Database Develop

Is there a better PDA phone than this?

I've had an O2 XDAIIi version of this PDA phone since it was released, and very nice it is too. However, it's starting to get a bit tatty, but I believe this model is no longer available. My question is; what's the best replacement for it?
Basically, I'd want something that does exactly the same, but with WM5, VGA and a better camera. I don't want the bulk of a keyword, so I'm not interested in the O2 Exec.
Is there anything out there that meets this criteria? The stumbling block seems to be VGA, as not many devices seem to use this.
Anyone know of such a beast?
Lee

you may struggle there mate, least I haven't seen one yet. if you want a practically sized phone then you may have to opt for a lower-resolution screen (particularly since the exec is the only vga wm5 handset I know of) this it was exactly the choice I made when I sold my exec to get a vario II. As it happens I don't really notice the difference any more: as with any phone you have to weigh up its pros and cons.
Ask yourself what you actually use your phone for, and how important having a vga screen really is for your needs. You may end up just sticking with what you've got!
You could also look on ebay - you MAY find and xda ii in mint condition there.
The stumbling block isn't just the VGA screen either Lee - unfortunately cameras on xdas ALL suck! the 2mp camera on my vario 2 is equally as rubbish as the 1.3 mp cam on my exec, my vario 1 and my mda compact. they're just no good. I wish I could take the camera out of a sonyericsson and whack it in the case of my vario!
The day a perfect phone comes out I'm sure we'll all rush out and buy it, other than that the only alternative would be to get one of the new sonyericssons - they have better screens and the latest ones have stunning cameras....but they use (ahem) symbian.
Hope this is of some use.

you may struggle there mate, least I haven't seen one yet. if you want a practically sized phone then you may have to opt for a lower-resolution screen (particularly since the exec is the only vga wm5 handset I know of) this it was exactly the choice I made when I sold my exec to get a vario II. As it happens I don't really notice the difference any more: as with any phone you have to weigh up its pros and cons.
Ask yourself what you actually use your phone for, and how important having a vga screen really is for your needs. You may end up just sticking with what you've got!
You could also look on ebay - you MAY find and xda ii in mint condition there.
The stumbling block isn't just the VGA screen either Lee - unfortunately cameras on xdas ALL suck! the 2mp camera on my vario 2 is equally as rubbish as the 1.3 mp cam on my exec, my vario 1 and my mda compact. they're just no good. I wish I could take the camera out of a sonyericsson and whack it in the case of my vario!
The day a perfect phone comes out I'm sure we'll all rush out and buy it, other than that the only alternative would be to get one of the new sonyericssons - they have better screens and the latest ones have stunning cameras....but they use (ahem) symbian.
Hope this is of some use.

Thanks...
Thanks the the feedback, that was kinda what I expected. It seems that HTC keep bringing out new models with various permutations of features, but never all the features that you want in one machine!
VGA would be nice for web-browsing, which is very frustrating at 320x240. Oh well, jusy have to wait until someone releases that dream machine!
Lee.

just further to the previous point I made, I thought I ought to point out that I have found web browsing on the vario II to be absolutely superb - I do all of my posts on xda developers using it, its nippy, connects phenominally quick, and the scroll-wheel is an absolute joy to use. it might seem a simple thing, but it makes browsing so much more comfy - I hardly need to get the stylus out!
I'm sat on a train right now from birmingham to derby and I haven't lost my signal once - on my exec I was constantly losing signal; and despite the exec having a better screen it is far easier to flick through web pages with the varios scroller, and pages even load up quicker.
Despite its smaller screen I would HIGHLY recommend it.
(sadly the camera is still poo, so it's not all good news!)

I'm happy with my Vario 2 (Hermes) as it does 3G (which is brill ) and has a hardware keyboard (yesssssss), but compared to my Alpine the screen is a lot smaller. That's a disappointment, but I knew it was going to be smaller. The fact that it runs WM5 kinda makes up for it though, and the fact that my Alpine can't actually connect to my Alcatel Speedtouch DSL router is ridiculous! (It's not the first time that problem's happened, seems to be a real problem with either the radio hardware or the firmware... I dunno. The Hermes connects fine to everything).
As it stands, I'm gonna keep my Alpine and use it for GPS navigation (when I get a new car, thanks to the woman who drove into me and wrote my car off I don't have one at the moment), and I might just end up using it as my day-to-day PDA, especially as my Hermes at the moment refuses to ActiveSync with my PC. Windows reinstall coming this weekend, we'll see how that goes.
The camera on my Hermes is WAYYYYY better than on my Alpine though (it's not as good as on the K750i/K800i/Cybershot models by SonyEricsson, those cameras blow everything else out of the water!) but I've taken a few pics and put them on my moblog (http://moblog.christopherwoods.co.uk if you want to compare image quality, I think they're just fine considering the camera size), and combined with the 3G (and unlimited 3G / GPRS access on my T-Mobile tariff) it's great for moblogging and websurfing to kill time / procrastinate, but my Alpine is slimmer and has a larger screen... The Alpine was allllllllmost perfect, I was almost ready to keep it as my phone for another year, but there were just enough things not quite up to par with it to make me go out and get a new device.
I do love the extra hardware buttons on the Hermes, and the scroll wheel is pretty cool. Don't use it as much as I should do, the same with the soft keys - I always end up tapping the screen when I can just push the button! Force of habit, can't teach an old dog new tricks.

I think the screen size is definitely important, but from experience i would NEVER buy another phone with a VGA screen - at least not until they start making much better batteries.
The biggest killer of batteries is those big pretty screens, and if a handset is gonna cut it as a phone and a practical browsing device/organiser it needs to hold out in the power department, since we're not always next to a power point, and we haven't always got our mains adaptor with us!
I don't really notice the screen difference on my Vario II now, and the battery lasts ages.
Be nice if i could get a spare battery with a cradle on ebay though, always good to have backup, however i haven't seen one yet.

Roll on charge-via-GPRS (use the power in the radio waves and convert it into electrical energy.... mmm... batteryless devices... drool)

Upgrade from Artemis - is it worth it?

I am thinking of updating from an Artemis as I need a keyboard but I have some concerns:-
1. Is it worth it?
2. Does the t-mobile vario III have wireless disabled, like the Artemis did?
3. I am only 6 months into an 18month contract, so where is best to buy sim free in the UK?
4. Should I avoid the Kaiser from other vendors (e.g. orange) due to disabled features? I assume sim-unlock is easy.
Any other advice?
I have tried searching the Kaiser forum for t-mobile, wifi, wireless etc but can't find out for certain if t-mobile disable is.
Thanks.

I made upgrade from Artemis to Vario
Ad 1) MDA Vario III is great device and is much more better then (old good) Artemis - keyboard, GPS, big RAM and ROM .
Ad 2) Czech operator T-Mobile has Vario with WiFi enabled. Mda Compact III (cripled Artemis) is without wifi.

I have the Xda Orbit and AT&T Tilt right now and have been using both, and the Tilt/Kaiser is certainly better in performance, but if the size matters to you, the Artemis is still much better. in the pocket, the extra thickness and weight make a significant difference, as it does in the hand as well.
i like the wheel of the artemis, but my hands are always very dry (i use lots of lotion and can't really leave a fingerprint on things) so i can't barely grab the wheel, so the d-pad of the kaiser is good. i'd love the wheel if my fingers weren't so slippery.
i like the feel of the artemis' buttons a lot more, all the front keys, but especially the power button. its the best i've used of all my htc devices, while the kaiser(is the tilt different here?) has a very recessed button that's hard to push. i've had the magician and prophet with similar power buttons, but this one is much harder to get to. i don't need the keyboard, but its nice, and feels just like the herald's.
i only paid $380 for my kaiser, while i paid $525 for the artemis, which is fine, but i wouldn't pay +$700 for the kaiser since i feel they are equals for my purpose. kaiser is faster with a the left scroll and keyboard, but size matters a lot to me, so the artemis really nails it there. hope all that helps a bit, though i've wifi on both too

oh, sim unlock costs me $15usd on ebay. DO NOT USE NEWMOBILEFREEDOM. mufukas don't respond to my emails, but they leave retaliatory negative feedback real fast

Thanks for the responses.
Size isn't too much of an issue as I use a belt clip. Out of interest just how much bigger is it? I know I can check the specs, but they don't really mean much as it is hard to visualise.
I wanted to be sure that the kaiser had wifi if I bought the t-mobile one as their version of the Artemis had the Wifi chip removed.
The Artemis is a very good handset, but I really need a keyboard.
I was looking at buying a sim free from e-bay (or a t-mobile one) as I have another 12 months on my contract before I can upgrade. Looking to find the best place to buy if anyone knows of somewhere better in the UK.

size isn't that much different, just it feels feels different in the pocket. on the belt, there's not gonna be difference with the holster and all, but you should feel the weight difference a little bit. in my hand, its so obvious, but on a belt, should be negligible and you shouldn't concern yourself, as you aren't.
good luck finding the right one

Thanks,
Just saw one (brand new) go on e-bay for £295. Unfortunately I missed it, so better luck next time I hope.

I just (yesterday) upgraded from an Artemis (P3300) to a Kaiser (Tytn II), both HTC sim-free units.
Although I've only had my Kaiser for about 24 hours, I'm really impressed!
So far, I haven't come across a single problem with it that couldn't easily be fixed by looking on here (thanks everyone).
I liked my Artemis, but (so far) I LOVE my Kaiser.
I bought mine sim-free from SuperETrader (GBP421 including free next day shipping). Admittedly, it seems to be a South East Asia version (has Mapking instead of TomTom), but I've managed to register it with HTC ok, and I can live without the supplied TomTom since I already have it.
My advice is, if you can afford the upgrade, go for it - I don't think you'll regret it - I don't.

Thanks.
I think that's settled! I'm gonna try and get one. Just looking around, probably end up using e-bay though as I'm a tight Yorkshireman

Are you going to upgrade to Sony XPERIA X1?

A simple enough poll.
Are you going to upgrade from your Kaiser to the Sony X1?
Personally I love my Kaiser, it is by far the best phone I've ever had. My only problem is the screen resolution.... Now bring along the Sony Xperia X1 and have it pretty much functionally the same as the kaiser and the larger screen resolution and you have an awesome phone.
What right now could beat the X1, the TyTN III, but it's not anounced and unlikley to be this year.
So personally I can't wait for the X1.

Definitely not, though my kaiser is not perfect, i dont think a X1 would be. i've been using Sony's laptop, cell phones, mp3,etc in the past, but everytime there are some unacceptable designs fault like easily broken buttons and leakage on machine body. They just put their efforts on design, without testing carefully the components!

it would be better to ask this question when the device is in the wild and people have had a change to review it,
it could be a lemon for all we know

andaroo said:
it would be better to ask this question when the device is in the wild and people have had a change to review it,
it could be a lemon for all we know
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's true, but and a real but, if it is pretty much the same as the Kaiser, with the higher resolution, slighly faster processor and graphics drivers (which I doubt really HTC want to fix for the kaiser) then this will be a killer phone.

Can we have another option please? Something along the lines of:
No, I'm not touching another device made by HTC, no matter who they're working with.

I like to try new gadget. So, for me, definitely I'm going to upgrade to Sony Xperia X1. If it's not going to be that good, I'll be back to my Tytn II.

It's really too soon to say, it looks good from this distance, but until there are real world reports on performance etc it's not possible to judge. I'd like it to be a killer device that I could upgrade to with confidence, but my previous experience of both SE and HTC tells me to wait.
It's still possible that this phone will only be a minor improvement on the Kaiser, and the Kaiser itself may still be improved in the meantime (through the work going on here, if not at HTC).

If I didn't have the Kaiser I would buy the X1 no doubt about that - but for my use there just isn't enough new stuff under the cover to make me go away from the Kaiser...

Oh yes please!!!!!
I will definitely check it out closer to launching but from what I have seen up to now I don't see any reason that I would not take it. I use to be a SE fan before I got into ppc's. I was looking for OS freedom, that is why I started with WM devices. I liked my Wizard and after almost 2 weeks can't find fault with my new Kaiser. Deep down I'm still a SE fan though.
Can't wait for launch date :

Not sure...I really like the larger screen and the buttons on the X1 as they are spaced out.
It also seems to be lighter/thinner which would be a plus.
But hopefully when the release WM7.0, it will make the Kaiser UI much more friendly and interactive.
None of this is confirmed and this is just a mockup, but it looks really sharp: http://news.softpedia.com/news/Microsoft-Windows-Mobile-7-0-Preview-or-Simple-Mockup-75751.shtml
For the most part though I really like my Kaiser

vip3r69 said:
I will definitely check it out closer to launching but from what I have seen up to now I don't see any reason that I would not take it. I use to be a SE fan before I got into ppc's. I was looking for OS freedom, that is why I started with WM devices. I liked my Wizard and after almost 2 weeks can't find fault with my new Kaiser. Deep down I'm still a SE fan though.
Can't wait for launch date :
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I heard that the actual release date will be in 2009 Feb

You all know that this is Sony Ericsson right?? I will get it when I have the money and the time
Also no that was a typo.

its made by HTC
apparently

belon_cfy said:
I heard that the actual release date will be in 2009 Feb
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
SE have confirmed that was just a mistake on their website, the release date stands at H2 - meaning anytime between July and December this year.

i just went on the sony website and watched their commercial. Its the crappiest commercial to advertise the phone. Its 6 seconds of the phone in action, and the rest is flying paper airplane.
I cant decide whether I want it or not. if it has all the things kaiser does, then yeah, but otherwise most likely not.

In theory it has all that the Kaiser has, plus a higher resolution screen. The really killer difference though is the size and weight - it really is a LOT smaller, and a lot more pocketable, while still retaining that full qwerty etc.

Boinng said:
In theory it has all that the Kaiser has, plus a higher resolution screen. The really killer difference though is the size and weight - it really is a LOT smaller, and a lot more pocketable, while still retaining that full qwerty etc.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The most important feature is the keyboard. Sure that's why we all have the Kaiser right...
Size is important, but too small and you can't type. You'd end up with a Treo/ Blackberry/ Samsung type keypad and I can't stand those buttons, way too small.
In saying that though, the thickness is really important, it would be great if it was a lot thinner, but again if you go too thin you get into that area that samsung have been pushing. Have you tried out their D900 phone, just way too thin, pain in the a*s to press those keys.
Also weight. Kaiser is definatly the heaviest phone i've used, but I don't find it that bad. I thought it was going to be way to heavy, my old eTen m600 a lot lighter, but really I don't mind it at all.
A bit lighter, a bit smaller, a lot thinner, with the bigger screen, the better keyboard layout and we have a winner.
I can't wait to see the phones out in 2010!

As a long standing HTC user I have been happy with the MDA Vario III overall but the display problems and poor quality camera (slow screen refresh etc) have been a BIG disapointment. The poor response from HTC has been even worse and what appears to be a complete lack of customer service has really
put me off them!
I am certainly looking forward to checking out the XPERIA X1 in the flesh..
Sony have generally delivered a good solid handset in the past and the battery life and camera are often excellent too. As long as they get the whole package to come together and the initial feedback is good I will consider letting my Vario III go.
The only issue for me will be that I am currently only 5 months into a contract with T-Mobile so I will need to get a SIM free or go for a second contract. Oh the price we pay for technological advances!
Zippyioa

Rather than listen to the hype, I'd need to see it and test drive it.
It's gotta be head and shoulders above what the Kaiser has to offer, because I'm not the type of guy to upgrade just to have the latest.
Good thing my last HTC device was a Blue Angel and not a Wizard or Hermes, or I'd still be using it

personally i dont really care HOW much of an upgrade it is from TytnII to X1...of course it'd be nice if all the problems of the tytnii be fixed in the x1 but i just like to try new phones...so i will try out the x1...if i dont like it..worst case is go back to the tytnii...so no lost

Kaiser upgrade to?

Ok well I think it might be time to upgrade from the Kaiser but I'm not sure just yet.
First of all my current phone is(my sig is not accurate):
ATT Tilt
HyperDragon 3 Opal ROM
1.71.09.01 radio
I am a power user on this thing and my number 1 problem is battery life. I cant make it half a day anymore nowhere close if I'm using the GPS or playing a game for a little bit. I know I could replace the battery(maybe with an extended run unit) but I think it might just be time to upgrade. This was one of the first ones on the market when they came out so its the longest I've had a phone in a few years.
The phone has seen a hardlife with some drops and such but it took the beating like a champ.
I still dont like that it is a bit laggy, has some freeze up issues, sometime the response to the keyboard is terrbile and only half of the message I type makes it to the screen(major pains as I am constantly email and texting), and the battery life.
I have been out of the scene for a while and am not on top of the new hotness so I figured I'd ask. I prefer a tactile keyboard(though I havnt tried any of the new touch screen only phones so I dont know what those keyboards are like), must sync with exchange. I use exchange and two pop accounts on my phone. a btter camera would be cool. Better battery life and overall smoother operation is a MUST! I'm hoping that with increased processing power the newer WM phone have improved but I jsut dont know.
I am not partial to HTC but so far they have proven the most reliable for me. The iphone is out of the question(even though I love the slick interface) because of a couple missing features.
I appreciate the help and recomendations.

hi,best way for you would be try most of them(htc),couse everyone has its own opinion.i got kaiser aswell,and i bought diamond few days ago,i felt like i was stuck somewhere in 90s with kaiser.

Same question last week
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=503407

Just replace your battery, there is an economic crisis out there incase you didn't know.

ChumleyEX said:
Just replace your battery, there is an economic crisis out there incase you didn't know.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
someone has got to perk up the economy though I'm just going to put a new battery for the time being. I really like the Xperia X1 but I'm not sure its the right choice so I'll hold out a bit more. Wait till I can get my hands on one.

zjchaser said:
someone has got to perk up the economy though I'm just going to put a new battery for the time being. I really like the Xperia X1 but I'm not sure its the right choice so I'll hold out a bit more.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can have a read up on the X1 here at XDA and you'll find it also has it's problems and limitations. A new battery (or two) is a sensible and cheap solution for the time being. When I'm out on long days of GPS/Video Playback and Internet Browsing, I always take my 2 spare (regular size) kaiser batteries and that does the trick as I've yet to get through 3 batteries in a day.

I just effectively ended the life of my Tilt as a phone... I lost my stylus and got lazy. I ended up trying to use a paper clip to push the soft reset button when I wanted to put the phone into bootloader. Well I pushed too hard and ended up damaging the microphone. Now the only way I see of using it as a phone is to find my Moto S9's. I will finally use the upgrade option to the Wing II (Rhodium) on T-Mobile as it is finally getting a new WM PDA that will work on 3G. I think my area of Texas is also supposed to get 3G around the same time that the Wing II comes out. So I suppose it was a sign from above that I should upgrade. It has been three years with T-Mo and I haven't asked for any upgrades so I think I should now. I am still going to keep the Tilt for the games, apps and other things.

The HTC options are questionable right now. I recently purchased a G1 & a Touch Pro: the G1's lack of mature applications and generally PITA bugs (you can't mount the phone AND the SD at the same time?....REALLY? What year is this?). The Touch Pro is faster than the Tilt and has an amazing amount of ram, G-sensor is nice, but packing 640x480 in the same 2.8" screen that the tilt has means that you will be unable to fully utilize that resolution: things are just too small. Also, if you're a tilt fan, you WILL miss the ability to tilt the screen. As the touch Diamond has the same small screen as the TP *and* cannot take microSD cards, I don't consider it a serious contender.
So there you have it: I have sold off both the G1 and the Touch Pro and am just keeping my tilt until the Touch Pro II comes out. On that note, there were over 400 G1's on ebay when I sold mine: seems I'm not alone in being fed up with it.

TYTN II Questions Please answer!

Hi
Iam a himalaya user and im currently looking at a tytn II.
I have a few questions:
Are they reliable?
Is there anything you have to do before you can flash a new rom to them?
What is the average price range do you think for a used one?
Any commen problems?
il probly be getting a new phone next year. But im just researching early!
thanks

Are they reliable? Yes
Is there anything you have to do before you can flash a new rom to them? Hard-SPL
What is the average price range do you think for a used one? £100-£200
Any commen problems? No mainly user error

This phone will be 3 years old in a year. Maybe you should look onward to the future.

thing with used phones is that li-ion batts got a limited number of times they can be charged before they die
and getting an older model used phone can result in finding a replacement batt being hard

You can pick up new one on Orange for around £120>£150
Parts are quite easy to get hold of & genuine batteries are not too expensive.
I like the Kaiser, have tried Touch Pro & it is bloody useless due to the design over function D-Pad layout.
I like buttons/D-pad & new devices don't have many of them. I can mute calls & run apps via tactile feel without looking at my phone or getting it out of my pocket, trying doing that via touch only ! try playing favourite old games without buttons.
Modern is a step backwards, I'll be sticking with the Kaiser for some time I think.
Another plus is build quality. My Kaiser has travelled over 100,000 miles with me & still looks & functions like new.
It's old but it is still a good design & device.

ye my himalaya is 7years old i think and i bought that 2nd hand in march
not had too replace a thing

Yeh, I also have a magician lying around. Good 7 years old with original battery & working perfectly.
Kaiser is very reliable if looked after well.
Only real fault was the video driver issue & if you want to be fussy the power button could be easier to find & press.
I would buy another tomorrow if I had to as no current new HTC devices seem to hit the button for the price tag at the moment.