Calling all XDa IIi owners...OPINIONS PLEASE

[DareDevil]

I had my XDA II stolen at gatwick airport last week (sniff sniff) and am now looking to replace it.

From the complete range of HTC PDA's the XDA IIi seems to be tickling my fancy the most but I haven't really come across a single comprehensive review.

So are people who have purchased it happy?

Whilst I am aware that there are problems with the camera I can live with it as long as it is not worse than the XDA II .

So what say you O Ye owners of the IIi?

Cheers!

[Anton.Valleyman]

I got mine last week and I'm honestly torn...

The camera is CR*P, completely so! But as I never used the one on the XDA2 for more than the odd picture message and photo record I'm not particularly bothered - though it's a cheek for O2 to pronounce it as a major step forward when in many ways it's a regressive one.

My major headache is the IR and Bluetooth...IR seems even worse now than on the XDA2 - unless I'm missing something - and the BT stack currently on my phone means I cannot use the O2 BT clip headset (made by iTech) due to this (in my opinion) stupid handsfree obsession. Surely it would be a good idea to have a headset AND a handsfree option that WORKS. I understand on some headsets it works a treat, but given I've got one being sold by O2 on their website I would normally assume it would work.

That said, the 2i is a great phone in itself and if I weren't already spoilt having had the XDA and XDA2 before it, I would be in absolute amazment.

They've finally managed to get the o2activeui thing in a state which isn't too bad and I may even consider keeping it - though it's harder to remove than in the past.

If you have to upgrade which it sounds as though you do given your circumstances, I'd choose the 2i over the 2s...at least the 2i is a better phone spec wise though without the keyboard (gimmick if you ask me).

Hope this helps (helped me to have the rant, anyway).

Cheers
Anthony

[DaerDevil (beibng lazy)]

Thanks for the feedback Anthony. One thing that's slightly irritating me is a few places i've visited on the net state how previews often have some of the specs wrong on the O2 site it states that the IIi has 128MB SDRam and 128MB Flash......is this accurate?

Have you tried out the Wifi and if so what d'you reckon?

Does the faster processor make a noticeable difference? e.g on my XDA II I was running loads of today plug ins as well as several applications by default I'd do a soft re-set at least once a day

As for the IIs even though when I compare the II and the IIs side by side it doen't appear that much bigger it still has a bulky-ish look about it and I just don't find it appealing enough to contemplate a purchase.

Your feedback on the above would be appreciated

Cheers

[Anton.Valleyman]

This is on the box...

96MB ROM
128MB SDRAM


I have tried out the Wi-Fi and it seems OK to me, certainly it's a welcome feature. However I don't have a Wi-Fi card that I can compare experiences on...all I know is I didn't have one before and now I have a wi-fi connection. That can't be bad.

I don't have enough stuff loaded onto the phone to make a judgment on the processor. With the 2 I had lots of things running such as WeatherPanel and KitaraGenesis - also at one point Pocket Plus. From what I've seen so far the 2i does feel a bit faster...there's also a Turbo feature which does seem to further increase performance.

The 2i is exactly the same size I think, perhaps a smidge heavier. Having said that, if you compare most mobiles these days, the XDA series is no longer heavier than the majority. Besides, if you've got a PDA phone you're not expecting it to be light as a feather.

As I said previously, now you've got no option I would definitely go to the 2i...

Cheers
A

[applecom]

As to theWiFii hadaXDA2 witha SandiskWiFi Card, then changed to the XDA2s, then after 4 replacements i now have a XDA2i, ifind the XDA2i range and speed of reconnecting to WiFi very very good, the XDA2s worked as well asthe XDA2 + SD WiFi Card.

I like the 2ivery much, only problem is i gave away all my XDA2 bits when i got the 2s, so now i have lots of bits for a phone i dont have and a 2i with no spair bits, got i wish i haddent got rid of my old XDA2 bits

i still soft rest a few times aday, but i am used to donigthis now and dont have a problem doing it, The Bluetooth for headsets (jabbra 250) works as well on the 2i as it did on the old XDA2, where as the 2s was total crap

John

[DareDevil]

4 replacements???!!! care to elaborate?

Applecom, how do you find the camera?

Has the bluetooth improved at all? With my XDA II I also has a Jabra BT250 whilst I found it excellent at close range as soon as the device was in (or out) the metal proporta case and in my pocket I got alot of static...also can you now hear the different ringtones in your bluetooth headset or is it still the same generic one?

Finally, if I get the phone from O2 with their minimum line rental fee it works out to about 407 quid in total....anyone know of any cheaper places?

Thanks for the feedback once again guys.

[applecom]

After hearing about the new XDA2s i purchased a sim free PDA2k, but the microphone on it was crap and the bluetooth (headset) range was like 6 inches after that it sounded terrible.

So as soon as we could get a UK XDA2s we did ( we are a small phone shop) i got it sim free, This was just as crap as the PDA2k, Sothen i did a upgrade to a XDA2s with o2 Select, and of corse this was crap as well

(by crap i mean the mic was terrible people had problems hearing me, and the bluetooth headset only worked if you held the phone next to it, as a PDA it was sort of alright)

so after speaking to o2 about its problems and the fact the keybopard soon comes loose, it was changed probley every 2-3 weeks, never any better for phopne calls but of corse a new one the keyboard is still tight (for a while)

anyway after the 6th phone (4th o2 replacement) i changed it to a XDA2i

The camera in the XDA2i just gives a bigger crap picture, but at leat i can make phone calls on this one and people can hear me, and i dont have to drive down the road with my bluetooth ear piece in and have to hold the phone to the ear piece to use it

John

[DareDevil]

dear oh dear.....thats the strongest case i've EVER heard for NOT buying a phone... :shock:

Not to get on your nelly but can you now hear the different ringtones in your bluetooth headset or is it still the same generic one?

Cheers

Leroy

bump

[applecom]

my jabra 250 just makes the ring sound, just like on the old XDA2, no personalised ring tones, despite using IA Caller 1.2

[dewild1]

Does the movie function work better?
I know the camera makes a bigger "crap" photo but how is the video? On my XDAII, with all the today plug in's, the thing records crap even at the best settings. With a fresh ROM and nothing installed, I can get a decent video if I set the refresh rate and set it to daylight, (even for night shots), but after I install some programs, no settings can keep it from being choppy and slow or keep the sound in sync with the video.

Believe it or not, the video function, as bad as it is, actually saved my ass from going to jail.. If the XDA2i has better video performance, and it sounds like the BT is better, I want one... Is there any place besides eBay and O2?
Could someone tell us what version of the BT stack it is?
Any body try it with two serial ports yet? (One for a GPS and one for a Printer or POS device (like from Merchantanywhere.com).

Thank you for your time.

[barney12345]

the bt stack on my xda2i is 1.0.0.3900

[Anton.Valleyman]

Mine is also 1.0.3900 and I can't use o2's bt clip headset with it....refuses to play ball yet others work fine.

Grrrrr

Need an update to sort this out.

[applecom]

By clip do you mean the earpiece, with a foot of wire then a clip on bluetooth reciever? If you do O2 sent one of them out to me but as i use a jabra 250 i never tried the clip thing.

Would you like me to try it with my XDA2i (also version 3900)

John

[MooChaqa]

Have you made a decision on a purchase yet?

I have both an XDAII and an XDAIIi and would be willing to give some comparitive information regarding them. Or try to answer any specific questions you have about them.

On another note, what alternatives do we have here with regard to a Windows Mobile device?