Related
Well I only got the phone yesterday and I've already had it with it.
I upgraded the ROM to 1.12 no probs, but the voice quality is really poor, the bluetooth headset (BlueTrek G2) is even worse, dialling with one hand is impossible. They really need to work on the phone functions for these devices. I can't use this for my work phone, it is unreliable and has a worse signal reception than other phones. CallerID with Photo ID doesn't work, the screen keeps turing on for no reasin when in your pocket so when you take it out you end up pressing the screen and doing something you didn't want to do. I regret buying this after one days use. I will be putting it back up on eBay soon.
Hello mate,
I think your disappointment comes from your expectations: you didn't buy a mobile phone. What you got is a PDA with embedded phone features. Nothing more, nothing less.
I used to have a MyPal A620 and (lately) a Nokia 6630. That was a real pain in the shadowed zone ! Two devices, two chargers, two car holders...
Now I still have a PDA (that is what I badly need) plus a GSM phone in one single device... no need to carry the Nokia mobile with me anymore.
If what you're looking for is a mobile, drop the Magician and go for a TRUE phone. It is understood that the phone section could be largely improved but at the end of the day I can live with it .
C'ya'round mate.
I love my Magician and I have no complaint at all about it.
Since November last year, I have bought 6 units one after another - four for my family members and two for my assistants at work.
On each of these 6 units:
- the voice quality is superb
- the bluetooth handset with Windows Mobile logo on it supplied by Microsoft as a free promotional item is fantastic
- I read my manual and understand how to use speed-dial with one hand
- I read my manual and have no problem using selected photos and ringtone through Caller ID
- I read my manual and understand there is such a function as "button lock" to stop accidental switching on of the pocket pc
- the phone is highly reliable and the reception signal is better than any mobile I have ever used.
I think you need to give it more time.Learn how to use it! :wink: There are settings in there to stop the screen coming on unless you press the power button so it never really comes on.Phone quality could be better but comparing to a house phone,have you ever hear a mobile phone of any description with REALLY good sound quality?I haven't and i've had my fair share!It's no worse no better than any other on the market as a phone-as a device it's nothing short of amazing.Pm me if you want a program to make dialling easier :wink:
@saldous
Try another Radio Stack like the 1.11. Some people report reception problems only with the latest (1.12) Radio stack.
About your problem with the screen not being locked when the Magician is in your pocket: Get MortSaver (free software), configure it correctly with its options and assign it to one of your hardware buttons. This locks the screen but you can still see some basic information, like SMS notifications, time battery and so on. This basically substitutes a lock function of a mobile phone.
When you got used to the possibilities of this great device and shipped around all these little problems you'll get (trust me, there are tons), you will never want to get back to a "normal" mobile phone. Show me only one mobile phone that does all of the following:
Works as remote control for all your devices (RemoteControl 2)
Can control your PC via Bluetooth (Pebbles)
A good music MP3 player with great sound (MortPlayer)
Is a video player with good video quality, even DivX(BetaPlayer, Media Player)
Plays great 3D games (Tomb Raider, Flux Challenge ...)
Works as a USB stick (CardExport 2)
Can be extended with WLan feature (Sandisk Wifi SD card)
Can be used for navigation (TomTom 5 + BT GPS)
Has a real internet browser, a great calendar (PocketBreeze)
And all this more reliably than the magician does? Come back to earth! All these features have the price of more bugs, more workarounds and more additional software that is needed. But to almost every problem, you will find an appropriate solution in this forum and with additional software (SpriteBackup, SK Tools, SPB Pocket Plus, Resco Explorer, Check Notifications, PocketZenPhone...)
Software like PhonePad makes one hand use possible and almost as good as with a mobile phone.
I will try some of your comments but don't expect to have to pay for additional software to use the device!
I have already set the device to lock the buttons so I only press the power button to turn the screen on, but if I receive a SMS etc.. the screen come on in my pocket. There is no way to stop this.
Audio wise, people I have called say it sounds like I am in a fish bowl !
As for the web browser, I tried to reply to this thread and it wouldn't let me login to the site, but I could browse the forums just not reply.
I have installed MortSaver as per your recommendation, there are no options to configure in it. How do I configure it?
saldous said:
Audio wise, people I have called say it sounds like I am in a fish bowl!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Dont let anyone fool you: the audio quality of this phone is horrible and unacceptable. This is a known problem and audio ROM updates/patches will not help you.
I bought one earlier this year, it sucked. I complained, got a brand new replacement this week with ROM 1.11WWE - the audio still sucks.
You need to return the phone. If you are within the return period of your seller - do so ASAP. If you live in the UK, be aware that under UK consumer laws you can return this device as "not fit for purpose", especially within the first six months of purchase. During that period, he onus is on the seller to prove that the device is fit - and a phone sold via subsidy from phone companies would HAVE to have proper audio quality - which this device does simply not.
Read here to understand what your rights are if you are UK consumer:
http://www.dti.gov.uk/ccp/topics1/facts/salegoodsact.htm
saldous said:
I will try some of your comments but don't expect to have to pay for additional software to use the device!
I have already set the device to lock the buttons so I only press the power button to turn the screen on, but if I receive a SMS etc.. the screen come on in my pocket. There is no way to stop this.
Audio wise, people I have called say it sounds like I am in a fish bowl !
As for the web browser, I tried to reply to this thread and it wouldn't let me login to the site, but I could browse the forums just not reply.
I have installed MortSaver as per your recommendation, there are no options to configure in it. How do I configure it?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You are not obligated to keep it. If you cannot handle tha device than just sell it and be happy
@saldous
The extra software is not needed to make the phone work. It works, as you also confirmed. It makes it better than any phone you can get at the moment! That's worth the price.
MortSave has a link to its options in the start menu. I configured it that it automatically turns off the phone, lets notification popups go through and can only be turned on by the power button. It completely protects the screen when SMS etc. go in - like locks for mobile phones.
The web browser: This is the most complete built in web browser you can get in a phone. Tell me about a better one! Nokia? Motorola?
I love my Qtek S100 - it's an amazing little device... and gives me zero problems as a phone or a pda
Use the Button Lock feature!
For the Screen, use the Button Lock feature in System Settings
From your Magician, START > SETTINGS > SYSTEM tab, select BUTTON LOCK, and select LOCK ALL BUTTONS EXCEPT POWER BUTTON.
For the audio problem, i guess you might have to get your Magician serviced since it is still under warranty or get a replacement. Its not worth that you pay that much and still have problems with your new Magician. There could be another reason for your audio problems, the signal strength in your area, the weather at that particular day and the location from which you called that day.
Yes the Magician and for that matter all PDA's lack advance phone features that you find in Nokia or other phones, dont loose hope, in the future maybe someone will take initiative to bring to you all those features too.
regards
clueless
Why are people always saying that the phone is crap? At least I never really had problems regarding reception and sound quality. Maybe the latest phone stack is not the best - well, just downgrade it.
Regarding the usability of a phone, I even prefer to dial with my magician.
I have to do the following to call someone:
1. Turn it on (kill MortSaver if active -> I have to press the corresponding button)
2. Press the Contacts button and go to the contact I want to call via pressing up or down (holding gives me the alphabet -> very fast)
3. Press right or left to select the number I want to call for that contact (mobile, home or even email) and press the green button to call
In my opinion, a Nokia isn't as easy to use when calling someone.
Heres what I have to do.
Press voice command button
say "call John"
it says "call john?" back
I say yes and it dials
Too easy if you ask me!
Got to love voice command!!!!! :wink:
I also use voice command for contacts. When I want to call someone who's not saved in the contacts, I press that green telephone button and dial the number using the virtual keypad. This may sound stupid, BUT CAN IT BE ANY EASIER THAN THIS?
And for everyone's sake, stop complaining about the Magician not having a keypad like other phones, and it's so much easier on Nokia's, bla bla bla ...
If you want a PDA/Phone, the Magician is pretty much the best you can get. If you want a mobile phone, get a bloody mobile phone!
Dandie said:
Why are people always saying that the phone is crap? At least I never really had problems regarding reception and sound quality. Maybe the latest phone stack is not the best - well, just downgrade it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Because the quality control on this model is crap.
When I returned my jam for warranty repair (SIX separate problems it had), the customer service rep from the vendor that sold it said to me (and I quote), "Yes, we aware - we have had a lot of complaints about sound quality and defects on this phone".
Phone stack is not the issue, nor is ROM. The sound quality and speaker defects that showed up on my brand new Jam in Feb (WWE 1.01) were exactly the same problems on the replacement Jam I got last week (WWW 1.11). So anyone discussing "radio stack" or "ROM" is just leading you on a wild goose chase.
The phone is not well made. Period. That is why there are complaints.
For something that does just about everything I think i'll settle for the sound quality,after all it isn't really THAT bad.I've had worse.I'd rather have this device than a 7230 or something like that so it's not a bad trade off for all the benefits
I think we just have to stop generalising here. The HTC Magician is selling very very well in most countires, irrispective of the brand or carrier selling it.
Yes, some people found a porblem with the sound quality, but most of us here didn't. Or at least not to the extent of considering returning it back. Mind you, HTC design and produce models for HP, Motorola amongst others so they must know something about quality.
Unfortunately, it's too early for the Magician to have some serious competition. The only reasonable contender is the E-TEN M500. And that's still a bit "chunkier" that I would I hope for!
Some people might not be ready to be early adopters of such a "revolution" in mobile technology.
Such people, I think, should settle for a traditional conservative device!
kta said:
Mind you, HTC design and produce models for HP, Motorola amongst others so they must know something about quality.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That is exactly why this kind of lax quality is not acceptable. Its not like they are a newbie - who has not made this type of product before. They are a near-monopoly in the PPC phone market i.e they have a huge experience curve. And audio is not exactly esoteric technology for a company in the phone business.
Its one thing for people to try to pass the problems off as a few people complaining. But when the people out there in the market selling the thing willingly admit that there is a problem with sound and speaker quality - its best to stop dreaming up excuses.
From the posts, it look like some people get unstable magician while other don't. I do agreed that magician is the among top ppc model because of the design which is small like ordinary mobile phone but with a capabilty of pda & phone. Many of pda user change to magician in order to avoid bringing 2 devices at the same time.
It is HTC and their partner responsibility to ensure their product are not made to meet the demand/order without any standard quality control.
Well, I have NO audio problems with my HTC Magician device at all (O2 Xda II mini brand running on Vodafone Australia). Sound quality on my end is perfect and I have asked a number of people I speak with if they have any trouble hearing me and they have said there is no problem at all.
I do feel that the speakerphone is a little underpowered - in quieter environments it is fine but at medium noise level I struggle to hear the other person. I can live with that.
This is simply the best device I have owned.
Okay guys, this is serious. I'm impressed by my JasJar but i'm not sure it does anything more that i actually need it for than my Imate Jam. As far as I can see there are some good points and some bad points about it and i wouldn't mind some opinons about whether its worth keeping or selling.
Okay my first view on the plus sides:
Screen is excellent quality
Wifi is very fast and much faster than the wifi sd card i have at the moment.
Keyboard is useful combined (but not as big as the fold out one i have for my imate)
Negative Sides:
3g doesn't seem to work in my area so i can't seem to benefit from that
Size is big (i would need a second phone to go out with etc)
Can't see much difference in speed with my level of usage
Pain in the ass to anwser it (imate jam is not a big phone at all)
Software is still a bugger to install etc.
Okay, my mine uses for the jasjar were to be for work. I would be booking appts and keeping track of those appointments and information regarding them on the pda for my work. Although harder to type in, i could in theroy do that on the imate jam. I don't use the wifi alot outside of the home (although it would be useful to use mirc, the web etc while girlfriend is on the pc).
At the moment i'm umming and ahhing because i have to take the phone with me everywhere (actually considering using the jasjar sim free while i'm off work and putting the imate jam back on the road as it were)
REALLY appreciate anyones help to this, its good but i'm not sure if its enough of a step for me to merit not selling it and getting ALOT of money for it (brought as upgrade through o2)
Look forward to the replys
Ian
I'm gonna tell you what I tell other people:
If you don't know what to do with a jasjar then buy the wizard.
The wizard size is as good as big as the jam, has wifi, keyboard and is in those ways much better then the jam.
The reason I need the pro is because I love the vga screen, keyboard and WM5, and I can give support to my customers through logmein.com using 3G.
So sell your jasjar and jam and go buy a wizard.
thanks for the quick response. I'm not sure that I would want a wizard really. I do think that I need to use the exec in a work situation before really considering getting rid of it.
That logmein.com looks rather cool, would like to be able to control my home pc while at work to setup downloads etc. the screen on this is rather special and i'm not against getting a second handset to use for going out etc.
would like to hear anyone elses views if possible.
just to point out to you and myself really i'm lying in bed writing this on the forum with real ease via wifi. hmmmmm another pro to the exec I think!
Ian
thanks for the quick response. I'm not sure that I would want a wizard really. I do think that I need to use the exec in a work situation before really considering getting rid of it.
That logmein.com looks rather cool, would like to be able to control my home pc while at work to setup downloads etc. the screen on this is rather special and i'm not against getting a second handset to use for going out etc.
would like to hear anyone elses views if possible.
just to point out to you and myself really i'm lying in bed writing this on the forum with real ease via wifi. hmmmmm another pro to the exec I think!
Ian
I've tried both, and apologies for readers of this forum, but the Wizard wins hands down. The Universal reminds me of why I ditched the first Ipaqs and went back to Palm years ago. Sure the Pocket PCs had better displays and you could show off playing movie clips, but that novelty soon waned when it was too big to carry and it took ages to lookup a phone number or check your diary.
You've got to weigh up what you _really_ need when you're away from your PC. The whole point to me of having a PDA is that I can access or update my information quickly at all times. The Ipaq seemd to be always at home or in my desk drawer just when I needed it, because it was a pain to carry. Even when I had it, it was sluggish finding the information I needed. The Palms won over because they went with me everywhere, and information retrieval was almost instant.
So, the Universal is a step back to the bad old days - except it's bigger and heavier. Good to show off with but impractical in most situations outside of the work environment because of its bulk.
Don't be fooled by the CPU either. Whatever advantage the Universal has on paper over the Wizard is sapped in real life by the need to update the VGA display. True, the Wizard is no speed merchant (even when compared to a Treo). But I found responsiveness to critical tasks (e.g. starting up Messaging to read/send a text, screen rotation, answering calls) significantly slower on the Universal - and that _really_ starts to annoy when you're in a rush.
So, everything I did with the Universal I can pretty much do on the Wizard, with the big difference that I can take it anywhere. Anyhing else can wait until I'm back at my PC. What's more, I can actually see who's calling and answer a phone call before it drops or diverts to voicemail
And don't forget the resale value. Given the trend of HTC Wizard / Prophet / Atom devices, the longer you hold onto the huge Universal the less saleable it's going to be. Sure, it fills a niche at the moment, but in 12 month's time, is a 1st generation device that big going to have anything but collectors' appeal?
So, unless you only use the Universal in the home and office, the larger keyboard and VGA display are"must haves", and you don't mind missing the odd phone call, then I would say the Wizard was the better bet.
If you really need a VGA display, a keyboard, and top performance, go for a proper PDA like the Dell X51v, a bluetooth keyboard and a seperate cellphone - it'll probably be cheaper, more flexible and easier to carry. And each element will work much better at what it is designed to do.
@Ineedtoys, what a refreshing and objective view on the subject. Having owned a Treo 650 and Clie TH55 I know what you're talking about. In the real world stability, size of device and battery life are still the key requirements and showing your latest toy to friends/work colleagues etc is nice but for most people is not a sufficient reason for buying a device. You either buy a device to meet a personal requirement or buy a device so that you can play with it "like a toy". Decide if you want a real tool or a "toy" first and then you'll be happy with your decision.
My view is that the Universal is not really a cell phone, it is an advanced PDA/mini tablet and you need to use it with another cell phone. The story for the Wizard may be different.
At first I always open the screen and rotated it to see who is calling me, and pick up the phone. Just like my old xda has it's screen outside.
But this take way to long, and most of the time the caller hung up before it was ready to rotate the screen and is able to pick up the call..
Now I just open the lid to see who it is. then close it again and pick up with the side green phone button leaving the pro closed.
If you use it this way i'ts perfect.
At first I had to get used of the size but now I am used to it.
People sometimes think: what the hell is that big thing?
But when I op the "laptop" and rotate it's screen and show the phone it's the coolest thing they've seen .
very interesting reading
Ihave a Universal (o2) for a week now, and am SERIOUSLY thinking of returning it for something else,
I like the Mini s (Wizard) too, but one subject that I believe is left aside is the battery life : with the Universal that I have tested for over a week if I did use the Wifi like 2 hours and a bit of BT and phone, then its battery would be gone by 5pm (starting at 9am !) quite a shame.
My point is : do these devices need to be pluged to the AC anytime we want to use to use the connexions, in that case I can stick with my laptop if need to be wired.
Or is it ony the Universal that is amazingly sucking the battery like no other ?
I appreciate your help as I have to decide if I send it back before friday ! ;-)
Re: very interesting reading
I presume you tried turning the screen brightness and WiFi power right down, and IR beaming off? The Wizard will definately give you longer as it doesn't have the battery sucking screen and has the low power OMAP processor.
The battery life in the Universal seems to get conditioned after a couple of weeks and does improve, but you don't have enough time to wait for that!
already better after 8 days
in fact I have noticed that it is getting better after a week (the battery),
but it's only because I now used the wifi only when I know I have a power nearby and I disable all connexion when I have it in my pocket, same for the brightness etc...
still.. the second point to change it is definately the size : I already have a tablet-pc to play with, so that will do it for now.
Back soon on this forum with the Wizard. :lol:
ill take your universal for my wizard
Is it true that you have to do the flip-and-rotate dance everytime, when you have to receive the call(or make the call) & when you dont want to use the speakerphone ??
I leave my phone in the closed clam position, got Microsoft Voice which tells me who's calling, so all I have to do is push the red or green on the side to ignore/answer the call...
jmdrizen said:
I leave my phone in the closed clam position, got Microsoft Voice which tells me who's calling, so all I have to do is push the red or green on the side to ignore/answer the call...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
but what if you are in laptop/clamshell mode?
then do u have to do the flip and rotate dance?
If you are laptop/clamshell mode, you can just answer with the buttons on the hinge, and answer the call with it shut. You probably wouldn't want it unnecessarily rotated, since you'll get face grease on your screen.
If you want to see who's calling, a quick lift and shut is all you need.
Cheers,
Steve.
imate blows
I can't speak for anyone else, but I can tell you that my experience thus far has been really ****ty as far as using this unit as a phone. the reason I say this, is that despite having updated my unit to the latest ROM upgrade , I'm still experiencing missed calls!
This despite my repeated attempts at contacting the clowns at the live online service at imate. Their email service has been better, but has yet to offer resolution to this immense problem. I say immense b/c I have paid around a grand for a pda with a phone which is completely unreliable as a phone.
Bear in mind, this is my imate experience.
hope this helps.
Re: imate blows
edved said:
I can't speak for anyone else, but I can tell you that my experience thus far has been really ****ty as far as using this unit as a phone. the reason I say this, is that despite having updated my unit to the latest ROM upgrade , I'm still experiencing missed calls!
This despite my repeated attempts at contacting the clowns at the live online service at imate. Their email service has been better, but has yet to offer resolution to this immense problem. I say immense b/c I have paid around a grand for a pda with a phone which is completely unreliable as a phone.
Bear in mind, this is my imate experience.
hope this helps.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
LOL you paid how much? you must be one of the unlucky ones. since I got my device, I've not really had a problem with the phone part, just the camera at the moment, which seems to be rom related.
Re: imate blows
edved said:
I can't speak for anyone else, but I can tell you that my experience thus far has been really ****ty as far as using this unit as a phone. the reason I say this, is that despite having updated my unit to the latest ROM upgrade , I'm still experiencing missed calls!
This despite my repeated attempts at contacting the clowns at the live online service at imate. Their email service has been better, but has yet to offer resolution to this immense problem. I say immense b/c I have paid around a grand for a pda with a phone which is completely unreliable as a phone.
Bear in mind, this is my imate experience.
hope this helps.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
LOL you paid how much? you must be one of the unlucky ones. since I got my device, I've not really had a problem with the phone part, just the camera at the moment, which seems to be rom related.
Re: imate blows
edved said:
I can't speak for anyone else, but I can tell you that my experience thus far has been really ****ty as far as using this unit as a phone. the reason I say this, is that despite having updated my unit to the latest ROM upgrade , I'm still experiencing missed calls!
This despite my repeated attempts at contacting the clowns at the live online service at imate. Their email service has been better, but has yet to offer resolution to this immense problem. I say immense b/c I have paid around a grand for a pda with a phone which is completely unreliable as a phone.
Bear in mind, this is my imate experience.
hope this helps.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
LOL you paid how much? you must be one of the unlucky ones. since I got my device, I've not really had a problem with the phone part, just the camera at the moment, which seems to be rom related.
I have never had any problem with the phone. But I have taken a couple of actions:
1. Disable the video phone component, it is bloaty and if you dont use video phones saves 3mb of operating RAM
2. I extended the time it takes to go through to voice mail from 10 seconds to 30 seconds
3. I dont vet any calls, if available, I just answer from the hinge whilst close, so I dont do any flipping to see first
4. My phone always answers at the beginning of the second ring, that with a 30 seconds to voice mail works fine
5. I never let my phone go below 15mb of available ram so it doesnt slow down.
So as a phone, its fine, as a pda its brilliant.
how d'ya do that
1. Disable the video phone component, it is bloaty and if you dont use video phones saves 3mb of operating RAM
is this an easy thing o do?
cheers.
very easy, its posted on WIKI.
http://wiki.xda-developers.com/index.php?pagename=Universal_Registry
States
To set or remove the operator phone skin
The setting is at 'HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Security\Phone\Skin'
The 'Enabled' DWORD value can be set to '1' to show the operator skin or '0' to show the default skin
For example, to show the default skin
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Security\Phone\Skin\Enabled = 0
You should try the link to view many of the registry hacks for the universal.
There is also a maintained forum on hacks with downloadable cabs here
http://wiki.xda-developers.com/index.php?pagename=Universal_Registry
Re: imate blows
LOL you paid how much? you must be one of the unlucky ones. since I got my device, I've not really had a problem with the phone part, just the camera at the moment, which seems to be rom related.[/quote]
Can't say I use the camera much, except perhaps for the strange or abnormal chest xray I may see at work. Otherwise useless.
Yes, I ended up paying a grand for this thing. Impulse purchase. What did you pay jojo?
I paid $1500 AUD, about $1100 USD.
I have always bought my phone outright for an unlocked phone that is not dependent or tied into a phone network.
Plus there are extended taxation benefits....
I love mine as a phone, best reception on both ends I have ever found with a phone.
Like everyones said, you can essentially answer a call 4 ways.
1. Default (clamshell shut)
2. Open it and flip it to portrait mode
3. Open it and use it in laptop mode w/speaker phone
4. Bluetooth headset.
personally the idea of Microsoft Voice Command sounds good cos I like to know whos calling, have it tell me would be pleasent
In any case, despite the ringtone not kicking in till the end of the second ring, I have scarecely missed a call. Actually short of not having the phone in an audible radius of me I dont think I have missed a call.
Its always good to have system memory but I dont notice a change in the phone service when my ram dips below 15mb.
Re: imate blows
edved said:
LOL you paid how much? you must be one of the unlucky ones. since I got my device, I've not really had a problem with the phone part, just the camera at the moment, which seems to be rom related.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Can't say I use the camera much, except perhaps for the strange or abnormal chest xray I may see at work. Otherwise useless.
Yes, I ended up paying a grand for this thing. Impulse purchase. What did you pay jojo?[/quote]
I paid £150.00 for mine
so u mean i can answer a call with clamshell shut ??
is that true?
The answer to your question is yes. You can answer the phone with the clamshell shut.
Cons:
You will not be able to see who is calling.
You will need bluetooth or wired headset to answer the phone.
Caller ID numbers are available but not the caller name on Bluetooth devices like the BT800.
Personally, I use my Qtek 9000 more as a PDA than a phone.
It's a much better PDA than it is a phone. The keyboard and the screen on the Universal are the main reason why I bought it.
My advise, if you're planning on using it more as a phone than a PDA, then consider other devices. As a phone, it's heavy and bulky. As a PDA, I can only sing praises (except for the occasional soft resets that I have to do).
FYI, here are the main uses that I use the Universal for:
1). Streaming music while I'm driving
2). Watching avi files while I'm on break
3). Daily planner
4). Going online to check on info
5). GPS device with software and an external bluetooth GPS receiver
6). MSN messenger while I'm on road trips
Hope that helps in your decision.
I don't know how much you'll be paying for the Universal. I did pay a lot for it (since it's not available in the US with any cellular companies) but I consider one of the best investments I've made in a PDA/Phone.
modem_man said:
The answer to your question is yes. You can answer the phone with the clamshell shut.
Cons:
You will not be able to see who is calling.
You will need bluetooth or wired headset to answer the phone.
Caller ID numbers are available but not the caller name on Bluetooth devices like the BT800.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Incorrect, the phone will answer perfectly well if you just pick it up and press the green button on the hinge. The three holes on the right of the case are for the sound to come through and the mic is at the bottom on the left of the keyboard.
This is a well thought out device.
If you have personalised ringtones for most of your contacts you should have a pretty good idea of who is calling anyway.
thanks everyone for blurring away the doubts
PReDiToR said:
modem_man said:
The answer to your question is yes. You can answer the phone with the clamshell shut.
Cons:
You will not be able to see who is calling.
You will need bluetooth or wired headset to answer the phone.
Caller ID numbers are available but not the caller name on Bluetooth devices like the BT800.
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Incorrect, the phone will answer perfectly well if you just pick it up and press the green button on the hinge. The three holes on the right of the case are for the sound to come through and the mic is at the bottom on the left of the keyboard.
This is a well thought out device.
If you have personalised ringtones for most of your contacts you should have a pretty good idea of who is calling anyway.
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Or... Get Microsoft Voice 1.5, and the fantastic patch by R. Works A1 on mine, I keep the phone clam shut in a zip case. And get a "Call from X" loud and clear telling me who's calling... no need to open or owt, just red/green on the hinge... fantastic...
Hello,
Please bear up with me as I know almost nothing about smart watches or electronics!
I have a project where I need to make a smartwatch (preferably Android Wear OS) that can detect when it is in close proximity (e.g. 5”) to an NFC tag, when this happens then the smartwatch either beeps / flashes / or vibrates and it does so as long as it’s within the close proximity range from the NFC tag.
The idea is to help breaking habit. For example if some pulls their hair out (trichotillomania) or bite their nails, then the tag will be attached to one’s shirt collar and when they bring their hand to their eyebrows or their mouth then the smartwatch will alert them. This will help them be aware of their habits helping them reduce the habit or even break free from it.
I know there are smart wristbands out there that does this such as Keen by HabitAlert but they all work by calibrating your hands position. I don’t want the smartwatch to be calibrated. I want to be able to come to work, sit at my desk, attach a tag to my shirt’s collar and that’s it.
Can someone help me in directing me how to start with this project?
-What smartwatch is a good match for this project?
-What NFC tags can work?
-How do I program the smartwatch to detect the NFC tag and alert me?
Thank you very much in advance for your help
It is too difficult to create it, as it require very precise distance from the tag. Most smartphone NFC reader only works for several cm (1-2 inch). Even if it is possible to do so, the battery impact maybe is too high to be feasible in daily usage. Even the latest smartwatch can only have maximum 1,5 days battery life, that is not added with any background running apps. Can't imagine if you have to detect it all the time, probably only can last less than half day.
Habit usually very difficult to break. Even if you successfully create the flow, I don't think it will be helpful, as they just have to learn to bare with vibration/notification and continue to do it. It requires will from the user itself.
I would suggest another method of constant reminder to the user. The user him/herself must cooperate and willing to change. Create a task/flow to pop up and vibrate every 10 or 15 minutes to remind them about the habit. You can do this in tasker + autowear, or using Automagic alone. It is even better to create a new good habit that can replace the old one. As most old habit keeps coming back because it doesn't have any replacement. Maybe it is a good time to learn new language, as I have show in my other thread. Or it can be any other new good habit that suit the user.
-What smartwatch is a good match for this project?
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If you use NFC, then of course the smartwatch must have NFC reader. Fossil Gen 5 can be a good choice, but it seems the first batch still have a lot of software issue as you can see in other thread. If you don't need the NFC, just to use periodic vibration/notification, then any WearOS smartwatch can be used for this.
-What NFC tags can work?
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I don't know if the nfc tag can work as you expected, but I think it will be not suitable for this usage case.
-How do I program the smartwatch to detect the NFC tag and alert me?
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This require app that can read NFC directly on the watch, and then send the event to the phone (probably should support tasker/automagic plugin). I can't find any app that can do that.
Thank you for your reply. Yeah, it seems like it's a difficult task to accomplish and I don't have the knowledge to get it done.
Hi All, I'm looking to buy a smartwatch. I was trying already many times to buy and as always stuck in analysis paralysis phase.
Recently purchased for my wife Google Pixel smartwatch and basically was disappointed with a software support when Android phone was saying go and do something on the watch.
Why google could not make this possible to do from Android phone?
So here're my list of smartwatch requirements
- must have an option to make alarms/alerts. I need a way to make it possible so that I can wake myself up in the middle of the night if something happen.
I need to have an ability to make an API call eg via curl or make any other call from a server or raspberry pi so that the smartwatch starts alarming with a certain message.
- must work with any Android(I have Motorolla g82). I wanted to buy Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 Pro, but when I read reviews that for some features certain apps only work on Samsung devices I have decided not to buy it.
- must have GPS so that I can run and track without a phone.
- must have a good sleep traker.
- must to have ability to buy 2nd charger so that I can charge watches at work if needed.
- very nice to have a big realestate in term of screen and resolution. Preference is a square something like Apple smartwatch(please do not suggest Apple) watch with resolution higher that 360x360px.
- Nice to have LTE, but I really would like to have a mixed mode so that when phone is around it should automatically switch to bluetooth to avoid battery quick discharge.
- Very nice to be able to do all configuration from the phone. My eyesight is dropping with my age so the preference is to be able as much as possible from the phone. I did not like Google Pixel Smartwatch experience.
I'm close to a stage so that I need glasses and do not want to make it so that I must to wear glasses right now.
- nice to fit into 1250AUD(850USD) budget, but can go a bit higher if needed.