What do people think about integrated antennas like these:
http://store.mp3car.com/Roof_top_GPS_Cellular_PCS_WiFi_antenna_p/com-008.htm
I am thinking about getting one like this for my car obviously to up the gps and cellular signal strength.
A question I have for any TyTn II experts, Which antenna does the WiFi use, is it integrated into the cellular antenna or gps or neither?
Neither, I believe all three have their own internal antennas. I say this because I have seen the internal photos of the Hermes and Trinity (which has GPS) and they had seperate small antennas. The Kaiser has two external antenna ports but after bricking my 1st Hermes by plugging an external antenna in and having it kill my radio, I'll never play the external game again. Besides it seems to work very well on all radios, even simultaneously, without externals.
I Would Have To Go With All In A 3 In One (technicaly)
FROM MY EXPERIENCE I WOULD SAY THAT THEY ALL WORK WITH THE RIGHT DRIVERS.
hOW EVER BEING ABSTRACT I WOULD SAY SINCE I BELIEVE MOST OF ALL THE PHONES HAVE GPS BUILT IN and THAT THE WRITE DRIVER SHOULD GIVE YOU THE ABILITY TO UTILIZE THE antenna FROM THE PHONE WHICH HAS MORE THAN ONE WIRE IN IT.
external NOW YOUR TALKING SOME EXTRA BOOST JUST FOR YOUR CONNECTION TO IT.
YOU CANT GO WRONG, TRICK IS ALL ABOUT TIME AND EFFICIENCY COST IS PERSONAL OPINION[
good luck
The first photo is with the rubber grommet off and you can see the hole that goes through to the documented external GPS antenna. In the red circle is a piece of plastic that is blocking another external antenna port.
The 2nd photo is with the whole back off and inside the circle again you can see the extra antenna port.
aboutthemind said:
FROM MY EXPERIENCE I WOULD SAY THAT THEY ALL WORK WITH THE RIGHT DRIVERS.
hOW EVER BEING ABSTRACT I WOULD SAY SINCE I BELIEVE MOST OF ALL THE PHONES HAVE GPS BUILT IN and THAT THE WRITE DRIVER SHOULD GIVE YOU THE ABILITY TO UTILIZE THE antenna FROM THE PHONE WHICH HAS MORE THAN ONE WIRE IN IT.
external NOW YOUR TALKING SOME EXTRA BOOST JUST FOR YOUR CONNECTION TO IT.
YOU CANT GO WRONG, TRICK IS ALL ABOUT TIME AND EFFICIENCY COST IS PERSONAL OPINION
good luck
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1. Stop yelling!
2. Most phones do NOT have GPS built-in.
3. You don't need drivers to use an external antenna. It's a physical connection.
4. Get your facts straight.
5. I like the antenna. Now if it had an XM antenna in it, I would buy it in a heartbeat. It would also work great for wardriving (not with my Tilt, but with my laptop)
Another Fan i apologize for not being clear
Lidberg said:
1. Stop yelling!
Please refrain from giving me orders!
2. Most phones do NOT have GPS built-in.
Actually they do to eliminate have to change a board already n production. besides the kaiser is older like 5 years then an mda.
3. You don't need drivers to use an external antenna. It's a physical connection.
Who said anything about drivers for the XM Radio antenna. I said Driversfor the internal gps antena. Read the kaiser wiki... the wiki for the pre-installed gps module.
4. Get your facts straight.
Well this is the part where tell you my way of thinking. I dont read so bare with me considering i am self taught and taking over a hundred different phones apart i can even say with out knowing that they stopped the technology cause 1000 features that are to advanced become a forum!!!!
Again if you are a HTC technician or a hardware engineer for any of the pocket pc device i will with draw any of my comments.
How ever of your here for fun and to learn do a litle bit of home work before you accidentally insult some one willing to read your opinion.
Hope i was a little bit better in explaining what i meant
ciao
5. I like the antenna. Now if it had an XM antenna in it, I would buy it in a heartbeat. It would also work great for wardriving (not with my Tilt, but with my laptop)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This can be done
People don't like when you use ALL CAPS. It looks like you're yelling at them.
The way you made your statement, it sounded like you needed drivers for the GPS antenna, which is not true. You need drivers to utilize the GPS radio. Two different things. You even got the two mixed up in the same post.
I seriously doubt the Kaiser is 5 years old. Where are you getting this information??
Personally I think your statements tend to ramble and be incoherent, but I digress. The Kaiser is an excellent phone. I love having built-in GPS. I am probably going to buy an external GPS antenna for it, although it really doesn't need it. I can even get 2-3 birds inside my house.
aboutthemind said:
Actually they do to eliminate have to change a board already n production. besides the kaiser is older like 5 years then an mda.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What does this mean? That HTC or other cell phone manufacturer are removing components on a board they've already produced before they release a new phone? Why on earth would they do that when they could save the cost of buying the additional circuitry in the first place and just order a run of what they want?
I said Driversfor the internal gps antena.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Antennae don't require drivers. Circuits do. What you're saying doesn't make any sense.
...they stopped the technology cause 1000 features that are to advanced become a forum!!!!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This doesn't make any sense.
Again if you are a HTC technician or a hardware engineer for any of the pocket pc device i will with draw any of my comments.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm neither, but I believe you need to withdraw your comments.
Hope i was a little bit better in explaining what i meant
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not really, no. It sounds like you're saying the Kaiser is using a board that's five years old and has physically had circuits removed from it because HTC didn't want to provide all of the features/functions that they could. I sincerely doubt that this is the case, since they'll produce a couple million of these things and paying even $1 extra for circuits they'll remove and labor to remove them makes no sense when they can order up a board that they want and get it for cheaper.
Throw in that you posted in all caps (considered rude by just about everyone) and then provided information that just doesn't add up, I'm not surprised you got push back.
Again i apologize for beining insulted and for any misrepresentation
I really don't feel like explaining my self, so if you feel that i am attacking you i apologize.
considering that i have simply stated a an opinion and you have managed to exert the fact that you do not respect others. i will respond.
and seriously just take what you like in theory and leave the stuff that you dont like.
I am not going to explain that typing is not the easiest thing for me. please don't mistake that for a representation of how i deal with people.
PerfAlbion said:
What does this mean? That HTC or other cell phone manufacturer are removing components on a board they've already produced before they release a new phone? Why on earth would they do that when they could save the cost of buying the additional circuitry in the first place and just order a run of what they want?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
PerfAlbion said:
Wow now were ar talking so a little lesson in busines 101 agan i can only base this on doing business in the us for over ten years this is not to have you answer me back
cost of labor for most manufacture is far greater than the price of parts in bulk.
out of respect for the people reading this ill stop thier.
Antennae don't require drivers. Circuits do. What you're saying doesn't make any sense.sorry for confusing the the exact words i was trying to offend everyone are you kidding me
1000 features that no one needs
This doesn't make any sense.
ok so since your opinion is not completely biast this again alies the theaory of an article in a vry small country called he us have youu heard of it?
Seriuosley i am in no mood to go over every line to some one that is biast to my comment that all of a sudden became an issue.
Listen genious and i do say geneous with respect the fact is and this goes for all. technology has far supercede the cash cow(people who buy, consumers, money, what makes the world go round)
i noticed after getting into the bigger phones like the 1700 and the BA and the hermes that they all look the same or have very similar compositions.
I came to the conclusion that they all had gps in them from a market professional stand pioint. So really just appriciate some input.
You want the facts well yeh its but so what i was trying to give some input before you reminded me that i wll end up having to type for an hour cause a genious felt it necessary to chalenge me.
I'm neither, but I believe you need to withdraw your comments.
Ok no problem please understand i was giving input and you decided to insult me.
I openly withdraw any comment i have ever made that you feel is not worthy as another member put it and if you would like me to say that i am sorry posting i do.
Not really, no. It sounds like you're saying
the Kaiser is using a board that's five years old and has physically had circuits removed from it because HTC didn't want to provide all of the features/functions that they could.
no one said anything about removal, baords for the most part have alot of he circuits on them it makes it vary easy to acomplish global standards and upgrades and maximizing profit by making upgrades look tangible.
I sincerely doubt that this is the case, since they'll produce a couple million of these things and paying even $1 extra for circuits they'll remove and labor to remove them makes no sense when they can order up a board that they want and get it for cheaper.
I agree that would make no sense thats why i would nt say it i see where your coming from.
Throw in that you posted in all caps (considered rude by just about everyone) and then provided information that just doesn't add up,
I'm not surprised you got push back.
i wouldnt know but i apriciate yur interest in my curent position and standings may be you could show me how i can get pms cause its very hard for me to read i have add and typing is the worst,
What a waste of time and energy i apologize to anyone having to read this
you see chief i didn't ven relize that that the caps lock was on but since you decide to think now i will tell you the system i use wich is also a system i created because of you thinking for me requires caps lock to be own as well as the state of ca on documents.
so again i apologize
record time MIKE 1:15 mins
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
bazzatron said:
The first photo is with the rubber grommet off and you can see the hole that goes through to the documented external GPS antenna. In the red circle is a piece of plastic that is blocking another external antenna port.
The 2nd photo is with the whole back off and inside the circle again you can see the extra antenna port.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the visual thats what i am talking about
back to the real question
i would look for any type of after market booster car kit easiest way is google the word china after it and you would be shocked what youll find they can pretty much customize anything the word to use for phones in china is not cellular or htc.. pocket pc
"mobile phone"
is the key word attached to gps car kit or what ever
always request a sample good luck only sugestion i am not an expert
sorry about the caps didnt see it
Lidberg said:
People don't like when you use ALL CAPS. It looks like you're yelling at them.
The way you made your statement, it sounded like you needed drivers for the GPS antenna, which is not true. You need drivers to utilize the GPS radio. Two different things. You even got the two mixed up in the same post.
again tabgled up up a bit my bad
I seriously doubt the Kaiser is 5 years old. Where are you getting this information??
well not to be a drag but the hermes is been around for ages and again not to be rude but the kaiser is not the first phone to have a total new build. just some awsome exploited adjustments.
Personally I think your statements tend to ramble and be incoherent, but I digress.
well i guess everyone has an opinion but no need to insult me
The Kaiser is an excellent phone. I love having built-in GPS. I am probably going to buy an external GPS antenna for it, although it really doesn't need it. I can even get 2-3 birds inside my house.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Kool let me know how it goes
if i get around to it
i am assuming it can hook into a car via blue toothe???????
aboutthemind said:
sue.
Listen genious and i do say geneous with respect the fact is and this goes for all. technology has far supercede the cash cow(people who buy, consumers, money, what makes the world go round)
i noticed after getting into the bigger phones like the 1700 and the BA and the hermes that they all look the same or have very similar compositions.
I came to the conclusion that they all had gps in them from a market professional stand pioint.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Don't insult us by calling us "genius". There are a lot of very smart people on this board. Without their help, my phone wouldn't be nearly as fun to play with.
You made a pretty broad assumption that if one or two phones have GPS built-in, then all of them do. The fact is, very few phones have GPS built-in. My last phone, the 8525, was a very good phone with lots of features. It's less than a year old and it doesn't have GPS. Go ahead and keep making those assumptions and you'll stand out as someone who doesn't know how to do any kind of research. You will make yourself look like a fool.
P.S. Spell check is your friend. Use it.
Actually the 8525 does have GPS! However, after in-depth investigation these XDA folks identified that while the IC Chipset did have GPS as part of it's standard fratures, HTC shorted those particular pins to ground on the circuit board and did not include the internal amp and antenna assembly as well so it was impossible to make it work on them without major micro surgery. The Trinity, however, had the components and thru software was able to have it's GPS come to life. But certainly all phones don't have Chipsets with integrated GPS.
I would agree that many companies will use a particular chip and elect NOT to provide all of the features at first release or for specific models, that is normal marketing driven buisness and gives us reasons to buy the next model.
XDA certainly has made it possible for us all to reap the collective tinkering experience and get more from the phones we have and sometimes get these hidden features with a little work.
No disrespect "aboutthemind", but I must agree that your text is a challenge to understand, but I'm always amazed at the worldwide, round-the-clock, activity on this forum. I've learned so much here.
RemE said:
Actually the 8525 does have GPS! However, after in-depth investigation these XDA folks identified that while the IC Chipset did have GPS as part of it's standard fratures, HTC shorted those particular pins to ground on the circuit board and did not include the internal amp and antenna assembly as well so it was impossible to make it work on them without major micro surgery. The Trinity, however, had the components and thru software was able to have it's GPS come to life. But certainly all phones don't have Chipsets with integrated GPS.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I remember that discussion well about the 8525 GPS. I think one guy even had the GPS working, but only by disassembling the phone and having wires running everywhere. Not exactly portable...
Lidberg said:
I remember that discussion well about the 8525 GPS. I think one guy even had the GPS working, but only by disassembling the phone and having wires running everywhere. Not exactly portable...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Actually they got the GPS chip activated but could receive no valid data since the antenna bits were not present, they investigated the internal components and determined that it was basically not worth the effort to attempt to unsoldier all of the grounded pins on the chip and then get an amp/bandpass filter and antenna installed. No one ever got a 8525 to work and the project halted, but along came Kaiser!
Here's another one: http://www.mobileplanet.com/p.aspx?i=151025 much cheaper too, but only to be placed on the dash. Probably work just as good though.
My Wing has only one external connection. I bought a 3 watt Wilson booster which then goes to a Yagi (one directional antenna). Its awesome the reception I get. Costs about $300.00 to do all this.
ok no gps in 8525 and aboutthemind is a fool Y N
Lidberg said:
Don't insult us by calling us "genius". There are a lot of very smart people on this board. Without their help, my phone wouldn't be nearly as fun to play with.
You made a pretty broad assumption that if one or two phones have GPS built-in, then all of them do. The fact is, very few phones have GPS built-in. My last phone, the 8525, was a very good phone with lots of features. It's less than a year old and it doesn't have GPS. Go ahead and keep making those assumptions and you'll stand out as someone who doesn't know how to do any kind of research. You will make yourself look like a fool.
P.S. Spell check is your friend. Use it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
let me ask you a question, what gives you the right to speak for another person, I would you like to help the gentle man that was here for help cause i am confused as to why you want me to engage in this. i will if we can all end up with a gps that also gives you real-time police positions. Linberg i strongly sugest you bring a positive opinion to this one cause so far your not really contributing to a solution.
With all due respect sir, please refrain from putting words in my mouth. I have addressed the typing and by the looks of it i don't think u get that you my friend are assuming that i am just swing info from my hip.
your right but it from my eyes and hands threw my head to a yellow box so you can see.
now the comment you made finished this so at least we know that your old phone has a gps in it what else can we add to the gentle mans question..
yes i am a fool for answering you but i'll just pass cause i have no interest in your theory due to the nature of your comments.
gps is in the 8525 and yes you can take apart a phone. and im gane i got one in pieces so no is the time but the kaisers 8525 so the fun is one and that is poff's world i would start by maybe doing some reading on his work mans a guru
Mike I'm trying my best but out of respect for the genius members all of them including this guy . i can't take another comment with out losing character.
Mr Lindberg i regret to inform you that calling people fool and names and insulting my dyslexias probably cost you. I like the name very historical but again i will only ask you one more time do not insult me and do not speak for the team
yes we have lift off
zcink said:
My Wing has only one external connection. I bought a 3 watt Wilson booster which then goes to a Yagi (one directional antenna). Its awesome the reception I get. Costs about $300.00 to do all this.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yeah thats what I'm talking about i like it. can yu post a link
aboutthemind said:
let me ask you a question, what gives you the right to speak for another person, I would you like to help the gentle man that was here for help cause i am confused as to why you want me to engage in this. i will if we can all end up with a gps that also gives you real-time police positions. Linberg i strongly sugest you bring a positive opinion to this one cause so far your not really contributing to a solution.
With all due respect sir, please refrain from putting words in my mouth. I have addressed the typing and by the looks of it i don't think u get that you my friend are assuming that i am just swing info from my hip.
your right but it from my eyes and hands threw my head to a yellow box so you can see.
now the comment you made finished this so at least we know that your old phone has a gps in it what else can we add to the gentle mans question..
yes i am a fool for answering you but i'll just pass cause i have no interest in your theory due to the nature of your comments.
gps is in the 8525 and yes you can take apart a phone. and im gane i got one in pieces so no is the time but the kaisers 8525 so the fun is one and that is poff's world i would start by maybe doing some reading on his work mans a guru
Mike I'm trying my best but out of respect for the genius members all of them including this guy . i can't take another comment with out losing character.
Mr Lindberg i regret to inform you that calling people fool and names and insulting my dyslexias probably cost you. I like the name very historical but again i will only ask you one more time do not insult me and do not speak for the team
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sorry man, but I can't make any sense out of what you're trying to say. I didn't put any words into your mouth. I don't know where you got that idea.
You made some pretty broad statements about GPS in phones and I told you that that is not true - most phones do not have GPS built-in. The 8525 has some of the hardware, but it is not a complete, workable solution.
Also, I did not call you a fool. I said you would look like a fool if you made broad statements about phones in general that are not true.
'nuff said.
Related
I've been using the Tilt since late January and have treated the thing like a king....but today it died. The guy at the AT&T corporate store said it was a battery problem...so he replaced it and it worked for like an hour. He now says that the phone is defective.
He is having a new one sent to me and it will be here in 5 days and when I get the new one I don't want it anymore........I will gladly sell the thing for $250 plus shipping. If any of you want a spare or know someone who would like one please let me know. I bought another phone while at the phone store so if nobody buys it from me I'm throwing it in the trash.
Sorry to hear about you problems with the Tilt..... What are you going to replace it with?
Well, that's a completely stupid & ignorant statement.
If you're willing to throw it away, why not donate it to one of those charities that supplies phones to domestic violence victims.
Or to one of the masters of XDA, preferably in another forum to steal away another bright mind to come to Kaiser, or to someone working on porting drivers.
GSLEON3 said:
Well, that's a completely stupid & ignorant statement.
If you're willing to throw it away, why not donate it to one of those charities that supplies phones to domestic violence victims.
Or to one of the masters of XDA, preferably in another forum to steal away another bright mind to come to Kaiser, or to someone working on porting drivers.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This will be the third Tilt I've received and I'm tired of this poorly designed phone, so think of it this way. Getting a few bucks out of the phone will help me recoup some of the money I've lost, but donating the phone to a charity is idiotic because it's not nice to give something that's essentially broken by design. If I give it to a developer here I'm out even more money on shipping, and I'll never hear the end of it for *donating a defective phone. I'll just be asked why did I bother it's just junk. Making the transfer a financial transaction I can make the other party responsible for their actions by full disclosure.
Did you really setup an XDA account just so you could post your complaints?
liquidsilver said:
Did you really setup an XDA account just so you could post your complaints?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nope, read 1st post.
i found website that might help you want to throw away a tilt http://www.albinoblacksheep.com/flash/youare
after seeing quite a number of posts about dead tilts...often with it being the 2nd, or even 3rd+ tilt that has died...
i'm wondering if perhaps some of these issues are related to voltage regulation.
in other words, maybe the tilts are getting fried due to over/under voltage issues...whether it be from bad a/c at the house, or from the laptop usb port (i know when i plug my tilt into one specific computer i can "feel" the electricity in the buttons...that can't be good)...or from starting the car with the tilt in the cigarette lighter (i wouldn't ever advise that), or just from a faulty charger.
over time any of the above issues could kill any electronic device.
maybe the tilt is just more sensitive to voltage issues than other phones.... and so when one tilt is replaced, the next one dies too...because the same over/under voltage problem is still present. ...just a thought...i haven't experienced any problems with my tilt...yet
...but i have had pieces of electrical equipment die or malfunction due to voltage problems.
casenickles said:
I've been using the Tilt since late January and have treated the thing like a king....but today it died. The guy at the AT&T corporate store said it was a battery problem...so he replaced it and it worked for like an hour. He now says that the phone is defective.
He is having a new one sent to me and it will be here in 5 days and when I get the new one I don't want it anymore........I will gladly sell the thing for $250 plus shipping. If any of you want a spare or know someone who would like one please let me know. I bought another phone while at the phone store so if nobody buys it from me I'm throwing it in the trash.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
When do u take ur trash out?
I'll buy it for $50
GSLEON3 said:
Well, that's a completely stupid & ignorant statement.
If you're willing to throw it away, why not donate it to one of those charities that supplies phones to domestic violence victims.
Or to one of the masters of XDA, preferably in another forum to steal away another bright mind to come to Kaiser, or to someone working on porting drivers.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not to mention irresponsible, I don't know how it is where he lives, but here in California anything that plugs in or takes batteries MUST BY LAW be recycled at a proper facility, that stuff can leach all kind of nasties into the environment.
casenickles said:
This will be the third Tilt I've received and I'm tired of this poorly designed phone...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just curious... What prompted the first replacement?
californiarailroader said:
Not to mention irresponsible, I don't know how it is where he lives, but here in California anything that plugs in or takes batteries MUST BY LAW be recycled at a proper facility, that stuff can leach all kind of nasties into the environment.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I live in Columbus Ohio and I take all my electronics to the local DIY store as they do recycling there and not at the community I live in. Saying I'm going to throw it in the *trash is my way of saying I'm going to get rid of it with other similar junk people don't want anymore.
In fact I must take all my electronics to a recycling place because my community will fine me big time if I take it to the dumpster that they rent.
I'm from MI and they do far less recycling there so when I was a kid basically anything that had lost it's use was *trashed, even if it went to a recycle bin somewhere.
gavink said:
Just curious... What prompted the first replacement?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My first Tilt went crazy on me around day 2-3 when it just started to jumble all the characters on the screen and redraw images in random pixelated blocks of ****. So I took it to the store I got it from and they verified that it was a crazy phone and gave a me a new one on the spot.
con_ritmo said:
after seeing quite a number of posts about dead tilts...often with it being the 2nd, or even 3rd+ tilt that has died...
i'm wondering if perhaps some of these issues are related to voltage regulation.
in other words, maybe the tilts are getting fried due to over/under voltage issues...whether it be from bad a/c at the house, or from the laptop usb port (i know when i plug my tilt into one specific computer i can "feel" the electricity in the buttons...that can't be good)...or from starting the car with the tilt in the cigarette lighter (i wouldn't ever advise that), or just from a faulty charger.
over time any of the above issues could kill any electronic device.
maybe the tilt is just more sensitive to voltage issues than other phones.... and so when one tilt is replaced, the next one dies too...because the same over/under voltage problem is still present. ...just a thought...i haven't experienced any problems with my tilt...yet
...but i have had pieces of electrical equipment die or malfunction due to voltage problems.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'd like to think your on to something, but in my case I've tried several different chargers in several different places and even different branded batteries, and still a no go on getting a properly functioning Tilt.
AthenaLod said:
When do u take ur trash out?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
When my surveillance cameras catch trash stalkers giving up and going back to their cardboard box homes. I might have some water repellent spray left I can throw in the trash for ya to weatherize your place.
d00mz said:
I'll buy it for $50
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
When you learn to count higher come back to the negotiating table jr.
casenickles, go check ur PM inbox!
Thanks for all the pm's everyone. When I get off work 3pm Eastern I will respond to all of you.
I'll give ya $125 right now.
I removed both cameras on the first day I got my Diamond. I've been looking through the service manual before and felt primed.
Beforehand I want to tell you I did this already to my Magician and my Hermes - easy like swinging compared to the following.
After nearly 2h everything was put together again (I spare you the dirty and sweaty details). Before I switched on again I already thought about posting here something like "don't do it... it's cumbersome". Ok, then I switched on.
Booting up just fine . Since I touched those sensitive antennae cables I tried my SIM-PIN, works. WLAN & BT, works. Navi (GPS) no signal!
During the next tremulous 4h I tried "everything". Cutting it short: there was a conducting patch grounding the GPS antenna cable . I pushed that cable 5nm (there's actually no room left within the housing - as long as the cameras are still in) below and it all worked again.
To sum it up: don't do it! I mean it: DON'T DO IT. If you're a reckless person - seek some other "joy".
Why am I posting in ROM dev.: Maybe someone has too much time and wants to save me some storage space and wants to cook me a ROM without camera stuff OR someone is in need of a tester for special software (e.g. 1st torch software for Magician needed the camera, my own software later on didn't need a camera and was much more lean and fast).
PS: If you still wonder why I actually did that -> company policy.
Dont know if i should laugh or cry... or go to bed -.-
Couldn't you just spray paint over the camera lenses or put scotch tape on them?
I don't know what to say... other than WTF!
@techdave: You'll be asked "R U carrying a camera-cellphone with U?" at the plant entrance. If the camera is "only" blinded they could get nitpicking and say there still is a camera. But I can "lordly" answer "No".
Chatty said:
@techdave: You'll be asked "R U carrying a camera-cellphone with U?" at the plant entrance. If the camera is "only" blinded they could get nitpicking and say there still is a camera. But I can "lordly" answer "No".
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
but now you can reply, no i have fully maimed my thousand dollar smartphone in honour of this company!
Wow, extreme measures!
racerx_ said:
but now you can reply, no i have fully maimed my thousand dollar smartphone in honour of this company!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Haha only temporarily, he can put them back when he quits because he gets sick of a Diamond with no camera.
@racerx_: Don't exaggerate. It's neither that expensive nor is it maimed (luckily). There's been always little use for these cheap CMOS sensors for me.
hey, do your company guards know that you can bring your cameras in separate pocket and then reassemble it back at the facility? ;-)
Carrying the cameras would violate company policies itself - no matter whether in conjunction with a suitable device or not. Technically you'd also bring a USB-Cam, LAN-Cam and whatever cam.
I've got nothing more than a usual cell phone with added holes. Would this be violating? Almost every cell phone has got bluetooth capability. So what about bluetooth cams? Ooops. Is every (BT-)phone now violating the above policy?
What are you on man? Whatever it is its kicking in awesome.
Chatty said:
Carrying the cameras would violate company policies itself - no matter whether in conjunction with a suitable device or not. Technically you'd also bring a USB-Cam, LAN-Cam and whatever cam.
I've got nothing more than a usual cell phone with added holes. Would this be violating? Almost every cell phone has got bluetooth capability. So what about bluetooth cams? Ooops. Is every (BT-)phone now violating the above policy?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I guess the policy is not to carry cameras, otherwise the policy would probably have been not to carry any communication device. Carrying a device with holes but with no camera's would be acceptable then. If not, you'd also have to remove the BT and the WiFi, since there are probably cameras out there that can communicate with BT or WiFi. If you are going to remove that, please take pictures (if you still can without the camera)? LOL
How did you move the GPS grounding cable a stunning distance of 5 nm? Is that cable fixed enough not to vibrate back while using the device?
I must say, I should go to sleep, did not cry, but felt a joy while reading your thread. Nice one! Thanx
Can we put a third camera on Diamond ?
Some pictures pls! Thanks!
drvdijk said:
...there are probably cameras out there that can communicate with BT or WiFi.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That was my argument already! If BT and/or Wifi are allowed, then should be mine as well.
drvdijk said:
How did you move the GPS grounding cable a stunning distance of 5 nm? Is that cable fixed enough not to vibrate back while using the device?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, 5nm were of course disproportionate. But yes, the cable is bendable. Although I wouldn't push it more than needed. Till now it didn't resume position because my device still knows where it is (although I don't know all the time).
drvdijk said:
I must say, I should go to sleep, did not cry, but felt a joy while reading your thread. Nice one! Thanx
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Great. Let's see in a 1-2 years when I'm disassembling the brand new HTC [disclosed]... :-D
panosha said:
Can we put a third camera on Diamond ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Where would you wanna do that? On the side? Two next to each other for stereography?
GSeeker said:
Some pictures pls! Thanks!
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Click to collapse
I'll see what I can do. But I'm not gonna dismantle my baby again (unless I'm forced to).
I would be lucky if we were allowed to use phones with *removed* cameras. We have to prove, that it was a cameraless device from the beginning (like in: go to shop, buy without camera). Not sure if there's a official (i.e. AT&T) version of the diamond without camera.
(oh, and I regularly disassemble my smartphones when they get sick, nothing to worry about)
i demand pictures! ...so where do you work? BAHAHHA
TauTau said:
I would be lucky if we were allowed to use phones with *removed* cameras. We have to prove, that it was a cameraless device from the beginning (like in: go to shop, buy without camera). Not sure if there's a official (i.e. AT&T) version of the diamond without camera.
(oh, and I regularly disassemble my smartphones when they get sick, nothing to worry about)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yea, AT&T sells the Fuze with no camera. I guess you have to buy it through the business site or via phone though...
bigb252 said:
Yea, AT&T sells the Fuze with no camera. I guess you have to buy it through the business site or via phone though...
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Click to collapse
which is exactly where I can't get from germany But at least there's a minimal chance then on the bay
Hey guys,
I had my Diamond for a few months now, and with the help and hard work by the great people in this forum I now got it from "unusable" (the way it was when it came out of the box) to "almost working" after flashing many different ROMs, trying tweaks, installing and uninstalling applications and hacks.
The device still is laggish, slow, unresponsive. Many things still suck hard, and it still crashes at least once a day. The ridiculous fact that there is a "reset manager" installed which does a scheduled soft reset every now and then speaks for itself.
To cut this short, I decided to destroy what I believe is the greatest piece of sh** you could ever put a SIM card into, and I want to do it in the most spectacular way possible.
The reasons for destroying it are:
1. It sucks so hard it makes me aggressive, I feel like throwing it on the ground at least once a day when I wait for an important call only to discover that that sob crashed two hours ago or when a phone call is dropped in the middle of a conversation
2. my friends laugh at me because I have the most sophisticated, most expensive cell phone and I am the one having the greatest trouble with it.
3. It HAS to be destroyed so it doesn't fall into someone else's hands and devours someone else's time, money and energy
4. It's fun, isn't it?
I will make a video of the destruction process and post it either here or on Youtube for the amusement of the community.
What I need now are your suggestions on how to do it. Please participate in the poll attached to this thread and let me know what you think.
i wouldnt mind
hi, i wouldnt mind my time and money devoured by this evil diamond of yours =)
really, but elf broke down today, and i hope they will replace it with something awesomer, but i dont have that kind of money to buy myself a new one =P
you can destroy my touch, it has caused me even more trouble than you diamond i think =D
Give it to someone else...
There are even people finding it fantastic...
Or to a chef, that he can continue to make excellent ROMs...
I think, that Dutty broke his Diamond and is looking for another one...
Ok, I go out...
the point
c'mon you guys, this is not about getting rid of the device. We have a working public service here and they collect trash every two weeks.
No, this is about something else. It is about the question what exactly is happening here, why this forum exists and what has become normal in the world of 2008.
It is that a manufacturer has brought a device to the market that can only be used after hours and hours spent on doing what the developers were supposed to do. People like Dutty, who's ROM I am using right now, deserve not only respect for what they are doing, they also deserve to get PAID for it - not by donations, but with cold hard cash from HTC.
I can buy an electric two-speed hammer drill here at the hardware store for the equivalent of 10 US Dollars, it comes with printed instructions, a small bag with tools and replacement brushes, and a plastic carrying box. It is covered by a two year warranty.
On the other hand, I can buy a $500 piece of crap called the Touch Diamond, which is almost unuseable in the state I got it out of the box because of being FAR too slow to be used in an everyday manner. I can then spend HOURS AND DAYS on re-flashing, updating and customizing it with the results of work done by people like Dutty and all the others here who ALSO have spent their time and energy on the same goal, and I end up with a device that only crashed once a day and still is SLOW. Neither the manufacturer of the hardware nor Microsoft who have done the software GIVES A SH**.
I am currently writing a book on this and many other topics, on things that are to be considered somewhere between ripoff and burglary, and that have become widely accepted just because of the lack of alternatives.
Look at the dreaded Iphone, for example. A device that has NOTHING outstanding to offer, a mediocre PDA combined with a mediocre MP3 player, a mediocre 2MP camera, and a mediocre cell phone - all it has is USABILITY.
A technical piece of equipment, be it a cell phone or a hammer drill, has two basic reasons to justify its existence: functionality and usability. A hammer drill has to drill holes, but must also enable the user to handle it appropriately.
The Diamond lacks both of these. It is still full of bugs and flaws, as we all know, and it is hardly usable without the f***ing stylus. The Iphone has both, it is blazing fast AND it is a charm to handle, but it has no ground-breaking features AND it comes with the restrictive policies of Apple Computer that we all know.
Before anybody gets excited, the Iphone is NOT an alternative to the Diamond. My old Nokia 7373 is because it just WORKS.
I have to state an example here, and that's why the Diamond has to die. I will not give it to anyone, even though I would love to support the community, but I think I give a greater gift to society if only ONE person reads this and ends up thinking - wow, what a scam by HTC and M$.
Please participate in the poll ;-)
Why don't you just send it for repair?
What REPAIR?? What should I write as fault description: "SLOW, LAGGISH, FULL OF BUGS"?
Try to send Windows Vista in for repair, maybe you will get back the first error-free operating system in the known universe, for free...
That's the way it SHOULD be, but sadly, the way it IS is different.
I know at least 3 users who don't know this site and are using their stock diamond. They don't have the bottom-edge expectations as you seem to have.
I have them and yes, i find them here. This is another stupid, boring thread about something YOU COULD HAVE KNOWN from the start.
These are silly devices which cannot replace a PC, just phone and fun. I have seriously NO ISSUES AT ALL so please don't start spamming this **** again. I think that is stupid, we had enough of those people right at the beginning.
You buy it, YOU pay 500 dollar, YOU go into the marketing.
HTC makes money of it, makes a living of people working there. That's how market works. Stop complaining after you buy something. Then just don't buy it. You always have options to try out first.
Like the idea...
But you forgot to put in the option of putting it in acid and let it slowly dissolve into notingness...
That would get my vote!
abel7777 said:
What REPAIR?? What should I write as fault description: "SLOW, LAGGISH, FULL OF BUGS"?
Try to send Windows Vista in for repair, maybe you will get back the first error-free operating system in the known universe, for free...
That's the way it SHOULD be, but sadly, the way it IS is different.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
3 months ago you were saying something completely different:
"I love the phone, really the first usable device without keyboard that relies on dialling via virtual keyboard. Still have the Samsung Armani thing here waiting to go on Ebay..."
It is really the peer pressure is not it? And the destruction show is mainly for them? Hardly anybody of the xda-developers members would make a good audience.
I felt disappointed with the Diamond when I got it in June this year and yes, the feeling of rage came to me especially when the GPS was unable to get a fix.
Since then I learnt how to tweak the phone and today I can say that if it was misplaced I would get the same phone again.
Perhaps your phone really developed some hardware problem that demonstrates itself in lockups and sluggishness. I had my phone last week sitting next to iphone and all comparable applications such as the google maps were running at the same speed.
And I do not need to restart it unless I do a lot of browsing with Opera, which is still in beta and the latest version 29/10 seems to have fixed even that.
Spamming, Riel, is what you do. Nobody cares about how many people you know that are willing to live with an overpriced device that doesn't stand up to what it promises. There are millions of organisms that eat feces and are happy with it, did you know that?
I could NOT have known from the start about any of the negative experiences I had to make while trying to use the Touch Diamond. When you buy a machine, like a coffee maker, you expect that it will make coffee. That is the implication of the fact that the coffee maker exists and is being sold as one.
I have bought a very expensive cell phone, implicating that I can make and receive phone calls and send SMS, and it does not even accomplish these basic tasks without showing bugs and errors. Another implicit expectation is that a device sold in 2008 would be at least as fast and responsive as my 2001 Ericsson T39m, at least as far as telephony and SMS are concerned.
I wouldn't complain if the Diamond needed 1-2 seconds to start a complex application like Google Maps, but it needs 1-2 seconds to switch from my email inbox to an already running Opera, and 3 seconds to take a picture after pressing the shutter button, and yes, it crashes during and after phone calls quite frequently.
Yes, I used other WM phones like the Samsung Omnia or even the Xperia (had the chance to play with it for half a day) and the ALL had these problems. Unfortunately I had already bought the Diamond...
I am not whining or complaining about the loss of money. If I was, I would sell the Diamond on Ebay or somewhere else instead of destroying it.
Riel, I have many devices here that simply do not function properly, with manufacturers not caring about it and saying that I have to live with it, including even a CAR.
What you wrote is just an example for how many people today have stopped thinking about what they can expect for their money. I would love to sell you a hammer drill that takes 30 minutes for drilling a hole, quits unexpectedly from time to time for no obvious reason, and weighs 20 pounds. People like YOU would be quite happy with it as long as it looks fancy, has a blue display on top of it and makes sounds like a device from Star Trek.
catdog said:
3 months ago you were saying something completely different:
"I love the phone, really the first usable device without keyboard that relies on dialling via virtual keyboard. Still have the Samsung Armani thing here waiting to go on Ebay..."
It is really the peer pressure is not it? And the destruction show is mainly for them? Hardly anybody of the xda-developers members would make a good audience.
Yes, that's what I wrote, and it is still true. The Diamond is the first device I had in my hands that has no numeric keyboard AND allows dialling with one finger without major problems. True.
That was BEFORE I started using it beyond the capabilities of an ordinary cell phone, and BEFORE it started hanging or crashing in the middle of a call.
I wrote that I was impressed by the way I could dial numbers with the Diamond compared to the Armani, and that is still true as well.
No honey, it is not peer pressure. I don't mind running around with a pink Nokia everybody makes fun of, I did this for half a year, everybody was laughing, I didn't care. The fact is that I missed calls from people because of the phone not ringing and had to explain to them that my $500 high-tech phone is unable to play a ringtone when someone calls me. If somebody finds that funny, they are not making fun of me, but of HTC and Microsoft who sell crap like that for money. I can only make fun of myself because I was stupid enough to buy it, and this experience will keep me from buying any Windows Mobile device before I had the chance to play with WM7 for at least a week.
And come on, some people really need to lighten up a little. This is supposed to be a fun thread, it is about creating a funny video, if you don't want to read it press ALT-F4 and do something else.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Chris1974 said:
Like the idea...
But you forgot to put in the option of putting it in acid and let it slowly dissolve into notingness...
That would get my vote!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Very good idea, but I don't think there is any acid that will dissolve the plastic housing. What we would get would be a device where some internal parts would be eaten up by acid, but I don't think very much would be visible on the outside.
Apart from that, it is hard to get concentrated sulfuric acid due to the danger it imposes.
abel7777 said:
Spamming, Riel, is what you do. Nobody cares about how many people you know that are willing to live with an overpriced device that doesn't stand up to what it promises. There are millions of organisms that eat feces and are happy with it, did you know that?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So why are you putting US up with your expectations? It's obvouis that the phone is good enough for the masses.
I could NOT have known from the start about any of the negative experiences I had to make while trying to use the Touch Diamond. When you buy a machine, like a coffee maker, you expect that it will make coffee. That is the implication of the fact that the coffee maker exists and is being sold as one.
I have bought a very expensive cell phone, implicating that I can make and receive phone calls and send SMS, and it does not even accomplish these basic tasks without showing bugs and errors. Another implicit expectation is that a device sold in 2008 would be at least as fast and responsive as my 2001 Ericsson T39m, at least as far as telephony and SMS are concerned.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It does more then I want to. Don't know what your problem is, but I call, mail, sms, synchronise, navigate, play games etc. No it does not make coffee. And, yes, you had the option of trying it for a while.
I wouldn't complain if the Diamond needed 1-2 seconds to start a complex application like Google Maps, but it needs 1-2 seconds to switch from my email inbox to an already running Opera, and 3 seconds to take a picture after pressing the shutter button, and yes, it crashes during and after phone calls quite frequently.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just edit the registry. When you are not pations, you can set those delays to zero. The average user has no problems with it.
Yes, I used other WM phones like the Samsung Omnia or even the Xperia (had the chance to play with it for half a day) and the ALL had these problems. Unfortunately I had already bought the Diamond... I am not whining or complaining about the loss of money. If I was, I would sell the Diamond on Ebay or somewhere else instead of destroying it.
Riel, I have many devices here that simply do not function properly, with manufacturers not caring about it and saying that I have to live with it, including even a CAR.
What you wrote is just an example for how many people today have stopped thinking about what they can expect for their money. I would love to sell you a hammer drill that takes 30 minutes for drilling a hole, quits unexpectedly from time to time for no obvious reason, and weighs 20 pounds. People like YOU would be quite happy with it as long as it looks fancy, has a blue display on top of it and makes sounds like a device from Star Trek.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Simple.
I think the perfect phone would cost 10.000 dollars, if you know what I mean.
Riel said:
So why are you putting US up with your expectations? It's obvouis that the phone is good enough for the masses.
It does more then I want to. Don't know what your problem is, but I call, mail, sms, synchronise, navigate, play games etc. No it does not make coffee. And, yes, you had the option of trying it for a while.
Just edit the registry. When you are not pations, you can set those delays to zero. The average user has no problems with it.
Simple.
I think the perfect phone would cost 10.000 dollars, if you know what I mean.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, Riel, I did not have the option of trying it for a while as you wrote... At first, it looks - and feels - great. You play around with all the features, discover the G-sensor, try a little GPS with Google Maps - great. It's like getting a new car with new features that the old one didn't have - electric windows, electric seats, more power, everything smells new - great.
When after a couple of weeks you notice a rattle behind the glove box you start noticing things that you didn't see - or didn't want to see - when it was new.
I don't see me here putting the blame on anyone on this board. I put the blame on the manufacturer who didn't do his job, be it for the hardware or the software part. Why should I edit the registry in my unpaid time to fix a camera delay that I am not responsible for?
You buy a new car, you notice that the air conditioner doesn't work. Would you start tweaking this yourself? Just edit the registry, put in another orifice, flush the system, and maybe that helps?
You are right, the perfect phone would cost a lot of money. Maybe $10000 as you write. Maybe a little less. If it would exist, I would happily spend like $2500 on it. But I don't think it would have to be so expensive - the Iphone is a good start, but with all of its implicit (no flash, no cut-and-paste, too big, poor resolution...) and synthetic (restrictive Apple policies) limitations it's no alternative.
I did not intend to create a discussion like this, I wanted to let all of you participate in the execution of my phone, that's what the poll is for. I am SURE that very many people from this board will watch the video once it's there. I am not torturing lab mice here, it's just a phone so no need to get excited.
If you really want to destroy such a nice device id say go with boiling water and then shoot the hell out of it :>
I love my diamond with duttys ROM, I was disappointed for a while after i bought it how slow it is (1st ones that came out). but since I had tweaked my old wizard here this didnt feel so hard to do the same for this.
my first Diamond got stolen in Bulgaria and I had insurance choice to take money or new phone, I gone for new Diamond. it had new rom and was pretty fast without any tweaks
abel7777 said:
That was BEFORE I started using it beyond the capabilities of an ordinary cell phone, and BEFORE it started hanging or crashing in the middle of a call.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Definitively a hardware issue. I had a couple of phones like that and they were both fixed in warranty by the manufacturer's service centre.
The problem is that it is hard to distinguish between software issues and hardware problems on a device like Diamond unless you had a working phone in your hand.
Switching between applications is instant, just tried now from inbox to opera running under 1 sec.
Oh and with the Camera lag- it is there on purpose, it is meant to stabilize the picture after pressing the shutter. I have the shutter delay off and it takes the photo within 1/2 sec.
you can double press the camera button to take a instant picture. It has a Auto Focus, which is why it takes a couple of seconds. Length of time does depend on light conditions. more light = quicker to take picture
I was told by a friend that there was a phone out there that could be used as a weight scale. I didn't really believe it but the more I thought about it the more i thought it could be possible. I've been searching on all the fuze sites i've come across with no luck. So my question is this is it possible to use a phone as a weight scale and if so is there something out there to get my fuze to do this?
Sure there is! Solder a load cell and H bar to your phone, install the scale board and viola! NCR eat your heart out!
wouldn't that make your phone sticky?....or dusty?....
So are you planning on standing on your phone?
bigch0ps said:
So are you planning on standing on your phone?
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Click to collapse
My thoughts exactly what do you legally plan on weighing on your fuze? w.e I would like to know as well as it would just be cool to have.
i personally don't think he intends on standing on his phone,
so obviously he wants it for something smaller,
which i'm 99.9% positive that it won't be something legal.
but i know i would like this also,
possibly for the same reasons.
this has been discussed in the past on the kaiser forum and im sure on previous devices..it CANT be done..the pressue required to register ANYTHING from the hardware to the software is too much to weigh "illegal" things lol AND the phone onyl records pressure at only ONE given point at a time and that surface area is TOO SMALL to weight anything because if you have something even a centimeter on the screen it wont register..so it isnt possible..sorry
Aww, too bad it won't work. This would be of tremendous use to people like, say, biologists who study small animals in the field (like me), lots of other scientific applications, jewelers, DJs (just a few that come to mind). There's a decent-sized market out there for portable scales that most people don't know about, since they're usually used for such specialized (and legal ) purposes. However, I'm not sure I'd feel comfortable using my new $X00 phone as a lab instrument!
thanks for the info. thats too bad its not possible. i thought it would be cool and come in handy for whatever purposes i had, legal or otherwise lol
yah it would be very cool. maybe in the future it will be possible just like the blackberry storm uses the whole screen as a button and maybe the whole screen can be set on a actual hardware scale insted of a button mechanism...
ha... hahaha... hahahahahaha
"No officer, that is just my phone"
Wouldn't the razor scratch the finish?
Radimus said:
ha... hahaha... hahahahahaha
"No officer, that is just my phone"
Wouldn't the razor scratch the finish?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well the Iphone supports multi-touch and has a very very scratch resistant screen
well, if he can make a gram scale out of his phone, I want to make hollow stylii
Today we’re looking at the SIGNALBOOST DT from Wilson Electronics.
Click here for pricing, working informational links, and links to purchase.
This is the home version of the Wilson's cell phone signal booster tech, you remember that we'd taken a look at the Sleek 4G-v a while ago which is the in car solution to low bars and dropped calls. Wilson makes a version of their tech to grow and fit any need. Aside from home and auto options that you can easily install yourself, they offer large scale systems that can cover your entire business with a professional installation. As I'd mentioned in the Sleek 4G review, this isn't a gimmick. No stickers, no false promises. If you have at least a little bit of signal, Wilson's products can amplify it. Read on...
Click here to see a video slideshow of the SIGNALBOOST DT
Main advantage: No physical connection to cell phone needed, product will wirelessly boost the signal of an entire room in your home
Main concern: Install is simple, but not easy. Specific distances need to be maintained and based on the layout of your home things can get a bit tricky
Unique features: Works with all major carriers, Boosts the signals of multiple phones at the same time
I still personally maintain the theory that the cell service providers greatly limit the true capabilities of phones to always have a wild card up their sleeves. When technology has advanced beyond anything and it's hard to impress they can always announce, “guaranteed signal increase of up to two bars with our new service” Verizon is definitely capable of this and many other atrocities that would frighten school children across the world if I were to speculate here in print. I'll spare the world the horror and we'll just agree that cell service could be much improved across the board. We need a third party to step in, we need an equalizer to take the power out of the hands of the big 4 here in the US. Wilson Electronics might just be the hero that we need.
I wouldn't trust a person who wasn't at least a bit skeptical about spending a couple of hundred dollars on a cell phone signal booster. Let's get a little backstory to begin. The first thing that helped to bring my attention to Wilson is that Verizon and others were trying to rally the government to ban products like theirs. It's clear that when the bad guy says that something is bad it's most likely bad for them. The cell providers were working furiously for years through the diversions and double speak of lawyers and lobbyists to throw the baby out with the bathwater. The baby being real solutions like Wilson's and the bathwater being the congested sea of snake oil created by years of AS SEEN ON TV cell booster sticker nonsense.
Let's say that you owned an emerging healthy chain restaurant in New York City. You're highly trained and you make great healthy food and business is growing. One day, an employee at a Jack in the Box in Idaho spills floor cleaner in the special sauce and everyone gets sick. Back in New York, there is a big company that sells junky microwave dinners to supermarkets and business is being hurt by how tasty and healthy your food is. The company decides to lobby the government to have all restaurants in the country shut down including your chain in New York. All of this because of an untrained idiot in Idaho (no offense Idaho.) On the surface it might seem like the frozen dinner company is genuinely concerned about the well being of the people, but a little reasonable thought and you can see that it's all a ploy to get rid of the healthy chain that's threatening business with a great product that is a better choice than their own frozen heart attacks. That's basically the idea here, and it's obviously a ridiculous case. Verizon and others didn't win, but they successfully delayed and cast doubt over products like this unfortunately. My job as a journalist is to tell you the truth without exception. Signal boosters like Wilson's aren't perfect, but if you have at least some reception anywhere in the country, Wilson will show you at least some improvement in signal.
To dramatically sum this up, Verizon and the other major carriers are selling a disease that they don't want cured, and Wilson Electronics wants to sell you the medicine.
I mentioned briefly above that the system is simple, but not necessarily easy. It's basically only three pieces; an outdoor and indoor antenna, and a desktop receiver. All the required installation wires and hardware are included in the package. You're given the instructions for three separate scenarios to install the main outdoor antenna. The first, which is described as the best, is outside on or near your roof mounted to a pole. The outdoor antenna comes with a cradle and it is weatherized and sealed for prolonged outdoor use. Any weather damage is covered for a year after purchase to ease any doubts. This is the preferred option as I stated, and I'm sure it would be the only option if it wasn't a very difficult task for many people. I personally live in a multistory building that doesn't allow roof access. The next best option is an outdoor wall mounted installation. You're given the hardware to drill into your home's outer walls where you'll then mount the outdoor antenna facing the nearest cell phone tower. Again, in a multistory building, this isn't a very practical option. That leaves us with the last option that is the simplest but also the least effective, indoor suction cup mounting to a window.
Once you decide which install you're capable of, the only challenge left is running coaxial cable. If the name doesn't ring a bell, coaxial cable is the thicker white wire that your cable man installs. The unit comes with two lengths of RG6 cables, one 20' and one 30' for a total of 50' of possible separation. Also included is an optional adapter to attach the two lengths together if need be. You need a minimum of 20' separation between the outdoor and indoor antennas which can get tricky depending on your home's layout. The best layout that I could find meant that I mounted the antenna on my living room window and dropped the cable down to the base of the floor as the cable man might. I then followed the corners of the room, through a hallway, into my office where there was about 25' separation all together. I then connected the indoor antenna to the other side of the coaxial cable. It's designed to lay flat with 4 rubber skid proof buttons on the bottom. You then just need to connect the desktop receiver which will need to face away from the antenna for optimal functionality. The system works best in a smaller area such an office or bedroom. After connecting all of the components, plug in the included AC adapter to power the device and then you have the option to further tune the device to work just right for you.
A very welcomed addition to this system is a two light on-board notification system that helps you to get the best signal. The lights with show in three colors; red, orange, and green. Red means you aren't configured correctly and it turns the device off altogether to not interfere with any existing signal. Orange means you're getting closer and Green as you've guessed, means you're in tune. Two dials under each light allow you to adjust if you can no longer move the actual components of the system. The further down you turn the dials, the less signal improvement you'll see though. After every adjustment to the dial you'll need to wait at least 5 seconds for the signal to reset. Though the process as I've laid it out might seem involved, remember that it is only a one time setup. You'll never need to touch the pieces of the system after you install (in fact, you won't want to touch them because you might mess with the perfect signal that you worked so hard to get in the first place)
If you'd like to see the full PDF of the included installation instructions, click here.
Here is a site that can help you to find the location of local cell towers.
I tried to set the system up in a few different sections of my own home that are known to get the best reception, though the best is still normally only 2 bars at best. While I found technical success, I didn't find the dramatic increase that many happy customers have reported across the internet. I live in a notoriously difficult cell phone reception area so I don't blame the device. In the end I was able to improve from two bars to three bars. Specifically, the way a cell phone's reception is measured is through dBm. I'm not smart enough to technically understand this beyond knowing that he measurement is taken in negative numbers so a lower number is a better number. I improved from -107dbm to -96dbm which is a ten times increase in signal according to Wilson. I haven't dropped a call since and while it wasn't a frequent occurrence really, I did drop calls before. I have noticed a clear improvement in call volume actually which is very welcome. I'd spent many a phone call in the past with a finger angrily jammed into my ear trying to focus on a low call volume. Nevermore.
Thank you again to Wilson Electronics for supplying their product for review.
What's in the box: outdoor and indoor antenna, outdoor cradle, coaxial cable, ac adapter, install instructions, all mounting hardware
Is it worth buying: Many report a dramatic increase when using the product but the most important thing to remember is that this device isn't magic. It won't make something from nothing but if you have a weak signal it should give you a very usable and constant signal at the least. At best, people have reported that calls are so clear and loud that they need to actually turn the in-call volume down. While that wasn't my own experience, hundreds of accounts online plus my own give me full confidence in recommending the product. BUY WITH CONFIDENCE.
I hear what ya saying, and I'm not doubting intelligence of our forum readers, but I'm pretty sure your very passionate analogy with "jack in the box" will fly over the head of a lot of readers who click to read a review to find out if this is a product for them or not, in this case if they can justify spending $225 on a signal booster which can only provide one extra bar after an extensive setup
As you have seen, even with my reviews where I'm trying to get to the technical point quickly and have made some improvements lately to keep it shorter - people still skip to pictures Btw, the subject of review was just "REVIEW", so perhaps my reply will bring it up to someone's attention if they are interested in this product.
vectron said:
I hear what ya saying, and I'm not doubting intelligence of our forum readers, but I'm pretty sure your very passionate analogy with "jack in the box" will fly over the head of a lot of readers who click to read a review to find out if this is a product for them or not, in this case if they can justify spending $225 on a signal booster which can only provide one extra bar after an extensive setup
As you have seen, even with my reviews where I'm trying to get to the technical point quickly and have made some improvements lately to keep it shorter - people still skip to pictures Btw, the subject of review was just "REVIEW", so perhaps my reply will bring it up to someone's attention if they are interested in this product.
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I'll give the members here the credit to handle a small story. They can always click through to the video slideshow with my blessing. :good:
As far as $225 for one extra bar. As I'd mentioned in the article there are many online accounts of a full five bars. I'm in a horrible spot, really uniquely horrible area for reception. The product has nearly 500 customer reviews on Amazon with a 4 star rating maintained, not an easy task when the amount of reviews is that high. In any event, this is a company that stands by their product. Buy it and set it up and if you aren't happy contact them and I'm sure they will make everything right. If not, as I've said before, post your issue here and I'll try to intervene if necessary.
samprocat said:
I do definitely agree with you I use them on all my vehicles and motorcycle. ..and there is only one thing to say.....it will rock your network in many places that are miles and miles from network
SGH-S959G
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Glad to hear a real account samprocat.
snapz54 said:
Glad to hear a real account samprocat.
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Uh, is there a response that the rest of us can't see? Btw, Samprocat's using the mobile version that is wired to a vehicle antenna, Just sayin.
Man, you've got to learn to take constructive criticism bro.
It's obvious that you're not an independent reviewer and that your reviews also direct to your website (skating on the edge of forum rules).
With a product like this, I think a bit more research than 'hundreds of online reviews' is deserved.
Wilson makes a solid product,... for the right consumer. The consumer that understands that the best way to capitalize on this device is with high gain antennas and professional installation so that they don't have coaxial cables all over the place and an antenna in a weird location. A consumer that uses antennasearch.com and knows what to do with the search results. (I think you meant to put in a link for the antenna search in your review, but you missed it.)
Quite possibly the best thing about this product, is the company itself. They have excellent customer service. If you buy the right device. For example, you may want to mention in the review that the version you reviewed is the non-LTE version and that Wilson has a line of installation accessories that can help a person install it properly (but at some expense.) If someone's looking to take advantage of a newer phone's LTE capabilities, that may cost a bit more but hey, it's worth it.
apallohadas said:
Uh, is there a response that the rest of us can't see?
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I think the quote came from a duplicate thread that he had made, but had typo'd the heading. He has simply copied that post to here to provide substantive information from another user.
Optimistic Pessimist said:
I think the quote came from a duplicate thread that he had made, but had typo'd the heading. He has simply copied that post to here to provide substantive information from another user.
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What I think apallohadas meant is that samprocat's one short sentence statement was not a convincing testimonial, so he was asking if there is something more that we missed between the lines
vectron said:
What I think apallohadas meant is that samprocat's one short sentence statement was not a convincing testimonial, so he was asking if there is something more that we missed between the lines
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Ahh I see, Yeah just re-read his comment and got the context.
I'm happy with my review. I believe I was thorough enough to get a person enough to decide if they want to seriously think about purchasing the device. It isn't my task to replace your own thought process. The fact that someone belongs to this forum and is most likely active in phone customization and the ins and outs of that process shows that an average member is a thoughtful, intelligent, and above all else is very capable of independent thought. I'm only here to whet your appetite enough to let you know if a product is definitely not for you or if it perhaps deserves a little more investigating on your part. I would never make a decision based on one person's opinion and I don't expect that any of you would be either. At the same time, I'm always grateful to hear an honest review of a product with issues so that I can be warned of a possible mistake I might be making in even considering that product.
I try to write a review that is broad enough to bring in many different competencies without being dismissive or above anyone unfamiliar with the concepts involved. As to your point about it being obvious that I'm not only reviewing for XDA, I'm not trying to hide anything from anybody. Every article begins with a link to the source that has all correct hyperlinks and pricing. It's a very taxing process to put all of this together and I don't ask for a thing in return from anyone. I take the time to link these reviews to the source article and the youtube video as most would rather just see the slideshow and move on. I don't deny anyone that or discourage it. If I didn't link anything and just pasted a link to the source article I could see someone being upset but I am taking the time to paste the entire article and link the basics up here as well. The point is that if you're interested enough to want the links then please click on the source and it's all there for you to do as you please.
I appreciate any and all constructive criticism and the fact that people post thanks on here, on youtube, and elsewhere is enough to keep me motivated to keep reviewing product. Thank you for your support.
p.s. sorry about the confusion with the "phantom quote" optimistic understood and correctly described the situation. I made a mistake and samprocat had already commented in the thread that was being deleted because of my double post. I didn't want the member's comment thrown out so I quoted it and informed them through PM that I was doing so.