thai website http://www.mrpalm.com/getcontent3.php?tid=389 My wife, who happens to be Thai, translated it for me & it echoes most of what jmdrizen says.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Also, Zen, the phone they're reviewing in that site is the g-Smart i, I've got the g-Smart i128. It's even better than the site says, as it's got a few glitches sorted out, and the RAM helps,
Memory Details of mine are:
Storage: Total 117.29Mb, In Use 62.67Mb, Free 54.62Mb
Program: Total 50.32Mb, In Use 37.81Mb, Free 12.51Mb,
Don't let the only 12.5 free program memory fool you though, it runs a lot faster than my Uni did with double that! And this doesn't have the 520 processor either!

Thanks for the reply.
As I said I'm also looking at the O2 Atom Exec, heard good things about that as well. I was an early adopter & bought the original O2 Atom but that was a piece of [email protected] so I'm a bit skeptical about the new version.
The only thing I'm not too keen on re the i128 is the covers for the power outlet & non standard headphone socket.
I'm using the company Mio A701 at the moment & seriously miss the built in wifi of my lost HTC Wizard, although the built in GPS is great. There's too many deficiencies with the phone part of the Mio to make it a keeper.
I read there's a Gigabyte i300 on the way which has gps & wifi so I might even wait for that.
Anyways thanks for the reply & enjoy your new toy.

Very useful information...I just want to know the display font visibility as compared to say Magician or Prohet or Atom...do we need to stress too much our eyes...

zen123 said:
The only thing I'm not too keen on re the i128 is the covers for the power outlet & non standard headphone socket.
I read there's a Gigabyte i300 on the way which has gps & wifi so I might even wait for that.quote]
The non-standard headphone sockets not really an issue, as the i128 also comes with a converter to take your 2.5 connections
Where's the review on the i300?
Cheers!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

hdubli said:
Very useful information...I just want to know the display font visibility as compared to say Magician or Prohet or Atom...do we need to stress too much our eyes...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've not got one of those three devices to compare, but it the screen is sharper than the Uni, you can have cleartype, but I prefer it without.

jmdrizen said:
The non-standard headphone sockets not really an issue, as the i128 also comes with a converter to take your 2.5 connections
Where's the review on the i300?
Cheers!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Now that's cool. You are slowly twisting my arm.
The i300 isn't released yet.
Some more questions
1/ does the i128 have stereo over bluetooth
2/ can it be set up so that when the device goes to standby the screen is locked & can be woken by any of the buttons. When woken the screen remains locked. My Mio can do this but not the Wizard .
3/ I have TTN5 aswell what's the signal acquisition times? Is there any lag? What cradle do you use? I have a Brodit pro clip but they don't make a cradle for it yet.
I was thinking how cool it would be have the tv function on when stuck in a traffic jam it'd make time pass quicker.

zen123 said:
Some more questions
1/ does the i128 have stereo over bluetooth
2/ can it be set up so that when the device goes to standby the screen is locked & can be woken by any of the buttons. When woken the screen remains locked. My Mio can do this but not the Wizard .
3/ I have TTN5 aswell what's the signal acquisition times? Is there any lag? What cradle do you use? I have a Brodit pro clip but they don't make a cradle for it yet.
I was thinking how cool it would be have the tv function on when stuck in a traffic jam it'd make time pass quicker.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1/ I'm not too sure about this, I've read that it does from a review, but haven't got a stereo bluetooth handset to test it. Does have the latest ROM features that everyone was after with the Uni, so *think* it does.
2/ I have mine set up to go into standby with PsShutXP, by launching it by pressing and holding the Call History button, you can have it so any button wakes, but I have it so only the power button does to avoid unwanted re-activation. It is also set up to lock on resume from standby, and initial activation, so yes.
3/ It connects to my genuine TomTom MkII bluetooth in seconds, as soon as the device has a signal, my phone's received it, no noticable lag.
The only thing I'm after for it is a propper car holder, and case, the case that comes with it is a great pouch, but I want something that I can access all the ports, and use without having to take it out. If you or anyone knows of anything... that'll be great!

Gigabyte g-Smart i300
Found the details about the i300, it does look a great phone, but doesn't have the TV, only the FM Radio.
Think I'd rather have the TV feature than the GPS, as TomTom MkII is fine for me!

jmdrizen
Hi how you getting on with the g-smart?
I just got a Orange SPV M3100. Great phone but wayy too buggy. I just sent it back to Orange & canceled the contract (14 day return). I'm still very interested in the G-smart.
My main concern is reliability. I don't want something thats unstable.

B prepared for 192 MB ROM Version..it will b there in a month's time...

Anyone know UK TV Frequencies???
hdubli said:
B prepared for 192 MB ROM Version..it will b there in a month's time...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The 192Mb version doesn't have the same features though I don't think.
And I'm more than happy with the phone, there were two small glitches, but think it was due to imcompatibility with third party software, as I've removed it, and they havent occured since.
The only thing that I'm after, I don't know if any one in the UK can help is the TV frequencies for the main five channels? The scan scans from 1-453, but this takes a while, you can scan small regions for the five channels, can anyone point me in the direction of where to find a narrower range for BBC1/2, ITV, C4 and C5?

I-Mate Ultimate 9502. Kaiser Killer?

I imagine in a similar way to many people in these forums I had hit a brick wall on PDA functionality. I was was waiting for Kaiser to be THE all in one and just as I was about to buy one I discovered the shortcomings. So, having sold my TyTn and bluetooth, solar GPS receiver I brought an Athena. Wonderful piece of kit but in the end it had to go as it was just too bulky.
Having heard that the 9502 was imminent I brought an HP 9515 to see me through to it's realease.
Two weeks ago I placed a pre-order for the 9502 with Powerupmobile as stock was due on the 24th and to my surprise (and slightly disturbing swelling in my manhood) it arrived last Friday (18th April) so I have had a weekend to play.
Out of the box the overriding feeling was 'heavy'. TyTn was ABS plastic but this is (and I stand corrected) magnesium alloy encased. Personally I find that comforting...remember when B&O put lead weights in their remotes to make the quality more tactile?
Runinng WM6 which we are all familiar with there are no real surprises except to say that the 640x480 screen IS beautiful!
Down the left hand side you have JOG Wheel and 'OK' button (very blackberry and very friendly) as well as a shortcut button to the wireless comms. The charging/hardwire comms facility (mini USB) is also present this side rather than on the southern aspect.
Down The right hand side is a '+' and '-' rocker switch for volume etc, voice memo and camera activation buttons as well as a 2.5mm stereo jack.
The stainless steel telescopic pointer is housed to the top right whilst the power button is on the top, horizontal face of the unit.
The face of the unit has buttons for MESSAGING, INTERNET, START, OK, RECEIVER UP AND DOWN and a FOUR WAY THUMB PAD + SELECTOR BUTTON. To access the MicroSD HC slot you have to remove the rear battery case, but not the battery itself.
Right
Left Back
Top
Bottom
Screen up
Battery exposed
On arrival I loaded all my usual software and all has worked fine with one exception...it seems that after using TomTom6, quitting the application and letting the unit timeout, it will not reactivate on the standard power depress. I have had to soft reset. I will make I-Mate aware of this.
-------I have subsequently discovered that this is a one off and the unit is being swapped out- 22-04-08-----------
All comms functions are manually startable so you have to remember to enable the GPS radio prior to starting your satnav software.
In much the way as TyTn an Kaiser the screen can be pushed to reveal a full QWERTY keyboard (though the numerics are still FN dependant) and the keyboard is backlit depending on the ambient lighting conditions.
The screen behaves more like a Samsung phone inasmuch as it 'flicks' up and down.
The reason I didn't buy Kaiser was because of the video playback problems dirctly attributable to the drivers for the Qualcomm hardware. What is ironic with the 9502 is that it is Qualcomm based but at 320x240 video plays back just fine. Using TCPMP to watch Star Wars Episode III with TCPMP in 'Raw Frame buffer mode' the movie was totally watchable. I will test 640x480 when I get time.
The GPS is easy to set up (on COM9 at either 5,400 or 115,000 baud) with more channels (and therefore more accuracy) than any other PDA I have used with an inbuilt receiver. The cold start time is between 15 secs and one minute depending on the normal constraints. There is no 'Quick GPS' facility.
I haven't been able to test HSDPA yet but all the radio's seem to give good reception so there's no reason to assume that throughput will be anything other than expected.
So, Kaiser Killer? For me, yes without doubt but don't forget this luurvely piece of kit hast only just been released. It WILL get better.
Now, who makes it?
PS if anyone wants me to test it anyway or wants more info, let me know.

Amazing!
Wow! This is one nice phone. I've been disappointed in my touch dual for some time now (eventhough Its not been too long since I bought it!) and been looking for a replacement but none of the phones I've seen look as 'sleek'.
I may just look into this one more.
I see that this one also has the same qualcomm chipset. What is the video playback like?
Does it have bad lag like all the other htc qualcomm pdas (like the touch dual)?
Does it slow down when you keep the screen pressed?
One more thing....I cant see it from any pictures, but is the screen beveled or is it flush with the sides?

Awesome. I've been wanting one of those since they were announced. After this little review you posted, I might think about actually getting one. Thanks

That be a bezelled screen me lad.

Duplicate post.

Duplicate post

Using TCPMP to watch video there were initially problems with a huge amount of frame ripping. This was quickly resolved by switching to from DiractDraw to GDI codec and upping the buffer to 4mb. This was at 320x240. Will try reformatting to 640x480 asap but I don't hold out a lot of hope that watchability will be as good.
Don't know what you mean by 'keep the screen pressed'.
It is indeed a bevelled screen surround.

Why does every new device got to be the "Kaiser" killer?
Also, what is with the internet and email buttons being by the ear speaker at the top? Everytime I answer a call I'm going to open an email.

By way of an update to the issue with TomTom6, it turns out that my unit is faulty. At random it won't come out of standby. Completely unpredicatable and unrelated to TomTom, it transpires. PowerupMobile.com have organised a direct swapout so hopefully it's just a bit of bad luck. Bodes well for Powerup Mobile though. I was concerned that as they were nearly £100 cheaper than expansys the service might not be as good. Great response from their tech guy/guys too.

If you put your phone yo your head with that kind of sustained pressure your in for serious ear problems.
Kaiser killer cause it's less money, a better product out of the box (4 x the screen resolution) and it all works as it's supposed to (with the exception of mine which is, of course, a one off problem). HTC have long been repackaging the same hardware and charging more and more for it with little increase in functionality. I was a hardened HTC fan as my PDA record shows, but to tout a unit as the most powerful of it's type, hike the price and then turn out a unit which is effectively a TyTn with a GPS and a video problem isn't too customer focused...stockholder focused perhaps; to then refuse to sort a DRIVER problem....firmware no less...tends to put one off. In my humble opinion, if a 'Kaiser Killer' comes along and forces HTC to turn out better products at a more competetive price, I'll be back with them.
Oh yeah, and it's a catchy title.

i´m also interested in this phone.
could you please upload some pics taken with the camera. best would be in dark light and with text.
thanks

Eurosportler said:
i´m also interested in this phone.
could you please upload some pics taken with the camera. best would be in dark light and with text.
thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Will do. Give me 24 hrs though. By 'with text' I assume you mean a text imprint overlaid direct?

yes, that is what i meant with "text"
thank you for the fast response.

Could you please tell us how responsive is this device compared to the kaiser lets say. I mean do you have any problems of it being slow? I am asking because VGA screen resolution is sometimes a burden for processors and there are some examples of "slow" VGA devices.
Do you have memory leaking problems? I have heard a lot about the considerably low 30mb free RAM after a reboot, but if it remains there after starting and closing programs, I don't believe it is an issue.
Finally, could try to make some benchmarks and post the result. Try to use SPB or sktools so that there are comparable results.
Sorry for the long request message, but I seriously thinking of buying this device, and it is good to know some things before I finally decide.
Thanks!

I hate to burst your bubble, guys but since the technical specs(incl. CPU) are pretty much the same as on the Kaiser(HTC TyTN II), don't you think that i-mate just put Kaiser technology into a different(yes, nicer) outfit?! Just my 2 cents worth...

@P996: yes but you are missing the VGA spec which is something "different" to what we have seen up until now. Moreover, if imate has actually managed to use the processor efficiently so to cope with the VGA resolution demands, that we are talking about something completely new, considering the size and offers (GPS, wi/fi, VGA, keyboard). I don't think there is something similar in the market now and all its offers are called new technology.
@edenc: sorry but I have on more question . I have also read some comments about battery life. Do you think it is ok, or it might be an issue? How does it compare again to the kaiser lets say?

Diamond killer???
lol
just read the thread.. sorry

Oh its completely a Kaiser Killer. Everything about it is better. All my mates who have a Kaiser want my 9502, but the video drivers are still shockingly bad (sorry to sound like a broken record). I never even considered a Kaiser - it seemed like a downgrade from the Hermes in terms of the features that I regularly use.
The 9502 can play perfect qvga video, but it looks rubbish on the VGA screen. Other than that (and no SDHC support) this is, in my opinion much better than anything that is currently on the market, and will be until the X1 comes out.

ya. cant wait for X1 with 3" 800x480 WVGA!
compare to that fake diamond at 2.8" VGA 640x480! haha

you may also want to repost your article to http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=351788

XDA Orbit Vs. XDA Orbit 2 (Is it worth the upgrade?)

I've been using windows mobile for two years now. I started with the I-Mate Jamin for a year (Which I hated because of its weight and size) and then upgraded to my current mobile – the O2 XDA Orbit, which I have been using for the past 12 months. I love this phone, the only minor annoyance again being the size – I like to have as little in pockets as possible but there's been no better alternative to this device and its been a million times better than the Jamin.
Anyway...it's upgrade time again, only this time I'm struggling to find anything that looks like it might be worth upgrading for (apart from the Orbit 2...)
does anyone here think its worth it? Has anyone moved from the Orbit to the Orbit 2 and would like to share their experiences? I'm starting to think I may better off saving my money and sticking with the original Orbit as I'm not sure what the advantages of upgrading will be, they look very similar and I'm not having any major issues with my current phone...apart from its starting to look a bit tatty!
Does the improvement in weight and size make much of a difference? and is it much more responsive? Also compared to the rest of the market at the moment, what are the better alternatives (if any) to the Orbit for weight and size?
At the moment I'm thinking of holding out in case something better comes along because I'm not totally convinced.
I'm suprised I haven't found much talk about the upgrade from the Orbit to the Orbit 2 around here already!...
I see the Orbit 2 has got double the RAM, ROM and CPU speed and according the specs is marginally bigger and weightier than the orginal
Thanks for your thoughts!

I upgraded from the orbit to the orbit 2 and I can tell you theres not much difference. If anything it is slightly worse!
The main camera is choppy whereas the orbit 2 had no problems there
Missing video drivers means slow video playback.. no problems on the orbit
Barely notice the speed difference (Well for me)
The jog wheel is known to come off, whereas the orbit one stays on
And it is not worth what O2 are charging you. The orbit 1 is much cheaper and has no problems with it and does what the box says. The orbit 2 is just a rushed model that has been poorly constructed and doesnt even include the proper drivers.
I recommend you stick to your Orbit 1, its much more reliable.
Just my opinion though, some people might not have all of the problems I have listed (except for the video drivers they are definately missing)

Thanks, I appreciate that.
Any software issues - such as drivers can obviously be resolved and normally are so that would never be a deal breaker for me. However, takeing on board the price for what might not be much of a difference in useability as you've pointed out will probably put me off upgrading.
Upgrade day is tomorrow and it looks like I wont be bothering at the mo!
Is it noiceably much different in size and weight?
Thanks again,

Size wise its the same...it might be slighty heavy...but can't really tell....
Aesthetically is looks better....I like the touch screen...really responsive...and nobody has really compained about the touch screen, it works really well....Its faster than the Orbit...camera is fine for outdoors..indoors gets tricky...touch keyboards work a treat (there is so many to choose from).
The downsides are:
Camera in low light
No video drivers at this moment (future is also a question mark)
Screen hard to see in direct light if backlight is set to low.
If you get a good deal Its definately worth upgrading
I got mine on a very good 12 month deal with O2.

The mirror finish to the front of the device is a real pain when in the car if its sunny, I want a screen protector capable of blocking this mirror area out. Speed wise it is adequate, although I am not impressed with the internet speed, compared to my Advantage it is too slow - Mike

Well guys, I've been on to O2 and got it for free for £30 p/m for 12 months. Can't argue with that, there's a 14 day cooling period so if I'm not happy I'll send it back.
I'll post my thoughts!

If the breadknife hadn't run off into the distance with my old artemis, my orbit 2 would probably have found its way on to Ebay by now.
Having said that, I would have had the buyer on my case about the jog wheel falling off and the headphones packing up.
On reflection it's probably not reliable enough to put on ebay!

I've had it a couple of hours or so now, put my SIM in, sync'd my data and put my old SD card in and set my apps etc up.
So far I'm impressed and think it’s worth the upgrade for anyone who's had the original orbit for a while and are ready for a replacement.
First impressions are that it’s noticeably a lot quicker and more responsive - this makes it feel much more comfortable to use. The rom it comes with is actually excellent and the touch flow, for scrolling through folders using the touch screen works really really well. It feels like a huge improvement.
I don’t know if this is a common thing but the vibrate feature seems to be a lot more discreet than it was on my previous Orbit which is nice.
The front side camera is pretty cool and the camera SW is good, the camera itself is a good improvement.
The big OK button is great. On the original orbit I always struggled to get in to the corner of the screen with my finger to push OK, that’s been resolved with this.
SD card access is obviously a huge improvement!
A bonus of the screen not being ridged is that it won’t accumulate lint and stuff as easily as the original did - the screen is a 100% improvement in my view.
Overall, I wasn't expecting this to be as much of an improvement over the original as it actually is, I'm a bit blown away by it.
If I had to pick one issue with it, it would be the size and weight. I'd still like something slimmer and lighter but then I wouldn't want to sacrifice any screen space and I know there's nothing like this device on the market at the moment that is thinner and lighter (I'm not including the I-Phone there!)
I'm a happy bunny, this wont be getting returned and I'm selling my old Orbit to a mate for £50 because I can't be assed with the whole EBay thing anymore!

Thanks for the review my orbit died yesterday, Was hanging out for a bit until something else came along but had to take the plunge.
Orbit 2 ordered today!

Media playback, etc.
Thanks for the comments above - I myself am thinking of upgrading to the Polaris from my Artemis.
One thing that particularly annoys me about my current phone is how slow it gets when I'm listening to music.
I use Audio Manager and a set of Bluetooth headphones with the music stored on my SD card. Whilst playing the music, the rest of the phone slows to a complete crawl.
I also quite often like to send my music via Bluetooth to my car stereo, but then I can't really use TomTom at the same time for the same reason...
So far, have you any indication that this would be improved on the Polaris?
Does the faster processor make this device much better? How about the extra memory, does this improve things too as it seems like the Artemis performs much much better when there's barely any software on it - as soon as you install 3 or 4 bits of software it seems to impact performance...
Thanks guys...

I'd say, along with the flush screen, the fact that you can run more programs at once without the phone grinding to a halt is a definite improvement. I remember my artemis used to struggle with running tomtom and the phone at the same time, but the orbit 2 will happily run tomtom, audiomanager, and a few other bits as well as running the phone.
In other ways, I find it less responsive than older slower phones, and it's certainly the most unreliable phone I have every owned, three hardware faults in six weeks.

Less responsive?
Thanks fishes234.
Sounds as though those things that annoy me on the Orbit 1 are OK on the new one but then you say some things are less responsive? Apart from the known problem with the video drivers, what specifically do you mean?
And the build quality really is that bad? That doesn't sound so good as I quite often have the device in my back pocket...
Cheers for your comments - much appreciated

I didn't have any HW related problems whith it since early february... Only one, I managed to is scratch the screen whith my fingernail...

Considering Orbit 2...a few questions

I currently have a Blue Angel and I'm considering upgrading to an Orbit 2.
How would the performance compare between the 2? They're both 400MHz, but I just wondered how the Qualcomm is compared to the XScale?
Apart from the video driver issue, are there any other problems with it? I'd mainly be usig it for a phone, and running Tomtom.
Thanks!

Seriously... Don't bother!

LOL...it's that bad?
Can you explain why?

You will miss your qwerty. I don't know your Blue Angel, But my TC (i think all PocketPCs) has a delay when somebody calls you. Your phone will ring/vibrate after the one who calls you hears the first ring. So if somebody just gives you a call with one ring (bip) you won't hear it! Is it the same in your case, or mine is special? Maybe somebody else with TC can confirm/infirm this...

Yea, mine sort of have that sort of dealy.
I don't use my QWERTY keyboard anyway so that's not a problem.

the_scotsman said:
LOL...it's that bad?
Can you explain why?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just everything about it...
The build quality is terrible. Feels like a new hobbyist threw it together in 5 mins.
It seriously underperforms compared to my Old SE P990i and older XDA's
The modifications o2 have made to the software are rubbish.
I'm miffed I didn't hold out for the SE X1i

^ In your opinion, yes its not perfect, the screen is less than ideal but the build quality is great I think. Much better than my old SE P series phone which used to creak whenever squeezed etc and the flush screen is better than orbit 1
But I would hold out for the Diamond

I want the built in GPS, and the Diamond prices ae too much for what it is...
Any other decent HTCs with built in GPS?

the_scotsman said:
I currently have a Blue Angel and I'm considering upgrading to an Orbit 2.
How would the performance compare between the 2? They're both 400MHz, but I just wondered how the Qualcomm is compared to the XScale?
Apart from the video driver issue, are there any other problems with it? I'd mainly be usig it for a phone, and running Tomtom.
Thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've just switched from a Hermes/Tytn to the Orbit2. HardSPL'd it and installed the WM6.1 that's been floating about here and installed TomTom.
Losing the keyboard is a bit annoying (on screen is usable, but nowhere near as good) - but I realized I very rarely typed anything and smaller sized massively outweighs it.
GPS works very well - especially as Quick GPS which really does work.
Downsides:
Lost keyboard.
Upsides:
GPS - now just not having to lug around and charge my BT GPS module, but now much faster and lets me do all manner of stuff (geo-tag photos with a reg tweak), GPS trackers allowing me to see where I've been in google maps blah blah.
Much better camera - not so much the 2M -> 3M change - but AUTOFOCUS.
SMALLER - now it's not a small phone, but it's not an f'in brick like the last one.
No real difference noticed between the processors. Latest 6.1 I put on my Hermes made it lovely and snappy - and performs exactly the same on the Polaris. Only reservation I've got with the polaris is the screen res (i.e. same old rubbish). Not entirely convinced Hi-res WM is much better though after playign with colleagues PDAs - I've got an ipod touch and THAT is what i'd want somehow wedged into my phone..
In summary, if you want a phone now, I'd definitely get the XDA. If you can wait maybe see how Diamond and 3G iPhone stack up.
#edit - and build quality on my XDA (at least) is perfect. Nice solid feeling thing, love the slightly rubberized case.

Thanks very much for your opinion...I think I might just go with the Orbit 2 after all...a VGA screen would be nice, but I'm happy enough to have the standard one...and it's a little smaller than my BLue Angel so that's always a benefit.

Seriously this is an outstanding device. Software is software and any issues can 99% of the time be sorted with it and normally are, especially when you browse around these forums. Also bare in mind that all these devices now use windows mobile so I don't understand why someone would fault the Orbit 2 over another windows mobile device because of the software it comes with.....anyway the hardware itself is exceptional, I've posted a mini review if you look through my post history and there's plenty of in-depth reviews out there.
Losing the keyboard is a good thing in my opinion. A keyboard isn't necessary, its just as easy (if not easier) to use the software input (my personal preference is a T9 style pad that learns words and is very quick to use with just one hand like a normal phone) and obviously you save on weight and bulk.
The Orbit 2 looks great, is extremely responsive and comfortable to use and in my opinion is the best windows mobile device availible at this time.
Quick edit! - regarding the SW, the rom that the O2 Orbit 2 comes with is actually fine anyway, i've never encountered any issues with it - it would be nice to have the threaded SMS that 6.1 has but aside from that its fine and works great. Cheers!

SOunds like you're pretty damn happy with it then
So the 200MHz processor isn't an issue? Still responds well? Thing like TOmtom run well?

The Orbit 2 has a 400MHz CPU, it was the original Orbit that had 200 -it also has twice the amount of memory. TomTom was perfectly useable on the original Orbit but it noticeably runs smoother on the Orbit 2 - The Orbit 2 is a lot better at managing multiple tasks at the same time.
I was in two minds before upgrading becasue I had the original Orbit and wasn't sure if I'd get my money's worth. I was going to send it back if I wasn't happy with it. I'm more than happy with it though as you can tell! its a great device. You've always got that 14 day cooling period with O2 anyway so you may as well give it a go for yourself.

doh...you're right...I was thinking of the original Orbit.
No 14 day cooling off for me..I'm in Australia so the only way to get at a decent price is eBay.
I think I've been convinced to get the Orbit 2...just a pity it doesn't have VGA...and the diamond will probably be a fair amount more than the Orbit 2

Actually a the Diamond will be cheaper then the Polaris/Orbit2... But my oppinion is that the VGA is too much on a 2.8" screen...

The Orbit 2 is a damn good toy... after tuning the cache and graphic settings..speed was even better than before..
also gps works great...a lot of stuff in a small little case...

I am also happy with my orbit 2, copilot in mo is better then tomtom i have both installed.
I like golive's interface and extra settings plus the website for tracking is a good feature.
The Software available is none stop from here and other sources, unlike the iphone i had that you could only load decentish software if you hacked it..
a couple of minor gripes, the screen is a little shiny for sunny day use and the camera could be alot better.
apart from that i am very happy with it, let hops the diamond touch flo 3d becomes available then that will make this device look great.
the hsdpa speed is great when in the right areas, 50k download speed from my laptop...
the gps seems acurate enough, fast on a warm start as well.
its performance could be a little better but overall its very good.
I would install opera mini as i have found this much better then ie and opera mobile for day to day use.
as for the missing keyboard, try touchpal or the diamond keyboards, also make sure you adjust the sensivity of the screen do a search on here, i think the keyboard is great been software as you can load loads of different types and type quicker with the stylus on some over a flip out keyboard.
the flip out keyboard types can be a little thicker as well you cannot replace or remap keys like a software keyboard so there are plus's and minus's to both concepts...
if you type alot then get a bluetooth keyboard, or a laptop.....
i don't think you will b unhappy with your purchase...

Actually imho any HTC device when just introduced will very rarely be upto my expectation and initially i am always dissapointed,for the first few days,its just a matter of customizing(a heart felt thanks to this forum for teaching us how too) to our personal choice and then i just can't seem to live without them.When i took the Cruise i returned it the next day,very dissapointed with the handset,nothing it could do(and in the factory state it could'nt domuch)was enough,I thought that my Kaiser was far better,then after going through the Cruise forum went and picked it up again,customized it and now wonder how did I ever think negatively abbout this handset,I just love it the feel of it in my hand and also the perfomance,ended up keeping both the Kaiser and Cruise without regrets.

A bit of clarification on vibrate (or lack thereof)...

Hello all:
I've been trying to do my homework dilligently to decide whether I buy a x7510 or not. To me, the lack of vibrate is a showstopper.
However, in one review posted on pocketpcthoughts.com, I read that the vibrate function is enabled when the keyboard is attached.
Is this accurate or not?
What does "keyborad is attached" mean exactly; does it mean "attached" as in "covering the screen", or "attached as in "typing mode"?
Thanks all for any hints here.

That review/opinion is not correct.
The X7510 does not have a phone vibrate function- these are generally built into the battery pack or on the motherboard.
The keyboard 'vibrate' feature refers to the 'haptic feedback' enabled on the X7510's hardware keyboard, which gives a small vibration and sound 'pulse' when any key is pressed, as the keys have no physical travel.

Thank you very much for the clarification !

It's still a good device!

Yes, I am sure it is a great device.
I am somewhat concerned though since I've used vibrate functions forever, and if I were to go with the X7510, I'd like to use it as a phone as well (with BT headset, something I've used for what it seems forever as well .
I have read about some workarounds (like recording a vibrating phone and use it as a ringtone), so I am still thinking about it. But the review at pocketpcthoughts threw me off a bit; I am glad you clarified.
My problem is that I am absolutely against ringing phones; they are so disruptive :-(
Do you use it as a phone? Do you have another workaround?
Thanks again...

IMHO
The xda universal is still the best pda on the market. I would never recommend purchasing this device (x7510). The phone features is 'average' at best.
Just me 2 cents

orinoco said:
Do you use it as a phone? Do you have another workaround?
Thanks again...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The short answer is no- I don't use it as a phone unless in emergencies. I use mine mainly as a reference, research and media device, and my Diamond as my primary phone.
When I do use it as a phone, I use it with a BT headset. My Plantronics earpiece does have a 'beep' or 'vibrate' function so I simply have the ringer sound on the X7510 muted.
@youmeus: Granted, the XDA Exec/ HTC Universal was good in its day, but is very long in the tooth now. The processor and memory are both low and the GPS and 3G performance was pretty poor.
OK, it wasn't such a brick as a phone, but you do look a bit of a wally holding it to your ear, so it still really needs a BT headset. I used mine for a few months before changing to a Wizard/ XDA MiniS.
It's all in the eye of the beholder though

What do you need from the CD?
There's nothing on there that can't be downloaded from Microsoft .

to orinoco :- use the phone recorded vibrating buzz sound as advised by steve eagle post , it works pretty good , you can hear it for sure but u will feel the sound a bit if u are touching your device - only a bit though , dont expect the same as ordinary phone vibration .
to neilm :- yes u r right - it's a damn great device
to youmeus :- u r dead wrong , no way in this world this device will lose to your xda universal , x7510 of athena family is the king of pda , period ...
and please go back to your universal forum
thanks for reading , cheers to all athena owners - jimmunsw

My View
Hi Guys
I have a Universal and an Ameo (Athena) and using them both I would have to say that the ONLY place the Universal wins, is as a phone and its great keyboard. Dont get me wrong, the universal as a 4-5 year old phone is superb and some of the uni roms are as good as stock. It will do most of what you ask, but it lacks up to date hardware. The Athena as a laptop type replacement is exactly what it was made for, the phone is like a secondary item. HOWEVER if you use a styleI as a blue tooth addon the problem is gone If you switch the sound off then the styleI has a very quiet discreet ring. you answer the phone as you would a normal phone and the Athena stays in its case. I still look a bit of a prat using the Uni as a phone coz it is BIG, the Athena is only 15mm wider thats all. I only have both now coz the Uni is only making small bucks now, and you know how it is when its sitting on the shelf looking at you saying use me
Jay

Hi Jay- good to see you over here
I agree with your comments- the Ameo with BT headset is a good combination . Will you be getting an Ameo 16GB/X7510 then?

NeilM said:
Hi Jay- good to see you over here
I agree with your comments- the Ameo with BT headset is a good combination . Will you be getting an Ameo 16GB/X7510 then?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Its all about cost against what extra enhancements you get, so yes I would love to but the cost at the moment is a put off. apart from the extra 8gb, what would you say is better than the Ameo?
P.S dont tell the X7500 guys, I may get banned, talking to the X7510 lot and admitting to owning a Uni
Regards
Jay

responderman said:
P.S dont tell the X7500 guys, I may get banned, talking to the X7510 lot and admitting to owning a Uni
Regards
Jay
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
We all have our little secrets
TBH if I hadn't got an X7510 (XDA Flint) free from O2, I would probably not consider upgrading from the X7500 apart from the fact that it's newer and less battered
The extra 8GB is nice but not essential for me, and there is always the miniSD for expansion.
In some ways the X7510 is a retrograde step- the lack of a joystick is a total PITA as there is no way to manually navigate some programs without executing a screen click.
The keyboard is a big improvement, but TouchPal is so good that I very rarely use the physical keyboard. The X7500 ROMs by Michy et all are every bit as good as the X7510 ROMs- no surprise I suppose as the hardware is identical in most respects.

I'd second all the good reviews of the XDA Shift (HTC Advantage X7510 with an O2 case). I've had two, yes count them, two XDA Execs (HTC universal with O2 case) because I couldn't find a device which was as universally adaptable as the Exec for several years. (did you see what I did there?)
With the addition of an external bluetooth GPS receiver and a bluetooth headset I had everything I needed. A decent size screen, hardware QWERTY keyboard (which is a must for me as I'm a writer, in fact my last novel was written almost exclusively on the Execs) Sat Nav (via tomtom nav 6) games, phone, browser, media player, and all-round super gadget in a clam shell with tablet mode swivel screen! Then my second Exec broke (from extreme over-use) and I had no option of a replacement as O2 no longer stocked them :-(
Then I discovered the Flint...
It has all of the benefits of the Exec but with more memory, bigger screen, built in GPS, and funky magnetics to boot! Admittedly it has no vibrate function, and O2 de-activate the G-sensor in their ROM (both of which I'm certain are functions that can be re-activated with cooked ROMS -at least I'm sure I've read on this here forum of such things being achieved- am I right?), but the benefits really outweigh these small issues for me.
So as a user who sang the praises of the XDA Exec for several years, I can say that the XDA Flint is a superb progression and excellent replacement device, well worth the £50/month contract to get it free (which includes unlimited data and texts, and 950 mins! -no, I don't work for O2).
(HTC and O2-you can pay me later

Hi Thintin- glad you like your Flint.
The G-sensor thing with O2 is odd. Some examples have a working hardware even with the O2 ROM though it needs G-Sen or similar to activate it. But some examples need a new, cooked ROM to get the G-sensor working and a small number seem to have it physically removed.
As one of a small group of pre-release testers for O2 we had a number of discussions about this- O2's line was that they requested NO G sensor in the hardware build, but HTC only did that with a small number. My 1st one definitely didn't have it, not did it have a working sub display. A replacement had both working with the O2 ROM, though a colleague never got subdisplay working, and another colleague never got the Gsensor working.
O2's Flint ROM is actually pretty good. It's very basic, but all the better for that. However, Michy's Lite WM6.1 is so much better

NeilM said:
...O2's Flint ROM is actually pretty good. It's very basic, but all the better for that. However, Michy's Lite WM6.1 is so much better
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm hoping my device falls into the category of having the g-sensor, my sub-display works fine (I'm assuming this is the display that can be seen through the keyboard's letterbox shaped portal when the device is closed?). Glad to hear that Mitchy's lite ROM is better than the O2 one because I'm planning on flashing it soon.

Great vibrate ringtone
This works like a charm...