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blue angel (6600) or apache (6700)?

well another thread where i need opinions lol
i'm pretty unhappy with rogers (which is gsm and offers no ppc phones just blackberry and MAYBE the 700W in like forever) right now and am very tempted to switch to telus (cdma that offers the 6600 and 6700), i heard the reception isn't as good but i don't do a ton of talking on the phone anyways and i'd be using it more to watch movies and screw around with at work or on the plane. so telus has the audiovox 6600 and the utstarcom 6700. the 6600 i can buy from a buddy of mine that works at bestbuy for cheap (not sure how much the discount will take off yet, but probably a fair bit), the 6700 im told i need to get a dataplan but a friend of mine said he *****ed through enough people and somehow got on a pay as you go plan. unfortunately bestbuy doesnt sell the 6700.
now i guess most would assume the 6700 would be better but would the 128mb of ram on the 6600 be better for playing movies and ****? and from what i've read isnt 2003SE still kinda faster than WM5? but i've also read numerous threads talking about blue angel headaches with upgrading to WM5... I guess having WM5 isn't a huge deal to me but it'd still be cool to have it's features like picture caller id and not have to worry about bluetooth bugs w/ wm5. oh and i'd also like to use a headset pref. bluetooth instead of having to pull out the big bulky pda to talk.
so after my big essay i guess i'll simplify it, go for the 6600 which would be far cheaper than the 6700, and have to do all the ba hacking and upgrades, and semi-functioning bluetooth in wm5, or spend the extra money and get the 6700 which doesnt have a whole lot of support for it right now.
the reason why im asking is cause there's barely anything written about apache here. thx a lot for your input

Twitch said:
well another thread where i need opinions lol
i'm pretty unhappy with rogers (which is gsm and offers no ppc phones just blackberry and MAYBE the 700W in like forever) right now and am very tempted to switch to telus (cdma that offers the 6600 and 6700), i heard the reception isn't as good but i don't do a ton of talking on the phone anyways and i'd be using it more to watch movies and screw around with at work or on the plane. so telus has the audiovox 6600 and the utstarcom 6700. the 6600 i can buy from a buddy of mine that works at bestbuy for cheap (not sure how much the discount will take off yet, but probably a fair bit), the 6700 im told i need to get a dataplan but a friend of mine said he *****ed through enough people and somehow got on a pay as you go plan. unfortunately bestbuy doesnt sell the 6700.
now i guess most would assume the 6700 would be better but would the 128mb of ram on the 6600 be better for playing movies and ****? and from what i've read isnt 2003SE still kinda faster than WM5? but i've also read numerous threads talking about blue angel headaches with upgrading to WM5... I guess having WM5 isn't a huge deal to me but it'd still be cool to have it's features like picture caller id and not have to worry about bluetooth bugs w/ wm5. oh and i'd also like to use a headset pref. bluetooth instead of having to pull out the big bulky pda to talk.
so after my big essay i guess i'll simplify it, go for the 6600 which would be far cheaper than the 6700, and have to do all the ba hacking and upgrades, and semi-functioning bluetooth in wm5, or spend the extra money and get the 6700 which doesnt have a whole lot of support for it right now.
the reason why im asking is cause there's barely anything written about apache here. thx a lot for your input
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'd personally go for the 6700 because
1. Old software is being converted to WM5 compliant continuously and ost of the existing software is (already) WM5-compatible. (Also see my WM5 compliance reports at http://www.pocketpcmag.com/blogs/index.php?blog=3&cat=51 if interested.)
2. you can use the 128M RAM to its full potential very rarely. Most applications simply can't use the additional RAM - please see http://www.pocketpcmag.com/blogs/in...work_with_really_large_images_in_pocke&more=1 for an example of them.

reccomendation for "feminine" windows mobile phone for texting....

Hey, ive been a long time user of windows mobile phones, and currently i'm using an HTC advantage and I would never go back to anything smaller than my nice large vga screen . My GF is in town and i'm letting her use my older TRI-BAND touch dual. Shes lovin it....the only problem is shes heading back to alaska in a week or so, and unfortunatly the tri band makes the phone not work in the part of alaska where shes at. When i was up a few months ago my advantage had good signal (roaming of course, but with tmobile that dont matter). So i'm lookin to get her a quad band phone..touch screen, windows mobile and a full keyboard because she doesent like the soft keyboard too much. I thought about the new quad band touch duals they just released in the US, however I dont really want to spend 500 on another phone. Looking for any reccomendations as to what phone would be good for my girl. Thanks for any help!

How 'bout a Wizard?
touchlasvegas said:
Hey, ive been a long time user of windows mobile phones, and currently i'm using an HTC advantage and I would never go back to anything smaller than my nice large vga screen . My GF is in town and i'm letting her use my older TRI-BAND touch dual. Shes lovin it....the only problem is shes heading back to alaska in a week or so, and unfortunatly the tri band makes the phone not work in the part of alaska where shes at. When i was up a few months ago my advantage had good signal (roaming of course, but with tmobile that dont matter). So i'm lookin to get her a quad band phone..touch screen, windows mobile and a full keyboard because she doesent like the soft keyboard too much. I thought about the new quad band touch duals they just released in the US, however I dont really want to spend 500 on another phone. Looking for any reccomendations as to what phone would be good for my girl. Thanks for any help!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can still find Wizards in good condition or refurbished, for about $150, or even a few left new for $200 or less, like this one.
The built-in stereo speakers, though small, have decent sound, which is a plus - much better sound than a Kaiser, for instance!

Thanks, i was actually thinking about a wizard as they are kinda tried and tested...very good rep for a phone. Only thing that I was curious about is the size and thickness of it..say compared to the touch dual..I dont want her to have to walk around with a brick...

How do the Herald, or the Hermes compare to the Wizard? alot of people seem to have started with a wizard..and then moved on...some to a wing(herald). Her fav color is blue...and the herald appears to be mostly blue which is kinda cool too.

can anyone who has had, or seen the herald, or the hermes give me a brief pro/con compared to the wizard? there all pretty much the same style, but im not sure which would be better. Thanks again for everyones help!

I had Wizard and Hermes.
Quick and dirty face to face hardware:
Size: the same.
Materials, assembly, "feel": Wizard is much better.
Hardware known problems: Hermes a LOT, screen aligment and connector, Wizard few.
Data connection: FAST using HERMES, SLOWER in wizard,
Camera: 1.2 wizard, 2.0 Mp and macro switch Hermes .
Battery life: much longer in WIZARD
SW... choose the rom you want!

thanks for the comparison sergiopi! Now the "herald" is the same as the "wing" correct? I found some side by side shots of the wing next to a wizard..and the wizard looks fat, and I'm thinking that the thinner wing would fit in my girls hands better.

how about the s710/s730 htc (vodafone v1415/orange spv e650 in the uk) its a smartphone but has qwerty keyboard aswell. dont know if thats any use

well i was lookin at the "wings" mainly because it has a faster cpu, but i hate to take her away from the touchscreen. She wants a hard keyboard, but shes getting really used to the touchscreen interface. I'm leaning twords the HTC Herald...aka wing. Looks like they can be had for around 250 on ebay. Any major negatives about the wing?

They suffer from most the same problems as most ppcs. The processor is inadequate as always, and the camera isn't particularly good, but the same could be said of alot of ppcs.
One thing is, the screen is still inlaid, so blah. The coating feels really nice, but is easily scratched

Wings trumps Wizard
touchlasvegas said:
well i was lookin at the "wings" mainly because it has a faster cpu, but i hate to take her away from the touchscreen. She wants a hard keyboard, but shes getting really used to the touchscreen interface. I'm leaning twords the HTC Herald...aka wing. Looks like they can be had for around 250 on ebay. Any major negatives about the wing?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think you're on the right track - the Herald would be a good choice - it is thinner than the Wizard, and "cuter" in blue, and it has a better camera - otherwise most of the specs are same as Wizard. It also has the hardware keyboard numbers laid out like a regular cellphone, which is a plus (the Hermes also has this, plus faster processor). The only thing I don't know is if it has stereo speakers (but for serious music listening, she'll want to use a headset of some sort anyway), and infrared (seems to be a dying feature, but it was useful on my Wizard I thought)
So if you can spring for the increased cost of the Herald over the Wizard, I think it's a great choice!

Thanks Cush, i ended up getting a new unlocked herald off ebay for 269.00. The processor wont be much of an issue to her because she wont really be playing games...or for that matter probably will never even hotsync it to a computer. ( that will be my job as i set it up for her ). Mainly music and texting. Thanks for all the tips!

Would you recommend the Fuze?

I've really been considering to buy the Fuze, but I'm getting mixed reviews. For all the Fuze owners, please answer the poll so that us potential buyers will know what to do.
Thanks!

anyone else wanna vote?

theomni said:
anyone else wanna vote?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm stuck in between the Fuze and the Touch Pro now... I really don't know which one is better? They are the same price nowadays.

I recommend it. I had the Tilt before and I love the Touch, its probably the best WM phone I've had (I've used the Sprint 700wx, Sprint Q, Sprint Touch, AT&T Tilt and now the AT&T Fuze).
I'm sure the few issues that exist with the Fuze will be fixed within a month or two because of the wonderful people we have here making custom ROMs, porting radios, etc.

I am very happy with my Fuze. It's not perfect and definitely needs some tweaks, but I think it is the best Windows Mobile phone ever put out. The screen is fantastic and makes it worth it by itself.
Pros:
VGA screen
Excellent multimedia
Youtube works both in it's own app and the mobile website
Slingbox looks fantastic
Expanded keyboard
Sleek design
Touch Flo 3D really works good
Finally, good bluetooth reception
Cons:
So-so d-pad
More remappable buttons needed
No headphone out jack
I do miss the tilting screen of the Tilt
No forward facing camera (why AT&T?)
Overall, I love the phone. I don't even need to use my laptop much anymore. Plus, it should only get better. I can't wait to see the Fennec web browser released for WinMo.

The Fuze can run on AT&T's 3G bands, which is the biggest difference. Physically, the Fuze has a PTT button (remappable using a trick in this forum) and the Pro has a front-faceing camera, but they are otherwise the same. You can install whatever Touch Pro ROM you want on the Fuze once you flash Hard SPL on it, so the software difference should not be an issue. If you're on AT&T and in a 3G area, it's a no-brainer decision between the two.

Tempest790 said:
No forward facing camera (why AT&T?)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
US carriers don't support that functionality so it's cheaper for HTC to leave it out all together.

I've swithed from iPhone after droolling over Fuze release date for 2 months. First couple of days had slight regret (my first WM phone), but once I got the hang of it I fell in love with it. My girl tried it out and dropped her iPhone for Fuze aswell. IMHO, Fuze is on a much higher level and you just can't customize the iPhone the way you can Fuze, no matter what Apple commercials say. Oh and by the way, I realized how crappy Apple products are, but that's another story.

I said no because its not for everyone. I read a lot of people wanting something other than the iphone because of the data plan, this is not an iphone. Then they go and complaint that they cant do this, that its slow, that this, that that. I confess, I am/was one of those whining byotches. I know its not an iphone, I'm just afraid to customizing with roms and then f-it up and be stuck with a nice $300 paper weight. So maybe after my month is up, I'll have the balls to customize it.

Do you have to buy a data plan with the Fuze like you have to with the iPhone, for AT&T?

Only if you want the rebate.

If you want the best browser/entertainment device thats easy to use get an iphone. If you need a business phone outside of entertainment, get the fuze. Both are aimed at different type of consumer.

I know this is exactly what everyone hates to hear, and they just want a plain yes or no, but it really does depend on the person.
If your the kind of person thats really into the stuff they buy, and wants a device that has tons of opportunities and possibilities, then you will probably like the fuze. The beautiful thing about winmo devices is how much you can mess around with them. You can download tons of apps, customize, flash new ROMs, experiment, all kinds of stuff.
If you want something that is ALWAYS going to be friendly and never ever give you any quirks or problems and you just want something that is very cut and dry, the fuze may not be for you.
I would line up your priorities and see what is most important to you and more importantly, what would make you want to throw your phone out the window, cause those are the things that are ultimately going to make you happy when your using your device.

Fuze thoughts:
I have had this phone for 3 days now. My prior phone was an 8125. I unlocked and customized that phone after 30 days. I will most likely do the same thing with this one. Gotta read read read.
Initial review: Absolutely the awesomest phone I have had to date, only the 3rd PDA, though.
I miss the programmable buttons. I haven't figured everything out, but I am getting the hang of it. It has advanced customization, though I haven't even touched the surface. The keyboard is a little different from my 8125, and as I have used it extensively for 2 years, I am accustomed to the numbers being along the top row. I think the 'Full 5 Row QWERTY keyboard on the phone should more closely resemble a normal keyboard, however, I am certain I will get used to it with a little practice.
I have one problem that AT&T doesn't know how to fix: the error message "Smart Chip Not Provisioned MM #2" comes up and shuts off phone signal. I initially thought it was the smart chip. I placed it in my 8125, and no problems. Then I exchanged the phone. Still no fix. It isn't a hard error I can readily duplicate, it just happens intermittently, but only in a specific location, so now I suspect the towers serving the area in which it happens. I suppose it could be the sim card in conjunction with the 3G network which the 8125 doesn't support, but further troubleshooting will eventually solve this one.
Addtionally I was hoping that AT&T wouldn't cripple the forward facing camera, but it isn't there, and I'm not willing to pay $550 more for a Touch Pro off Ebay just for that. As there isn't a lot of network support for live video conferencing, it really isn't that much of a problem for me anyway.
Reception seems to be about the same as my 8125, but again, further testing will support or disprove my initial experience. I am currently having trouble with the GPS function, but it is probably just a configuration/setup issue that I have not played with enough. The phone will tether without the laptop connect package, but you have to make a small edit in the registry. This is a relatively painless process.
This is not meant to criticize the Fuze. These are the only real problems (and minor to me) that I have encountered, and would give this phone a HIGH recommendation.
MrRuss

AT&T not getting diamond, what about LG Insight?

I currently have an 8525 and am due to upgrade in a couple months. I admit I am very dissapointed that att isn't picking up the diamond. I like it. Moreover, I like how the site is full of cleaned up roms!! I never really liked my phone until I flashed my first rom and it sped up incredibly.
So, my question is this. I was looking at the LG insight and I kinda liked it. Does anyone know if there is a site for that phone that has roms?

I got over them not getting the diamond. I held hope for the Omnia. Now im just pissed. I think the Incite was a bad choice and I can only conclude they must have gotten it cheap compared to the omnia or diamond. I heard the GPS may not be working well too, I would have to confirm that.
The diamond or omnia are just so much better yet ATT goes with the incite? sigh.
I would google some reviews before you make a decesion.
I ended up with a treo pro in the end anyway. Its a compromise, keyboard but small screen.

AT&T got the raphael, bold, and the iphone. i'd say that's about as good a lineup you could ask for. just ask my fellow friends at tmobile and we'll say you're a bunch lucky ducks

Insights on the Incite
papageoff said:
. . . So, my question is this. I was looking at the LG insight and I kinda liked it. Does anyone know if there is a site for that phone that has roms?
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Click to collapse
kapster said:
. . . I think the Incite was a bad choice and I can only conclude they must have gotten it cheap compared to the omnia or diamond. I heard the GPS may not be working well too, I would have to confirm that. . .
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have an Incite. My observations:
1) screen is beautiful for a device that's not VGA - much sharper than the Tilt, and the Incite Today Screen plugin looks quite nice.
2) The jogwheel on the side is a nice feature.
3) I don't like the vibrate-touch feature, but it can be turned off.
4) Pandora is awesome, but AT&T wants to stick you for $8.95/mo on the Incite, where it is free on iPhone. Unfortunately, the Pandora.exe file won't display properly on either a Tilt or a Fuze, which brings up:
5) Many programs of standard dimensions (240x320), especially games, won't display properly. For instance, Battery Status options can't all be accessed.
6) GPS will not communicate with the iGuidance GPS software I use, although GPSTest works.
7) Using the landscape keyboard is nearly impossible because it takes up so much of the screen that only one line of type is visible. The Portrait SureType-style keyboard is fine.
8) The dialer is very good looking and easy to use.
All in all, a pretty good first WinMo offering from LG, IMHO, but not cutting-edge.

You could get an Unlocked Diamond and put your at&t sim card in it...

or just get the touch pro the thickness really isnt an issue
i came from an 8525 so much better and smaller

Okay Raph users.... what's next?

Hi guys!
Well, after four FUZE's.... for me, my partner, and two employees, it seems like it's time for an upgrade.
I've a blast with NATF's 4 series ROMS, and after about a year, I'm looking for a new device.
I noticed that the Touch Pro has the same CPU as our trusty Raphs, so I am not thrilled with that.
I find my device rather sluggish. It's not terrible, but... well... you know how it is!
So... Does anyone have any experience with a newer device? Maybe the Touch Pro 2 IS a big improvement (better resolution / tilt keyboard...), but it doesn't appear that way.
Thoughts are most definitely welcome.
I need to order another device, and right now, I just can't think of anything beyond yet another Fuze.
I'd love to hear what you guys have to say! I'm itching for a new device!
Thanks!
Mike

i don't find it that sluggish...
iPhone now? or the Palm Pre?

If your TP is sluggish, are you running the rom that came with the phone?
Mine was, until I discovered the cooked 6.5 roms back in May. I've flashed mine dozens of times. The 2303x builds are LIGHTNING fast, and depending on who you get it from, 99% of them are rock stable.
Pop over to the rom section, read the "flashing guide for Newbies" and then check out some of the great roms. These guys put in a LOT of time making the WM software better, and NO CARRIER BLOATWARE.

Michael_514 said:
Hi guys!
Well, after four FUZE's.... for me, my partner, and two employees, it seems like it's time for an upgrade.
I've a blast with NATF's 4 series ROMS, and after about a year, I'm looking for a new device.
I noticed that the Touch Pro has the same CPU as our trusty Raphs, so I am not thrilled with that.
I find my device rather sluggish. It's not terrible, but... well... you know how it is!
So... Does anyone have any experience with a newer device? Maybe the Touch Pro 2 IS a big improvement (better resolution / tilt keyboard...), but it doesn't appear that way.
Thoughts are most definitely welcome.
I need to order another device, and right now, I just can't think of anything beyond yet another Fuze.
I'd love to hear what you guys have to say! I'm itching for a new device!
Thanks!
Mike
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Get an iPhone. Duh!
On a serious note, it depends on whether you want to stay on the Windows Mobile platform or not, and whether you still want a physical keyboard or not. If you don't mind giving all touch-screen a try, then consider getting the Touch Pro HD (HTC Blackstone). I've heard great things about it, and it looks absolutely lovely. Otherwise, the only real upgrade path that I can think of is getting the Touch Pro 2 or similar.
It's really hard to upgrade when you're pretty much at the upper limit for smartphones. The Raphael is one of HTC's fastest devices, so keep that in mind.

My friend went from a Sprint Touch Pro (CDMA) to an Iphone 3G S 32GB... and he is a computer science grad student and a tech nerd... and he is blown away by the iphone. Yes Iphone OS is not like WM in functionality, but what the OS lacks, the apps make up for it. The Iphone is very stable, doesn't overheat (his doesn't), and is incredibly snappy. Plus its got a great screen, a built in ipod, etc. Just no insurance! =X And Apple control...

Hi guys!
First of all, allow me to clarify... I would 100% like to stay with a Windows Mobile phone, and second of all, I DEFINITELY need a slide out QWERTY keyboard.
And FYI.. I should have clarified... I am not a newbie! I have been hacking these phones and updating my ROMS for years now.
As I thought I mentioned, I have been flashing NATF's ROMS.
I started out with the CASIO BOSS in 1986, and as of late, I've had around six HTC phones, from the SX-66 to the 8125 to the 8525 to the FUZE, and so forth.
I don't know much about the iPhone 3GS, but I wrote a lengthy review of the 3G, and it just didn't suit my needs.
And like it or not, the FUZE is sluggish on my levels, even with the best ROMS. I don't think it's TERRIBLE, not at all, but let's face it... It's more like the feeling I get working off my modest Tablet PC on battery, than off my 4 monitored desktop's Quad Core Q9450 64Bit CPU, with 8 GB of RAM and 4TB on the hard drive.
There is just that little bit of 2008/2009 sluggishness that is making me a little eager and power hungry for a mind-blowing 2009/2010 device.
So, yeah, all this to say, I am not looking for an iPhone(!)
I am looking for a kick-ass Windows Mobile device that is the "next generation". The 8525 was an excellent jump from the 8125, which was an excellent jump from the SX66.
I am just looking for an equivalent jump, even if it's not made by HTC.
The FUZE/Touch Pro was THE must-have phone for all Hermes users.
I just needed a little guidance for the next one.
I am still looking for your suggestions! Thanks!

The TP2 has the best keyboard I've ever used on a phone. I've had the 8525, Tilt and Touch Pro (and a few others along the way). In fact, if I spend a few more days with it I may be faster with it than a desktop...it's really that good. As for performance, the AT&T version is excepted to come with 6.5 and 6.5 does run a lot better than 6.1 does in terms of speed but it's also a lot smoother overall and easier to use. It's probably 45 days off though if the rumors are right. The screen (a huge WVGA) feels a lot more sensitive. As far as speed, it is the same chipset and I've used both a Touch HD and a TP2 and it does feel faster but I think it's partially due to a mroe sensitive screen and people confuse that with the response time because the taps are easier to register. using TF3D you get your occasional hiccup. For my 2 cents I think when 6.5 comes out TF3D may not be as necessary but it's a personal preference. I hope TF3D 2.5 runs lighter since as a program it is pretty heavy in v2.1. All of this plays into 'speed'. In short though, the TP2 does feel like a pretty big upgrade over the TP(1). Again,t he screen size lets you see so much more that it simply puts it into another class. You can easily one hand emails with the onscreen keyboard and that works great for short responses but for large emails just open the keyboard and you feel like you have a minicomputer.

I've just purchased a TP2 to replace my TP1.
Same familiar WinMo, same massive repoistory of software, bigger screen, better keyboard. And it's not a piece of fruit

Thanks guys!
Very interesting praise for the TP2.
I had no idea the AT&T version was just around the corner. Good news.
bugsy, that is quite the glowing review. I was quite surprised to hear it had the same processor as the TP. I was hoping for a little boost!
Thanks again!

I just ordered one on ebay!

I know it's a little late, but have you considered symbian?
Nokia's got some really cool smart phones. The N97's bad ass!

Acer m900 until the USA compatible Omnia Pro shows up. Everything on the Acer is snappier than the Touch Pro, and probably what the older Wizard was like. Glad to be off the candy toy-phone the HTC made the Touch Pro into. Couldn't even do handwriting, nor using the VGA proper on a screen of that tiny size and the Qualcomm lag...
Both (m900, OmniaPro) still half as fast as the iPhone 3GS, but waiting for the 3GS to gain either cheap unlocked, or Palm Pre to go GSM. Nokia is still in some ditch thinking crap cpus can get them far.

Let us know how it turns out.