Related
:!: 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)
-------------- EDIT ----------------
READ WARNING AT FOOT OF MSG
------------------------------------
Hi,
Does anyone else have this phone? I took the gamble after reading a lot of reviews about the g-Smart range, mostly negative, and upgraded to this from the MDA Pro/HTC Uni.
I have had only two glitches with it todate, and neither serious, was wondering if anyone else had this handset and what their views are.
If anyone has got the handset, and from the London/Essex/Kent areas of the UK if they can post the settings that they have for the TV tuners, it would be GREATLY appricated.
Also does anyone know of any themes or add-ons designed for this device?
All in all, I'm glad I ordered the 128Mb version from Thai instead of getting the 64Mb version available to the UK, if anyone is thinking about this phone, I truely recommend it!
---------------------------------------------------------------
WARNING - WARNING - WARNING - WARNING - WARNING - WARNING
PLEASE ENSURE THAT IF YOU ALTER THE ROM IMAGE OF YOUR GIGABYTE HANDSET THAT YOU USE THE CORRECT VERSION FOR YOUR DEVICE. IE. UPDATING THE G-SMART I (64M VERSION) WITH A ROM IMAGE FOR THE G-SMART I128 *WILL* BRICK YOUR PHONE.
YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED
WARNING - WARNING - WARNING - WARNING - WARNING - WARNING
I am also looking for the same..can u post more info as how is the speed, Visibility and especially the TV TUner..and if possible post some screen shorts..
yes more info and pics plz,wot are the pros and cons?
jaceuk said:
yes more info and pics plz,wot are the pros and cons?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Screen shots I can work on, but not able to get them at the mo as Mrs has the camera, but as soon as she's back, no problem...
These are compatible with PAL and NTSC, but not the french system SECAM (or something like that). The picture quality varies from area to area, I've had not that good picture at home in Kent area, but in London it's blinding, then visited someone else in Kent and great aswell.... if you can get a portable TV working, you'll get this working! You don't have to use the aerial thing if you're not keen, the headphones have an aerial built into them aswell...
If you are interested please DONT bid on any of the ones on eBay for ~100, they are ALL cons, if you look at the feedback, they are all from (0) feedbackers, no-longer members, and is a scam to get your dosh.
The only seller I've found that I would recommend is the one that I got it from in Thailand called Gadget-Gear, if you do a search for that name you will see he has stock of the 64Mb and 128Mb version.
The 128Mb version is the one to go for, it is expensive about US$830 including postage, but when you think of the prices of new HTC devices... not that much...
The 64Mb is available to purchase from www.expansys.co.uk, but I wouldn't get this version, as there's a lot less RAM and the glitches aren't fixed.
With the 128Mb version you get the aerial, a spare battery, desktop battery charger, and case all bundled with it, these are bits that are optional extras with the 64Mb one.
There are several great features that this phone has that my HTC uni doesn't, following are the pro's/con's compared to that, but all in all I think it's a GREAT phone.
PRO - Answer phone facility - which allows screening, you can hear the messages live as they are leaving it. Messages are stored on the phone, saving network costs.
PRO - Size & Weight - small handheld, and light.
PRO - Mapping of the hardware buttons - with the Uni you could map the Record button to do something different if you held it... with the G-Smart you can do this with all eight main buttons.
PRO - You get the super high capacity battery as well as the standard one, so you can choose slim phone, or long lasting power.
PRO - Phone recording - when set up, press the camera button during the call, and the call will be recorded and saved to the phone. Handy to prove what was said - (but remember to notify the person first,,, may be illegal otherwise... blah blah)
PRO - Background effects - out on the beer with mates? Told the Mrs that your at work... activate the overdub and she'll here the sounds of the office, the street, the station, airport etc in the background of the call...
PRO - 2.1 megapixel camera.
PRO - Pocket Ghost is preinstalled and great to backup/restore!
CON - no hardware keyboard,, but get TenGo Thumb... and who cares?!
CON - Mini-SD and none provided, but you can pick up a 1Gb one like I did from eBay for under a tenner including postage... great stuff.
All in all as I say, I've had one real problem, but it was my own fault, put a tweak that wasn't compatible on the phone, and crashed it, but hard reset and hey presto!
I've heard the customer service isn't that good from GB but I've not needed to use it, I tend to rely on forums like these to speak to real experts anyway... but the problem I had I got in touch with Gadget-Gear as first thought it was down to the phone and he was incredibly helpful.
As far as the phone, the build quality, the case and extras supplied...Gigabyte, you've done a great job.
Here are some pictures of my pride and joy...
I've put it next to a Sony Ericsson Z520i, so you can judge size etc, don't have any other phone at the mo.
hdubli said:
I am also looking for the same..can u post more info as how is the speed, Visibility and especially the TV TUner..and if possible post some screen shorts..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Speed. fantastic, no issues with it at all, runs a lot smoother than my Uni ever did, got LOT more free space!, lot more memory for applications to run.
Visibility, the screen is a lot more sharper than my uni, and my mates O2 Mini, can't think of the HTC model of that one...
TV, as I've said, it's as good as the signal you have available, I've had crystal clear pictures in UK with PAL-i though. :-D
This is where I got mine from...
Great seller...
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/NEW-GIGABYTE-...ryZ64355QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
There's a favorable review of this phone on a Thai website http://www.mrpalm.com/getcontent3.php?tid=389 My wife, who happens to be Thai, translated it for me & it echoes most of what jmdrizen says.
I'm looking to buy either the O2 Atom Exec or Gigabyte g-smart i128 mainly because I want a smaller pda phone. Not too fussed about a hardware keyboard as I'd rarely use it. Also camera quality isn't important for me either.
I want the phone to be fast because I use it primarily for GPS, Skype, watching the odd video & a bit of internet surfing.
jmdrizen I have a few question if poss
1/ Mr Palm says that the screen is a bit 'yellow' is it really bad?
2/ He also says that the speaker is very loud & clear, best of all the pda phones he's tried so far. I notice that speaker is on the back of the phone so when its on a table with the screen naturally facing up is the sound muffled & low or is it still loud enough to be heard acroos the room?
3/ Have you tried it with GPS or Skype - how does it handle these programs.
4/ How long did it take to arrive & did you get stung by customs. My wife is going to Thailand @ Xmas time but I can't wait that long..
Thanks
zen123 said:
jmdrizen I have a few question if poss
1/ Mr Palm says that the screen is a bit 'yellow' is it really bad?
2/ He also says that the speaker is very loud & clear, best of all the pda phones he's tried so far. I notice that speaker is on the back of the phone so when its on a table with the screen naturally facing up is the sound muffled & low or is it still loud enough to be heard acroos the room?
3/ Have you tried it with GPS or Skype - how does it handle these programs.
4/ How long did it take to arrive & did you get stung by customs. My wife is going to Thailand @ Xmas time but I can't wait that long..
Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
To answer those:
1) Not noticed this, if anything I think the screen is sharper and clearer, I've compared it to the HTC Uni, O2 Mini, and Sony Ericsson W800i, and myself and my colleagues rate the Gigabyte g-Smart i128 as the better screen. Once every now and again - and extremly rarely - the screen shows a few dots like you get when your TV signal loses for a second, but that's it, and it is VERY rare.
2) The speaker is great, it is louder than that of the HTC Uni, but then that doesn't take much! You're right that it's on the back, but the camera lens sticks out about 1-2mm which means the speaker won't be flat on the table if you lay it flat, I've not noticed any problems with the audio, loud, crisp and clear. Great for when I'm in the car and got the TomTom going...
3) I use TomTom Navigator 5.21, which runs like a dream, fast, and pairs with the TomTom Bluetooth without any errors or problems, first time and everytime.
I've not used Skype much, don't know anyone with a Skype contact, but this comes preloaded with SkypePLUS which has extra settings and features to the normal Skype.
4) I had a slight snag with the delivery, Gadget-Gear stated it would take 7-14 days from Thailand to UK, which is acceptable, he posted it with Thailand Post, and gave a tracking number, about 5 days into it I got impatient, and emailed him discovering that for some reason it was posted back, but Gadget-Gear was already on the case, and posted it FedEx Express to me, all in all it was in my hand 7 days after I paid for it. Fantastic - I have nothing but praise for Gadget-Gear, the manual is in Thai, but you can download a copy of this, which I can't post at the moment, but will try again later... but the phone is English OS ROM, and he chucked in a UK adapter aswell.
I ended up purchasing a UK plug and Car adaptor, which are available from expansys.
Hope this helps!!
Oh and more importantly, I forgot... call quality - FANTASTIC! Clear and loud.
ALSO, another great thing about this phone is the Bluetooth Headset software, once the headset is paired, it will use that as the speaker if you like, so you can have TomTom or whatever audio you have going threw your headset. It has Voice Commander, not the cut down Voice Dialer, so is a lot better for voice commands.
zen123 said:
There's a favorable review of this phone on a Thai website http://www.mrpalm.com/getcontent3.php?tid=389 My wife, who happens to be Thai, translated it for me & it echoes most of what jmdrizen says.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Also, Zen, the phone they're reviewing in that site is the g-Smart i, I've got the g-Smart i128. It's even better than the site says, as it's got a few glitches sorted out, and the RAM helps,
Memory Details of mine are:
Storage: Total 117.29Mb, In Use 62.67Mb, Free 54.62Mb
Program: Total 50.32Mb, In Use 37.81Mb, Free 12.51Mb,
Don't let the only 12.5 free program memory fool you though, it runs a lot faster than my Uni did with double that! And this doesn't have the 520 processor either!
Thanks for the reply.
As I said I'm also looking at the O2 Atom Exec, heard good things about that as well. I was an early adopter & bought the original O2 Atom but that was a piece of [email protected] so I'm a bit skeptical about the new version.
The only thing I'm not too keen on re the i128 is the covers for the power outlet & non standard headphone socket.
I'm using the company Mio A701 at the moment & seriously miss the built in wifi of my lost HTC Wizard, although the built in GPS is great. There's too many deficiencies with the phone part of the Mio to make it a keeper.
I read there's a Gigabyte i300 on the way which has gps & wifi so I might even wait for that.
Anyways thanks for the reply & enjoy your new toy.
Very useful information...I just want to know the display font visibility as compared to say Magician or Prohet or Atom...do we need to stress too much our eyes...
zen123 said:
The only thing I'm not too keen on re the i128 is the covers for the power outlet & non standard headphone socket.
I read there's a Gigabyte i300 on the way which has gps & wifi so I might even wait for that.quote]
The non-standard headphone sockets not really an issue, as the i128 also comes with a converter to take your 2.5 connections
Where's the review on the i300?
Cheers!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
hdubli said:
Very useful information...I just want to know the display font visibility as compared to say Magician or Prohet or Atom...do we need to stress too much our eyes...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've not got one of those three devices to compare, but it the screen is sharper than the Uni, you can have cleartype, but I prefer it without.
jmdrizen said:
The non-standard headphone sockets not really an issue, as the i128 also comes with a converter to take your 2.5 connections
Where's the review on the i300?
Cheers!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Now that's cool. You are slowly twisting my arm.
The i300 isn't released yet.
Some more questions
1/ does the i128 have stereo over bluetooth
2/ can it be set up so that when the device goes to standby the screen is locked & can be woken by any of the buttons. When woken the screen remains locked. My Mio can do this but not the Wizard .
3/ I have TTN5 aswell what's the signal acquisition times? Is there any lag? What cradle do you use? I have a Brodit pro clip but they don't make a cradle for it yet.
I was thinking how cool it would be have the tv function on when stuck in a traffic jam it'd make time pass quicker.
zen123 said:
Some more questions
1/ does the i128 have stereo over bluetooth
2/ can it be set up so that when the device goes to standby the screen is locked & can be woken by any of the buttons. When woken the screen remains locked. My Mio can do this but not the Wizard .
3/ I have TTN5 aswell what's the signal acquisition times? Is there any lag? What cradle do you use? I have a Brodit pro clip but they don't make a cradle for it yet.
I was thinking how cool it would be have the tv function on when stuck in a traffic jam it'd make time pass quicker.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1/ I'm not too sure about this, I've read that it does from a review, but haven't got a stereo bluetooth handset to test it. Does have the latest ROM features that everyone was after with the Uni, so *think* it does.
2/ I have mine set up to go into standby with PsShutXP, by launching it by pressing and holding the Call History button, you can have it so any button wakes, but I have it so only the power button does to avoid unwanted re-activation. It is also set up to lock on resume from standby, and initial activation, so yes.
3/ It connects to my genuine TomTom MkII bluetooth in seconds, as soon as the device has a signal, my phone's received it, no noticable lag.
The only thing I'm after for it is a propper car holder, and case, the case that comes with it is a great pouch, but I want something that I can access all the ports, and use without having to take it out. If you or anyone knows of anything... that'll be great!
Gigabyte g-Smart i300
Found the details about the i300, it does look a great phone, but doesn't have the TV, only the FM Radio.
Think I'd rather have the TV feature than the GPS, as TomTom MkII is fine for me!
jmdrizen
Hi how you getting on with the g-smart?
I just got a Orange SPV M3100. Great phone but wayy too buggy. I just sent it back to Orange & canceled the contract (14 day return). I'm still very interested in the G-smart.
My main concern is reliability. I don't want something thats unstable.
B prepared for 192 MB ROM Version..it will b there in a month's time...
Anyone know UK TV Frequencies???
hdubli said:
B prepared for 192 MB ROM Version..it will b there in a month's time...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The 192Mb version doesn't have the same features though I don't think.
And I'm more than happy with the phone, there were two small glitches, but think it was due to imcompatibility with third party software, as I've removed it, and they havent occured since.
The only thing that I'm after, I don't know if any one in the UK can help is the TV frequencies for the main five channels? The scan scans from 1-453, but this takes a while, you can scan small regions for the five channels, can anyone point me in the direction of where to find a narrower range for BBC1/2, ITV, C4 and C5?
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
So this year I've decided to spoil myself and buy a new toys, something I haven't done in a longggggg while
Anyways, I'm very seriously thinking of getting Windows Mobile smartphone because it seems to me that the technology is at such a level that they're now actually becoming computers you can carry in your pocket (pocket pc!). I travel a lot and I have to bring a lot of equipement with me so I'm looking to combine several devices into one to save weight and space.
I've been doing my homework in the last 2 weeks and I think I have it narrowed down to 2 devices: the HTC Fuze and the Samsung Omnia. There are other interesting devices on the market unfortunatly I do have a limited budget and these 2 are at the upper limit, hence why the Xperia isn't mentionned.
So far the Fuze seems more interesting because for almost the same price I get multi-touch, a real keyboard and a VGA screen however I'm wondering if it truly fits my needs.
Essentially I want something that:
-will act like a beefed up PDA almost computer like level(hence WinMo)
-be usable when a travel therefore needs quadband GSM and ideally triband 3G. I don't intent to use 3G data just yet because it's too expensive in Canada but I see that criteria as futureproofing such an expensive purchase incase GSM is one day shutdown for voice.
-has a good enough screen that I can use it as a ebook reader (been doing that with my Ipaq RX3115 for about 5 years now)
-handle a bit of multimedia, mainly mp3 but a bit of video wouldn't hurt.
And this brings me to a question: does the Fuze always come with the 3.5mm adapter? I'm in Canada so I'd most likely be being an imported ATT phone
Also, what about the warranty? Am I SOL since it's imported or could I get warranty support straight from HTC?
-act as a GPS WITHOUT a data connection. Reading on this it seem possible to use TomTom with the device in a reasonnable fashion; I don't mind waiting 2-3 minutes for the GPS to lock but 15-20 mins would be more annoying...
Basically as much fonctionnality as possible in one device.
I also understand that there are MANY roms available for this device; considering that I'm not currently a power user (but might eventually become one) can I expect acceptable performance with the stock rom? I don't mind loading up new apps, I've been doing that on my venerable old Ipaq for a while but I'd rather start slow with this.
Also, can I expect reasonnable speed running programs off the SD card? This is one major advantage of the Omnia since it has 16gb onboard storage.
What about Wifi performance? I assume it's going to be on par with my Ipaq, i.e. not as good as my laptop but still usable is the access point isn't too far away.
And finally, how long can I except the battery to last? I won't be making call all day, probably more in the lines of listening to music and sending email via wifi. Probably a bit of ebook reading as well.
Basically the Fuze seems like the idea device except for a few issues I've been reading about here which I'm trying to determine how major they are.
Anyways, comments appreciated
Cheers!
Pat
Anyone?
Pat
Welcome to the forum
I can recommend you to enter here, select the compeonents you want on a device and check the options
http://www.pdadb.net/index.php?m=pdachooser
Good luck,
Pat007 said:
So this year I've decided to spoil myself and buy a new toys, something I haven't done in a longggggg while
Anyways, I'm very seriously thinking of getting Windows Mobile smartphone because it seems to me that the technology is at such a level that they're now actually becoming computers you can carry in your pocket (pocket pc!). I travel a lot and I have to bring a lot of equipement with me so I'm looking to combine several devices into one to save weight and space.
I've been doing my homework in the last 2 weeks and I think I have it narrowed down to 2 devices: the HTC Fuze and the Samsung Omnia. There are other interesting devices on the market unfortunatly I do have a limited budget and these 2 are at the upper limit, hence why the Xperia isn't mentionned.
So far the Fuze seems more interesting because for almost the same price I get multi-touch, a real keyboard and a VGA screen however I'm wondering if it truly fits my needs.
Essentially I want something that:
-will act like a beefed up PDA almost computer like level(hence WinMo)
-be usable when a travel therefore needs quadband GSM and ideally triband 3G. I don't intent to use 3G data just yet because it's too expensive in Canada but I see that criteria as futureproofing such an expensive purchase incase GSM is one day shutdown for voice.
-has a good enough screen that I can use it as a ebook reader (been doing that with my Ipaq RX3115 for about 5 years now)
-handle a bit of multimedia, mainly mp3 but a bit of video wouldn't hurt.
And this brings me to a question: does the Fuze always come with the 3.5mm adapter? I'm in Canada so I'd most likely be being an imported ATT phone
Also, what about the warranty? Am I SOL since it's imported or could I get warranty support straight from HTC?
-act as a GPS WITHOUT a data connection. Reading on this it seem possible to use TomTom with the device in a reasonnable fashion; I don't mind waiting 2-3 minutes for the GPS to lock but 15-20 mins would be more annoying...
Basically as much fonctionnality as possible in one device.
I also understand that there are MANY roms available for this device; considering that I'm not currently a power user (but might eventually become one) can I expect acceptable performance with the stock rom? I don't mind loading up new apps, I've been doing that on my venerable old Ipaq for a while but I'd rather start slow with this.
Also, can I expect reasonnable speed running programs off the SD card? This is one major advantage of the Omnia since it has 16gb onboard storage.
What about Wifi performance? I assume it's going to be on par with my Ipaq, i.e. not as good as my laptop but still usable is the access point isn't too far away.
And finally, how long can I except the battery to last? I won't be making call all day, probably more in the lines of listening to music and sending email via wifi. Probably a bit of ebook reading as well.
Basically the Fuze seems like the idea device except for a few issues I've been reading about here which I'm trying to determine how major they are.
Anyways, comments appreciated
Cheers!
Pat
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
the fuze is a great device however the Touch Pro 2 (the successor to the Fuze) should be out in a few months, it is superior to the Fuze in many meaningful ways, my suggestion would be to hold off on your purchase until the Touch Pro 2 comes out in the US (make sure you get the US version) it would suck to buy the fuze (which is a great device) and then 3 months later a superior device come out (at the same price)
aaronsmckee said:
the fuze is a great device however the Touch Pro 2 (the successor to the Fuze) should be out in a few months, it is superior to the Fuze in many meaningful ways, my suggestion would be to hold off on your purchase until the Touch Pro 2 comes out in the US (make sure you get the US version) it would suck to buy the fuze (which is a great device) and then 3 months later a superior device come out (at the same price)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I must be missing something because I looked up the Touch Pro on the website suggested earlier and pretty much the only difference I see with the Fuze is a bigger screen and a slightly different GPS chip. Am I missing anything?
Also, I'd like to have triband 3G (which the Fuze has) because I'm in Canada and judging from the Touch Pro launch it's probably going to take a while before there's a NA version of the Touch Pro 2.
One thing that really has me a litlle worried with buying an imported phone is the warranty because the store I'm looking to buying it from is on the other side of the country from me.
Does HTC provide international warranty support?
Thks!
Pat
Its time to replace my raphael, its starting to show the wear for the tear. Im looking for a winmo or android phone with a keyboard and a headphone jack that does att 3g. I'm pretty ticked that the new att rhodium dosnt have a headphone jack. Is there anything out there?
That small detial on the Rhodium with no 3.5mm jack is nothing!, also some USA models have it
Or you can buy a tiny adapter and with it you´ll have the best hardware keyboard device to this date!
hardware keyboard is very important (at least for me) as to this date not any virtual kb gives you the comfortability and typing speed as a normal one.
I suggest you to take a look in the last 2 categories of this list: http://wiki.xda-developers.com/
The best for you would be to go to a big electronics warehouse and play with different phones for a while.
It is amazing how many new and cool phones have been developed in 2009, specially since middle of this year.
You should definitly take a look at the Nokia N900, as well as try out modern smartphones without keyboard (iPhone 3GS, all the Android phones, etc.).
It is amazing to notice that a keyboard is not that essential anymore, when the phone features a high-resolution screen (480x320 to 800x480!) and excellent touch-screen. Don't pay too much attention if it is capacitive or whatever technology - try them all out and see for yourself.
HTC alone has so many different devices, one really gets confused, wishing one could buy them all.
But then there is Acer catching up with some pretty cheap, yet cool devices, with great screens.
Buying a phone today should take into consideration:
- price (can you afford it)
- screen estate (it's never big enough / resolution high enough)
- fast CPU (nothing is more anoying than lag)
- functionality (messaging/outlook/internet/youtube/office/whatever you need)
All I wanted to say is that these points fit to much more phones then lets say one year ago. And Windows Mobile is not the only player anymore.
Cheers,
vma
So i just read a review of the X1, and its a fuze with a headphone jack and a bigger screen... anyone else out there vouch for the X1?
That review is very good.
I'm now thinking to buy one
coming from the x1 i must say it was a complete waste of my money. of course its much cheaper now.
first few months of usage was great but then slowly the it just fell apart.
the keyboard became unresponsive, phone hangs and lags much.
even after repair the keyboard slowly became screwed up again.
and the last month i was using it, even the touchscreen became unresponsive occasionally. and im not a rough user at all.
but thats just my take on it.
as far as wm/android phones with 3.5mm and keyboard, theres samsung omniapro b7610. and upcoming xperia x2 and motorola droid.
Take a look at the Motorola Droid...
But, wanting that 3.5 jack eliminates so many better PPC's!
At the top of any page at XDA-Developers, there's a link called "Device Database". Click on this, then at the top of that page, choose "PDAChooser". Then, input all the parameters you want. For example, I checked "Audio Out", "Keyboard", "Integrated Cellular Phone", "Any" (under supported cellular data links), and I set "Pos. Device" to "Touchscreen". That returns quite a few results. Then, all you have to do is pick any device from those results and see if it runs an OS you like and uses AT&T 3G bands.