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GPS, WiFI, BT and Camera All in One Phone

:!: Sorry for the shameless attempt to get you here with a dreamy subject but it's relevant to the topic - honestly. :!:
I'm after a PDAPhone with built in everything. But looks so far like I'm going to have to compromise and get an external GPS receiver, however was just hoping someone might have a little gem that I couldn't find anywhere else in the forums.
I have owned and loved the O2 XDA range ever since my first XDA years ago and have since lugged around an XDAII. I damaged my II recently and have a nice cheque for £550 burning a hole in my pocket courtesy of the insurance company. This means that for the first time ever I don't need to go to a subsidised model. My initial thought was that I'd stump up a few extra quid and get a JamJar :lol: from expansys but now I'm a bit more mature I decided to check out the options first.
So far I've found (Ignoring Naming Variations):
Prices quoted are from expansys - they could be cheaper elsewhere. Pls let me know if you find any (UK Only though)
:arrow: iPAQ hw6515 - Looks a bit crap, small screen and no wi-fi listed but DOES have GPS & 1.3Mp Cam - Anyone know of any Square Aware issues with programs?
:idea: http://www.expansys.com/product.asp?code=120563
:idea: £439.95
:arrow: i-mate JAM - Small and sexy but no Wi-Fi and no GPS but would stop people asking if I've got a brick taped to my head. + 1.3Mp, COuld afford external GPS with this one.
:idea: http://www.expansys.com/product.asp?code=I-MATE_JAM
:idea: £359.95
:arrow:Qtek 9090- Has everything But GPS but would leave enough money for a BT GPS - No camera spec but I think it's 0.3Mp like the XDAIIs - Could be upgraded to WM5, My Mate has one and the Thumb Keyboard is easy to use whilst walking - If I use my head not my geekometer this is my favourite.
:idea: http://www.expansys.com/product.asp?code=QTEK_9090
:idea: £414.95
:arrow: i-mate JASJAR - Dogs balls but still no GPS and not much more than the 9090 + v Expensive & Getting Bigger - 1.3Mp Cam I think. (I have no 3G service anywhere near me so that's not a bonus) I really like the 3.5mm Jack - Overall a severe number of geek points! NO CRADLE Still needs GPS Seperate, not sure how useable while walking the keyboard will be. I really want one.
:idea: http://www.expansys.com/product.asp?code=119353
:idea: £669.95
:arrow: i-mate K-JAM - WiFi, BT etc, Smaller and lighter than Universal, WM5, 1.3Mp. I like the keyboard. Maybe my new best choice. JUST leaves enough money to think about an external GPS. Thanks JamiJam
:idea: http://www.expansys.com/product.asp?code=125518
:idea: £504.95
My criteria to consider are as follows, argue with them and persuade me otherwise with reasons if you so wish:
Phone + PDA Essential (Tri Band+)
Camera - Prefer 1+Mp
BT - Must Have
Wi-Fi - Optional but Preferred a lot
3G - Not required
Keyboard - Like to Have (It's awkward using handwriting when travelling)
GPS - Very Nice to Have I Drive a lot and would like to use TT in the future.
OS - Not Bothered, these can be changed
I have 1 Month to decide before I burst and spray money all over the place so I'd really appreciate any comments you might have.
Don't go off on any obscure tangents though please, post them in a new topic and link to it if you wish.

Wizard...
(aka K-Jam, aka Qtek 9100)

Not sure when it will be out but Orange are going to release the Wizard and call it the SPV M600. If you can wait then you'll have it subsidised. :wink:

hmmmmm
Ok, so far the Wizard is my favourite now. I'd completely forgotten about that. What's the keyboard like though? I'm not too fussed about the size (the one on the XDA III is smaller and still useable)? It's more the key action I'm bothered about.
Does it have those rubbish 'rubbery' 'spectrum' style keys? It looks like it does.
I'm still yearning for a Universal cos none of my mates will have one but my head is still saying I don't need it and one of the others will do everything I want.

AFAIK HTC has some kind of arrangement with compaq - HTC will not make a phone with GPS as it competes with a model HTC makes for compaq that does have GPS or something like that (the hw6515 maybe ?)
I have a Blue Angel (O2 XDA IIs) and it does all of this.
http://www.expansys.com/product.asp?code=I-MATE_III
WM5 now available and working fine on it.
It has a keyboard too, it's those blister things (more like a ZX81 than a spectrum) but it is useable, although the keyboard layout is a bit ****e.
What with the newer models coming out you should be able to pick one up cheapish.
I run mine with a Globalsat Bt-338 Bluetooth GPS and Tomtom 5

oh, and FYI, this PDA holder from halfords holds the BA perfectly and can be mounted to your dash. It obscures no ports.
(The pic is upside down BTW)
http://www.halfords.com/opd_product_details.asp?id=16600&type=0&cat=397

The keyboard on the wizard is excellent, in my humble opinion!
It also snaps in and out in a way that makes you feel it won't break down easily.
Finally, it automatically turns the phone's display into landscape mode, which is very handy.

Wizard or BA
I have to say I'm still impressed with the Wizard. Just made a scale model out of card (how sad is that) and it's tiny!
I like the BA but if the keyboard doesn't let the Wizard down I think it'll be my PDA of choice. The one thing I really didn't like about the Jam was its lack of Wi-Fi and that's solved in the K-Jam.
I assume the screen's readable, I like to think that I'll have good eyesight for a couple of years yet so I don't think the size will be an issue.

iPaq HW6515
I have tried without success to get details of the built-in GPS. The one authoritative source to whom I spoke was scathing about its performance. So whatever you do choose, I do not recommend the iPaq.
On a separate note I saw my first Jasjar close up today. It is lighter than you might think, but heavier than is reasonable for prolonged use as a phone. A bluetooth earpiece was being used that included a display for caller ID. As a data device it is pretty impressive.
I too run a GlobalSat BT-338 GPS, in my case with Mapopolis.

if you are going GPS, make sure it is SIRFstar III chipset (the current latest-and-greatest), especially if you live in a city as they are really good at "urban canyon" reception.
I have seen new BT-338s on ebay for £65 "buy it now" recently

plus another thing to think about...
a seperate BT GPS unit has various advantages:
1) Battery
It won't drain your PPC battery when operating, except the charge needed to communicate via BT.
2) Upgrading
If a new improved GPS unit comes out and you have an onboard GPS unit, you are carrying useless baggage and can't sell the old one.
Also bear in mind there will likely be new features added to GPS units.
one example: digital compass. At the moment, if you stand still and rotate, a GPS unit has no clue which way you are facing until you move. A GPS does already transmit heading AFAIK - it works out which way you are facing by assiming you are looking in the direction of travel. Integration of a digital compass therefore would probably require no changes to the protocol. This does exist ( see http://www.xemics.com/internet/solutions/compass.jsp?productID=108 )
3) Switching.
BT GPS units work on laptopss too you know
4) Safety. I use my GPS for a sport called mountain boarding. Same kinda deal as downhill mountain biking, I trace a route I have done using GPS software. I ride with my XDA in a reinforced case with foam in, but find the GPS reception suffers, so I keep the BT GPS unit in my bag and the XDA in the case.
Seeing as the XDA is MUCH more valuable than the GPS this makes sense.
5) Reception versus viewing position.
Sometimes the position with best reception is not the same as the position you can see the screen of your PPC best.

????
Good point.
Ok, more questions on the K-Jam
Camera: Says 1.3/2 Is this 1.3 with software to 'frig' it to 2?
Keyboard: Is the expansys keyboard silver ( http://www.expansys.com/product.asp?code=125518 ) or black ( http://www.expansys.com/zoompic.asp?type=item&code=125518 )
Silver ones look plastic whereas black ones look rubbery. Which have you got JamiJam? Is it from Expansys?
Processor: 200Mhz? Is that right? Seems quite a drop. Do you have any problems with media playback? I remember my XDA I used to have a problem playing big avi files.
Ta Very Much

Camera is 1.3MP, and it is ****.
Yes, it's better than the Magician, but it's still pretty bad. I wouldn't buy the Wizard hoping to use the camera for anything useful. In my opinion this is the #1 point on which HTC is lacking. They've worked on everything else, now they need to start putting decent cameras in these devices.
I have the silver keyboard and I bought my Wizard in a store. I believe that if you order from expansys you'll get a silver one.
Processor is 200MHz (different CPU architecture) but it seems to be on par with the Magician in practice, maybe 10% slower. So yes, you should be able to watch full screen movies, once you find a bit-rate/resolution/format that works for you. Not sure which XDA you had, but I would expect similar ballpark performance.
Hope this helps.

Ta
The 'performance lacking' XDA was the original XDA I and I'll take your word for it that performance is ok. I don't use it for anything too hot and my XDA II never had a problem with films.
To be honest, every camera phone I've had from the XDA Range was ****ty quality (Very grainy) but I spend a fair bit of time on site collecting info on wagons and stuff for my job and it's always handy to be able to snap a quick video or pic of something. The only reason I want a higher res is so that when some tit with a Sony Ericson goes on about his 2Mp camera I don't loose too many 'top trumps' points. I never print the pics and my main contract doesn't support GPRS so I don't often send MMS. You'd be surprised how easily you can still get by with just plain old WAP.
Good news on the silver buttons. I prefer them. Has anyone bought one from Expansys who can verify?

Sweetness & Joy
Just thought I'd post my decision for those of you who like seing things through to a conclusion.
After much ponderation and constructing various cardboard models I have decided on the HTC Wizard, purchased from expansys (i-Mate K-Jam). There's a delay on delivery at the moment (3 Days!!!! I can't wait) but once it arrives I'll post back with my oppinions.
I've also heard that my mate is buying the JasJar so I'll be able to make a comparison and post it back.
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:!: Come on Friday! :!:
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D'oh! Just a note not say the expansys delivery has been put back but they've dropped the price too.
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:!: Come on Some-Day! :!:
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Just been looking at some larger photos of the buttons
http://forum.xda-developers.com/files/keyboard-flash.jpg
I take back my spectrum comments, they look pretty good.

Hurrah!
Ok! I've got my Wizard at last. I ended up buying the Qtek 9100 rather than the K-Jam. Looks like I'll miss out on Club i-Mate. :-(
Thought I'd post my views on the phone here just to give closure to anyone reading this thread.
The screen is very sharp. Everything obviously is smaller because the pixels are closer together but the overall effect is a very good screen. The guy in our office with really bad eyesight liked it and he's normally a miserable git when it comes to gadgets.
I take back my comments about the keyboard, it looks fantastic, the action is really great and you can use it to type replies to text messages on the move, which is something I've always struggled with before using the Transcriber. People are also really impressed when the screen rotates thru' to landscape.
I've used it for playing some music and although the speakers built in are tinny as you'd expect, the headphones are really good. I don't know if they'd be the same for the i-Mate but they fit comfortably in my ears and have a very good sound compared to the old XDA & XDA II headphones (Not that that would be hard)!
I miss having a cradle. It was nice to be able to display your phone on your desk while it was charging. Just using a USB cable makes it all feel a bit less sexy as an experience but then you can't have everything I suppose.
The coolest thing I found was the Stylus. It's about 50mm long when it first comes out of the phone. Then you give it a little pull and it extends to... hold on let me get a ruler... 85mm. It's not as comfy to use as the XDA/XDA II styli but since i haven't used it for writing much it doesn't matter. The keyboard is so easy to pull out and use that I've only really used the stylus to point at stuff so that my fingers don't get the screen dirty. The softkeys in WM 2005 also mean that you rarely need to touch the screen.
It's a bit chunkier than I expected but still not big. It's only marginally bigger than my girlfriends Nokia 6230 and compared to an older XDA model it feels like it's tiny!
Voice recognition button on the side works really well so far. I've got about 10 contacts programmed in and it seems to be picking them up ok, even in the car.
Overall, i'm yet to find much of a fault with it. I'll try to get some piccies of bits posted sometime next week.
Feel free to ask any questions.

JASJAR II
When the damn thing releases.....of course
I really wouldnt auction my spare kidney and buy it, and then suffer with a RAM deficit! My xda 2 currently running on wm5, has 128megs ram and 32megs rom....compared to 43megs ram & rom of jasjar........one word.......RIDICULOUS!
i cant believe seeing a 7MB RAM free on a device, and i dont ever want to see it! HTC/ IMATE/ Whoever claim they put in less RAM for extended battery life....bucket of crap! I really dont care for those couple extra hours that i'd probably get, and i dont mind carrying a spare battery or a charger wherever i go....
Its a handicap which is BIG! Besides this, the Jasjar is divinely irresistable, and i cant stop oggling at it :shock:
So, i guess i'll wait for a JJ II to come out with same form factor, and somemore ram which would make the device practical....
HTC do you hear me??????
San

weeel
:shock:
RAM isn't everything. I have been using the device for a day now (Non-stop), often running WMP10, Outlook, PIE etc also playing Tomb Raider. I haven't noticed any diference between this and my XDA II which had I think 64Mb and a 400 odd MHz processor. The odd app is a trifle slow to load up but nothing more major than that.
If the battery life sacrifice is true, then it's not for this little puppy. All this usage (with wi-fi on but not actually using a wi-fi network) and the battery didn't drop below 60% yesterday (Using lightly whilst at work and heavily in the evening. I even synced using bluetooth).
Memory has crept down to 1Mb program mem free at times but I assume windows is just doing its thing because this comes back up after a while and I don't notice any drop in performance.

Re: Hurrah!
eayuwna said:
I miss having a cradle. It was nice to be able to display your phone on your desk while it was charging. Just using a USB cable makes it all feel a bit less sexy as an experience but then you can't have everything I suppose.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This site: http://www.mobilefun.co.uk/product/5735.htm claims that this desktop charger/cradle is compatible with the K-Jam so if that's true then it should be OK for your QTek. 8)

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

XDA Orbit Vs. XDA Orbit 2 (Is it worth the upgrade?)

I've been using windows mobile for two years now. I started with the I-Mate Jamin for a year (Which I hated because of its weight and size) and then upgraded to my current mobile – the O2 XDA Orbit, which I have been using for the past 12 months. I love this phone, the only minor annoyance again being the size – I like to have as little in pockets as possible but there's been no better alternative to this device and its been a million times better than the Jamin.
Anyway...it's upgrade time again, only this time I'm struggling to find anything that looks like it might be worth upgrading for (apart from the Orbit 2...)
does anyone here think its worth it? Has anyone moved from the Orbit to the Orbit 2 and would like to share their experiences? I'm starting to think I may better off saving my money and sticking with the original Orbit as I'm not sure what the advantages of upgrading will be, they look very similar and I'm not having any major issues with my current phone...apart from its starting to look a bit tatty!
Does the improvement in weight and size make much of a difference? and is it much more responsive? Also compared to the rest of the market at the moment, what are the better alternatives (if any) to the Orbit for weight and size?
At the moment I'm thinking of holding out in case something better comes along because I'm not totally convinced.
I'm suprised I haven't found much talk about the upgrade from the Orbit to the Orbit 2 around here already!...
I see the Orbit 2 has got double the RAM, ROM and CPU speed and according the specs is marginally bigger and weightier than the orginal
Thanks for your thoughts!

I upgraded from the orbit to the orbit 2 and I can tell you theres not much difference. If anything it is slightly worse!
The main camera is choppy whereas the orbit 2 had no problems there
Missing video drivers means slow video playback.. no problems on the orbit
Barely notice the speed difference (Well for me)
The jog wheel is known to come off, whereas the orbit one stays on
And it is not worth what O2 are charging you. The orbit 1 is much cheaper and has no problems with it and does what the box says. The orbit 2 is just a rushed model that has been poorly constructed and doesnt even include the proper drivers.
I recommend you stick to your Orbit 1, its much more reliable.
Just my opinion though, some people might not have all of the problems I have listed (except for the video drivers they are definately missing)

Thanks, I appreciate that.
Any software issues - such as drivers can obviously be resolved and normally are so that would never be a deal breaker for me. However, takeing on board the price for what might not be much of a difference in useability as you've pointed out will probably put me off upgrading.
Upgrade day is tomorrow and it looks like I wont be bothering at the mo!
Is it noiceably much different in size and weight?
Thanks again,

Size wise its the same...it might be slighty heavy...but can't really tell....
Aesthetically is looks better....I like the touch screen...really responsive...and nobody has really compained about the touch screen, it works really well....Its faster than the Orbit...camera is fine for outdoors..indoors gets tricky...touch keyboards work a treat (there is so many to choose from).
The downsides are:
Camera in low light
No video drivers at this moment (future is also a question mark)
Screen hard to see in direct light if backlight is set to low.
If you get a good deal Its definately worth upgrading
I got mine on a very good 12 month deal with O2.

The mirror finish to the front of the device is a real pain when in the car if its sunny, I want a screen protector capable of blocking this mirror area out. Speed wise it is adequate, although I am not impressed with the internet speed, compared to my Advantage it is too slow - Mike

Well guys, I've been on to O2 and got it for free for £30 p/m for 12 months. Can't argue with that, there's a 14 day cooling period so if I'm not happy I'll send it back.
I'll post my thoughts!

If the breadknife hadn't run off into the distance with my old artemis, my orbit 2 would probably have found its way on to Ebay by now.
Having said that, I would have had the buyer on my case about the jog wheel falling off and the headphones packing up.
On reflection it's probably not reliable enough to put on ebay!

I've had it a couple of hours or so now, put my SIM in, sync'd my data and put my old SD card in and set my apps etc up.
So far I'm impressed and think it’s worth the upgrade for anyone who's had the original orbit for a while and are ready for a replacement.
First impressions are that it’s noticeably a lot quicker and more responsive - this makes it feel much more comfortable to use. The rom it comes with is actually excellent and the touch flow, for scrolling through folders using the touch screen works really really well. It feels like a huge improvement.
I don’t know if this is a common thing but the vibrate feature seems to be a lot more discreet than it was on my previous Orbit which is nice.
The front side camera is pretty cool and the camera SW is good, the camera itself is a good improvement.
The big OK button is great. On the original orbit I always struggled to get in to the corner of the screen with my finger to push OK, that’s been resolved with this.
SD card access is obviously a huge improvement!
A bonus of the screen not being ridged is that it won’t accumulate lint and stuff as easily as the original did - the screen is a 100% improvement in my view.
Overall, I wasn't expecting this to be as much of an improvement over the original as it actually is, I'm a bit blown away by it.
If I had to pick one issue with it, it would be the size and weight. I'd still like something slimmer and lighter but then I wouldn't want to sacrifice any screen space and I know there's nothing like this device on the market at the moment that is thinner and lighter (I'm not including the I-Phone there!)
I'm a happy bunny, this wont be getting returned and I'm selling my old Orbit to a mate for £50 because I can't be assed with the whole EBay thing anymore!

Thanks for the review my orbit died yesterday, Was hanging out for a bit until something else came along but had to take the plunge.
Orbit 2 ordered today!

Media playback, etc.
Thanks for the comments above - I myself am thinking of upgrading to the Polaris from my Artemis.
One thing that particularly annoys me about my current phone is how slow it gets when I'm listening to music.
I use Audio Manager and a set of Bluetooth headphones with the music stored on my SD card. Whilst playing the music, the rest of the phone slows to a complete crawl.
I also quite often like to send my music via Bluetooth to my car stereo, but then I can't really use TomTom at the same time for the same reason...
So far, have you any indication that this would be improved on the Polaris?
Does the faster processor make this device much better? How about the extra memory, does this improve things too as it seems like the Artemis performs much much better when there's barely any software on it - as soon as you install 3 or 4 bits of software it seems to impact performance...
Thanks guys...

I'd say, along with the flush screen, the fact that you can run more programs at once without the phone grinding to a halt is a definite improvement. I remember my artemis used to struggle with running tomtom and the phone at the same time, but the orbit 2 will happily run tomtom, audiomanager, and a few other bits as well as running the phone.
In other ways, I find it less responsive than older slower phones, and it's certainly the most unreliable phone I have every owned, three hardware faults in six weeks.

Less responsive?
Thanks fishes234.
Sounds as though those things that annoy me on the Orbit 1 are OK on the new one but then you say some things are less responsive? Apart from the known problem with the video drivers, what specifically do you mean?
And the build quality really is that bad? That doesn't sound so good as I quite often have the device in my back pocket...
Cheers for your comments - much appreciated

I didn't have any HW related problems whith it since early february... Only one, I managed to is scratch the screen whith my fingernail...

Considering Orbit 2...a few questions

I currently have a Blue Angel and I'm considering upgrading to an Orbit 2.
How would the performance compare between the 2? They're both 400MHz, but I just wondered how the Qualcomm is compared to the XScale?
Apart from the video driver issue, are there any other problems with it? I'd mainly be usig it for a phone, and running Tomtom.
Thanks!

Seriously... Don't bother!

LOL...it's that bad?
Can you explain why?

You will miss your qwerty. I don't know your Blue Angel, But my TC (i think all PocketPCs) has a delay when somebody calls you. Your phone will ring/vibrate after the one who calls you hears the first ring. So if somebody just gives you a call with one ring (bip) you won't hear it! Is it the same in your case, or mine is special? Maybe somebody else with TC can confirm/infirm this...

Yea, mine sort of have that sort of dealy.
I don't use my QWERTY keyboard anyway so that's not a problem.

the_scotsman said:
LOL...it's that bad?
Can you explain why?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just everything about it...
The build quality is terrible. Feels like a new hobbyist threw it together in 5 mins.
It seriously underperforms compared to my Old SE P990i and older XDA's
The modifications o2 have made to the software are rubbish.
I'm miffed I didn't hold out for the SE X1i

^ In your opinion, yes its not perfect, the screen is less than ideal but the build quality is great I think. Much better than my old SE P series phone which used to creak whenever squeezed etc and the flush screen is better than orbit 1
But I would hold out for the Diamond

I want the built in GPS, and the Diamond prices ae too much for what it is...
Any other decent HTCs with built in GPS?

the_scotsman said:
I currently have a Blue Angel and I'm considering upgrading to an Orbit 2.
How would the performance compare between the 2? They're both 400MHz, but I just wondered how the Qualcomm is compared to the XScale?
Apart from the video driver issue, are there any other problems with it? I'd mainly be usig it for a phone, and running Tomtom.
Thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've just switched from a Hermes/Tytn to the Orbit2. HardSPL'd it and installed the WM6.1 that's been floating about here and installed TomTom.
Losing the keyboard is a bit annoying (on screen is usable, but nowhere near as good) - but I realized I very rarely typed anything and smaller sized massively outweighs it.
GPS works very well - especially as Quick GPS which really does work.
Downsides:
Lost keyboard.
Upsides:
GPS - now just not having to lug around and charge my BT GPS module, but now much faster and lets me do all manner of stuff (geo-tag photos with a reg tweak), GPS trackers allowing me to see where I've been in google maps blah blah.
Much better camera - not so much the 2M -> 3M change - but AUTOFOCUS.
SMALLER - now it's not a small phone, but it's not an f'in brick like the last one.
No real difference noticed between the processors. Latest 6.1 I put on my Hermes made it lovely and snappy - and performs exactly the same on the Polaris. Only reservation I've got with the polaris is the screen res (i.e. same old rubbish). Not entirely convinced Hi-res WM is much better though after playign with colleagues PDAs - I've got an ipod touch and THAT is what i'd want somehow wedged into my phone..
In summary, if you want a phone now, I'd definitely get the XDA. If you can wait maybe see how Diamond and 3G iPhone stack up.
#edit - and build quality on my XDA (at least) is perfect. Nice solid feeling thing, love the slightly rubberized case.

Thanks very much for your opinion...I think I might just go with the Orbit 2 after all...a VGA screen would be nice, but I'm happy enough to have the standard one...and it's a little smaller than my BLue Angel so that's always a benefit.

Seriously this is an outstanding device. Software is software and any issues can 99% of the time be sorted with it and normally are, especially when you browse around these forums. Also bare in mind that all these devices now use windows mobile so I don't understand why someone would fault the Orbit 2 over another windows mobile device because of the software it comes with.....anyway the hardware itself is exceptional, I've posted a mini review if you look through my post history and there's plenty of in-depth reviews out there.
Losing the keyboard is a good thing in my opinion. A keyboard isn't necessary, its just as easy (if not easier) to use the software input (my personal preference is a T9 style pad that learns words and is very quick to use with just one hand like a normal phone) and obviously you save on weight and bulk.
The Orbit 2 looks great, is extremely responsive and comfortable to use and in my opinion is the best windows mobile device availible at this time.
Quick edit! - regarding the SW, the rom that the O2 Orbit 2 comes with is actually fine anyway, i've never encountered any issues with it - it would be nice to have the threaded SMS that 6.1 has but aside from that its fine and works great. Cheers!

SOunds like you're pretty damn happy with it then
So the 200MHz processor isn't an issue? Still responds well? Thing like TOmtom run well?

The Orbit 2 has a 400MHz CPU, it was the original Orbit that had 200 -it also has twice the amount of memory. TomTom was perfectly useable on the original Orbit but it noticeably runs smoother on the Orbit 2 - The Orbit 2 is a lot better at managing multiple tasks at the same time.
I was in two minds before upgrading becasue I had the original Orbit and wasn't sure if I'd get my money's worth. I was going to send it back if I wasn't happy with it. I'm more than happy with it though as you can tell! its a great device. You've always got that 14 day cooling period with O2 anyway so you may as well give it a go for yourself.

doh...you're right...I was thinking of the original Orbit.
No 14 day cooling off for me..I'm in Australia so the only way to get at a decent price is eBay.
I think I've been convinced to get the Orbit 2...just a pity it doesn't have VGA...and the diamond will probably be a fair amount more than the Orbit 2

Actually a the Diamond will be cheaper then the Polaris/Orbit2... But my oppinion is that the VGA is too much on a 2.8" screen...

The Orbit 2 is a damn good toy... after tuning the cache and graphic settings..speed was even better than before..
also gps works great...a lot of stuff in a small little case...

I am also happy with my orbit 2, copilot in mo is better then tomtom i have both installed.
I like golive's interface and extra settings plus the website for tracking is a good feature.
The Software available is none stop from here and other sources, unlike the iphone i had that you could only load decentish software if you hacked it..
a couple of minor gripes, the screen is a little shiny for sunny day use and the camera could be alot better.
apart from that i am very happy with it, let hops the diamond touch flo 3d becomes available then that will make this device look great.
the hsdpa speed is great when in the right areas, 50k download speed from my laptop...
the gps seems acurate enough, fast on a warm start as well.
its performance could be a little better but overall its very good.
I would install opera mini as i have found this much better then ie and opera mobile for day to day use.
as for the missing keyboard, try touchpal or the diamond keyboards, also make sure you adjust the sensivity of the screen do a search on here, i think the keyboard is great been software as you can load loads of different types and type quicker with the stylus on some over a flip out keyboard.
the flip out keyboard types can be a little thicker as well you cannot replace or remap keys like a software keyboard so there are plus's and minus's to both concepts...
if you type alot then get a bluetooth keyboard, or a laptop.....
i don't think you will b unhappy with your purchase...

Actually imho any HTC device when just introduced will very rarely be upto my expectation and initially i am always dissapointed,for the first few days,its just a matter of customizing(a heart felt thanks to this forum for teaching us how too) to our personal choice and then i just can't seem to live without them.When i took the Cruise i returned it the next day,very dissapointed with the handset,nothing it could do(and in the factory state it could'nt domuch)was enough,I thought that my Kaiser was far better,then after going through the Cruise forum went and picked it up again,customized it and now wonder how did I ever think negatively abbout this handset,I just love it the feel of it in my hand and also the perfomance,ended up keeping both the Kaiser and Cruise without regrets.

Anyone using MWg Zinc II?

HI all! Any of you using MWg Zinc II? I am thinking of buying it but would like to know whether is it good or not. Any of you using Zinc II and experience problems? Can you watch youtube videos on Zinc II?

Why not have a read of this thread? http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=441449
Mike

mikealder said:
Why not have a read of this thread? http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=441449
Mike
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Hi Mike! Thanks a lot for taking time to reply. You are a MWg Zinc II user? I am currently using O2 XDA Zinc. I am planning to get a new MWg Zinc II PDA. I have a lot of problems with WM6 O2 XDA Zinc. So far have you experience any problems with your MWg Zinc II? A lot of people complain that after setting the password, your phone cannot recognise your password at all. Meaning to say u cannot set a password to your Zinc or else you wont be able to unlock it when it locks. Do you have this problem?

yoho.... anybody out there using a MWg Zinc II?

Did you read what I put in the thread I linked to above:
The Zinc-II is a decent device for the price, BUT the GPS takes quite some time to acquire its initial position fix, and if you go into areas where the signal coverage is weak it will quickly lose the signal.
The keyboard is useless, it is like typing on a slab of illuminated plastic there is no feedback from the keys at all.
The screen is one of the best I have seen on a PDA, very vibrant colours and excellent contrast, battery life is good, although the battery meter seems to have a mind of its own
I have been using the Zinc-II for a number of months now, it is far from the best device, but for the price it is a good buy - Mike

mikealder said:
Did you read what I put in the thread I linked to above:
The Zinc-II is a decent device for the price, BUT the GPS takes quite some time to acquire its initial position fix, and if you go into areas where the signal coverage is weak it will quickly lose the signal.
The keyboard is useless, it is like typing on a slab of illuminated plastic there is no feedback from the keys at all.
The screen is one of the best I have seen on a PDA, very vibrant colours and excellent contrast, battery life is good, although the battery meter seems to have a mind of its own
I have been using the Zinc-II for a number of months now, it is far from the best device, but for the price it is a good buy - Mike
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Yup. I read it. I have a question. A lot of people complain that after setting the password, your Zinc II cannot recognise your password at all. Meaning to say u cannot set a password to your Zinc or else you wont be able to unlock it when it locks. Do you have this problem?

No I don't have that problem, but I don't lock the device with a pin code, it serves little point IMHO - Mike

mikealder said:
No I don't have that problem, but I don't lock the device with a pin code, it serves little point IMHO - Mike
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Thanks a lot for enlightening me. Have a great day.

Hmm. Just got mine a couple days ago and have not noticed any issues with the gps being slow. Drove around with it yesterday (tom tom 7 NA) and it was pinpoint accurate with no lag at all. You can not get a better standalone receiver. Keyboard could have another line added but overall it is one huge step up from that t9 garbage and it looks great too.
Youtube mobile when opened in IE plays just fine using Core Player 1.2.5 build 4506. As well, the latest Skyfire browser comes with built-in books for news, sports, social, and video sites (10 for video alone (blog-lol)).

RETURNED MINE!
It is not that the MWg Zinc is a bad device - it is ok. However, it has some (design) flaws which really drove me nuts!
For example:
Unlike its sister models ETEN M750 and ETEN M810, the MWg Zinc II has no hardware softkeys beneath the screen! If you enjoyed playing java games on other PDA phones, forget it - it is almost impossible because of the lack of above mentioned keys. You sure still can open the keypad and use the hw softkeys there, however, that is really inconvenient!
A second design flaw:
Take a close look at thye keyboard. It looks cool at first but the moment you're starting to use it, you will most likely do what I did in the end: working with the on screen keyboard rather than with the hardware keyboard. The symbols are strangely arranged. Already the arrow keys are almost useless since they are "second level", meaning: you have always to use the FN button first! Using them for scrolling in documents or web browser won't be possible. You most likely will find almost all other symbols 'misplaced' as well. Even after 2 weeks using the device on a dayly basis I haven't gotten used to the strange arrangement.
A QVGA screen in these days is also not what I would expect in a $450.00+++ device!
If above things do not bother you as much as it did bother me, well, then you can expect a very reliable device with excellent performance and long battery life! GPS worked excellent, better than on my N95. I still was not really happy with the audio quality but it is more than loud enough and it might even have been my network provider.
Well,
I still think the Zinc II is a good device, however, the design flaws made it to a 'I-can't-work-with-it' device for me. Besides that, I find it a bit overpriced since you can get the ETEN M810 for US$399.00 on eBay - and that one has the hw softkeys beneath the screen + a front camera for video calls ...

The zinc is now only $300 on expansys. I don't gas about games to begin with, so fewer hrdware keys is not an issue. The keyboard IS somewhat redundant as I never use it really. Would have bought the touch hd but it is still at the $700+ mark.
I can run tomtom7 all day and still have plenty juice. A true 480x640 screen at 24 bit depth would be nice but would require 2 batteries and from what I can tell most phones have bat issues when they try and cram every hardware thing in.
Interestingly enough voice command is not present and nor is the advertized usp-pc direct capability (activesync is the only way).
I bought mine for the faster cpu (my last was an omap 850 way the **** toooo slow), winmo6.1 touch screen, and of course the solid sirf III chip.
It is a very user friendly piece of hrdware which under the latest rom is also very stabile.

I've got the Zinc II, Wondering if its the same as any other devices, it hard to fine it listed in many websites or support forums
I'm looking to get a registry hack similar to the kaiser to speed up keyboard response, and to shut off LED coverage indicator.
Thanks