PDA Phone with No Camera? - General Topics

Beside the older models, it there such thing as a PDA Phone with no Camera?

I know ATT sells cameraless versions of their ppc phone's on their business site. Same price as the ones with cameras, go figure.

I dare to push this question up, since I also need a cameraless (not "disabled", physically absent) phone... any updates which ones are available? Seems like AT&T doesn't put every HTC phone as a cameraless version out anymore... (though I like the standby times on my treo 680 right now )

why do you need camera less? I know you can get the kaiser with out a camera. or you could get an mc35 with out a camera.

the only pda i come across without camera are from eten & limited
seriously so far only samsung pda have a decent camera lens, the rest of the brand's camera lens are not even worth the $ for it if they were to sell in separate parts
hope oem will work with some camera brands to give as a powerful pda with wonderful camera as compact cameras are so slim nowadays.

kaiser is quite old, WM5 aera... I already use an old PDA-Phone (Treo 680) and have a cingular 8500 around that I only use as navigation system in the car, because CPU, memory and the OS weren't good enough back then, as well as the treo 750 that sleeps in some drawer And the reason is simply the same as for millions other ppl worldwide: security. no camera allowed.

Related

TytYN vs. Hermes

What is the difference between these two phones (if any) and what are the differences between them and the Wizard?
Iy would be great if someone (e.g HTC) had a simple features comparison on their website but I guess that is asking for a little too much!
it's the same device... just different name
dcdivenut said:
What is the difference between these two phones (if any) and what are the differences between them and the Wizard?
Iy would be great if someone (e.g HTC) had a simple features comparison on their website but I guess that is asking for a little too much!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
http://europe.htc.com/products/tytn.php
here you can find all specs
well it just mean that htc will not be using their internal code name
as the name they will be selling their devices retail
Rudegar said:
well it just mean that htc will not be using their internal code name
as the name they will be selling their devices retail
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yes they are planning from now sell also under the brand name HTC
The TyTN is the HTC branded Hermes. T-Mobile will call it the vario II, Orange the M3100 or something and HTC names it's own device the TyTN. They are all the same hardware, only software can differ from carrier to carrier, the same as in the past with Qtek, I-Mate, T-Mobile etc. HTC chose not only to produce the Hermes, but to market the device under their own brand name as well as the TyTN.
The main differences with the Vario I are UMTS, HSPDA ready, better camera, extra cam for video telephone, jog dial and different design and button lay-out.
Dopod call Dopod 9000 or CHT9000 came out Taiwan market today,price will be NT$25,800.00 about US$800.00.
http://shopping.pchome.com.tw/dopod/detail.php?pid=AZV00183
sorry that is Chinese.
Koksie said:
The TyTN is the HTC branded Hermes. T-Mobile will call it the vario II, Orange the M3100 or something and HTC names it's own device the TyTN. They are all the same hardware, only software can differ from carrier to carrier, the same as in the past with Qtek, I-Mate, T-Mobile etc. HTC chose not only to produce the Hermes, but to market the device under their own brand name as well as the TyTN.
The main differences with the Vario I are UMTS, HSPDA ready, better camera, extra cam for video telephone, jog dial and different design and button lay-out.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I started doing some digging and I am now wondering if it is really better than the Wizard. Here is what I found (warning - this is to the best of my knowledge and my uasge for the device may vary from yours so as always YMMV)
Here are the pros...
Faster processor (nice and sweet!)
more connectivity (nice if cingular gets the network up!)
Better camera (although this is a wash for me since I don't use the camera for anything close to serious.)
Jog dial - might be nice
Washes
Screen size and quality - same (not that it is bad now though)
Size - About the same. TyTN is a little longer but a bit narrower and not as deep.
Memory - Same with 128/64 and I was hoping this would be better.
Cons
Weight - The TyTN actually weighs more (26g) than the Wizard or at least the 8125 version. Not a huge deal but would be nicer to go the other way, especially if the extra weight is for a second camera for videophone that I will never use!
Micro SD - This is debatable but I see three negatives here... MicroSD does not have the capcaity that MiniSD does and I will have to get all new cards. Also mini sd is $34 for 1GB and micro SD is $47 or 38% more expensive (from new egg) If at least the tradeoff was a siginificantly smaller form factor then I would say it was okay but that is not the case so why!
odd Headphone jack - Okay, most people probably use bluetooth anyway so who cares about a hard jack, but why make upgrading any more costly than it is now. If it is to get a higher sound quality, who cares since with the reduced storage space of Micro SD it is not like you can load up 320 kbps mp3s anyway!
So basically my question is why would most people upgrade? This seems like a mild improvement at best with enough potential cons to make it a no go. That is really disappointing!
well my two cents on the Wizard and the Hermes ....
before the Cingular 8125 came out or any of the HTC Wizard flavors were available in the US, the Hermes has been in the news so i myself was planning to get an O2 XDA mini S (which i was planning to use in California) to somewhat replace my XDA Exec, I read about the Hermes and told myself to hold off and wait for the 3G version of the Wizard ... Note that the processor's clock speed is twice of the wizard ... Note also that the same Hermes CPU has been compared equal or better than the XDA Exec's Intel XScale 520Mhz CPU ...
If you are using the Cingular network then you might want to go get the Hermes maybe around the end of the year since 3G won't be available until then for Cingular ... while T-Mobile, well forget it, they won't roll out 3G in the next 2 years or so ...
It's just disappointing that we in the US are behind in mobile phone technology ... yeah we're catching up but we're still behind ....
For me the biggest plus is the UMTS. in Holland we have a 9.5 euros per month data plan with unlimited GPRS/WIfi/UMTS. A nice offer to go with the Hermes. You are right that the extra weight and the micro SD are cons, but since I hav not yet invested too much in mini SD that is not really an issue for me. Neither is the headset plug, I use the standard ones or a BT headset, so no biggie for me, especially since the Hermes will feature A2DP. And the extra weight is not important for me, I'm strong enough for the extra 26 gr.
The faster processor and the jog dial alone are worth the upgrade for me especially since it will not cost me much. Maybe 200 euros with a 1 year extension, so that's reasonable (Vario I only cost me 84 euros with a 1 year extension for 22.5 euros per month). UMTS is enough to really make the decision easy for me, let the Vario II arrive!
difensore said:
Note that the processor's clock speed is twice of the wizard ...
quote]
Partly true. The Mhz of the Hermes is twice as much and that might mean that the clock speed is doubled, but the overall speed and performance is not necessarily twice as high.
Different architecture makes an OMAP processor not easily comparable to an XScale or Samsung processor, at least not just based on Mhz. OMAP is double core and other architectural differences make the comparison above too simplified. You can compare it to the AMD and Intel processors, different Mhz (Ghz) but equal or better performance.
Anothe example are the MP in a digital camera. Just the amount of pixels does not mean much, 6 MP camera's with inferior lenses and chips may perform worse than 4 Mp camera's with better lenses and chips. We see it everyday in our beloved HTC devices, 1.3 MP in a Wizard sounds nice, but I know vga (300k) camera's that make better pictures than the Wizard.
Don't get blinded by the Mhz of the processor, that's all I want to say.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
for me umts is the plus
and the cam is the thing i care little about
the quality of cmos cams which are used in mobiles
because the ccd which real dig cams use, use too much power
is poor even if it's 10MP
their problem is not pixels but colours and light sensitivness
imho they can only be used to photo poor pictures of loch ness
and ufo's and then you can mms the photo to your friends or something
I think the first CCD phone/pda was announced this week. The Qool Labs QDA Icon http://asia.cnet.com/reviews/handhelds/0,39001708,39260541p,00.htm
Koksie said:
Don't get blinded by the Mhz of the processor, that's all I want to say.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
But it's really fast. I have both, wizard and hermes.
Hi Raskal,
I know you are a big and busy man, but pls find some time to reply to my PMs sent to u..
hdubli said:
Hi Raskal,
I know you are a big and busy man, but pls find some time to reply to my PMs sent to u..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
resend again, i deleted a bunch of pm
raskal said:
Koksie said:
Don't get blinded by the Mhz of the processor, that's all I want to say.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
But it's really fast. I have both, wizard and hermes.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Gotta be I guess...
Hermes is the project CodeName
Typically, when hardware or software products are originally developed, the engineering group chooses a code name for the project/product, so that (1) it will be easily spoken and recognized which project you're talking about in daily conversation (within the circle of people involved in it), and (2) to make it harder for competitors to initially figure out what the project is about if they hear the name. Hermes was HTC's code name for the development project for a device whose derivatives were ultimately produced under a variety of different Marketing Names for HTC's distribution partners (eg, O2, Vodaphone, Cingular, T-Mobile, Verizon, etc). Recently, HTC decided to distribute a Hermes version under their own marketing brand ("HTC Tytn", and developed a reseller distribution channel for that brand outside of their original wireless carrier partners.
Another example of this that many folks have already heard of: Microsoft's code name for the development of a future operating system project that they started back around 2001 or so was "Longhorn"; the resulting product(s) from that project is about to ship now as "Vista". BTW, an interesting bit of trivia on this one: the MS engineering team that develop Windows were being taken to Whistler/Blackcomb ski resort in BC once per year (perk) to party & relax. So when it came time to come up with a code name for the next version of Windows to develop, they chose "Whistler" (the products coming out of this project were eventually given the names by Marketing as "Windows XP" and "Windows Server 2003"). Shortly after the Whistler project began, they also began the development of Whistler's successor, and gave it the code name of "Blackcomb" (which is the twin mountain at the ski resort next to Whistler Mountain); however, the development timeline for the original specs of Blackcomb was underestimated, feature-creep also set in which lengthened completion even more, so it became apparent that an "interim" version of Windows needed to be released before Blackcomb was ready. At the ski resort' base village, the gondola lift stations for the two mountains are a short walking distance apart, and in-between them is a bar called the "Longhorn Saloon", so they named this "in-between" development project Longhorn; as mentioned above, the Marketing name assigned to the products from this project is Vista. Meanwhile, further delays and problems plagued the Blackcomb project, so another project & code name came into existence "Vienna", and it is now uncertain whether project Blackcomb will continue or if Vienna takes its place (probably the latter). The Vienna code name came about because it is one of the cities of the world with a spectacular vista (view). Just goes to show that there are usually interesting stories behind how the development groups choose project code names, and how creative they can be. Makes you wonder what the story is behind HTC choosing the "Hermes" name, huh?
I too have both the Wizard (Cingular 8125 version) and a new HTC Tytn version of Hermes. The most important differences to me are:
> A2DP/AVRCP, and it works! (supports stereo Bluetooth headphones)
> Jog-dial (I'll use keys before stylus any chance I can get)
> Faster processor (Need for Speed)
> 2mp camera (I've rarely used a phone camera in the past because of low-res/poor quality, but now we're getting into the ballpark of acceptable quality pix)
> teleconferencing camera on the front (curious about using a potentially very cool feature as teleconferencing continues to grow among my friends & family)
> UMTS/HSDPA (Need for Speed again). Browsing with Edge is a pain in the *ss. I've become addicted to UMTS in my notebook computer wireless card...almost like DSL, and now I can actually USE the phone for browsing. I'm a "blue-side" (ATT Wireless) Cingular customer, fortunate to have UMTS around me here.
> I think the Tytn is immediately superior to the Wizard phones over-all. Worth getting one now, instead of waiting for UMTS network completion.
I concur with the previous poster about the Tytn shortcomings, in particular:
> No 2.5/3.5mm headset jack (the HTC guys that decided that one should be hung by their tongues); I'm building an adapter right now so that I can hopefully use some decent headphones & mike (the earbuds/mike that comes with the phone is crap)
> headphone connector (miniUSB) is located in an unusual location, such that third party carrying cases' made for the installed base of popular HTC phones (eg, Vaja) now have the headphone hole cut-out in the "wrong" location (ie, can't listen to mp3 music via wired headphones when the phone is in the case, unless you butcher the case to make a hole in the "right" location)
> boring aesthetic design...in a world where Motorola, Sony and now even
Samsung are leading the market in sexy styling, the HTC phones are looking pretty staid & grim.
> When is a Windows Mobile phone going to get a reliable voice-dialer, like that of the Treo (had one of those before the Wizard)? This thing is a deaf & dumb when it comes to voice recognition!
> the freakin' dial-pad buttons are STILL too small (Wizard has same problem)! I'm constantly fat-fingering the wrong keys on the screen, and I'm tired of using my fingernail to dial...does anyone out there have a better dial-pad that takes up most of the screen that can be loaded into this thing?

PDA with GSM vs PDA and Phone

Hello!
Maybe someone have some arguments or idea which option is better.
One option is PDA with Phone module like HTC products. I don't mean Smartphones
Other one is to have separate Mobile Phone with Bluetooth and PDA where each device have related features.
There are advantages and disadvantages for each of options.
For example if you have "all in 1" device. It (at least my) sometimes hangs and software phone doesn't start but it dosen't mean that radio part doesn't work. At end you can totally loose some incoming call or SMS but caller/sender will think that you have received it. I can't say that I have lost many calls but it happens. Other disadvantage is that usually for "all in 1" devices features is low to average.
Other option is with 2 devices. There is some disadvantages too. First of all you have to carry two devices, you have to take care for both devices, follow battery charge. You have to find where to put both of them in some pocket or on belt. Other thing is that Bluetooth have to be switched on in both devices for all the time or much longer time. Probably it is not good idea.
I'll be happy to read some comments
Well as one who has both regular PDA and Phone PDA (see my sig) I can say this:
Depending on your use of the PDA part you may not loose any calls, but you have to be careful what you run on it. I do agree though that the phone part is less stable then on regular cell phone.
As for "low to average features" here I have to disagree. My Jamin is not and never was "top of the line" device yet it has WIFI G, BT 2.0 and 2MP camera. Granted the processor is a bit slow but it does the job without guzzling down the battery. Plus the device is very compact overall (an important feature for cell phone replacement in my opinion)
If you look at newer devices HTC has finally got the point with HERMES and put in a 400MHz processor. O2 now has some non HTC phones with 520 MHz processor and new generation of ARM base CPU that go as high as 1.2 GHz is just around the corner.
All in all if you need the functionality of the PDA for your business affairs or online stuff (not just navigation, music and games) I think a combine device beats having a regular phone plus PDA almost in every respect.
As for smartphones (actual smartphones with win mobile but no touch screen) they are the compromise. They sacrifice some of the power of the PDA to give you a fully stable phone module just like a regular cellphone.
But in the end to each his own so the choice of Phone PDA / smartphone / PDA + regular phone is an individual thing.
I've been using the setup with one pda and one cell for a couple of years until I changed it when buying the wizard a couple of months ago. And today I wouldn't want to go back to carrying two devices. The pdaphones have come a long way and I don't feel that they're a compromise any longer. Sure, the wizard doesn't have the 3d acceleration etc like some of the pdaonly devices yet for me it's quite enough.
And they way companies through out phones today(half-done) they just as easily hang and you miss calls and text's.
I'm sticking with the pdaphone
OK Thanks guys
I assume from replies that it is better if in one device is all features and of course it sounds logical.
About features. I was looking around to find some PDA phone with not much features together. Or better say didn't find with features I have in "must" list. And I think it is nothing mega.
Ah yes currently I have wizard which seems starts to show up some I suppose aging "features".
I'm rather business user, main applications is e-mail, calendar and office applications. Of course not only business apps.
Main feature I really need in new device is VGA screen because with my current qVGA screen is tricky to look at spreadsheet or some word document.
Other is faster CPU than Wizard has, sometimes that slowness it is really annoying.
And at least a bit larger user available internal flash/ram.
If in it would be GPS module it would be ideal, but ir isn't required.
G - WiFi.
QWERTY - not required but good to have.
Currently in market there is no much devices with such features. All devices I like is with note "early 2007". I'm not sure my current device will last so long. And of course no info about prices
Actually, aside from GPS, HTC Universal answares to just about everything on that list. It's not a new device, but it is 3G and VGA plus it has the biggest screen of all phones to date 3.5'
Some upcoming VGA models will have a 2.8' screen which means true VGA (what you get when you cancel out pixel doubling with something like OzVGA) will be practically useless as you will need a microscope to read the text.
Check out the upcoming O2 Flame, I'm definitly saving myself for that one
OK my employer made decision without my assistance
After in some urgent situation I was unreachable due to my wizard hang I just got phone. As employer pays for my bills (lucky me) I have no choice.
Now I'm happy or "happy" Nokia 6230i owner.
Let's see after some time
Thanks for answers!

Considering an X7510 and looking for input...

So my HTC Wizard is getting a little old. And it's poor old CPU isn't standing up to Windows Mobile 6 ROM's very well. And it doesn't support anyhting past EDGE. And I'm thinking it's time for an upgrade. And my sweet BT SouthWing headset sucks on my HTC as soon as I do more than one thing. At the same time, my camera is busted. My girlfriend has a 6 megapixel camera we use for anything important, but I want a decent camera that's always on me.
I think I see a chance to combine some electronics. I'm looking for a beasty WM 6 based PDA. The current PDA I'm most interested in is the HTC Advantage X7510.
http://www.htc.com/www/product.aspx?id=474
GSM w / solid band support
3.1 MP camera w / flash
BT 2.0
624 Mhz CPU AND ATI gfx chip (<3 cell phone emulators)
16 gig internal flash for my tunes
detachable keyboard
FULL QWERTY KEYBOARD = WIN
Surprisingly sexy for a powerful PDA with a keyboard
This looks like the best one I've found overall. I've heard that HTC has been pretty lousy on implementing the ATI GFX chips, but as far as I can tell that's only on the TyTn II's. It's a little more than I want to spend on a phone, but if it gets the camera in there too then it's sold.
I'm pretty much sold on this guy, only holdup is the cost. I really haven't seen anything that can compete with it, although I found a lot of new companies today poking about. Anybody know of any brands I should look at, or have anything negative to say about this guy?
fatheadpi said:
So my HTC Wizard is getting a little old. And it's poor old CPU isn't standing up to Windows Mobile 6 ROM's very well. And it doesn't support anyhting past EDGE. And I'm thinking it's time for an upgrade. And my sweet BT SouthWing headset sucks on my HTC as soon as I do more than one thing. At the same time, my camera is busted. My girlfriend has a 6 megapixel camera we use for anything important, but I want a decent camera that's always on me.
I think I see a chance to combine some electronics. I'm looking for a beasty WM 6 based PDA. The current PDA I'm most interested in is the HTC Advantage X7510.
http://www.htc.com/www/product.aspx?id=474
GSM w / solid band support
3.1 MP camera w / flash
BT 2.0
624 Mhz CPU AND ATI gfx chip (<3 cell phone emulators)
16 gig internal flash for my tunes
detachable keyboard
FULL QWERTY KEYBOARD = WIN
Surprisingly sexy for a powerful PDA with a keyboard
This looks like the best one I've found overall. I've heard that HTC has been pretty lousy on implementing the ATI GFX chips, but as far as I can tell that's only on the TyTn II's. It's a little more than I want to spend on a phone, but if it gets the camera in there too then it's sold.
I'm pretty much sold on this guy, only holdup is the cost. I really haven't seen anything that can compete with it, although I found a lot of new companies today poking about. Anybody know of any brands I should look at, or have anything negative to say about this guy?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
well if you really want the x7510 then you should buy an x7500 and put ap4 on there. than its like having the best of both worlds plus you get all the buttons that you dont get with the 7510
7510 is a good choice only if you intend to use it notebook style. If you use it tablet style, then 7500 or 7501 are better. 7510 does not have the a few of the hardware buttons that the older models have, and this is extremely limiting for table style users. Many users find it more convenient, more portable, and easier when using it table style.
BTW, 7500 and 7501 are lighter and cheaper too. The only drawback is the microdrive instead of SSD, but not a serious drawback. Capacity itself is not an issue for most of us, I believe. I only use about 1 GB out of the 8GB with all my programs installed there. All my large consuming files are on microSDHC, which can be swapped in and out at will so there is no practical limit on the effective capacity. Microdrive is a lot faster than microSDHC, although it consumes more power.
The answer is also in the new product cathegories from HTC marketing department ( www.htc.com ) :
They have :
TOUCH phones (From TOUCH to DIAMOND)
PDA phones (From P3300 to TyTN II)
Smartphones (From S310 to S730)
Mobile Computers (Advantage>Shift)
The strategy seems clear: WHAT DO YOU ARE LOOKING FOR ? :
Trendy and WOW effect PDA PHONE? (Play device with phone?) TOUCH product Line
A Powerfull Companion in your PHONE? (Biz device with phone?) PDA Phones Product Line
Lightweight but powerfull PHONE? (Phone for yor Digital Lifestyle?) Smartphones product line
Mobile computing (Mobile PC always on with SOME phone capabilities?) Mobile Computers product line
I agree with you we would like to have them ALL in a single device but....
I have PDA, SMartphone and Mobile computer, and I fully agree with this scenario. A clear idea (or a good help) and you will be really happy of the chosen device. Chose the wrong category for your purpose and you will sell it in few weeks (losing money )
HTC is out from a dark age now, time to buy stock quotes IMHO!
I'd go for an X7500 unless you can get a 7510 susidised. I use about 6Gb of my Microdrive and about 3Gb on my card but you can always expand with bigger cards.
Good luck!
[Edit]Just seen http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=391485 - might be of interest?[/Edit]
Interesting comments, really appreciate the feedback. So, a few things.
1. I haven't really found a good comparison or general video yet of any of the advantage models. I'll keep the keyboard difference in mind. As for the keyboard usage, how is it for texting? I've been pretty happy with the keyboard on my Wizard, but I'm open to something new. I just refuse to go back to not having a QWERTY keyboard. I'd buy the Diamond, but HTC doesn't get how awesome QWERTY texting is appearantly.
2. Looking at the Advantage, I don't see any buttons on it that would be especially good for gaming, especially anything like the pad on a Wizard / TyTn II. Am I missing something, or can I expect to have my PocketNesterness hampered by an Advantage?
3. Thanks for the info on the 7500/1 vs 7510. Looking at the specs page, I noticed the 7500 lists two cameras while the 7501 only has one. Is this the case? I'd just be giving up the VGA camera for voice calls, which I've never used anyways, but I guess it could be nice if I get to an area with better than EDGE service. Also, is the X7510's camera much / any better?
4. I've done a good bit of flashing / light bit of cooking with my Wizard. About how much harder is an advantage to reflash?
5. 8 gigs would be a considerable upgrade for me, I've been getting by on a 4 gig MiniSD that my Wizard only picks up about 3.7 gig of. Assuming I used a gig internally for pics, GPS, etc, I'd still have twice the capacity on HD alone vs my card.
Glad to get some input, got ignored at HowardForums.
Hmm... actually, saw some better pics of the Advantage. There is clearly no "D-Pad" like the PDA-style phones get. LAME.
Back to the drawing board. Kaiser's in the lead, AT&T owes me a discount phone since I bought my own hardware to the table. Too bad it doesn't have a flash.
http://www.imate.com/support/specs/SpecSheet_9502.pdf
Ooooooh... Do Want!
fatheadpi said:
Interesting comments, really appreciate the feedback. So, a few things.
1. ... how is it for texting? ...
2. ... can I expect to have my PocketNesterness hampered by an Advantage?
3. ... the 7500 lists two cameras while the 7501 only has one. Is this the case? Also, is the X7510's camera much / any better?...
4. ...About how much harder is an advantage to reflash?...
5. ...8 gigs ...
....got ignored at HowardForums.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
We play soccer here, 2-1 is the score, and the winners are ...HERMES-KAISER!
1) ATHENA's kb haven't any backlight, hard to use without a stable surface. Big screen means BIG on screen Kb too, but for texting ATHENA Kb isn't really good in standing situation, in the car, on the bus.... WORST comparing it with the HERMES or KAISER
2) Many games aren't usable in a VGA device. I don't know about emulators but less buttons mean less control! WORST comparing it with the HERMES or KAISER
3) Yes, it is. No, don't.
4) Just the same complexity and risks as Kaiser or Hermes
5) Yes, but are built IN. I prefer to have DATA on SD, to manage with the PC utilities, to share data with friends... but, yes BETTER than HERMES or KAISER
HOFO?
Believe me: for a "texter" and "gamer" ATHENA is a nightmare!
Yeah, that's what I'm seeing so far. I might settle on a Kaiser, looks like those are pretty well hacked, and I can get one for like $100 refurb'd through AT&T. I'm gonna see if I can scrounge up a deal on that I-Mate tho, no flash on the camera has repeatedly pissed me off with my Wizard.
On a different note, how is WM6 on a 400 Mhz processor? I'm using a Wizard OC'd to 216Mhz on a custom WM6 rom, and alot of stuff is SLOOOOW. Granted, even a Kaiser would more than double my phone power, but just curious.
Hey guys, I think it's getting obvious the Athena isn't for me. I'm gonna head over to the Kaiser forum and see what I can see. Thanks for the help.

T-Mobile Wing vs Tilt vs Nokia N95- Advice please?

After spending much time searching your forums (my goodness you're all so knowledgeable and generous!) I haven't been able to quite answer my questions. I am in dire need of a phone as my crappy motorola is on it's last legs (we're talking buttons falling off, the works) so I've decided to spend some actual money on a decent phone. I've looked around for a while now and have been lusting after the Tilt for some time now. I would have to buy an unlocked one as I am on the T-mobile network and soon moving to Canada and switching to yet another network. My worry, however, is that I've heard and read some really terrible things about the Tilt. RLoD anyone? So while I am very drawn to it, I need a reliable phone, not one that craps out a couple months after I drop $500 on it. The numbers of malfunctioning Tilts/Tytn IIs seem quite high or am I wrong?
I've come to you, oh wise ones, seeking your counsel learned from many hours of alternately cursing and lauding the HTC name, no doubt.
I need a phone that offers me some productivity, email, messaging, multimedia (mostly, I'd like to be able to listen to music). It must have wifi. I would prefer it not drive me to putting my head through a wall. It would be nice if it had a gps receiver (like the Tilt and the N95) as I would like to run garmin mobile on it but could deal with using an external receiver on the Wing, if it turned out to be the best phone for me.
The reason I love the Tilt and Wing models is primarily the keyboard and touch screen. However, the problems people are having with HTC products have left me quite leery of buying one of their phones. Which is why I was also looking at the N95, most of it's reviews have been favourable although the learning curve to get it to the right level of productivity with 3rd party apps seems steeper. I've had Nokia phones before though- those Finnish build for Vikings, I guess. Never had one of those crap out on me.
Anyhow, I've rambled enough. Any advice or information you might want to throw at me would be appreciated. Thank you so much
My thoughts....
Given what you are after, I would stay with the Wing or Tilt. While I don't own a Tilt, I have used it a fair amount and I can see where reliability could be an issue. If that is a concern, the Wing (or Herald / P4350) has proven to be a very reliable phone (passed my "Wife" test ). It does not have built in GPS or 3G and the processor is slower, but I think you would be happy with it.
I hate the N95. It is a good (not as good as I expected from the "Carl Z" lens and 5MP) camera, good music player and good reception phone, but most of the other functions suck - IMO. The two way slider drives me crazy because if you accidentally slide open the media controls the screen goes to landscape and the only way to change it back is to slide the keypad section up and then back down.
Personally I like the Touch XL (Elfin). It is SOOO much smaller and lighter than the Tilt and Wing and really the only thing you loose from the Wing is the hard keyboard. There are some great soft keyboards avail. for the Touch that allow me to type just as fast on it as my other devices with the keyboard. Take a look at some of them that I have customized in my signature, for example.
Good luck!
You know, I haven't looked too much at the Touch models. I suppose I just figured if I was willing to go the soft keyboard route, I would take my chances with an unlocked iPhone. I figured I would either get my qwerty keyboard or give it up entirely. There seem to be a few variations of the Touch, and you recommend the XL? I shall have to do some research.
The camera features on the phones are the lowest on my list of needs. More of a bonus than a necessity. Nokia has splashed the Carl Zeiss name all over those N Series phones but at the end of the day, a camera phone is a phone, not a dedicated camera and will always fall short for me as I play with dSLRs, so most of the time I just don't bother with the camera on my phone.
Tilt.........
There have been several threads on this...
in a nutshell, if you need great multimedia / (even 3d hardware accelerated) gaming / call recording / camera / a great phone / being light and small, get the N95. If you need Windows Mobile / a touchscreen / a strcitly built-in keyboard and don't need gaming / multimedia / a good camera / call recoridng capabilities etc. and the much higher weight isn't a problem either, get the Kaiser.
I myself would go for the N95 but that's just because I already have the iPAQ 214 as a WinMo handheld (with which the N95 works together very well) and I use the MM features and the camera (which is just great) of the N95 a lot. But that's me.
I realize there have been several threads on this, but what wasn't fully addressed was the reliability issue. There were more than a few threads on this very site that made the Kaiser sound like a rather lovely, briefly useful, piece of crap.
I suppose I'm wondering how likely it is to die on me (I really haven't been able to find out anything solid on how many/often they malfunction) and for those people that did have it die on them, why did you keep going back for more?
The reason the Wing was in the running (in spite of not having all the featues of the Tilt) is that I haven't read of any huge reliability issue with it as with the Tilt.
So I suppose my question is being posed to those people who have had problems. Would you actually still recommend this phone? (If there is somewhere else I should have posted this, please let me know).

vox replacement

my contract is almost up and im thinking of changing my phone. I currently have an HTC S710 Vox and I can honestly say its been the best phone ive ever owned by a long way. Now im thinking of replacing and I wondered what people thought of the new handsets coming onto the market.
What I Like :
Its a smartphone, before anything else this is a phone and does what a phone should do. I like having a front keyboard and I like being able to text onhanded when im on the move. If im honest i never use the slideout keyboard. Windows mobile 6.1 is excellent and with the newer faster ROMS works smoothly - push email syncing to exchange make this a killer device.
what it lacks :
The camera is poor -ideally a 3.2megpixel with autofocus should be the minimum
3g support
Its a tad bulky
GPS is a nice to have but not essential
So what i want is a smartphone that adds the missing functionality (mainly a good camera) and possibly removes the qwerty keyboard to reduce bulk.
The new Sony X1 and Samsung Omnia seem to tick many boxes - but I lose the front keyboard which for me keeps it a real phone and not a pda hybrid.
What are your thoughts - what are my options ?
(i crossposted this in the main smartphone thread because I thought it was relevant discussion in both places - sorry if you have seen it twice)
I'm looking forward to the HP Oak, same form factor as the Vox but with a flush front touch screen.
If not that, then the E71 or HTC Touch Pro will be my next device.
I'm almost due for a new phone as well and my biggest options are TYTNII or Touch Pro.
Recently been looking at the Samsung i570 or i620. Too bad they are only tri-band, what is up with that. The i570 would be a buy for me since it has WiFi, but not being quad is a real damper.

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