Database Info

Fed up with HTC and I-mate ultimates delayed, need a replacement!

Hi Guys
I have a HTC TyTN which I am using beyond its capabilities. I have upgraded it to WM6 and use a lot of the extra functionality that it contains however, I find it too slow and the screen is to low res. I am also seriously ****ed off with HTC build quality and it now has a fourth hardware issue that I cannot be bothered to return it for. - NO It has not been dropped, in fact its been treated better than an eggshell!
I was originaly looking at replacing it with an I-Mate Ultimate 5150 but I have now heard that they are not being released until November. I can't wait this long. I need a phone that can do all of the following but is NOT made by HTC
runs WM6
has HSDPA/3G
has Bluetooth/Not bothered about WiFi
is faster than this rubbish Samsung 2442A processor at 400mhz
ideally has more than 128meg ram - optional
has an optional extended battery
supports push Exchange email
Last but by no means least, MUST have a 640*480 screen
has a slide out/slide down keyboard
must NOT be made by HTC - no matter how well re-badged it is!
The monstrosity that is the JasJar is simply too big and doesn't support HSDPA anyway. Budget is not too much of a problem but I don't want to go bigger in size than the Ultimate 5150. I will be buying off-contract.
Apart from the I-Mate Ultimates, I can't find any phones to meet this criteria, anyone else know of any? I'm desperate!
Thanks loads in advance for saving my life! :thumbsup:

wow you're not asking for much...and limiting yourself to the small (albeit increasing) percentage of the market that is non-HTC isnt helping you. But then again HTC is a product cycle behind everyone else with VGA so no foul...
In any case your pretty well limited to:
Toshiba G900. Everything you want bar the Processor. Has a possibly low Samsung Processor onboard.
beyond that any other devices coming close to that criteria are comprimises
ie GLofish X800, Gigabyte T300 (Like the G900 due for Release soon). VGA screens aren't that all come on at the moment, but are gradually improving, this is certainly the year for them.

Hi
Thanks for that! Looking like the device for me
And yes, im a firm believer of never buying another product from a manufacturer when something I have bought from them has failed repeatedly. From what I understand, i'm not the only one that has a HTC device thats failed over and over again - google tells me this!
Anyway, i've alreadly found this for sale for 379 and that was with my first google!
Thanks again!!

Hi,
I am pretty much on the same boat, although I am reasonably happy with my TyTN... I just want more!
I have been looking at:
- Toshiba G900 - 800x480 screen, only slightly larger than the TyTN
- E-TEN Glofish X500+ - only just saw this in a magazine yesterday, it is supposed to be a 640x480 version of the X500, and it will be sold by Expansys... although its not on their website yet!

Monty: I know how you feel about HTC, which is why I went from BA -> Flame.
My requirements were slightly different. In descreasing order of importance:
At least 3.5" screen. 2.8 - 3.2" screens are too small, both for my eyes and my hands (with stylus).
VGA.
Lightweight and fits in pocket. (Rules out Universal and Athena.)
Portrait-normal form factor. I gotta be able to hold it in one hand and tap the stylus in the other, comfortably.
2.5G. 3G is still new here, and I can live with 2.5G speeds because of what I use it for (ssh).
Bluetooth. No need for GPS or KB if you have BT.
Prefer no keyboard or a hidden slide-out keyboard -- I'll use a soft, USB or BT keyboard instead of a keyboard with keys too tiny for my fingers, which ends up simply increasing the thickness of the device most of the time.
No HTC device satisfies these requirements. Only the XDA Flame does.
The HTC Panda is a throwback since it doesn't have VGA. Otherwise it might be an acceptable alternative when it comes out.
The iMate Ultimate 7150 would be my second choice when it comes out, despite its keyboard (looks hidable and does not increase thickness of device too much).
Until something better comes out, I'll stick with the Flame.

Monty Burns said:
I was originaly looking at replacing it with an I-Mate Ultimate 5150 but I have now heard that they are not being released until November. I can't wait this long. I need a phone that can do all of the following but is NOT made by HTC
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
heard? who did u hear it from??
"The highly acclaimed Ultimate range from i-mate will be on offer to customers throughout the region from Sept 2007"
http://msmobiles.com/news.php/6461.html

Toshiba G900 has 128M RAM, 128M ROM and a Marvell PXA270 520 Mhz cpu.
It has been released in the UK. The manual is available online - at the Toshiba.co.uk mobile communications site.
Not only is this faster than the SAMSUNG on the TyTN, but is also current Xscale / ARM - the Samsung was two generations out of date ... and generally regarded as end of line long before the TyTN came out.

Imate???? Their customer support SUCKS!!! I've had JasJam for 7months now and have had enough. No phone support. Representatives have NO IDEA what they are chatting about - absolutely no knowledge and noone responds to emails!!!!

Personally I am impressed by the imate ultimate series whenever it is released but I am troubled by their customer support.
For almost 3 months now the clubimate site (Jasjam) page mentions that a newer version of the operating system will soon be released. When I finally got on line with them yesterday the person mentioned that it has already been released. Before I could ask him where it is posted the on line chat disconnected not to be connected again. But I am sure that clown had no idea of what he was talking about.
Regards

the ultimates series have yet to prove themselfs not to be vaporware though

Rudegar said:
the ultimates series have yet to prove themselfs not to be vaporware though
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I dont think that it ll be a vaporware esp when considering the fact that the imate's future depends on them

MPx300

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

need advice choosing a wm touch-screen phone

Hi,
Ive decided to go with Wm over UIQ3/S60 due to more software.
Ive never had a ppc, but i expect to do some tinkering in terms of software and maybe custom rom's
Turns out that choosing the os was the easy part.
Im now faced with hardware dilemmas. Sorry if this is long, but i dont want to throw away 400$ or more on a phone that may not meet my expectations
1. The devices i looked at range from 200mhz omap to about 500mhz from various chip makers. How noticeable is the cpu speed if a phone has the same ram?
2. Next is Ram, how important is it to have 128 megs??
3. last is Rom, how useful is this- cant u just dump progs to the expandable memory card. performance wise how diff are progs installed on the rom verses the expandable memory?
phones i am considering are gsm: htc touch, touch cruise, SE x1, asus p527/p750, lg ks20, glofiish x650/x600, toshiba g810, gsmart i3xx?, samsung i780. How crippling is the htc driver problem?
a) i kinda want my phone to have some metal on the case- will it get less scratches?
b) how useful are phones with just direction and 2 buttons-send/end call? how useful is a 9# keypad in real buttons? seems redundant with soft key option
c) Am i better off with the cheaper options to get used to wm rather the go for a more luxury option?
I plan to keep the phone for about 3 years.
also how useful is the wifi versus data plan( i am in Ontario Canada)?
i plan to use it to call long distance in Canada via Voip, as i am around wifi hot spots often.
Thank you to all who give me some input.

I'll chime in where I can:
2. Very important. I find that 64 is not enough and 128 is too much. If they made 96MB RAM it would be perfect. But noone does that I know of. Better to have too much than too little. Battery life will suffer a little (less power used for less memory).
3. It's pretty important. I have 256 MB ROM and after everything I only have 128 free. If you only had 128 to begin with, who knows how much you'd be left with? Some apps need to be installed in ROM and not Storage Card. Get 256 if you can.
b) I never really use any buttons other than on/off and talk/end. I have a hardware button setup for the today screen, which helps me because I use it alot.
Hope that helps!

That clears it up thank you wildcard.
Ths could eliminate some phones from my list.
Could anyone clear up processor speed for me, does it really make a diff given enough ram?
Also out of the phones I mentioned, is there a clear choice that satisfy me- ignoring the phones not yet released( x1, g810)?
Is there an gsm htc touch clone from o2 or whoever that mimics the CDMA version ( 400mhz, 128 ram)?

Don't take this as entirely factual but:
-64mb RAM is good, but I could have used 128mb. Battery life is affected, but I don't know how much.
-CPU probably has some effect, but 400mhz is standard and fine. 200mhz is probably much slower.
-There is no 400mhz/128MB RAM Touch clone for GSM
-Apps run faster from ROM. With only system utilities on my device and with the ROM made spring clean, I could not have more than 32 out of 49MB of free RAM left. 64 is really small, 128 is a minimum if you don't want to count on your card or keep extra fonts/voice commands/media.
-You MUST have Wi-Fi. What kind of sane Canadian would rely on data... probably a filthy rich one! Rogers is about to bring affordable unlimited data soon tho, but they say it will be for "a selected list of phones" which will probably exclude the very phones that need it IMO. iPhone whores...
-If you're not sure about Windows Mobile, try an emulator (found on microsoft website using google) for developers and surf around. It's far from what you can actually do with your device but it helps you see what it's all about.
You might want to try PalmOS if Wi-Fi and web browsing is not a necessity. I changed to WM and would never switch back, but some did the opposite and loved it.
Suggestion:
-TyTN / TyTN II have plenty of buttons+hardware keyboard, great for playing video game ROMs and games in general, but makes the device much thicker. You will love having lots of hardware buttons (one for flashlight, another for calendar then another for...)
-HTC Touch. It must be slower, but if you remove web browsing, heavy customization and the like, it will be a nice pocketable device. It's so damn cute compared to my fat TyTN (which I love). It only lacks more buttons and some power under the hood.

Thanks again.
Rogers has some sort of Rogers Vision Plan that includes data for 7$ still dont know much about it, its all new. I'd rather not pay anything extra LOL.
www.tryphone.com has a preview of palm os, but that doesnt interest me.
I couldnt figure out the windows mobile simulation from microsoft, but i did use a htc briefly in a store.
Anyways from whats been posted:
Avoid 200 mhz
Avoid anything less then 128 ram
Avoid anything less then 256 rom
This basically leaves HTC, Samsung, toshiba, Hp 610 and upcoming expensive X1.
---
From what i understand Rom flashing is basically reinstalling WM and bundling less progs with it? Am I correct?
Could any one point me into the direction of more info on ROM flashing?
How hard is it to make a custom Rom from scratch in case I go with a non HTC phone i.e. Samsung/ Eten / Asus .. i gather the other communities dont have it as rich as this one.

Avoid LG KS20 !
Hello andrey08,
There is one thing I can tell : do not buy a LG KS20 !. It is plagued by totally flawed display drivers : many GAPI apps do not work, and most DirectDraw ones do not.
Moreover, LG stripped from the ROM QTV support, so you will not have hardware accelerated video playing.
There is also a problem with the microphone while phoning, which stops functionning while switching between GSM and 3G bands.
Finally, their customer support is even worst than HTC's since they always pretend not being aware of these problems and do not plan to release a new ROM to correct anything when asked (since there is no problem according to them...).
I'm the poor owner of this piece of crap, and can not even resell it since it would be scam (you can't not even rely on it to phone !).
You can search the internet to confirm what I say : european forums are full of messages of angry customers. Our problem is that we can not have class actions in europe as in the US, and it is not an easy task to individually sue vodaphone or LG.
Lastly, concerning HTC recent products : if you read this forum, you will find that recent MSM7xxx HTC products are plagued by a very slow display. Compatibility and applications support seems OK though.

what about screen type
i know VGA is 4 times the display ability of QVGA, however whatsthe draw back of VGA
do all programs run on both VGA/Qvga screens??
whats the issue with video play back??

andrey08 said:
what about screen type
i know VGA is 4 times the display ability of QVGA, however whatsthe draw back of VGA
do all programs run on both VGA/Qvga screens??
whats the issue with video play back??
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I would go for a VGA phone every time, but the advantages are relatively subtle.
Most QVGA programs will work on VGA, either because they are natively supported, or they use pixel-doubling.
You won't notice much of a difference for most of the built-in programs apart from smoother fonts and cleaner icons. This can be hacked using something like realVGA, but I find the icons get too small for practical benefit, although YMMV.
VGA, however, definitely comes into its own when you are web-browsing or using the remote desktop client, because the increased resolution means that you can get a near-desktop experience.
The disadvantage is that VGA displays theoretically sap more battery, although I haven't found this to be a problem in practice. Video playback is also more dependent on what hardware you have on the device and whether there is any acceleration.

ZSX said:
I would go for a VGA phone every time, but the advantages are relatively subtle.
Most QVGA programs will work on VGA, either because they are natively supported, or they use pixel-doubling.
You won't notice much of a difference for most of the built-in programs apart from smoother fonts and cleaner icons. This can be hacked using something like realVGA, but I find the icons get too small for practical benefit, although YMMV.
VGA, however, definitely comes into its own when you are web-browsing or using the remote desktop client, because the increased resolution means that you can get a near-desktop experience.
The disadvantage is that VGA displays theoretically sap more battery, although I haven't found this to be a problem in practice. Video playback is also more dependent on what hardware you have on the device and whether there is any acceleration.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Also make sure you read my (W)VGA-related articles & reviews - from MWC, I've posted a LOT on the brand new / forthcoming VGA devices (for example, the i-mate 9502, the x7510 etc)

andrey08 said:
Hi,
Ive decided to go with Wm over UIQ3/S60 due to more software.
Ive never had a ppc, but i expect to do some tinkering in terms of software and maybe custom rom's
Turns out that choosing the os was the easy part.
Im now faced with hardware dilemmas. Sorry if this is long, but i dont want to throw away 400$ or more on a phone that may not meet my expectations
1. The devices i looked at range from 200mhz omap to about 500mhz from various chip makers. How noticeable is the cpu speed if a phone has the same ram?
2. Next is Ram, how important is it to have 128 megs??
3. last is Rom, how useful is this- cant u just dump progs to the expandable memory card. performance wise how diff are progs installed on the rom verses the expandable memory?
phones i am considering are gsm: htc touch, touch cruise, SE x1, asus p527/p750, lg ks20, glofiish x650/x600, toshiba g810, gsmart i3xx?, samsung i780. How crippling is the htc driver problem?
a) i kinda want my phone to have some metal on the case- will it get less scratches?
b) how useful are phones with just direction and 2 buttons-send/end call? how useful is a 9# keypad in real buttons? seems redundant with soft key option
c) Am i better off with the cheaper options to get used to wm rather the go for a more luxury option?
I plan to keep the phone for about 3 years.
also how useful is the wifi versus data plan( i am in Ontario Canada)?
i plan to use it to call long distance in Canada via Voip, as i am around wifi hot spots often.
Thank you to all who give me some input.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I heartily recommend the MWC-based handset reviews I've posted in the last week into this very forum (i-mate, HP, Samsung etc)

Thanks i'll chekc it out.
im considering either an Eten x650 or MWg Atom V
reviews and such look good for both

Considering an X7510 and looking for input...

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.

Wish list for a Universal 2

Since I got my first Universal (JasJar) some 2 years back, I have tried several other alternatives, including TyTN 2, HTC Touch Pro, and even Toshiba G910. I have always come back to the Universal. In fact, when I broke my JasJar, I replaced it with Vodafone V1640. I have come to conclude that the Uni is the closest to my ideal PDA/phone for a business user.
But I regret one or two things about the Universal, and I honestly wish we would have a Universal 2 to address these snags. My short wish list for Universal 2 are is follows:
1) Retain the present format - don't change the form factor; it is simply great as it is. Forget those who say it is too heavy or bulky - they don't know what they want. (If weight is your problem, then don't ask for a comfortable keyboard and a large screen as you have in the Uni.)
2) Give it 256MB RAM. This is by far the biggest issue with the current Uni with 64MB RAM. Often when I run something like TextMaker (SoftOffice), the device runs out of memory.
3) Make the stylus holder more secure. Either let it click into place or have a magnetic slot to secure it, like the HTC Touch Pro.
4) Make the SD card slot more secure - perhaps with a cover. As it is, it pops out rather easily.
5) Have a built-in GPS
Any further ideas for Universal 2?

We can fantasize all we want but we aint going to get it! There wont ever be a Uni 2 for sure....atleast i'm pretty convinced about it.
I just broke my uni a few weeks ago and couldnt help but buying another one...(was quite a struggle to find a seller!). I too love the form factor and ergonomics of the uni - simply brilliant.
Anyway, I guess I'll just wait up for a while until there is something like the TyTN 2 where you can tilt the display on the Touch pro and I might just buy one of them! Or the Touch HD Pro - if there will ever be one!
Cheers!
San
Anyway, for the "wishlist" I'd basically want a built in GPS, a better 3D accelerated graphics card, MORE RAM & storage, and an outside smaller display if possible!

Video out would be essential for me, & with that hardware run GFX.
Sadly I dont think there will be a Universal 2, although I wish they would. The line between laptop, PDA and mobile phone has blurred so much, all I really wish is that the mobile industry in general stops limiting the capabilitys of hand held devices (e.g. Iphone) with closed platforms, limiting hardware capabilities and add expansion ports.

Dear rsawoseyin,
You have a Grate Idea about Universal. I also love Universal very much.
If the Universal is made according to the Specs given by you and some other features, like Multitouch Display, Accelerometer, etc., like in iPhone, then it would become Deam Machine!!!!!!!!
So, you request the iMate or HTC to create such type of Universal.
Regards,
Shakeel Ahmed,
Datacom Engineer,
HUAWEI Technologies (Pvt.) Ltd.

I agree with you,
I have had Jasjar and Vodafone V1640. Now I've a Toshiba G900, I'm happy with it and I've started to cook roms for it, then G900 is really important for me.
But I've loved my UNI, perfect size for me, perfect display, perfect keyboard...
To have it today with its features plus a lot ram, storage and GPS, it'll be really a dream. Yes, today we have many devices like Xperia, HD, Touch pro... BUT, apart storage, ram and gps, no one offers all the things the UNI has!
And, if I had to add a thing on a new UNI, I would put the host usb function. I have it on G900 and it can be really usefull!

rsawoseyin said:
Since I got my first Universal (JasJar) some 2 years back, I have tried several other alternatives, including TyTN 2, HTC Touch Pro, and even Toshiba G910. I have always come back to the Universal. In fact, when I broke my JasJar, I replaced it with Vodafone V1640. I have come to conclude that the Uni is the closest to my ideal PDA/phone for a business user.
But I regret one or two things about the Universal, and I honestly wish we would have a Universal 2 to address these snags. My short wish list for Universal 2 are is follows:
1) Retain the present format - don't change the form factor; it is simply great as it is. Forget those who say it is too heavy or bulky - they don't know what they want. (If weight is your problem, then don't ask for a comfortable keyboard and a large screen as you have in the Uni.)
2) Give it 256MB RAM. This is by far the biggest issue with the current Uni with 64MB RAM. Often when I run something like TextMaker (SoftOffice), the device runs out of memory.
3) Make the stylus holder more secure. Either let it click into place or have a magnetic slot to secure it, like the HTC Touch Pro.
4) Make the SD card slot more secure - perhaps with a cover. As it is, it pops out rather easily.
5) Have a built-in GPS
Any further ideas for Universal 2?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You pretty much stated the main shortfalls of the Uni.
The only thing I can think of that you left out was EDGE compatibility....
I only been a Imate JasJar owner for 6 months however I love the device. I have a Wizard (T-Mobile MDA)...had it for almost 2 years but for work, I exclusively use my Uni. I send/receive A lot of emails at work and the Uni is perfect for that. Plus I like having an unique PDA.....I live in the US so many Americans never seen a Universal so most of my coworkers, friends, or people that happen to see me use the Uni look at it like WHAT IS THAT? lol.

http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=443421
I love the from factor "Micro laptop" but I have not seen anything for the future.....

davideuck said:
I agree with you,
I have had Jasjar and Vodafone V1640. Now I've a Toshiba G900, I'm happy with it and I've started to cook roms for it, then G900 is really important for me.
But I've loved my UNI, perfect size for me, perfect display, perfect keyboard...
To have it today with its features plus a lot ram, storage and GPS, it'll be really a dream. Yes, today we have many devices like Xperia, HD, Touch pro... BUT, apart storage, ram and gps, no one offers all the things the UNI has!
And, if I had to add a thing on a new UNI, I would put the host usb function. I have it on G900 and it can be really usefull!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Glad to see you're a Uni user too.
Even tho we both have the G900 and love the 800x480, hackibility/cookibility wise the Uni is just so reliable.
It's very hard to make a perfect ROM for G900 due to the GF5500's lack of proper driver while the Uni is just a plain PXA27x device with drivers readily available.
IMO the perfect Uni2 should have the following:
-PXA32x 800Mhz+ (CorePlayer makes great use of the newer SIMD - WMMX2)
-800x480 WVGA 3.8"
-KB
-Slightly less than 20mm thick
-Same folding/twisting style
-aGPS (from MSM6281)
-Tri-band HSDPA 3.5G (from MSM6281)
-256MB+ RAM
-512MB ROM
-SDHC (or even two! )
Or that concept Touch HD Pro, but with PXA32x 800Mhz instead plus MSM6281 for aGPS+HSDPA. Qualcomm's QTv isn't powerful enough for WVGA H.264 playback.

Too bad HTC haven't made a replacement for the Uni. The closest contender is the Blackstone.
My Imate JasJar's camera doesn't work so I just bought a O2 exec in mint condition off ebay for an excellent price. The O2 should last for a another year...when the price of the Blackstone goes down a bit.... $700+ for a new Blackstone is a bit steep right now for me...lol

even tho i never seen it, on paper Touch Pro looks like ideal replacement.
Nevertheless, here's my wish list for Uni 2
GOOD CAMERA. (For ****'s sake HTC, if after all these years u still cant make a good one, LICENSE technology from sharp or sony!!!!)
fast CPU (900Mhz +)
and 2D drawing acceleration chip
GOBS of internal flash memory (storage), 8+ GB
dump SD card slot, in favour of USB 2.0 access to the internal 8.0GB+ flash
lots of RAM memory, ie 512MB+
ipod/touch pro UI
QUAD band
reduce weight/thickness
higher capacity battery
GPS that works with TOMTOM
scratch/shock resistant case

Actually, I think that HTC meant Touch Pro to be Universals successor. While it is better only in some respects, it is the only device with at least comparable keyboard. You may say that display is too small. But should not need to tap display too often when you have a good keaybord.