It has been really interesting over the months watching comments on this forum on the uses for the Universal. Those who wanted a top of the range phone generally seem to be dissapointed, and who blames them for that. Those looking for a games machine really should look elsewhere. For a pocket PC, and lets face it that is what this is it is a pretty decent job.
From my own point of view I have lots of gadgets and use each for what it is good at. I spend 80% of my time either in the car, home or office. At each location i have:
Universal
IBM Think pad T42p
Motorola Razor
And with these tools i can do anything anywhere. No hassles. If i need to get on to a network and fix something in a hurry the universal has generally finished the job before the laptop has even fired up Win XP. If I need to make a call and i am in the street i use the Razor. If i am in the office or car and need to call another cell phone i use the universal on handsfree. Personally i am very happy with this set up.
I also travel extensivly. I always carry my PSP with me to play games and take a selection of dvd to play on my laptop. I have a sd card reader on my IBM so i could get into ripping dvd's to play on the TCMP player but really never saw the point of this.
So generally i am very happy with the set up. It works for me.
Would i walk down the street making calls on the Universal..... No.
Would i play games on it.... sure but not graphics type. Something like Suduko would be good.
Would I watch movies on it.... one day, but i am too lazy to rip the films, I have over 2,000 dvd at home so i just prefer to take the disc with me. I keep promising to get a decent media server at home and start to rip all of these oin to it and stream them around the house. But where do you start with 2,000 titles.
Would I change things in Universal version 2 youre damn right.
Better fitting stylus
ozVGA as standard
Better made plastics
More memory- but personally this has never caused me any problems.
Speed up the phone answering
My set up-
T- Mobile MDA Pro
R 1.00.02
G 42.33.P8
D 1.12.42 WWE
1GB SD Card x 2
Web and walk 400 inc 40 mb data & 400 mins @ £23per month for 12 months and £46 for 6 months.
ozVGA
VJBig phone
VJ fullscreen TSC
Magic Button
Resco Explorer
Resco Photo
TCMP
Agile Messenger
Cambridge vxUtil & vxHpc
Stability for me is really good. I just dont seem to have issues. But i do a soft reboot every morning before i start the day. But am i just lucky or am I doing something wrong here, as i seem to be missing the dropdead and die feature!!
Next on my list Bluetooth sat nav. I would be greatful for an honest apraisal of the experience of others here. I plan to buy the Brodit active holder and sat nav in about 2 weeks time just really waiting to get some decent views on the best sat nav before commiting I still use navman on my old compaq ipaq 3700.
Finally I have to say without this forum I would be very disspointed with the Universal. I have learned lots form you guys over the months, I just hope that Microsoft and HTC are monitoring this forum and listening as much as I have been. XDA-Developers.com + MS + HTC rocks. You guys did the bits that they forgot!!
Views very welcome
Charlie
Things that I use:
- Sony TX1XP/XP, it has a 6.5 hr battery life, only weighs 1.25KG
- XDA Exec, used as a tablet/PDA (plus spare battery!)
- PSP, for watching videos (rented UMDs)
- 3G Razr (v3x), fantastic phone with superb call quality and rock solid BT, becoming my main phone as I find the communications capability of the Universal to be below par
Got a feeling when the SE P990 is released I may retire my Universal assuming there is good PIM s/w available for UIQ3. I find the ergonomics of the Universal and the need to use the PowerSave option a pain.
Charlie VOIP said:
Finally I have to say without this forum I would be very disspointed with the Universal. I have learned lots form you guys over the months, I just hope that Microsoft and HTC are monitoring this forum and listening as much as I have been. XDA-Developers.com + MS + HTC rocks. You guys did the bits that they forgot!!
Charlie
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Click to collapse
Don't you think that they deserved it? :wink:
Charlie VOIP said:
Would i walk down the street making calls on the Universal..... No.
Charlie
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Click to collapse
I understnad and agree with you on most of the points, except your above quoted line ??
may i know why you cannot make call with universal in streets ?? is it due to security reasons .. as you are afraid someone may snatch it from you
I agree with most of the first post here. I primarily use my universal as a notebook replacement + portable video and audio device. When out and about, I use the phone features with a BT headset and M$ VC mainly because - yes - I think there is arisk of someone snatching it - it's so unusual.
I really do feel though thatif you are not going to make extensive use of the keyboard (i.e need to use it as a mini notebook) the it is not for you.
my universal if everything to me. sure i have a laptop at work, and two spare laptops at home, but these are used more in a work and professional capacity.
my phone runs beautifully, rings on the second ring. i have extended the ring period to 30 seconds in case its in the bag or otherwise, never ever missed a call.
use a bluetooth headset, works perfectly everytime.
i have a 1 gig storage card, and lots of music on it, have never made it to the end of the playlist.
i play 1 game, cause between work, a 2 yr old, a 3 yr old, a good looking wife that wants lots of servicing, and of course my phone and this site, who's got time for games....
i use my universal everyday for:
1. PDA / PIM manager for my calendar, tasks and contacts. dont bother with email, I have six accounts and cant keep up with them all anyway.
2. Music player
3. Camera and portable video camera for emailing videos to my parents 10,000km away, and they love it, they get to see the kids in motion everyday, not just a static picture
4. I use word and excel, and the pdf viewer to review various attachments, letters, correspondance
5. WIFI everyday for surfing, and managing my other 5 email accounts (none work)
6. Recording notes and quick messages while driving along day dreaming and suddenly remember or record information on a sign that I need to get straight away and dont want to write it down
7. i use it as my full time mobile phone, but i dont have many friends, and they dont find a need to pay mobile phone call costs to communicate, we have text and 6 email accounts... but I do use it whilst driving or out of the office, and have no problem holding the brick to my ear, my hands are so big its almost obscured by my hands anyway. i have more of a laugh looking at these big blokes using these dinky little phones that almost disappear between the fingers
8. size isnt everything, but bigger is better, just ask my wife
9. i also use a lot of the other inbuilt features such as ZIP and Bluetooth and just about all features on the phone
There is no way that I would be buying another phone, another camera, another game machine.
I have everything in one, it runs absoloutely perfectly, all day, every day, never fails, never crashes, and does everything that I want.
I refused to by a PDA until they came with a built in phone, so I got the XDAII. Sold that for this, and despite the differences in memory, have never looked back.
I use SPB PP (Beta), SPB Diary, SPB Weather, SPB Backup (beta), Resco Explorer, MS Reader, MSVC, and a **** load of other stuff installed to the 1Gig memory card.
Can I my satisfaction and wonder at such a brilliant multifunctional well built machine...
To look at your SatNav part, I use TomTom as the software, a Holox BT GPS unit and also have the Brodit Active mountinstalled in my car, and thus far this setup has done everything I need it to
simon_darley said:
a good looking wife that wants lots of servicing
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may be in future new models of HTC also perfom this function for you :lol:
I use my universal exclusively. I dont find any of the problems with weight that so many others seem to. I dont think the universal is particularly big either. Back when cell phones first came out, they were all this size and didnt have any nice 640x480 VGA screens. :lol:
You see sub ten year old girls these days running around with phones! If they can hold those without a problem, I dont see why I cant hold a universal. :shock:
Anyway, as far as games go, for me windows PDAs have the best games. I like strategy games the most, and some of my favorites work perfectly. Transport Tycoon is always fun, and OpenTTD keeps adding on new features. Pocket UFO - need I say more? As far as RPGs go, SNES and PSX RPGs are the best out there, and you can run them with emulators! (Morphgear for SNES, http://www.fpsece.net/ for PSX)
Using TCPMP you can run 640x480 XVID movies too, which look like a dream and are higher res than the PSPs movies.
Now all I need to do is getting a working DOS emulator so I can play Fallout DOS version! Does anybody know of any DOS emulators that work?
Nobody's mentioned reading books on your Universal.
Reading books on the gorgeous VGA screen is fantastic, and the unique ability for the phone to morph into different shapes makes it possible to put it into any comfortable position.
Currently using an MPV2000, but M5000 (universal) arriving on Monday.
Being a motorcyclist I don't have room for a laptop, 15 dvds, 2 phones, an i-pod, a PSP, a couple of books etc etc etc.
But a phone/pda that does all of that and more? Gimme!!
What I find tragic is how this thread has transgressed into a "Look at what electronics I own, aren't I cool" thread.
I own an Exec and a laptop plus other devices which both have their benefits in varying scenarios but why brag about it?
stickeresq said:
What I find tragic is how this thread has transgressed into a "Look at what electronics I own, aren't I cool" thread.
I own an Exec and a laptop plus other devices which both have their benefits in varying scenarios but why brag about it?
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I dont know about that, thats how the thread started!
It has, however, transgressed into a "Look at how cool my Universal is!" :lol:
Not so sure about the brag bit I was really trying to say that there are many devices that can perform some of the functions of the Univrersal. But many of these do the job better in some situations, ie where you are at home in the office etc. But was keen to explore how others are using the device. What is interesting is everyone uses it in different ways. What is an acceptable quality sacrifice for one person is not for another.
For me the combination of connectivitiy capabilities and size are a major advantage for network monitoring and management. But many other people say they cannot really work on such a small device, for them they do not provide 24 hour / 7 day a week cover so the issue of a pc in the pocket as it were is not relevant for them. Therefore the small screen sacrifice is not worth it for them. If you get my drift.
So i really think this is a cross between how coll my universal is and 1001 ways to use a Universal.
Charlie
My Universal serves as my PDA, refernce books, infusion calculator, conversion calculator, DVD player, MP3 Player, weather reporter, instant internet access for email and other stuff, game box, and phone.
@stickeresq
it is useful to see how people use the Universal in combination with other devices. I cannot use any PDA for video after using a Sony PSP and given that ultraportable laptops can run for well over 3 to 4 hours for me shows the battery life of the Universal is not a plus point. Also, for me, having used a Mototola cellphone (wont mention the model!) for a week I have now decided the phone functions of the Universal are not "industrial strength" and therefore I will be using my Exec as a PDA, mini tablet and eBook reader.
So I have a Universal and a Wizard. I prefer the Universal to use as MP3 player cause it has a normal headphone jack so i can use my Sony headphones rather than the crappy headphones that comes with the wizard. The only thing is that the universal lack of hardware buttons and its hard to reach them while in my pocket cause the universal is abit big. I've done some research before to find a "media remote control" for my universal like on the psp or minidisc. Since I coudnt fint it i bounced into that credit card sized mini bluetooth keyboard! Since the keyboard is that expensive and i dont need a BT keyboard... made me come on the idea of using the wizards keyboard and/or hardware buttons to controll my universal via BT. So my question is, is there such app to do this? I've been searching on google but only fond VNC and TSC like apps, and I couldnt find anything either on this forum. I hope someone can help me out [:
im not sure about ppc but if you pair the universal and a se k700i you can control the universal with it using the remote control app that comes with it
Get something like this:
http://www.usglobalsat.com/item.asp?itemid=98
You can control your Uni's media player and can use your custom SONY headset.
Also, there is other similar product which I like better (look for the R35):
http://www.itechdynamic.com/product.asp
Hello,
Due to changing networks I am in the position of being able to choose a new handset and have decided (for the third time) to go for a Windows Mobile device.
I currently have an M2000 which has been sold so I need to choose what to get next.
I've narrowed down my choice to either a Wizard(Vario in the UK) or the Universal.
My obvious concern with the Universal is the size, however only I can answer whether that will be an issue by going to look at the phone in the metal (I still have my beloved C500 for nights out etc.)
So, that leaves the issue of performance etc. I will mainly be using it for WiFi/web, TomTom, SMS, the odd call and watching films on TCPMP (do i encode movies in 640x480 for this?). Oh and the odd game!
1) I presume TomTom works ok? I have version 5.00.
2) Does anyone know if the Handmark series of games work on it?
3) Is software generally incompatible with it?
In other words sell it to me
My concerns about the vario mainly relate to performance, noting a lot of people have issues with TomTom and videos (the other plus of the Universal, the nice screen!). Anyone gone from a Universal to a Vario or visa versa?
Thanks for any comments.
Hi, my first post so be gentle!
Does anyone have one of these, it is the Bluetooth version of the MK809 ii and although I'm generally happy with it, it does have a few shortfalls. I am using it with a lan adaptor which works well.
I have a webcam that sort of works with Skype, but the large (Skype caller) and small (local webcam) images are the wrong way round, so if anyone calls I have to squint at the tiny picture! I tried the version off xda but it's the same. Any help there would be appreciated.
I've never dabbled with flashing anything android but should I be looking at doing this perhaps, and if so I have not seen any mention of the Bluetooth version of the MK809ii. I'll probably turn it into a vegetable anyway!
I welcome any thoughts/experience with this gadget.
Cheers
Sent from my Nexus 7 using xda app-developers app
which lan adapter are you using and how much.
I am looking to buy the mk809ii, and was wondering what are some CONs and disadvantage you are seeing now? I heard it is much better than the mk808 as it has less glitches?
androidtvnoob said:
which lan adapter are you using and how much.
I am looking to buy the mk809ii, and was wondering what are some CONs and disadvantage you are seeing now? I heard it is much better than the mk808 as it has less glitches?
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Click to collapse
I'm using the BOBJGEAR usb to Lan android adapter, works fine out of the box on my tv stick.
Aside from the Skype problem above (REALLY annoying!), not too many cons to be honest, just minor niggles mainly with some apps not being suited to it.
-Youtube seems to have lost its ability to go full screen for some reason, works fine on my Nexus 7 and is the same version.
-I have tried a few DLNA media apps to try and view pictures, videos etc from my NAS and they appear to be occasionally laggy across my network, the media app that came with the stick seems to work the best but looks pants!
-Watching films is generally a good experience, but the rendering isn't fantastic on darker films, probably mainly due to the quality of videos I have. Youtube HD videos are perfect.
-Google earth works but there doesn't seem to be any zoom buttons so is useless, i haven't looked into that yet.
All in all i'm happy with it, I bought a Xenta bluetooth keyboard with built in mouse which connects fine directly with the built in bluetooth. The mouse is a bit frustrating though so will be buying a bluetooth mouse.
Hope that helps
hi sadsplace, im just thinking of buying one, are you still happy 2 weeks in, any new suggestions?
thanks
joe
No Skype calls on new MK 809 II
I just got this new TV stick which seems to be working fine. Still, I'm unable to make calls in Skype. I attached a USB webcam and I also paired a bluetooth headset, I enabled video calls in Skype, but when I get to call anyone, after 2 or 3 rings, the call fails no matter if the other party answered or not. The only error message I see is "Call failed".
If anyone experienced this, is there a way to at least see if the webcam and the BT microphone are correctly installed? I tried several webcam apps from Google Play just to get an immage on my screen and finally I got one, but not in Skype.. .
..