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Its that new phone time again. Recommendations for Orbit/Armatis replacement?

I've been buying HTC devices every year since the very first XDA came out. Normally its a simple affair, just ring up O2 and order the next model out but there's so many to choose from now and this year I'm just spoiled for choice.
I'm currently using an Orbit which I really love, it has just about everything I need. About the only improvements I would make is 3G, VGA, more memory, faster processor. So whats available? There seem so many to choose from these days.
I know the iphone is a pile of crap but you must admit it looks good. Don't HTC do a similar style i.e. all screen and fewer buttons?

Anyone got any opinions?
Top of the pops at the moment is the Athena but I think it may be too big for my pocket. Is there anything with a similar spec only smaller yet?

How about Orbit II ?
Has everything you want, except VGA display...
400Mhz CPU, 128MB RAM, UMTS/HSDPA, 3MP camera....
Olioaglio

Yep the Orbit 2 will be my next phone.
The iPhone is very very tempting, and regardless of what hardcore WM fans say, its a very fast, fluid interface and is generally what the public want to see from a touch phone, as proved by its massive sales figures,
Buuuuuuuut the orbit 2 has built in GPS, decent 400mhz proccessor, 3G, flush screen, 3MP auto focusing camera, with video, a second smaller camera on the front for video calls, loads of ram. Go for the Orbit 2 for the time been, get the iphone version 2 in a few years as its probly gunna take over the world lol.

I assume we're talking about the Polaris or Touch Cruise?
Didn't realize it was also referred to as the Orbit 2. Does that mean it will be released by O2 in the UK? Any idea when? (I know the Cruise has been put back to mid Jan)
Anyway I've decided to get a second hand Athena for now (no new contract). I've always wanted VGA and TV out. If I can't get on with the size then I'll get the Orbit2 or Cruise when it arrives.

Yeah its the o2's version of the polaris is called the Orbit 2.
http://www.reghardware.co.uk/2007/11/09/o2_xda_orbit_2/ for some screenshots and info. Alot of sites are saying its going to get released 1st quarter of 2008, many are saying January.

Is money is no object there is always this phone.
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applicat...224-1010&CMP=EMC-TIGEREMAIL&SRCCODE=WEM1526BY

What's after Artemis/P3300
Hello, I had the same dilemma, I have this phone for a whole year, I never had a phone for so long, but there is nothing really better out there to replace it with.
I thing the best thing if you don't need keyboard is the Cruise, and I guess I'll have to wait for it.
I think it's a good choice because it has all what this phone has plus 3G and flush screen.
The fact that it does not have VGA does not bother me, because VGA at this tiny screen does look better, but you can't really use it in the VGA resolution it's just too small for the eyes. All the other VGA phones just emulate a 320x240 screen, so it looks much nicer, but not more than that.
I tried a whole bunch of phones, I had the iPhone for almost a month, and it is really great, it is fast, smooth, beautiful and great at what it does, but it does not do much, if you are used to use a lot of the functions of the pocket pc you realize that the iphone almost worthless.
I also had the E-Ten x800 lately, I used it for about an hour and got rid of it, it is painfully slow, I couldn't get it to play a movie normally, it does not make sense, it has 520mhz cpu and it is still extremely slow, also I didin't like the way it looks at all. The VGA screen is good but there is no major difference, and I didin't try 3G in it.
I also have the Gigabyte Gsmart i350 right now, it's nice and small, very fast and has VGA screen, it also has GPS, I really like it but the lack of 3G is a real setback, it does not even have edge, only GPRS wich makes it really slow internet browsing.
One more important thing is the company that makes the phones, there is no such good quality as HTC, the build, the feel, and quality of calls, it beats every onther company out there.
Also this site makes me get only HTC phones, there is no such a site with so much support and options for your phone, with so many great people working and helping each other!!!!!
The bottom line is that the Cruise seems to be the best combination of all the features that are out there, VGA would make it a killer of a phone, but after playing with some VGA phones I don't think it makes such a big difference, also a lot of the apps out there don't support VGA screen, I think in a couple of months there will be a much better support for it.
I hope that my little thoughts and mini reviews will help you with your decision.

The Kaiser is great, but if I could do it again or had the bux to spare, I'd go with a Polaris.
I hardly ever use the Kaiser keyboard and the fm radio on the Polaris sounds like an interesting addition. Other than that, the feature sets (between Kaiser & Polaris) are identical.
See pdadb for comparison info.

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.

I'm due an upgrade - Whats new on the market?

Hi there all - I currently have a MDA Compact III through T-Mobile and am due an upgrade next week. I don't mind moving networks. Whats better than what i currently have? Does anyone know if there are any new PDA's out on the market shortly? If so, what do they do and should i hold on or just go with whats out there now! I'd really appreciate your help and i'm totally open to all options.
Cheers and thanks for reading
Regards
Daddy H

yep the mda compac IV, stay that few extra months, itll bring the price of the device down, its also known as the HTC Touch Diamond. Comes out in june sometime on sim-free, probably july on T-Mob.
If you wait those 2 months, yoll probs get some loyalty bonus or at least a discount.
Definitely the best phone ive seen thats upcoming
Rory

Thread moved to general as this is not NEWS for most of us that is.

I might be wrong, but the Diamond doesn't have qwertry, memory card slot or a flash on the camera right? Hardly an upgrade from the previous MDA range. In fact that seems massively lower spec than the MDA Vario II to me. aGPS and VGA screen do look a treat though.
It is pretty, but if I wanted pretty I'd get an iPhone. Also, the back is hideous and looks like it would be seriously uncomfortable in your pocket.
I have an i-Mate 9502 (pretty much brand new out) which is lovely, but until i-Mate get their arses in gear with patches/updates it has no SDHC support and it doesn't play videos so well (no worse than the MDA 3 mind). These features are supposedly coming though. It looks a bit like a sidekick which you can either take or leave.
Sony Ericsson X1 is what I'm waiting for with baited breath, although its looking like its not going to be out until the end of the year now :/

I hid money from the wife just so i could save for the raphael as long as my money doesn't corrode waiting for it.

If you can cope without the external memory card slot then the Touch Diamond (MDA COMPACT 4) is definitely the one for you: particularly given that you currently use a non-qwerty MDA Compact 3. The interface looks superb and the only drawback seems to be the lack of a memory card slot. There is no flash on the camera either, but IMHO you wouldn't buy a Winmo device for its camera anyway as they're all crap!
Another advantage is that its release on the T-Mobile uk network is imminent.
The Raphael should also be released on T-Mobile given their record of releasing wizard and Magician upgrades but you could be waiting an awfully long time for something that may not offer you any more benefits than the Touch Diamond. Its size and weight will certainly be greater too.
As regards other networks, well in the UK there is no advantage of going to another network for your windows mobile devices as no-one offers as much choice as T-Mobile, nor as good a package as Web n Walk.

leoni1980 said:
If you can cope without the external memory card slot then the Touch Diamond (MDA COMPACT 4) is definitely the one for you: particularly given that you currently use a non-qwerty MDA Compact 3. The interface looks superb and the only drawback seems to be the lack of a memory card slot. There is no flash on the camera either, but IMHO you wouldn't buy a Winmo device for its camera anyway as they're all crap!
Another advantage is that its release on the T-Mobile uk network is imminent.
The Raphael should also be released on T-Mobile given their record of releasing wizard and Magician upgrades but you could be waiting an awfully long time for something that may not offer you any more benefits than the Touch Diamond. Its size and weight will certainly be greater too.
As regards other networks, well in the UK there is no advantage of going to another network for your windows mobile devices as no-one offers as much choice as T-Mobile, nor as good a package as Web n Walk.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The camera on my 9502 is excellent! Obviously not as good as an N95, but definately useable. I could happily take it on a day out instead of a camera.

"Also, the back is hideous and looks like it would be seriously uncomfortable in your pocket."
it's just paint it's not a real "diamon" crystal shape

Thanks for all your replies!!!
Cheers All for your comments - as a matter of interest, does size matter? I know the qwerty keyboards are bigger and bulkier but are they worth it?????????? what extra do you get ?
Cheers Again
Daddy

as a matter of fact i've been using the fingertouch onscreen keyboard most of the time with my universal, however if you do a lot of typing it's very useful to be able to turn to a qwerty keyboard. from experience of owning a Universal, Athena and Tytn 2 i would say that the tytn 2's keypad easily beats the Athena's mushy and unlit metal jobby, though the Athena is the best for touchscreen typing owing to the screen size and shape of the device. if you only send quick texts, and quick email responses and you're not bothered about expanding the memory of your device beyond 4gb then i'd say the Touch Diamond is the perfect upgrade for you. let's face it, if you're happy with your mda compact 3 is it really worth taking the chance of a bigger or vastly different device when you've got a natural upgrade(the Diamond) already around the corner waiting for you? it might not be to everyone's taste but the Diamond DOES look like a slick and capable bit of kit which you could do no harm by trying out.

Cheers Leoni, just ordering my HTC Touch now. thanks for all your help!
Regards
Daddy

ETEN Glofiish X800 vs TyTNII?

Hello guys...
After some technical problems with my Kaiser (now in service), and after realizing that I don't really use the hardware keyboard all that much (a major criterion when I chose Kaiser), I was thinking of trading it for the ETEN Glofiish X800. I'm tempted by the 500MHz processor and the brilliant VGA screen, however are there any opinions on how well it fares in other issues? GPS, overall speed etc?
Thanks in advance,
t

if you don't want a keyboard anymore, you should maybe also consider the HTC Touch Diamond...very small and light, nice vga screen, gps, 4GB internal memory, etc.

Hmmm you could be right, I didn't think of that. Its processor is running @ 400MHz instead of 500, though, and a full €100/$160 more than the X800, so I'm not sure how it compares. One big plus is the wealth of custom ROMs lying around - haven't seen anything for the ETEN device...
Thanks for the advice

btw, don't forget to consider the iPhone 3G too...maybe not so interessting if you have a lot of windows mobile specific applications...but for normal use like mail, phone, calendar, etc it can be interessting.
anyway, before buying any new device, I can advice everyone to wait like a month or two, untill the iPhone 3G gets available everywhere. I hope the prices of many other windows mobile devices will drop after the 3G introduction.
the diamond and 3g are very comparable device, still the diamond costs 500euro and the 3g will be something like 300euro (without contract) in Belgium. so i expect htc will have to drop theire prices to concurrent with apple.

Ah no, not interested in iPhones! Not only do I need the Windows functionality indeed, but I have developed a certain anti-anti-establishment feeling against it, I just hate how 'hip' it has become
Still competition is good nonetheless. Now, I wonder, why on earth hasn't the TyTNII come down since its launch, at least in Greece? Still going for €800!

i too still prefer windows mobile because of some applications I couldn't live without...but after playing for a while with an iPhone I was really impressed with its responsiveness and stability. It couldn't nearly do as much as what I can do with my windows mobile device, but the things that the iPhone could do were working very well, very smooth. And that's something I can't say from my pocket pc. But anyway, I already got used to the many crashes and softreset that it now doesn't really bother me anymore

So have I, have used Windows for so long I'm all too used to it The firts major disadvantage of the iPhone would be the GPS functionality - what would I do without my iGo?
So, anyone with an idea about the ETEN vs HTC?

eten FTW! i just wished it had a BIGGER vga screen like the iphone! but the gps sirf III kills that iphone AGPS for sure! plus i hate mac stuff!
just wished our x800 had more internal RAM! 64 is not enuff!

I had an X800 before I got my Touch Cruise and I have to say, the only thing better than the TC is the VGA screen, other than that, it kept developing a Micro SD problem where the locking mechanism would break and the SD card wouldn't lock in place (I had one replacement unit, and an attempted repair, and it seems other people have had the same problem) It is also significantly slower than my TC (when you press a menu option in TomTom, you can see the menu layers change it is that slow!). Couple that with the recessed screen so it's almost impossible to press the x button without using the stylus, and I'm much happier with the touch cruise than the X800. I won't buy another E-Ten device as they seem to have very poor after sales service, and almost non-existent support for European users!

Could you suggest a device for me?

I have been using a TyTN/Hermes with WM6 for a year now. As my warranty is ending, I'm thinking about switching to another device and letting this one on eBay while it's in good condition.
I liked the TyTN but if I have to cope with a slide out keyboard I'd rather have no keyboard at all. I'd love to have a frontal keyboard for quickly typing stuff (something I loved on my Treo 650), but no keyboard is fine, too.
I do a lot of web browsing using Opera 8.65 and 9.5 and my TyTN is a bit slow so I'm looking for a device with more RAM than this one.
Here's some stuff I need:
-Wi-Fi
-Frontal keyboard or no keyboard (no sliding mechanism)
-128mb of RAM for Opera
And some stuff I'd like:
-GPS
-VGA
As for data speeds, I don't care. Same goes for bluetooth and battery life.
My current interests are the upcoming Treo Pro (probably too expensive) and the HTC Touch Enhanced but I don't really know what's on the market right now. The Treo 750 was perfect except it has no Wi-Fi and I don't pay for data right now.
I'd like something I could get for under 250$ on eBay, if possible.

i was gonna say the diamond till i saw the price range.... i would have to say that the htc touch is my recommendation, but no wifi in CDMA, and less memory with GSM but with wifi

Well, if you want a fast, I mean fast, device, get the Touch. Will do everything you need, except it has no WiFi and is QVGA. Judging by what you want, you'll have to cope with something your not looking for.

You might actually want to look at some smartphones. The s740 is HTC newest one, based on diamond design scheme, 256mb ram is totally monster (and maybe even overkill) and has dual keyboards.
no other smartphones from HTC seem to match your specifications, and the s740 definitely wont meet your price range. Actually, very few phones do, unless they're carrier-subsidized, which may be a better option than ebay.

if you have alot of money, id say get a samsung omnia

I like the touch for the price, but if I have to go for higher prices, I will ask for GPS, frontal keyboard and horribly fast hardware.
The Treo Pro might be just that, but it's not out yet...
EDIT: The Rogers HTC Touch has Wi-Fi, 256mb of ROM and 128mb of RAM, suits me pretty well and I'm still trying to get one on eBay. They are almost getting rare! There's the Asus Galaxy too but they are nowhere to be found.
EDIT2: If I can find the Touch, I'll go for it, but did anyone switch from a TyTN to a Touch Enhanced?
EDIT3: Little did I know about the existence of the Touch Cruise!