xda identifacation - General Topics

I am getting hold of a second hand XDAIIi for free but I am soon to upgrade my contract on T-mobile and was thinking of getting myself a shinny new pda.
I am new to the pda world and dont want to make a mistake and get the wrong one.
I notice that T-mobile do the MDA compact III and wondered if this is the same machine as the orbit ? or if the compact is any good at all ?
they also do the Vario III.
can anyone comment on which is the better machine ? I currently use a Nokia N95 which is very limmiting due to its size and the standard phone keyboard, I like the abillity to acsess the internet and email wherever I am over GPRS and also Wlan, I also like the layout of the the calendar on the xdaIIi.

compact 3 and orbit are old now, orbit 2 is out aka touch cruise or polaris. the vario 3 is same spec but slide out keyboard form factor so all depends on your taste, if you like brick or slim brick. either way id go for a asus p750 better spec and faster.

Related

Upgrade to Polaris (O2 Orbit 2)?

I will be able to upgrade my handset in the next couple of weeks and am thinking between the O2 Stellar (Kaiser) and the Orbit 2 (Polaris). I was hoping to get some feedback to those who have the Polaris.
What do you like/dislike about the Polaris?
Have you tried the Kaiser? and if so how would you compare it to the Polaris?
And one basic question, can you use a stylus with the Polaris?
Thanks
Allan
I think kaiser & polaris are more less the same, except kaiser has hardkbd. In my case i choose Polaris(i have Universal w/ hardKB - i used it maybe 20x thru 2.5 years) - but its solely on Your habits.
Why not 2 use stylus? On Polaris
I heard that the Polaris doesnt have a pressure-sensitive screen and so you must use your finger - I don't think this is the case but I was asking to check...
Have you noticed any oddities with the new interface? Is it good to use or does it get in the way at times?
Thanks
Polaris has a transflective (i.e. daylight readable) screen, whereas on the Kaiser you can't see anything is direct sunlight. Important consideration if you use your device for sat nav as well.
And the Polaris comes with 2 stylus -__-
It is a "TouchFlo" screen which means you can use fingers AS WELL AS stylus.
I upgraded to the Polaris from a Hermes (predecessor of the Kaiser), and I am really surprised at how much difference the few millimeters in thickness makes!
In short, I love my Polaris.
Yes, I just checked that out - I dont know if I will use the stylus but it is useful that it comes with it. How do people find using the onscreen keyboard? I used to have a universal so was spoield with the large keyboard...
PCM Keyboard (free) is great, very finger friendly.
Alternatively, the Polaris comes with the two Touch style on-screen keyboards pre-installed.
My wife has just had an Orbit2 by O2 and compared to my Orbit (1) it is stunning. I've tweaked it with HTC homescreen and some other bits to make it a bit more usable. External card port so no more battery out to fit a new card (supplied with 1Gb) .The cube is super fast and super smooth and comes with CoPilot 7 pre loaded. Been trying to persuade her to swap with me but she's not playing.
She wasn't sure about having it as she thought it may be too complex for her needs but after the 1st hour she was a full convert to XDA. She has now taken to making iPhone users embarrassed to admit they bought the wrong hardware...hahaha
In short can't wait to upgrade.......Orbit2 for me.
Sounds great - now I hope my O2 store has them in stock!
co pilot live 7 pre installed on xda orbit 2
anyone else having a problem loading co pilot 7 on their O2 xda Orbit 2 mine hangs on the o2 display screen with a completion bar only with two green bars lit and a prompt saying Integrating updates this hangs forever and i ried to leave it overnight but to no evail

TyTN II + Touch Cruise I'm Stuck...!!!!

I’m so stuck…..!
I’ve been reading raving reviews on both the HTC TyTN II & Touch Cruise and now confused as to which would be the better of the two for me!
I currently use an o2 Atom Exec and don’t mind it but the fact that I have to pull out the stylus every time I need to SMS or email someone, ****s me to tears.
Will I be doing the same on Touch Cruise? using my stylus rather than the touch capabilities? My biggest concern is the Touch keyboard, I haven’t been able to find a video preview of someone demonstraighting the way you would email or SMS using the Touch keyboard.
I’d really like to hear from anyone that has either the TyTN II or Touch Cruise and why they decided to go with the phone they did.
EDIT: NEVERMIND... I was looking at the Touch DUAL in my comments. Sorry about that!!
EDIT: NEVERMIND... I was looking at the Touch DUAL in my comments. Sorry about that!!
Well, I've played with the Touch, and the TyTN II, and I just bought a Touch Cruise. I was coming from a smartphone (w/keypad), so initially I wanted a Touch Dual. The lack of wifi killed it for me though.
Having a Touch Cruise, I can honestly say you get over not having physical keys/keyboard readily. The form factor on the Touch devices is also very impressive and well sized. Lastly, the flat screen makes a huge difference in usability of the Touch Flow software (so although you can add Touch Flow to the TyTN II, you really don't get the same feel).
Conclusion: If you can get over the lack of wifi and your aren't the type to compose books on your device go for the Dual. If you need wifi, consider upgrading to the Cruise. If you need a dedicated keyboard and don't mind the form factor and largeish size, go for the TyTN II.
Touch Dual
I went after much research for the Kaiser, by far the best.
Then I got a Touch Dual and now I'm turn
You should go around a few shops and play around with the handsets.
My Kaiser is like a brick, the Touch Dual is so smooth and slim.
Excellent advice Sonus.
How true, I also installed the TouchFlo software on my Atom Exec and yes it does the software no justice.
My problem at the moment is that the HTC Touch Cruise doesn’t get released in Australia for another 7 days and then our Telco’s probably want offer any deals for another month or so.
What I’d like is to physically play with a working Touch phone. Would it be fair to say that the HTC Touch has a similar OS to the HTC Touch Cruise? If so, then I can go to a PDA store & have a play with this phone instead to get an idea of the TouchFlo OS and what it would be like to type an email with the “Touch” Keyboard.
Obsydian,
That’s what worries me the most, I’ll buy the TyTN II and then a few weeks later I’ll get to have a play with the Cruise and I’ll kick myself for not waiting.
Tell me, is there any lag when you use the Touch keyboard. If I go and play with a HTC Touch will it give me a perfect example of what the Crusie will fell and work like?
I’m so itching for a new phone, I was very close to just ordering the TyTN II late night…..
Man I’m starting to lose sleep over this LOL……
blimpmedia said:
I’m so stuck…..!
I’d really like to hear from anyone that has either the TyTN II or Touch Cruise and why they decided to go with the phone they did.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have both devices currently. I own one of the pre-release Touch Cruises and I love it. At the same time, I am evaluating a development ROM on a Kaiser for an un-named source. In essence, with a modified ROM, the Touch interface functionality can be nearly the same on both devices with a slight edge going to the Cruise since it has the flush-faced screen made for the GUI.
I have been using the Kaiser (TYTN II) for the past week and I must say, I open the keyboard more times by accident than intentionally. I agree with the earlier comments that you get used to having no keyboard very fast. Cruise has FM Radio, while Kaiser does not. I played FM a little on day 1 of owning the Cruise and not again since. I stopped listening to FM years ago when I went to XM.
The BIG thing to notice is the BULK of the Kaiser, even though it is slimmed down a little from the earlier TYTN and the Wizard which preceeded it, it is a brick compared to the Cruise. In my area the Kaiser is $40-$50 more expensive than the Cruise. My vote for the Cruise is not for the cost, it's for the ability to turn heads and garner interest from others. The QWERTY-PDA's have been around for years now. The Touch GUI is new on the block and many folks like it because it is new and it's not from *pple.
I've written reviews for both devices now and the scale for me tips towards Cruise. By the way, I love the Teksoft keyboard on the Cruise. (search the Athena Forum for more info or google Teksoft)
Raskell, If I go to a local mobile store that stocks a Touch Dual will that give me an idea of what I’m up for with the cruise?
blimpmedia said:
Raskell, If I go to a local mobile store that stocks a Touch Dual will that give me an idea of what I’m up for with the cruise?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, I think it is a good idea to feel the Touch Dual or the original Touch for that matter, just to get a handle on the Touch GUI and to feel the sleekness of the device. Depending on where you live and which shop you visit, they may also have a TYTN ot a TYTN II. (If you've seen a Wizard, the TYTN's are upgraded hardware in the same size case, just a bit more style)
In the end, the sleek and solid lines and the less bulky feel of the Touch line should steer you towards the Cruise. It has all of the connectivity and options you should need in this price range. Apart from not having a VGA screen and a microdrive, it is feature for feature on par with the Athena, but that device is in a class of it's own (+size, +weight, +bulk, but storage and features galore)
Happy hunting and let us know how you do with the decision.
I just when to the local Phone store which had a HTC Touch & the TyTN II on display and asked if I could demo the Touch. I don’t understand these companies! They want us to spend over $1000 AU but don’t have a working demo to play with, boy that annoys me.
Now the sales person wouldn’t let me physically handle the Touch but he did installed the battery and turned the phone on for me to see it working. He showed me the onscreen keyboard in a qwerty 1x key per button and it seemed too small to try typing a short email/sms using your thumb. He mentioned that his girlfriend had the Touch and she still used her stylus a lot to type her sms messages.
I’m so confused and my wife is about to divorce me LOL…… unless someone can seriously convince me, I think I might head for the TyTN II. I really like the Touch Cruise but my biggest concern it the typing method.
So any HTC Touch Cruise owners I understand the Touch Cruise onscreen keyboard can be changed to x1 letter per key, what is your honest experience with this?
I’m not sure if this is possible, but am I able to install the onscreen keyboard used on the Touch Cruise on my Atom Exec to get a rough feel for it?
If so, where can I download it from?
I'm not sure why in the world his g/f would use the stylus keyboard as the main input, its much slower than using the included stock thumb keyboards.
The stock keyboard options on the cruise are a t9 keyboard(3keys per button), and a 20 key qwerty keyboard (2keys per button). If you want a full qwerty keyboard for thumb typing, you'll need to download something like pocketcm or zoomboard, or the big keyboard by spb.
Honestly, I can only imagine using a full qwerty keyboard in landscape mode. I ended up using the 12key T9 keyboard and I'm pretty fast on it, it has a really good T9 predictive engine, so I'm faster than some of my friends with full qwerty devices. But if you feel you *need* a qwerty keyboard, then the TytnII would be the way to go (I say need, b/c you may just find you can live w/o it). Good luck on your decision.

Would you trade your kaiser for the new samsung sgh-i780?

Hello guys,
This is probably my second post even though i've been on here for a few months now.
I'm a big fan of the kaiser and recently i just bought the new samsung sgh-i780.
I wanted a phone with a qwerty keyboard that didn't require to slide out but after using it for about a day, i miss my kaiser because of the longer screen.
Just trying to get some opinions out there, the samsung is suppose to have 320x320 but on the today's screen it isn't. is there any way i can maximize the screen to 320x320?
Thanks for your help guys!
-Matt
I'm having kind of the same question.. ..I've owned a Treo 750 for a year and now switched to a Vario III (HTC Kaiser).
At times I really like the Treo (still have it, but miss GPS and WiFi).
Therefore I was looking at the Samsung i780.
One thing I was wondering about was if the mous pad works just as fast as the tradional D-Pad. Even if it's set to act as a D-Pad instead of a cursor.
The second thing is, how does the call quality stand next to the HTC Kaiser or Treo 750. For me the Treo has the best call quality of all PocketPC's and Smartphones I've ever owned!
Third question, does the screen resolution actually acts as an 320x320 screen? Read that the main screen is just as an 240x240 screen?
Wonder about some screenshots of PocketInformant TomTom and some other programs
Last question, do you think that the i780 can go for 48 hours without any problem? For me a minimum of 2 days is a requirement for a phone or PDA.
If somebody could answer these questions all positive, than yes! I would trade my Vario III against a i780
mccune said:
I'm having kind of the same question.. ..I've owned a Treo 750 for a year and now switched to a Vario III (HTC Kaiser).
At times I really like the Treo (still have it, but miss GPS and WiFi).
Therefore I was looking at the Samsung i780.
One thing I was wondering about was if the mous pad works just as fast as the tradional D-Pad. Even if it's set to act as a D-Pad instead of a cursor.
The second thing is, how does the call quality stand next to the HTC Kaiser or Treo 750. For me the Treo has the best call quality of all PocketPC's and Smartphones I've ever owned!
Third question, does the screen resolution actually acts as an 320x320 screen? Read that the main screen is just as an 240x240 screen?
Wonder about some screenshots of PocketInformant TomTom and some other programs
Last question, do you think that the i780 can go for 48 hours without any problem? For me a minimum of 2 days is a requirement for a phone or PDA.
If somebody could answer these questions all positive, than yes! I would trade my Vario III against a i780
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well hey i have decided to keep the I780. The today screen is only 240x240, but on xda, i was able to find a cab file truevga at 96dpi and after installing it, the today screen became 320x320. Smaller fonts is the downside but you can fit more stuff! The phone actually works quite well. i was like you and wasn't too sure about the mousepad, but its surprisingly FAST! if not the same maybe even faster than the usual joystick. Great phone overall. Comes factory with about 83.xx MB FREE MEMORY!
how mouch does i780 cost in your country?
it didn't come to turkey yet. but i wonder the price.
i'm really think about selling my htc touch and buy this awesome machine.
where do you find this cab file?

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

O2 willing to swap my Orbit2 for Sony Ericcson Experia...

After my 4th lost rubber ring from my scroll wheel, O2 have offered to change my Orbit 2 for a different phone.
Initially they offered me a choice of either the Nokia N95, Nokia 6220 Classic, or LG Viewty.
Naturally, I declined and explained I require a Windows Mobile device that is capable of viewing and editing Microsoft Word and Excel Documents, which is HSDPA and GPS enabled, and also takes external memory/SD slot.
To be honest, I'm happy with the Orbit 2, apart from the rubber ring issue.
They came back and offered me a Sony Ericsson Xperia or the XDA Ignito (HTC Touch). The Touch only has internal memory, so not suitable.
I'm not sure about the Sony Ericsson Experia though. Does it have any advantages over the Orbit 2?
My contract is due for renewal in August (8 months), so this could be my opportunity for a
'fresh' handset mid-term to ease the wait.
My recent phone history goes like this - Orbit/Cruise>>M3100/Hermes>>C600>>SPV (original)
As you can see, I like my HTC phones.
Will I regret the change to the Sony Ericsson Experia?
All opinions appreciated!
do you have to give your orbit 2 back?
I would probably go for the XDA Ignito since it has 4gb internal memory and a vga screen, and you can still transfer files via WiFi or Usb connections, since i never take my SDHC card out anyway
If you have 7 month contract you may aswell get a new phone since when your current contact runs out youll get more whne you sell it, so maybe the Touch HD is cheaper in the long run!
and you get a new phone!
Yes, I need to give the Orbit 2 back.
I would go for the Ignito if it hard external memory. Transfering large files takes ages through the cable vie activesync, and I store a lot of info on my 8gb SD card.
When looking at the Ignito/Diamond in a store today, the screen looked alot smaller than the Orbit 2, which put me off, but having cjecked the specs now, the screeens appear to be both 2.8 inch.
Then there's the Xperia....
I'm confused!
lol
yeah there both the same screens, only difference is that one is qvga (320 x 240 orbit) and the other one is vga (640 x 480 ignito)
Are you actually wanting an upgrade that isnt listed?
For exapmle, you could get a replacemnet ( highest value one) then sell it straight away and use that money and a bit extra to maybe get the touchHD or soemthing,
Then when your contract come back around you can just sell that phone and make up what you spent extra getting the touch HD,
All depends on what you want really and how long phones last with you without either breaking or getting bored!!
Personally with me nokias last about 3 months but HTC ones last about 5 years!
Also depends on weather you like to flash roms and such?
The Xperia is a sizeable upgrade and worth a lot more money than the Polaris or Ignito. Furthermore, since the Xperia is an HTC manufactured device, it already has a section here and can run all the HTC specific stuff. In fact if you don't want the Xperia, I'll trade you my Touch Cruise for it as we don't have the rubber ring issue.
You'd be absolutely crazy if you went for the Ignito over the Xperia.
Xperia Pros:
3"in screen
Aluminum casing
Luxury design
30fps VGA recording
WVGA resolution
Ability to play movies w/hardware accelleration
3.5mm audio out
physical keyboard
Xperia Cons:
Less HTC software customizations (but you can install all the Touch HD stuff since they have pretty much the same internals)
Thicker than the Ignito (but thinner than the Touch Pro)
I went into a store and played with both phones, the Touch Diamond/Ignito, and the Xperia.
Sonus, the Xperia looks a real winner on paper, but what I didn't expect was that the Diamond felt better in the hand. I don't know if it's because the Xperia has a slide keyboard, so is essentially two pieces, but the Diamond felt rock solid in the hand in comparison.
However, looking at the re-sale values of the Xperia on ebay, I think I'll do what gbds suggests and sell the Xperia and buy a Touch HD
I've emailed O2 to confirm that they are not going to treat this different model replacement as an upgrade, and once I get confirmation I think I'll ask for the Xperia.
Thanks again!
Managed to get this sorted yet?
Yeah, got the Xperia delivered yesterday.
I've been playing around with it, and desperately need touchflo installed. I guess it's just getting used to a new phone again. I have the Orbit 2 set up so it does what I ask of it with ease, standard HTC home screen with the digital clock, and windows live emails on the fron screen, easy access to all my applications from tabs on the front screen, quick flick of the finger and I'm speed dialing contacts, another flick and I'm in to my photo album.
The high resolution/small icons and text on the Experia is a little off-putting.
Also, the right-hand edge of the stainless steel front bezel is raised slightly and feels very sharp to the touch (i have a sore finger from it) so will be calling them tomorrow.
Signal strength is not as good as my orbit either. Where I was getting HSDPA in my lounge, I'm now hovering between HSDPA and Edge.
The phone does feel very sturdy, and appears to have potential but I still love my Orbit 2

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