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Hi I know a couple people here stated they have WinMo Pro 6 running on the "SnapVue" portion of the Shift. Excuse me if I explained that wrong. My question is what resolution does it run in? 640x480, 800x480, 320x240? And Can it access the phone portion(assuming from comments that it will in fact have voice)?
I'm really getting excited about the Shift since people are saying that in fact can run full blown Windows Mobile Pro. Why HTC didn't include/market that from the beginning is beyond me. It would TOTALLY seperate the Shift from any other UMPC on the market. Instead they aren't marketing it and it sits in a pile of other boring UMPC's. HTC's marketing practices as of late are really questionable. If it does have voice I'm crossing my fingers there is an earpiece built in. I doubt it but I'm hoping. Yes I know I'll look like an uber nerd using it that way but I can't stand BT headsets and barely talk on my devices that much anyway. Thanks.
Hello juiceppc,
I'm not sure at 100% about what I will say.. but I think that the resoluion in SnapVue is 640*480 (there are 2 black areas at each side of SnapVue).
For the phone portion ... humm .. it's difficult to know, but we will try the best to have it ! It's sure that we will be able to read SMS... but nothing is sure about receiving and giving calls.. we have to wait for the final version of the Shift to test.
Just stay tune in this forum... and you will have your answer... As Soon As Possible !
koala996 said:
Hello juiceppc,
I'm not sure at 100% about what I will say.. but I think that the resoluion in SnapVue is 640*480 (there are 2 black areas at each side of SnapVue).
For the phone portion ... humm .. it's difficult to know, but we will try the best to have it ! It's sure that we will be able to read SMS... but nothing is sure about receiving and giving calls.. we have to wait for the final version of the Shift to test.
Just stay tune in this forum... and you will have your answer... As Soon As Possible !
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks!...
hi
i realy like the Shift, but if can run wm6 full ... I'm excited!
there is a problem: the 2 operating system must use the some devices in the same time (bt, wifi, etc).
for browse on the net, or for chat, the wm6 is enough, and is not necessary to run vista.
and if htc release the win xp drivers, the battery life can be bigger.
but i cant find anywhere a documented review about shift....(everybody is happpy, the shift is the best...) no phone, no gps, the image cant rotate, no wm6, no xp drivers...
i think the comunity can resolve this problem but the feedback is verry low.
the device is not released .. so stop to anticipate everything ... we will try to make the Shift the best device EVER... but we need to get one to test everything on it !
I don't care about XP (it's a completely horrible O.S. .. and Vista is 10000 times better) but for the rest, we ALL want GPS, PHONE and full WM6 .. even without that, the SHIFT is an innovative device.. and is much better than every other device... so WAIT and you'll see.
why buy a HTC Shift?
I have a Dopod U1000, its the best device ever. I have a Sony TZ notebook as well. I was thinking why bother to buy the HTC Shift?
- Battery life 2 hours Vs Sony 11 hours
- it runs on a paralysed WM6 that is probably not going to be that useful Vs Dopod U1000
- the screen resolution is poor Vs Sony beautiful crystal clear screen
- HTC Shift probably runs on hard disk Vs Sony runs on flash memory,
- This is the first PC by HTC Vs Sony many years of R&D experience
I have purchased the Samsung Q1 as well as the small Sony UMPC before. Both proof to be quite useless. When I bring them out. I have to wait a few minutes for it to boot up. After using for just awhile the battery goes flat. You will be left wondering why do u ever bother to bring such a heavy device around. Trust me folks battery life is important. If you buy the HTC Shift after a month the battery life drops to probably 1 hour. In addition, the screen size is way too small to run Windows. I am very sure there will be many second hand models in ebay after 2 weeks of launching
Pls think twice..
greatestkelvin said:
I have a Dopod U1000, its the best device ever. I have a Sony TZ notebook as well. I was thinking why bother to buy the HTC Shift?
- Battery life 2 hours Vs Sony 11 hours
- it runs on a paralysed WM6 that is probably not going to be that useful Vs Dopod U1000
- the screen resolution is poor Vs Sony beautiful crystal clear screen
- HTC Shift probably runs on hard disk Vs Sony runs on flash memory,
- This is the first PC by HTC Vs Sony many years of R&D experience
I have purchased the Samsung Q1 as well as the small Sony UMPC before. Both proof to be quite useless. When I bring them out. I have to wait a few minutes for it to boot up. After using for just awhile the battery goes flat. You will be left wondering why do u ever bother to bring such a heavy device around. Trust me folks battery life is important. If you buy the HTC Shift after a month the battery life drops to probably 1 hour. In addition, the screen size is way too small to run Windows. I am very sure there will be many second hand models in ebay after 2 weeks of launching
Pls think twice..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Screen Size way too small for Vista? How about OQO and other 5 inch UMPC? It's even smaller..
greatestkelvin said:
I have a Dopod U1000, its the best device ever. I have a Sony TZ notebook as well. I was thinking why bother to buy the HTC Shift?
- Battery life 2 hours Vs Sony 11 hours
- it runs on a paralysed WM6 that is probably not going to be that useful Vs Dopod U1000
- the screen resolution is poor Vs Sony beautiful crystal clear screen
- HTC Shift probably runs on hard disk Vs Sony runs on flash memory,
- This is the first PC by HTC Vs Sony many years of R&D experience
I have purchased the Samsung Q1 as well as the small Sony UMPC before. Both proof to be quite useless. When I bring them out. I have to wait a few minutes for it to boot up. After using for just awhile the battery goes flat. You will be left wondering why do u ever bother to bring such a heavy device around. Trust me folks battery life is important. If you buy the HTC Shift after a month the battery life drops to probably 1 hour. In addition, the screen size is way too small to run Windows. I am very sure there will be many second hand models in ebay after 2 weeks of launching
Pls think twice..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I totally disagree with your comment :
- Battery life 2 hours Vs Sony 11 hours
First .. I bet that the shift can be used about 5 days without using Windows Vista (only SnapVue or WM6). And the Sony is twice the price of the Shift ... ergh!!!!
- it runs on a paralysed WM6 that is probably not going to be that useful Vs Dopod U1000
You seem to be paralysed when talking about it ... the WM6 will be sufficiently well working (even without removing SnapVue) because of ability to install Cab .. and I believe that Full WM6 will be easy to have. The Dopod doesn't have Windows Vista ... and having WM5 or even WM6 on the Dopod is exactly the same of having SnapVue on the Shift.
- the screen resolution is poor Vs Sony beautiful crystal clear screen
I can put the Shift in my pocket ...but not the Sony. 7" is the perfect resolution for me (I have tried 2 Shifts and I really like the screen size and the Shift keyboard). At home I plug a VGA cable .. and here we go !
- HTC Shift probably runs on hard disk Vs Sony runs on flash memory,
The sony runs on flash memory? MMh maybe... but it's twice the price of the shift... and unable to put it in the pocket... bad !
- This is the first PC by HTC Vs Sony many years of R&D experience
I have tried 2 Shifts.. and it was working perfectly, as fast as I want ..... so I don't care about the years of R&D experience of Sony.
Here's my thoughts... I'm not trying to put you down, or to say that you are wrong .. but features depends on the way you want to use it , and you use devices. We are talking about 3 completely different devices.... and I don't believe that any other "released" device can change my opinion that the Shift is the only good device on the market right now (because of 2 CPU and 2 OS).
How about we keep our heads about us people and stay objective.
Comparing a Sony TZ to the shift is a useless comparison. One is a notebook, the other an umpc. Each serves a different purpose for different people and different tasks.
Koala, if you can put the shift in your pocket than I would hate to see your sense of fashion. Im sorry I dont doubt you could shove the shift into your pocket but show some decorum....theres better umpcs to shove down there that would look less ridiculous.
Remember people, different tasks, different people = different devices. For me ill probably have to seriously look at the Shift if WM can be made practical, if the GPS can be enabled (remember the P3600 ppl).
Having owned an X7500 I found it to be a great device, very handy however there are some tasks WinMo just can do as well as full Windows. The excellent, connectivity, battery life, and quick responsiveness of WinMo will be ideal for me with the option to flick it to Vista at a whim for those times when im away from my desk and need to do work on the move. If it has GPS and phone functions can be enabled than thats just a bonus
Osir1s said:
How about we keep our heads about us people and stay objective.
Comparing a Sony TZ to the shift is a useless comparison. One is a notebook, the other an umpc. Each serves a different purpose for different people and different tasks.
Koala, if you can put the shift in your pocket than I would hate to see your sense of fashion. Im sorry I dont doubt you could shove the shift into your pocket but show some decorum....theres better umpcs to shove down there that would look less ridiculous.
Remember people, different tasks, different people = different devices. For me ill probably have to seriously look at the Shift if WM can be made practical, if the GPS can be enabled (remember the P3600 ppl).
Having owned an X7500 I found it to be a great device, very handy however there are some tasks WinMo just can do as well as full Windows. The excellent, connectivity, battery life, and quick responsiveness of WinMo will be ideal for me with the option to flick it to Vista at a whim for those times when im away from my desk and need to do work on the move. If it has GPS and phone functions can be enabled than thats just a bonus
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
same for me ... it's not ridiculous to put it in my pocket because it looks like if my pocket was empty ... nobody can see that I have something in my pocket... and when I have a bag with me, it will be in my bag .. but I can visit friends without having a bag and without having to look like "coming to work".
htc shift
I just bought the htc shift a few days ago. There are several problems.
1. I unlocked the full WM6, the problem is that file explorer cannot read the sd card. As such I have to install all the applications on the internal memory. This is not very good as it prompts me that the internal memory is very low.
2. Another problem is the contrast in snapvue. After reseting snapvue, the standard high contrast comes out again. U cannnot lower he backlight.
3. the sync between wm6 and the pc works sometimes. I use USB tool. Most often it does not work and is very slow.
Overall the built quality is good but it still cannot replace my dopod u1000
greatestkelvin said:
I just bought the htc shift a few days ago. There are several problems.
1. I unlocked the full WM6, the problem is that file explorer cannot read the sd card. As such I have to install all the applications on the internal memory. This is not very good as it prompts me that the internal memory is very low.
2. Another problem is the contrast in snapvue. After reseting snapvue, the standard high contrast comes out again. U cannnot lower he backlight.
3. the sync between wm6 and the pc works sometimes. I use USB tool. Most often it does not work and is very slow.
Overall the built quality is good but it still cannot replace my dopod u1000
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1. still not available, but is coming soon
3. do you have SP1 on VIsta? This is causing troubles.
Please don't get me wrong -- I think the Shift represents a great advancement in UMPC technology. Having WM6 and WinVista (or WinXP) combined on 1 device is, IMHO, a super idea. And the form factor and build quality are very good. I'm impressed and, as Jenn at Pocketables pointed out, it's fun to use -- kind of grabs you. But unlike Jenn, I'm not ready to say I'll not part with it. I've liberated WM6 so I have as full a use of the WM6 side as I believe is so far available. I've got Vista humming, at least as much as the 1G RAM can live with. But if this is as far as I can go I don't see much more than another "gadget" to add to my collection. The 1G RAM limit is a show stopper -- slows the machine down and really limits what I can do in Vista. The 64MB limit in WM6, combined with inability to access the SD card slot (or even the USB slot) means my WM6 is crippled -- hardly any of what I'm accustomed to using can be routinely done. Throw in the 2 hr battery limitation in Vista -- it just isn't a very good "solution" for a road warrior.
I realize there are folks hard at work to improve on these and I commend them (and have contributed to the Shift Project) -- I really hope they succeed. But I have to say that what I'm looking at from HTC is, at best, a "beta" version -- they have so limited what's inside the box that it's hardly useful for anything. Considering the growing competition I doubt HTC will hold much share of this market.
agree
Huib
Interesting comments and many agree with. Given the amount of information available on the net about this device, and its limitations including SnapVue, battery etc etc, what motivated you to buy it? It seems to be a mismatch to me re. your requirements. I bought it even knowing all these things as it matched my needs.
A road warrior it is not. A media powerhouse it is not. A tiny portable always on email and document viewer/editor, plus web browser it is. I get 2.5hrs on Vista browsing the web - same as almost every other laptop I've ever owned, so I'm not surprised really...altho again, Vista leaves much to be desired in this respect - a spinning hard drive kills batteries.
I agree with you regarding the things they didn't get right - SnapVue is just silly right out of the box and Vista is a mistake. HTC really fvcked up there.
This device kind of reminds me of the Sony C1V picturebook I had (with that horrible Crusoe processor - if you think this chip is slow, that thing was lifeless)...awesome for what I wanted but that's where it stops...it doesn't extend beyond that and I'm comfy with that.
To answer the question, I use my Shift when I travel. I used to take my HX4700 but bluetooth 3G connection was slow, Opera was slow for browsing and the screen too small really. I had a b/tooth key board which was OK but another piece of kit that needed batteries and sync'ing etc etc. Now I carry a v. small bag with me when away and it holds the Shift, power packs, Archos 504, headphones and a few other bits and bobs...all I need. On planes I can type my reports in Mobile Word, sync it to Vista and tart them up and send. In hotels I can surf the web at my own pace on HSDPA with it plugged in to AC (on high performance setting). I can adjust my webpage using filezilla etc etc....basically all the things I couldn't do on the HX4700 (which I now use as a support device for the Archos, and as a GPS)....the Shift really filled my requirements. I almost bought the Fujitsu U1010 but the ones here didn't have 3G built in and the keyboard was harder to use that the Shift.
Next version, should HTC shift (no pun intended) enough of these first ones, should ideally have:
1. Higher res screen
2. Bigger hard disk
3. SnapVue fully functional with SD card, WiFi access etc etc
4. XP as an option
5. A battery compartment that allows for an extended one to be added
Aside from that, I still like my Shift and use it almost everyday...
FOOFTR said:
Interesting comments and many agree with. Given the amount of information available on the net about this device, and its limitations including SnapVue, battery etc etc, what motivated you to buy it? It seems to be a mismatch to me re. your requirements. I bought it even knowing all these things as it matched my needs.
A road warrior it is not. A media powerhouse it is not. A tiny portable always on email and document viewer/editor, plus web browser it is. I get 2.5hrs on Vista browsing the web - same as almost every other laptop I've ever owned, so I'm not surprised really...altho again, Vista leaves much to be desired in this respect - a spinning hard drive kills batteries.
I agree with you regarding the things they didn't get right - SnapVue is just silly right out of the box and Vista is a mistake. HTC really fvcked up there.
This device kind of reminds me of the Sony C1V picturebook I had (with that horrible Crusoe processor - if you think this chip is slow, that thing was lifeless)...awesome for what I wanted but that's where it stops...it doesn't extend beyond that and I'm comfy with that.
To answer the question, I use my Shift when I travel. I used to take my HX4700 but bluetooth 3G connection was slow, Opera was slow for browsing and the screen too small really. I had a b/tooth key board which was OK but another piece of kit that needed batteries and sync'ing etc etc. Now I carry a v. small bag with me when away and it holds the Shift, power packs, Archos 504, headphones and a few other bits and bobs...all I need. On planes I can type my reports in Mobile Word, sync it to Vista and tart them up and send. In hotels I can surf the web at my own pace on HSDPA with it plugged in to AC (on high performance setting). I can adjust my webpage using filezilla etc etc....basically all the things I couldn't do on the HX4700 (which I now use as a support device for the Archos, and as a GPS)....the Shift really filled my requirements. I almost bought the Fujitsu U1010 but the ones here didn't have 3G built in and the keyboard was harder to use that the Shift.
Next version, should HTC shift (no pun intended) enough of these first ones, should ideally have:
1. Higher res screen
2. Bigger hard disk
3. SnapVue fully functional with SD card, WiFi access etc etc
4. XP as an option
5. A battery compartment that allows for an extended one to be added
Aside from that, I still like my Shift and use it almost everyday...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i agree and htc should also use SSD's to save more power and they should make sure they announce the correct specs.
FOOFTR said:
Interesting comments and many agree with. Given the amount of information available on the net about this device, and its limitations including SnapVue, battery etc etc, what motivated you to buy it? It seems to be a mismatch to me re. your requirements. I bought it even knowing all these things as it matched my needs.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Point well taken -- I should have added that my comments were stated with the proverbial tongue in cheek. I was well aware of the Shift's limitations and purchased one out of curiosity -- I've followed it since its initial announcement and had cancelled my preorder after seeing the limitations being documented. But I saw this one on ebay for several hundred $ less than retail and decided to look at it for myself.
I agree with the suggestions made and really hope HTC listens (if they decide to stay in the UMPC market -- that's not a "for sure" thing). I've tried five different UMPC's as well as the Sony TZ "subnotebook" and have yet to find what I think I'm after -- a truly business capable device small enough for my purposes (and that's really subjective, I know) yet powerful enough to replace my usual notebook (13.3" XPS). I knew the Shift wouldn't do this -- its very short battery life is a show stopper although I could carry an external battery pack. But the limited RAM and the very limited usefulness of SnapVu make it relatively useless to me so I'll end up ebaying it.
I'd hoped to generate more discussion in the hope that collective experience and wisdom would prove useful to the UMPC market.
There are some very interesting viewpoints here.
I purchased mine after following the news stories for months. I purchased it the moment it was available in the UK and paid nearly £900.
I knew the limitations, but had to buy one of these! It gets used a lot in our house. And I am always doing things to it. It's leberated and its dual boot with XP.
I use it to tinker with, watch movies and surfing. The wife loves it too and surfs on the sofa while watching the tele, she prefers it to any of the laptop we have because of the size. My daughter took it away for the weekend recently too so she could surf. Its such a versitile device. And most of all, PEOPLE STARE AT IT ON THE TRAIN/PLANE WHEN I'M ON BUSINESS!!! I don't really use the liberated Snapvue, I don't need to when its dual boot.
If I had a wish list, I would love to see an SSD in it and another 1GB RAM. The processor is fine for what I use it for, so I have no grumbles there.
My eldest daughter wants it for school, so it'll be used for that full time in September when she is a year 10.
I do understand that to some people its limited in its application, but for us as a family, its one of the better toys we've purchased (and we buy a lot of techy toys/gadgets!) The joys of working in IT means I am addicted to buying new toys!
I'm actually sat here in the garden using HSDPA typing this. Apart from a couple of phones, I don't have another device with this ability. why be inside when its such a sunny evening!
benktlottie said:
TIt's liberated and its dual boot with XP...... I don't really use the liberated Snapvue, I don't need to when its dual boot.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What do you mean by "dual boot"? I have mine liberated but I'm not sure it dual boots?
Thanks!
brucewilsonpa said:
What do you mean by "dual boot"? I have mine liberated but I'm not sure it dual boots?
Thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Same here, I have dual boot, as in when powered up it asks whether you want to boot Vista or XP. Next stop, triple boot with Linux installed too, although that will be cutting it a bit fine for hard drive space.
Bruce, I think your comments, and the general community's will help deliver better products...I think they're constructive for sure.
I don't like it when people say product X sucks when indeed product X is not designed to do the very things they are comparing it against. I have read so many appalling reviews of the Shift - I'm ceratin 50% of the people won't have even used one...a classic is when someone said "the poky keyboard makes you wish for full size keyboard real estate..." - um, one cannot have a 7" screen device with an 18" keyboard...get real and take the device in the context it is meant for - maybe that's it, they cannot get their head around indeed what context this device resides/exists in. Maybe because they do not have a need for such a device it must be a failure? I mean, I don't need a concrete mixer so reviewing one would be pointless, and I'd end up saying things like "it doesn't sound as nice as my NAD stereo" - maybe they're the same.
Ah Pantaloonie, was loading XP as easy as booting from an XP disc/ISO (tablet I assume)? Thanks...
FOOFTR said:
Ah Pantaloonie, was loading XP as easy as booting from an XP disc/ISO (tablet I assume)? Thanks...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yup, almost that easy. Use Vista to partition off a few Gigs for XP, install XP, then use a Vista disc to repair the mbr so you can get back into Vista.
Then use VistaBootPro to create a boot menu.
I didn't use tablet edition at the time, and can't be bothered to go back and do it again; maybe next time I'm really bored I will.
FOOFTR said:
Maybe because they do not have a need for such a device it must be a failure? I mean, I don't need a concrete mixer so reviewing one would be pointless, and I'd end up saying things like "it doesn't sound as nice as my NAD stereo" - maybe they're the same.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi FOOFTR,
yes, I like your comparison. Made me laugh. And I think what you say is right in all sorts of contexts. You make up something that wasn't said or done in the first place and then you go on bashing it.
Thanks!
S.
Pantaloonie said:
Yup, almost that easy. Use Vista to partition off a few Gigs for XP, install XP, then use a Vista disc to repair the mbr so you can get back into Vista.
Then use VistaBootPro to create a boot menu.
I didn't use tablet edition at the time, and can't be bothered to go back and do it again; maybe next time I'm really bored I will.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thats what I did.
I Used BartPE to make a bootable usb stick with xp pro on it. stole 6gb from Vista and installed xp pro. Viola, dual boot Shift!
i think the HD2 is an amazing piece of hardware and its clearly better than any other competing product in the coming few months. i do however hate a few things about it:
1-the lack of front camera for 3G video calls. while i may not care a lot about video calls i imagine that many will be missing it.
2-i see no point of releasing a separate delayed hardware revision for US market. especially when you consider that the rest of the world version lacks the front camera just like every other US phone. the Acer F1(another 1 GHZ 3G phone) has been available for a while and it supports US 3G bands on the same hardware and it even has the front camera.
3- considering that its the best multimedia phone made by HTC, its lacking the TV-out and the FM-Radio transmitter and better camera(all of which are supported by the N97)
4- the included 512MB ROM is a joke. i know that it can be expanded with SD card. but extra flash on the device is always useful. the 1.5 year old Omnia had 8/16/24BG+microSD why cant this have it. adding 8 or 16 GB flash costs HTC almost nothing to add
5-lack of stylus: HTC patented the capacitive stylus but they didnt use it. i know the the screen is big enough to be very finger friendly. but its still windows mobile and some applications work need stylus (for example Pocket artist).
6- lack of hardware buttons (especially camera). i wish the added 2 or 3 buttons on the empty sides. WM will always make use of the hardware buttons
7-despite the very high specs, its still less than the minimum Windows mobile7 specs (which requires Tegra level graphics performance acceleration and bigger than integrated storage ) which means that it will not be
upgradeable to wm7.
8-i dont understand the 320+128MB. the dedicated 128MB for the low performing graphics chip seems pointless to me. if they are going to put all this memory there why didnt they allocate it to program memory.
9- i really love how HTC managed to make the device reasonably small considering the huge 4.3" screen. i still think that its physically too big for many people. the HD was not very pocket friendly and this one is even bigger. i wish the screen was 4.0" or even 3.8". considering their recent improved and more efficient designs, im sure HTC would have been able to even make it friendly for one hand use with a smaller screen.
10- im not too big on the new standard micro-USB connector. they should have at lest included the hard to find mini-USB to micro-USB adapter with it. everybody already has several mini-USB cables/chargers but ive never actually seen a micro USB yet.
11- they increased up the specs (and power usage i would assume) significantly from the first HD but they reduced the battery size from 1350 to 1250mah!!!. luckily the early reports are suggesting "acceptable" battery life
Only thing missing for me on the device is a decent camera. I don't mean HTC standard... I mean the best of Nokia, Samsung & Sony Ericsson. The original HD took terrible pictures and videos. I don't think there is much improvement in this area from previews and videos.
TV-Out would of been great but sadly missing.
I don't care about front camera because I hardly ever use video call.
It's probably more of a business centric device but with such a large screen it could have so easily been the ultimate work and pleasure phone.
I'm leaning towards the Nokia N900 (Linux) but still undecided.
Just some thoughts for your annoyances! (I currently own an Omnia too)
THE GRIZZ said:
1-the lack of front camera for 3G video calls. while i may not care a lot about video calls i imagine that many will be missing it.
3G has been around for a while with a front video camera, but I can truly say that I don't know a single person that actually uses it. It's a gimmick IMO.
2-i see no point of releasing a separate delayed hardware revision for US market. especially when you consider that the rest of the world version lacks the front camera just like every other US phone. the Acer F1(another 1 GHZ 3G phone) has been available for a while and it supports US 3G bands on the same hardware and it even has the front camera.
I don't see the point either - bit silly if you ask me.
3- considering that its the best multimedia phone made by HTC, its lacking the TV-out and the FM-Radio transmitter and better camera(all of which are supported by the N97)
FM what? It still bedazzles me that people listen to FM radio these days. Surely most people have unlimited internet now and like I just use internet radio. More stations! As for the TV-out, again, I don't see the point really. Personally I use my netbook/laptop/pc for plugging into a tv since they can play HD. I supposed it would be nice if you want to show off photos to friends but then we all have facebook these days anyway For me, not a sore exclusion.
4- the included 512MB ROM is a joke. i know that it can be expanded with SD card. but extra flash on the device is always useful. the 1.5 year old Omnia had 8/16/24BG+microSD why cant this have it. adding 8 or 16 GB flash costs HTC almost nothing to add
I love the additional 8GB of the Omnia, but I guess they have to keep costs down somewhere. I have a 16GB micro SD, but when are 24/32 going to be available? Anyone know?
5-lack of stylus: HTC patented the capacitive stylus but they didnt use it. i know the the screen is big enough to be very finger friendly. but its still windows mobile and some applications work need stylus (for example Pocket artist).
I think you can still use a stylus but you have to set it up to do so (I saw it in another post on here).
6- lack of hardware buttons (especially camera). i wish the added 2 or 3 buttons on the empty sides. WM will always make use of the hardware buttons
There is no excuse for extra buttons down the side, although it makes it a bit more sleek I guess. But it's not like it doesn't take photos, it's just a useablitly thing.
7-despite the very high specs, its still less than the minimum Windows mobile7 specs (which requires Tegra level graphics performance acceleration) which means that it will not be
upgradeable to wm7.
I'm not sure that's right is it? In that original Leo thread in the main board, wasn't it confirmed that it will be upgradable? I think it's remains a bit of an unknown at the moment. That said, will wm7 be complete in 12 months? Given M$'s history of keeping to their planned dates, I doubt it. I think cookers will make it happen anyway and if not, in 12 months it will be upgrade time. Did someone say HD3?!
8-i dont understand the 320+128MB. the dedicated 128MB for the low performing graphics chip seems pointless to me. if they are going to put all this memory there why didnt they allocate it to program memory.
This one I have no idea about. Maybe they have something clever up their sleeves?
9- i really love how HTC managed to make the device reasonably small considering the huge 4.3" screen. i still think that its physically too big for many people. the HD was not very pocket friendly and this one is even bigger. i wish the screen was 4.0" or even 3.8". considering their recent improved and more efficient designs, im sure HTC would have been able to even make it friendly for one hand use with a smaller screen.
Well lets look at the iPhone. It's a huge seller. The HD2 is only a couple of mm's wider and taller so I don't see anyone is going to see it as an issue when they put it in their hands.
10- im not too big on the micro-USB connector. they should have at lest included the hard to find mini-USB adapter with it. everybody already has several mini-USB cables/chargers but ive never actually seen a micro USB yet.
I totally disagree here. It's the new universal format. You won't have seen many yet because devices are JUST beginning to emerge with it (ie Omnia 2). Already it's working because Samsung usually have their own proprietary connector so to see them go universal is a fantastic step in the right direction. It would be blind of HTC not to follow. So yes, bin those old Mini-USB
11- they increased up the specs (and power usage i would assume) significantly from the first HD but they reduced the battery size from 1350 to 1250mah!!!. luckily the early reports are suggesting "acceptable" battery life
I really hope it can last at least one full day of decent usage without the requirement of a charge. Surely they wouldn't make this wonderful device then shoot themselves in the foot??
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Anyway some good points there!
7-despite the very high specs, its still less than the minimum Windows mobile7 specs (which requires Tegra level graphics performance acceleration) which means that it will not be
upgradeable to wm7
I'm not sure that's right is it? In that original Leo thread in the main board, wasn't it confirmed that it will be upgradable? I think it's remains a bit of an unknown at the moment. That said, will wm7 be complete in 12 months? Given M$'s history of keeping to their planned dates, I doubt it. I think cookers will make it happen anyway and if not, in 12 months it will be upgrade time. Did someone say HD3?!
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It is very likely WM7 will be out by mid to late next year. WM8 is already being discussed as I understand it and WM6 and 6.5 have been universally panned (and quite rightly).
So if you purchase the HD2 assuming it will be out of date in less than 10 months then all well but I suspect many will not be happy (including me). I don't mind spending extra bucks now to avoid doubling my investment by having to purchase two devices in the space of 10 months!
Do you have the link to the original "in the original Leo thread in the main board, wasn't it confirmed that it will be upgradable? "
add this to the list:
1. lack of full-fledged graphics drivers (3D)
2. lack of d-pad; or trackball like blackberrys
1) Front Camera - most people don't use them so not a big deal
2) Buy the Acer if you like it (have fun)
3) it has got an FM Radio onboard I believe
4) Memory could be better but its got an SD card so just by a 16gb card.
5) The point is you don't need a stylus - am I missing something. If you wannt a Stylus get an Omnia 2
6) The camera button could have been useful - but nobody knows if one of the front buttons cannot be used. Shall we wait till its been reviewed fully before we slag it off.
7) Its been clearly stated that the specs do not say "Tegra" only. Thats just not true. Makes me laugh that a phone with great 3d potential and dedicated memory like the HD2 is being slagged off for no reason.
8) The screen size is the best part of the phone - it can be used to watch video, surf the net, etc. So it has to be big to fit the screen - not an issue.
9) Micro-USB!! - You mean the defacto standard now.
10) Nobody knows about battery life yet so lets hold fire.
Why are you interested in the phone if non of its main selling points you like?
because despite its "limitations" its still a lot better than the rest now.
take a chill pill dude and try to tone-down the fanboiasm. our nitpicking will make it very easy for HTC to make the HD3 a better device. also by highlighting them so early in its life, it will make easy easy for its users to deal with its potential issues
Teneka_Khan said:
1) Front Camera - most people don't use them so not a big deal
2) Buy the Acer if you like it (have fun)
3) it has got an FM Radio onboard I believe
4) Memory could be better but its got an SD card so just by a 16gb card.
5) The point is you don't need a stylus - am I missing something. If you wannt a Stylus get an Omnia 2
6) The camera button could have been useful - but nobody knows if one of the front buttons cannot be used. Shall we wait till its been reviewed fully before we slag it off.
7) Its been clearly stated that the specs do not say "Tegra" only. Thats just not true. Makes me laugh that a phone with great 3d potential and dedicated memory like the HD2 is being slagged off for no reason.
8) The screen size is the best part of the phone - it can be used to watch video, surf the net, etc. So it has to be big to fit the screen - not an issue.
9) Micro-USB!! - You mean the defacto standard now.
10) Nobody knows about battery life yet so lets hold fire.
Why are you interested in the phone if non of its main selling points you like?
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I haved discovered that it does support WM7http://wmpoweruser.com/?p=7528 states
(QCOM 8k, Nvidia “Tegra” AP15/16* and TI 3430 all meet spec)
Qualcomm 8k = Snapdragon's QSD8xxx-series chips = Qualcomm Snapdragon QSD8250 (which is in the Leo).. so the processor should meet WM7 chassis 1 requirement.
To answer the FM radio question - the answer is YES
http://www.gsmarena.com/htc_hd2-2957.php
I agree with the comments above. There is no such thing as a perfect device but you have got to congratulate HTC on the HD2 being one of the closest to it.
alecs said:
I haved discovered that it does support WM7http://wmpoweruser.com/?p=7528 states
(QCOM 8k, Nvidia “Tegra” AP15/16* and TI 3430 all meet spec)
Qualcomm 8k = Snapdragon's QSD8xxx-series chips = Qualcomm Snapdragon QSD8250 (which is in the Leo).. so the processor should meet WM7 chassis 1 requirement.
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The processor does, but the Chassis 1 spec also specifies at least 1GB of flash (and at least 512mb fast flash).
The HD2 only comes with 512mb internal memory.
Sc4Freak said:
The processor does, but the Chassis 1 spec also specifies at least 1GB of flash (and at least 512mb fast flash).
The HD2 only comes with 512mb internal memory.
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Click to collapse
By 1GB of flash I believe that means available storage i.e. an SD card
Memory: 256MB+ DRAM, 1G+ Flash (at least 512MB fast flash – 5MB/s unbuffered read @4K block size)
I am not sure what fast flash means but these are minumum specs and doesn't mean the device can't run WM7, it may just lag in certain spots though somehow I doubt this thing will lag even on WM7
Is the specified 65k for the screen a hardware or software limitation? I know Windows Mobile 6.5 only supports 65k effective colors, but when WM 7 launches would the device be able to display more colors?
Toss3 said:
Is the specified 65k for the screen a hardware or software limitation? I know Windows Mobile 6.5 only supports 65k effective colors, but when WM 7 launches would the device be able to display more colors?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
sure it does . they dont make "65K color display" !
Most mobile phone LCD screens are 262K colours (18-bit). (This includes many of the displays used on phones that are advertised as supporting 24-bit colour.)
manuelcalavera said:
sure it does . they dont make "65K color display" !
Click to expand...
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But does anyone know the actual maximum bit-depth of the display?
The GRIZZ said:
3- considering that its the best multimedia phone made by HTC, its lacking the TV-out and the FM-Radio transmitter and better camera(all of which are supported by the N97)
FM what? It still bedazzles me that people listen to FM radio these days. Surely most people have unlimited internet now and like I just use internet radio. More stations! As for the TV-out, again, I don't see the point really. Personally I use my netbook/laptop/pc for plugging into a tv since they can play HD. I supposed it would be nice if you want to show off photos to friends but then we all have facebook these days anyway For me, not a sore exclusion.
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Dude theres a difference between FM Receiver and FM Transmitter. A FM Transmitter is important for those who own a car. The FM Transmitter can be used to transmit Music at a certain frequency which can be tuned to in the car using the Cars FM Radio!
The HD2 already has a FM Receiver. It might also support FM Transmission capabilities but that depends on which chip its using.
Video Out is certainly a welcome addon. Showing off Photos on a LCD is way better than telling them to login to Facebook! I for one will surely miss the TV Out.
Inspite of that, I consider these two features to be of very less importance when compared to the other feature set. This is the THE KILLER phone everyone was waiting for!
Prefer Touch HD over HD2
I agree with Grizzly on almost every point he's been making so far. Before I catch the flames too I shall start with a story...
My HP iPAQ was stolen from a payphone booth within one minute where I forgot it at an airport a year ago. This was my first real PDA and I was extraordinarily disappointed. I had racked up a lot of apps on it and and had even made the home screen sexy and easy to use with a few mods. Going from interfacing my custom cycles with the PCR machine (lab work) to playing old favourites like SimCity 2000 in lectures was great!
The next thing I obviously wanted was a PDA PHONE, so I didn't have to use a payphone booth again... so I got the Touch HD when it just came out in Oz from Telstra (who still sell it for $1500 - 215% markup). And it was absolutely perfect. Did everything, well supported by the community, and using it as a phone and an organizer that synced with outlook it worked a charm. Then last month getting a taxi back from the pub, I was left at a busway because the taxi driver who was fresh from India could not find my home as it wasn't on the GPS. Calling another taxi I got mugged for it while I was using it, snatched it from my hand. So now I was faced with having to get a new phone.
I have bought a Touch HD again. You see, the HD2 as fantastic as it is, is half way between being a traditional WM phone and an Android phone. Without the use of a stylus, how can you hand write down meeting notes? How can I use all my legacy games and applications? What's the point of having something a little zippier when the new manilla (which is a bit too busy) is going to be hacked onto the Touch HD anyway and it doesn't have the Tegra for true gaming pwnage or audiophile quality audio or a true camera replacement camera? Also the lack of 3G camera ticks me off too. I can't video call my parents in NZ which although is horrendously expensive, I enjoy doing on birthdays and so on - on special occasions we're often away from our computers.
What I am going to do is stick with my tried and tested HD and see if the HD2 has any advantage over the Dragon before I upgrade. Or even other non-HTC devices (god forbid) should they provide Audio/Graphics advantages. Because really the point of this thing is to replace the need to carry around other devices. Otherwise just get something that is only a phone, right?
I just found this vid, shows the games on it and well there is only 1 teeter! How could they cut solitaire and bubble breaker! What am i gonna waste time with now...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ntZQ0iXzyvc&feature=player_embedded
Its @ about 2:45
THE GRIZZ said:
our nitpicking will make it very easy for HTC to make the HD3 a better device.
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Click to collapse
Very much so. HTC an enormous international company dedicated to producing a whole range of phones and mobile devices needs listen to random forum posters who can't even get their facts straight.
I'd like to take the opportunity to thank you for helping make the HD3 into the perfect device, derailing HTC's initial plans of improving the phone by removing the screen entirely and replacing it with a bar of soap. Your factual inaccuracies are making the mobile world a better place.
Since there is no dedicated off/on hardware ringer switch, is there a way to silence the phone while it is locked?
the volume rocker is normally used for something like that
mr_Ray said:
Very much so. HTC an enormous international company dedicated to producing a whole range of phones and mobile devices needs listen to random forum posters who can't even get their facts straight.
Click to expand...
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Please spare us your fan-boyish drivel. What I mentioned in the OP are all valid concerns
Hi, mobilephones direct have fluffed my order and so it doesnt look like it is going to turn up any time soon. Since I place my order I have seen a lot of concerns raised about this handset, oddly I had these concerns prior but i had been convinced these were no longer an issue. Firstly 3d performance doesnt look like it is going to be great and a few people are having issues with small menus on the screen. Where video performance is very good due to lack of driver support it isnt as good as the Acer F1 and maybe the TG01.
My question is, should I be reconsidering this phone being that the F1 is much cheaper to buy and on monthly contract. Does anyone have an opinions on the F1 or TGo1 that will swap me again?
When it's your soul and happiness at stake, I doubt people jump in and try and talk you in having a HD2 still.
It's your "call" not ours.
ok, dont try to convince, just give me the facts.
the main difference is properply the capacitive screen on hd2 vs resistive on the other two devices.
ostendk said:
the main difference is properply the capacitive screen on hd2 vs resistive on the other two devices.
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Well, that, plus the extra memory on the HD2 (448MB vs 256), the larger screen size, and of course the whole Sense UI, which includes HTC-skinned versions of many of the standard OS utilities - the F1 just runs plain WM 6.5. Oh, and I don't think it has a compass.
Of course, the HD2's single biggest advantage over the F1 is the fact that it's supported by this website.
Shasarak said:
Well, that, plus the extra memory on the HD2 (448MB vs 256), the larger screen size, and of course the whole Sense UI, which includes HTC-skinned versions of many of the standard OS utilities - the F1 just runs plain WM 6.5. Oh, and I don't think it has a compass.
Of course, the HD2's single biggest advantage over the F1 is the fact that it's supported by this website.
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+100 on the support
and everything else actually.
I have similar hesitation and I have tempted a lot for Acer neoTouch. On paper it really looks as perfect device – optimal size, powerful CPU, resistive screen (yes I’m still not sure if capacitive screen is advantage for Windows Mobile), enough memory, GPS and decent battery life. But just before went for neoTouch I have very bad experience with other Acer's phone– E101 and I was totally disappointed from build quality and mostly with Acer technical support. The device had an obviously hardware issue with the screen and Acer simply refused it. It was terrible experience and I don’t want to hear for Acer’s smartphones anymore.
Speaking for Toshiba TG01, I’ve read a lot of complaints for many hardware and software issues. Also I think it is hugely overpriced, since it cost almost as HTC HD2. Maybe it’s true that TG01 has better 3D performance, but I do not think this could pay all other flaws. Moreover, a WM device hardly is a right platform for 3D games at all, so this HTC’s flaw is not a real pain in my opinion.
In conclusion, the HTC HD2 has its flaws (as every other device in the market) but doubtlessly it is the best WM phone for now. And the support of this forum is a huge advantage that cannot be easily ignored. Most probably I’ll go for it very soon
martoto said:
I have similar hesitation and I have tempted a lot for Acer neoTouch. On paper it really looks as perfect device – optimal size, powerful CPU, resistive screen (yes I’m still not sure if capacitive screen is advantage for Windows Mobile), enough memory, GPS and decent battery life. But just before went for neoTouch I have very bad experience with other Acer's phone– E101 and I was totally disappointed from build quality and mostly with Acer technical support. The device had an obviously hardware issue with the screen and Acer simply refused it. It was terrible experience and I don’t want to hear for Acer’s smartphones anymore.
Speaking for Toshiba TG01, I’ve read a lot of complaints for many hardware and software issues. Also I think it is hugely overpriced, since it cost almost as HTC HD2. Maybe it’s true that TG01 has better 3D performance, but I do not think this could pay all other flaws. Moreover, a WM device hardly is a right platform for 3D games at all, so this HTC’s flaw is not a real pain in my opinion.
In conclusion, the HTC HD2 has its flaws (as every other device in the market) but doubtlessly it is the best WM phone for now. And the support of this forum is a huge advantage that cannot be easily ignored. Most probably I’ll go for it very soon
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks this is exactly what I was after, however there have been a lot of new problems posted now so I am going to cancel my order for now and continue with my HD, I have just found a fantastic cooked from called magnificent 4.1, its the best I've tried and I have tried about 30 roms in the last few months.
I had the TG01 for a couple of weeks and sold it meanwhile; also was considering the F1.
The TG01 is a great device and was first on the market with the Snapdragon, and I loved web and e-Mail on it and how thin it is.
Still the voice quality (calls) is simply not good enough for me for business use. Additionally, the battery is not only weak, but also unpredictable (the % thing did never work, although it seems to be solved now). Also I got connection problems on Bluetooth in both of my cars.
The reason I always get back to HTC is quality. Reception, bluetooth stability, USB connect (in my cars) is always fine - I had all the major HTC devices in the last years.
I was also tempted by the F1 but did not order after reading couple of experiences that the device is great and even faster than the HD2, but again lacks the professional phone qualities (speaker not loud enough, reception). Also I got used to the HTC sense thing...
At moment my portfolio is a TouchPro, a Snap (fantastic device and my favourite whenever I don't need excessive web access) as well as a Palm Pre. The last one is the sexiest device around, I love the interface and especially the Touchstone charges. This is my "weekend" device where I usually use more web accesss. The battery life by the way is incredibly bad.
But whenever I go on a business trip I get back to one of the HTCs.
There are quite a few 4.8" umpc's on the market, with faster processors and various os.
How do they compare to the Advantage in regard to internet, office and outlook?
The wm browsers have fit to screen or one column options. What happens with the small umpc's?
arie_i said:
There are quite a few 4.8" umpc's on the market, with faster processors and various os.
How do they compare to the Advantage in regard to internet, office and outlook?
The wm browsers have fit to screen or one column options. What happens with the small umpc's?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
For me, I have a laptop, a umpc, a pocketpc and a mobile phone.
Umpc vs pocketpc?
pocket pc can INSTANT ON/OFF in a way that not even hibernate or stanby can match. This makes pocketpc the best 24/7 anytime/ anywhere gadget for reading ebooks and typing down ideas, listening to music, using few things related to WIFI.
My only wish is that i can find a good enough program to do powerpoint slides editing using my pocketpc. For powerpoint work, i still use my umpc whenever i am outside. I have never found a good enough powerpoint editing program that I can use in my pocket pc. Viewers. yes but editing no. Will appreciate if someone can recommend or can create such a program.
The only thing to do is have a play around with some UMPCs- having used an original Asus EEE (which has similar specs and screen resolution to the UMPCs I've seen) I'd say it depends on what you want it for.
The Athena has crazy battery life, a good enough screen, can edit office stuff, good for email, plays video fantastically well, is pretty fast, and with Opera Mini 5 finally has a decent web browser.
A UMPC has all of these, and will run standard desktop applications but will have rubbish battery life.
Conclusion is- it'll depend entirely on what you need it for!
Personally I wouldn't drop £400-500 on a UMPC as I don't think they do more than I'd want from my Athena, but if I needed something bigger I'd be tempted to pick up a cheap 7" screened EEE again. Currently I find a Samsung NC-10, an Athena and a HTC Hero more than cover me for my portable needs.
The Athena and other WM-devices suck when it comes to browsing:
- low resolution (640x480 up to 800x480 on newer devices)
- huge waste of screen due to windows frame, URL-toolbar, status-bar, etc. or lack of all those when in full-screen view
- lack of Flash and Java support
- too little memory - surfing in forums quite often result in out of memory
- too slow
UMPC's suffer as well:
- too expensive
- either low screen resolution or too many DPI's to be readable
- though they have a fast CPU compared to WM, they have to run Windows XP/Vista and that turns them slow again
I own a lot of devices, as I kind of collect them...
Apart from the phones in my signature, I also own:
- Asus R2H
- Asus Eee PC 701
- Asus Eee PC 1000H
My experience says:
1) If you want a USABLE and RELIABLE phone, that simply works, entertains you and gets you to do some mails and internet browsing, then go for the iPhone. It is fast, responsive, huge usability and the best web-surfing experience in any phone I tried so far.
2) If you need to work on the road, prepare PowerPoints, do serious e-mails, etc., then get yourself a cheap netbook with 10" screen and 6 cell battery.
Cheers,
vma
May be the OP wants to clarify if he really wishes to compare UMPC to Athena or the more comparable MID vs Athena?
One poster said UMPC has "rubbish battery life" which is only true, but it is because those UMPC was yesterday designed, and not many newer UMPC have been built.
UMPC is defined as Ultra Mobile PC, which is coined by Microsoft, so mostly it is used to described Windows XP Tablet Edition OS devices. Similar form factor devices are appearing on the market again, but they are simply called tablets.
What Athena should be compared to, because of similar form factor, should be MID, which stands for Mobile Internet Device. MID can run Windows XP, or Linux, or other systems, and doesn't have a platform specific thing.
For example, my Samsung Q1 is an UMPC, and it has a 7" screen. For example, my BenQ S6 is a MID, and it has a 4.8" screen. One runs XP Tablet Edition (factory) and one runs XP Home (factory). My Q1 has only a 2 hour battery life (now only 1 hour as the battery wore out) w/ a 3 cell (factory) battery. My S6 has a 4 - 6 hour battery, while having a much smaller Li-poly battery pack, with much less capacity than the one inside the Q1. So you can see, it is not a fair comparison when you compare UMPC vs Athena and compare MID vs Athena.
I own all 3 types.
Fast and slow are all relative, I tell you.
WM can wake up in a flash, so you call it fast. But then if you want to play a high quality video, or Adobe Flash, it just doesn't have enough processing power, then you call it slow. Let's define what you mean by fast and slow.
Windows XP takes forever to boot, so you call it slow. But most modern device, including the lowly Atom CPU, even the low end Z series, can at least play some Flash videos without a lot of problems. So you call that fast? So what is true? Is it fast or slow?
The Atom Z series platform (in various netbooks and MIDs), can do standby to on in very quick time (about 2 sec). It is also very good on battery life, with very low power consumption, especially in idle or standby. That's why I wish the OP was trying to compare MID to Athena, because UMPC is just an orphaned platform without any new entries lately, and thus is a very poor case for going to battle here.
I disagree that the Athena "has crazy battery life" if you meant "great". When I had it on with 3G enabled, it didn't really last very long. Worst if you have Push enabled, or even pull (either way). I did read about the ROM making a diff. but in the earlier days, all I used was factory ROM, so there is nobody else to blame if that's the case.
I do agree with vma in general. I now use an iPhone for my daily phone, and I own 2 netbooks, with 1 having a 6 cell battery. They are the bread and butter of my assortment of equipments at my disposal (which is a lot), which I use the most in a real portable / mobile situation. iPhone as a daily phone and data device, while netbooks being used in meetings / gatherings etc.
I also will take out my Athena or my MID (S6) just to fill the gap, if the situation requires, but this gap is like a niche, so they don't get used very often because of that. For example, if I have to walk more than drive, and thus don't want to carry even a netbook, but at the same time I really need to have Windows (native, remote won't cut it case), then I have no choice but to carry the MID w/ XP (S6). But that doesn't really happen too often. More and more apps are available on iPhone that slowly replaced even some of the very niche apps on Windows.
Athena is worse, there is even less niche that I must have WM w/ me nowadays. Most apps have been replaced, and fewer required. For example, having a connected Garmin Mobile XT is nice, but I already own a GPS nav plus software on my iPhone, so I need WM even less even it does give me that combo, but it is not absolutely necessary. It is just nice to have (an also do case).
The saving grace of the Athena is SkyFire and Opera Mini 5 (compiled binary version especially), and latest cooked ROM on 6.5.x. Otherwise, the Athena is really outdated. Many apps are already duplicated and I can't think of any that still remains a huge advantage (no pun intended) on the Athena, except one (which is a niche app, most people don't need / use it, as it caters to only certain kind of people).
With all that said, Athena still has one slight advantage (no pun intended), and that is if you have a pretty stable environment / system, you don't really have to worry about maintenance down the road unless you add / subtract things from it. If it is stable, it should remain so, as the system doesn't get much changes, unlike XP which has constant security problems and thus updates and this and that. iPhone being a very fluid environment only because there are a lot of new updates which are either essential in order to have some new highly anticipated features (hard to ignore), and then apps compatibility afterwards. With Athena, if you can tolerate not having new ROMs or apps, and use it as a stable appliance, and you can actually achieve a stable env to begin with (not always the case, WM is not that stable, the more apps you install, the less stable it becomes), then it is rather reliable. Look at CE Embedded, many GPS nav platforms use that as the base core OS and it's stable. It's only unknown apps can affect it.
I can maintain my XP well, but it takes efforts etc. I also maintain my iPhone from time to time, but not as often, but each updates is a new battle to test everything once over again, lots of time and stuff. For Athena, it used to be like that, but now since one should find a stable ROM and be content with, then it's ok. But that may be because there aren't any new killer apps out there, that demands the newer versions of ROM / OS version, so it is no longer an issue.
But it doesn't necessary make it easy though. I struggled to make Athena stable and for the longest time, WM is very hard to tame (worst of all handheld platforms IMHO!).
I'd say, if you are very good in maintaining Windows (like XP), an XP based MID is actually a very good choice today, with the new Atom Z (or even N) series CPU. You just can't expect it to be a phone for voice stuff (even if so, I can't trust XP to be 100% reliable in voice handling), as a data only device. And that can replace Athena as a similiar size platform.
For example, my S6 is about the same size as the Athena except longer (should say wider, but the longest side), if Athena is in its leather case w/ keyboard. However, I can strip down my Athena w/o keyboard and leather case, and it becomes very thin, (and no protection), but I can't strip down my S6 any further. It is also hotter if run long also.
As for UMPC, I don't know if XP will be able to compete still, as there are surprising few new models as compared to Linux / Android based ones coming out these day. I found Vista very unsuitable (for just about anything) and even Windows 7 doesn't provide the efficiency like XP can (battery life, graphics performance), and only provide a bit more convenience, but tax a lot more resources that is not worth it in a low power, low resource small device. Leave the W7 to more powerful computers.
It all comes down to what apps you need to run. If you have apps that only is avail on one platform, you probably don't have a choice. If you only need popular apps that are avail on all platforms, then you have lots of choices and lots of debates.
But one thing is sure: if you need powerful stuff, even some video playback, just don't kid yourself, the Athena can't cut it, I tried pretty much everything. Even the Z500 + GMA500, considered the lowest end on an Intel based platform, will beat the Athena playing videos. Browsing is the same also. There is just so much an ARM based CPU can do, especially without modern GPU on the side (The ATi chip is really not helping much in the Athena, despite the brand behind it).
If I have to choose today, I'd take iPhone + netbook like vma said. But if I have other needs, then I'd take iPhone + MID, or iPhone + UMPC. My WM devices are now niche devices today, changed their roles from their past, no longer the centre.