Hi,
Ive decided to go with Wm over UIQ3/S60 due to more software.
Ive never had a ppc, but i expect to do some tinkering in terms of software and maybe custom rom's
Turns out that choosing the os was the easy part.
Im now faced with hardware dilemmas. Sorry if this is long, but i dont want to throw away 400$ or more on a phone that may not meet my expectations
1. The devices i looked at range from 200mhz omap to about 500mhz from various chip makers. How noticeable is the cpu speed if a phone has the same ram?
2. Next is Ram, how important is it to have 128 megs??
3. last is Rom, how useful is this- cant u just dump progs to the expandable memory card. performance wise how diff are progs installed on the rom verses the expandable memory?
phones i am considering are gsm: htc touch, touch cruise, SE x1, asus p527/p750, lg ks20, glofiish x650/x600, toshiba g810, gsmart i3xx?, samsung i780. How crippling is the htc driver problem?
a) i kinda want my phone to have some metal on the case- will it get less scratches?
b) how useful are phones with just direction and 2 buttons-send/end call? how useful is a 9# keypad in real buttons? seems redundant with soft key option
c) Am i better off with the cheaper options to get used to wm rather the go for a more luxury option?
I plan to keep the phone for about 3 years.
also how useful is the wifi versus data plan( i am in Ontario Canada)?
i plan to use it to call long distance in Canada via Voip, as i am around wifi hot spots often.
Thank you to all who give me some input.
I'll chime in where I can:
2. Very important. I find that 64 is not enough and 128 is too much. If they made 96MB RAM it would be perfect. But noone does that I know of. Better to have too much than too little. Battery life will suffer a little (less power used for less memory).
3. It's pretty important. I have 256 MB ROM and after everything I only have 128 free. If you only had 128 to begin with, who knows how much you'd be left with? Some apps need to be installed in ROM and not Storage Card. Get 256 if you can.
b) I never really use any buttons other than on/off and talk/end. I have a hardware button setup for the today screen, which helps me because I use it alot.
Hope that helps!
That clears it up thank you wildcard.
Ths could eliminate some phones from my list.
Could anyone clear up processor speed for me, does it really make a diff given enough ram?
Also out of the phones I mentioned, is there a clear choice that satisfy me- ignoring the phones not yet released( x1, g810)?
Is there an gsm htc touch clone from o2 or whoever that mimics the CDMA version ( 400mhz, 128 ram)?
Don't take this as entirely factual but:
-64mb RAM is good, but I could have used 128mb. Battery life is affected, but I don't know how much.
-CPU probably has some effect, but 400mhz is standard and fine. 200mhz is probably much slower.
-There is no 400mhz/128MB RAM Touch clone for GSM
-Apps run faster from ROM. With only system utilities on my device and with the ROM made spring clean, I could not have more than 32 out of 49MB of free RAM left. 64 is really small, 128 is a minimum if you don't want to count on your card or keep extra fonts/voice commands/media.
-You MUST have Wi-Fi. What kind of sane Canadian would rely on data... probably a filthy rich one! Rogers is about to bring affordable unlimited data soon tho, but they say it will be for "a selected list of phones" which will probably exclude the very phones that need it IMO. iPhone whores...
-If you're not sure about Windows Mobile, try an emulator (found on microsoft website using google) for developers and surf around. It's far from what you can actually do with your device but it helps you see what it's all about.
You might want to try PalmOS if Wi-Fi and web browsing is not a necessity. I changed to WM and would never switch back, but some did the opposite and loved it.
Suggestion:
-TyTN / TyTN II have plenty of buttons+hardware keyboard, great for playing video game ROMs and games in general, but makes the device much thicker. You will love having lots of hardware buttons (one for flashlight, another for calendar then another for...)
-HTC Touch. It must be slower, but if you remove web browsing, heavy customization and the like, it will be a nice pocketable device. It's so damn cute compared to my fat TyTN (which I love). It only lacks more buttons and some power under the hood.
Thanks again.
Rogers has some sort of Rogers Vision Plan that includes data for 7$ still dont know much about it, its all new. I'd rather not pay anything extra LOL.
www.tryphone.com has a preview of palm os, but that doesnt interest me.
I couldnt figure out the windows mobile simulation from microsoft, but i did use a htc briefly in a store.
Anyways from whats been posted:
Avoid 200 mhz
Avoid anything less then 128 ram
Avoid anything less then 256 rom
This basically leaves HTC, Samsung, toshiba, Hp 610 and upcoming expensive X1.
---
From what i understand Rom flashing is basically reinstalling WM and bundling less progs with it? Am I correct?
Could any one point me into the direction of more info on ROM flashing?
How hard is it to make a custom Rom from scratch in case I go with a non HTC phone i.e. Samsung/ Eten / Asus .. i gather the other communities dont have it as rich as this one.
Avoid LG KS20 !
Hello andrey08,
There is one thing I can tell : do not buy a LG KS20 !. It is plagued by totally flawed display drivers : many GAPI apps do not work, and most DirectDraw ones do not.
Moreover, LG stripped from the ROM QTV support, so you will not have hardware accelerated video playing.
There is also a problem with the microphone while phoning, which stops functionning while switching between GSM and 3G bands.
Finally, their customer support is even worst than HTC's since they always pretend not being aware of these problems and do not plan to release a new ROM to correct anything when asked (since there is no problem according to them...).
I'm the poor owner of this piece of crap, and can not even resell it since it would be scam (you can't not even rely on it to phone !).
You can search the internet to confirm what I say : european forums are full of messages of angry customers. Our problem is that we can not have class actions in europe as in the US, and it is not an easy task to individually sue vodaphone or LG.
Lastly, concerning HTC recent products : if you read this forum, you will find that recent MSM7xxx HTC products are plagued by a very slow display. Compatibility and applications support seems OK though.
what about screen type
i know VGA is 4 times the display ability of QVGA, however whatsthe draw back of VGA
do all programs run on both VGA/Qvga screens??
whats the issue with video play back??
andrey08 said:
what about screen type
i know VGA is 4 times the display ability of QVGA, however whatsthe draw back of VGA
do all programs run on both VGA/Qvga screens??
whats the issue with video play back??
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I would go for a VGA phone every time, but the advantages are relatively subtle.
Most QVGA programs will work on VGA, either because they are natively supported, or they use pixel-doubling.
You won't notice much of a difference for most of the built-in programs apart from smoother fonts and cleaner icons. This can be hacked using something like realVGA, but I find the icons get too small for practical benefit, although YMMV.
VGA, however, definitely comes into its own when you are web-browsing or using the remote desktop client, because the increased resolution means that you can get a near-desktop experience.
The disadvantage is that VGA displays theoretically sap more battery, although I haven't found this to be a problem in practice. Video playback is also more dependent on what hardware you have on the device and whether there is any acceleration.
ZSX said:
I would go for a VGA phone every time, but the advantages are relatively subtle.
Most QVGA programs will work on VGA, either because they are natively supported, or they use pixel-doubling.
You won't notice much of a difference for most of the built-in programs apart from smoother fonts and cleaner icons. This can be hacked using something like realVGA, but I find the icons get too small for practical benefit, although YMMV.
VGA, however, definitely comes into its own when you are web-browsing or using the remote desktop client, because the increased resolution means that you can get a near-desktop experience.
The disadvantage is that VGA displays theoretically sap more battery, although I haven't found this to be a problem in practice. Video playback is also more dependent on what hardware you have on the device and whether there is any acceleration.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Also make sure you read my (W)VGA-related articles & reviews - from MWC, I've posted a LOT on the brand new / forthcoming VGA devices (for example, the i-mate 9502, the x7510 etc)
andrey08 said:
Hi,
Ive decided to go with Wm over UIQ3/S60 due to more software.
Ive never had a ppc, but i expect to do some tinkering in terms of software and maybe custom rom's
Turns out that choosing the os was the easy part.
Im now faced with hardware dilemmas. Sorry if this is long, but i dont want to throw away 400$ or more on a phone that may not meet my expectations
1. The devices i looked at range from 200mhz omap to about 500mhz from various chip makers. How noticeable is the cpu speed if a phone has the same ram?
2. Next is Ram, how important is it to have 128 megs??
3. last is Rom, how useful is this- cant u just dump progs to the expandable memory card. performance wise how diff are progs installed on the rom verses the expandable memory?
phones i am considering are gsm: htc touch, touch cruise, SE x1, asus p527/p750, lg ks20, glofiish x650/x600, toshiba g810, gsmart i3xx?, samsung i780. How crippling is the htc driver problem?
a) i kinda want my phone to have some metal on the case- will it get less scratches?
b) how useful are phones with just direction and 2 buttons-send/end call? how useful is a 9# keypad in real buttons? seems redundant with soft key option
c) Am i better off with the cheaper options to get used to wm rather the go for a more luxury option?
I plan to keep the phone for about 3 years.
also how useful is the wifi versus data plan( i am in Ontario Canada)?
i plan to use it to call long distance in Canada via Voip, as i am around wifi hot spots often.
Thank you to all who give me some input.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I heartily recommend the MWC-based handset reviews I've posted in the last week into this very forum (i-mate, HP, Samsung etc)
Thanks i'll chekc it out.
im considering either an Eten x650 or MWg Atom V
reviews and such look good for both
Related
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.
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!
Hi all!
Time to part with my old (but still very good phone!) Motorola V6 maxx.
Now i need something more advanced. Features i desire most are:
1. Personal manager (organizer, calendar, appointments, contacts etc.)
2. GPS (yes, i need it in same device - i am riding a motorcycle thus i cant get with me tons of hardware. One device is more than i can take sometimes!)
3. Phone with at least UMTS (3G). HSDPA not required. (reason - read 2).
4. WiFi (not a must-have, but good to have).
5. Some camera (2MPix is more than enough).
6. Possibility of customization - i like it to work the way i want, not what manufacturer intended to do.
I'v had Siemens SX1 some time ago - but Symbian isnt for me. I prefere Win Mobile My wife got recently HTC Touch Dual - beside lack of GPS it is awesome. Has everything what i need. Beside GPS...
I have one favorite - HTC Touch Cruise (Polaris). But i am not sure if i wont find something better. I like TouchFLO - no need for stylus in most cases. I also considered Eten X800, but i'v read many bad things about Etens in general (even bad things about SirfStar III in it - but i think it is a little better than Qualcomm or w/e is in HTC). I want you to post some pros/cons for different devices. 800-900$ tops. Just point me some device and write some pros (you like most in it) and cons (you hate something in it). I dont care if it will be VGA or lower res. I want functionality and speed (some old 100MHz with 32MB ram is rather not too fast ;P )...
Cheers!
I think HP 614c is the perfect one for you. It has everything ;]
http://h10010.www1.hp.com/wwpc/uk/e...48-64929-3352590-3352590-3544358-3544385.html
Looks nice, but GPS... Assisted GPS requires my provider to have some special A-GPS Servers. I have aGPS in my current motorola - no success to use it in Poland... No provider offers here AGPS servers :/ Beside it requires patment for data transfer So lets talk about SirfStar, Qualcom or other real, hardware GPS receiver built in.
Also i prefere touch-only or sliders. I dont like the look of whole keyboard all the time.
What you think about this one?
http://www.gsmarena.com/htc_touch_pro-2413.php
It seems to cover all your needed points.
Or if you want to spend more money this is the best!
http://www.gsmarena.com/htc_advantage_x7510-2267.php
Cheers
Touch Pro - looks cool. But not for me. I just dont like (or even hate) look of this shiny thing. For woman - ok. But for me - nah Beside it costs 30% more than mentioned polaris. Now i am also considering Kaiser - it is much cheaper in Poland If Touch Pro would cost same $$$ as polaris (or less) - then ok. But i dont want to pay for look and fancy 3D TouchFlo... I prefer usability over design and fireworks (and those can lower overall speed of device, altho Pro has quiet a bunch of RAM and ROM!).
Advantage - rather impossible to take it on motorcycle and use it as GPS Too big! And too pricy - i dont need it. For pure PC stuff i have my thrustworthy notebook
If no other suggestions - i am now considering Polaris (a bit pricy tho), Kaiser (nice "brick" - i like it) or some Eten (X800 preferably - cheaper than both mentioned above)... But Eten doesnt sound good to me...
polaris is allmost as shiny though
http://www.coolsmartphone.com/images/stories/Polaris/compare1.jpg
Yeah, but it looks like metal. Diamond is plain black thus looks like plastic toy for me.
I think i will go for Kaiser. If only P3470 had better CPU... :/ Matte plastic looks better than shiny one! Or Artemis... But lack of RAM and CPU power can slow it down a bit.
misioooo,
Just wait a few days for the Palm Treo Pro:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=419354
It's a WM6.1 device with all of your wished specs and a nice "iphone design"
Looks nice but not for me. I mentioned earlier that i dont like open keyboard. Beside flat surface (like iPhone) looks odd to me. And price... I doubt i will get it for ~400$ (price of new imported Kaiser in Poland). If price were good for this Pro i could buy it - but not with keyboard visible all the time.
BTW - why you are so eager to advise me something different from Kaiser? I know about it flaws (lack of proper chipset drivers, battery drain after using GPS bug and few others). And it has everything i need + some extra. And i believe that HTC will solve "drivers problem" for all their phones someday... For now i cant say anything bad about Nike performance (didnt tested GPS obviously). And lack of proper drivers for me is minor flaw (using phone more for business and contacts than multimedia).
Maybe there is something more to it that noone suggests me Kaiser? Is it bad or something?
And is it really needed to have 128MB RAM memory onboard? I se lot of devices nowadays (new ones) that have 64 RAM. Is the difference in performance visible between 128 and 64MB? CPU of course makes the difference - no discussion here (200 vs 400MHz, even without drivers prolly).
Or maybe i should get older Wizard?
--EDITED
I meant Hermes of course. But it has GPS or not? From what i read it has build-in GPS receiver but some PINs are disconnected physicaly and stock ROM also has it disabled (who cares about stock ROM?). Also 400MHz CPU is enough. But is 128ROM/64RAM enough?
Also if 64RAM is enough Trinity looks awesome, costs less than Kaiser and has all the functions i want (including built-in, working GPS receiver).
Since I got my first Universal (JasJar) some 2 years back, I have tried several other alternatives, including TyTN 2, HTC Touch Pro, and even Toshiba G910. I have always come back to the Universal. In fact, when I broke my JasJar, I replaced it with Vodafone V1640. I have come to conclude that the Uni is the closest to my ideal PDA/phone for a business user.
But I regret one or two things about the Universal, and I honestly wish we would have a Universal 2 to address these snags. My short wish list for Universal 2 are is follows:
1) Retain the present format - don't change the form factor; it is simply great as it is. Forget those who say it is too heavy or bulky - they don't know what they want. (If weight is your problem, then don't ask for a comfortable keyboard and a large screen as you have in the Uni.)
2) Give it 256MB RAM. This is by far the biggest issue with the current Uni with 64MB RAM. Often when I run something like TextMaker (SoftOffice), the device runs out of memory.
3) Make the stylus holder more secure. Either let it click into place or have a magnetic slot to secure it, like the HTC Touch Pro.
4) Make the SD card slot more secure - perhaps with a cover. As it is, it pops out rather easily.
5) Have a built-in GPS
Any further ideas for Universal 2?
We can fantasize all we want but we aint going to get it! There wont ever be a Uni 2 for sure....atleast i'm pretty convinced about it.
I just broke my uni a few weeks ago and couldnt help but buying another one...(was quite a struggle to find a seller!). I too love the form factor and ergonomics of the uni - simply brilliant.
Anyway, I guess I'll just wait up for a while until there is something like the TyTN 2 where you can tilt the display on the Touch pro and I might just buy one of them! Or the Touch HD Pro - if there will ever be one!
Cheers!
San
Anyway, for the "wishlist" I'd basically want a built in GPS, a better 3D accelerated graphics card, MORE RAM & storage, and an outside smaller display if possible!
Video out would be essential for me, & with that hardware run GFX.
Sadly I dont think there will be a Universal 2, although I wish they would. The line between laptop, PDA and mobile phone has blurred so much, all I really wish is that the mobile industry in general stops limiting the capabilitys of hand held devices (e.g. Iphone) with closed platforms, limiting hardware capabilities and add expansion ports.
Dear rsawoseyin,
You have a Grate Idea about Universal. I also love Universal very much.
If the Universal is made according to the Specs given by you and some other features, like Multitouch Display, Accelerometer, etc., like in iPhone, then it would become Deam Machine!!!!!!!!
So, you request the iMate or HTC to create such type of Universal.
Regards,
Shakeel Ahmed,
Datacom Engineer,
HUAWEI Technologies (Pvt.) Ltd.
I agree with you,
I have had Jasjar and Vodafone V1640. Now I've a Toshiba G900, I'm happy with it and I've started to cook roms for it, then G900 is really important for me.
But I've loved my UNI, perfect size for me, perfect display, perfect keyboard...
To have it today with its features plus a lot ram, storage and GPS, it'll be really a dream. Yes, today we have many devices like Xperia, HD, Touch pro... BUT, apart storage, ram and gps, no one offers all the things the UNI has!
And, if I had to add a thing on a new UNI, I would put the host usb function. I have it on G900 and it can be really usefull!
rsawoseyin said:
Since I got my first Universal (JasJar) some 2 years back, I have tried several other alternatives, including TyTN 2, HTC Touch Pro, and even Toshiba G910. I have always come back to the Universal. In fact, when I broke my JasJar, I replaced it with Vodafone V1640. I have come to conclude that the Uni is the closest to my ideal PDA/phone for a business user.
But I regret one or two things about the Universal, and I honestly wish we would have a Universal 2 to address these snags. My short wish list for Universal 2 are is follows:
1) Retain the present format - don't change the form factor; it is simply great as it is. Forget those who say it is too heavy or bulky - they don't know what they want. (If weight is your problem, then don't ask for a comfortable keyboard and a large screen as you have in the Uni.)
2) Give it 256MB RAM. This is by far the biggest issue with the current Uni with 64MB RAM. Often when I run something like TextMaker (SoftOffice), the device runs out of memory.
3) Make the stylus holder more secure. Either let it click into place or have a magnetic slot to secure it, like the HTC Touch Pro.
4) Make the SD card slot more secure - perhaps with a cover. As it is, it pops out rather easily.
5) Have a built-in GPS
Any further ideas for Universal 2?
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Click to collapse
You pretty much stated the main shortfalls of the Uni.
The only thing I can think of that you left out was EDGE compatibility....
I only been a Imate JasJar owner for 6 months however I love the device. I have a Wizard (T-Mobile MDA)...had it for almost 2 years but for work, I exclusively use my Uni. I send/receive A lot of emails at work and the Uni is perfect for that. Plus I like having an unique PDA.....I live in the US so many Americans never seen a Universal so most of my coworkers, friends, or people that happen to see me use the Uni look at it like WHAT IS THAT? lol.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=443421
I love the from factor "Micro laptop" but I have not seen anything for the future.....
davideuck said:
I agree with you,
I have had Jasjar and Vodafone V1640. Now I've a Toshiba G900, I'm happy with it and I've started to cook roms for it, then G900 is really important for me.
But I've loved my UNI, perfect size for me, perfect display, perfect keyboard...
To have it today with its features plus a lot ram, storage and GPS, it'll be really a dream. Yes, today we have many devices like Xperia, HD, Touch pro... BUT, apart storage, ram and gps, no one offers all the things the UNI has!
And, if I had to add a thing on a new UNI, I would put the host usb function. I have it on G900 and it can be really usefull!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Glad to see you're a Uni user too.
Even tho we both have the G900 and love the 800x480, hackibility/cookibility wise the Uni is just so reliable.
It's very hard to make a perfect ROM for G900 due to the GF5500's lack of proper driver while the Uni is just a plain PXA27x device with drivers readily available.
IMO the perfect Uni2 should have the following:
-PXA32x 800Mhz+ (CorePlayer makes great use of the newer SIMD - WMMX2)
-800x480 WVGA 3.8"
-KB
-Slightly less than 20mm thick
-Same folding/twisting style
-aGPS (from MSM6281)
-Tri-band HSDPA 3.5G (from MSM6281)
-256MB+ RAM
-512MB ROM
-SDHC (or even two! )
Or that concept Touch HD Pro, but with PXA32x 800Mhz instead plus MSM6281 for aGPS+HSDPA. Qualcomm's QTv isn't powerful enough for WVGA H.264 playback.
Too bad HTC haven't made a replacement for the Uni. The closest contender is the Blackstone.
My Imate JasJar's camera doesn't work so I just bought a O2 exec in mint condition off ebay for an excellent price. The O2 should last for a another year...when the price of the Blackstone goes down a bit.... $700+ for a new Blackstone is a bit steep right now for me...lol
even tho i never seen it, on paper Touch Pro looks like ideal replacement.
Nevertheless, here's my wish list for Uni 2
GOOD CAMERA. (For ****'s sake HTC, if after all these years u still cant make a good one, LICENSE technology from sharp or sony!!!!)
fast CPU (900Mhz +)
and 2D drawing acceleration chip
GOBS of internal flash memory (storage), 8+ GB
dump SD card slot, in favour of USB 2.0 access to the internal 8.0GB+ flash
lots of RAM memory, ie 512MB+
ipod/touch pro UI
QUAD band
reduce weight/thickness
higher capacity battery
GPS that works with TOMTOM
scratch/shock resistant case
Actually, I think that HTC meant Touch Pro to be Universals successor. While it is better only in some respects, it is the only device with at least comparable keyboard. You may say that display is too small. But should not need to tap display too often when you have a good keaybord.
Interesting device imo:
http://samsung.letstalk.com/product/product.htm?prId=35487
Running WinMo 6.1
It is not a phone , so in my opinion we have far better alternatives here on the board..
Please note, this device is not a phone and does not come with voice capability.
Click to expand...
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Phen0m said:
Interesting device imo:
http://samsung.letstalk.com/product/product.htm?prId=35487
Running WinMo 6.1
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
if that was voice capable i would be all over it.
it has a microphone built in, so it could has the potential to be used as a phone as well. All that it needs is an app that would allow you to use voip
I've been lurking these boards for a long while (HP iPAQ hx4700 power user usually looking for cooked WM6.1 ROMs), but now I'm compelled to chime in for once.
We need more devices like this. NOT a traditional phone (we have way too many of those now), WiMAX if you want to subscribe to use it, large WVGA screen, only 450 US$ unsubsidized where most unlocked phones of this caliber are 600 US$ or more and with smaller screens...I could go on. (And having Windows Mobile 6.1 instead of 6.5 doesn't worry me at all because of these here forums.)
My hx4700 is getting long in the tooth; 64 MB of RAM does not cut it anymore, and it just can't run WM6.1 all that well, let alone WM6.5. This is the replacement device I've been looking for, so long as I can make sure that I can use it in portrait orientation. (All of the images I've seen of it are in landscape.)
I do not have a smartphone; I'm not even allowed to have one, or at least have one and use the phone bits. Why should I be forced to pay the premium for a phone modem I'll never use, and also suffer from the other disadvantages of the smartphone trend, like devices that have midget-sized screens to accomodate what would be considered an acceptable phone size? It wasn't until a few years ago that Windows Mobile smartphones in general could even stand on par with the HP iPAQ hx4700, or the Dell Axim X50v/X51v, or other such devices, and they were still way more expensive! (The HTC Universal was more the exception than the rule in terms of specs, but HTC has consistently failed to bring back that design...)
Show me a Windows Mobile smartphone with this basic size, form factor, and large WVGA screen, similar internal specs, and only a 450 US$ or less price tag WITHOUT SUBSIDY/CONTRACT, and maybe then I'll change my mind.
^^ Fragger, i have the Mondi & i absolutely love it! I'll go into detail or answer questions if you have any.. but this device would be a great to any winmo users lineup..Large screen/res, great keyboard, dedicated D-Pad, HDMI-out, GPS etc etc..
Also, its nearly the same size as an iphone, with a larger screen and physical keyboard:
4.8 x 3.03 x 0.63 5.8oz
4.5 x 2.4 x 0.48 4.8oz
Only downside so far is not having a community, as i would love to get WinMo 6.5 on this thing.
You have one now? Great! Now brace yourself for the questions...
-How's battery life? One of the things I like about my current hx4700 is that it's very long-lived, even on the stock battery.
-It does go into portrait mode like every other WM device, right? If so, can you set it up to be more like the HTC slider phones in the sense that closed keyboard = portrait, open keyboard = landscape?
-Built-in GPS, huh? Guess I may not need my Bluetooth GPS receiver (MTK-based, 5 Hz refresh rate, solar-charged), then. How's the initial acquisition time, accuracy, reception, and general latency? (I remember hearing a lot of complaints about lag on the integrated GPS on HTC Touch Pros. Different device, but I'd still hope that I wouldn't have that issue.)
-The format support sounds pretty robust out of the box, which is especially great since it has HDMI-out. Are you content with just Samsung's media player, or have you felt the need to break out TCPMP for certain files?
-Going along the lines of HDMI-out, I take it that it can output at least 720p over it with an H.264/AVC-encoded file and not have any dropped frames?
-The "great keyboard" bit sounds like it has good tactile feedback and a good layout, which is reassuring. Is there anything I may not catch about it at first glance? (For instance, while I doubt it has this feature, I really would like it if I could capitalize letters just by holding the key down instead of hitting Shift first. Never seen that trick implemented outside of the Palm Tungsten|C, and it really cuts down on the redundant keystrokes.)
-Does the build quality feel good throughout the device? Solid feel, no loose parts? Tight slider mechanism? That sort of thing?
-How does the digitizer feel? It's obviously resistive, but some resistive digitizers feel harder or softer than others.
-How could Samsung give out a specs list and NOT mention how much RAM (program memory) it has? Since you have it, you could probably give me an accurate figure. (I'm expecting at least 128 MB by now, but the more, the merrier-especially if it matches or exceeds the 288 MB on the HTC Touch Pro!)
-Can I get the normal Today screen in case I want to use PocketBreeze and/or iLauncher like I do on my hx4700? (The latter, I may be able to do without if Samsung customized it right, but I have to have PocketBreeze for easy PIM access.)
As for the lack of community, give it some time. The device just released, and even in spite of the general disinterest due to it NOT being a phone (actually one of the more compelling reasons for a few of us), I'm sure that someone with the skills has one and is working on how to flash a custom ROM onto it so we can enjoy some WM6.5. (I mean, the hx4700 and the Dell Axim X50v/X51v are still getting lots of attention in the Upgrades, Modifying, and Unlocking forum despite not being phones! Who's to say that the Mondi can't get that kind of love once someone opens the door?)
Some this stuff i will have to answer when i get off, but:
-How's battery life?
Thus far seems very good thus far & charges fast via usb or wall. I haven't done a full drain yet, but seems to be roughly 5 hours or so(this is watching video via orb)
-It does go into portrait mode like every other WM device, right? If so, can you set it up to be more like the HTC slider phones in the sense that closed keyboard = portrait, open keyboard = landscape?
Theres an option to auto-rotate in opera(accelerometer built-in), but i cant find an actual button that locks it in to portrait/landscape. The screen also doesnt auto rotate when u move it.
-The format support sounds pretty robust out of the box, which is especially great since it has HDMI-out. Are you content with just Samsung's media player, or have you felt the need to break out TCPMP for certain files?
I havent used samsungs media player only Kinoma thus far, but the video and audio output is very good imo(im not an audiophile however), the other device i own along these lines is the Nokia N810, and the sound on here is far superior.
-The "great keyboard" bit sounds like it has good tactile feedback and a good layout, which is reassuring. Is there anything I may not catch about it at first glance? (For instance, while I doubt it has this feature, I really would like it if I could capitalize letters just by holding the key down instead of hitting Shift first. Never seen that trick implemented outside of the Palm Tungsten|C, and it really cuts down on the redundant keystrokes.)
The tactile feedback is very good as well.. there is a slider that lets you control the strength.. however you cant just turn it on for the keyboard, its either on or off. The key's(hardware kb) cannot be capped by holding it down as theyre double mapped to symbols as well. There is a dedicated caps key though(on the hardware keyboard)
-Does the build quality feel good throughout the device? Solid feel, no loose parts? Tight slider mechanism? That sort of thing?
Build quality is superb, feels like a high quality smartphone.. good weight, smooth, no squeaks etc.
-How does the digitizer feel? It's obviously resistive, but some resistive digitizers feel harder or softer than others.
The screen feels similar to an HTC device.. soft, but not TOO soft, its also pretty accurate.
-How could Samsung give out a specs list and NOT mention how much RAM (program memory) it has? Since you have it, you could probably give me an accurate figure. (I'm expecting at least 128 MB by now, but the more, the merrier-especially if it matches or exceeds the 288 MB on the HTC Touch Pro!)
256 mem/4GB storage + MicroSD slot
-Can I get the normal Today screen in case I want to use PocketBreeze and/or iLauncher like I do on my hx4700?
Yes, set the Today screen to Windows default or Windows 6.1. There is also a dedicated "Home" key on the screen bezel that shoots you right to your desktop.
Anything i haven't answered above, i will when i get home later! There is also a blog on the front page of Pocketables.com that may answer so of these questions and more.
And yeah i'm hoping we can get a community of some capacity going on this device.. WM 6.5 on this hardware will be outstanding.
Oh, speaking of buttons, which ones can you rebind? And of those that can be rebound, how many let you press-and-hold for a different function? (For example, all of my hx4700's face buttons have a press function and a held function. Rotation is one of the held functions.)
As for no capping with a press-and-hold on the thumbboard because of symbols, that's no excuse because the Tungsten|C's thumbboard also has symbol mapping on all the letter keys, which had to be used with a shift/Fn button-that is, unless Samsung set it so that held keypresses trigger the symbols rather than capitalize letters. (Most thumbboards I've seen on pocket devices just repeat a letter when you hold the key down. I don't see much point in that.)
256 MB of RAM? That's enough for WM6.5 and then some! I could easily have a Web browser with a few tabs, media player, SoftMaker Office, and who knows what else going on at the same time with that much...
Normally, I'd complain about the microSDHC slot pretty hard, but the 4 GB of internal storage helps offset that and my largest full-size SD card is only 2 GB. (I only have one microSD card, and it's just 1 GB. Wouldn't really add anything significant.) In short, I could easily cram most of my music and videos on the internal flash alone. (What I don't like, though, is that they only have 90 MB or so set aside for apps. I'd like to see that doubled, perhaps even tripled so that I can have more apps installed there simultaneously, even if it does infringe on the rest of the storage mapped like a memory card. (Also, you can pass off the bulk of internal storage as a USB drive out of the box, right? No ActiveSync/WMDC needed?)
All in all, though, I'm beyond sold at this point. I just need 450 US$. (It'll probably be at least a month before I can afford it, though, and that's if I succeed in selling the hx4700 and all of its accessories for around 200 US$ or more.)
Oh, speaking of buttons, which ones can you rebind? And of those that can be rebound, how many let you press-and-hold for a different function?
Camera(short/long press)
IE explorer button(short/long)
Message(short/long)
Thats by default. I use an app called AEbutton plus that lets me remap everykey to my liking
And so far its a been a good purposeful purchase.. Office looks great on the screen, and kinetic scrolling is enabled throughout the entire o/s somehow(i dont remember 6.1 having kinetic scrolling in explorer etc. on my phones.)
Kinetic scrolling is also present in the Alkor RC 2.2 WM6.1 ROM for the hx4700. I don't know exactly where it came from, but it seems to be standard fare on new Windows Mobile devices. (I just wish I could disable it only in Resco Explorer 2007 and leave it on everywhere else, because it makes multi-selection difficult.)
Oh, almost forgot about the camera, since I'm not used to having one of those on a pocket computer. How's the quality, both for stills and video recordings? Is the camera button double-detent like on dedicated cameras (push it lightly for autofocus, push it down all the way to actually shoot)? Not common on devices like this, but I'm pretty sure one of the HTC phones (Kaiser/Tilt?) had just that.
I can just see myself with one of these right now. Does just about everything fairly well, can come with me where the TC1100 (Tablet PC) can't, and when Clearwire expands the Atlanta coverage to the point where I'm covered at home, I may end up with a VoIP phone and mobile information terminal down the road whenever I can afford the subscription, not to mention the possibilities with WMWifiRouter.
Finally, you said Kinoma. Free version, or pay version? Never experimented with the WM versions, but I did buy Kinoma Player 4 EX for the aforementioned Tungsten|C so that I could stream video over Wi-Fi with it. (It would be nice if they offered a discount for platform switches like that...)
orb3000 said:
this forum is for HTC devices only.
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the thing looks good, but it's huge.
It's truly smaller than you think.. as i said.. it's not much bigger than an iphone:
http://www.pocketables.net/2009/07/samsung-mondi-size-comparisons.html
Phen0m said:
It's truly smaller than you think.. as i said.. it's not much bigger than an iphone:
http://www.pocketables.net/2009/07/samsung-mondi-size-comparisons.html
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Click to collapse
your right, not as bad as i had assumed. don't think it will fit in my pocket though.
wonder what it looks like next to the Tp2.
-It does go into portrait mode like every other WM device, right? If so, can you set it up to be more like the HTC slider phones in the sense that closed keyboard = portrait, open keyboard = landscape?
Found a simple program that rotates the screen instantly
-Built-in GPS, huh? How's the initial acquisition time, accuracy, reception, and general latency?
It's very average.. in the route 66 program the locks are pretty swift, on googlemaps, livesearch(bing) they're very slow. I'm about to try igo and iguidance.
How's the quality, both for stills and video recordings? Is the camera button double-detent like on dedicated cameras (push it lightly for autofocus, push it down all the way to actually shoot)?
The camera is either exactly like the Touch Pro's or slightly below that.. it's not great by any stretch and has no flash unfortunately. The upside is that there are two of them on board for skypeing, videoconferencing, webcam shows etc.
Finally, you said Kinoma. Free version, or pay version? (It would be nice if they offered a discount for platform switches like that...)
Pay version via trialpay: http://kinoma.com/play/
Whatever trial you signup for, just cancel it before the trial period ends.
The only thing that Samsung Mondi's got going for me is the large screen and that it's capable of fitting in the pant pocket.
so its not a phone, but it has a mic? :/
sightpress said:
so its not a phone, but it has a mic? :/
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No traditional radio onboard, but it can be usable as a VOIP phone.
And I'm thankful that there isn't a traditional phone radio onboard to jack the price up with something that I don't need. (If it did have the phone radio, it would cost 600+ US$ unsubsidized easily, not 450 US$.) VoIP is the future anyway, especially when WiMAX coverage starts spreading out.
Another question: how does it handle apps that aren't made for the extra width (generally 320x240 or 640x480)? They just run letterboxed, right? (Anything based on the standard Windows Mobile UI would just have extra dead space, I know that much.)
I still haven't been fortunate enough to use one, and I'm still well short of affording one, but I'll scrounge up the cash somehow. (I just need to find a willing buyer for my old Tungsten|C and my hx4700. Won't get me there all the way, but it'll help a lot.)
Mondi
I got the Mondi after looking for something like it for two years. I needed the largest possible pocketable screen plus hardware keyboard for a couple applications I run and resistive stylus for Chinese handwriting input. Mondi fit most of my needs perfectly and I've found I even do most of my voice calling using Mondi+voip. The only thing I hesitated on before buying and still don't have an answer for is how much of the XDA stuff I'll be able to take advantage of given this is a WM Classic device and Samsung Touchwiz-2 instead of HTC. Does anyone know whether I'll be able to use any of the WM 6.5 stuff from XDA or does having "Classic" put me out of luck?
BTW, I paid $359 for mine which is around what an iPaq 211 goes for.