Hi all,
I've been going thro' the rigmarole of upgrading the Radio and the ROM. Tinkering with the device, making it a power users dream machine.
But, I tell you, my device sucks as a phone!
My friends are fed up of my calls breaking up while I talk to them. I thought it was my by bluetooth headset (a Jabra 250v) but even without it, while I hold my beloved brick against my head the calls keep breaking up! I thought this new imate ROM (dated 20 Feb 2006) was the answer to my prayers, but frankly I think the call quality has deteriorated.
Sure it's faster than before but I paid for a phone too, damn it! It's degrading into a sad joke. And I paid a handsome amount for a joke I don't find funny.
So tell me, am I alone or is anyone else suffering like me?
The ROM installs, and Extended_ROM customizations etc are all fun, but pointless if the phone doesn't work!
Yeah, I've had a pda and a phone for years. I thought this would be a truly convergence device. But I read on the forums of ppl (true Power users) carrying a 'real' phone and a universal. So did this $1000 investment fail?
I don't know, but I miss my Eten M500.
I am truly disillusioned. And yes I've upgraded to the new ROM version JASJAR_WWE_13076_164_10900_wwe_ship.
But it hasn't solved my Radio/ Bluetooth problems.
ok, rant over. I'm headed off to a bar for some drinks.
FWIW I live in Mumbai, India and use the Hutch network.
Fellow suffers pm me so I know it's not my device, since service out here is non existent and I'd just have to flog it on ebay. And it's a shame because I just love the screen.
peace
jafar
my969 said:
Hi all,
I've been going thro' the rigmarole of upgrading the Radio and the ROM. Tinkering with the device, making it a power users dream machine.
But, I tell you, my device sucks as a phone!
My friends are fed up of my calls breaking up while I talk to them. I thought it was my by bluetooth headset (a Jabra 250v) but even without it, while I hold my beloved brick against my head the calls keep breaking up! I thought this new imate ROM (dated 20 Feb 2006) was the answer to my prayers, but frankly I think the call quality has deteriorated.
Sure it's faster than before but I paid for a phone too, damn it! It's degrading into a sad joke. And I paid a handsome amount for a joke I don't find funny.
So tell me, am I alone or is anyone else suffering like me?
The ROM installs, and Extended_ROM customizations etc are all fun, but pointless if the phone doesn't work!
Yeah, I've had a pda and a phone for years. I thought this would be a truly convergence device. But I read on the forums of ppl (true Power users) carrying a 'real' phone and a universal. So did this $1000 investment fail?
I don't know, but I miss my Eten M500.
I am truly disillusioned. And yes I've upgraded to the new ROM version JASJAR_WWE_13076_164_10900_wwe_ship.
But it hasn't solved my Radio/ Bluetooth problems.
ok, rant over. I'm headed off to a bar for some drinks.
FWIW I live in Mumbai, India and use the Hutch network.
Fellow suffers pm me so I know it's not my device, since service out here is non existent and I'd just have to flog it on ebay. And it's a shame because I just love the screen.
peace
jafar
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi,
It is Hutch network not the phone, all SP'S in india are getting choked due to the cheap tarrifs that they are rolling out.
The rom upgrade is nothing to do with voice breaking. Try 1.09.0 Radio upgrade it is awsome with out any issues.
Cheers, Taurus
Thanks for the reply but the upgraded ROM includes the 10900 Radio.
ie. JASJAR_WWE_13076_164_10900_wwe_ship
the hutch network sounds fine on my ol nokia 6600, no probs.
and the jabra 250v works flawlessly with it.
I could use it and my trusty ol palm pda. Keep the "brick" at home.
sheesh! I put down a $1000 to get the latest technology, and i'm considering my old nokia and palm, because I have it (wouldn't cost me anything) and I know it works!
I had the version 10800 Radio before this I feel it was better, but then it's just my subjective observation.
boy am I in a dark mood.
my969 said:
Thanks for the reply but the upgraded ROM includes the 10900 Radio.
ie. JASJAR_WWE_13076_164_10900_wwe_ship
the hutch network sounds fine on my ol nokia 6600, no probs.
and the jabra 250v works flawlessly with it.
I could use it and my trusty ol palm pda. Keep the "brick" at home.
sheesh! I put down a $1000 to get the latest technology, and i'm considering my old nokia and palm, because I have it (wouldn't cost me anything) and I know it works!
I had the version 10800 Radio before this I feel it was better, but then it's just my subjective observation.
boy am I in a dark mood.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have the same combination i mean Jabra 250V + Dopod 900. I am running with 1.13 Rom + 1.9.0 Radio Version. In singapore i do not have any Voice breaking problem it works flawlessly.
When i travelled to india with the same combination it was the worst. Especially with Airtel / Hutch.
Probably 6600 is a strong one & manages well for indian scenario.
I can confirm that mine works flawlessly as a phone in the UK with a motorola HS850 headset - maybe it is the Hutch network??
ive never had a call break in the middle ...my jasjar is working flawlessly (in asia)
Tauras - i was in Sing for this new year - the voice calls break in Sing. I had raoming - so I used both the netwrks (I forgot Sxx was giving me UMTS I think - it was worse than the other). When I was on ship - my siemens worked flawlessly but Imate was without netwrk. Same in Malaysia where Imate spent most of the time searching, my nokia and Siemens were dead on clinging to their netwrks.
In Delhi - I switch netwrks a lot - but on GSM - few call drops. I was given UMTS by ... Airtel? Call drops.
I think all this problem is UMTS radio not being stable. In GSM mode - this is at least as stable as other cheap chinese made phones. But cant touch the stability of calls of Siemens/Nokia/SE.
Yes - This phone is useless. Its more of a beta device - The BT device never works as designed. Looses netwrks more often that other phones. And the problem of BT having its own mind was never solved.
jasjar works fine with any bluetooth any radio version...even Exec...in India in Mumbai...in Pune...in Bangalore.....with any provider...also with BSNL :lol:
Just to confirm ...
Mine too is absolutely fine after the Radio upgrade
Although I admit I had some issues with the phone with all the previous Roms
hello
i can confirm that i am having no issues with the new imate rom on my exec.
all is working fine and good voice clarity on the hcb300 SonyErricson bluetooth hands free carkit, used yesterday for about an hour whilst driving home no issues at all except the usual signal loss on the hilly area of the M1 motorway!!
cheers
EDIT:Signal loss meaning phone reception and not bluetooth. Sorry for not being clear
hdubli said:
jasjar works fine with any bluetooth any radio version...even Exec...in India in Mumbai...in Pune...in Bangalore.....with any provider...also with BSNL :lol:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You obviously are not aloof with the fact that Bluetooth switches itself off after some time.
And
Whats BT got to do with the network?
Think before you talk. We are discussing here the shortcomings and faults of the phone. I mentioned BT becasue it never wrks reliably. Exactly like the radio of Universal.
l6cum said:
hello
i can confirm that i am having no issues with the new imate rom on my exec.
all is working fine and good voice clarity on the hcb300 SonyErricson bluetooth hands free carkit, used yesterday for about an hour whilst driving home no issues at all except the usual signal loss on the hilly area of the M1 motorway!!
cheers
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Do you use handsfree profile or Headset? Headset profile never had any problem. Its the easiest profile to implement.
My bluetooth and phone functions work perfectly.
I've never had any problems with mine at all. Bluetooth mains connection for significant car journeys whilst connected to my gps car kit - phone has been very stable through all releases that i have tried.
Please don't be as quick to dismiss other people's experiences when you are trying to get your own across.
I have this problem: can't play streaming URL with WMP. When I try to lounch it via PIE or via WMP, appears this WMP message:
Cannot play any items in the playlist. For additional information,...
Did someone experience the same?
my969 said:
I had the version 10800 Radio before this I feel it was better, but then it's just my subjective observation.
boy am I in a dark mood.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I must admit I think I've noticed this too. I don't have any call breaks, but the quality of the sound seems to have deteriorated somewhat - not to a large degree, but enough to be noticable.
I'll try to downgrade to 1.08 and will report the findings.
Sounds to me like you have an intermittent hardware fault with your phone that no amount of ROMming about will solve. Is this a feasible concideration?
Andy
Related
Hi - has anyone bought a new Blue Angel device recently and had problems with the in call voice quality, specifically that your voice is too quiet or cuts out when talking softly?
This seems to be a problem with earlier Blue Anngels (mine included) and was wondering if any type of hardware fix has been implemented in newly produced models (software wise, radio 1.12 improves things a little for me, though the quality is still poor).
Chris.
I agree with you chris...
Sound quality in Blue Angel is really crap.... even with new Radio version is the same... I hope they could come up with some solution for this also the known cant hear the calls..
Call Quality Sucks continued
This is an age old problem with this device through all ROMs.
I am yet to meet anyone who is satisfied with the voice quality. It is probably the worst when you have the device against your ear and is suggestive that they really cocked up putting a tiny microphone hole at the bottom of the device. I have resorted to cupping my hand over the bottom of the device against ear. You can be heard provided (i) there isn't much background noise and (ii) you don't have a low/soft voice
The bluetooth is better but is really scratchy beyond a couple of metres. I am told this isn't really improved markedly by the new Radio/Broadcom Roms etc.
We need a poll specifically on this issue :?:
@ Jiggy: You need to update your radio... you still have v1.0
I'm running v1.12 on my Qtek 9090 and have no problems at all!
Hey Dutch,
Could you tell me if u have experienced the bad sound quality (on the other end of the line) with older roms? I have a 9090 since it was first out and i have always had people complaining to me about the bad sound quality and echo`s with every update i tried. The sound quality on my side of the line is perfect. I haven`t yet upgraded to 1.40/Radio 1.12 because there is only the cooked rom.
It really bothers me that HTC doesn`t fix this. There have been about 3 to 4 roms now (official and non-official) and none of the roms seem to fix this problem. And a lot of people have this.
True, altho from Radio 1.08 on it's been OK for me. Radio 1.12 really fixes the problem. Now still some work to be done @ BT
What kind of device do you have? A Dutch Qtek?
I don`t think it is dutch. It comes from a dutch distributor but it was grey import. It also didn`t come with a dutch user guide. I talked to them today and told them about my problem, but they said: If u want i can send it to Qtek for you, but they won`t solve the problem. I already know. Qtek says it just can`t be fixed.
HTC should really be kicked in the nuts for this HUGE mistake. Or they should at least appologise for it and offer the people with problems something else.
Hi,
I have just purchased the i-mate PDA2K (May 2005) and have not made too many phone calls so far. It is difficult to say how other people find how it sounds but I have asked them and they say it is OK and until now I have not had anyone complaining. Maybe they are just curtious and do not want to complain
I am in US right now and the signal in my area is not that good but the PDA2K unit seems to work equaly as good (or bad) radio wise as my previous "ordinary" mobile Motorola 180.
I will some time try to connect the original handsfree headset and see if the one I am talking to will note any differences. I have also on order a bluetooth SCALA 500 and it will be interresting to see if it works fine and how people find the sound quality.
Regards,
Ronny
I cannot stop my self for writing this...
I 'm the happy owner of a BA (XDA IIs) after:
smashing 2 IPAQs 2210 in less than a month
losing my Lumix FX7 digital camera (same month)
and go swiming with my cell phone on me...
I'm a heavy user of GPS while biking so you can guess the heavy duty and stress i put in my electronics... (150kms/h on a handle bar mount for example)
Looking for trips and stuff to get more form my BA I have been able to compile a series of apparent failures or deficiencys and I looked like a great idea to post them here in a list form...
so the list starts...
The weakness
*Some users report that the screen starts whistling after 1 month or so of use
*Bluethoot under performing (actually I never been able to use the headset)
*Wifi Under powered (some blame the antenna location for both BT and WIFI)
*When on the bike craddle camera and record buttons constantly pressed by craddle grip (creating eternal lag)
*Power button apparently dies easily
*No data extension, so no possibility to use CF backpack
*Aparently unstable device in overall (some users report daily resets)
*Over billing of GPRS due to crappy implementation
*Stylus fall off the handheld (already lost 1 and dropped the 2nd several times)
*lack of support from the manufacturer (almost al updates are cooked ROMS (kiss the cook))
*Lack of accesories
*hard to find accesories due to the millions of names under the same machine is commercialized
*2.5 mm headphone jack
*sub performant IR port (also on the side not in front)
*Short Battery life
But you're still a happy owner?
I like my device overall.
The high-pitched sound eminating from my screen is annoying me, though.
However, in my mind, I truly do consider this device a beta device.
It's just not "tight" and "solid".
I am referring to the antenna. The loose stylus. The daily resets. The lack of support. The bluetooth problems everyone complains about.
To me, it sounds like this device is a work in progress.
Whistling screen aside, though, I do still like it more than other PPCs I've owned.
They are almost ALL beta devices!
Beta devices ???
Well I must agree with Mike about the Beta thing...
I am actually regretting having bought that µGPS from Holux a year ago... It is when all started for me lol
Anyway never paid 800 euros to be a beta tester before... :roll:
And yes I am happy with my BA
The only issue I've suffered from is teh sporatic "No Sound" issue when i make a call or receive one. Guess I've been lucky.
Before upgrading to rom 1.4 i pretty much had to hard reset daily, since upgrade (1 week ago) have only hard reset once, and only then as I was required to after installing a program!
The only issue I've suffered from is teh sporatic "No Sound" issue when i make a call or receive one. Guess I've been lucky.
Before upgrading to rom 1.4 i pretty much had to hard reset daily, since upgrade (1 week ago) have only hard reset once, and only then as I was required to after installing a program!
Pretty unhappy with my device also
Here is my review after 6+ months. No problems on the build quality, mostly stability/software issues. This device is soooo beta....
http://forum.xda-developers.com/viewtopic.php?t=23880&highlight=
I original bought the BA as a cheap way to get gps.
I rarely use it for gps but couldn’t live with out it during day today use.
However im very unhappy with the build quality within a couple of days the casing started to get scratched. It feels really cheap and im hating the ugly nav button. The idea of selling it in a years time will be a no go as by then it will be beaten up.
I haven’t taken it back to o2 as im sure they will say its normal wear and tear and not due to shoddy hardware.
I might loose the item soon :wink: and hopefully the nice insurance peeps will replace it with a 2i
Guys!!!
Looks like O2 has made differrent hardware alongwith the Asia ROM.I too use it on bike heavily....may not be at the speeds as mentioned above ,but 100 kms a day...about 1-2 hrs of GPRS, NO GPS, 3 Hrs of talk tme...with environmental condtions, most of them dusty, varying temperatures and other harsh conditions.But...here XDA 2s working fine....no such above complaints..
I like Blue Angle and I must admit thatn the hardware is excellent and is more stable than all of the HTC devices so far... :lol:
Mine comes from asia originally....
I bought mine in Malaysia (extremelly expensive compared to what you find in Ebay this days)
I paid the equivalent to 850 euros for it !
only to discover that is the same device that goes 2nd hand in ebay for 300 !!!!! (The names thing !!!! ) how can you guess that a qteck 9090 is an XDA IIs, which also is a Blue Angel, which also is a PDA2K bla bla ....
Atop whistling screen, constant crashes, loose styolus and the no sound in call problem, my XDA2s has scratched the kyyboard through normal use. It must be too tight or something.
Definately a beta. I'm surprised this passed EC quality control.
Im from the Philippines and I got my IIs a few weeks ago, Im a N9210 user for 4 years and I was thinking of getting a 9500, but the deciding factor was the stylus which the 9500 lacks since I was looking for a wifi Phone and the stylus was important for my use. so I opted for a IIs. THe main problem with my IIs now is the stability, as what many complain about!!!! the "no sound" problem is a real pain, but I still have hope for the IIs thanks to this site!!!
BTW i still have the old ROM version, Im afraid of upgrading coz I might have more problems than benefits.
Upgrade upgrade
2 path...\
Most of the probs go away when u use the beast in corporate mode with latest rom upgrade....
Hello guys,
I have long heard of whistling screens but never really understood what its really about - until last night. I heard it! It is sooo damn annoying. If I send my BA to i-mate Dubai, do they replace it for free? What are the costs? Please, if anyone can answer ASAP because I have under 1 month of warranty.
Thanks a lot.
c'mon, boys, help this mate... :roll:
z_rudy said:
Hello guys,
I have long heard of whistling screens but never really understood what its really about - until last night. I heard it! It is sooo damn annoying. If I send my BA to i-mate Dubai, do they replace it for free? What are the costs? Please, if anyone can answer ASAP because I have under 1 month of warranty.
Thanks a lot.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I never experience this "whistling sound" at all.. Im happy with my BA. 'no sound" problem? I just upgraded to the latest Radio and CE rom.. I tried also the WM 5.0, butI decided to go back to SE..
no probs at all
I have had my 2s for a whole year now. I have never really experienced any problems with it. (Except for the scratches and lost stylus pens though). I've yet to experience software problems and the so-called whistling screen. I, too, have tried upgrading to wm5 but I did not like the changes. I'm running on '03 SE with my own cooked extrom. :lol:
I like my 2s overall.
I think I'll live with it
Thanks anyway...
So if it's sooo bad what's good Pocket PC phone then, tell me, so I can decide...which to buy, I need a quad band, and one that is 100% perfect.
Hi
My PDA2K is falling apart (I have dropped it a couple of times which has not helped.
I need to replace it and I am wondering with what.
I could simply go for another PDA2K but really never want to buy from i-mate ever again so am looking at [email protected]'s XDAIIs and IIi or the T-Mobile MDAIII.
Which is the best or would you steer totally clear of this phone because of all its problems?
Robin
I've got an O2 XDA2s & a work colleague has the T-Mobile MDAIII. Persoanlly I'd use either agin depsite their known issues. I like having an all-in-one device & am happy to compromise to get it
I would definitely buy another XDA IIs, if mine died. The grey colour of the O2 device simply oozes more class than the silver handsets.
Quality has been good (except for the hard reset issue when removing the battery - which is easily solved by keeping the power cord in when changing the sim card). I would be tempted to hang on for the universal though....... NICE!
i simply cannot afford to buy a brand new one if mine died, id have to wait til i can upgrade again, but if i could, then i would buy another as i have already got my bro to get one of these, and also he is a driving instructor, so its useful for his appointments and stuff.
if i was close to my upgrade date tho, i would just wait and get the next xda
joey.
Personally, no. I've realised I don't need the organisation or programs of a PDA. I bought it for Skype, but that doesn't work. The build quailty is not amazing.
I'll be going back to standard Sony Ericssons next contract period.
Chris
I'm very disappointed with all PDA's.
As a long time user AND enthusiast, I'm completely dissatisfied with everyone available. Moving to the BA from a HP, I expected better innovation from the leading producer of WM based PDA's, especially after seeing what HP was producing with the 6500's. Now I just realized that HTC is producing the 6500 for HP...!?!
Why wont someone produce a quality device with a hires (vga) screen, good memory (128 RAM, not to mention the availability of multi GB micro drives), reliable phone (GSM), fast data (GPRS/EDGE), un-crippled Bluetooth (audio/voice), and a small form factor (Treo). It has to be possible. I paid $850 for the BA (unlocked), and it's ridiculously unstable, and can't do what my $50 cell phone can do.
Bitter, Bitter, Bitter...
I hear you man. Sometimes I wonder if I should have got a different Pocket PC so Skype would actually work.
All of them are crippled/broken/manufactured badly in some way. The BA has its fair share of problems, but the important thing is that they're no more than any other PDA (apart from maybe the keyboard).
Chris
Some guy at work has te iPaq hybrid pda/phone. Quite swanky. I recently have this descision on my plate. Keep my new XDA2s or swap for the slower, but better made and more stable SE P910.
I'm waiting for Nokia N91.
I will surely buy another Blue Angel. Wish they could makde the keyboard more stronger and add WM 2005 in it .
I am pretty happy with the stuff .
NO!
his hardware its really crap...
Robster said:
Hi
My PDA2K is falling apart (I have dropped it a couple of times which has not helped.
I need to replace it and I am wondering with what.
I could simply go for another PDA2K but really never want to buy from i-mate ever again so am looking at [email protected]'s XDAIIs and IIi or the T-Mobile MDAIII.
Which is the best or would you steer totally clear of this phone because of all its problems?
Robin
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Is your phone covered by your house insurance.....was it you that dropped it? I would be suspicious and claim for a new one if you get my drift!
I would definetaly buy another one! It has had it's issues, but they all do to one extent or another. I use mine for my work all the time, and it has been the best unit that I have owned to date.
Later.......
i will never buy xda lls.
i hope i can change my xda lls to xda lli now.
but i have no money
Absolutely NOT. Sick of the instability, the poor support, the resetting 3 times a day and everything else that goes with it.
Never again!
I like the idea of an all in-one-device but...
1) phone is unstable
2) bluetooth is unstable
3) pda is unstable requiring resets
4) no UMTS
5) no "good" camera (0.3 MP ? come on! 5MP cam phones are out already)
6) no EDGE support
7) low memory
8) don't use keyboard as often as I thought
it is an OK device, but could use a lot of improvement.
I live the universal and I would give it a try if it were quadband
Until 3 days ago I would have said no. My 02 XDA2s was horribly unstable in all the ways described above.
I then had to try and find a replacement all-in-one. All I found that does everything this does that I need is the XDA2i (which from reading the forum sounds just as bad) and the Nokia N91 (out this Christmas at the earliest - I needed a handset NOW!)
I will take the keyboard of the XDA2s over the camera of the 2i anyday (all XDA cameras are limited by the crappy lenses anyway, no matter hoe good resolution they make them). The keyboard's really useful when doing things like entering passwords with greater accuracy or chatting on MSN.
I then flashed my ROM and radio to the latest availible and I have not had to reset yet in over 24 hours!
I was resetting my other XDA2s with 02 ROM 5 times a day!
Flash your ROM!! It makes this thing work to an acceptable level! Media Player 10 is great too, although the buttons are disabled which makes toggling the screen difficult. Album art and media centre synching make it worth it
Nope, I would not buy another BA. Next time I want to upgrade to get the HTC Wizard. Smaller phone with built in wi-fi and WM5.
With the BA:
I have never used the slide out keyboard
I am fed up with wi-fi choosing whether or not it wants to turn on
I am fed up getting the driver low memory message on BT
I am fed up with the phone locking up up so I can't call out and others can't call me without doing a soft reset or turn on/off BT every time.
Some of you are missing the point here! Let's compare to units that are already available, not things that have not arrived yet! With the right rom combination,this is an acceptable unit! Edge is new and very limited right now,and was not available when these came out.Stability issues can be resolved by cooking your own rom! Using reasons like that,as well as "I don't use this,or that feature", is not really the point,is it!
Just my 6 cents worth..... Later....... 8)
ill still buy ba or the upcoming one
this is the best i've ever had...i started from xda1 then xda2 now xda2s...that's why i love this site...and thanks t'all the people Here...lm working at night, n use my wifi w/o problems...use my verichat for chatting or agile, surf net...play my old school super nintendo (thousand selection)...use resco to ftp my website n upload/dowload mp3's ,files etc....listen my new remix mp3's w 2gigs while im in the gym ...ayt....
With the current selection of phones/pdas in the market today, I would still buy the same IIs I have....thats considering I can still aford one
Hi,
I currently own a Prophet (I-Mate Jamin model) which I bought around 12 months ago on an o2 contract. I'm happy with the device and haven't had any issues with it that I haven't been able to resolve myself (& by lurking on these forums) but as I mentioned, I've had it about 12 months now and I'm due an upgrade with o2.
I'm considering getting an XDA Orbit but the specs seem pretty much the same as my Prophet. I'm attracted to it becauase physically it looks nicer from what I can tell, but that's pretty much it.
Can any of you shed any light on what the main differences are between these devices and if it would actually be worth me upgrading to the Orbit?
WM6 is obviously a big factor in this, I don't know if it will ever be availible for the Prophet but it appears that there may be a chance it will be availible for the Orbit.
The only faults I have with my Prophet are the way it has the worlds worst vibrate feature (very noisy & long) & it's quite weighty and a bit bulky for my pocket. If these features are better on the Orbit then it would be a selling point for me.
Lastly, one thing that's importnat to me is the 'keypad' software that seems to be present on the Prophets roms. I'm used to this for one handed input, - is this availible on the XDA Orbit?
I realise this is all a bit drawn out but I'm hoping that there will be members hear that can relate to my issues and give me some advice!
If not, I might just stick with my Prophet for now and see what else comes out in the future, although I'm also slightly tempted to go the Symbian route and get a Nokia N95 which o2 also have an offer and it looks quite nice (but then I don't know a great deal about Symbian)
Any views??!
Thanks for any help!
An update to an Orbit will be fairly easy for you as you will be used to the operation of the phone
You will also get
wi-fi - I use this all the time
GPS - either Co-Pilot or you can get TomTom (worth the upgrade on it's own in my opinion
WM6 next month (hopefully)
O2 will let you have it for free, you can sell your old one on ebay for £150ish
I don't think the N-95 is all it was cracked up to be. The GPS is not as good as the Orbit - either the hardware or the supplied software
What have you got to loose ?
Hays
Gah, screwed up...
Thanks hays, I appreciate that.
This might be a silly question but can you get the T9 'phonepad' on the Orbit, it's just I read in a review that it wasn't available & I use this constantly on my Prophet.
One of the other things about the N95 that's been attracting me is the camera quality, but I do feel more comfortable sticking with windows mobile if I'm honest, especially if I can upgrade for free.
Also my Prophet does have Wi-Fi, I use this a lot...The N95 also has it...
Thanks again,
yes the phone pad was posted on the forum and I use it all the time with my orbit.
I cant argue re the camera - the orbits is good in daylight - not so good in low light. Definately 1-0 to the N95 for that one
I've not seen tomtom running on a 95. I gather the supplied s/w is pretty lame. The GPS chip is not SIRF III, meaning it takes a few mins to lock on when you start up. Also needs a failrly good line of sight in your veh according to some
My orbit locks on in around 20 secs. It can even get a lock from the middle of my house
Hi hays, thanks again for the free help!
Sorry to keep up with the questions, but one last thing - GPS is new to me. Is this something that there are data charges for? I'm not sure how it works.
I've a Vodafone sim from my works phone that I was hoping to use in the Orbit but I'm not sure if I'll still be able to use GPS with it or how much it costs if I stick with my o2 sim.
I guess I should probably be proactive and Google this!
Thanks again,
(also, good news about the phone pad)
GPS = Global Positioning System. Free and used worldwide
GPS is free on the Orbit as it behaves exactly the same way as a regular in car GPS (unless you subscribe to live traffic updates which use GPRS - which is your phone's mobile data service)
The maps are stored on your storage card and therefore require no downloads. It does not matter which network or sim card you use as the orbit's GPS is stand alone
I believe the N95 uses GPRS to download the maps so that may be a factor to consider
I bought my TP2 from the web (I was usuing previously an Hermes (X01HT)
Been using it for 3 weeks. It works perfectly. Calls quality is excellent, data transmission fast, no particular issue with Softbank network, I am pretty happy about it
What I dont like, and nothig to do with Japan (Dont get me wrong, I am a big HTC fan and I love my phone):
1. Poor built quality. The phone looks great.. out of the box. After 2 weeks in my pocket the Chrome finish starts to crack and let appear some black paint. I am treating my phone well, really not trying to break it, this is under normal use. Honestly very very far from an iPhone built quality (Again I am not an apple fanboy). It's not a "big" problem but for a phone that costs that much it's not really acceptable (I have an Hermes who took way longer to crack...)
Other issue is the Tilt mecchanism a bit soft and sometimes not deploying the screen exactly inline with the keyboard (Some other posts detail this better than me)
2. TF3D is nice... rather fast... BUT too many important menues are lacking compared to WM6.1 menus (for instance it took em a while to find out that what was preventing me from allowing to synchronize some of my activesync folders was the lack of option in TF3D. Similarly the handling of contacts screen misses too many options). Maybe there is a way to have all WM6.1 menus appear under TF3D, in which case I am a taker if you have some trick (registry trick maybe ?)
3. Some GPS issues, but I hope I'll be able to fix this (Or maybe just my model has an issue)
4. Some slowness in the handling of contacts / SMS (granted I have many so it may come from that but my Hermes (with a modified ROM) was way faster)
All in all very happy with the phone, beautiful screen, excellent touch feeling, lots of great functions... Just the external built quality will probably attract the jokes from my friends with iPhones
Alcibiade, thank you SO much for starting this thread! I'm in the same boat I guess you were 2 months ago. I'm an x01ht user (actually, i remember seeing your name in the forums). but i think my x01ht's better days are behind it and i'm very ready to move on to my next pda phone. i'm staying with softbank, but refuse to buy anymore of their handicapped phones. so i'm considering buying the Touch Pro 2 (online).
i'm a bit confused though as to if there is a particular model I need to get. the whole GSM versus CDMA thing really confuses me. can you let me know where you bought your touch pro 2 from and which network band. i assume CDMA since japan is WCDMA, right?
again, thanks for any help/info you can give.
shunsai said:
Alcibiade, thank you SO much for starting this thread! I'm in the same boat I guess you were 2 months ago. I'm an x01ht user (actually, i remember seeing your name in the forums). but i think my x01ht's better days are behind it and i'm very ready to move on to my next pda phone. i'm staying with softbank, but refuse to buy anymore of their handicapped phones. so i'm considering buying the Touch Pro 2 (online).
i'm a bit confused though as to if there is a particular model I need to get. the whole GSM versus CDMA thing really confuses me. can you let me know where you bought your touch pro 2 from and which network band. i assume CDMA since japan is WCDMA, right?
again, thanks for any help/info you can give.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I was not sure either and asked the shop (Expansys in HK)
I bught the European model an it works perfectly: 3G is the same in Europe and in Japan (Whereas US carriers use different frequencies). So it will (and does) work perfectly. 2G wont, but it didnt either on your X01HT
If you buy it you wont regret it, I really love mine (But the Hermes was an excellent phone... Just needed a bigger screen...)
thanks for the informative reply. i'm leaning heavily towards ordering mine within the next 24 hours. $700 is a lot of money. out of curiosity, how much did japanese customs duty charge you for the import of the phone?
Alcibiade, still waiting on you to come back online friend! Guess I need to bump this thread up! I'm looking for some of your expertise and experiences using this phone in Japan. I'm curious as to which ROM you had installed in yours (any chance you can put it in your sig?).
i have another thread going where i'm trying to get other people's experiences with japanese input ability. for some reason, i just can't get Japanese input on my phone. I can see kanji and kana fine in texts, webpages, emails, etc. but i can't enter any myself. when you installed the raphael/diamond Japanese IME, and Softbank MMS on your phone, were you able to write Japanese?