XDA Exec.....just returned mine!

[mig31]

Hi everyone,

I received my new XDA Exec last Friday and today (Tuesday) I just returned it!
I'm not here to try to influence anybody, but if you haven't bought one yet, you might find this useful.
Then it's up to you.....

I owned 6 PDAs until now, from an old IPAQ with B&W screen to this great XDA Exec piece of kit.
This to me is simply a fantastic piece of hardware, but unfortunately it is severely let down by the software running on it and comiing with it.

Here is what I found in the last 4 days before I lost my patience:

PROS:

1) FAntastic screen, great resolution, brightness and clarity

2) Very good keyboard. It might be too small for touch-typing, but it's great if you don't have to write a book with your Exec. Most of the functions on the screen are replicated on buttons on the keyboard, so you can use the Exec without a stylo pretty easily.

3) USB charging. Nice after the previous XDAs to have one with a "normal" adaptor.

4) Nice new processor. I know many people on this forum had problem with the speed of their JasJar, but I found my Exec very speedy. I personally noticed an improvement from my XDA II.

I'm sure I could have other nice things to say about it, but here are the CONS:

1) It says everywhere about its 285gr weight, but I don't know if you really realize what you're getting yourself into. If you're used to bring your XDA into your bag or your backpack, then no problems. If you always found a place in your pocket for your XDA, then you better tighten your belt because this baby is a real brick!

2) The hardware is probably the best piece of kit I came across, but the software is the worst ensemble of problems I've ever dealt with.
Activesync 4.0 is a bag of .... Both my tomtom 5 software and a flight planning navigation softare that were working to perfection on my XDA II, are not working on the new EXEC.
I know somebody has been able to install the tomtom by transfering the .CAB files directly to the Exec, but I'm one of those "unlucky" (or too stupid) ones that couldn't install one of the 4 .CAB files and therefore....no tomtom 5 for me anymore.
The other piece of software is a VB written software, I installed the VBruntime and I was able to transfer the .CAB files individually. I managed to install the software, but it then started to play havoc with the Exec (the keyboard light would not come on anymore and even after few soft-reset and unistalling the application, I could only bring the system back to normal throught a hard-reset).

3) I also had the soft buttons disappear on me, and had to reset the machine before they reappeared. By the way, please note that the soft reset on my XDA Exec, takes approx 1 min to take place and restart the system. It's a lot longer than on my XDA II and if you think of how many times you'll need to restart it in its life (thanks Microsoft for its well known stabiltiy).

4) WM Player has problem with its full screen funcition. Even if you select the box, it won't play in full screen. If you like me, have plenty of movies converted in a 320x240 format and you'd like to use them in the new Exec, then forget the WMP because they'll only play in 320x240. WMP will not "stretch" them and they'll only look as big as a stamp.
You can easily download a free software (Core Pocket Media Player) which is a great piece of kit, but this brings me to my next point,

5) Storage memory in the new Exec is not "plentyful". The system should come with 128Mb, but around 80Mb are already taken by the pre-installed software. When you first start the machine, if you look and the memory settings, you'll only have around 40Mb available, 20 for Storage and 20 for programs.....and you cannot bias the size from one side to the other. In this new software, it's done automatically.
You can probably download software to correct or improve the one that the system is shipped with, but you'll soon find out that you'll run out of memory.
I installed on my new XDA:
The PDF viewer,
The VBruntime,
Microsoft Autoroute,
Core Pocket Media player,
and all I was left were 6 miserable Mb to play with.
I know somebody said that the system is designed for you to install the programs on SD cards, but I found this whole thing a bit ridicolous.
BTW, Microsoft Reader is NOT included in the system, so if you, like me, like to read books on the go, you'll have to download it separately and utilize even more memory

I'm sure I could go on for another few pages but I'll better stop.
I'm not trying to change anybody's mind, but I'm trying to make a simple point.

If you're an expert in PC and PDAs and if you're ready to "play" with your exec for hours on end to reach a "usable" machine, then enjoy it. It's really a great piece of hardware, with almost endless potential.

If you are an XDA (or probably any other PDA) user and you think that you can get the new Exec and transfer all of your programs on it and have it working in a heartbeat......think again.
I'm no pro, but I'm not a complete rockie.
I don't want to spend my next 3 months downloading ROM upgrades and hard-resetting this beast, just to get out of it what I already get out of my old XDA II.

My final thought is that if you haven't bought one yet, you might want to wait a litte bit more, until microsoft or somebody else, sorts out some of these problems.

I Hope somebody might find this useful.

ps My apologies for the grammar.....

[trendystyle]

Wow...
I am really confused on what to do...

[sub69]

I'm just confused!

trendystyle, don't you already have a JasJar!?

And mig31, returning "a fantastic piece of hardware" because it's not running some old (and therefore not fully compatible) software properly seems a bit hasty, doesn't it?

[gavinfabl]

I love my Exec. I have no issues with memory, except it is misleading how they publish.

And software does need to be updated to WM5, so patience. The rom works well.

Its a PDA with a phone and thats the best way to look at it.

[paulwilco]

Well i recieved my exec this morning. First impressions are that its not that big. If your used to and xda then there isnt a great deal of difference. Its quite heavy but not massivly so.
The screen is fantastic, as is the keyboard. So far i am loving it!

The box that it comes in is wroth the money alone!

[mrandery]

I'm returning mine too.

This was my first PPC after years with Palm and the Pam interface just seems to come across as cleaner and friendlier.

I've had AS 4.0 hose the wireless connection on my laptop and no one seems to be able to help.

Another thing that bothers me is the need to pay for 3rd party programs to do just about anything to make it more usable.

Even something as simple viewing the list of programs as a list instead of as large icons need a 3rd party program.

Want to close a program instead of just puting it in the background, get a 3rd party program to make the close button work like a close button.

Don't even get me started about Pocket IE.

I've had to hard reset it once and soft reset the device 4 times in 2 days, this was before loading anything new on it. Just while using it as normal right out of the box.

Finally, it's really slow.

I did not mind the size as I knew what I was getting into. I wanted the larger screen and keyboard. It actually felt just fine as a phone in my hand.

The phone seems to be designed with PPC afficionados in mind. For a regular user who does not have the time or inclination to play around with ROM upgrades, tweaks, 3rd party programs, etc. this doesn't seem to work. If you want to spend hours playing with it, this just might be for you.

I'm going back to my Treo 650 for now.

[superbowl]

Hi,

i can´t really understand some of your cons.


> 2) The hardware is probably the best piece of kit I came across, but the
> software is the worst ensemble of problems I've ever dealt with.
> ActiveSync 4.0 is a bag of ....

Active Sync works perfectly for me, no problems at all.

> Both my tomtom 5 software and a flight planning navigation softare that
> were working to perfection on my XDA II, are not working on the new
> EXEC.

Both programs aren´t designed for use use with WM2k5, so what do you expect ? Instead of blaming the device, go and ask tomtom for an update.


> 3) [...] By the way, please note that the soft reset on my XDA Exec,
> takes approx 1 min to take place and restart the system.

Ok, it´s 35 seconds for me, sure, that´s not really fast, but i needed exactly one softreset in the last two weeks .. so i can live with that.
(i don´t count resets after installing ne software)


> 4) WM Player has problem with its full screen funcition. Even if you
> select the box, it won't play in full screen.

Yes, you are right ... the WM-Player is really bad, but just download the free betaplayer .. works very fine and this problem is solved - 2 minutes of work.


> 5) Storage memory in the new Exec is not "plentyful". [...]
> I installed on my new XDA:
> The PDF viewer, The VBruntime, Microsoft Autoroute, Core Pocket
> Media player, and all I was left were 6 miserable Mb to play with.

First of all, the pdf viewer is already installed in WM2k5, so no need to reinstall it (at least it was on my machine).

I have the following programs installed on my mda pro:
- Total Commander
- Chess
- Betaplayer
- Registry Editor
- i-Mate backgammon
- weather plugin
- grps monitor (from the t-mobile cd)

and i have 32 Megs storage mem free and 29 megs program mem free.
But .. hey, if you install a routing software like autoroute and don´t install it on the sd card .. your fault.

Sure, your conclusion is not so bad .. the mda pro is no device for bloody novices, but .. a minumum of knowledge and understanding is enough to use and configure it.


- Superbowl

[gavinfabl]

Read your comments, its a shame.

I am a power user, and I have used the Treo. The only advantage the Treo has is its simplicity and size.

WM5 and the Exec are a complex beast. It can perform loads of tasks. There is no need to always close apps. I dont use any task manager as I do not see the need.

Standard MS apps can be closed with ctrl q on the SIP keyboard.

The device is new. You havent given it anytime to really understand it. It takes at least a week - a month to learn about it.

[sub69]

All of these 'issues' could have been identified before purchasing the Universal with just a tiny bit of research!

Again, it sounds like people are rushing out to spend their money on the latest greates device without the slightest idea of what they're getting themselves into. (I got a proper mauling for suggesting this a week or so ago in another thread, but I still firmly believe this to be the case)

I'd suggest a lot of people around here would be more comfortable with the far less threatening new P990. Looks like a decent 3G smartphone, and would be easier for a newbie. Perhaps get to grips with something like that before moving on to an XDA device when you've outgrown Symbian? (That route worked for me, anyway!)

[argh2000]

If only I'm staying in UK.I don't mind buying a set from u guys . :) :wink:

[Fluffy_Clouds]

Many thanks to mig31 for a useful guide to others thinking of buying this device. I do think though that as most of the Cons highlighted have been discussed at length in previous threads, maybe you should have held off a little longer before buying one.

As a first time poster, mig31 may have an excuse as indeed would any unfortunates who have walked into their local 02 shop and bought one on the recommendations of the sales teams. But surely, all regular readers of xda-developers forum should be well aware of the pros and cons of the device. I am also fairly sure that like me, most will be subscribed to many other sites as well.

I would therefore have to agree with sub69, (incidentally, I also agreed with your comments on the earlier thread but refrained from joining for fear of receiving similar irrational abuse). :roll:

[vnmnavarro]

Greetings to all!

I'm new here, just recently registered. I've been doing some background research on the Exec and it seems reasonable. However, I am finding more mixed reviews about it.

I'm currently on the II and I am thoroughly enjoying it! Prior to switching to the II, I entrusted my mobile needs to my good 'ol 6210 and Vx which I do not miss at the very least. Those two served me well.

I am thinking of getting an Exec, do you guys/ gals think it would be a worthwhile investment? I use my II almost exclusively for work and I plan to do the same with the Exec if ever. I hardly get to use the camera and MP3 on my II, but I adore it for having access Word and Excel. The Exec currently isn't available in Manila, hence my search outside. Being behind the curve (in Manila) would guys/ gals know of any hitches that I might encounter by trying to operate my unit here in Manila (phone function)? Are there language settings to choose from on the Exec?

Lastly, by any of you might know of a user/reseller planning to dispose of their Execs?

Cheers!

[mrandery]

WM5 and the Exec are a complex beast. It can perform loads of tasks.
...
The device is new. You havent given it anytime to really understand it. It takes at least a week - a month to learn about it.

I agree with you. That's why I'm going to try it out for close to the full 14 day trial period. Then, if it's still not for me, it goes back.

[trendystyle]

I'm just confused!

trendystyle, don't you already have a JasJar!?

And mig31, returning "a fantastic piece of hardware" because it's not running some old (and therefore not fully compatible) software properly seems a bit hasty, doesn't it?

Obviuosly I have it!
I am confused, cause I don't know what to do, and time is running out(1 month for refund...), should i keep it, hoping for a new update, or sending it back, and waiting for real and mature super device?^??

[mjames_84]

I've had AS 4.0 hose the wireless connection on my laptop and no one seems to be able to help.

Hmm while you don't specifically state the problem here I think I may have one possible solution...if my hunch is correct.

When you connect a WM5.0 device using ActiveSync 4 Windows creates a Network Port for it.

Now Windows uses a series of Metrics for all networked devices, whichever device has the lowest metric becomes the default. It is possible that Windows is assigning a lower metric to your XDA's network device then your Wireless network, hence it picks that as your default device screwing up your wireless connection.

For more detailed information on metrics see this article

http://www.microsoft.com/technet/community/columns/cableguy/cg0405.mspx

You can however over-ride the default behavior.

Go to Start>Control Panel>Network Connections

Right click your wireless network connection and choose properties. Select Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) from the list and then click the Properties button

From the properties window click the Advanced button

In the advanced settings window at the bottom there is a tickbox which says Automatic Metric. Untick this and assign it a number, say 20

Click ok and close all the windows till you get back to the Network Connections Window. Do the same for the network connection assigned to your XDA but assign it a HIGHER number then you did for the wireless connection.

Your wireless connection should now be the default!

If it doesn't work then you can just simply put things back as they were and everything will be ok :)

[sub69]

Obviuosly I have it!
I am confused, cause I don't know what to do, and time is running out(1 month for refund...), should i keep it, hoping for a new update, or sending it back, and waiting for real and mature super device?^??
Ohhhhhhhh, I see!

Well, if you return it for a refund you can always pick up a subsidised Exec or Pro later on for much less money, or you could stick with the JasJar and update as you go along.

Either way, you'll be waiting for a more mature device, just a matter of whether you want a less mature device while you wait, or no device at all?

[mrandery]

I've had AS 4.0 hose the wireless connection on my laptop and no one seems to be able to help.

Hmm while you don't specifically state the problem here I think I may have one possible solution...if my hunch is correct.
......

If it doesn't work then you can just simply put things back as they were and everything will be ok :)

Thanks for the input.

Here's a more detailed description of the problem:

http://forum.xda-developers.com/viewtopic.php?p=168289#168289

See my followup post in that thread for more info as well.

[trendystyle]

Obviuosly I have it!
I am confused, cause I don't know what to do, and time is running out(1 month for refund...), should i keep it, hoping for a new update, or sending it back, and waiting for real and mature super device?^??
Ohhhhhhhh, I see!

Well, if you return it for a refund you can always pick up a subsidised Exec or Pro later on for much less money, or you could stick with the JasJar and update as you go along.

Either way, you'll be waiting for a more mature device, just a matter of whether you want a less mature device while you wait, or no device at all?
Well, as you might know, as you purchase a new device, there are always bacos, problem, or maybe bad firmware:
I prefer maybe to see, if in the next 4/6 month they will come out, with an improved Jasjar(at SW or HW level), maybe at a fair price, not at thieves price, that will allow me to do all the things I was doing normally with much cheaper and obsolete devices (like installing 3rd party applications, games, etc.), without rebooting every 20 minutes
I understand the post on the Treo 650, is by far much better delivering its mission, it goes smooth, never reboot, and cost the half!

[sub69]

Well, as you might know, as you purchase a new device, there are always bacos, problem, or maybe bad firmware:
I prefer maybe to see, if in the next 4/6 month they will come out, with an improved Jasjar(at SW or HW level), maybe at a fair price, not at thieves price, that will allow me to do all the things I was doing normally with much cheaper and obsolete devices (like installing 3rd party applications, games, etc.), without rebooting every 20 minutes
I understand the post on the Treo 650, is by far much better delivering its mission, it goes smooth, never reboot, and cost the half!

I can see where this is going, so lets just agree to disagree now, shall we? :wink:

[trendystyle]

Well, as you might know, as you purchase a new device, there are always bacos, problem, or maybe bad firmware:
I prefer maybe to see, if in the next 4/6 month they will come out, with an improved Jasjar(at SW or HW level), maybe at a fair price, not at thieves price, that will allow me to do all the things I was doing normally with much cheaper and obsolete devices (like installing 3rd party applications, games, etc.), without rebooting every 20 minutes
I understand the post on the Treo 650, is by far much better delivering its mission, it goes smooth, never reboot, and cost the half!

I can see where this is going, so lets just agree to disagree now, shall we? :wink:
Right!
It's a way of fact: TREO 650, at the moment works much better than the Jasjar: let's hope for the future!
1) Or I-mate solve a lot of problem
2) I will buy the new Treo 700, on Windows mobile 5.0

[trendystyle]

Well, as you might know, as you purchase a new device, there are always bacos, problem, or maybe bad firmware:
I prefer maybe to see, if in the next 4/6 month they will come out, with an improved Jasjar(at SW or HW level), maybe at a fair price, not at thieves price, that will allow me to do all the things I was doing normally with much cheaper and obsolete devices (like installing 3rd party applications, games, etc.), without rebooting every 20 minutes
I understand the post on the Treo 650, is by far much better delivering its mission, it goes smooth, never reboot, and cost the half!

I can see where this is going, so lets just agree to disagree now, shall we? :wink:
Right!
It's a way of fact: TREO 650, at the moment works much better than the Jasjar: let's hope for the future!
1) Or I-mate solve a lot of problem
2) I will buy the new Treo 700, on Windows mobile 5.0


Read here:

http://www.geekzone.co.nz/content.asp?contentid=5340

Even the K-jam is much faster than the Jasjar...
And much cheaper!!

[superbowl]

Maybe the Treo ist the much better device for you, because you seem to make plenty errors with the jasjar ... i have only one soft-reset in 14 days ... and i really use the jasjar very often.

- Superbowl

[sub69]

trendystyle, I'd try the P990 if I were you.

After all your comments about the JasJar, I'm surprised that you're even considering holding on to it?

[mosesJJ]

Well done, you summarized it in two simple words trendystyle.

Here is an ex-XDAII owner point for most people thinking of buying the JJ.

It all depends on your requirements,

1)
if you are a happy xda owner and wanting the keyboard so bad but weight matters for you then simply go for the K-Jam it has all of the features of WM2005 + wifi.
I place my bit on it being the next big thing after the original XDA.

2)
if you are like me and wanting all of the above + VGA + 3G/UTMS then you won't find anything better than JJ.

3)
if you are non of the above or maybe a palm or treo owner thinking of switching to PPC your best bit is K-Jam and not Treo700 and please spare me the tech. details. Till this date treo650 supports only 16K color display.
But really [for many reasons, most obvious will be the support being an ex-treo owner myself at least with HTC devices and in this forum. we have no problem with experimenting, upgrading them opposed to the closed "Open" palm platform and windows to be device ?]


But if you are non of the three listed above and just winning, please get used to it. there is no more WM2003 in the future.
For the rest of us early adopters will have to bare the consciences and wait for MS for ROM upgrades.

Thanks to all :wink:

[trendystyle]

trendystyle, I'd try the P990 if I were you.

After all your comments about the JasJar, I'm surprised that you're even considering holding on to it?


The hope is the last to die....
Why I shoul try the p990? For its 2 MP camera?
I have 6 MP camera, from Canon, and I never use it...
Symbian(I have Nokia 6680, and Motorola A1000)? Much better Palm, so, I have TReo 650
Look, I have tried almost all the best phone on the market, I really love to have the latest gadget, P990 is nice, but nothing extremely new!
So, why you are telling me I should go on P990?
Because it' Sony, so it's sure that it will work fine, differently from Jasjar?
I am sure that if Sony, would have a Jasjar, or Universal project, they would never send it out at this state of the art...
But Sony has a name.... And a fame to preserve...

[trendystyle]

Well done, you summarized it in two simple words trendystyle.

Here is an ex-XDAII owner point for most people thinking of buying the JJ.

It all depends on your requirements,

1)
if you are a happy xda owner and wanting the keyboard so bad but weight matters for you then simply go for the K-Jam it has all of the features of WM2005 + wifi.
I place my bit on it being the next big thing after the original XDA.

2)
if you are like me and wanting all of the above + VGA + 3G/UTMS then you won't find anything better than JJ.

3)
if you are non of the above or maybe a palm or treo owner thinking of switching to PPC your best bit is K-Jam and not Treo700 and please spare me the tech. details. Till this date treo650 supports only 16K color display.
But really [for many reasons, most obvious will be the support being an ex-treo owner myself at least with HTC devices and in this forum. we have no problem with experimenting, upgrading them opposed to the closed "Open" palm platform and windows to be device ?]


But if you are non of the three listed above and just winning, please get used to it. there is no more WM2003 in the future.
For the rest of us early adopters will have to bare the consciences and wait for MS for ROM upgrades.

Thanks to all :wink:

Sigh!
I believe you are right...
But the fact is:
After deciding to send back the Jasjar, should I rely still on I-mate, buying the K-Jam???
UMTS in Italy is getting quite strong, I don't know, for a high end user as I am, if it would make sense, having a GPRS, only...
Maybe a QTEK version of the K-Jam!

[trendystyle]

Maybe the Treo ist the much better device for you, because you seem to make plenty errors with the jasjar ... i have only one soft-reset in 14 days ... and i really use the jasjar very often.

- Superbowl
Plenty error?
Please explain how to make an error....
Let's be real, please...
This is unfair for the peopel that reads, to have an idea!
If I was someone else, reading my post, I'd never bought the Jasjar, overall at this price, is price valkue, for how it performs and for what it offers at the moment, is 400/500 U$, at that price, I would have not complained so hard!

[sub69]

trendystyle, I'd try the P990 if I were you.

After all your comments about the JasJar, I'm surprised that you're even considering holding on to it?


The hope is the last to die....
Why I shoul try the p990? For its 2 MP camera?
I have 6 MP camera, from Canon, and I never use it...
Symbian(I have Nokia 6680, and Motorola A1000)? Much better Palm, so, I have TReo 650
Look, I have tried almost all the best phone on the market, I really love to have the latest gadget, P990 is nice, but nothing extremely new!
So, why you are telling me I should go on P990?
Because it' Sony, so it's sure that it will work fine, differently from Jasjar?
I am sure that if Sony, would have a Jasjar, or Universal project, they would never send it out at this state of the art...
But Sony has a name.... And a fame to preserve...

Go for whatever you want, it was just a suggestion!

I've never really got on with Palm devices. Preferred Symbian myself, but I haven't seen any 3G Palm devices yet so I was suggesting what I thought was a fair substitute for your JasJar?

It's the only other smartphone I've seen that has the same sort of connectivity features as the Universal (WiFi, BT, 3G, etc) and as you clearly want to get away from HTC and Microsoft, I thought it may suit your needs?

I think I'll leave this topic to you. Again.

[mig31]

I love my Exec. I have no issues with memory, except it is misleading how they publish.

And software does need to be updated to WM5, so patience. The rom works well.

Its a PDA with a phone and thats the best way to look at it.

Sub69,

You're perfectly right, I wasn't really happy to return my Exec, but I spent the last 4 days on it and I basically sorted out very little.
I'm very happy you guys are not having very many problems with it, but I did. The 2 pieces of software I use the most are the tomtom 5 and my flight planning software. Without them I don't think it's worth changing my existing XDA.
I just wish as you said, that I discovered the xda-developers web site before I bought my Exec, instead of finding it only once I had problems with it.
I really love the machine and I'll try to keep up with reading this site, hoping for new ROM upgrades to become available ASAP.
But for the moment it was the best option for me.
I lost 4 days of my life on it and I wan't about to loose the remaining 10 before getting rid of it.

Thanks again for the comments and your help, I just wish I had asked for it before

[mig31]

Read your comments, its a shame.

I am a power user, and I have used the Treo. The only advantage the Treo has is its simplicity and size.

WM5 and the Exec are a complex beast. It can perform loads of tasks. There is no need to always close apps. I dont use any task manager as I do not see the need.

Standard MS apps can be closed with ctrl q on the SIP keyboard.

The device is new. You havent given it anytime to really understand it. It takes at least a week - a month to learn about it.

Thanks for the comment Superbowl,

I'm very happy that your MDA is what you were looking for, but all I was trying to say is that this is not a "plug and play" piece of kit.
Easy to say that the tomtom 5 or my flight plannig software are not designed for this new window, but I still have on my laptop some program that were designed for Win 95 and 98 and they're running just fine.
I am using both of them programs on a daily basis and I don't think I can justify loosing them.

You said that you downloaded the WMP beta version and it works fine, I did download Core media player and it was fantastic, buy why the hell should I download these kind of upgrades when WM should work just fine?
It took the people on this forum 5 minutes to find out about the full screen fault on WMP. Why couldn't Microsoft find it before releasing the software?

I just think Microsoft is getting worst with time and it relies on people like you and me to test their programs more and more.
Anyway, happy your MDA is working fine, I'll just wait another 3-6 months to get my XDA-Exec, hoping for few more Rom upgrades to correct some of these problems.

Thanks

[trendystyle]

Read your comments, its a shame.

I am a power user, and I have used the Treo. The only advantage the Treo has is its simplicity and size.

WM5 and the Exec are a complex beast. It can perform loads of tasks. There is no need to always close apps. I dont use any task manager as I do not see the need.

Standard MS apps can be closed with ctrl q on the SIP keyboard.

The device is new. You havent given it anytime to really understand it. It takes at least a week - a month to learn about it.

Thanks for the comment Superbowl,

I'm very happy that your MDA is what you were looking for, but all I was trying to say is that this is not a "plug and play" piece of kit.
Easy to say that the tomtom 5 or my flight plannig software are not designed for this new window, but I still have on my laptop some program that were designed for Win 95 and 98 and they're running just fine.
I am using both of them programs on a daily basis and I don't think I can justify loosing them.

You said that you downloaded the WMP beta version and it works fine, I did download Core media player and it was fantastic, buy why the hell should I download these kind of upgrades when WM should work just fine?
It took the people on this forum 5 minutes to find out about the full screen fault on WMP. Why couldn't Microsoft find it before releasing the software?

I just think Microsoft is getting worst with time and it relies on people like you and me to test their programs more and more.
Anyway, happy your MDA is working fine, I'll just wait another 3-6 months to get my XDA-Exec, hoping for few more Rom upgrades to correct some of these problems.

Thanks
I totally agree with you!
Some people comments, seems like we are cheating, or telling lies!
Sub or superbowl, why should I complain, if my Jasjar would work fine???
Do you think I like to have spent more than 1.000 euro, and feeling cheated?
Do you think that I love just to shoot at i-mate, or maybe I was expecting Jasjar, to be the ultimate ppc, as they promised with the announcement?
Don't you think, after such investment, I wish I could scream how good I was in choosing such a great device?
I am only objective, and upsetted by the underperforming Jasjar

[sub69]

Some people comments, seems like we are cheating, or telling lies!

From what I remember you're the only one who throws around accusations like that. All I've done is posted my experiences and suggested an alternative purchase for you.

I was happy to leave you to it in this thread, but then you go and accuse us (me?) of implying that you're a liar :evil:

For the record, I don't think there's any doubt that you've had a bad experience with your JasJar (after all, you've been going on about it for weeks), and I have never implied that you're a liar.

Bye bye

[page3]

There are lots of things I am not happy about with the Exec, even compared to the iMate Jam which I had been using for the last year.

However, once I stop messing about with 'stuff' and actually use it for work I think it will fit in with what I need very well. I had to get a reply off to a client at short notice before 8am today - I sat on the train and wrote the document using Word and then emailed it off. The excellent keyboard and screen made this possible and for that reason alone I will be keeping the Exec. It has already got me out of a hole - and it wouldn't have been (easily) possible if I had only had the Jam with me.

[hrb]

....
CONS:
5) Storage memory in the new Exec is not "plentyful". The system should come with 128Mb, but around 80Mb are already taken by the pre-installed software. When you first start the machine, if you look and the memory settings, you'll only have around 40Mb available, 20 for Storage and 20 for programs.....and you cannot bias the size from one side to the other. In this new software, it's done automatically.
You can probably download software to correct or improve the one that the system is shipped with, but you'll soon find out that you'll run out of memory.
....

You are right on this one. Even when installing ALL Programs on the SD Card, you just get about 23 Meg of Program Memory (but 37 Meg of Storage).
I hope sb comes up with a fix that this ratio can be changed, as it was possible with WM2K3se.
Besides that, I love my JJ very much
Cheers
hrb

[Jarran]

Well my Exec is going back to the shop, after being told by O2 data support the unit had usb support i thought fantastic! I'll be able to use a usb ethernet connection to set up IP cameras and IP interface units connect a usb printer, external HDD etc. etc.

Actually after managing to locate the info on this site I found out this wasnt the case. The only thing the USB is for is for charging the unit and to synchronise...... thats useful then!!

This baby could have been so much more, the keyboard wasnt bad, not as good as the old Psion 5mx though now that was a very nice keyboard. Very nice VGA screen. Pretty fast processing as long as you ditched the O2 plug ins and ran it in corporate mode. But not a huge benefit from the XDA IIi which I have.

If you use a phone a lot as I do then I wouldnt recommend this unit unless you use it hands free. I have a sim in my XDA IIi just for GPRS and I use a seperate phone for calls.

But I wanted this unit with USB hosting I cannot believe HTC have manufactured this unit with no USB hosting, major mistake in my view the USB thread on this site is evidence of this.

Wasnt sure whether to go for the Asus 730 (with USB host) or go all the way and get a Tablet PC.

[difensore]

i'm noticing a trend here ...

a lot of people are getting the Universal but a lot of the users do not realize that the universal is really for a power user ... someone who would like something more than a camera phone but who don't want to lug around a laptop which as for me a great reason to buy this phone ...

i have been using both the sonyericsson p910i and the o2 xda 2s ... both are great smartphones but i like the xda 2s just for the mere reason i can use it for work more, i've been using it to connect with my exchange server and it works great .... the blackberry connect application runs great on both my p910 and xda 2s but it would be cool to get the XDA exec with blackberry connect ....

i think the universal is really designed for users on the go and have a good network infastructure which support the XDA Exec... ie Exchange Server SP2 ... or some system where the user utilizies wireless synchronization ...

i would stick to older models if they just want the usual PDA and phone functions ... i don't see the point someone upgrading to the Exec if they don't use the wireless synchronization and wireless connectivity at all ....

as for the treo 650, so many people praise this fone ... why so? .... i've set it up with so many clients of mine ... all with exchange server connectivity some with verizon's crappy system (i don't know why vodafone let make really weird add on apps) and using Palm's native connectivity to Exchange .... i still like the performance of my XDA 2s over the TREO 650 in terms of Exchange connectivity, speed ... and even just user experience .....

i think the best way to describe the XDA Exec, it has really been designed for the power user / business user ... if you are not either of these users, it would be better to stay with the higher end camera phones or the treo 650 ....

[sub69]

I hope sb comes up with a fix that this ratio can be changed, as it was possible with WM2K3se.

Can we just clear this up once and for all...

This can never happen, because the storage memory is now "persistant" and entirely in the ROM, and the program memory is now the only thing that uses the RAM.

Previously (WM2003SE and earlier) both storage and program memory used the RAM so you could alter the allocation depending on how you wanted to use your device but all your stored stuff was lost when the battery died.

Edit: just realised this is quite an old post, so you may have realised this by now...:oops:

[jah]

i'm noticing a trend here ...



i think the best way to describe the XDA Exec, it has really been designed for the power user / business user ... if you are not either of these users, it would be better to stay with the higher end camera phones or the treo 650 ....

A few observations:

- M$ would not licence their Exchange connectivity to Palm, funny that
- The Universal is very difficult to use as a phone, that is why use my Treo 650 and XDA Exec together. The BT on the Universal needs to be improved before it can be used like the P9xx or even the Treo 650
- Have you seen PowerPoint on the Universal, its pretty unusable, so much for mini laptop

Don't get me wrong, I like my XDA Exec but having used a Palm LifeDrive, Nokia 9500, Treo 650, P9xx (both), PSP, etc I can see what HTC/M$ have done and where they still have a lot to learn from the best Smartphones

[eggedd2k]

i dont think the size is a problem - i've certainly got used to having mine in my pocket. windows media plays full-screen movies no problems at all - perhaps you need to check the settings?

for £40 you can get a 1gb sd card so even memory's not really a problem is it?

[difensore]

actually exchange connectivity is licensed for the treo ... fyi .....[/quote]

[jah]

@difinsore, sorry mate you're right about the Exchange API. My mistake.

[shadhir]

thaxz

[RyanZA]

thaxz

This thread is back from October, and a large amount of it no longer applies.

[jonboy8841]

Hi Guys

I think to many of you are quick to condemn the bloke for returning his exec.

I personally think most of his comments are accurate given the MAJOR step up from any xda to the exec. WM5 is hardly easy for newbies to the PPC platform. I have owned most of the devices since the Xda 1 and whilst the universal is a terrific piece of kit the problems have been immense.

Before you all shout FOUL I am a convert to the new kid on the block but blimey what a journey.

Yes, it is a far superior device but come on chaps look at the forums(this one in particular) and you can hardly say owning the universal is a piece of cake. In fact if it wasnt for this forum I would have probably chucked mine out the window months ago.

I have finally conquered my MDA Pro(well almost) but not before time and yes I wouldn't swap it for any other pda phone which is currently available.

Size is obviously a problem but I guess the vast majority of this increase is down to the keyboard which I hardly use because I prefer the handwriting option. Maybe they could bring out another version minus the keyboard like the old treo 180 which had both keyboard and graffiti versions. Some of these new devices use a thumb pad keyboard which in my opinion is useless unless you want to type a limited amount of letters.

One thing that baffles me is the differences in the various roms available(tried all of them). Some seem slower in different areas but faster in others. I notice from another thread that our man Buzz is now testing a rom which now appears to have ironed out most the problems once and for all.


More software is becoming available so I guess this will make owning a WM 2003 version less desirable anyway.


Well thats my experience so long live the UNIVERSAL

[megman]

there are some points here about the exec's limitations, but none of them would bring me to return mine. Yes it is big and heavy, I used to have an IIi and it is much bigger than that, but it still fits in my jeans pocket (maybe I have big pockets) and I don't notice the weight in a jacket.

Yes software does seem a bit limited, but there is not much for WM5 generally as it is fairly new and this is only a limited platform as almost every app works differently on different hardware.

It is not the greatest phone and the phone software is the only piece of software that regularly plays up on mine. Not sure how much is related to the phone and how much is O2 though. I know people who have similar problems with O2 and they do not have an exec.

great pluses for me are
the keyboard - I love it, so convienient for txt and email.
battery life - not like a mobile phone, but much better my old IIi
reliability - again much, much better than the IIi which I had to soft reset all the time. I have had my exec since November and I have probably only reset it a half dozen times and most of those were because I had been messing with it. Lastest O2 ROM where they have changed all their apps is finally worth having.
it does everything - I use mine for as a phone obviously, as an mp3 player when I am training, browsing the web and keeping upto date when out and about. I work as a consultant and being able to get my personal and work email when on a client site where it is often blocked is great. Plus all the other stuff that I don't use it for as I don't have the need at the moment.
Best device I have ever owned.