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Hermes or Universal?

Hello All,
Which is the best between these 2 machines? What are the main differences? Please help....
I have a choice of these 2 PDA's and have no idea which to choose....
Many thanks.
Jimmy

One vote for Universal

407,592 votes for the Hermes
So far from my experience with both the Hermes has been the easiest to work with in terms of size and suitability for use as a primary phone.
EDIT:: Check the wiki pages for the main differences.....take into account the sizes however.

It all depends on whether you really need the VGA screen. If you don't, go for the Hermes.

Well I couldnt let the Universal go... I picked one up off Ebay for £45.
It was an old couple who had received it as an upgrade and didnt want it... It is in perfect condition, and has a 2GB SD Card.....
I have just got to learn how to use it now...
I have posted this somewhere else on this forum, but can anyone tell me about the GPRS? I need to ensure that I don't use this feature on the phone, otherwise I will get a massive bill....... Wifi is free and is almost everywhere so I can use this. Can the GPRS be turned off, or does it need this to work at all.... If it cannot be turned off, how do I make sure that I dont use it, and only wifi or the normal GSM...
Once again.. Many thanks... And I am a total beginner to PDA's and the likes.. So be gentle..

Enjoy your Universal! It's been my first cellphone ever and even until today one of the most sophisticated handhelds ever produced in my view. It misses a few things like builtin GPS, HSDPA (normal 3G is quite ok though), a 3D chip (purely optional at least for me) and the RAM is a bit on the skimpy side. But there's still one of the best hardware keyboards I've seen and the VGA screen that always made me wonder how anybody can still use QVGA (and how HTC didn't make the switch a long time ago). So many things (from PDFs over ebooks to webpages) are totally unusable with QVGA and only performance reasons are speaking for this resolution.
Apart from that swivel format was and is probably not the best choice. In the beginning there were lots of programs that totally didn't get along with the inverted screen (or the landscape factor) and even now that that is fixed the hinge sure is one of the weak points of this device. And while I haven't managed to break mine so far it sure is not as sturdy anymore as it used to be. What's more is that the Uni definitely is one bulky device, but I actually never minded when people stared incredulously at me holding "the brick" to my ear ;-) With a 4.800 mAh battery attached it's beyond good and evil anyway...
I just realized how many weak points I mentioned and how I actually couldn't care less about them. The Universal always seemed a bit like a case study and an experiment and it might very well end up being a one of it's kind in HTCs lineup if the Omni proved indeed to be vaporware. But like all good things it just gets better and better (I'm pretty sure that it is the perfect candidate for an early Android release as well) as time passes and I can hardly imagine myself replacing the little bugger before it has lived through its third year. So once again, have fun starting out with one of the greatest and most prominent WM phones on the market!

Exciting News for everyone!!!

http://gizmodo.com/gadgets/what.s-w...ow-wm7-and-wm8-are-going-to-fix-it-333536.php
Very interesting article

Wow, that was a great article! The author hit his points right on the head. Sounds like WM8 will be the one to go for, however who knows how long that will take to come out.
Also, in the meantime HTC has to get their heads out of their asses and release some quality and speedy hardware! What the hell happened to the OMNi, the Universal successor?! There's still not a decent phone that can replace it yet, and the Uni is over 2 years old! On the other hand, the i-Mate Ultimate 9502 looks like a decent piece of hardware (spec-wise) but its ugly as sin and the build quality will most likely be lower than HTC...I also hear that i-Mate is in financial trouble now too...
Oh well, I have finally completed the process of flashing a new WM5 ROM that I'm happy with, and my Uni is working great for now. I just hope that the future looks good for WM8 and HTC...I'll be sitting in my waiting chair for now, to see how this all develops over time.

well http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_Mobile#Photon_.282009.29
wm7 will be out next year so it could take awhile before wm8 come around

The article is so sad. I have been using WM for years and it does everything I want and more. Every point the guy makes is easily fixable with any task manager, there are heaps or free ones.
A non power user dosen't care if the apps close or not.
Iphone is all about the hype, anything that it does WM has been doing for 10 years.

Thats how I feel too. I have very little problems but a new OS is always exciting. I know I was losing my mind the first time I found Faria's Crossbow for the wizard. That was my first taste of windows mobile 6 and it was great.

I almost wanna check out the ETEN x800. I havent seen any in the states. But im gonna keep my eye out. I love my Herm200 but hey thats got the memory of a 8925 and I think its like 500.

scar45 said:
There's still not a decent phone that can replace it yet, and the Uni is over 2 years old!
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I think I'll go back to the separated-device route. The iPAQ 214 for the workhorse, quality PDA and the Nokia N95 for the phone + GPS + camera + 3D hardware-accelerated gaming machine + HSDPA modem + push mail client.
scar45 said:
On the other hand, the i-Mate Ultimate 9502 looks like a decent piece of hardware (spec-wise)
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Too bad it's only PXA270-based... already outdated. A no-go for me. Why would I buy a non-PXA310-based device in 2008, when the iPAQ 214 already has the new CPU?

@Menneisyys
I think you may have made a tiny error, the iMate 9502 is the ugly one with a Qualcomm MSM7200 processor.

njakobs said:
The article is so sad. I have been using WM for years and it does everything I want and more. Every point the guy makes is easily fixable with any task manager, there are heaps or free ones.
A non power user dosen't care if the apps close or not.
Iphone is all about the hype, anything that it does WM has been doing for 10 years.
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Not to get into a WM vs iPhone debate, but I disagree. I have about every iteration of WM device and still choose the iPhone on a daily basis. I am not really a mac user or care about any of the hype, for me it is simply a great device and os. Yes, WM can do most of the things the iPhone can, but not with anywhere near the same ease of use (i.e. can anyone figure it out), speed (no task manager needed with a 600+Mhz processor) screen clarity (see it in sunlight!), touch screen responsiveness (capacitance vs resistance) accelerometer for auto landscape of the browser, pictures and iPod, and the amazing build quality. I won't even go into the applications and how amazingly intuative they are. To make my Touch XL or Tinity work even close to my iPhone it takes over ten added applications that don't always work together. If you think the iPhone is only hype, you likely have not spent any time with one - it's addicting. My point is simply to state that, as a WM user the iPhone has raised the bar both on the hardware and software side and I hope it is not years before Microsoft and the manufacturers catch up.

2manyphones said:
Not to get into a WM vs iPhone debate, but I disagree. I have about every iteration of WM device and still choose the iPhone on a daily basis. I am not really a mac user or care about any of the hype, for me it is simply a great device and os. Yes, WM can do most of the things the iPhone can, but not with anywhere near the same ease of use (i.e. can anyone figure it out), speed (no task manager needed with a 600+Mhz processor) screen clarity (see it in sunlight!), touch screen responsiveness (capacitance vs resistance) accelerometer for auto landscape of the browser, pictures and iPod, and the amazing build quality. I won't even go into the applications and how amazingly intuative they are. To make my Touch XL or Tinity work even close to my iPhone it takes over ten added applications that don't always work together. If you think the iPhone is only hype, you likely have not spent any time with one - it's addicting. My point is simply to state that, as a WM user the iPhone has raised the bar both on the hardware and software side and I hope it is not years before Microsoft and the manufacturers catch up.
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I guess you are right in a lot of aspects. However, Apple's flaw (and quite possibly the iPhone's downfall) is the lack of capability for the power users. Both my mom and my brother have iPhones so I have had plenty of chances to mess around with them. Not only did I not find it addictive, but after using it for 10 minutes, I just put it down and started messing around with my Blue Angel (now 3 years old and running WM6). I personally consider myself a medium (on the salsa scale ) power user of WM, but after watching a couple of YouTube videos and scrolling through album covers with my fingers while tilting the device back and forward, I started thinking: "well, now what?"
There are numerous advantages of iPhones over WM devices and vice-versa, but the article is mainly comparing the WM interface with the iphone's interface, and that is what this is all about. M$ interfaces have been progressively getting worse over the years (or at least not getting any better), while Apple completely hit a homerun with their interface. This sole fact gave birth to the future of WM. If you do not believe me, check out the "development and hacking" section of this forum and tell me how many new UIs you can see floating around. I personally have 4 in my device (FreeStyle, PointUI, iTask (came out yesterday), and Slither's Cube.
Hopefully, they will be able to do something based on what is out there (i.e. HTC X-Button (true closing any app), PointUI, PocketCM, TCPMP, etc, etc...). But make no mistake, there is a lot to be done to our devices, and hopefully M$ truly knows about it and are planning to do something about it...
Long Live XDA-Devs!!!!

another thing with iphone which may work agenst it in eu and asia is lack of t9 not very fast to write sms's in 10sec
heck here kids write sms's on their phones even in school under the table so the teacher dont take their phones even if the iphone keyboard is easier to use the defualt ms tiny keyboard phone pad and normal phones got a better chance of being used "blindfolded"

I do agree, the WM UI sucks by default and the usability leaves a lot to be desired. The good thing is that almost anything is possible. Luckily HTC and the devs of this site have fixed a huge number of WM flaws. My Touch was pretty usable out of the box. The devs here improved it even more by adding PocketCM for example. I just flashed the Shadow Wm 6.1 rom yesterday and it's damn fast, like having a new phone.
I would like a better browser and a more finger friendly UI. PointUI looks very promising but still has some issues. We'll get there, it just takes a while.
I do think WM has made big improvements over the years though. I remember my first WM phone (Orange SPV, Smartphone 2002), it was the worst phone I ever had although it did have some nice things at the time. I swore I would never ever buy a WM phone again. This summer I fell in love with the Touch and keep tinkering with it.

Rudegar said:
another thing with iphone which may work agenst it in eu and asia is lack of t9 not very fast to write sms's in 10sec.....
"
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Very good point Rudegar, another reason the iPhone will never fly in Asia is the lack of stylus for writing Chinese characters. MANY people who buy a touchscreen devicedo so exclusively so they can handwrite characters. The iPhone is going to have to change a lot for that to happen. Really, people shouldn;t think about the iPhone so much. It's going to probably never even make it to the asian market, which frankly is such a large market that US iPhone sales don't even make a difference. The real powerhouses are going to continue to be the people who dominate the asian handset markets.

So long microsoft!

Well it's been a long time coming but I'm finally giving up on microsoft to produce a decent handheld OS. I've used the XDA's since the first one, I've owned an XDA, XDAII, mini, jamin, k-jam and a polaris and I can honestly say that the OS has not improved one iota all these years.
No i'm not going with the iPhone, I'm going to get a simple old nokia and just use a UMPC for any mobile trickery needed.
This is NOT a jab at all the brilliant developers of this community which have carried MS's cash cow all these years on their shoulders - you truly were the ONLY reason to buy a PocketPC.
Here's hoping things improve, but don't hold your breath.
*Polaris eBayed*

I give him 3 weeks.

addicus said:
I give him 3 weeks.
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lulz indeed

i give him 4 weeks... hehe

considering the amount of mobile phones he has had with WinMO, it will be a huge shock to go back to a nokia... He will for sure be back soon! Just a crisis like we all have some times...

I´ll stick to WM till Android has a more stable and mature OS
Symbian and Iphone systems never!

Well best of luck with the OS change. We'll be here if you decide to return someday...

I will join this guy as soon as the next Android drops.

Ev0luti0n_ said:
considering the amount of mobile phones he has had with WinMO, it will be a huge shock to go back to a nokia... He will for sure be back soon! Just a crisis like we all have some times...
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I went to a nokia after the jasjam aka: tytn. It took me 8 months to come back

I think Defroster has been understood wrongly. As I believe he doesn’t think there is better OS but he just voicing out his disappointments of MS and WinMo improvements.
I have to say I fully AGREE with him on this.
My device history is almost the same. The reason that I bought my first WinMo was to combine PDA with Phone so that I don’t need to carry 2 devices. I paid for my first device (2002) almost 1000USD. Many of my friends and colleagues thought I am crazy to spend so much money.
Yes it was not fully Phone but also not fully a PDA (computer) but I though just hang on for couple months then MS will improve the things tremendously.
But look to the changes/improvement that WinMo has made in last 7-8 years which are in my opinion Almost Nill. However the devices cost still ca.1000USD..
Be frank just for comparison: Do we see any desktop software that has almost the same capability and same UI after 8 years???….but cost the same money??
Furthermore look in to the upcoming WinMO 6.5. I believe it is just ridiculous to put such crap in to the market after 1-2 years development by a Huge Company like Microsoft. Again I don’t see any improvements and Still there is nothing out of the box..
If I would be Bill Gates I would immediately Fire all the WinMo Team. It is unacceptable for Engineering company to rest on a product for more than 8 years and don’t have any major changes. The best example for such behavior is the American Auto Industry.
Ohh well It is well known that if a Company is to large the efficiency of that company compare to middle sized one much much lesser but they DO have longer breath.
Yes Yes I know the bad thing is there are no much better alternatives right now.
However same As Defroster I am considering getting better value for same money (1000 USD) Therefore I am seriously Looking to the new 9-10inch Netbooks like Asus Eee ; Acer aspire, MSI Wind etc. They are costing less than 500 USD (some of them around 300USD) those have Standard battery live up to 8hous. Additionally I am thinking to get one of those simple Smart phones like HTC Excalibur or Cavalier. Yes that would set me back again 8 years but I get better value for my money and can be much more productive then I am with a single expensive toy…

I too totally agree. Microsoft is such a big company and yet it never deliver what a user want or need for so many years! Is it that they have no Competitors for the pass 8 years?
The biggest change I saw was when HTC came out with TouchFlo 3D. Nice cool looking interface, smooth scrolling, Finger friendly, Easy access to messaging, web, ETC. And they are only just covering up the ugly part of microsoft winmo. And HTC did it in just a short time. Even now with the new Winmo 6.5, the Titanium screen looks crappy! The font on the screen are so ugly, the item list covering the whole screen. scrolling thru the list is a torture to my eyes. It scroll the list not the selection!!
I believe with enough time Android will be far ahead.

Let us all cross our fingers than 6.5 becomes a flop.
Don't you remember what happened to the flop we call Vista? The successor Windows 7 has fixed all those bugs and works like a proper OS.
Hopefully a flop will make them realize that they need to take their finger out and actually produce something decent (not saying WinMo is bad or anything).

/me joining the android bandwagon asap. For sure the OS for the future

PPC is too good to be replaced..
I definately won't change back to nokia, SE or any non WM devices..
I need alot of medical softwares.. and those can't provide any decent 1

Ehhh, If you think about it, Microsoft is always going to be a Big Company.

DhaMajoR said:
Ehhh, If you think about it, Microsoft is always going to be a Big Company.
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Oh yes! another great comment!
And Cocacola too

orb3000 said:
Oh yes! another great comment!
And Cocacola too
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Click to collapse
Okay mister 2000 Posts... Will im at 100 ,
Another genius!

i am fine with the way it looks. if you are unhappy with the software make your own; or find some one else to make some for you.

josefcrist said:
i am fine with the way it looks. if you are unhappy with the software make your own; or find some one else to make some for you.
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Click to collapse
I don't either. There are many choices for looks. It can look like nearly anything out there. Flexibility. Name of the game.

everyone has their own point of view,
as for me?
i think its good as long as this forum is up and running
lots of ppl hlps ere so i dun care what microsoft does...

Leaving the Raphael for a Palm Pre?

So how many of you lucky American's are upgrading to a Palm Pre this weekend?
I'm in Australia so have to wait, unfortunately Can wait to get my hands on one of these Palm Pre's though. I love my Raphael and Windows Mobile, but the Palm Pre and WebOS is just awesome! Sorry MS Mobile, but too little too late - even with v6.5 (and the terrific ROM chef's here on xda!!)

Pre
I played with a Pre and I'm going to wait for the TP2 to hit the US, the keys are to small for me to type effectively on, its a slick UI but for functionality its just not there yet.

I dont like Palm. Sticking with my Fuze.

i think the palm pre is just a bit of a knockoff of the touchpro 2 interface .
basically the same thing slightly different with a different name.
the keyboard is rather small [i definately agree with you aaronsmckee]
and 6.5 is getting better about every 5 hours or so ( you should watch the forums its really really really fun lol ) i would stick with the raphael or tp2 over the palm pre .

I wish I could. I'm even on Sprint and only a few months from my upgrade. But I don't want to go to the more expensive plan

The push Gmail is a big deal to me, the Pre is the only device that natively supports it.
But alas, I have a new AT&T 2 year contract.

DaveLinger said:
The push Gmail is a big deal to me, the Pre is the only device that natively supports it.
But alas, I have a new AT&T 2 year contract.
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Click to collapse
just use a third party for your push gmail, like mobipush.com

Definitely not leaving the TP for the Pre....especially with all the wonderful chefs here...

thesilentnight said:
Definitely not leaving the TP for the Pre....especially with all the wonderful chefs here...
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100% second [email protected] I'm never [email protected] HTC.

I would, honestly -- it looks like it could be fun to write code for, even with the Touch Pro's superior specs.
But the Touch Pro, thanks in large part to the great software people wrote for it, is very nice and does what I need (almost) -- plus, I just renewed my contract to get it seven months ago.

mouth said:
So how many of you lucky American's are upgrading to a Palm Pre this weekend?
I'm in Australia so have to wait, unfortunately Can wait to get my hands on one of these Palm Pre's though. I love my Raphael and Windows Mobile, but the Palm Pre and WebOS is just awesome! Sorry MS Mobile, but too little too late - even with v6.5 (and the terrific ROM chef's here on xda!!)
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Well I have already left for the Pre. I had a fuze (had ATT but switched to Sprint b/c of a much better value) but the touch pro is ridiculously priced on Sprint's network, its almost 50% higher than the pre itself, and I couldn't justify spending any more than what I did for the Pre...especially since the TP2 will be out soon. Anyway, I've had the pre for a few days now and I do miss the TP to a certain degree. The biggest thing I miss are the options that are universally provided by windows mobile. The TP in my opinion is still my favorite phone device that I've ever had, but the Pre isn't bad by any means. I just dont know what to do with all the free time I have now that I'm not able to flash custom roms anymore!

mouth said:
So how many of you lucky American's are upgrading to a Palm Pre this weekend?
I'm in Australia so have to wait, unfortunately Can wait to get my hands on one of these Palm Pre's though. I love my Raphael and Windows Mobile, but the Palm Pre and WebOS is just awesome! Sorry MS Mobile, but too little too late - even with v6.5 (and the terrific ROM chef's here on xda!!)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Palm pre looks like a chic phone...slide down keyboard is weak...staying with my touch pro!

aren't there a bunch of hardware issues with the pre like case cracking and the screen part spinning/twisting from the keyboard slider. Also read it has horrible battery since its always downloading data.

mouth said:
So how many of you lucky American's are upgrading to a Palm Pre this weekend?
I'm in Australia so have to wait, unfortunately Can wait to get my hands on one of these Palm Pre's though. I love my Raphael and Windows Mobile, but the Palm Pre and WebOS is just awesome! Sorry MS Mobile, but too little too late - even with v6.5 (and the terrific ROM chef's here on xda!!)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm interested in the Palm Pre and I'm thinking about switching, but currently, there are some serious issues that needs to be addressed:
1) Hardware - I held the Palm Pre at Best Buy and it was plain horrible. It didn't feel smooth and the QWERTY keyboard was very bad; I know that I would not be able to type effectively with that keyboard.
2) Screen and resolution - I'm really sorry, but a 3.1in screen and QVGA resolution is just not going to be good enough. The screen should be at least 3.5in and the resolution should at least be VGA (if not WVGA). I also hope that either Palm or Apple eventually moves to an AMOLED screen (but this is more of a wish than a requirement).
These are my two main gripes with the Palm Pre. It's a very good device, but it actually seems more dated than Apple's iPhone in some cases. Considering the iPhone is already outdated in a lot of ways, this is not a good thing. Meh, maybe later WebOS phone models will be superior, but at this point, I really can not switch to the Pre with those issues above.

3.1" screen and HVGA res with an all-new OS designed to take advantage of the capacitive screen is worse than a 2.8" line-doubled VGA screen that acts as QVGA?
Sound like somebody is missing the forest for the trees.

slick69 said:
3.1" screen and HVGA res with an all-new OS designed to take advantage of the capacitive screen is worse than a 2.8" line-doubled VGA screen that acts as QVGA?
Sound like somebody is missing the forest for the trees.
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Is that towards me? Next time, try pressing the 'Quote' button as I often ignore posts that doesn't have anything from my post in quote form (or at least quotation marks).
Now then, I'm sorry that I gave you the impression, but not once did I say the Pre had a worse screen/res than the Raphael. No, I don't mind if you go ahead and re-read my post to make sure. I think you may be surprised.
What I'm saying is that I'm not going to pay to upgrade to a new phone if I don't find the specs good enough. When I'm ready to buy a new phone, I'm not going to buy the Raphael a second time. I'm going to buy a phone that has a bigger screen, equal/higher res, better CPU, and just overall better specs. If that special phone happens to have WebOS on it, even better, but unfortunately, the Palm Pre is not that phone.

Okay Raph users.... what's next?

Hi guys!
Well, after four FUZE's.... for me, my partner, and two employees, it seems like it's time for an upgrade.
I've a blast with NATF's 4 series ROMS, and after about a year, I'm looking for a new device.
I noticed that the Touch Pro has the same CPU as our trusty Raphs, so I am not thrilled with that.
I find my device rather sluggish. It's not terrible, but... well... you know how it is!
So... Does anyone have any experience with a newer device? Maybe the Touch Pro 2 IS a big improvement (better resolution / tilt keyboard...), but it doesn't appear that way.
Thoughts are most definitely welcome.
I need to order another device, and right now, I just can't think of anything beyond yet another Fuze.
I'd love to hear what you guys have to say! I'm itching for a new device!
Thanks!
Mike

i don't find it that sluggish...
iPhone now? or the Palm Pre?

If your TP is sluggish, are you running the rom that came with the phone?
Mine was, until I discovered the cooked 6.5 roms back in May. I've flashed mine dozens of times. The 2303x builds are LIGHTNING fast, and depending on who you get it from, 99% of them are rock stable.
Pop over to the rom section, read the "flashing guide for Newbies" and then check out some of the great roms. These guys put in a LOT of time making the WM software better, and NO CARRIER BLOATWARE.

Michael_514 said:
Hi guys!
Well, after four FUZE's.... for me, my partner, and two employees, it seems like it's time for an upgrade.
I've a blast with NATF's 4 series ROMS, and after about a year, I'm looking for a new device.
I noticed that the Touch Pro has the same CPU as our trusty Raphs, so I am not thrilled with that.
I find my device rather sluggish. It's not terrible, but... well... you know how it is!
So... Does anyone have any experience with a newer device? Maybe the Touch Pro 2 IS a big improvement (better resolution / tilt keyboard...), but it doesn't appear that way.
Thoughts are most definitely welcome.
I need to order another device, and right now, I just can't think of anything beyond yet another Fuze.
I'd love to hear what you guys have to say! I'm itching for a new device!
Thanks!
Mike
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Get an iPhone. Duh!
On a serious note, it depends on whether you want to stay on the Windows Mobile platform or not, and whether you still want a physical keyboard or not. If you don't mind giving all touch-screen a try, then consider getting the Touch Pro HD (HTC Blackstone). I've heard great things about it, and it looks absolutely lovely. Otherwise, the only real upgrade path that I can think of is getting the Touch Pro 2 or similar.
It's really hard to upgrade when you're pretty much at the upper limit for smartphones. The Raphael is one of HTC's fastest devices, so keep that in mind.

My friend went from a Sprint Touch Pro (CDMA) to an Iphone 3G S 32GB... and he is a computer science grad student and a tech nerd... and he is blown away by the iphone. Yes Iphone OS is not like WM in functionality, but what the OS lacks, the apps make up for it. The Iphone is very stable, doesn't overheat (his doesn't), and is incredibly snappy. Plus its got a great screen, a built in ipod, etc. Just no insurance! =X And Apple control...

Hi guys!
First of all, allow me to clarify... I would 100% like to stay with a Windows Mobile phone, and second of all, I DEFINITELY need a slide out QWERTY keyboard.
And FYI.. I should have clarified... I am not a newbie! I have been hacking these phones and updating my ROMS for years now.
As I thought I mentioned, I have been flashing NATF's ROMS.
I started out with the CASIO BOSS in 1986, and as of late, I've had around six HTC phones, from the SX-66 to the 8125 to the 8525 to the FUZE, and so forth.
I don't know much about the iPhone 3GS, but I wrote a lengthy review of the 3G, and it just didn't suit my needs.
And like it or not, the FUZE is sluggish on my levels, even with the best ROMS. I don't think it's TERRIBLE, not at all, but let's face it... It's more like the feeling I get working off my modest Tablet PC on battery, than off my 4 monitored desktop's Quad Core Q9450 64Bit CPU, with 8 GB of RAM and 4TB on the hard drive.
There is just that little bit of 2008/2009 sluggishness that is making me a little eager and power hungry for a mind-blowing 2009/2010 device.
So, yeah, all this to say, I am not looking for an iPhone(!)
I am looking for a kick-ass Windows Mobile device that is the "next generation". The 8525 was an excellent jump from the 8125, which was an excellent jump from the SX66.
I am just looking for an equivalent jump, even if it's not made by HTC.
The FUZE/Touch Pro was THE must-have phone for all Hermes users.
I just needed a little guidance for the next one.
I am still looking for your suggestions! Thanks!

The TP2 has the best keyboard I've ever used on a phone. I've had the 8525, Tilt and Touch Pro (and a few others along the way). In fact, if I spend a few more days with it I may be faster with it than a desktop...it's really that good. As for performance, the AT&T version is excepted to come with 6.5 and 6.5 does run a lot better than 6.1 does in terms of speed but it's also a lot smoother overall and easier to use. It's probably 45 days off though if the rumors are right. The screen (a huge WVGA) feels a lot more sensitive. As far as speed, it is the same chipset and I've used both a Touch HD and a TP2 and it does feel faster but I think it's partially due to a mroe sensitive screen and people confuse that with the response time because the taps are easier to register. using TF3D you get your occasional hiccup. For my 2 cents I think when 6.5 comes out TF3D may not be as necessary but it's a personal preference. I hope TF3D 2.5 runs lighter since as a program it is pretty heavy in v2.1. All of this plays into 'speed'. In short though, the TP2 does feel like a pretty big upgrade over the TP(1). Again,t he screen size lets you see so much more that it simply puts it into another class. You can easily one hand emails with the onscreen keyboard and that works great for short responses but for large emails just open the keyboard and you feel like you have a minicomputer.

I've just purchased a TP2 to replace my TP1.
Same familiar WinMo, same massive repoistory of software, bigger screen, better keyboard. And it's not a piece of fruit

Thanks guys!
Very interesting praise for the TP2.
I had no idea the AT&T version was just around the corner. Good news.
bugsy, that is quite the glowing review. I was quite surprised to hear it had the same processor as the TP. I was hoping for a little boost!
Thanks again!

I just ordered one on ebay!

I know it's a little late, but have you considered symbian?
Nokia's got some really cool smart phones. The N97's bad ass!

Acer m900 until the USA compatible Omnia Pro shows up. Everything on the Acer is snappier than the Touch Pro, and probably what the older Wizard was like. Glad to be off the candy toy-phone the HTC made the Touch Pro into. Couldn't even do handwriting, nor using the VGA proper on a screen of that tiny size and the Qualcomm lag...
Both (m900, OmniaPro) still half as fast as the iPhone 3GS, but waiting for the 3GS to gain either cheap unlocked, or Palm Pre to go GSM. Nokia is still in some ditch thinking crap cpus can get them far.

Let us know how it turns out.