Database Develop

Why do you want to get a Kaiser/8925?

I just thought it would be fun to see why people would want to buy a Kaiser/8925. As for myself, the one feature that I really care for is the built-in GPS. I have long been waiting to buy a GPS and this one-device-features-it-all looks very tempting; however, I am still not sure how good this Qualcomm GPS is compared to SiRFstar III types. I guess I will wait to hear from others before I buy this device. What is your reason?

I am not sure why everyone has thier panties in a knot over the qualcom GPS chips running Nimea. I run Nimea on my old Ipaq with a gps sleeve and it works fine. I always seem to get where I am going and back. I get on average 12 sats somtimes more, somtimes less so that is not a concern for me.
I could understand that sensitivity may be a concern, needing to be within a square foot, if you are say trying to guide a missle to a building that is sandwiched between a school and a daycare but for the average guy driving around it should not be a problem or a concern. Anways if you have missles, you probably also have way more soffisticated GPS needs than someone with one built into a phone.
Just my 2 cents.

InRBigness said:
I am not sure why everyone has thier panties in a knot over the qualcom GPS chips running Nimea. I run Nimea on my old Ipaq with a gps sleeve and it works fine. I always seem to get where I am going and back. I get on average 12 sats somtimes more, somtimes less so that is not a concern for me.
I could understand that sensitivity may be a concern, needing to be within a square foot, if you are say trying to guide a missle to a building that is sandwiched between a school and a daycare but for the average guy driving around it should not be a problem or a concern. Anways if you have missles, you probably also have way more soffisticated GPS needs than someone with one built into a phone.
Just my 2 cents.
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Well, the thing is, I have never owned a GPS device and from what I have read so far people seem to like SiRFstar III more because it's more accurate (opinions). My statement was solely based on others' opinions.

sherpa said:
the one feature that I really care for is the built-in GPS.
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Click to collapse
I like the idea of the builtin GPS but I'm not sure I'll use it. A few iterations back I had an iPaq with a CF GPS and I found the separate bluetooth unit MUCH more convenient. Some of that was form-factor, but a lot of it was being able to have the GPS out on the dash of the car right by the windshield for best signal and to have the display/input right in my hand. With some rental cars, particularly in bad weather the GPS would lose lock when held under the roof in a "normal" PDA-holding position.
Now the SiRFStarIII and later GPS chips are MUCH more sensitive, so maybe it won't matter.... Regardless, if I can get a Kaiser (for the 128MB RAM thank you!!!) I won't give up my BT GPS right away.

you should have included its 3mp camera!

mikeeey said:
you should have included its 3mp camera!
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Click to collapse
Completely forgot about that!

First Handset/pda in the world with HSUPA 2MB uplink speed( available in few months in the US)

Been on the 8125 long enough. Really looking forward to the CPU, ram, camera upgrades as well as the jump to 3G. I skipped the 8525, so it's about the right time. Can't wait!

GPS + Keyboard + it's smaller than my XDA Exec. Plus it's got double the RAM/ROM that the Exec has.
And my contract is up in just over a month.

jasafar said:
Been on the 8125 long enough. Really looking forward to the CPU, ram, camera upgrades as well as the jump to 3G. I skipped the 8525, so it's about the right time. Can't wait!
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Click to collapse
Ditto. Every point. Plus I've dropped my 8125 so many times it looks beat up.

its all about the ram and rom... i just want quicker response

This will be my first PDA phone. I quite like the features this phone has plus the qwerty keypad and the GPS is a clincher
cheers

I have been limping along with the Wizard for about a year and a half now... not too happy about it. Usually my phone tenure is some 6-8 months and I am way long overdue for an upgrade.
During this year and a half I have used the BB 8700 and a SE w810 along with my Wizard but once I left those jobs the phones went with them.
Also, I think the tilt screen is real cool...

If you're worried about the GPS, go ask in the Trinity forums. It uses the same GPS chip.

i like the new functions of this phone, it's a very good upgrade for my MDA Vario 1 (qtek 9100).
i like the tilt-screen-function very much, the faster CPU is a must, and i just love the higher amount of memory!

austin_boy said:
First Handset/pda in the world with HSUPA 2MB uplink speed( available in few months in the US)
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Click to collapse
it will NOT have HSUPA

shantzg001 said:
it will NOT have HSUPA
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I thought it did... where did you find out it doesn't?

@iservealot: this comes straight fromt he horse's mouth, i.e., the ppl who gave the phone its heart....

shantzg001 said:
@iservealot: this comes straight fromt he horse's mouth, i.e., the ppl who gave the phone its heart....
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i heard ( think on BG.. maybe somewhere else) that it wont have it right now, but the supporting hardware is there so it could possible be released with an UKU type update... or if nothing else be unlocked by one of the briliant people on this site.. just what i had heard ... though i hope its true, because i had seen rumors of it haveing thise in several places

XSIVSPD said:
i heard ( think on BG.. maybe somewhere else) that it wont have it right now, but the supporting hardware is there so it could possible be released with an UKU type update... or if nothing else be unlocked by one of the briliant people on this site.. just what i had heard ... though i hope its true, because i had seen rumors of it haveing thise in several places
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Click to collapse
Sorry to dash ur hopes, but that will not be possible cuz enabling it will not be in the purview of "windows mobile"...IF possible, it would require hardware hacks as well radio rom hacking...

Comparison of Kaiser v. Titan (PPC 6800)

I am currently using an Hermes. I got a Titan (PPC 6800) a few months ago. It has the same Qualcomm chip (the 7200) found in the Kaiser.
I gave the TiTan to my son and kept the Hermes because it had better sound and better battery life. (I realize that the Titan is a CDMA device and may not have as much batter life).
Have any of you compared the Kaiser and the Titan?
Is the Kaiser really that much better than the Hermes? If so, why.
I'm trying to decide to get the Kaiser or wait for the Omni.

rambo6 said:
I am currently using an Hermes. I got a Titan (PPC 6800) a few months ago. It has the same Qualcomm chip (the 7200) found in the Kaiser.
I gave the TiTan to my son and kept the Hermes because it had better sound and better battery life. (I realize that the Titan is a CDMA device and may not have as much batter life).
Have any of you compared the Kaiser and the Titan?
Is the Kaiser really that much better than the Hermes? If so, why.
I'm trying to decide to get the Kaiser or wait for the Omni.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well despite a slowness problem someone else has reported recently, mine is superbly fast compared with the Hermes. Instant power on from standby, quick opening of power hungry applications like tomtom etc etc. Brightness is better, feels better, better build quality. AND NO lockups and freezing so far - and that's a MAJOR plus in my book. No issues with freezing when on charge etc , in fact it's been so smooth for me that I have not been doing my regular backups (bad practice I know!).
I really am impressed by this device - not just the GPS, but mainly because of the reliability, speed and feel of it. So far as added potential for this device over the TyTn (GPS aside) I'm not so sure that there is a huge benefit, BUT it is a huge benefit to have similar functionality to the TyTn that actually works reliably and smoothly - I feel I can rely on this device where I would not give TyTn 100% trust. (I enjoyed finding work arounds and fixes for the TyTn and got it to a fairly workable state, but the Kaiser is much more of an out of the box working device I think). The one poor thing (so far) that I've found is the slow scrolling in PIE - but only PIE; this feels glitchier/slower refresh rate than the TyTn.
Whther you wait for the Omni is for you to check out
Mike

Mike:
Thanks for the reply. I would like a larger screen so I'm tempted to see if HTC comes out with the Omni Next month as planned. I'll probably end up with both devices.
Have you messed with the GPS yet? Can it work using Google maps without any other hardware or software? Just curious.
Thanks!!!

Just my 2 cents, I have the same raves about the Kaiser/TyTN II. Out of the box it is really hassle-free.
I share your complaint about pocket IE but I find this behavior only in PIE. If you install Opera mini, for example, web browsing is similar to an Iphone experience but much faster. No refresh just smooth/fast scrolling.
I hope MS gives us a major update to PIE soon, It really is starting to show it's age.

GenesysLV said:
Just my 2 cents, I have the same raves about the Kaiser/TyTN II. Out of the box it is really hassle-free.
I share your complaint about pocket IE but I find this behavior only in PIE. If you install Opera mini, for example, web browsing is similar to an Iphone experience but much faster. No refresh just smooth/fast scrolling.
I hope MS gives us a major update to PIE soon, It really is starting to show it's age.
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Click to collapse
Yes, looks like Opera mini then. I tried it on my TyTn but generally preferred PIE layoutwise. It's just strange that PIE should be about the only thing I find slower on the Kaiser. In single column view it scrolls fine until you start to get further down a page and eventually it all but seizes up. Still, as you say Opera Mini is smooth scrolling, I'll be very happy with that.
Mike

It seems to be the best out of the ones I've tested, including deepfish which I'm not really impressed with.
There is also another browser that is rumored to be better than Opera mini. I believe it's called thunderhawk.

GenesysLV said:
It seems to be the best out of the ones I've tested, including deepfish which I'm not really impressed with.
There is also another browser that is rumored to be better than Opera mini. I believe it's called thunderhawk.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
or picsel ... its the best one ive used

i've had a 6800 for a couple months, great device, horrible rom, horrendous memory issues. looking forward to getting this kaiser, and hoping the decrease in data rates from ev-do aren't too bad...
eric b

AT&T Network v. Sprint
e-dub said:
i've had a 6800 for a couple months, great device, horrible rom, horrendous memory issues. looking forward to getting this kaiser, and hoping the decrease in data rates from ev-do aren't too bad...
eric b
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm running a Hermes on AT&T's network and a 6800 on Sprints EVDO rev. 0. Overall and in most places AT&T's HSDPA network is faster than the Sprint. I carried both phones for two weeks in Salt Lake City and surrounding areas.
The Sprint network had EVDO in more towns than AT&T had UMTS or HSDPA. However, I could get the AT&T signal and get on the web in more places than I could with the Sprint. Sometimes it's only Edge speeds but I could get on.
I ended up giving the Sprint Phone to my Son and keeping the Hermes and trying to decide whether to buy the Kaiser or not.

yeah, i've been damn near shocked at the speeds i've been getting on hsdpa in nashville vs. ev-do since i've gotten my kaiser on wednesday. but i know surfing in edge will drive me insane if i ever have to do it
eric b

e-dub said:
yeah, i've been damn near shocked at the speeds i've been getting on hsdpa in nashville vs. ev-do since i've gotten my kaiser on wednesday. but i know surfing in edge will drive me insane if i ever have to do it
eric b
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I'm really close to ordering a Kaiser unlocked. Most of the Kaiser posts have been from people in Europe. Please give me a full rundown. I'm especially interested in how the gps works with google maps. Have you set it up and given it a whirl?
Also, surfing on Edge with the Hermes is not all that bad. It's funny because I go to some remote locations camping in Utah. Sometimes I can get an "E" or even a "G" signal and surfing isn't that bad while I lie in my tent at night. The fact that I can surf at all in such locations is amazing in and of itself. It down loads articles well but the pics take a few seconds more.
With the 6800, I can get a 1XRTT signal and can make a phone call, but I cannot get web access. With the AT&T service, it's hard to place a call in these remote locations but sending email and browsing the web works better. Go figure.

rambo6 said:
I'm really close to ordering a Kaiser unlocked. Most of the Kaiser posts have been from people in Europe. Please give me a full rundown. I'm especially interested in how the gps works with google maps. Have you set it up and given it a whirl?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just on the google maps part. It works well - but it tends (for some folk) to not wait long enough to acquire the signal before it times out. However there is an easy workaround:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=330634&page=3
BTW
I lie in my tent at night
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Click to collapse
poor girl just tell the truth
Mike

I loved my Hermes after taking it to Black WM6, the Kaiser is just that much better, as stated already, it's solid, fast and the GPS rocks. I use Google Maps and iGuidance v4 and they both work flawlessly, even at the same time with active GPS. You won't be dissapointed, except for lower "in-call" volume in the BT headset (many have complained about this, others say it's OK)

mikechannon said:
Just on the google maps part. It works well - but it tends (for some folk) to not wait long enough to acquire the signal before it times out. However there is an easy workaround:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=330634&page=3
Mike
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This seems to be an initial, 1st time occurance. Once I had acquired a fix with another GPS app, Google maps worked fine. Now Google Maps works fine, even when I launch it by itself.

RemE said:
This seems to be an initial, 1st time occurance. Once I had acquired a fix with another GPS app, Google maps worked fine. Now Google Maps works fine, even when I launch it by itself.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks guys. I may have to order one. I have to buy my wife a new sewing machine first.

Well I've been playing with my Kaiser for a day now and on the whole I love the build quality and the extra memory and storage is a blessing.
However, I have major issues with the radio version.
It is dreadfully slow when the 3G signal is a just one or two bars - it often wont find an internet connection (things like the weather on the Home plug will not update) and I couldnt even make any calls for a while when the signal was low. I was tempted to switch to straight GSM.
Does anybody know of a good radio upgrade?

What's the Verdict?

Is the Diamond a good device? Should I upgrade from my Kaiser?
Saw a review today that said it had memory leaks and frequent crashes....

upgrade upgrade upgrade...
The Diamond just keeps getting better...

upgrade and ......search/check the other 5-6 threads with the same subject or complete reviews on the subject.
sorry, but you are a senior with hundreds of posts, you are not a noobie so i do expect more.
thank you.

True - it was a quick spur of the moment post after I read the newspaper review today. I search the other threads and find some more reviews

you are so naughty
he told you off

warmkiwi99 said:
Is the Diamond a good device? Should I upgrade from my Kaiser?
Saw a review today that said it had memory leaks and frequent crashes....
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Click to collapse
U should update ASAP, the gsensor apps are gonna start rolling out (among many other cool apps and hot cooked roms)
Besides its a COOL Phone, sexyest around.

Yes mine still has a memory leak (depsite latest stock ROM) but it has never crashed or frozen on me it is so sexy makes my Kaiser look like a brick - get one!

adesonic said:
Yes mine still has a memory leak (depsite latest stock ROM) but it has never crashed or frozen on me it is so sexy makes my Kaiser look like a brick - get one!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
sexy seems to be the key word....how about a sexy dumb blond?!
we try hard to educate her and hope for the best. i have to say that mine is doing great progress

If you are not in the rush, just wait for some time. Some device appear to have hardware faults, and some faults may be caused by software/or hardware (ie accelerometer one). These can be fixed in later batches. Let others be the manufacturer guinea pigs
Diamond is fantastic device, but you cant help get the feeling it was somewhat rushed to release (to be released before iPhone maybe?). Thats why I advise to wait, especially considering you have Kaiser already. Also price will drop somewhat (I doubt much hovewer, but, still).

Dont upgrade! Dont upgrade! At least not yet.

Had a Kaiser this morning; NOW I have a Diamond.
Best phone I've ever had: I even think the camera is better than the Kaiser's and the device is dinky, sexy, crisp and JUST A JOY TO USE. Coreplayer H.264 works; there's REAL video acceleration, power and slickness.
I really couldn't care less about the Touch Pro: it's TOO THICK. In this instance I take sexy over hardware Keyboard, and I don't need more than 4gb. Shame I've got an 8gb card going to waste though.
I've not missed that dreadful Kaiser hardware Keyboard one bit either.
UPGRADE YE.....if you can afford to.
Did I say I quite like this phone?!?!?

Did I say you might run into some disturbances soon Not to mention how hot the device gets. I'll take that sd card off your hands if you don't want it ^_^ I actually can't live with 4gb. I have 2 8gb cards full of music, vids, pics, apps, and assignments. I couldn't live without at least 8gb. It would bother me way too much. But that's just me.
Kraize

Ive been waiting for both devices to come to Sprint. At first I was certain I wanted the Touch Pro, but after seeing the sleek sexy appearance of the Diamond, the thicker, yet more able Touch Pro is starting to look less and less likely as the one I will get. Not sure if im willing to give up the qwerty just yet.

For much ticking I take my laptop.
Modemconnection via bluetooth PAN and HSDPA is really luxurious when traveling At speeds of 150kb/s I can work as if I were at home.
I don't need to type a lot, and SMS is perfect on screen.

I agree, once you start using GPS and Wi-Fi at the same time the Diamond could boil an an egg
After coming from a Tytn 2 which I have owned since Nov 07 I really love the Diamond, plenty of features, and in such a tiny package, amazing how much they packed into it
GPS seem a lot more sensitive compared to my Tytn 2 which averaged 6-7 sats outdoors in with clear skies, the Diamond averages 8-10.
Wi-Fi also seems to have a little better signal range and connects to my router a little faster than my Tytn 2 did.
The screen is stunning so clear and extremely bight, brilliant for web surfing and the included youtube app is really cool to.
The only disappointing thing is the 4gb of storage, I had 6gb on my Tytn 2, used to use it for the TomTom Western and central Europe map and the North America map, which totalled 4gb plus my other apps on top so have had to just stick one map on instead. HTC really should have put 8gb minimum on his phone, 8gb chips these days really are cheap as chips so there was no excuse there
If you loved the Tytn 2/Kaiser and don't mind loosing the keyboard then this is an awesome phone to go for.

I totally mind losing the keyboard. Unless! Unless someone ported WinMo to the iPhone. That would be a winner in my eyes

I haven't run into any heating problems when using GPS or WiFi :S

not noticed an overheating problems here either, and I'm finding texting and composing long passages much easier than on the kaiser despite the lack of hardware keyboard. I really don't imagine I'll miss the kaiser one bit.

mine don't get hot - slightly warm and fuzzy but not hot

To buy a Tilt or not, opinions please

Hey,
Im moving on from my trusty MDA and came apon a few decently priced At&t Tilts. Ive read over the driver issues and just wanted the opinions of some current and/or previous owners.
Just so you know, I have owned a Wing, MDA and currently a Blackjack2 and had flashed/upgraded the HTCs several times. Thats why I want to come back to an HTC device.
Thanks in advance.

go for it dude
fhaines said:
Hey,
Im moving on from my trusty MDA and came apon a few decently priced At&t Tilts. Ive read over the driver issues and just wanted the opinions of some current and/or previous owners.
Just so you know, I have owned a Wing, MDA and currently a Blackjack2 and had flashed/upgraded the HTCs several times. Thats why I want to come back to an HTC device.
Thanks in advance.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

Personally, I think it is a great phone.

I agree. Fully functional 3D drivers or not, this is still the most amazing phone on the market for price point. The only thing I would personally get above this phone is the touch pro....and that wont be for some time to come

I've had a tilt since oct 07. Wouldn't give it up for anything. Does it play 3d perfectly, no...but I didn't buy it to play movies & mp3 files. Does it have as quality camera as my old SE W810i? No, but with patience, it does pretty darn well. I got the tilt because it allowed me to replace a phone & PDA with one device. I use mobile office around 10-15 times a day, 20-30 text messages a day, the camera maybe once or twice a week, and it is without a doubt the best
device I've owned. it has it's quirks, but what device doesn't?

here hear, awesomest phone i have ever owned. I was looking for a phone i could replace my phone and pda with. it rocksas far as features. sure the graphics suck. but they get the job done in a pinch. weee it's the most technologicaly advanced phone that att has right now. I dont have to synch eight devices. i just got rid of my laptop. I use this for most everything. i have school comp labs for everything else. i thought about taking it back and waiting fr something better to come out. but. when the touch pro comes out it will cost 450 dollars with a new 2 year agreement. school stsrts before then anyways. HEY thanks you guysfor making this the coolest phone it can be with what is available. is there any feature that another phone has that this one does not. in america anyways. it is a business phone. it does just that. it will play most regular phone games out there. damn it doesnt play crysis at maximum detail. boo hoo. it is a freakin miracle these slow resricted devices can do what they do. having said that. im sure my opinion would be changed with a good foreign phone. hey and htc come on. what other company out there encourages hacking their phones by putting xda developers in their wiki. i have dropped this thing onto concrete hard twice and to my knowledge it hasnt phased it. oh and btw. i dont have a data plan for my phone. i am typing this on my tilt at panera bread on my hardware giant qwerty keyboard. this has taken me fifteen mins to write. do that iphone. do that old style 12 key phones. i just got the thing and i am typing fast on it. if you want a gaming phone this is not for you. if you want relatively long battery life when you surf the net using wifi get this phone. i am comparing the batt life to my sony clie which had first generation pda wifi in it. i have gone over an hour today surfing the web. i still have 20 pecent left and i started with like 60. my clie could only go for like 45 mins with a brand new battery with a slower processor. well panera bread is cosing and i should probably get home. but it isnt becase my pda ran outof juice. i have the oem batt btw. good night all. i hope this helps you in your quest fora new phone.

i have owned the tilt since Nov 2007 and it has been a excellent pocket pc/phone. what i really like about the phone is having the ability to flash the rom that chefs have to offer. it's nice to have options and incredible free applications out there offered by the programmer's.
i have been through four previous pocket pc phones and it's nice for once that there is everything packaged into one device. I use gps, wifi, watch movies, listen to mp3s, outlook/exchange, bluetooth etc.. i take the phone to the limits and it meets expectations.
despite the video driver problem, its not a big deal if you are really into eye candy.
if you have other questions, you can email me..
tvos

Nooo. Don't get it. I personally plan on selling my Tilt and shelling out some cash to get the AT&T Fuze (Touch Pro). It's much better. The retail pricing is only about $100-200 more then the Tilt's. So it'll retail for about $550/$650 w/o contract. =) This is a great deal compared to $1k. It's going to come out before year's end and AT&T data managers are currently testing the Fuze. It'll be out before 08 ends I can swear on it. It has a different color TF3D as we've seen. It has no front camera and an extra button for PTT. That's about it.
Guess how I got this info =)

Kraize92 said:
Nooo. Don't get it. I personally plan on selling my Tilt and shelling out some cash to get the AT&T Fuze (Touch Pro). It's much better. The retail pricing is only about $100-200 more then the Tilt's. So it'll retail for about $550/$650 w/o contract. =) This is a great deal compared to $1k. It's going to come out before year's end and AT&T data managers are currently testing the Fuze. It'll be out before 08 ends I can swear on it. It has a different color TF3D as we've seen. It has no front camera and an extra button for PTT. That's about it.
Guess how I got this info =)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
you don't know what your talking about...
get the tilt..... worse and try it out for 30 days.. if you don't like it, return it... this probably the best to offer... at least at&t give you this option.
tvos

tvos said:
you don't know what your talking about...
get the tilt..... worse and try it out for 30 days.. if you don't like it, return it... this probably the best to offer... at least at&t give you this option.
tvos
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Rofl. I know exactly what I'm talking about

I dont want to sound negative
but your posting on a Kaiser forum and asking people who own a Tilt if they advise you to get it... haha i got a feeling your gonna get around 90% yes...
the real test is to ask some guys who have a htc touch diamond or some of the other smart phones out there what they think of the Kaiser...
oh and my answer is yes... get it... with the right tweaks and a few apps to your liking, it will be the best phone you have owned (well atleast it is the best phone i have had)

I had mine since March. Pretty good phone. A tad on the heavy side. And depends on how you like to hold it, the little corner of the USB port may dig into your pinky. The AT&T bloatware are garbage but nothing you can't fix on your own. There are enough people that like it to get a constant supply of goodies.
Knowing what I know now, would I get it again? Probably.

fhaines said:
Hey,
Im moving on from my trusty MDA and came apon a few decently priced At&t Tilts. Ive read over the driver issues and just wanted the opinions of some current and/or previous owners.
Just so you know, I have owned a Wing, MDA and currently a Blackjack2 and had flashed/upgraded the HTCs several times. Thats why I want to come back to an HTC device.
Thanks in advance.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I look for speed and stability in a PPC, and I'm sorry to say that once again I have not found it in a HTC phone. I previously had the S710. Compared to that, the TYTN-II is fast as lightning. But compared to previous Sony Ericsson and Palm phones, the TYTN-II is sloppy. Admittedly it has GPS and WI-FI, which the others did not. The stability is below what I think is reasonable to expect for a smartphone in 2008. The touchscreen and buttons are occasionally unresponsive, and normal operation is often replaced by random "irregularities". I soft reset the device some 1-3 times a week, because unexpected stuff just happens: ranging from missed calls, broken activesync, unable to connect to EDGE network, software crashes, buttons not working.
Yet I hold on to it. It sports a nice set of features, and the software for it is plentyfull. The stability and performance can be improved by careful configuration (involving a lot of trial-and-error), but be prepared to spend a lot of hours on it. If you are a "point-and-shoot" type of person, who just want a phone that works out of the box, you may be disappointed with this one.
At least this is my personoal experience with the phone. Your milage may vary!

If you're prepared to put up with what can at times be an annoyingly slow user interface, then I don't see why not. The feature-set is excellent, the build quality is excellent and the tilting display shows no sign of flimsy construction. It has a nice weight to it and feels comfortable to hold and use.
But the dsmn lack of drivers *REALLY* grates at me after a while, especially when switching between portrait/landscape modes. The more time goes on, the more you notice how slow it is. There are tweaks that help, for example if you set the X button to close instead of hide apps the effect of this is minimised somewhat, but that shouldn't be necessary.
Unless you have patience for a UI with an average speed of "slow" I would go for one of HTCs other offerings which actually uses the hardware it contains, although if the custom drivers that are underway reach completion, perhaps the Kaiser will be a serious contender. So if you DO buy one, you may think of it as an investment for the future

Quality and Function comparisons
CrArc said:
. . . The feature-set is excellent, the build quality is excellent and the tilting display shows no sign of flimsy construction. It has a nice weight to it and feels comfortable to hold and use. . .
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have a Wizard (8125) and a Kaiser (Tilt) and just got a Hermes (8525) for another family member - the Kaiser obviously has the best feature set, but the build quality of the other two is better, IMO. The 8125 is clunky looking, but solid, and the spacing of the keys makes it much easier not to miss-key. The 8525 is super-solid, has the best battery cover, and I think is the best looking.
That said, I will keep using the Kaiser. I have also tried i-mate 8502 and HP iPaq 910c, and returned to the Kaiser. The chrome is wearing down on the buttons, and some of HTC's software design on it is annoying (e.g. fast backlight shutoff - fixable of course). In the inevitable comparison to iPhone 3G, the iPhone does some things amazingly well (threaded SMS, internet browsing) but still doesn't have a spreadsheet for crying out loud! I depend on Excel, use it constantly in eyecare clinic.
So despite its flaws, the Kaiser is the best thing for me - until Touch Pro for AT&T 3G is available - then I will get that - the 5 row keyboard and the VGA screen are the big pluses there, and you can never have too much memory.

You know I researched a lot before buying my tilt, knowing I would need to unlock and flash it to get the functionality I wanted. I could not be happier with my purchase. Things I know I can not do with an Iphone easily or at all at no additional cost include excel & word editing, connect to Citrix, RDP, tether my laptop by either USB or BT. As for the d3d drivers, while they would be nice I don't see them as mandatory since this is first a phone and a PDA not a iPod. That said, I have no issue other than bandwidth when I comes to streaming media through ORB to my TILT and playback is more than acceptable for me.
Just do it since your no stranger to flashing,
z

Is reception on the Captivate that much worst than my Tilt2 ?

I am beginning to lose my cool when it comes to reception and my Captivate.
At work I used to watch a lot of youtube on my Tilt2 and altough it some times went on a wont connect spree....most of the times youtube was a no problem.
Unfortunately the Captivate is like almost never connects or just a little bit and once again loses it.
Is this about the whole hspa thing?
Even at home when reception is better for both, South Park is a lagfest with the Captivate if I use 3G unlike the Tilt2 but then again that could also be Skyfire....in any case...is this normal?

I guess you have never used and iPhone???
I had an iPhone 3GS and it was a POS when it came to reception.
I'm sooooooo happy I'm finally able to have an android phone on AT&T.
It takes some getting use to compared to the iPhone. Just basic navigating through the phone is very different.
I don't mind dealing with some minor flaws of the Galaxy S because I know for sure this phone will be improved because it was released on all four major carriers, not to mention it was already out as the GT i9000.
anyway - just my thoughts
sorry - I know this didn't answer your questions but wanted to share

Never had an iphone and never will! lol
Its just that I love this phone so much that I just cant stand it that reception is hurting me this badly...I just need to be patient I guess.
Like on the weekend... instead of streaming a soccer game to my Android I had to ask my wife for the Tilt2 again to watch the game with some friends at the park...

No. My tilt2 got sligltly better reception too. It OK I love my captivate.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using XDA App

Man, you guys are killing me. I have a Tilt 2 with Energy ROM and for the most part I'm happy with it, but I'm just dying to upgrade to a Captivate, but I keep hearing about reception problems. On the other hand, if you Google any phone these days you hear about reception problems. If you guys are saying the reception is worse than my Tilt 2 I'm just not sure I can live with that though. I frequently work on drilling rigs where reception is pretty bad to non existent. I'm thinking about just swapping out my Tilt 2 for a new one since the keyboard is wearing out, but for $125 deductible, an upgrade sounds pretty good.

Reception is the same or better from my original Tilt.

Phytrax said:
Man, you guys are killing me. I have a Tilt 2 with Energy ROM and for the most part I'm happy with it, but I'm just dying to upgrade to a Captivate, but I keep hearing about reception problems. On the other hand, if you Google any phone these days you hear about reception problems. If you guys are saying the reception is worse than my Tilt 2 I'm just not sure I can live with that though. I frequently work on drilling rigs where reception is pretty bad to non existent. I'm thinking about just swapping out my Tilt 2 for a new one since the keyboard is wearing out, but for $125 deductible, an upgrade sounds pretty good.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I would upgrade if I were you.
As much as I liked my Tilt2 there is no way I would go back to it after being using the Captivate. The speed difference is just too much.
So much that I have gone from fancy Energy Roms on my wife's now tilt 2 to the simplest and fastest 2.1 ROMS I can get so it does not feel too slow.

Tilt2 has had numerous radio upgrades you can install since it came out
I would imagine when samsung releases some radio revisions we will have better luck with reception.
I really have not noticed the Captivate having significantly less reception than the tilt2. Now for battery low on the other hand.....

For me the difference is obvious even on stock tilt 2 radio.
For example watching you tube at work with my tilt 2 it was almost always a non issue but with my Captivate I get several disconnections and most of the times I have to go to low quality mode to get a decent experience.
Still, no way I am going back to the Tilt2 ...wish I they could finally get android running on it...that would make it a much nicer phone I think

I dunno, I've had noticeably worse reception on my captivate than my old blackberrt 8310
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using XDA App

shaolin95 said:
I would upgrade if I were you.
As much as I liked my Tilt2 there is no way I would go back to it after being using the Captivate. The speed difference is just too much.
So much that I have gone from fancy Energy Roms on my wife's now tilt 2 to the simplest and fastest 2.1 ROMS I can get so it does not feel too slow.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
See, this doesnt make sense to me. After all it is a PHONE first, everything else second. So you're willing to sacrifice reception ability for speed of user interface, etc? Why? In your post you were just complaining about how poor the captivate's reception is vs. the tilt 2, yet you'd recommend the captivate because it has a faster CPU or slicker UI than the tilt2? Why not just carry two phones, one to actually use as a phone and one as a toy? That makes about as much sense to me. JMO.

derek4484 said:
See, this doesnt make sense to me. After all it is a PHONE first, everything else second. So you're willing to sacrifice reception ability for speed of user interface, etc? Why? In your post you were just complaining about how poor the captivate's reception is vs. the tilt 2, yet you'd recommend the captivate because it has a faster CPU or slicker UI than the tilt2? Why not just carry two phones, one to actually use as a phone and one as a toy? That makes about as much sense to me. JMO.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ok first I think someone forgot his pills this morning
First reception not extremely poor compared to the tilt2 just youtube freezes more often at work which is a hard place for every phone for some reason. The Tilt2 was better but I did had to switch radios from time to time like something will change then a new radio will do better for this month or so.
Second, this is only for video watching...phone calls I have zero issues in quality or connectivity so far...yes it is a phone so that IS the main reason to have it.
The main issue has been Skyfire but I got confirmation from the developer that this is indeed a matter of Skyfire on the Android not being quite up to par yet to the Windows version but they are of course working on it.
So, today for example, I have been connecting to the market and downloading stuff and even watching youtube quite smoothly.
So in my first post I gave the impression it was a huge difference it was based on SouthPark and Skyfire.
So if you are able to calm down a bit feel free to rejoin the conversation but if you are going to go off like that then by all means, there are more threads around.
Regards

Well I'm glad I found this thread. When first hearing about the Captivate I was not very interested due to concerns about the Samsung interface, reception issues and GPS issues. I was also really hoping for a 4.3" screen and possibly front facing camera and a flash.
Now after reading that the GPU is top notch, GPS issue is fixed, or will be soon, and reception is generally fine I'm very much leaning toward the Captivate. Samsung interface seems to be not as bad as I initially though, and the speed is plenty fast enough even without froyo. Also NewEgg has them for $79 with a contract renewal.
I have to say I really love the new MaxSense ROM's from Energy though. I hope I can make Android look that good once I take the plunge. I'm still worried about the lack of hardware keyboard too, mostly the fact that it covers half the screen when using it.

For what it's worth:
I've owned a Tilt2 for 3 months, tried out pretty much all the available radios, and have a pretty good judgement of it's reception. I've also owned a Tilt (Kaiser) for almost 2 years.
My Captivate gets much better reception than either phone: I get solid HSDPA reception in places where neither my Tilt/Tilt2 could. The trick is to just ignore the signal bar. I live in an area with poor reception, even after the 850 MHz upgrade, and at times my phone shows no bars, but gets good quality voice/data reception. So don't rate your impressions of signal quality based on the on-screen display, only how the device actually performs.
And as far as GPS goes, I've head-to-head compared it against my Tilt2 (which has a pretty decent GPS) and the hardware itself is more sensitive, and sees 3-4 satellites indoors in places my Tilt2 can't. There are definitely weird and inconsistent problems getting/holding a lock, but to me it feels like a kernel or other software issue. So hopefully a solution can be found (by Samsung or Devs).

Shammyh said:
For what it's worth:
I've owned a Tilt2 for 3 months....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the input. That's good to hear considering I'm fairly happy with the reception on my Tilt2. I have to say the GPS is inconsistent though. Sometimes it won't even pick up outside. I'm thinking about heading to Best Buy this weekend to pick up the Captivate and give it a try. I'm really looking forward to the improved video performance, bigger screen, and a standard headphone jack.

Shammyh said:
For what it's worth:
I've owned a Tilt2 for 3 months, tried out pretty much all the available radios, and have a pretty good judgement of it's reception. I've also owned a Tilt (Kaiser) for almost 2 years.
My Captivate gets much better reception than either phone: I get solid HSDPA reception in places where neither my Tilt/Tilt2 could. The trick is to just ignore the signal bar. I live in an area with poor reception, even after the 850 MHz upgrade, and at times my phone shows no bars, but gets good quality voice/data reception. So don't rate your impressions of signal quality based on the on-screen display, only how the device actually performs.
And as far as GPS goes, I've head-to-head compared it against my Tilt2 (which has a pretty decent GPS) and the hardware itself is more sensitive, and sees 3-4 satellites indoors in places my Tilt2 can't. There are definitely weird and inconsistent problems getting/holding a lock, but to me it feels like a kernel or other software issue. So hopefully a solution can be found (by Samsung or Devs).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Oh no, my impressions were not based on bars...in fact, you will see not a single comment about those I think. That is irrelevant to me.
Although as I mentioned on my previous post, without considering the differences between the Skyfire performance, the difference is not that big.
How are you getting HSDPA on that phone, I thought the hack was not working for ATT?
Phytrax said:
Thanks for the input. That's good to hear considering I'm fairly happy with the reception on my Tilt2. I have to say the GPS is inconsistent though. Sometimes it won't even pick up outside. I'm thinking about heading to Best Buy this weekend to pick up the Captivate and give it a try. I'm really looking forward to the improved video performance, bigger screen, and a standard headphone jack.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am sure you are going to love it.
I was afraid of going away from the keyboard but Swype is sweet too.

derek4484 said:
See, this doesnt make sense to me. After all it is a PHONE first, everything else second.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If reception is primary concern I hear the Jitterbug gets good reception?
Seriously there has been a slightly weaker signal for me but we are talking less than 10%.
P.S. map your coverage if AT&T gets bad enough coverage maps from real use they will have to fix their coverage.

My reception has been great with my Captivate, it drops less calls than my iPones and Nexus One did....my Blackberry Bold is still the king though (always had great reception with it, and battery life was insane). I do however have issues with AT&T's network in the DC/Baltimore area...theres just so many people using data that everything I do lags and takes twice as long, and I've almost never been able to watch Youtube videos in Hi-Def while on 3G...on ANY of my phones while in a populated area, but it works fine at my parents house and when connected to our 3G microcell at home. I think the Captivate works great as a phone and the 4" screen seems like it sits right in the middle of being too large and too small, meaning its perfect for me. I owned a Tilt2 and couldn't stand it after owning iPhones and the Sprint Hero...I loved the keyboard but signal strength and the browser killed it for me, it only lasted 2 weeks before it went back. Give me the Tilt2 form factor with the Captivates screen and guts on AT&T and it'll be my next phone lol.

shaolin95 said:
Oh no, my impressions were not based on bars...in fact, you will see not a single comment about those I think. That is irrelevant to me.
Although as I mentioned on my previous post, without considering the differences between the Skyfire performance, the difference is not that big.
How are you getting HSDPA on that phone, I thought the hack was not working for ATT?
I am sure you are going to love it.
I was afraid of going away from the keyboard but Swype is sweet too.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
As I understand, it's HSUPA (uplink) not HSDPA (downlink) that's the problem. Without HSDPA, we'd all be getting download speeds of less than 1 Mbit/s. And since the hardware supports it, it's only a matter of time before someone releases a working HSUPA radio.
It really is a great phone though. And for me, the biggest deal-breaker over the iPhone4 (and most other phones) is that I can simply drag-and-drop video files from my computer to my phone. From simple Xvid/Divx/OtherAVI files, to 720p HD MKV files. No transcoding, or other work required.
Don't buy it expecting it to be flawless though, the underlying hardware may be, but without XDA and the community to fix the software flaws, it wouldn't be nearly as appealing a phone.

Well I found a guy selling a Captivate on eBay for $400. My contract isn't due for an upgrade yet so I figured what the hell, if they come out with something amazing next year I could use my upgrade then. I'm definitely looking forward to the h264 decoding and "5.1" sound. I just hope I can find some widgets to make the interface look as awesome as my Energy MaxSense ROM on my Tilt2.