Retiring my XDA IIi - what next? - General Topics

It has served me well for the last couple of years, but the time has come for a change.
I haven't been keeping track of all the new releases, so could I please ask for your recommendations for my next purchase?
- I am in the UK
- Would find a keyboard quite useful
- Not bothered about the camera
- Would be handy to be able to use it as an IR remote (without having to be a couple of feet away from the device for it to work!)
Thank you

me too.
it's been a good phone, but surely there's something better out there now...?
VGA, a keyboard and a less buggy OS would be nice.
but i want a phone - not something that's a work-out to lift to my ear.
failing that, i'll wait.
my II/IIi & I have been together for 3 yrs now. What's another?

Hi,
Some rambled jottings that may help...
My XDA 2i broke at Christmas.
I loved it.
Went in to the shop, and because I still had insurance they told me they would replace it free.
However I was told the XDA2i was no longer available, so they gave me a choice and sent me a free XDA EXEC.
After using this for a while, I went and got a (Artemis0) O2 Orbit. The Exec, even with ssome REALLy good features was not appropriate to my needs.
So, the XDA Orbit then....
Well. it's different.... and let me say first that it's fine - even 'really good'!!
So let me find a few niggles....
Its got a smaller feel (slightly slippery without case).
The latching mechanism of the card is a pain and may not last 3 years
But the fact it can do Navigation, wireless etc is a plus.
ActiveSynch 4.x is needed, and in my humble opinion is not so user friendly at 3.x.
My eyesights going now I'm in my late 50's and I think the screen size is just a bit too small. If you increase the text size, then things don't quite 'fit in', so it's not ideal.
However, I note the Athena 5 on the way and it sounds good .... is bigger - (too big?).
I also want 3G to get movies, and a plan that gives me really cheap internet.
... But in the meantime, I'm happy waiting with my Orbit until something better comes along.
Ann

The Orbit and HTC P3300 both have WiFi, Bluetooth and GPS on board, the T-Mobile variant (MDA-C-III) has no WiFi, if you don't need the WiFi the T-Mobile is by far the cheapest option for mobile internet access - Any of these devices are a nice unit and well worth considering, take a trip to your local store to check them out - Mike
No IR or keyboard though!

Related

Im planning to buy XDAIIs....any suggestion!!!!

hello everyone..
I hope you can help me and suggest what should I do.
Im planning to buy XDA IIs, i rad a lot of threads and reviews in the web and found good and bad comments.
I sold my HP 2210 already to earn money buying XDA IIs.
any comments and suggestion which unit is the best, is it XDA IIs or XDA IIi..XDAIIs is already here in the Philippines and i wait this for a long time.
have'nt heard yet XDAIIi here, i think this is not yet available now here in the philippines.
I like XDAIIi also but if i will wait again for this unit to become available, i think new O2 XDA model will come... so i will be confused again choosing..
Now, i plan XDA2s.... Is this unit worthy?even ifts too expensive?
suggestion pls..
Hope to hear your comments and suggestions within this week. plan to buy next week.
tnx a lot[/b]
It is a nice device. If u aren't a powerhouse user. then it is ok. If u loads lots of programs and plugins into it... then it will be real slow.
It is a nice device. If u aren't a powerhouse user. then it is ok. If u loads lots of programs and plugins into it... then it will be real slow.
XDAIIs runs better if you overclock it, but if you can contain your excitement for a few months, I'd wait for the MDAIV if I was you.
xda-rocks said:
XDAIIs runs better if you overclock it, but if you can contain your excitement for a few months, I'd wait for the MDAIV if I was you.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Can you link to the software to overclock it, does this impact on battery life a lot?
here you go; file for overclock. and do take note of the pic i've also attached; it's been said that it's the best configuration to follow. others who have tried using different settings seemed to have encountered units crashing or rebooting. no expert on this but i followed the config and it works great. as for battery life; i don't notice anything different. i even use animated today and still all's ok.
cheers mate
XDAIIs runs better if you overclock it, but if you can contain your excitement for a few months, I'd wait for the MDAIV if I was you.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
In my believe, if you can wait for MDA IV, then better just wait for MDA V, or still if you can be patient some more, just wait for MDA VI. In the end, you'll have nothing to wait cause you keep waiting and waiting.
General rule of thumb, if you need wifi, keyboard and much better battery life, buy Xda IIs. If you want additional larger screen, wait for MDA IV (but that may not be a "pocket" pc anymore due to its extra size and the battery may be a problem as well).
If you want to have Xda IIs, my suggestion, JUST GO FOR IT NOW!!!
I have just got an XDA2s as I liked the black case more than I liked the better camera and faster cpu of the XDA2i. I have to say - it is a great device - so many nice little extras compared to the XDA2 and I really like hte keyboard a lot. I also like the extra buttons - I can do loads of things without even touching the screen.
However, I am finding bluetooth not exactly great - useable but intermittant and the device has locked on me once already requiring a restart.
If I had the decision again I'd do the same thing though - my most favourite PDA/Phone yet!
Rich
XdaIIs
I've just got an XDAIIs after having several XDA2s' that wouldn't work properly. In my humble user opinion there are some advantages in having this latest version of the device but they are not significant. The keyboard is ok, but not great. It's too small to use for doing real work on especially if you want to use words and numbers. It is useful for finding contacts and entering numbers. There so many little methods to remember for getting capital letters or constant numbers that it becomes easier to use the keyboard on the device screen.
The slide screen function is not tactile enough and will open very easily after about 2 weeks of sitting and playing with it. I haven't read the manual yet and I suspect the 2 screws on the side adjust the slide tension.
the bluetooth is rubbish compared to the last version i had. In trying to make it more user friendly it now interfers with all sorts of things.
The extra buttons on the front of the device are useful and once you've moved things around to how you want them it's possible to get to most things very quickly. Tom Tom 3 seems to run ok but again the bluetooth connection is annoying when you try to disable Tom Tom as it keeps trying to connect. Not what you need whilst your trying to drive!
I'm not sure about he large shiny silver button in the middle of the device either, it looks awful and has a very cheap feel to it and is not a please to use. The camera and voice recorder buttons are less easy to press but still too easy.

Should I buy XDA IIs or IIi, help!

Hi there,
I have only owned SPV E100/E200 before so would appreciate advice as now moving onto Pocket PC phone.
On O2's website, they have got both the XDA IIs and IIi for £99 on price plans ranging from £20-£45, I'm going to get one, not sure which one!
My primary use for the phone will be:
Pocket PC usage,
TOM TOM,
Wireless LAN.
I know the IIi is newer and has a better digital camera, but the IIs's slide out keyboard looks so cool! But is it practical? or just unneeded? I haven't had a Pocket PC before so please fill me in!
Which has a better screen? or is more lighter? or just the one you would go for? Please tell me, and why! I have to make my choice soon and I'm letting out a sweat, opinoin's will be greatly appreciated! Many thanks,
For once, price is not a factor, making a choice has become so hard!
There’s a lot of topic like this in the forum already.. Do a search for "IIs IIi" (without the quotes and select search for all terms) and you'll find it all.
That depends whether you want the slide-out thumb keyboard or not.
The IIs has the keyboard, the IIi does not. The keyboard adds bulk to the unit and is according to people I know with them it's a bit of a waste of time. I'd go for the IIi.
Got an Xda 2i yesterday for £99, am very impressed with it. Even though it showed a fault I had with my wireless router and that cast me another £60, but it has connected wirelessly without any problems, it has paired with a BT headset without any problems and battery life is acceptable (will no doubt get better after a couple of charges). Am so far glad I got it, can now say bye bye to my ipaq and nokia phone :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:
If you want keyboard and unoffical WM5, go for XDAIIs. If you don't, go for XDAIIi.
Bottom line: I love XDAIIs's built-in keyboard...
Using IIs for 6 months...
Using IIs for 6 months. Love it... but do not really get a whole lot of use out of the keyboard due to poor shift vs. function key layout. If the IIi has a better camera, I would go for that. A WME 2005 unofficial for IIi will probably work sooner or later. Happy Using!
Steve
When making the same decision I was advised by the manager in my local O2 shop to go for the IIi as the IIs was somewhat unreliable, especially with respect to the slider.
The better camera isn't a particularly big draw for me, quality is patchy at best.
I did manage to score a tenner discount on the IIi without any argument from the shop manager, so well worth asking if you decide to go for one

GPS, WiFI, BT and Camera All in One Phone

:!: Sorry for the shameless attempt to get you here with a dreamy subject but it's relevant to the topic - honestly. :!:
I'm after a PDAPhone with built in everything. But looks so far like I'm going to have to compromise and get an external GPS receiver, however was just hoping someone might have a little gem that I couldn't find anywhere else in the forums.
I have owned and loved the O2 XDA range ever since my first XDA years ago and have since lugged around an XDAII. I damaged my II recently and have a nice cheque for £550 burning a hole in my pocket courtesy of the insurance company. This means that for the first time ever I don't need to go to a subsidised model. My initial thought was that I'd stump up a few extra quid and get a JamJar :lol: from expansys but now I'm a bit more mature I decided to check out the options first.
So far I've found (Ignoring Naming Variations):
Prices quoted are from expansys - they could be cheaper elsewhere. Pls let me know if you find any (UK Only though)
:arrow: iPAQ hw6515 - Looks a bit crap, small screen and no wi-fi listed but DOES have GPS & 1.3Mp Cam - Anyone know of any Square Aware issues with programs?
:idea: http://www.expansys.com/product.asp?code=120563
:idea: £439.95
:arrow: i-mate JAM - Small and sexy but no Wi-Fi and no GPS but would stop people asking if I've got a brick taped to my head. + 1.3Mp, COuld afford external GPS with this one.
:idea: http://www.expansys.com/product.asp?code=I-MATE_JAM
:idea: £359.95
:arrow:Qtek 9090- Has everything But GPS but would leave enough money for a BT GPS - No camera spec but I think it's 0.3Mp like the XDAIIs - Could be upgraded to WM5, My Mate has one and the Thumb Keyboard is easy to use whilst walking - If I use my head not my geekometer this is my favourite.
:idea: http://www.expansys.com/product.asp?code=QTEK_9090
:idea: £414.95
:arrow: i-mate JASJAR - Dogs balls but still no GPS and not much more than the 9090 + v Expensive & Getting Bigger - 1.3Mp Cam I think. (I have no 3G service anywhere near me so that's not a bonus) I really like the 3.5mm Jack - Overall a severe number of geek points! NO CRADLE Still needs GPS Seperate, not sure how useable while walking the keyboard will be. I really want one.
:idea: http://www.expansys.com/product.asp?code=119353
:idea: £669.95
:arrow: i-mate K-JAM - WiFi, BT etc, Smaller and lighter than Universal, WM5, 1.3Mp. I like the keyboard. Maybe my new best choice. JUST leaves enough money to think about an external GPS. Thanks JamiJam
:idea: http://www.expansys.com/product.asp?code=125518
:idea: £504.95
My criteria to consider are as follows, argue with them and persuade me otherwise with reasons if you so wish:
Phone + PDA Essential (Tri Band+)
Camera - Prefer 1+Mp
BT - Must Have
Wi-Fi - Optional but Preferred a lot
3G - Not required
Keyboard - Like to Have (It's awkward using handwriting when travelling)
GPS - Very Nice to Have I Drive a lot and would like to use TT in the future.
OS - Not Bothered, these can be changed
I have 1 Month to decide before I burst and spray money all over the place so I'd really appreciate any comments you might have.
Don't go off on any obscure tangents though please, post them in a new topic and link to it if you wish.
Wizard...
(aka K-Jam, aka Qtek 9100)
Not sure when it will be out but Orange are going to release the Wizard and call it the SPV M600. If you can wait then you'll have it subsidised. :wink:
hmmmmm
Ok, so far the Wizard is my favourite now. I'd completely forgotten about that. What's the keyboard like though? I'm not too fussed about the size (the one on the XDA III is smaller and still useable)? It's more the key action I'm bothered about.
Does it have those rubbish 'rubbery' 'spectrum' style keys? It looks like it does.
I'm still yearning for a Universal cos none of my mates will have one but my head is still saying I don't need it and one of the others will do everything I want.
AFAIK HTC has some kind of arrangement with compaq - HTC will not make a phone with GPS as it competes with a model HTC makes for compaq that does have GPS or something like that (the hw6515 maybe ?)
I have a Blue Angel (O2 XDA IIs) and it does all of this.
http://www.expansys.com/product.asp?code=I-MATE_III
WM5 now available and working fine on it.
It has a keyboard too, it's those blister things (more like a ZX81 than a spectrum) but it is useable, although the keyboard layout is a bit ****e.
What with the newer models coming out you should be able to pick one up cheapish.
I run mine with a Globalsat Bt-338 Bluetooth GPS and Tomtom 5
oh, and FYI, this PDA holder from halfords holds the BA perfectly and can be mounted to your dash. It obscures no ports.
(The pic is upside down BTW)
http://www.halfords.com/opd_product_details.asp?id=16600&type=0&cat=397
The keyboard on the wizard is excellent, in my humble opinion!
It also snaps in and out in a way that makes you feel it won't break down easily.
Finally, it automatically turns the phone's display into landscape mode, which is very handy.
Wizard or BA
I have to say I'm still impressed with the Wizard. Just made a scale model out of card (how sad is that) and it's tiny!
I like the BA but if the keyboard doesn't let the Wizard down I think it'll be my PDA of choice. The one thing I really didn't like about the Jam was its lack of Wi-Fi and that's solved in the K-Jam.
I assume the screen's readable, I like to think that I'll have good eyesight for a couple of years yet so I don't think the size will be an issue.
iPaq HW6515
I have tried without success to get details of the built-in GPS. The one authoritative source to whom I spoke was scathing about its performance. So whatever you do choose, I do not recommend the iPaq.
On a separate note I saw my first Jasjar close up today. It is lighter than you might think, but heavier than is reasonable for prolonged use as a phone. A bluetooth earpiece was being used that included a display for caller ID. As a data device it is pretty impressive.
I too run a GlobalSat BT-338 GPS, in my case with Mapopolis.
if you are going GPS, make sure it is SIRFstar III chipset (the current latest-and-greatest), especially if you live in a city as they are really good at "urban canyon" reception.
I have seen new BT-338s on ebay for £65 "buy it now" recently
plus another thing to think about...
a seperate BT GPS unit has various advantages:
1) Battery
It won't drain your PPC battery when operating, except the charge needed to communicate via BT.
2) Upgrading
If a new improved GPS unit comes out and you have an onboard GPS unit, you are carrying useless baggage and can't sell the old one.
Also bear in mind there will likely be new features added to GPS units.
one example: digital compass. At the moment, if you stand still and rotate, a GPS unit has no clue which way you are facing until you move. A GPS does already transmit heading AFAIK - it works out which way you are facing by assiming you are looking in the direction of travel. Integration of a digital compass therefore would probably require no changes to the protocol. This does exist ( see http://www.xemics.com/internet/solutions/compass.jsp?productID=108 )
3) Switching.
BT GPS units work on laptopss too you know
4) Safety. I use my GPS for a sport called mountain boarding. Same kinda deal as downhill mountain biking, I trace a route I have done using GPS software. I ride with my XDA in a reinforced case with foam in, but find the GPS reception suffers, so I keep the BT GPS unit in my bag and the XDA in the case.
Seeing as the XDA is MUCH more valuable than the GPS this makes sense.
5) Reception versus viewing position.
Sometimes the position with best reception is not the same as the position you can see the screen of your PPC best.
????
Good point.
Ok, more questions on the K-Jam
Camera: Says 1.3/2 Is this 1.3 with software to 'frig' it to 2?
Keyboard: Is the expansys keyboard silver ( http://www.expansys.com/product.asp?code=125518 ) or black ( http://www.expansys.com/zoompic.asp?type=item&code=125518 )
Silver ones look plastic whereas black ones look rubbery. Which have you got JamiJam? Is it from Expansys?
Processor: 200Mhz? Is that right? Seems quite a drop. Do you have any problems with media playback? I remember my XDA I used to have a problem playing big avi files.
Ta Very Much
Camera is 1.3MP, and it is ****.
Yes, it's better than the Magician, but it's still pretty bad. I wouldn't buy the Wizard hoping to use the camera for anything useful. In my opinion this is the #1 point on which HTC is lacking. They've worked on everything else, now they need to start putting decent cameras in these devices.
I have the silver keyboard and I bought my Wizard in a store. I believe that if you order from expansys you'll get a silver one.
Processor is 200MHz (different CPU architecture) but it seems to be on par with the Magician in practice, maybe 10% slower. So yes, you should be able to watch full screen movies, once you find a bit-rate/resolution/format that works for you. Not sure which XDA you had, but I would expect similar ballpark performance.
Hope this helps.
Ta
The 'performance lacking' XDA was the original XDA I and I'll take your word for it that performance is ok. I don't use it for anything too hot and my XDA II never had a problem with films.
To be honest, every camera phone I've had from the XDA Range was ****ty quality (Very grainy) but I spend a fair bit of time on site collecting info on wagons and stuff for my job and it's always handy to be able to snap a quick video or pic of something. The only reason I want a higher res is so that when some tit with a Sony Ericson goes on about his 2Mp camera I don't loose too many 'top trumps' points. I never print the pics and my main contract doesn't support GPRS so I don't often send MMS. You'd be surprised how easily you can still get by with just plain old WAP.
Good news on the silver buttons. I prefer them. Has anyone bought one from Expansys who can verify?
Sweetness & Joy
Just thought I'd post my decision for those of you who like seing things through to a conclusion.
After much ponderation and constructing various cardboard models I have decided on the HTC Wizard, purchased from expansys (i-Mate K-Jam). There's a delay on delivery at the moment (3 Days!!!! I can't wait) but once it arrives I'll post back with my oppinions.
I've also heard that my mate is buying the JasJar so I'll be able to make a comparison and post it back.
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:!: Come on Friday! :!:
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D'oh! Just a note not say the expansys delivery has been put back but they've dropped the price too.
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:!: Come on Some-Day! :!:
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Just been looking at some larger photos of the buttons
http://forum.xda-developers.com/files/keyboard-flash.jpg
I take back my spectrum comments, they look pretty good.
Hurrah!
Ok! I've got my Wizard at last. I ended up buying the Qtek 9100 rather than the K-Jam. Looks like I'll miss out on Club i-Mate. :-(
Thought I'd post my views on the phone here just to give closure to anyone reading this thread.
The screen is very sharp. Everything obviously is smaller because the pixels are closer together but the overall effect is a very good screen. The guy in our office with really bad eyesight liked it and he's normally a miserable git when it comes to gadgets.
I take back my comments about the keyboard, it looks fantastic, the action is really great and you can use it to type replies to text messages on the move, which is something I've always struggled with before using the Transcriber. People are also really impressed when the screen rotates thru' to landscape.
I've used it for playing some music and although the speakers built in are tinny as you'd expect, the headphones are really good. I don't know if they'd be the same for the i-Mate but they fit comfortably in my ears and have a very good sound compared to the old XDA & XDA II headphones (Not that that would be hard)!
I miss having a cradle. It was nice to be able to display your phone on your desk while it was charging. Just using a USB cable makes it all feel a bit less sexy as an experience but then you can't have everything I suppose.
The coolest thing I found was the Stylus. It's about 50mm long when it first comes out of the phone. Then you give it a little pull and it extends to... hold on let me get a ruler... 85mm. It's not as comfy to use as the XDA/XDA II styli but since i haven't used it for writing much it doesn't matter. The keyboard is so easy to pull out and use that I've only really used the stylus to point at stuff so that my fingers don't get the screen dirty. The softkeys in WM 2005 also mean that you rarely need to touch the screen.
It's a bit chunkier than I expected but still not big. It's only marginally bigger than my girlfriends Nokia 6230 and compared to an older XDA model it feels like it's tiny!
Voice recognition button on the side works really well so far. I've got about 10 contacts programmed in and it seems to be picking them up ok, even in the car.
Overall, i'm yet to find much of a fault with it. I'll try to get some piccies of bits posted sometime next week.
Feel free to ask any questions.
JASJAR II
When the damn thing releases.....of course
I really wouldnt auction my spare kidney and buy it, and then suffer with a RAM deficit! My xda 2 currently running on wm5, has 128megs ram and 32megs rom....compared to 43megs ram & rom of jasjar........one word.......RIDICULOUS!
i cant believe seeing a 7MB RAM free on a device, and i dont ever want to see it! HTC/ IMATE/ Whoever claim they put in less RAM for extended battery life....bucket of crap! I really dont care for those couple extra hours that i'd probably get, and i dont mind carrying a spare battery or a charger wherever i go....
Its a handicap which is BIG! Besides this, the Jasjar is divinely irresistable, and i cant stop oggling at it :shock:
So, i guess i'll wait for a JJ II to come out with same form factor, and somemore ram which would make the device practical....
HTC do you hear me??????
San
weeel
:shock:
RAM isn't everything. I have been using the device for a day now (Non-stop), often running WMP10, Outlook, PIE etc also playing Tomb Raider. I haven't noticed any diference between this and my XDA II which had I think 64Mb and a 400 odd MHz processor. The odd app is a trifle slow to load up but nothing more major than that.
If the battery life sacrifice is true, then it's not for this little puppy. All this usage (with wi-fi on but not actually using a wi-fi network) and the battery didn't drop below 60% yesterday (Using lightly whilst at work and heavily in the evening. I even synced using bluetooth).
Memory has crept down to 1Mb program mem free at times but I assume windows is just doing its thing because this comes back up after a while and I don't notice any drop in performance.
Re: Hurrah!
eayuwna said:
I miss having a cradle. It was nice to be able to display your phone on your desk while it was charging. Just using a USB cable makes it all feel a bit less sexy as an experience but then you can't have everything I suppose.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This site: http://www.mobilefun.co.uk/product/5735.htm claims that this desktop charger/cradle is compatible with the K-Jam so if that's true then it should be OK for your QTek. 8)

Reccomend a Phone thread

Hi folks, you know the drill, my current phone (an HTC Mogul) is getting past it's usefulness and once more I find myself on a hunt to find a phone that has the most of what I do want and the least of what I don't, in other words the best compremise between the device of my dreams and what's actually avaliable.
Further to this I am limited in funds so not only can I not go out and purchase a brand new top of the line model, the device I do end up getting will hopefully last me for a long time (or at least longer then the 1yr I got out of my Mogul).
Perhaps I should start by looking at why my current phone just doesn't do it for me anymore?
1) No wireless - Ever since I flashed it to 6.5 I have had no wifi.
2) No 3.5mm plug - The HTC proprieity adapter hardly works half the time either.
3) OS - 6.5 WiMo flashed is pretty unstable, I regularly have to reset the device because it locks up or just won't work.
4) QVGA - probably the best I can afford, but I do a lot of reading on this and a higher res would be better for my eyes.
5) CDMA - I really need a quadband simcard capable phone.
So what do I want?
1) Wifi, bluetooth, GPS
2) 2mp camera or better
3) 6.5 Wimo native, preferably with duel boot capibility
4) 3.5 or 2.5mm audio output, or HTCusb that actually works!
5) Keyboard if possible (I really like the qwerty thumboard on my Mogul)
6) WVGA or VGA would be nice, but it might be out of my price point.
7) GSM QUADBAND!
Any reccomendations of models would be nice, thankyou
Go for Rhodium!
Definitely the best hardware device out there
If want to spent less money you can try Rapahel or even less (if you find someone who want to sell) Universal
Thanks for the recc, I will check those two out
I agree with ORB you should go for a Rapahel because it has so many roms to flash and it is cheap compared to the latest devices .
DannyFenton said:
I agree with ORB you should go for a
Rapahel because it has so many roms to flash and it is cheap compared to the latest devices .
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hmm, looking at ebay, the Rhod looks like its about $100 more then the Raph
or $300 for the Touch2 and $210 for the Raph.
At those prices it seems like it would be better just to pay the difference?
Also no one will ship to New Zealand
Yes on that case better go for Rhodium
I have seen ebay sellers who ships to almost any part of the world.
Also have a look on marketplace section, you can find very good deals
Good luck,
UPDATE: I bought myself a HTC Rhodium, very happy with it.
Now, I want to buy my GF a new phone for her birthday. Currenty she is using my ****ty old Blue Angel with WiMo 6.1
She uses the phone everyday (carries it around in her bag), but the only thing she does on it is read. She sometimes sends text messages, but usually not. She hasn't really used any of its other features or installed her own programs or anything (she is a programmer, so she does have the skills to do so).
At the moment I'm tossing up between a HTC Diamond, Diamond 2, Touch HD and another Rhodium. I'm leaning more toward the Diamond1 though. We generally try to avoid spending lots and she's more then happy with the PDA2k so even the diamond is a big upgrade and isn't too expensive.
I use my Rhodium to read alot of comics, but at 480x640 the screen should be highres enough to be an improvement. The other reason I'm leaning toward the Diamond is because of it's small size, and easier for her to carry around.
So, my question: Is there anything wrong with the Diamond that I should consider, and are there any other devices with VGA or better resolution in a similar price range that I should take a look?
Also what is the difference between the Touch Pro and the Diamond (besides the keyboard)?
If you need keyboard go for Raphael, if you don´t need it go for Diamond 2, I buyed one in marketplace for 180US a few months ago.
Or take another Rhodium
Why the recommendations for Rapheal? I am ready to put mine through a wall. The keyboard has gone flaky in the last three months...(delete requires holding down, not just press, P has started to not work, space now triple spaces)
In addition the screen started to separate over the 'x' button about two months back, now I hve that leaky black spot you get when screens break. The control pad at bottom has started to have the plastic cover start to come up.
In the last month the phone has decided to start dropping calls and even losing towers completely. (I have not changed anything on phone in over 6 months) I have rebooted the phone at least 10 times in last three weeks because of screen starting lock up, non-responsive push buttons, and complete lost of tower without attempting to reaquire.
This phone is going tits-up recently and I have had it locked to Edge forever because it will not hold a 3G signal in a very large city.
Not a recommend from me.
Thanks for the reccomendatiom - and the non recccomendation ^_^;
(silly extra text because my message was too short)
Ok, at this stage I am leaning toward the HTC Touch. The touch is fatter, but it looks like it has a lot more memory which has surely got to result in a better user experiance. It's about the same price as a diamond as well - I just have to find someone on here to sell a raphael to me.
I have a moderately worn Tmo Touch Pro 2 I'm selling off on ebay later today. Only doing a 3 day auction starting at $0.99. If interested I'll post a link. Pics are great of the scratches so you can probably grab it for $125-$150.
a link sounds good
Willuknight said:
Ok, at this stage I am leaning toward the HTC Touch. The touch is fatter, but it looks like it has a lot more memory which has surely got to result in a better user experiance. It's about the same price as a diamond as well - I just have to find someone on here to sell a raphael to me.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Oh how I remember my HTC Touch days. That phone & the Mogul were a nightmare for many of us & we couldn't get rid of it fast enough.
Sent from my PC36100 using XDA App
Willuknight said:
a link sounds good
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=200489715435&ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT
ScandaLeX said:
Oh how I remember my HTC Touch days. That phone & the Mogul were a nightmare for many of us & we couldn't get rid of it fast enough.
Sent from my PC36100 using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What where the main issues you had with it?
I've just upgraded from my mogul to the touch2, and the main issue I had with the mogul was the low res and slow processor compared to the touch 2, but overall it was a good phone.
NEED ANDROID PHONE WITH Qwerty keyboard
I'm looking for a new phone to replace my aging G1 but I dont want to give up the real keyboard. The mytouch slide is nice but it's hardware isn't on par with nexus one or htc incredible. The new Samsung Galaxy S Pro with sprint seems promising but not so sure about community support. I love how with my G1 I have so many options, so many great ROMs from Cyanogen and others on XDA. I'm worried that If I go with a samsung I will have better hardware but very few choices when it comes to moded roms. Is there an alternative phone out there with hardware on par with the latest HTC phones that have a slide out keyboard. Any one care to offer thier opinions??
whats your budget?
android or wimo?

Htc 7 pro - warning - do not buy !

Hello
I just want to warn everybody that want to buy HTC 7 PRO. It has been 5 days since it arrived from UK. It is already packed and ready for a journey back to reseller. It suppose to be a business tool but it with that kind of battery life it is just a joke. But U can somehow manage the juice usage and it is not the worst part. The worst thing about it is sliding mechanism. There are "reviews" all over the internet saying that great and durable. But it is a lie. It is weak designed and the build quality is also not so good. It makes "spring like" sound when it tilts and what annoy me the most is that after 5 days front part of mechanism wobbles. The keyboard is awesome but in combine with such poor sliding mechanism it is not a thumb up at all. I can not imagine how this mechanism will behave after couple of months with heavy business usage and seriously I really do not want to know. If You will add to this poor built headset Windows Phone 7, which is in my opinion awesome but still have a lot missing the HTC 7 PRO it is not a good choice. And I seriously do not recommend to buy it. The most funny part is the HTC customer support. I shared my concerns with them and they replied:
"all I can advise you is to use both hands when sliding the mechanism"
I expected the answer like "we tested the mechanism in advanced tests and it is designed to take a lot of hard usage"
but noooo they just advised me to use both hands. I wasn't quite sure if I want to send it back, but after I read their reply I will send it back for sure.
Of course the HTC BH M300 which was free gift has to be sent back also
I do not care that I spend a lot for delivery both ways I do not want to have this phone in my pocket, it is not worth even half money it costs.
Cheers
Pawel
Thanks for the heads-up. Have been wanting a landscape slider and looked at the Quantum, but I couldn't type good with it so I passed it by. If not knowing the user experience of the 7 Pro, I like its looks well enough to consider it. But thanks to you, I can discard it.
marianoitalianoo said:
There are "reviews" all over the internet saying that great and durable. But it is a lie.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Did you ever think about the possibility that you've simply got a broken device?
I agree, I just got my hands on one and it's terrible... the battery life is at best on par with the HD7 and the keyboard though decently laid out feels cheap. the sliding mechanism is gritty and I do hear that spring noise...
I received mine from O2 Germany three days ago and I'd like to share my opinion that is much more favourable than the above posts.
On the hardware, I will not mention things that we all could miss such as a front camera, a micro SD card slot, I'll concentrate on what we have:
- tilt screen, I love this! You will hear a spring noise when sliding and tilting the keyboard out, yes. So what? Usage will show if it has been badly designed and cannot resist prolounged usage (and if so, it will be my pleasure to send it back to O2 during the warranty period to get a replacement phone).
- the screen is crisp, has a good contrast and is very responsive, I do not have any complaints here
- the sound is much better than past HTC phones I had such as Qtek S200, HTC Touch Pro, Blackstone and even HD2
- the material of the keyboard is of the type "grip" plastic and suits my taste. The keyboard is rather well designed, BUT we miss the ability to change language from within the hardware keyboard itself (the Touch Pro allowed this and it was very useful) and the ability to get CAPS LOCK - both issues very annoying. In comparison, the smileys key is really useless in a business phone and could have been replaced with a more useful feature!
- as far as the battery is concerned: as I am currently roaming, I have chosen to be in 2G mode, no wan access and with w-lan always on. I have the phone sync with 4 email accounts, three calendars, three contacts databses, and facebook + windows live. I managed to have the phone on with no recharge for two full days, with one hour of calls and approx. 40 internet pages browsed! I suspect that in 3G mode, with wan access an wlan on, this will drastically fall and result in the phone surviving less than a day on an intial full charge (same as with HD2 or similar devices, actually). I shall report when I have tested this.
- Before receiving the device, I was a little bit concerned about weight. Although it would be nice to have it 60 grams lighter, which would be quite a performance for its format, it is actually not an issue: the phone is simply big and I know this before buying it
- Speed is always very dependent on the OS. With WP7, it feels more responsive than a HD2 with Sense
- Mass storage: 8 Gb of which "only" 5.6 available is enough for my needs, but definitely too tight for those who want to carry 20 music albums and 5 full films with themselves (which is not an unreasonable expectation). The good surprise however is the speed at which files are being transferred from the PC to the phone (I did not measure it but it was definitely quicker than my class 4 SD Card with 64kb cluster size)
On the software (sigh):
- first feel of a system that is straightforward to understand and to use but...
- no copy paste. Other WP7 limitations such as lack of customization possibilities or lack of flash support or limited landscape support. We were warned. I personally can live with it.
- typical windows narrow-minded approach: exchange does not work if the certificate of the server is not matching its IP address, although iOS and Android support this with no problem, this makes me crazy!
- need to use exchange or windows live to replicate contacts and agenda, no active sync anymore. Lots of time lost to find a way to get Outlook synchronyze with the Phone via Outlook Connector. Need to copy paste contacts and calendar between Outlook main account and Windows live, no automatic synchronization between the two within Outlook - very very very poor design of the whole ecosystem
- need to use Zune. Cute programme but redundant with Windows Media Player WMC. MTS video format (used by my Lumix HD camera) seemingly not supported. Android does.
- only English, German an Spanish languages supported by the phone delivered by O2. I need more languages such as Italian and French
- no smart dial nor the possibility to jump to a contact by entering the first letters of it - you have to scroll the contacs or use the search functon, a real pain!
All in all, I think it is a good bit of hardware for business purposes, even if not at the forefront of the current possibilities (amoled screen, tegra processor, storage). You can live with the OS but it has to improve quickly to live up to its ergonomy promises. The reasons I did not buy the Desire Z were the processor, the three rows keyboard (instead of four) and the screen not tilting. The reason why I would not buy the HTC 7 Pro is... WP7. I've hesitated long and I've decided to stick to the device in the hope that WP7 improves soon, but I also hope that we will soon be able thanks to the XDA community to load other OS such as Android on it should Microsoft not deliver
Thanks,
I saw your reply and ended up with HD7. great device.
Prophete said:
Usage will show if it has been badly designed and cannot resist prolounged usage (and if so, it will be my pleasure to send it back to O2 during the warranty period to get a replacement phone)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I asked HTC what if in time the sliding mechanism will fail to deliver high usability let say and just break.
They said that warranty do not cover "wear and tear" , so if it will get damaged, You will get nothing from O2, maybe some stickers or key chain
it's the same thing htc singapore told me before
i went to replace the keyboard on my touch pro twice
the same keys failed both times (0, space bar, backspace)
guess what? they told me to use the onscreen keyboard more! if so, what is the point of buying a phone with a physical keyboard?
I am ashamed to say that It turns out that the only thing that actually works as supposed to is iphone :/
I have a love/hate relationship with HTC.
Most, if not all of their devices are very beautifully-looking. But I will always question their build quality, and that's ultimately their downfall, because it's ****. I mean, it's hit or miss with their devices. They either knock it out of the ballpark or fail at something that makes you scratch your head and wonder. For example, something as simple as their power buttons. But I won't get into it. I wouldn't be surprised if the keyboard on the HTC 7 Pro fails after prolonged use.
Hello All,
I just wanted to add my 5 cents...
I bought an HTC 7 Pro almost as soon as they were available from O2 Germany since they are not available in Luxembourg.
I have to say that the device is great!!
The tilt mechanism is smooth, and works really well. The battery life is fantastic!! I have sync with my exchange server running all day and with that, phone calls (not too many), using the GPS etc, I have so far never gone below 50% battery.
I wonder if HTC have manufacturing problem because you seem to be less happy, but I can honestly say that I find the phone to be GREAT and would HIGHLY recommend it!!
Hi, I also do not agree. The phone is great.
Indeed you need to slide with two hands, but a springy sound does not bother me. It probably is a spring If anything breaks than I expect normal warrenty.
WP7 is a blast! I needed to set my PC to US to trick Marketplace, but otherwise it is great. Many apps already and more on the way.
That was my 5 cts.
Maybe my problem is that I expected much more for the price. The price is only a bit less then Iphone 4 which costs in UK 510 quids. But the build quality of i device is a lot better.
I really like WP7 and iOS looks childish a bit
Just posted to Clove cheers
Just picked up mine from Sprint today and I have to say it is well built and I'm loving WP7 so far!
I to just got the Arrive and I have to say, it is definatly worth changing over from my Evo. I've been playing with this all day and havn't had to charge it yet (going off the initial charge it had from factory).
The keyboard works great, device tilts wonderful and while i'll admit, it's not the easiest to open one handed, it's still possible.
Nothing like the TP2 if anyone is wondering, it's alot slicker, feels better, works better.
WARNING!!!
Do NOT install and run the free HTC app "Connection Setup" with the Sprint Arrive.
I had to hard reset multiple times until I narrowed it down with Sprint Tech Support (who said they had an HTC Tech Rep on site during this launch). If you run it with Sprint as your carrier it will lockout your data connection until you hard reset (wifi will still work though). It took me a while to figure out which app screws up while on the phone with them, but it's definately this app and they confirmed it with an Arrive they had on hand. They still haven't removed it from the Marketplace yet, so here's your fair warning.
Hopefully this will save someone a lot of time and frustration after setting up your phone, only to have to redo it all over again. Cheers.
I am the Arrive advocate at my Sprint store, and I can confirm that I had the same issue with the HTC connection setup program. After hard resetting the phone my data connection came right back, but DO NOT download that program as of this point.
I was getting download speeds between 71kbps and 300kbps. I used the HTC connection setup and it also borked the data. It took me 2 hard resets and like 8 tries forcing data provision until it worked again.
I'm still getting piss poor download speeds and so it my TP2 that is on the same plan. I'm calling Sprint tomorrow to have an engineer look at my account settings. The Sprint store employee said he could do nothing if it was working at all. Had mine since 3/18.
Thanks Savage for the heads up! I was looking at that app until I read your posts.

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