Worth upgrading from Kaiser to HTC HD? - Touch HD General

Hi guys I currently have kaiser(MDA Vario III) flashed with custom 6.1 rom loads of extras etc Is it worth the upgrade from the Vario to HTC HD ?
Vario is too thick and I never use the keyboard would like media player but still have all features like sat nav, media player, business stuff like outlook calender etc
I like the touch interface on the custom rom and opera works very very well I still use the stylus though not my finger.
So with the HD do you have a stylus or do you not really require one the interface is very responsive ?
Film or tv ep watching like smooth good quality ?
Out of the box ok or worth flashing with custom ROM ?
Cheapest place I have forund to get the HTC HD is orange contract worth £300 all including phone and 12 month contract.
Any better deals ? like o2 ?Thanks in advance guys

Hi,
I also upgraded from TyTn II which flashed to WM6.1 to Touch HD; The Touch HD obviously is huge improvement compared to TyTn, the system become more responsive (better CPU + RAM), ultra wide display (this is the most tempting), drive mode (once u plug in ur USB to desktop, ur memory card auto-mount).
Most of the time, I still use stylus to do inputting (old habit since Palm III era) instead of 'touch'. The video performance of coz better than TyTn II but a bit slower than Omnia i900.
Yes, it's ok to flash with custom ROM as long u got Hard-SPL.

Also jumped from Tytn II to a HD (via a Touch Pro).
Can highly recommend HD. Only thing I liked about the Omnia was the good sound but the HD also is pretty good.
I found the Touch Pro heavy and small and did not use the mechanical keyboard enough to justify the thickness of the device.
HD seems much more responsive and I rarely get any out of memory problems llike on Tytn.
I'm actually also using TF3D which I dumped when using the Touch Pro because the screen is too small. On the HD the TF3D is not too bad - a lot of eye candy I admit and I have run into various limits of TF3D (like only small number of Stocks, limit to number of visible SMS, etc). But, I generally launch the related App when I want to do real work.
I also use SecondToday with SBSH PocketBreeze as more detailed calendar. And, I have PI8 running very well.

I also jumped from tytn II to HD
Major leap ahead
Everything from music,video,gps is faaaaaaaar better

I went the same way. I miss the keyboard. I also miss being able to put it down to watch my slingstreams without having to find something to lean it against.
Apart from that its a far superior piece of kit in every possible way.

I migrated from the highly modded Tytn II too. On that machine I never have used the keyboard. So when I discovered the HD it was love on first sight. The looks of the HD remembered me of my Palm OS based Sony TH55.
I still own the Tytn II, but can't imagine anymore that I was so fond of it!
Go for the HD and I swear you 'll never look back.
Regards,

k33lin said:
Hi,
I also upgraded from TyTn II which flashed to WM6.1 to Touch HD; The Touch HD obviously is huge improvement compared to TyTn, the system become more responsive (better CPU + RAM), ultra wide display (this is the most tempting), drive mode (once u plug in ur USB to desktop, ur memory card auto-mount).
Most of the time, I still use stylus to do inputting (old habit since Palm III era) instead of 'touch'. The video performance of coz better than TyTn II but a bit slower than Omnia i900.
Yes, it's ok to flash with custom ROM as long u got Hard-SPL.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I jumped from the ATT Tilt to Touch HD and love it. I couldn't go back to the Tilt now. Screen just looks soo much better. I do like the able to connect as drive instead, makes transfering slightly faster. I also had my Tilt with custom rom. I now have my Touch HD running L26 Rom HD ROM and you don't need to Hard-SPL it, you can do it with USPL, that way you can flash back stock and do send back if nec.

I too am a Kaiser to HD migrator. The clincher for me was the screen resolution, and the HD is amazing. I don't miss the keyboard as much as I thought I would, but I don't have the urge to write a long email with the HD. But texting is fine. Go for it!

Related

Considering the K-Jam... suggestions ?

I currently have a Jasjar, but I'm finding it too big...
I love all the features, but I want to be able to use it one-handed, throw it in my pocket, etc... the K-Jam seems like a good alternative.
The only things that I'm not liking about the K-Jam are:
- Lower rez screen (but it's smaller than the Jasjar, 3.6" vs. 2.8"... so its still pretty sharp... and I can't really see where I couldn't live without it)
- 2.5" headset jack, and on the bottom... (kinda annoying... but could use an adapter... but still a hassle because I currently plug my MP3 player into my car, my headphones AND speakers at the office, and I'll have to have an adapter sticking out of the bottom of my phone now...)
- Mini-SD card... (SD is much better to go above 2GB, even up to 4GB... and it's not exactly a well known or used format... SD is cheaper, and Memory Stick Pro Duo is coming down in price since the PSP came out... but what can I do)
Also, does it work well for one-handed use ?
Any ex-Treo users who care to comment ?
Any ideas ? Suggestions ?
Thanks !
The wizard is a solid device. Go for it!!
You will love the extra battery life and size. I really could not imagine having a universal clipped to my belt weighing my pants down.
I upgraded from an alpine and I could not be happier.
Higher screen REZ is not needed on a screen that small. The screen is much sharper compared to the alpine.
The OMAP cpu is just enough processing power to run everything out there.
Also, I noiticed you were in Canada so I doubt you were making use of the 3G power of the universal(probably another 5-7 years for Canada). The wizard is EDGE enabled so if you use rogers you will see great data download rates. I was lucky enough to already be signed up with fido and their $50/month unlimited data plan when rogers took over fido so i am paying $50 a month for unlimited EDGE use. I am quite sure FIDO does not offer this plan to new subscibers anymore.
My only compliants with the wizard are:
-HTC needs to make better use of the device by increasing screen size without increasing the size of the device.(all HTC devices)
-The stylus hole is a joke. My stylus hole wore out within 1 week and now my stylus slides out of the hole very easily. Soon it will probably be falling out. Didn't they bother testing this at all???
-no GPS.
hey audible,
thanks for the reply !
I am with fido / rogers as well and I signed up for the unlimited plan as well... are you in Montreal ? and where did you order your K-Jam ?
so yeah I'd be good using the EDGE support... I often use my p800 as a bluetooth modem with my laptop.
a few questions:
- that sounds bad about the stylus... is there a solution ?
- have you experienced any issues multi-tasking with the OMAP ?
- have you ever tried a VGA screen on a pda to compare ?
- how's the k-jams one handed use ? have you ever tried a treo for one handed use in comparison ?
- did you remap the explorer and mail buttons to something more useful ? like windows and OK ?
- does the 2.5" jack bother you ? do you use an adapter ?
- does the keyboard slide mechanism feel solid ? I'm worried now after what you said about the stylus...
thanks and look forward to your reply !
Posted from a Universal !
- that sounds bad about the stylus... is there a solution ?
I haven't had any probs with my stylus yet, except it may be a little looser than when I got it.
- have you experienced any issues multi-tasking with the OMAP ?
Nope, I can have several apps open at once (eg. Calender, Notes, Email, MSN, IE x 2 (using PPCPlus), TCPMP playing MP3) and its fine.
- have you ever tried a VGA screen on a pda to compare ?
It resembles the crispness of VGA screen because of its smaller size, but in no way matches the res.
- how's the k-jams one handed use ? have you ever tried a treo for one handed use in comparison ?
Haven't tried a treo, but WM5 is great for one handed use. I can do most things without the stylus. The Win and Ok keys on the keyboard make it even easier.
- did you remap the explorer and mail buttons to something more useful ? like windows and OK ?
You can, but I find their defaults good.
- does the 2.5" jack bother you ? do you use an adapter ?
I rarely use it, but yes when I do I use an adaptor.
- does the keyboard slide mechanism feel solid ? I'm worried now after what you said about the stylus...
I am happy with the slider. It seems pretty solid, and the screen definately feels like it will stay up when it is up.
Hey mitchello,
thanks for your feedback !
Audible:
Any comments ?
Wizard (imate K-JAM) is awesome!
Moving from a Blue Angel to the wizrd has so far been very pleasing. The smaller screen has been a little daunting, especially trying to use the "finger" stylus, but beyond that I highly recommend it.
Stability and features in WM5 are nice, and should not be discounted.
I'm on T-Mobile in the US, and EDGE is great at around 150kbs, compared to 30kbs via GPRS.
i upgraded from my IMATE PPC and i love the K-JAM , it is a little slow , but the battery is great.. i love the deviced , once you get used to it and all features you will love it..
i used adapter to play MP3 in my car and it work great...
good luck
i upgraded from my IMATE PPC and i love the K-JAM , it is a little slow , but the battery is great.. i love the deviced , once you get used to it and all features you will love it..
i used adapter to play MP3 in my car and it work great...
good luck
Hey rah,
thanks for the comments !
Good to hear someone else who uses it to play tunes in the car.
What about one-handed use ? Do you feel you have to do finger aerobics to do certain things, like open the start menu ?
I've heard of people mapping the Send Call button to the Start menu in the Today screen...
I'm wondering if I could map Send and End to Start and OK in every screen except for the Phone screen ?
Any comments ?

Xda Excalibur vs Hermes comparison

Just let you know my comparison of the two units after 5 days with the Xda Cosmo after having the Trion for the last 4 months. My Girlfriend brought me the Excalibur as a pre Christmas gift 8)
After 4 months my Trion main speaker stopped working and I have currently sent it back to get it replaced. All in all I was quite happy with the Trion except for a few quirks.
1. Media Player was buggy with the storage card
2. Never got WM5orage working properly (either had to stopo all my programs running on the storage card which included removing items from the Today screen).
3. Screen alignment problem.
I got the Hermes originally as it looked like a device which I didn't have to use the stylus much to access most of the functionality and in 90% of cases I got by with just using the jog wheel and a couple of presses with my thumb (I had the very first xda device and was turned off by the need to use the stylus to do simple things such as dialing and looking up contacts )
I had noticed due to the operating system PPC vs smartphone the PPC needed much more processing power and hence battery life was preety much limited due to the power from the CPU 400mhz vs 200mhz ( maybe of the extra functionality needed for the touchscreen ).
Differences in the devices
1. Xda Excalibur is more responsive even with the slower CPU. Contacts work instantly on typing on the keyboard. On the hermes there is always a delay in searching for contacts.
2. Excalibur supports multiple languages in its rom and therefore there no need to reflash the rom with the rom with your appropriate language.
3. A2DP works flawlessly on Excalibur being aku 3.2. No need to install cab files to get it working and no sound quality issues and no need to get somone to write a bt stack driver to get around the microsoft one.
4. Programs in general for smartphone seem to be running better than on Pocket PC. Tomtom 6 Navigator doesn't run on the Cosmo but Tomtom 5 work just fine and performance actually seems better on the smartphone even with the lower CPU. Same is notice with other PPC vs Smartphone progams I have eg Skype and Fizz Traveller
5. Cosmo has 128 MB flash ram which is really useful as I was always trying to install everything on the SD card with the Trion to get as much memory possible for standard stuff such as emails, ringtones etc. Yes I know you can tweak the Hermes to get ringtones from the SD card but it just a hassle changing the registry settings.
6. For some reason Windows Live Beta works on the Cosmo. It stopped working on the Hermes about a month ago and never worked since. The smartphone version looks really nice as well and functions much better as I have noticed with all smartphone vs ppc programs.
7. WLAN works much better on the Cosmo compared to the Hermes eg handling of connection settings when WLAN is turned on. On the Hermes I always had to go through the process of changing my connection settings every time I switched by WLAN on an off.
8. Battery life on cosmo is much better. 3.5-4 days use compared to 1.5-2 days use on Trion. Probably because of CPU (I also changed the Hermes to GPRS only to try and save battery life due to UMTS draining the battery)
9. Not to sing all praises for the Excalibur. The only drawback I have found so far for my purposes is the Microsoft Office editing functionality is not possible on the smartphone.
10. 2MP camera vs 1.3 MP camera but I really cannot see much advantage in the quality as the 2MP wasnt that great to start with. Yes the Hermes has a led light but I doesn't really help with indoor photos. The 1.3 MP camera seems to be better quality than other 1.3 MP cameras before and for emails, web photos and MMS quality seems fine for my purposes as I wont ever print out photos from a camera handy.
11. Lack to UMTS/HSDPA on Excalibur. Loose the speed but you'll gain heaps on battery life.
12. Microsoft Media Player works with the SD card. No disappearing songs 8)
13. Price. The excalibur is less than 1/6 the price of the Trion on contract. My Girlfriend brought the Cosmo on contact for 60 Euro. I got the Trion for 320 Euro on the same contact.
14. and I think this is the killer. The excalibur have looks to die for. The Hermes is thick and although many people would say it is solidly built after using the Excalibur it makes the Hermes look like a oversized flimsy machine. The Excalibur is thin and compact with a large screen. Fits in your shirt pocket or even slide it into your jeans!!! HTC have outdone themselves with the build quality I haven't seen any phone build as solid including the razr. I fells like the device is made out of titanium or magnesium with a soft feel rubber all along the back of the device and for the keys as well, ( I cat't stop touching the device it feels sooo.. good ). My Girlfriend who is really fashion concious absolutely loves the look of the device. Photos on the net do not do it justice you have to see it in real to appreciate it's looks for me one look and it was love at first sight. (I first got a look at it from a female collegue who got the phone)
It took me a day to get used to the smaller keyboard and maybe bigger thumbs might have some problems but with rubber keys feel beautiful and make each key feel distinct during typing. The excalibur really is a one hand device even with the d pad and keys only. The touch slider is just a added bonus with flexibility.
After writing this I have noticed that this is more of a sales pitch for the excalibur than a comparison of the two devices but I have found my perfect device which does everything I need without any problems ( performance, bugs and quirks ). If you dont need the UMTS speed I must say Excalibur is the way to go. If you really need UMTS and 2MP camera then wait for the Calivier ( the UMTS /2 MP / 300Mhz version of the excalibur, rumoured to release in Spring next year ).
For me the excalibur seems to have a quite launch compared to the expectations of the Hermes maybe because on paper the Hermes looks better in terms of specifications but for usability it's excalibur all the way.
Now what to do with my Trion when it gets back?
excalibur is a smartphone right ?
Yes it is a smartphone but I think that is why it is much more responsive. Microsoft has done something right with wm5 for smartphone. Theres not much a smartphone cant do now compared to the pocket pc now. except for the microsoft office editing capabilities. I tried skype today and for some reason it was much more clearer than the pocket pc version.
it depends what you use it for..
if youre like me who has to do Office work, watch movies and play tradewinds then the touch screen is VITAL.. personally i dont have any issues with my hermes as the ones youve mentioned above..
and ofcourse there is the touch screen
I just got myself a smartphone (samsung i607) after having the wizard for a year. I was thinkign the same thing you are about smartphone functionality. i was wrong though. There is an extreme lack of third party programs for smartphone. In particular, there aren't any good web browsers whatsoever for wm5smartphone. not a single one. You also cannot customize the homescreen without downloading predefined ones online. I never found one i liked. I like to use data instant messaging programs. and there is a flaw in all of them for smartphone. They don't have homescreen plugins and there is absolutely no onscreen display that you have received a message when the program is in the forgroud. In fact, i hated the lack of flexibility on the smartphone so much that 24 hours after buying the i607, i bought the hermes. I'm still waiting for it to come, and cant wait to start doing everything i used to do with the wizard only faster.
k2snowboards88 said:
I just got myself a smartphone (samsung i607) after having the wizard for a year. I was thinkign the same thing you are about smartphone functionality. i was wrong though. There is an extreme lack of third party programs for smartphone. In particular, there aren't any good web browsers whatsoever for wm5smartphone. not a single one. You also cannot customize the homescreen without downloading predefined ones online. I never found one i liked. I like to use data instant messaging programs. and there is a flaw in all of them for smartphone. They don't have homescreen plugins and there is absolutely no onscreen display that you have received a message when the program is in the forgroud. In fact, i hated the lack of flexibility on the smartphone so much that 24 hours after buying the i607, i bought the hermes. I'm still waiting for it to come, and cant wait to start doing everything i used to do with the wizard only faster.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I Have both, S620 to work and TyTn for play, and I had Wizard.
Try opera mini... better than IE and I use it also on HERMES
I've found a LOT of home screens (motorola Q has many of it) but also I like to play with XML, using just notepad and I have now my PERFECT , tre pages (scrolling), Home screen!
Office problems? try the new DATAWIZ suite, much better than office embedded in TyTN
Great as navigator and fits in my jeans pocket (the BACK pocket) and in my shirt pocket!
I 've sold the wizard believing the HERMES was the empowered Wizard. It Is the STUPID WIZARD'S BIG BROTHER believe me!
I've tried opera mini, and i dont particularly like it. I consider it to be a step down from the standard PIE with the reg edit to make PIE identify itself as a desktop computer. I guess i just miss the adaptability of my wizard. My hermes will be here soon though. I'll never make the mistake of selling my old phone before getting a new one again. If i dont like the hermes, i'll still have my blackjack. After a week, i'll decide which one to keep.

Blue Angel II - Where is it?

Why doesn't HTC make a Blue Angel II?
It seems that many of us have other devices like Wizards, TyTNs, etc. but we keep hanging on to our Blue Angels. Why is this?
Is it the Big Screen (for me this is the biggest item)?
Is it the fast speed?
Easily accessible Battery?
Is it the Rugged Build?
It seems to me that HTC is long overdue for a Blue Angel II with the Following Specs:
1) HSDPA & HSU (whatever it's called)
2) High Res 3.5" to 4" screen
3) Keyboard (and maybe a mouse of some kind)
Size like I-Phone (maybe a little thicker with keyboard)
4) FM and AM Radio (AM for the older folks like me who listen to talk radio)
5) Bluetooth 2.0 EDR
6) Charges with mini usb
7) TV receiver also????
8) Can still play music when turned off.
The Omni has similar specs but there's not much data on it. It looks like a mini laptop which folds open.
What do you all think?
Because they are working on this!
HTC Shift and that is not all!
But you are right, BA is the top model!
Blue Angel rulesss
It really is amazing how I'm still sticking with my BA since it was released.
Every year I look around to find a PDAphone to replace the old fellow, but I have to realize, that there isn't a better one.
I would accept the same device with 640*480 and 3G/HSDPA
Been thinking about the Kaiser, but since WM6 is running on my BA now... =)
Why throw the good cash out the window?
Same thought here. Best money I've spent in BA!!
rambo6 said:
Why doesn't HTC make a Blue Angel II?
It seems that many of us have other devices like Wizards, TyTNs, etc. but we keep hanging on to our Blue Angels. Why is this?
Is it the Big Screen (for me this is the biggest item)?
Is it the fast speed?
Easily accessible Battery?
Is it the Rugged Build?
It seems to me that HTC is long overdue for a Blue Angel II with the Following Specs:
1) HSDPA & HSU (whatever it's called)
2) High Res 3.5" to 4" screen
3) Keyboard (and maybe a mouse of some kind)
Size like I-Phone (maybe a little thicker with keyboard)
4) FM and AM Radio (AM for the older folks like me who listen to talk radio)
5) Bluetooth 2.0 EDR
6) Charges with mini usb
7) TV receiver also????
8) Can still play music when turned off.
The Omni has similar specs but there's not much data on it. It looks like a mini laptop which folds open.
What do you all think?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That will be a beauty, i would surely go for it. BlueAngle rules.
noob @ xda....but a loooong time BA user (Dec2004)
I love the BA...the only things it lacks are a good built in GPS & HSDPA/UMTS/EDGE (can never have enough fast options for net access). Even without these two things I still am able to use it to impress people (even iphone fanatics...no custom apps).
TyTN II looks good but the only thing that keeps me away is the sideways keyboard, I wish they would put out a TyTN II with a slider KB like the BA. Single handed KB is great when you really need to multitask...multitasking is the reason I got a HTC.
Rugged Build story: I dropped it from 5ft+ (I had it chest level & I am 6' 3"), on a SF sidewalk...it died..or so I thought took it back home and all that happened was the backup battery reset and once I synced it with my pc everything was back to normal. This wasn't the first time its been dropped so I figured it was time to get a new device, but the build is awesome in this. But since it was a hard reset I finally decided to put WM6 on it (thank you all the great xda developers here), now its faster and more useful.
rambo6 said:
Why doesn't HTC make a Blue Angel II?
It seems that many of us have other devices like Wizards, TyTNs, etc. but we keep hanging on to our Blue Angels. Why is this?
Is it the Big Screen (for me this is the biggest item)?
Is it the fast speed?
Easily accessible Battery?
Is it the Rugged Build?
It seems to me that HTC is long overdue for a Blue Angel II with the Following Specs:
1) HSDPA & HSU (whatever it's called)
2) High Res 3.5" to 4" screen
3) Keyboard (and maybe a mouse of some kind)
Size like I-Phone (maybe a little thicker with keyboard)
4) FM and AM Radio (AM for the older folks like me who listen to talk radio)
5) Bluetooth 2.0 EDR
6) Charges with mini usb
7) TV receiver also????
8) Can still play music when turned off.
The Omni has similar specs but there's not much data on it. It looks like a mini laptop which folds open.
What do you all think?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
and a 3.2 MP camera ...
I would sell my house to get some thing similar !!!
I love my Blue Angel ! 3 Years with me, never let me down.
I Love it! Blue Angel is the top for me.. Every time a look around for new PDA, look at new release from HTC, never found all i have in BA. Best thing - Size is exactly what a device like this must be! 3.7 display - not too big, not too small. I broke my lcd+touchscreen, replaced from e-bay, and I am still using it.
Don't like the idea of GPS in the unit. Better on Bluetooth - in your car mount BA don't have clear view to the sky.
Blue Angel II (if any) should not have key board.
I love my Blue Angel, after upgrading to WM6, I dont like to buy any other available in market.
I like Blueangel the way it is, but wanted it to have a better processor (520mhz would be nice), VGA Screen, Accelerated video, 3G and landscape keyboard.
EmZvr said:
I like Blueangel the way it is, but wanted it to have a better processor (520mhz would be nice), VGA Screen, Accelerated video, 3G and landscape keyboard.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hmmm...
Wouldn't that be *exactly* a Universal?
I have both of them! They do rock, indeed!
Cheers,
vma
vma said:
Hmmm...
Wouldn't that be *exactly* a Universal?
I have both of them! They do rock, indeed!
Cheers,
vma
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
exactly... i wanted to upgrade to a universal, but since wm6 came out i stayed on with it. its nice to have a dinosaur that can rock along the newer models.
vma said:
Hmmm...
Wouldn't that be *exactly* a Universal?
I have both of them! They do rock, indeed!
Cheers,
vma
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's right but I don't like it's design, only if there were buttons in the front.. And I think it's not video accelerated which is very important to me. Or is it ?
Hi,
I am not sure if it is videoaccelerated or not, but I can tell you that all applications I like work as good or better on my Universal as on my BA:
- Emulators
- TomTom
- TCPMP
The Universal is slightly bigger than the BA and one has to get used to the tilting screen.
On the other hand, it is much nicer to have the Universal in the back-pocket of your trousers than having then BA attached to the belt, where it get's hit by doors or other things, when you move to close to walls...
And believe me: the VGA screen is suberb!!!
Cheers,
vma
Same Here
BA is the best. Love it very much although i was given a gift of HTC TyTn.
E-TEN X800 or M800 seems to be my current candidate for BA replacement.
BA is a really good dinosaur. Hard to let it go.
However, remember that there are some awfully crappy things about it. It's not perfect.
- somewhat power hungry
- awful cradle connector
- audio out funtion in cradle connector newer worked for me (for any carkit)
- has confirmed hardware issue with buttons (loss of response - makes gaming hard)
- has crappy WM2003SE (because, face it... no WM5 WM6 ROM is stable and bug free enough)
I agree, that it's hard to find a decent replacement for it.
All model have too small screens...
Won't go back......
I checked out all the other models, older and current, before I bought the BA. I have a Wizard, which now resides in a drawer, only as a back-up, in case something happens to my BA. The only criticism I have of the BA is that they no longer manufacture it, so I too hope HTC comes out with something to replace it. From what I've seen of the newer models and what I read on this forum everyday, I'll stick with the BA.
BTW, robal, take a look at the rom I,m running. Since upgrading from 2003se to this rom, I have had 0 issues. It's fast, stable and battery life is acceptable.
i've since moved on from my BA to a hermes and now a kaiser......i miss my BA.
well BA has its design faults
1.the cable which connects lcd to motherboard is weak and after some sliding it cracks - this effect can be solved (extend the durability) with Polyethylene Foam Tape on the cable
2.after sliding there there are sme scratches below the hardware keyboard - repainting
3.the stylus pin (inside the device) which hold the stylus from falling off also cracks after too many usage - i fixed it with silicone (as i lost the pin) and it works fine over a year now
other than that the device is pretty solid and had no problems with it
most are the new WM problems but without proper drivers it is almost inpossible to be solved
in comparission with kaiser the BA has better video acceleration for the moment (this will change when the proper kaiser drivers are released)
What BA miss (the things i miss in it):
internal GPS
54 mbit wireless
better camera (2 mpix)
OpenGL ES hardware acceleration
larger rom space (32 mb right now if it was larger we can create more complete rom images for BA)
larger storage space 60 mb (everyone needs more space)
What BA miss (the things i do not miss in it):
3G/3.5G/HSDPA etc - high speed data connections - due to high proces of this types of connections i do not really need them
Video Call - the same as above
the CPU speed and the amount of ram in BA are enough for WM 6 and 6.1 even if it was released in 2004...
but maybe proper replacement is the Universal or the Kaiser (for now)
we will see what will happen in near future

Xperia X1 to Touch HD - My thoughts and experiences

First off, this device is by far the best windows mobile device that I have used. I only considered WM devices when choosing this because I am dependent on expensive WM applications that I have bought for work.
I recently upgraded from an XDA touch cruise (Polaris) to an Xperia X1. That phone was great, really very fun to use. The screen was very sharp and the optical device made navigation excellent and kept screen touches to a minimum. I was initially disappointed with the keyboard and thought I would get used to it but I never did. I began to question whether I actually needed a hard keyboard. Also the bluetooth issue really bothered me and I really wanted more screen real estate more than any other feature. As a side note I thought the panels were a useless gimmic, I personally found them slow and without any real use.
After two weeks I got upgrade fever again and sold the X1 on ebay in order to buy a simfree Touch HD. This upgrade was effectively cost neutral and I waited patiently for my Touch HD. Here are my pros and cons
PROS
1 - The screen. It is glorious. The resolution and size are unparalled on a handheld device in this country. It is so user friendly and very sharp. Skyscape ebooks display beautifully. Viewing websites on Opera is also far superior to the X1 as despite similar resolution - the size makes all the diffence. It compares very well beside my new ipod touch (2nd gen) - the brightness on full is about 80% of the ipods brightness but it is still sufficient to render excellent contrast ratios. Where this screen smashes the ipod is in resolution - text on websites is very sharp when on full screen compared to the apples soft blurry rendering which suffers as it does not have as many pixels per inch.
2 - User friendly and it just works. Seemless connection via bluetooth activesync, connects beautifully without problem to my Parrot CK3200 car kit with full phonebook synchronisation (inc battery/signal strength bars). Mapped some of the buttons using aebplus and that increases the useability further. You quickly get used to not having a dpad and it becomes enjoyable interacting with the device without a stylus - I havent had to use mine yet.
3 - Haptic feedback is a nice touch
4 - Very fast GPS tracking when you turn on TomTom7
5 - Jetcet wireless printing is a useful bonus add on - however I cannot get it set up correctly with my ML1510 laser printer connected to an airport express.
6 - Accelerometer paired with Gyrator 2 is wonderful!
CONS -
1 - Its been said before but the lack of proper calendar implementation including tasks into TF3D is very disappointing. I currently have only one appointment on the display depsite having a full weeks schedule. If I add another appointment for today then it will display on the home screen but not tomorrow Like many others, I have missed birthdays and appointments because of this omission. I dont personally want to get rid of it and use SPB shell because it helps define the device itself! I would be willing to pay to get this properly implemented.
2 - GPS does lag by 1-2 seconds on TomTom which despite my heavy GPS use does not really affect me however if it bothers you it is worth considering. The lag is the same as the Polaris. On the X1 the lag was only 0.5-1 second
3 - I cannot map the home button or long press end key yet - I will continue to plug away at this.
So in summary the best phone and handheld device I have used. I am keeping this phone and really enjoying using it! Hope this helps people who may be unsure what they are looking for.
Thanks for the comparison The_Flyer
I was in the X1 vs. Touch HD dilemma but have since opted for the Touch HD.... it would be nice if it arrived though.
The killer point for me was the large touchscreen. I am fine using my finger and a stylus for writing so I didn't really need the hardware keyboard.
SingaporeAirlines said:
Thanks for the comparison The_Flyer
I was in the X1 vs. Touch HD dilemma but have since opted for the Touch HD.... it would be nice if it arrived though.
The killer point for me was the large touchscreen. I am fine using my finger and a stylus for writing so I didn't really need the hardware keyboard.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I was wondering between the two myself, and then i asked myself do I need a hardware keyboard?
Turns out i don't need it.
I actually went into the Voda shop, with a bunch of dosh in my hand, ready to walk out with an X1.
They had a demo one, which I played with - and was reasonably impressed with.
Got ready to do the deal - quoted the Voda web site prices - "oh no, we're not allowed to match them"...
At the time I was gutted (and I certainly wasn't prepared to pay an extra £10 per month for the same deal), so wanderred across to phones4u.
Came out of there with my head swimming with options, and decided I'd best do some more research - things had obviously moved on a bit in the 3 months LOL
long story short (ish) - HD arrives tomorrow
(though it should have been today )
nice write up the_flyer
the_flyer said:
CONS -
1 - Its been said before but the lack of proper calendar implementation including tasks into TF3D is very disappointing. I currently have only one appointment on the display depsite having a full weeks schedule. If I add another appointment for today then it will display on the home screen but not tomorrow Like many others, I have missed birthdays and appointments because of this omission. I dont personally want to get rid of it and use SPB shell because it helps define the device itself! I would be willing to pay to get this properly implemented.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Have you had a look at Pocket Informant with its touch features. Maybe this will help. Can't say as I don't have the HD yet, but using an eten x500 at the moment.
Thanks - I am currently using pocket informant and it works great as a today plug in however it does not integrate within TF3D and hence the love TF3D has to be deactivated for it to work. Function v aesthetics

Nokia E90 user considering a Touch HD

Hi all,
I have a Nokia E90 and I am considering getting a Touch HD.
I really like my E90 screen, its fantastic for viewing ebooks and the internet but I am finding the email client quite awful and I fancy a change.
Things i like about the E90 - Screen, keyboard, camera (it meets my needs), internal screen is always protected, battery life,
Things i hate about the E90 - Awful email client, no spell checker, default browers is extremely slow (resolved by Opera Mini but no flashlite support).
So how much of an improvement will the Touch HD be from my E90? I have read about GPS lag issues and no support for flashlite with the default browser. The Camera is 5pm, but how will that compare to my E90 considering that the HD doesnt have a flash.
My current contract is up at the end of March so i have some time to decide.
Hey!
I had an e90 a while back when they were just out and i did love the keyboard!
I have a touch HD now and it just feels a better phone, the only problme i can see you having is giving up the keyboard. the HD's does have a decent keyboard and you can get quick quick with it with, but for really long emails 1000+ words it may be annoying, you could aloways buy a b/t keyboard if this will be an issue
The screen is very good for reading pdf's and does scale them quite well, the camera is ok, nothing spectacular, however there may be improvemnts with a new progrma so if camera isnt an issue you wont be wowed but you wont be dissapointed,
As for Flash, some roms have it installed already so that you can watch youtube vids direclty in opera and there is also flashlite avaliable to satisfy your needs
Thanks
can you view embedded videos from the BBC website with these roms?
ive just tried and it says that i dont have teh correct plugins, this may be an easy thing to solve though
Iplayer does work but you need to change a few things so thats always a plus
silly question time.....how do you lock the screen when your in touch flo? I have seen older windows mobile devices before the invention of touch flo and i could have the screen lock option on the today screen.
What about the LED notification, i believe its a very small light by the power screen, is that sufficent enough? Does the device wake up from standby when you receive a new email/sms?
Can outlook mobile read HTML emails?
Finally, what is the alarm function like? On my E90, i can set the alarm and power down the device. The phone then turns on automatically to sound the alarm.
you can pretty much lock the screen by pressing the power button on the top, then the devices doesnt do anyting till you tap the power button again,
there are popular programs like slide2unlock which gives this process a bit smoother iphoneesque look.
the LED is small but it doenst particulary bother me since i hear or feel it when a new message arrives anyway, i beleive tehre is a fix so that the device wakes up on email/message
Not sure if outlook mobile read HTML emails but i would assume so being a microsoft phone!
Yeah the alarm is teh same as the e90, you can even make it sound the alrm tone if the device is in silent mode, again there are 3rd partsy apps on here avaliabel for free which allow more customisation
excellent. Now my options are to stick with T-mobile and get the Touch Pro or move over to O2 and get the Touch HD.
Touch HD looks like the better of the two devices especially as i am going from the large E90 screen.
How does the pictures from the HD look? Im alittle worried as there is no flash.
in daylght there very nice,
sometimes in the dark the focus doenst work great, but is still ok
Its prob on par with the e90 if my memory serves me correct
sounds like the HD has all the ticks in the right place for me.
Oh, another question. The Touch HD supports HSDPA at 7.3 odd, im sure this is faster then the E90.
Is the internet on the Touch HD considerably faster then the E90?
yeah it supports HSPDA up to 7.2 mbit, so you get roughly 850k a sec actual download speeds, browisng is pretty nippy on the device, much faster than the e90 which used to take an age to start,
Opera mini is best for mobile surfing as i has quite a nice interface,
It depends weather 02 actually offer and allow you to use 7.2mbps though!
so opera mini on the HD is better then the supplied opera brower? I have mini on my E90 and it doesnt support flashlite.
Thats a good point, i will need to double check with O2 about the speeds!
I dont' know about the camera of the E90, but my wife has got an N95 and it takes WAAAY better pictures than the HD...
I've also owned the E90 before switching to the HD. The only thing I missed was:
- camera on E90 is better (better shuttertime settings)
One of the things that I didn't consider was battery life. I use push Exchange email, and my E90 (and E71) lasted me about 1.5 days. With the Touch HD I get around 18-20 hours (not even 1 day!). If I use browsing or calling a little more than what I normally do, the battery lasts me about 15 hours. Hence, please look at your usage pattern as well.
This is the only negative on an otherwise very good phone based on my utilization pattern. The other nice-to-have would be that the power button is currently too small and too flush with the phone. Either it could have been larger, or it could have been placed to come out of the phone like a button.
Those are very low numbers, my E90 lasted as one of the longest of all phones I've used, sometimes over 4 days.
For the HD, the battery life is far less. However, i've installed SPB PhoneSuite, which enables you to switch of connections at night and saving a lot of battery life.
I had an e90 before the hd and have to say atm its the better device,particularly out of the box.
take away the obvious selling point of the hd screen its a lot less work to enjoy the nokia.
im really enjoying the hd but the e90 was the superior device for me. battery, camera,operation and speed were all way ahead for a business phone. in fact the only drawbacks for me were the weight, no 'cool' touchscreen, and as you say, certain email restrictions.
if you're willing to put the time in I doubt you'll regret the hd but it could depend how well you can adjust without a great physical keyboard and currently a poor camera.
Guys i have some more questions regarding the Touch HD.
I really like my current alarm system on the Nokia E90. I set my alarm and then turn the phone off, the E90 then turns on by itself and sounds the alarm (which is pretty dam loud and vibration is VERY strong).
Question: What is the alarm like on the Touch HD? Will i be able to turn the device off and have it turn on by itself to sound the alarm?
Another question i have is in relation to the calendar nofication on touch flo. How many advanced calendar notifications are displayed on the first tab of touch flo? Can this be changed or altered? Also are tasks displayed?
Third and final question, my brother let me take a look at his HTC Kaiser and the camera application was just awful. It was extremely slow to refresh and it was jerking all over the place. Is this the case with the Touch HD?
Thanks,
c
The camera on the touch HD is really lame. There's no hardware button, so when you push the button on screen there's up to a 3 - 5 second delay before the picture's actually taken!! By that time the subject of the picture has far gone lol.
I've got a Touch HD and i'm thinking of going to the E90. I know the nokia is 2 years old now and it does bother me to "downgrade" but i really like the look of the e90!
Are you in the UK? Maybe we could organise a week swap or somethin?
I would go for the E 71 if I were you ,it has a good keyboard,excellent battery and is much easier to use and smaller than the E 90.I have one as a replacement for an HTC Diamond ,the battery lasts 3 times more and the hard keys do everything ....maybe in a not so cool way but they are far more practical.
Gatecra5her said:
The camera on the touch HD is really lame. There's no hardware button, so when you push the button on screen there's up to a 3 - 5 second delay before the picture's actually taken!! By that time the subject of the picture has far gone lol.
I've got a Touch HD and i'm thinking of going to the E90. I know the nokia is 2 years old now and it does bother me to "downgrade" but i really like the look of the e90!
Are you in the UK? Maybe we could organise a week swap or somethin?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Wait for the N97! Very E90 like but much improved and new features.
I also own a E90 and Touch HD. Touch HD felt first pretty sluggish and not so business oriented. But now with cooked rom and manilla disabled (I use Spb Mobile Shell, imho much better for business use), its a much better device than before.
I hate the text input, i think its propably 3x slower and 5x more fustrating to write emails with it. Also camera sucks and its pretty much useless inside buildings, compared to E90.
Im eagarly waiting for the N97, will propably swap my E90 to that one.

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