Related
Hello,
First things first:
This is my first post here. I live in Brazil, and I work as a software developer. I have always liked technology and gadgets, and I bought my first smartphone a few years ago.
It was a Nokia N-Gage QD. I loved it, because it had a wonderful OS (Symbian S60 1st Edition). But the hardware was quite limited, with a ~100 MHz processor, 16 MB memory, used very slow MMC cards, and the main problem was the screen, which was only 176x208, 4k colors, and very low contrast. Since it was a S60 device it also had no touchscreen. It also didn't have a MP3 player.
About a year ago I decided it was time for an upgrade. A friend of mine bought a Motorola A1200i (also known as Ming). I really loved it when she showed it to me. It is quite a bit smaller than the N-Gage, has a beautiful 320x240 touchscreen, pretty decent specs (312 Mhz Intel processor, 48 Mb memory, MicroSD support), the most beautiful user interface I have ever seen, and lots of built in applications.
But it has some very serious issues, most of them because of the limited Linux OS. Since it's Linux, there are absolutely no commercial applications, the only ones available are distributed freely by Linux fans.
I started looking for a better device, and found the Kaiser. It has pretty much everything I want that my phone doesn't have: a real OS, .Net support (which is my favorite programming platform), Wifi, GPS, 3G.
I read lots and lots of reviews, news and posts about it. I am aware of the driver issues, and I have also read that the battery doesn't last long.
Well, but anyway, some questions I have:
1. Music: I listen to music almost every day on my phone. I also have an original Motorola S9 headset, which I really really like. I will keep it to use with the Kaiser too. My phone has some issues with A2DP. The pitch is a little higher than it should, and sometimes I have to reconnect to get it working. But what I really dislike is that only RealPlayer streams to A2DP devices. All other applications need a wired headset. How good is the Kaiser for music with a Bluetooth headset?
2. Texting/messaging: I also text a lot. Since my phone has no keyboard, I use a virtual one, very similar to the one found on WM. How much faster is the physical keyboard? Some people say the keys are a little hard to press, is that true? And is the keyboard good enough for moderate use or I would be better off with a Bluetooth keyboard?
3. Web: I also like to browse the web on my phone. I use Opera Mini, because I really like its features, and it synchronizes with my desktop Opera, so I can have the same bookmarks. Is Mini also the best choice on Kaiser?
4. Video: This one I wish I could use more, but I don't because the application I use doesn't stream to Bluetooth headsets. But anyway, my phone is pretty decent when it comes to video playing. I can play 320x240 XVid videos at around 25 FPS. Can the Kaiser achieve this kind of performance even without proper drivers? AFAIK WM handles A2DP streams, so in theory any application can use them. Does that mean I can watch videos with my Bluetooth headset?
5. Battery: How much does it last with real life use? I don't mind if it doesn't last very long, as long as it lasts at least a full day with heavy use. My phone lasts for around 2.5 days with light use, and listening to 3 hours of music with Bluetooth make it last a day less. But it's still good, because I only have to charge it at night.
6. Application: And how about developing applications? .Net seems almost too easy to be true. Do I really only have to compile the application on Visual Studio and install it? No 99 step building and deploying process like my old Symbian phone had?
7. Games: I don't play games that much, I don't even have any game installed on my PC, but it can be a good passtime when on the go. On my N-Gage QD I had a few games that were really good, and some emulators. Because of the limited resolution I could only play Gameboy games, but it could also emulate SNES. And there were many games I liked on the SNES. Can the Kaiser run it? How are the controls?
8. File transfer: Does it support PAN protocol, so I can browse the folders on the SD through Bluetooth? Once I saw a friend of mine doing it with a Dell X51 and it's much much better than OBEX.
I guess that's it for now. I looked for guides that would answer my questions, but didn't find any. Is there a FAQ or something?
Any help will be greatly appreciated, and I hope I can retribute if/when I buy a Kaiser myself.
Thanks!
Smaniac said:
Hello,
First things first:
This is my first post here. I live in Brazil, and I work as a software developer. I have always liked technology and gadgets, and I bought my first smartphone a few years ago.
It was a Nokia N-Gage QD. I loved it, because it had a wonderful OS (Symbian S60 1st Edition). But the hardware was quite limited, with a ~100 MHz processor, 16 MB memory, used very slow MMC cards, and the main problem was the screen, which was only 176x208, 4k colors, and very low contrast. Since it was a S60 device it also had no touchscreen. It also didn't have a MP3 player.
About a year ago I decided it was time for an upgrade. A friend of mine bought a Motorola A1200i (also known as Ming). I really loved it when she showed it to me. It is quite a bit smaller than the N-Gage, has a beautiful 320x240 touchscreen, pretty decent specs (312 Mhz Intel processor, 48 Mb memory, MicroSD support), the most beautiful user interface I have ever seen, and lots of built in applications.
But it has some very serious issues, most of them because of the limited Linux OS. Since it's Linux, there are absolutely no commercial applications, the only ones available are distributed freely by Linux fans.
I started looking for a better device, and found the Kaiser. It has pretty much everything I want that my phone doesn't have: a real OS, .Net support (which is my favorite programming platform), Wifi, GPS, 3G.
I read lots and lots of reviews, news and posts about it. I am aware of the driver issues, and I have also read that the battery doesn't last long.
Well, but anyway, some questions I have:
1. Music: I listen to music almost every day on my phone. I also have an original Motorola S9 headset, which I really really like. I will keep it to use with the Kaiser too. My phone has some issues with A2DP. The pitch is a little higher than it should, and sometimes I have to reconnect to get it working. But what I really dislike is that only RealPlayer streams to A2DP devices. All other applications need a wired headset. How good is the Kaiser for music with a Bluetooth headset?
2. Texting/messaging: I also text a lot. Since my phone has no keyboard, I use a virtual one, very similar to the one found on WM. How much faster is the physical keyboard? Some people say the keys are a little hard to press, is that true? And is the keyboard good enough for moderate use or I would be better off with a Bluetooth keyboard?
3. Web: I also like to browse the web on my phone. I use Opera Mini, because I really like its features, and it synchronizes with my desktop Opera, so I can have the same bookmarks. Is Mini also the best choice on Kaiser?
4. Video: This one I wish I could use more, but I don't because the application I use doesn't stream to Bluetooth headsets. But anyway, my phone is pretty decent when it comes to video playing. I can play 320x240 XVid videos at around 25 FPS. Can the Kaiser achieve this kind of performance even without proper drivers? AFAIK WM handles A2DP streams, so in theory any application can use them. Does that mean I can watch videos with my Bluetooth headset?
5. Battery: How much does it last with real life use? I don't mind if it doesn't last very long, as long as it lasts at least a full day with heavy use. My phone lasts for around 2.5 days with light use, and listening to 3 hours of music with Bluetooth make it last a day less. But it's still good, because I only have to charge it at night.
6. Application: And how about developing applications? .Net seems almost too easy to be true. Do I really only have to compile the application on Visual Studio and install it? No 99 step building and deploying process like my old Symbian phone had?
7. Games: I don't play games that much, I don't even have any game installed on my PC, but it can be a good passtime when on the go. On my N-Gage QD I had a few games that were really good, and some emulators. Because of the limited resolution I could only play Gameboy games, but it could also emulate SNES. And there were many games I liked on the SNES. Can the Kaiser run it? How are the controls?
8. File transfer: Does it support PAN protocol, so I can browse the folders on the SD through Bluetooth? Once I saw a friend of mine doing it with a Dell X51 and it's much much better than OBEX.
I guess that's it for now. I looked for guides that would answer my questions, but didn't find any. Is there a FAQ or something?
Any help will be greatly appreciated, and I hope I can retribute if/when I buy a Kaiser myself.
Thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Generally I'm of the opinion that the Kaiser isn't right for very many people, but to answer your questions:
1. If you have a good pair of BT headphones, listening to music on them is simple. This is true on most WM devices.
2. Biggest problem I have is that the spacebar has two sensors (clicks on left and right which you'll probably end up pressing both at once) which is a really stupid design move. On top of that, the Kaiser does not register double presses of a button (i.e. it would have written out that part as "preses of a buton") unless you type very slowly. Some people find various onscreen solutions better, but in general I find the keyboard adequate.
3. Opera Mini is the easiest to use at the moment.
4. No. And yes to your second question.
5. It will not last a day with heavy use.
6. Don't know.
7. Go to Howard Forums and search for a post on emulators by menneisyys.
8. Yes, WM supports PAN protocol.
1. Music works pretty well except for an issue where the sound stops for a fraction of a second every few minutes or so.
2. The keyboard isn't as good as it could be(especially with that weird random lag it sometimes has) but still way better than an onscreen keyboard.
3. I like Opera Mobile, but I'm too cheap to pay for it so I'm using PIE.
4. Coreplayer is supposed to release a version well suited for the Kaiser in a couple of months. It costs money though.
5. Two days in light use in an Edge area. 6 hours in an 'H' area listening to music, using google maps, surfing the internet.
6. Yes compared to other environments, writing on the compact framework is a thing of wonderous joy.
7. I've had alot of problems getting these things usable. They don't seem to be actively developing them much.
8. Don't know.
Overall it's like owning classic corvette and having to use it as a commuter car. You love it but you also can't help but hate it sometimes.
Thank you very much for your help, both of you. You pointed me in the right direction. Now I know I can expect CorePlayer 1.2 to be great. And I don't really mind paying for software, because since I earn money from it I also recognize its value. Besides, $25 will be pretty cheap considering its benefits.
2 things that got me really disappointed though seem to be keyboard and battery. About the keyboard, I will wait for the official release in Brazil next month, so I can test it. But is the battery really that bad? Maybe I can live with it, I can recharge it at work when needed, because it charges by USB from what I have read.
Anyway, I know this phone isn't perfect. There is and will never be any perfect device. But even considering its flaws, it seems to be excellent.
I wish the video driver issue was really solved though. It would make it even more attractive to everyone.
Thank you very much for your time again.
Blowfish64 said:
7. Go to Howard Forums and search for a post on emulators by menneisyys.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the promotion
That's no longe rneeded - in the meantime, I've migrated all my Bibles in the local Wiki (it took me SEVERAL days to do so... thousands of articles...)
See http://wiki.xda-developers.com/inde...s - for both games and productivity platforms
Smaniac said:
2 things that got me really disappointed though seem to be keyboard and battery. About the keyboard, I will wait for the official release in Brazil next month, so I can test it. But is the battery really that bad? Maybe I can live with it, I can recharge it at work when needed, because it charges by USB from what I have read.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Disable 3G; then, it'll be a lot better. See my related Bible at http://wiki.xda-developers.com/inde...(GPRS & EDGE) modes to optimize battery life! and http://wiki.xda-developers.com/inde...(auto-)terminate unnecessary data connections
Blowfish64 said:
1. If you have a good pair of BT headphones, listening to music on them is simple. This is true on most WM devices.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Justa quick warning: the Kaiser uses the A2DP implementation of the MS BT stack. While it's definitely better than that of previous OS'es (WM5 - see http://wiki.xda-developers.com/inde...nes) quality: Light at the End of the Tunnel? for more info on this), it's still worse than decent A2DP implementations like those of Nokia or the dumbphones / media players of Samsung. You won't really notice the difference if you only listen to, say, disco music; with classical / folk / world music, the difference is HUGE.
That is, if you REALLY need A2DP, go for a non-WM device or get an additional, cheap A2DP source; for example the Samsung YP-T9J.
I really recommend ALL the A2DP-related articles at http://wiki.xda-developers.com/inde...for 1. DUN and connectivity issues; 2. gaming for more info.
Blowfish64 said:
Smaniac said:
8. File transfer: Does it support PAN protocol, so I can browse the folders on the SD through Bluetooth? Once I saw a friend of mine doing it with a Dell X51 and it's much much better than OBEX.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
8. Yes, WM supports PAN protocol.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The OP seems to have confused the File Transfer Profile with PAN. They have nothing to do with each other. BT PAN can be used to transfer files - but FT is much-much better suited for this task. (BTW, PAN isn't really supported, only in server mode - see my related articles.)
Fortunately, the Kaiser, being WM6 (as opposed to earlier OS'es), supports FT - unless your particular rebrander has removed the support.
Smaniac said:
7. Games: I don't play games that much, I don't even have any game installed on my PC, but it can be a good passtime when on the go. On my N-Gage QD I had a few games that were really good, and some emulators. Because of the limited resolution I could only play Gameboy games, but it could also emulate SNES. And there were many games I liked on the SNES. Can the Kaiser run it? How are the controls?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
For emulation, currently, it's plain useless. See the emulation-related threads here.
If you want DECENT emulation capabilities, currently, your ONLY choice is the Dell Axim x50v / x51v.
Menneisyys said:
Thanks for the promotion
That's no longe rneeded - in the meantime, I've migrated all my Bibles in the local Wiki (it took me SEVERAL days to do so... thousands of articles...)
See http://wiki.xda-developers.com/inde...s - for both games and productivity platforms
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nice articles, one thing that really got me interested was ScummVM. I only knew the desktop version, had no idea there was a WM version.
Menneisyys said:
Disable 3G; then, it'll be a lot better. See my related Bible at http://wiki.xda-developers.com/inde...(GPRS & EDGE) modes to optimize battery life! and http://wiki.xda-developers.com/inde...(auto-)terminate unnecessary data connections
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, I won't be using 3G all of the time, so that might be a viable solution. Great to know there is a simple application to do that.
Menneisyys said:
Justa quick warning: the Kaiser uses the A2DP implementation of the MS BT stack. While it's definitely better than that of previous OS'es (WM5 - see http://wiki.xda-developers.com/inde...nes) quality: Light at the End of the Tunnel? for more info on this), it's still worse than decent A2DP implementations like those of Nokia or the dumbphones / media players of Samsung. You won't really notice the difference if you only listen to, say, disco music; with classical / folk / world music, the difference is HUGE.
That is, if you REALLY need A2DP, go for a non-WM device or get an additional, cheap A2DP source; for example the Samsung YP-T9J.
I really recommend ALL the A2DP-related articles at http://wiki.xda-developers.com/inde...for 1. DUN and connectivity issues; 2. gaming for more info.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The main reason for me to play music on my phone is that I don't need to carry a whole different device. So buying something else just for music isn't an option. But I'll try it for myself, it will probably be better than my current Linux RealPlayer, which is really bad.
Menneisyys said:
The OP seems to have confused the File Transfer Profile with PAN. They have nothing to do with each other. BT PAN can be used to transfer files - but FT is much-much better suited for this task. (BTW, PAN isn't really supported, only in server mode - see my related articles.)
Fortunately, the Kaiser, being WM6 (as opposed to earlier OS'es), supports FT - unless your particular rebrander has removed the support.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yep, you are right, I meant FT, not PAN. Sorry.
Menneisyys said:
For emulation, currently, it's plain useless. See the emulation-related threads here.
If you want DECENT emulation capabilities, currently, your ONLY choice is the Dell Axim x50v / x51v.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Emulation isn't a must for me, but it would be nice to have.
A friend of mine has a Dell x51v, and I REALLY hate it. I don't mean to offend who has one, but I just see it as a very bulky device with no kind of network connection whatsoever.
Thank you very much for the feedback. I'm starting to really like this community already.
battery isnt that bad, i get a good few hours of music over a2dp, a good few hours browsing time and ive got putty and messenger runing on the thing all the time over gprs - what i find realy kills the battery is how long you have the screen on, if i keep the screen on a lot, ill be down to mid 30%ies after a ful day - if i go a bit lighter ill still have about 50% by the time i goto bed.
the keyboard is ok - the double tap problem does bug me but ive trained myself to avoid it (mostly ) im writing this post on my kaiser, way faster than if i were to use an onscreen keyb but i have nails (and slender fingers) so i guess that makes it easier to hit the keys.
i can play transcoded (down to native 320x240) video just fine at decent fps (dont know exact framerate) - i dont notice any lag or stuttering - though im sure i wont need to transcode in the future when some drivers are released.
cant say about the audio quality over a2dp - ive never had issue with it, i actually think its quite good quality, but the loudspeaker on the back is so loud it does distort the sound quite often even if its set to a low level (sounds like its reverberating or smt)
all in all im happy with my kaiser given its few blemishes
Smaniac said:
The main reason for me to play music on my phone is that I don't need to carry a whole different device. So buying something else just for music isn't an option. But I'll try it for myself, it will probably be better than my current Linux RealPlayer, which is really bad.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It all depends on the music genre you listen to - and also the headphones you use. Some are just horrible with the MS BT stack; this is why I'm using a different, non-Microsoft gadget (Nokia N95) as an A2DP source. WAAAY better - there is just no comparison.
Smaniac said:
Emulation isn't a must for me, but it would be nice to have.
A friend of mine has a Dell x51v, and I REALLY hate it. I don't mean to offend who has one, but I just see it as a very bulky device with no kind of network connection whatsoever.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It indeed doesn't have a phone ("only" Wi-Fi / BT). However, if you're seriously into gaming / emulation, you will want to consider getting it - in addition to your Kaiser (it's pretty cheap now). The Kaiser is, currently, plain bad at both emulation, the touchscreen tap-and-hold CPU usage issues and the D-pad department.
fusi said:
battery isnt that bad, i get a good few hours of music over a2dp, a good few hours browsing time and ive got putty and messenger runing on the thing all the time over gprs - what i find realy kills the battery is how long you have the screen on, if i keep the screen on a lot, ill be down to mid 30%ies after a ful day - if i go a bit lighter ill still have about 50% by the time i goto bed.
the keyboard is ok - the double tap problem does bug me but ive trained myself to avoid it (mostly ) im writing this post on my kaiser, way faster than if i were to use an onscreen keyb but i have nails (and slender fingers) so i guess that makes it easier to hit the keys.
i can play transcoded (down to native 320x240) video just fine at decent fps (dont know exact framerate) - i dont notice any lag or stuttering - though im sure i wont need to transcode in the future when some drivers are released.
cant say about the audio quality over a2dp - ive never had issue with it, i actually think its quite good quality, but the loudspeaker on the back is so loud it does distort the sound quite often even if its set to a low level (sounds like its reverberating or smt)
all in all im happy with my kaiser given its few blemishes
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
As I can see everything is a matter of particular use and taste. Good to know that someone is really happy with it, I hope I will be too. Thanks for the info!
Menneisyys said:
It all depends on the music genre you listen to - and also the headphones you use. Some are just horrible with the MS BT stack; this is why I'm using a different, non-Microsoft gadget (Nokia N95) as an A2DP source. WAAAY better - there is just no comparison.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I use a Motorola S9, and I listen to a lot of different stuff (rock, pop, classical, and so on). I have tried it briefly on the Dell x51v and the quality was good, however it seems my friend was using a different BT stack. By the way, is that information correct? He told me MS one didn't support FT protocol, so he installed another one, and now it has it.
Menneisyys said:
It indeed doesn't have a phone ("only" Wi-Fi / BT). However, if you're seriously into gaming / emulation, you will want to consider getting it - in addition to your Kaiser (it's pretty cheap now). The Kaiser is, currently, plain bad at both emulation, the touchscreen tap-and-hold CPU usage issues and the D-pad department.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm not really into it. I don't even play games on my PC. I only play my Nintendo Wii for a few hours a week.
Like I said it would be a nice plus, but not a requirement.
It would be nice if I could play some slow-paced games like Chrono Trigger or Final Fantasy 6 though. Is it possible?
Thanks!
Menneisyys said:
The Kaiser is, currently, plain bad at both emulation, the touchscreen tap-and-hold CPU usage issues and the D-pad department.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Menneisyys,
Do you have any reason to believe the Polaris/Cruise will be better at this?
Not sure if you guys have seen this or not, there have been a few posts here in the Athena group about the Sony(Abacus/Fossil) Bluetooth watches and the new Bluetooth Vibrating bracelet.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=362218
I have 2 of the Abacus Mobile Wear Bluetooth watches and they work great with the X7500 and my HP ipaq 510 smartphone, I am able to use the watch for CallerID, SMS, Email, MMS notifications with vibrate WHILE having my Jabra BT8010 connected.
its freeware, but I am donating as it is great software.
G
Thank for info...
But I prefer my TAG he.. he...
Sweeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeet!
It works well
I have got the MDW-150 Executive it works realy well
New p PK with widc? omm stack
Hi guys, first post
I got a MBW150 for £82 from ebay, sweet, it took me some time to get it working but eventually I managed it in port 9, there are talks that the new PK4 rom may include the widcomm bluetooth stack and now I am wondering how this will affect the watch.
OK, I'm intrigued. Anyone know differences between Abacus and the 3 models of Sony-Ericsson (executive, music, classic) -- price, but anything else as far as features? One thing that would be sweet is if it sync'ed the time (including changing time zones), but doesn't look like that happens from what I read. Any other thoughts? Think I might need one of these, heh heh.
wgary said:
OK, I'm intrigued. Anyone know differences between Abacus and the 3 models of Sony-Ericsson (executive, music, classic) -- price, but anything else as far as features? One thing that would be sweet is if it sync'ed the time (including changing time zones), but doesn't look like that happens from what I read. Any other thoughts? Think I might need one of these, heh heh.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think the Abacus is the same as the MBW-100 so no media player controls.
The digital time on the oled display is sync'ed but the analogue hands have to be manualy adjusted.
Paultnl said:
I think the Abacus is the same as the MBW-100 so no media player controls.
The digital time on the oled display is sync'ed but the analogue hands have to be manualy adjusted.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks, think I'll take a try on the MBW-150. Are you using smartWatchM or btWatch? Looks like more features with smartWatchM but btWatch may be simpler to use...
wgary said:
Thanks, think I'll take a try on the MBW-150. Are you using smartWatchM or btWatch? Looks like more features with smartWatchM but btWatch may be simpler to use...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am now using the smartWatchM as Moneytoo has sorted the connection issues and the functionality is much better. btWatch is easier to set up and Pcfixitman keeps adding functions so it is a matter of trying both and seeing which one you like.
wgary
Another thing to take in to consideration is the headset you use, I got the Sony Ericsson HBH DS970 this is an stereo headset, when working alone is very good, the wactch works OK also but working together, they interfere with each other, the music stop-start and do not want to play properly, and the outgoing sound of the calls is bad.
Is as if the athena could no run both at the same time, perhaps the reason is that the headset and watch have booth similar functionality.
I believe the Nokia HS-12W works well, but do your research
OK I'm back to test some more
Bye
Paultnl said:
I am now using the smartWatchM as Moneytoo has sorted the connection issues and the functionality is much better. btWatch is easier to set up and Pcfixitman keeps adding functions so it is a matter of trying both and seeing which one you like.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
btWatch is develop with MBW-100 in mind, and smartWatchM is more apropriate for MBW-150, this is my opinion. I am now using the smartWatchM also.
Both of them are great applications, and I take the opportunity to thank again to the developers.
PBL1 said:
wgary
Another thing to take in to consideration is the headset you use, I got the Sony Ericsson HBH DS970 this is an stereo headset, when working alone is very good, the wactch works OK also but working together, they interfere with each other, the music stop-start and do not want to play properly, and the outgoing sound of the calls is bad.
Is as if the athena could no run both at the same time, perhaps the reason is that the headset and watch have booth similar functionality.
I believe the Nokia HS-12W works well, but do your research
OK I'm back to test some more
Bye
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have a stereo headset and haven't had any problems
This is crazy cool!
From the smartWatchM thread -- sorry for reposting, couldn't figure out how to link to a specific post. Thanks to GuardianZX9 for the tip!!
wgary said:
After reading this thread, I decided to take the plunge and buy the MBW-150 "regular edition."
General Impressions
1. Moneytoo, along with pcfixitman, have done an awesome job in making this a totally fantastic device. I have gotten SWM working, and everything works as advertised, although see a few small caveats below. I am totally blown away by how cool this is. The screen shots don't do it justice. Very well designed and functional.
2. I thought the watch might be heavy and cumbersome, not so. Quite comfortable. A little on the large side, but generally stylish looks.
3. I have an Athena (HTC Advantage), which is a monster. I was relying on a Jabra BT8010 to vibrate and provide "remote" functionality. That is totally primitive next to the MBW-150.
4. Settings in the program work well.
Installation Experience
Getting it to work was challenging. Here were the "keys" to my success on the Advantage:
1. Follow the directions in post 1 exactly.
2. Adjust the registry settings to set up COM1, as suggested by paultnl, since COM6 seems not to be available on the Advantage. (I had no luck with the configuration program, did this using Resco File Explorer.) Changes:
First key, change PORT to COM1
Second key, change name to BTD_COM1 and change index to 1.
3. I'm not sure if this step was necessary, but it seemed to work. (Coincidence?) I kept getting IOException errors. After checking around, I installed .NET CF3.5 http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/...49-3c6b-42f1-9fd9-0041345b3385&displaylang=en
After that the errors stopped. Mostly.
4. The following suggestion (linked from Post 1) on startup procedure on the phone was necessary for me:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=1871441&postcount=46
Caveats/Suggestions
As I said to begin with, the concept and execution are excellent! All features have worked as advertised. I do have a few small items that I haven't quite worked out. Maybe it's a bug, maybe I don't quite understand.
1. Reconnection seems to be an issue. I had it working last night. Walked out of range, but it wouldn't reconnect when I came back in range. In fact, nothing I did would reconnect. I finally deleted the pairing and repaired. Then it worked. It would be great if this could improved, or maybe someone can enlighten me.
2. Appointments do work. But it seems like the next appointment won't show until the current one is finished. It would be nice to scroll to upcoming ones...
3. WMP option didn't work that well. But not a big deal for me, actually couldn't care less since I use CorePlayer.
4. The volume control/select method is a little cumbersome. It does work, but hard to hit the feature you want to times.
5. It would be nice if the setting would revert to the last event. That is, if a text message comes in, hitting middle key would bring that info. Just a thought.
6. Documentation on the phone and program are "sparse". Took a little experimentation. Here's the quick guide:
* Lower right key: Set watch modes -- BT on/off, etc. (Upper right key toggles the mode)
* Upper right key: Display date, date, SWM current info by successive taps.
* Upper/lower left key: "Volume controls" -- use these to select what function you want to display. Length of bar corresponds to the "numbers" in post 1, but the numbers aren't shown. To make the function appear:
* Middle left key: Invoke SWM function. (Note: if displays date or time, hit upper right key to bring it back)
Summary
The combination of this watch and SWM is totally awesome. I feel so **** Tracy/Star Trek/... Even better, it really works and is really useful! A little "donation" to keep up the excellent work will follow. Awesome work, you guys!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Wgary
Good It worked for you
I feel is the ideal companion for the Athena, and the 150 looks cool or what.
couple of things, there is an easier way to install without playing with the registry for those that like to try
1-copy SWMconfig by PCFixman to theAthena (any whwere, I have it in my hard driver)
2-install smartwatch by Money too to the athena (in device) but do not power it yet
pair the watch with Athena, Athena will give you an error, just press next
3-Find SWMconfig where you put it into the Athena click on it, the program start and you can chose a port, click set and it display OK, exit and reestart the athena (fully switch off)
4-Switch on the Athena and fire smartwatch, click menu>start
DONE,
If it does not work, close smartwatch ( (menu>close) repet step 3 and 4 until you find a port that work for you, mine works with ports 0 and 9
To test, while in smartwatch ,Menu>test
Also ( Im using version 2 of the App)pressing left center sort in the watch gives you a function, pressing long gives you another
EG: Volume at 6 sort left centre gives profile and operator, long gives battery and signal
Pity doesn't want to play ball with my HBH DS970
It play with my Jabra BT8010 but I prefer the DS970 for several reasons.
Regards and enjoy your new toy
it is a shame about the 970, as this will be my combination too
For those who do not already know, these watches are designed by Fossil for Sony, the collaboration went both ways, with Fossil bringing out a non Sony branded watch, it is functionally identical to the Sony MBW-100 but does not have the ability to control music
Maplin are selling them new for £115
http://www.maplin.co.uk/Module.aspx?ModuleNo=99658&&source=14&doy=2m3
hi,
i have a athena with wm5 and a mbw-150.
i have tested te smartwatch 0.2.0.2 and i have some problems (with the autoconnect operation).
now, i'm using the btwatch 0.18 and it works more fine for me.
regards
bartito
hi,
i have a athena with wm5 and a mbw-150.
i have tested te smartwatch 0.2.0.2 and i have some problems (with the autoconnect operation).
now, i'm using the btwatch 0.18 and it works more fine for me.
regards
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
what about compatibility with the 150, also functionality?
Isn't btwatch geared more to the mmbw 100 type?
Cheers
I am using smartWatchM 0.2.0.2 with good success. I do not use the autoconnect because it sometimes has issues. My method which has proved very reliable: (1) turn BT off on the watch, (2) start smartWatchM and tell it to start, (3) turn BT on on the watch and wait until the messages on the phone screen end, (4) push middle left button to connect. After that, it works quite reliably. On one occasion, I lost connection (went out of range for a long time) and it wouldn't reconnect when I got back. I did a soft reset and repeated the steps above and all was well. Other than that one time, it stays connected all day and even reconnects when I get back in range. It works really well.
However, I am awaiting the next version of btWatch which will have a new menu structure to try that out. I used it briefly. Set up and connection do seem simpler. But SWM seems to be more compatible with the 150, just my opinion. In summary, it's great to have two good options!
GuardianZX9 said:
I have 2 of the Abacus Mobile Wear Bluetooth watches and they work great with the X7500 and my HP ipaq 510 smartphone, I am able to use the watch for CallerID, SMS, Email, MMS notifications with vibrate WHILE having my Jabra BT8010 connected.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Y'know, I've been glancing at that thread on & off for a bit now, but I juuuuuust noticed the key part in your post I've been looking for:
"WHILE having my Jabra BT8010 connected"
So no problems having the watch do all those functions & still use the same headset as I'm using now for actual talking! I can't believe I missed that before.
Did you try both of the software's (btWatch and SmartWatchM) ?
Phil
polstein said:
Y'know, I've been glancing at that thread on & off for a bit now, but I juuuuuust noticed the key part in your post I've been looking for:
"WHILE having my Jabra BT8010 connected"
So no problems having the watch do all those functions & still use the same headset as I'm using now for actual talking! I can't believe I missed that before.
Did you try both of the software's (btWatch and SmartWatchM) ?
Phil
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, the BT8010 and SmartWatchM play together nicely. I did have some issues with btWatch. The latest version of SmartWatchM made connection a little easier. I do like btWatch's interface, but it needs some further refinement--features and integration with BT headset.
Ok, I think this is a new subject:
I am getting ready to buy/lease a new car in the next couple of months. Would like everyone's opinion/advice.
1. Which cars have bluetooth built-in that work with Kaiser over the speakers for both music and for phone?
2. Which cars work with bluetooth for voice-dialing (i.e. have some sort of microphone built-in)?
3. Which cars have the best PLACEMENT options for the Kaiser for GPS navigation (i.e. best line of sight for where the Kaiser would sit to be viewable)?
ONLY REQUIREMENTS: Cars have to be less that $50,000 (ouch!) and options to enable #1, 2, or 3 CANNOT require physically changing anything in the car (it may be leased, instead of bought).
Your wisdom is GREATLY anticipated.
You are planning on making a $50,000 purchasing decision based on a piece of equipment worth about $500?
Not that you don't have some valid questions... but realize how ludicrous the concept is.
There are plenty of cars out there (well below $50K) that have integrated bluetooth and GPS (and other voice activated things like music) so that using your phone (which is a poor option in comparison to dedicated solutions) should not even be necessary.
Buy a car based on the cars functionality...not whether you can plug in an easily expendable device!
freddiemac1 said:
Ok, I think this is a new subject:
I am getting ready to buy/lease a new car in the next couple of months. Would like everyone's opinion/advice.
1. Which cars have bluetooth built-in that work with Kaiser over the speakers for both music and for phone?
2. Which cars work with bluetooth for voice-dialing (i.e. have some sort of microphone built-in)?
3. Which cars have the best PLACEMENT options for the Kaiser for GPS navigation (i.e. best line of sight for where the Kaiser would sit to be viewable)?
ONLY REQUIREMENTS: Cars have to be less that $50,000 (ouch!) and options to enable #1, 2, or 3 CANNOT require physically changing anything in the car (it may be leased, instead of bought).
Your wisdom is GREATLY anticipated.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Lincoln MKS? Great car & I *believe* the Sync/ Navigation does what you ask.
bengalih said:
You are planning on making a $50,000 purchasing decision based on a piece of equipment worth about $500?
Not that you don't have some valid questions... but realize how ludicrous the concept is.
There are plenty of cars out there (well below $50K) that have integrated bluetooth and GPS (and other voice activated things like music) so that using your phone (which is a poor option in comparison to dedicated solutions) should not even be necessary.
Buy a car based on the cars functionality...not whether you can plug in an easily expendable device!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
^^^ What he said +1
freddiemac1 said:
Ok, I think this is a new subject:
I am getting ready to buy/lease a new car in the next couple of months. Would like everyone's opinion/advice.
1. Which cars have bluetooth built-in that work with Kaiser over the speakers for both music and for phone?
2. Which cars work with bluetooth for voice-dialing (i.e. have some sort of microphone built-in)?
3. Which cars have the best PLACEMENT options for the Kaiser for GPS navigation (i.e. best line of sight for where the Kaiser would sit to be viewable)?
ONLY REQUIREMENTS: Cars have to be less that $50,000 (ouch!) and options to enable #1, 2, or 3 CANNOT require physically changing anything in the car (it may be leased, instead of bought).
Your wisdom is GREATLY anticipated.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hmm... just wanted to point out a few things to consider:
1. The life-cycle of your vehicle should extend well beyond your phone.
2. For a $50,000 vehicle, it will hopefully have a GPS navigation built-in.
In any case, if the BT compatibility is that high on your priority list... test it out when you test drive the vehicle. I don't think the dealership will mind, and if they do - pull off the side of the road during your test drive and configure. The Internet is a wealth of information for manuals and procedures to configure without the help of the dealership.
Good luck with your choice, and let us know your selection.
Thanks, guys....for the reality check
I am NOT basing my decision on this question...but it is a factor as to which cars are worth looking at that HAVE these features. I chose $50K as an arbitrary number because I can't even think of anything more expensive that will do these things.
My real question is which cars out there play well and integrate well with our device (or future devices)?
Many factors (for me) go into a purchase/lease decision:
-safety ratings
-fuel economy
-comfort
-cost
-style
and one of them has to do with bluetooth integration...
For example, I know that the Toyota Prius has bluetooth integration. How is it? Are there others that do? What are your experiences with it?
So...while I really and honestly appreciate the "get real" advice - which is sound - if someone(s) could comment on the specific questions, it would help as I begin my search.
I have a ford edge with nav and sync. Phone syncs quickly and works well. I can push music over the bluetooth through it, it downloads my phonebook so I can hands free voice dial. The only thing the phone doesn't support in sync is reading text messages over it. Some issues I have run into since I upgraded to 6.1 though is after I pair it, then get out, it likes to set my ringer to silent, but not all the time. I Don't use phone for nav, I have found the screen too small to see clearly when driving and it eats the battery. I hope this helps.
Greetings,
I'm a new member to this community and i have been able to find all the answers i need in regard to my new phone here. I've learned how to remove as many of AT&T's "IMPROVEMENTS" as i could possibly remove. I'm not happy with the way it looks but that's ok. it works.
The question I have is this. My phone does everything for me now including email, gps, internet, internet for my laptop, play movies, play music. I'm curious about what else it can do. I've seen applications that just use the flash on the camera as a flashlight and it can be bound to the PTT button.
Is there an application that will be able to interface with my computer and route the sound through the external speaker on my phone for those ocassions that i lan and forget my speakers.
I don't believe there is the ability to rerout sound. That seems like it would take some crazy drivers...
Anyways I don't know of any program.
If your new to the community you may want to look at getting a new ROM. That may help remove the AT&T bloatware and make your device look better and perform much better. There are guides in the ROM development section to flashing your first ROM.
You can do this through bluetooth create a bluetooth partnership then under the bluetooth devices you will see your laptop select and hold on it and it should give you the option to set as wirless stero
Good luck!!
Hi Guys....
I change my HTC Kaiser TYTN II to Android from Winmo rom cooked by shifu
suvil.com/products_freeaudiobt_en.html#product/gallery/free_audio_bt_2.jpg
My Bluetooth headset Suvil works fine to WinMO
Hard SPL 3.29
Radio 1.70.19.09
WinMO rom By shifu
Then i tried Android rom
Not so super froyo by kyle
fresh froyo by dark prince
I cant make my bluetooth headset media buttons to work
I tried to update the:
Hard SPL
3.34
3.56
Radio
1.71.09.01
1.65.21.18 downgrade
Kernels
L1q1d .32/.25
dzo .25
myns .32
still no luck! Cannot use the play/pause rewind/forward button functions
if i click the play/pause twice , it calls the last person on my log
Please help me Masters. TIA!
Thanks for letting me know that. Cheers!
Maybe we can figure it out. It has always bothered me a bit, but never enough to look into the problem. I know that it works fine on some other Android phones. We need to poke around and see if there is any debugging output that can be enabled for Bluetooth. We have all the source code, but sometimes it is like looking for a needle in a haystack.
If I recall, the build you mentioned was based on Fresh Froyo, so that's the source code to look at. Also, Scooter1556 made a CyanogenMod buiid of Gingerbread from different sources, and I haven't tried that very much. Can anyone report whether bluetooth controls work there?
I have to confess that I've been using my Tilt2 (HTC Rhodium) recently, with xdandroid. It is very similar to Fresh Froyo, but faster because the device has more memory. The larger screen helps too. But the battery meter is poor like ours was a year ago, so I have a little work ahead of me on that device. Yet I haven't abandoned the Kaiser completely. No promises, but I'll poke around and see if I can figure out how the bluetooth pause, play, next, previous, and volume buttons work in WinMo and why they don't do anything in our Android builds.
BTW: I don't know about the radio, but the best kernel so far is the Scooter1556 kernel with separated cache, especially for NAND installs.
n2rjt said:
Maybe we can figure it out. It has always bothered me a bit, but never enough to look into the problem. I know that it works fine on some other Android phones. We need to poke around and see if there is any debugging output that can be enabled for Bluetooth. We have all the source code, but sometimes it is like looking for a needle in a haystack.
If I recall, the build you mentioned was based on Fresh Froyo, so that's the source code to look at. Also, Scooter1556 made a CyanogenMod buiid of Gingerbread from different sources, and I haven't tried that very much. Can anyone report whether bluetooth controls work there?
I have to confess that I've been using my Tilt2 (HTC Rhodium) recently, with xdandroid. It is very similar to Fresh Froyo, but faster because the device has more memory. The larger screen helps too. But the battery meter is poor like ours was a year ago, so I have a little work ahead of me on that device. Yet I haven't abandoned the Kaiser completely. No promises, but I'll poke around and see if I can figure out how the bluetooth pause, play, next, previous, and volume buttons work in WinMo and why they don't do anything in our Android builds.
BTW: I don't know about the radio, but the best kernel so far is the Scooter1556 kernel with separated cache, especially for NAND installs.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
As a diamond user, i hope you can fix the whole pack... Rhodium, Fuse, Diamond, and Topaz
n2rjt said:
Maybe we can figure it out. It has always bothered me a bit, but never enough to look into the problem. I know that it works fine on some other Android phones. We need to poke around and see if there is any debugging output that can be enabled for Bluetooth. We have all the source code, but sometimes it is like looking for a needle in a haystack.
If I recall, the build you mentioned was based on Fresh Froyo, so that's the source code to look at. Also, Scooter1556 made a CyanogenMod buiid of Gingerbread from different sources, and I haven't tried that very much. Can anyone report whether bluetooth controls work there?
I have to confess that I've been using my Tilt2 (HTC Rhodium) recently, with xdandroid. It is very similar to Fresh Froyo, but faster because the device has more memory. The larger screen helps too. But the battery meter is poor like ours was a year ago, so I have a little work ahead of me on that device. Yet I haven't abandoned the Kaiser completely. No promises, but I'll poke around and see if I can figure out how the bluetooth pause, play, next, previous, and volume buttons work in WinMo and why they don't do anything in our Android builds.
BTW: I don't know about the radio, but the best kernel so far is the Scooter1556 kernel with separated cache, especially for NAND installs.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
OMG!!! Some Masters did reply to my post!...Hope im not too late for this!
I have a friend who is using Samsung I5510 built with Froyo 2.2.2
and media buttons on my headset works fine
Well the problem is dont know how to extract the driver or configuration of that ROM and install it to my kaiser. (i dont know as well if android works that way)
Just the forward/next Play/Pause buttons are not working, never mind the Volume control as Bluetooth headset has its own controller
Hope this helps and thanks in advance!!!