I have a 3 year old T-Mobile Pocket PC Phone Edition (HTC Wallaby) and would like to upgrade it to a new model Pocket PC Phone. I'm a little confused about some of the new models being offered on eBay. T-Mobile USA is supposed to offer the MDA (HTC Wizard) soon.
The HTC Universal (Jas-Jar) seems too large and heavy, and many people seem to be very disapointed in both the phone and the processor.
The HTC Magician seems very popular; small and fairly fast. The HTC Wizard looks like an upgraded model, plus the keyboard. The HTC Prophet looks like a Wizard without the keyboard? Am I missing something?
I really love my old Wallaby, especially since I upgraded the internal battery to a 1750mAh model! I use the pocket pc functions more than the phone. The radio in the phone is pretty weak.
Are the new models worth the price?
Do the phone radios work better?
Should I just stay with what I have; until it dies?
Thanks for any input!
I'd go with the Wizard right now. It's small, it has WM5 and an excellent keyboard. The only downside that it has a relatively small processor (TI OMAP 850, runs at 196 mhz), which you might not notice with regular usage, I'm pretty sure morphgear for example won't run on it with a decent speed. Skype has problems too. But if you don't really play games and/or use skype, it is a wise choice. If you do, and you don't need WiFi/WM5/keyboard, you should go with the magician.
Nah, HTC Universal is wonderful. The only downside to it is the size. If you can find your way past the size its the best possible device.
RyanZA said:
Nah, HTC Universal is wonderful. The only downside to it is the size. If you can find your way past the size its the best possible device.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Universal is waaaay too big.
Mychoices would be between Charmer, Prophet and Wizard.
I totally agree with TheBrit & I love small devices. The magician is a bad choice nowadays as it's been replaced. So I'd go for a wizard for the keyboard, second pick Charmer & Prophet
M
Radio strength?
Do any of the new models have upgraded Radio Transmitters/Receivers? The phone reception on my Wallaby is pretty weak, I end up using my wife's cell phone if we are in an fringe area on reception.
T-Mobile is supposed to soon include 850 MHz Roaming here in the US, so I want a tri or quad band phone. If I get the Magician, I have to choose between 850 and 900 MHz. Since I travel a lot, I guess it'll have to be the Wizard or the Phophet, since they're quads.
Thank you for all the good advice!
Related
I am planning to buy any of these 2 devices and would like to get some input about benefits and drawbacks....
Any feedback?
cmairhof
I have unoversal, and aranged 2 wizards for work colleagues, however they are not power users.
the uni has a faster processor. it also has 3g video phone, which I don't use, but like having the 3g data connection to the internet at 384kbps.
I also like the vga screen, and the ability to clam close my device to protect the screen and hide the info from nosy people.
I believe the wizard is slightly smaller, but thicker in size. lacks 3g, and nipot sure but don't think it has vga.
also, with wizard, even though the processor is smaller, I think it has other efficiencies.
if you search, you will see other comments debating back and forth. there is another that is scathing uni and praise the wiz.
one other purported downside of wiz is the mini sd rather than the sd card. I believe its the only device like this.
you can probably find a bit more on the specs on wiki for each device.
The Wizard has Edge but not VGA. Also the Universal doesn't have the 850 MHz GSM band, which may be a consideration if you want to use it on a North American network (e.g. Cingular).
I was choosing between wizard and uni myself. Did research on both of them, was kinda leaning toward the universal but than when i went and saw the thing in real life... I was crying like a virgin on a honeymoon. The thing is WAY TOO BIG. Well, for my lifestyle it is, size could not be an issue with you, if it isn't; go for the universal.
guess everybody have their max size
my himalaya is too big in the eyes of normal cellphone owners
and prob smartphone owners too
Qtek 9600/hermes will be the next gen wizard and will have UMTS
not VGA though
Hi guys, need a very speedy response please, i'm not sure whether to buy an MPx300.
1. Anyone know if they're any good?
2. I live in the UK and it's coming from the States, will it work, or am i gonna need to reflash it?
3. How much would you pay for one?
Thanks everyone.
I remember this was a pretty hyped device at the time I believe because it was one of the first smartphone (successors) to opt for a touch screen in a clamshell design.
In any case it never seemed to make a big hit and didnt make it to Australian shores (that doesnt say much, but its brothers the mpx200 and 220 did)
Both the mpx200 and the 220 were nice devices. Less functional than a proper pocket pc phone but good at the time. Particularly the 220 because it didnt have the horrid piano black finish of the 200. Why am I mentioning this? Well there appears to be an absense of reviews coming to a concensus on this device but given the solid build and reliability, I had at least, with the 200 and 220 I would take my chances on it if I were looking to go back that way.
But keep in mind tis a pretty old device. Its a tri-band device:
Triband GSM 900/1800/1900. So just google the network your on and see if it supports those bands.
As for price ebay standard seems to be about $150-180US on the current and recently completed listings. Hopefully that will give you something to work off.
Osir1s said:
I remember this was a pretty hyped device at the time I believe because it was one of the first smartphone (successors) to opt for a touch screen in a clamshell design.
In any case it never seemed to make a big hit and didnt make it to Australian shores (that doesnt say much, but its brothers the mpx200 and 220 did)
Both the mpx200 and the 220 were nice devices. Less functional than a proper pocket pc phone but good at the time. Particularly the 220 because it didnt have the horrid piano black finish of the 200. Why am I mentioning this? Well there appears to be an absense of reviews coming to a concensus on this device but given the solid build and reliability, I had at least, with the 200 and 220 I would take my chances on it if I were looking to go back that way.
But keep in mind tis a pretty old device. Its a tri-band device:
Triband GSM 900/1800/1900. So just google the network your on and see if it supports those bands.
As for price ebay standard seems to be about $150-180US on the current and recently completed listings. Hopefully that will give you something to work off.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks very much, this has helped, it would work here, but the guy wants $200 - I think that's too much. It is a pretty old device, and i didn't realise that. It's running WM2003!!!! And got 32mb memory/RAM. I think the concept of the clamshell touch screen is very, very good, but it's no Hermes, or Wizard is it.
I too had an MPx200, and could then never afford a 220. The 200 was an awesome device, very robust.
I'm gonna give this deal a miss...i don't wanna be taking a leap backwards. Thanks for your help Osir1s
The Bizigi
The comparison with MPx200 or MPx220 is not relevant because ODM is different. MPx100, MPx200, and MPx220 were made by Chi Mei and MPx/MPx300 were made by someone else (possibly Quantra I think). 32MB RAM for WM2003 Pocket PC is terribly insufficient amount.
I feel that if the hardware was updated (maybe w/ similar hardware from the tytn II / Kaiser), this would be the best phone ever made period. It would have touch, it would have wifi, 3G, Quad Band, tons of Ram & Rom, dedicated hardware keyboard (with Easy to Access numbers keys without looking or smudging a screen that gives no tactile feedback!!!!), and protection for the internal screen due to the design. I always wanted a MPX300 (I had the MPX200 and the MPX220) but I could never find one for less than $300 on ebay. WM2003 uses memory different than WM5, so I think the performance of the phone wasn't that bad, plus it supports full SD which means really cheap really large amounts of storage. I know that the phone works in the US. I could never understand why the phone was never actually sold by any of the big names in the US, as the only place I could have ever purchased it would be ebay.
I have always wanted this, even though my current wizard could most of its features. The reason why they never sold more than about 2,000 was because they decided to push all development towards the Q. It never sold past china and a few asian countries
So my HTC Wizard is getting a little old. And it's poor old CPU isn't standing up to Windows Mobile 6 ROM's very well. And it doesn't support anyhting past EDGE. And I'm thinking it's time for an upgrade. And my sweet BT SouthWing headset sucks on my HTC as soon as I do more than one thing. At the same time, my camera is busted. My girlfriend has a 6 megapixel camera we use for anything important, but I want a decent camera that's always on me.
I think I see a chance to combine some electronics. I'm looking for a beasty WM 6 based PDA. The current PDA I'm most interested in is the HTC Advantage X7510.
http://www.htc.com/www/product.aspx?id=474
GSM w / solid band support
3.1 MP camera w / flash
BT 2.0
624 Mhz CPU AND ATI gfx chip (<3 cell phone emulators)
16 gig internal flash for my tunes
detachable keyboard
FULL QWERTY KEYBOARD = WIN
Surprisingly sexy for a powerful PDA with a keyboard
This looks like the best one I've found overall. I've heard that HTC has been pretty lousy on implementing the ATI GFX chips, but as far as I can tell that's only on the TyTn II's. It's a little more than I want to spend on a phone, but if it gets the camera in there too then it's sold.
I'm pretty much sold on this guy, only holdup is the cost. I really haven't seen anything that can compete with it, although I found a lot of new companies today poking about. Anybody know of any brands I should look at, or have anything negative to say about this guy?
fatheadpi said:
So my HTC Wizard is getting a little old. And it's poor old CPU isn't standing up to Windows Mobile 6 ROM's very well. And it doesn't support anyhting past EDGE. And I'm thinking it's time for an upgrade. And my sweet BT SouthWing headset sucks on my HTC as soon as I do more than one thing. At the same time, my camera is busted. My girlfriend has a 6 megapixel camera we use for anything important, but I want a decent camera that's always on me.
I think I see a chance to combine some electronics. I'm looking for a beasty WM 6 based PDA. The current PDA I'm most interested in is the HTC Advantage X7510.
http://www.htc.com/www/product.aspx?id=474
GSM w / solid band support
3.1 MP camera w / flash
BT 2.0
624 Mhz CPU AND ATI gfx chip (<3 cell phone emulators)
16 gig internal flash for my tunes
detachable keyboard
FULL QWERTY KEYBOARD = WIN
Surprisingly sexy for a powerful PDA with a keyboard
This looks like the best one I've found overall. I've heard that HTC has been pretty lousy on implementing the ATI GFX chips, but as far as I can tell that's only on the TyTn II's. It's a little more than I want to spend on a phone, but if it gets the camera in there too then it's sold.
I'm pretty much sold on this guy, only holdup is the cost. I really haven't seen anything that can compete with it, although I found a lot of new companies today poking about. Anybody know of any brands I should look at, or have anything negative to say about this guy?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
well if you really want the x7510 then you should buy an x7500 and put ap4 on there. than its like having the best of both worlds plus you get all the buttons that you dont get with the 7510
7510 is a good choice only if you intend to use it notebook style. If you use it tablet style, then 7500 or 7501 are better. 7510 does not have the a few of the hardware buttons that the older models have, and this is extremely limiting for table style users. Many users find it more convenient, more portable, and easier when using it table style.
BTW, 7500 and 7501 are lighter and cheaper too. The only drawback is the microdrive instead of SSD, but not a serious drawback. Capacity itself is not an issue for most of us, I believe. I only use about 1 GB out of the 8GB with all my programs installed there. All my large consuming files are on microSDHC, which can be swapped in and out at will so there is no practical limit on the effective capacity. Microdrive is a lot faster than microSDHC, although it consumes more power.
The answer is also in the new product cathegories from HTC marketing department ( www.htc.com ) :
They have :
TOUCH phones (From TOUCH to DIAMOND)
PDA phones (From P3300 to TyTN II)
Smartphones (From S310 to S730)
Mobile Computers (Advantage>Shift)
The strategy seems clear: WHAT DO YOU ARE LOOKING FOR ? :
Trendy and WOW effect PDA PHONE? (Play device with phone?) TOUCH product Line
A Powerfull Companion in your PHONE? (Biz device with phone?) PDA Phones Product Line
Lightweight but powerfull PHONE? (Phone for yor Digital Lifestyle?) Smartphones product line
Mobile computing (Mobile PC always on with SOME phone capabilities?) Mobile Computers product line
I agree with you we would like to have them ALL in a single device but....
I have PDA, SMartphone and Mobile computer, and I fully agree with this scenario. A clear idea (or a good help) and you will be really happy of the chosen device. Chose the wrong category for your purpose and you will sell it in few weeks (losing money )
HTC is out from a dark age now, time to buy stock quotes IMHO!
I'd go for an X7500 unless you can get a 7510 susidised. I use about 6Gb of my Microdrive and about 3Gb on my card but you can always expand with bigger cards.
Good luck!
[Edit]Just seen http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=391485 - might be of interest?[/Edit]
Interesting comments, really appreciate the feedback. So, a few things.
1. I haven't really found a good comparison or general video yet of any of the advantage models. I'll keep the keyboard difference in mind. As for the keyboard usage, how is it for texting? I've been pretty happy with the keyboard on my Wizard, but I'm open to something new. I just refuse to go back to not having a QWERTY keyboard. I'd buy the Diamond, but HTC doesn't get how awesome QWERTY texting is appearantly.
2. Looking at the Advantage, I don't see any buttons on it that would be especially good for gaming, especially anything like the pad on a Wizard / TyTn II. Am I missing something, or can I expect to have my PocketNesterness hampered by an Advantage?
3. Thanks for the info on the 7500/1 vs 7510. Looking at the specs page, I noticed the 7500 lists two cameras while the 7501 only has one. Is this the case? I'd just be giving up the VGA camera for voice calls, which I've never used anyways, but I guess it could be nice if I get to an area with better than EDGE service. Also, is the X7510's camera much / any better?
4. I've done a good bit of flashing / light bit of cooking with my Wizard. About how much harder is an advantage to reflash?
5. 8 gigs would be a considerable upgrade for me, I've been getting by on a 4 gig MiniSD that my Wizard only picks up about 3.7 gig of. Assuming I used a gig internally for pics, GPS, etc, I'd still have twice the capacity on HD alone vs my card.
Glad to get some input, got ignored at HowardForums.
Hmm... actually, saw some better pics of the Advantage. There is clearly no "D-Pad" like the PDA-style phones get. LAME.
Back to the drawing board. Kaiser's in the lead, AT&T owes me a discount phone since I bought my own hardware to the table. Too bad it doesn't have a flash.
http://www.imate.com/support/specs/SpecSheet_9502.pdf
Ooooooh... Do Want!
fatheadpi said:
Interesting comments, really appreciate the feedback. So, a few things.
1. ... how is it for texting? ...
2. ... can I expect to have my PocketNesterness hampered by an Advantage?
3. ... the 7500 lists two cameras while the 7501 only has one. Is this the case? Also, is the X7510's camera much / any better?...
4. ...About how much harder is an advantage to reflash?...
5. ...8 gigs ...
....got ignored at HowardForums.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
We play soccer here, 2-1 is the score, and the winners are ...HERMES-KAISER!
1) ATHENA's kb haven't any backlight, hard to use without a stable surface. Big screen means BIG on screen Kb too, but for texting ATHENA Kb isn't really good in standing situation, in the car, on the bus.... WORST comparing it with the HERMES or KAISER
2) Many games aren't usable in a VGA device. I don't know about emulators but less buttons mean less control! WORST comparing it with the HERMES or KAISER
3) Yes, it is. No, don't.
4) Just the same complexity and risks as Kaiser or Hermes
5) Yes, but are built IN. I prefer to have DATA on SD, to manage with the PC utilities, to share data with friends... but, yes BETTER than HERMES or KAISER
HOFO?
Believe me: for a "texter" and "gamer" ATHENA is a nightmare!
Yeah, that's what I'm seeing so far. I might settle on a Kaiser, looks like those are pretty well hacked, and I can get one for like $100 refurb'd through AT&T. I'm gonna see if I can scrounge up a deal on that I-Mate tho, no flash on the camera has repeatedly pissed me off with my Wizard.
On a different note, how is WM6 on a 400 Mhz processor? I'm using a Wizard OC'd to 216Mhz on a custom WM6 rom, and alot of stuff is SLOOOOW. Granted, even a Kaiser would more than double my phone power, but just curious.
Hey guys, I think it's getting obvious the Athena isn't for me. I'm gonna head over to the Kaiser forum and see what I can see. Thanks for the help.
Hey, ive been a long time user of windows mobile phones, and currently i'm using an HTC advantage and I would never go back to anything smaller than my nice large vga screen . My GF is in town and i'm letting her use my older TRI-BAND touch dual. Shes lovin it....the only problem is shes heading back to alaska in a week or so, and unfortunatly the tri band makes the phone not work in the part of alaska where shes at. When i was up a few months ago my advantage had good signal (roaming of course, but with tmobile that dont matter). So i'm lookin to get her a quad band phone..touch screen, windows mobile and a full keyboard because she doesent like the soft keyboard too much. I thought about the new quad band touch duals they just released in the US, however I dont really want to spend 500 on another phone. Looking for any reccomendations as to what phone would be good for my girl. Thanks for any help!
How 'bout a Wizard?
touchlasvegas said:
Hey, ive been a long time user of windows mobile phones, and currently i'm using an HTC advantage and I would never go back to anything smaller than my nice large vga screen . My GF is in town and i'm letting her use my older TRI-BAND touch dual. Shes lovin it....the only problem is shes heading back to alaska in a week or so, and unfortunatly the tri band makes the phone not work in the part of alaska where shes at. When i was up a few months ago my advantage had good signal (roaming of course, but with tmobile that dont matter). So i'm lookin to get her a quad band phone..touch screen, windows mobile and a full keyboard because she doesent like the soft keyboard too much. I thought about the new quad band touch duals they just released in the US, however I dont really want to spend 500 on another phone. Looking for any reccomendations as to what phone would be good for my girl. Thanks for any help!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can still find Wizards in good condition or refurbished, for about $150, or even a few left new for $200 or less, like this one.
The built-in stereo speakers, though small, have decent sound, which is a plus - much better sound than a Kaiser, for instance!
Thanks, i was actually thinking about a wizard as they are kinda tried and tested...very good rep for a phone. Only thing that I was curious about is the size and thickness of it..say compared to the touch dual..I dont want her to have to walk around with a brick...
How do the Herald, or the Hermes compare to the Wizard? alot of people seem to have started with a wizard..and then moved on...some to a wing(herald). Her fav color is blue...and the herald appears to be mostly blue which is kinda cool too.
can anyone who has had, or seen the herald, or the hermes give me a brief pro/con compared to the wizard? there all pretty much the same style, but im not sure which would be better. Thanks again for everyones help!
I had Wizard and Hermes.
Quick and dirty face to face hardware:
Size: the same.
Materials, assembly, "feel": Wizard is much better.
Hardware known problems: Hermes a LOT, screen aligment and connector, Wizard few.
Data connection: FAST using HERMES, SLOWER in wizard,
Camera: 1.2 wizard, 2.0 Mp and macro switch Hermes .
Battery life: much longer in WIZARD
SW... choose the rom you want!
thanks for the comparison sergiopi! Now the "herald" is the same as the "wing" correct? I found some side by side shots of the wing next to a wizard..and the wizard looks fat, and I'm thinking that the thinner wing would fit in my girls hands better.
how about the s710/s730 htc (vodafone v1415/orange spv e650 in the uk) its a smartphone but has qwerty keyboard aswell. dont know if thats any use
well i was lookin at the "wings" mainly because it has a faster cpu, but i hate to take her away from the touchscreen. She wants a hard keyboard, but shes getting really used to the touchscreen interface. I'm leaning twords the HTC Herald...aka wing. Looks like they can be had for around 250 on ebay. Any major negatives about the wing?
They suffer from most the same problems as most ppcs. The processor is inadequate as always, and the camera isn't particularly good, but the same could be said of alot of ppcs.
One thing is, the screen is still inlaid, so blah. The coating feels really nice, but is easily scratched
Wings trumps Wizard
touchlasvegas said:
well i was lookin at the "wings" mainly because it has a faster cpu, but i hate to take her away from the touchscreen. She wants a hard keyboard, but shes getting really used to the touchscreen interface. I'm leaning twords the HTC Herald...aka wing. Looks like they can be had for around 250 on ebay. Any major negatives about the wing?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think you're on the right track - the Herald would be a good choice - it is thinner than the Wizard, and "cuter" in blue, and it has a better camera - otherwise most of the specs are same as Wizard. It also has the hardware keyboard numbers laid out like a regular cellphone, which is a plus (the Hermes also has this, plus faster processor). The only thing I don't know is if it has stereo speakers (but for serious music listening, she'll want to use a headset of some sort anyway), and infrared (seems to be a dying feature, but it was useful on my Wizard I thought)
So if you can spring for the increased cost of the Herald over the Wizard, I think it's a great choice!
Thanks Cush, i ended up getting a new unlocked herald off ebay for 269.00. The processor wont be much of an issue to her because she wont really be playing games...or for that matter probably will never even hotsync it to a computer. ( that will be my job as i set it up for her ). Mainly music and texting. Thanks for all the tips!
Hi,
Im looking for suggestions here. I am an avid Kaiser owner, and now i am looking to get the wife to upgrade from her Nokia e65 (s60v3)
The feature list that im looking for follows:
necessary:
Candybar form
3G compatible
numeric hardware keypad
Bluetooth
Wifi
important but not essential:
touchscreen
qwerty k/b
Dpad
The devices that appear to somewhat fit the (my) needs and (her) wants are:
WM6 pro
HTC Touch Dual (3G) this seems a good fit but doesnt have wifi
WM6 standard (non touch screen)
HTC Juno also good form factor but i dont know if its available in Australia
HTC Vox S710
HTC 730
Have i missed anything? What are your suggestions?
Thanks
When I read the title I've thought it was on of those joke posts about wife 1.0 upgrading to wife 2.0 and how much the upgrade costs!!!
I will let others say something about phones though as I am still holding my old beloved Universal till this date.
Cheers!
I would choose the s730 or consider also s621
It fits with your needs
the more i look at the S730 it looks bulky, and thats even whilst i own a Kaiser.
Plus i dont thinkg i can get that in Australia now.
The Touch Dual 850 looks to be the likely device.
I will have to see how my wife takes to it!