Bad News..T-Mobile Ameo vulnerable HDD....

[mackaby007]

I have received news from a tester of the T-Mobile Ameo, that it will be delayed in its release, due to the Units displaying significant problems in battery drain in connection to the mechanical HDD. Apparently the units will be recalled to HTC to have the HDD replaced with flash memory to overcome the issues encountered by many users. Not sure how accurate this information is, but I personally know and trust the tester in question. Whilst he reports that the X7500 is blisteringly fast, he also states that the battery consumption is so appalling that one would not get through a days use of the unit, and that stated talk time of the X7500 is currently well below what is stated/expected.

He also indicated that HTC are considering recalling all units already sold in their various guises. Suppose we will have to wait and see. Looks like a few months of delay at the least with a probability with the Ameo shipping with WM6 Professional.

After all that waiting. Crying or Very sad Well I'd rather buy a fully functioning bit of hardware. This always was a point of weariness on my behalf due to my experience of the SGH-i300 with a mechanical HDD, which was ultimately one of the main reasons for getting rid of it......power consumption!!


I have recently changed the title of this thread due to fellow member, Wu, pointing out to me that the old title was confusing. Thankyou Wu. :)

[Arya]

I have received news from a tester of the T-Mobile Ameo, that it will be delayed in its release, due to the Units displaying significant problems in battery drain in connection to the mechanical HDD. Apparently the units will be recalled to HTC to have the HDD replaced with flash memory to overcome the issues encountered by many users. Not sure how accurate this information is, but I personally know and trust the tester in question. Whilst he reports that the X7500 is blisteringly fast, he also states that the battery consumption is so appalling that one would not get through a days use of the unit, and that stated talk time of the X7500 is currently well below what is stated/expected.

He also indicated that HTC are considering recalling all units already sold in their various guises. Suppose we will have to wait and see. Looks like a few months of delay at the least with a probability with the Ameo shipping with WM6 Professional.

After all that waiting. Crying or Very sad Well I'd rather buy a fully functioning bit of hardware. This always was a point of weariness on my behalf due to my experience of the SGH-i300 with a mechanical HDD, which was ultimately one of the main reasons for getting rid of it......power consumption!!
HAHA:)))))
it still not comming to shop, but it recalled:))
it is very funny:D

[wu5262]

I have received news from a tester of the T-Mobile Ameo, that it will be delayed in its release, due to the Units displaying significant problems in battery drain in connection to the mechanical HDD. Apparently the units will be recalled to HTC to have the HDD replaced with flash memory to overcome the issues encountered by many users. Not sure how accurate this information is, but I personally know and trust the tester in question. Whilst he reports that the X7500 is blisteringly fast, he also states that the battery consumption is so appalling that one would not get through a days use of the unit, and that stated talk time of the X7500 is currently well below what is stated/expected.

He also indicated that HTC are considering recalling all units already sold in their various guises. Suppose we will have to wait and see. Looks like a few months of delay at the least with a probability with the Ameo shipping with WM6 Professional.

After all that waiting. Crying or Very sad Well I'd rather buy a fully functioning bit of hardware. This always was a point of weariness on my behalf due to my experience of the SGH-i300 with a mechanical HDD, which was ultimately one of the main reasons for getting rid of it......power consumption!!


I will phone my HTC contact this wednesday and see what he says. He is the senior enginner in HTC Head office so the infor he gives me should be pretty accurate.

For the battery part, i am very happy about it, the user of DOPOD has reported that the battery is very good, personally, i turn on Bluetooth all day, device is connect to 3G 24 hours and the screen is never off. So even when i attach my keyboard to DOPOD, my screen is still on. This allow me to use my device for whole day without charging.
I am very happy about the battery.
With WM6, i thought some member here has report Athena will com with WM6 upgrade when it's available, i think that might be true, because that's what i heard in 3GSM as well.

[wu5262]

Ok, i have just spoke to my HTC contact, he say he hasn't hear anything about recalling the HTC device, he wasn't sure about Amoe since that invlove with the T-mobile, but for HTC Advantage, he say there is a delay on the release date, the reason beening ROM not totally complete yet, he say the Rom has some bugs which need to be fix. But it should be out in april sometimes.

Funny enough, he also say last week a senior enginner from DOPOD came by to HTC office to meet with their manager, he is guessing HTC is calling for help from DOPOD, since Dopod have finish their Rom already.

For the battery part, not sure about Ameo, but they have run benchmark on the battery for testing, and the result are very good, but at the end, it will depend on how you use your device.

I have ask him to keep an eye on this info, and will report it here if i hear anything more

[mackaby007]

I wasn't happy with what I heard and pressed my friend for more info. According to his sources (since Thursday, when I last spoke to him), HTC will now most probably NOT recall the units they have branded for T-Mobile and their Sister company Dopod.

The problem apparently is not so much the consumption side of the HDD (even though it does drain heavily compared to SD cards), but the way the HDD was implemented. It is not very shock proof at all. Supposedly vigorous shaking has resulted in 'knocking the HDD out' as I was told, meaning what exactly is still unclear in the sense that it will either become dislodged or stop functioning.

The problem is the way HTC integrated the HDD into the X7500. Apparently they stripped it down before attaching/soldering and fitting it into the housing, resulting in its physical instability. So not a hardware fault, but a design floor which may cause a hardware fault if the unit should be knocked or even suffer a bump (whilst using GPS) in a bumpy car. And there are supposed to be some hardware issues too, but not severe enough enough to stop its release. So we'll be the paying guinea pigs, while HTC perfect the next model which will definitely come with Flash memory and WM6.

Bottom line is that too much has been invested in the X7500, so its release will go on even it is a few weeks late. Taiwan already sell the Dopod, whilst Netherlands and Germany are already selling the Ameo. T-Mobile UK should be following soon as will the Advantage, but if you're buying.....expect some problems and an updated version by the end of the year, as Sony have plans of releasing a UMPC similar in appearance to the X7500 and HTC will be making serious design changes to their next UMPC-look-alike WM6 device.

[wu5262]

I wasn't happy with what I heard and pressed my friend for more info. According to his sources (since Thursday, when I last spoke to him), HTC will now most probably NOT recall the units they have branded for T-Mobile and their Sister company Dopod.

The problem apparently is not so much the consumption side of the HDD (even though it does drain heavily compared to SD cards), but the way the HDD was implemented. It is not very shock proof at all. Supposedly vigorous shaking has resulted in 'knocking the HDD out' as I was told, meaning what exactly is still unclear in the sense that it will either become dislodged or stop functioning.

The problem is the way HTC integrated the HDD into the X7500. Apparently they stripped it down before attaching/soldering and fitting it into the housing, resulting in its physical instability. So not a hardware fault, but a design floor which may cause a hardware fault if the unit should be knocked or even suffer a bump (whilst using GPS) in a bumpy car. And there are supposed to be some hardware issues too, but not severe enough enough to stop its release. So we'll be the paying guinea pigs, while HTC perfect the next model which will definitely come with Flash memory and WM6.

Bottom line is that too much has been invested in the X7500, so its release will go on even it is a few weeks late. Taiwan already sell the Dopod, whilst Netherlands and Germany are already selling the Ameo. T-Mobile UK should be following soon as will the Advantage, but if you're buying.....expect some problems and an updated version by the end of the year, as Sony have plans of releasing a UMPC similar in appearance to the X7500 and HTC will be making serious design changes to their next UMPC-look-alike WM6 device.

I will try to confirm that with my HTC source, i think it make sense, HTC are not too good about writing ROM, that explain why they are asking for help from DOPOD. Anyway, i must say my DOPOD machine is running very smoothly, battery is amazing, and i have successfully change my today screen to total english, therefore i think DOPOD is a better option now for those who don't want the black one.

[mackaby007]

I will try to confirm that with my HTC source, i think it make sense, HTC are not too good about writing ROM, that explain why they are asking for help from DOPOD. Anyway, i must say my DOPOD machine is running very smoothly, battery is amazing, and i have successfully change my today screen to total english, therefore i think DOPOD is a better option now for those who don't want the black one.


Congrats your ur Dopod wu. :)

I'm glad you're having no issues with it so far. I'll be getting the Ameo despite its supposed shortcomings + insurance!! So what the hey?!?!

Agreed, HTC are new to ROM building, but they do now own Dopod, so I very much doubt that their ROM will lag behind Dopods especially if Dopod have to help them perfect the HTC ROM.

Who cares anyway? Soon enough we will have access to the most stable and fastest ROM and all versions of the X7500 will run exactly the same, as the hardware is the same.

My only concern now is the stablility of the HDD.

[Arya]

yes, Dopod is very better than Ameo and advantage
but problem is color:( it is silver:(
can paint it and change color to black or change the case?
I change my 7710 from silver to black with changing case
can it do with athena?
tanX

[mackaby007]

yes, Dopod is very better than Ameo and advantage
but problem is color:( it is silver:(
can paint it and change color to black or change the case?
I change my 7710 from silver to black with changing case
can it do with athena?
tanX

Arya...no disrespect intended, but what are you getting the X7500 for? It just seems that you are comparing so many devices with it, to the point of sounding confused. No device is perfect, nor will Man be able to make one.

You simply have to decide on which device meets your requirements according to market availability. For me it's the Ameo. Other devices due out soon have some specs that equal or better the Ameo in certain areas, but fall short in other areas.

Ameo all the way and if I encounter any of the problems I have been informed of, it will be insured and still under guarantee, so I won't worry unnecessarily.

So my advice to you would be to not think X7500 first, but what are my needs? Then decide on which device best suits you.

[nuclear]

yes, Dopod is very better than Ameo and advantage
but problem is color:( it is silver:(
can paint it and change color to black or change the case?
I change my 7710 from silver to black with changing case
can it do with athena?
tanX
Ask Indra how to do it. He should be available in the Universal forums.

[wu5262]

Arya...no disrespect intended, but what are you getting the X7500 for? It just seems that you are comparing so many devices with it, to the point of sounding confused. No device is perfect, nor will Man be able to make one.

You simply have to decide on which device meets your requirements according to market availability. For me it's the Ameo. Other devices due out soon have some specs that equal or better the Ameo in certain areas, but fall short in other areas.

Ameo all the way and if I encounter any of the problems I have been informed of, it will be insured and still under guarantee, so I won't worry unnecessarily.

So my advice to you would be to not think X7500 first, but what are my needs? Then decide on which device best suits you.

That is very well say, agree with you there. Let's see if HTC can come up with a stable ROM (with the help from DOPOD). Hopefully they make their ROM right so they don't damage the HDD. After Advantage is out, we can then compare all the ROM and choose the best one and install.

[Arya]

Arya...no disrespect intended, but what are you getting the X7500 for? It just seems that you are comparing so many devices with it, to the point of sounding confused. No device is perfect, nor will Man be able to make one.

You simply have to decide on which device meets your requirements according to market availability. For me it's the Ameo. Other devices due out soon have some specs that equal or better the Ameo in certain areas, but fall short in other areas.

Ameo all the way and if I encounter any of the problems I have been informed of, it will be insured and still under guarantee, so I won't worry unnecessarily.

So my advice to you would be to not think X7500 first, but what are my needs? Then decide on which device best suits you.

I think and select x7500
i want a POCKET PC with BIG screen
with GPS and GOOD camera
FAST and POWER
with KEYBOARD to type very long SMS
LOUD speaker
with INFRARED:(
Athena has all of thing except Infrared

I want X7500 for it's color
I don't go for U1000 because it is now chinesse and if it available in English, maybe i get it
Ameo is locket and can't use
but i think now that i comming to get one athena, i get that i like color and ...
the ondy different in their is in COLOR and ROM and MATTERIAL. i think hardware is like eachother and one has problem other has it too
tanX and sorry for my long post

[Arya]

Ask Indra how to do it. He should be available in the Universal forums.

Why in universal forum?
Changing case of athena in Universal forum?!!!!!!11

[P996]

I have received news from a tester of the T-Mobile Ameo, that it will be delayed in its release...

This is funny, I already own the T-Mobile Ameo for almost two weeks now, even before you posted this.


1. the battery life is pretty impressive for such a device, you can get through a working day with a couple of phone calls and internet surfing/playing around with the unit and the battery still shows 30% power left.
For some people this battery life may not be good enough, for me it is OK since I always charge my phone(s) over night anyway.

2. I "smashed" the Ameo several times on my office desk, on my bed, on my office chair, I carried it around all the time, even running with it in my pocket.
No problems at all with the HDD, especially since it uses a sensor which detects "acceleration"(drops, movements, etc.), so I highly doubt that there would be trouble, even if it isn't mounted properly.

Of course there will be an updated Ameo/X7500 by the end of this year, HTC puts out a lot of new units on the market, I would be surprised if they didn't.
I highly doubt that HTC would "allow" T-Mobile to acquire and sell defective Ameos, T-Mobile could easily make them responsible for defective units and this could cost HTC a lot of money.

I don't say this isn't true but I know how rumours and gossip is travelling the internet and although sometimes there is some truth behind all this talk, I would take it with a grain of salt. ;)

[wu5262]

This is funny, I already own the T-Mobile Ameo for almost two weeks now, even before you posted this.


1. the battery life is pretty impressive for such a device, you can get through a working day with a couple of phone calls and internet surfing/playing around with the unit and the battery still shows 30% power left.
For some people this battery life may not be good enough, for me it is OK since I always charge my phone(s) over night anyway.

2. I "smashed" the Ameo several times on my office desk, on my bed, on my office chair, I carried it around all the time, even running with it in my pocket.
No problems at all with the HDD, especially since it uses a sensor which detects "acceleration"(drops, movements, etc.), so I highly doubt that there would be trouble, even if it isn't mounted properly.

Of course there will be an updated Ameo/X7500 by the end of this year, HTC puts out a lot of new units on the market, I would be surprised if they didn't.
I highly doubt that HTC would "allow" T-Mobile to acquire and sell defective Ameos, T-Mobile could easily make them responsible for defective units and this could cost HTC a lot of money.

I don't say this isn't true but I know how rumours and gossip is travelling the internet and although sometimes there is some truth behind all this talk, I would take it with a grain of salt. ;)

It's not the Ameo or Dopod u1000 being push back, it's the HTC Advantage, the Rom they wrote is causing Damage to the HDD. Ameo and DOPOD U1000 don't have this problem

[P996]

It's not the Ameo or Dopod u1000 being push back, it's the HTC Advantage, the Rom they wrote is causing Damage to the HDD. Ameo and DOPOD U1000 don't have this problem


Oh boy...the HTC X7500 is the SAME THING, there is no hardware difference between the X7500 and the Ameo/U1000.
Since the X7500 isn't even on the market yet, all these speculations are what they are...speculations or most likely GOSSIP. ;)

[wu5262]

Oh boy...the HTC X7500 is the SAME THING, there is no hardware difference between the X7500 and the Ameo/U1000.
Since the X7500 isn't even on the market yet, all these speculations are what they are...speculations or most likely GOSSIP. ;)

Man, it's not GOSSIP, i was one of the tester for HTC Advantage, i have been notify by HTC that the Rom has serious Bug on HDD handle. I also have contact of one of the most senior engineer in HTC. It has been confirm Advantage is being push back, just don't know how late it will be. If lucky, with the help of DOPOD, they might still get it out on time.

We all know there is no hardware difference, it's the ROM which makes the Advantage being push back........

p.s. mackaby007, you should change the post title, it's making some people confuse.

[mackaby007]

Oh boy...the HTC X7500 is the SAME THING, there is no hardware difference between the X7500 and the Ameo/U1000.
Since the X7500 isn't even on the market yet, all these speculations are what they are...speculations or most likely GOSSIP. ;)

As nicely as you try to put it P996, what you say implies that either I, or whoever my source is are either foolish in speaking of these things or blatantly lying. It certainly is not gossip, as I have not heard this anywhere else. The fact that you nor anyone else that has bought it and yet hasn't experienced this problem, does not detract that some testers have come to be aware of this design/assembly flaw in the Athena that COULD cause the problems mentioned in my earlier thread and talks had taken place with T-Mobile UK with regards to returning the units (possible recalls for Germany & Netherlands). The fact that this will not be taking place can be attributed to certain facts; i.e.

1) Too much has already been invested in a product that is not guaranteed to go wrong.

2)The Athena is NOT faulty, it' implementation of the HDD unit is subject to vulnerability due to the way it was stripped down and mounted in the overall casing. NOT faulty.....hence NO Recall...Get IT P996??

3) Furthermore I sincerely doubt that you are truthful in your account of how many times or the extent to which you have knocked your brand new device about. :) Yes I'm implying that you are lying by exaggerating, to prove a point.

4) I'm still getting the Ameo despite the only vulnerability reported to me.

5) I was merely sharing pertinent information to anyone who like me wants to make well informed decisions about future expensive purchases...whether we like the negatives or not.

6) As stated before...(for those too lazy to read through all the Athena posts there aren't that many at present)...T-Mobile UK have not yet released the Ameo and the tester/testers in question are from the UK and extremely well qualified and known to me personally, so I trust what they tell me, but not without question.

7) The point wu raised about HTC's ROM damaging the HDD is a totally separate issue, but confirms that HTC are well aware of problems with their HDD, be it soft or hardware related.

Lastly it is very easy to look at the past posts of every member..therefore if you suspect a persons integrity, you should at least have the decency to check them out before implying that another member is a gossip-monger. Wanker!!

[wu5262]

As nicely as you try to put it P996, what you say implies that either I, or whoever my source is are either foolish in speaking of these things or blatantly lying. It certainly is not gossip, as I have not heard this anywhere else. The fact that you nor anyone else that has bought it and yet hasn't experienced this problem, does not detract that some testers have come to be aware of this design/assembly flaw in the Athena that COULD cause the problems mentioned in my earlier thread and talks had taken place with T-Mobile UK with regards to returning the units (possible recalls for Germany & Netherlands). The fact that this will not be taking place can be attributed to certain facts; i.e.

1) Too much has already been invested in a product that is not guaranteed to go wrong.

2)The Athena is NOT faulty, it' implementation of the HDD unit is subject to vulnerability due to the way it was stripped down and mounted in the overall casing. NOT faulty.....hence NO Recall...Get IT P996??

3) Furthermore I sincerely doubt that you are truthful in your account of how many times or the extent to which you have knocked your brand new device about. :) Yes I'm implying that you are lying by exaggerating, to prove a point.

4) I'm still getting the Ameo despite the only vulnerability reported to me.

5) I was merely sharing pertinent information to anyone who like me wants to make well informed decisions about future expensive purchases...whether we like the negatives or not.

6) As stated before...(for those too lazy to read through all the Athena posts there aren't that many at present)...T-Mobile UK have not yet released the Ameo and the tester/testers in question are from the UK and extremely well qualified and known to me personally, so I trust what they tell me, but not without question.

7) The point wu raised about HTC's ROM damaging the HDD is a totally separate issue, but confirms that HTC are well aware of problems with their HDD, be it soft or hardware related.

Lastly it is very easy to look at the past posts of every member..therefore if you suspect a persons integrity, you should at least have the decency to check them out before implying that another member is a gossip-monger. Wanker!!

nicely say mackaby007, agree with you there.
Since i haven't tested the T-mobile Amoe, i don't know anything about it.
The HDD issue HTC Advantage is having is a software problem, to do with how their ROM handle the Micro Drive. So don't worry, when it comes out, it should have no problem, that's what they are working on now.

[mackaby007]

nicely say mackaby007, agree with you there.
Since i haven't tested the T-mobile Amoe, i don't know anything about it.
The HDD issue HTC Advantage is having is a software problem, to do with how their ROM handle the Micro Drive. So don't worry, when it comes out, it should have no problem, that's what they are working on now.

Thanks Wu. I agree with you completely and I've changed the title of the thread as you advised. :)

[P996]

As nicely as you try to put it P996, what you say implies that either I, or whoever my source is are either foolish in speaking of these things or blatantly lying. Lastly it is very easy to look at the past posts of every member..therefore if you suspect a persons integrity, you should at least have the decency to check them out before implying that another member is a gossip-monger. Wanker!!

1. I already have the Ameo, YOU don't, so YOUR experience is based on GOSSIP and talk on forums, MY experience is based on daily life with the Ameo. WORKING life.

2. you don't know who I am (same as I don't know who YOU are), so please refrain from accusing me of lying or exeggerating.

3. believe it or not, I have a pretty good insight regarding the HTC Athena (actually since it was "named" Athena ;)), so whatever you or others say, I have my own knowledge/experience (btw.: NOT knowledge/experience acquired on internet forums or from "friends" I know "well". ;)).

Like I said before: the HTC X7500, the Dopod U1000 and the T-Mobile Ameo are using 99% the same internal hardware, there are only minor differences in ROM programming and bundled software depending on markets. The base ROM code is the same on all three units.

IF HTC discovered a problem with the upcoming X7500 ROM, this issue will concern the Ameo/U1000 as well.

Regarding the HDD in the Ameo: like I said before, two weeks of daily working life with an Ameo SALES VERSION and the HDD still works fine. I have tons of phones over here, mainly for testing, so I don't treat them like raw eggs but like working tools which need to serve me well each and every day. AGAIN: REAL LIFE EXPERIENCE. ;)

We can talk about this all day long, it is like it is. ;)

The only things I don't like the Ameo are the following:
1. you need a headset to do video calls
2. the phone can't be used without headset or speaker phone
3. the screen resolution isn't OK for this size of the screen, the icons/fonts look way too big
4. my favourite travel tool, Mobimate Worldmate 2006 Professional, doesn't seem to work with the Ameo, it starts a rebooting cycle when you turn off the phone and turn it back on, a rebooting cycle you can't get out of unless you're performing a hard reset (Mobimate is working on a fix)
5. T-Mobile has chosen not to go for TT6 for navigation, instead they want to "sell" their online on-demand navigation solution Navigate. Bad decision in my opinion.

[wu5262]

1. I already have the Ameo, YOU don't, so YOUR experience is based on GOSSIP and talk on forums, MY experience is based on daily life with the Ameo. WORKING life.

2. you don't know who I am (same as I don't know who YOU are), so please refrain from accusing me of lying or exeggerating.

3. believe it or not, I have a pretty good insight regarding the HTC Athena (actually since it was "named" Athena ;)), so whatever you or others say, I have my own knowledge/experience (btw.: NOT knowledge/experience acquired on internet forums or from "friends" I know "well". ;)).

Like I said before: the HTC X7500, the Dopod U1000 and the T-Mobile Ameo are using 99% the same internal hardware, there are only minor differences in ROM programming and bundled software depending on markets. The base ROM code is the same on all three units.

IF HTC discovered a problem with the upcoming X7500 ROM, this issue will concern the Ameo/U1000 as well.

Regarding the HDD in the Ameo: like I said before, two weeks of daily working life with an Ameo SALES VERSION and the HDD still works fine. I have tons of phones over here, mainly for testing, so I don't treat them like raw eggs but like working tools which need to serve me well each and every day. AGAIN: REAL LIFE EXPERIENCE. ;)

We can talk about this all day long, it is like it is. ;)

The only things I don't like the Ameo are the following:
1. you need a headset to do video calls
2. the phone can't be used without headset or speaker phone
3. the screen resolution isn't OK for this size of the screen, the icons/fonts look way too big
4. my favourite travel tool, Mobimate Worldmate 2006 Professional, doesn't seem to work with the Ameo, it starts a rebooting cycle when you turn off the phone and turn it back on, a rebooting cycle you can't get out of unless you're performing a hard reset (Mobimate is working on a fix)
5. T-Mobile has chosen not to go for TT6 for navigation, instead they want to "sell" their online on-demand navigation solution Navigate. Bad decision in my opinion.

Have you tested the HTC Advantage? How do you know it doesn't have problem? As i say, DOPOD U1000 and Ameo HDD issue isn't big enough to push back or recall the orders. But HTC Advantage is!! Their Rom is not stable so if not solve by end of this month, they will push back the release.
You only have T-mobile ameo, i have tested Advantage and own a DOPOD u1000. I can tell you this, HTC Advantage by the time i tested was no where as fast as Dopod. You will be surprise the difference between Roms, and how much different they can make.

[mackaby007]

1. I already have the Ameo, YOU don't, so YOUR experience is based on GOSSIP and talk on forums, MY experience is based on daily life with the Ameo. WORKING life.

2. you don't know who I am (same as I don't know who YOU are), so please refrain from accusing me of lying or exeggerating.

3. believe it or not, I have a pretty good insight regarding the HTC Athena (actually since it was "named" Athena), so whatever you or others say, I have my own knowledge/experience (btw.: NOT knowledge/experience acquired on internet forums or from "friends" I know "well". ;)).

Like I said before: the HTC X7500, the Dopod U1000 and the T-Mobile Ameo are using 99% the same internal hardware, there are only minor differences in ROM programming and bundled software depending on markets. The base ROM code is the same on all three units.

IF HTC discovered a problem with the upcoming X7500 ROM, this issue will concern the Ameo/U1000 as well.

Regarding the HDD in the Ameo: like I said before, two weeks of daily working life with an Ameo SALES VERSION and the HDD still works fine. I have tons of phones over here, mainly for testing, so I don't treat them like raw eggs but like working tools which need to serve me well each and every day. AGAIN: REAL LIFE EXPERIENCE. ;)

We can talk about this all day long, it is like it is.

The only things I don't like the Ameo are the following:
1. you need a headset to do video calls
2. the phone can't be used without headset or speaker phone
3. the screen resolution isn't OK for this size of the screen, the icons/fonts look way too big
4. my favourite travel tool, Mobimate Worldmate 2006 Professional, doesn't seem to work with the Ameo, it starts a rebooting cycle when you turn off the phone and turn it back on, a rebooting cycle you can't get out of unless you're performing a hard reset (Mobimate is working on a fix)
5. T-Mobile has chosen not to go for TT6 for navigation, instead they want to "sell" their online on-demand navigation solution Navigate. Bad decision in my opinion.

Oh you poor deluded person. Read back over your post and if your anger has subsided a bit, you'll see what a jerk you sound like. In any event, you are 100% correct, I don't yet own an Athena so your experience of it is not to be dismissed.

What you fail to realize is that we are speaking of real life shortcomings of this device experienced by REAL testers and the potential problems we future or you current owners MAY experience, NOT will experience.

Being a former owner of the HTC Hermes (Vario II), I can report with all honesty that the only issue I ever had that I didn't resolve in my time of owning it was Video-playback. This was due to ROM imperfection.

Many others had screen alignment issues...I did not. Were they talking out of their rear ends? I think not. You shouldn't be too hasty to dismiss what others have experienced, just as I will no longer judge you harshly. Sorry for calling you a wanker, but you did behave like one IMHO.

No one here should dismiss anyones opinions or findings, just take it with a pinch of salt if your skeptical about what you've read.

As for me getting most of my information from forums and the Internet...again your 100% correct. How else did everyone else here learn of new technology before it hits the market. As for my 'well known friend', he is a smart, qualified and honest guy who has always steered me right with regards technology. He too wants to buy an Ameo, but is waiting for the Flash Memory based version.

He was merely looking out for my best interests by warning me and I in turn wanted to share that warning with everyone else.

Enough already, as you said, this could go on all day and I'm sure we all have better things to do. I know I do.

So shall we bury this pointless argument now? One thing is for sure, if we are all going to be fellow owners of ANY version of the HTC Athena, we would do well to get along from here on out...for progress sake.

Arguments are not what makes this site such a great place....teamwork is.

Have a great day and don't pay my earlier insults any mind. If I find that you have insulted me anywhere else whilst I've been posting this, I shall simply treat it as it is...crossed wires.

Live & let live.:)

[Ecraseur]

1. I already have the Ameo, YOU don't, so YOUR experience is based on GOSSIP and talk on forums, MY experience is based on daily life with the Ameo. WORKING life.

2. you don't know who I am (same as I don't know who YOU are), so please refrain from accusing me of lying or exeggerating.

3. believe it or not, I have a pretty good insight regarding the HTC Athena (actually since it was "named" Athena ;)), so whatever you or others say, I have my own knowledge/experience (btw.: NOT knowledge/experience acquired on internet forums or from "friends" I know "well". ;)).

Like I said before: the HTC X7500, the Dopod U1000 and the T-Mobile Ameo are using 99% the same internal hardware, there are only minor differences in ROM programming and bundled software depending on markets. The base ROM code is the same on all three units.

IF HTC discovered a problem with the upcoming X7500 ROM, this issue will concern the Ameo/U1000 as well.

Regarding the HDD in the Ameo: like I said before, two weeks of daily working life with an Ameo SALES VERSION and the HDD still works fine. I have tons of phones over here, mainly for testing, so I don't treat them like raw eggs but like working tools which need to serve me well each and every day. AGAIN: REAL LIFE EXPERIENCE. ;)

We can talk about this all day long, it is like it is. ;)

The only things I don't like the Ameo are the following:
1. you need a headset to do video calls
2. the phone can't be used without headset or speaker phone
3. the screen resolution isn't OK for this size of the screen, the icons/fonts look way too big
4. my favourite travel tool, Mobimate Worldmate 2006 Professional, doesn't seem to work with the Ameo, it starts a rebooting cycle when you turn off the phone and turn it back on, a rebooting cycle you can't get out of unless you're performing a hard reset (Mobimate is working on a fix)
5. T-Mobile has chosen not to go for TT6 for navigation, instead they want to "sell" their online on-demand navigation solution Navigate. Bad decision in my opinion.

Mobimate Worldmate 2006 Professional is working on my Ameo

[ghawi]

Mobimate Worldmate 2006 Professional is working on my Ameo


Do u have the latest crack for travelmate 2007?

[Ecraseur]

Do u have the latest crack for travelmate 2007?

I don't have.

[fallenczar]

Do u have the latest crack for travelmate 2007?

someone wants to get his a** kicked off the forum

[mackaby007]

someone wants to get his a** kicked off the forum

It takes some a little bit longer than others to learn the rules of respectable forums. ;)

[mackaby007]

I knew I would have issues with this damn Micro Drive...I just knew it. Well at least no one else has complained of this as yet, so it be be an isolated incident, but according to Monaco's thread it isn't!!

[wu5262]

I knew I would have issues with this damn Micro Drive...I just knew it. Well at least no one else has complained of this as yet, so it be be an isolated incident, but according to Monaco's thread it isn't!!

Dopod u1000 don't have this problem, is it possible is your device? You might want to do a exchange since this machine is going with you for quite a long time.

[Spitwroot]

Do you think we could replace the drive for a 16gb CF card? Hope it isnt soldered.

[wu5262]

Do you think we could replace the drive for a 16gb CF card? Hope it isnt soldered.

i think that is possible, haven't heard anyone done it yet. But i am very looking forward of it

[mackaby007]

i think that is possible, haven't heard anyone done it yet. But i am very looking forward of it

Same here. Don't really like the idea of a sensitive mechanical drive...

[Anton.Valleyman]

I've had my Ameo for nearly two weeks, having dropped it within 10 seconds of getting it out of the box. This was a good 30 - 40cm drop (I forgot it was held by magnets) without the leather case to a wooden table...no damage done hopefully. HDD works fine, and overall I'm impressed - though I agree that for the size of screen, the resolution looks a bit daft. Maybe HTC could implement some kind of ozVGA system themselves which would put my mind at rest a bit more and make full use of the large screen real estate.

[k_kirk]

Got my Dopod U1000 yesterday. Installed a bunch of applications on the Microdrive. All super, me happy. I drove to work today with the U1000 sitting on the passenger seat. Regular drive. No off road contest, no accidents etc. Upon reaching work I realized I lost the Microdrive.

I am hoping this was an isolated bad HDD incident. One for one exhange at the shop where I bought the beast and now I'm back to square one. Still I think I will install my apps to the Storage Card and leave the Microdrive for music & videos etc. Things I don't mind copying again. Any one else experienced similar failure which was the original subject of this thread (before fur started flying in the air!)?

[wu5262]

Got my Dopod U1000 yesterday. Installed a bunch of applications on the Microdrive. All super, me happy. I drove to work today with the U1000 sitting on the passenger seat. Regular drive. No off road contest, no accidents etc. Upon reaching work I realized I lost the Microdrive.

I am hoping this was an isolated bad HDD incident. One for one exhange at the shop where I bought the beast and now I'm back to square one. Still I think I will install my apps to the Storage Card and leave the Microdrive for music & videos etc. Things I don't mind copying again. Any one else experienced similar failure which was the original subject of this thread (before fur started flying in the air!)?

I have taken my DOPOD U1000 on road lots of time now, also on un-smooth road. Not a problem at all and Micro is still alive. btw, i have install all my app on storage card, i only use my micro drive for video and music.

[ahmadfarid]

I have taken my DOPOD U1000 on road lots of time now, also on un-smooth road. Not a problem at all and Micro is still alive. btw, i have install all my app on storage card, i only use my micro drive for video and music.


Speaking of storage card..are you using MiniSD or SDHC ?

[wu5262]

Speaking of storage card..are you using MiniSD or SDHC ?

at first i was transcend SDHC , but the card stop working after a few days, put it in my computer and don't boot at all, can't format as well. So send it back for replacement. Then i was using SanDisk Ultra II mini SD, it works well with no problem. 2 weel ago i received the replacement SDHC, copy everything from miniSD to SDHC and has been using it since then with no problem.

I did a benchmark on these 2 cards, and the SDHC gives me a higer score (not surprise), so personally i will suggest you guys get the SDHC, it's faster and drain less battery compare to miniSD. But make sure you buy it from reliable source, on ebay, there are lots of fake one.

p.s. I bought mine from MobyMemory

[D_G]

wu and others,

an off question if you dont mind. how much does the dopd cost where you got it from?

how much do all the versions of the advantage cost?

thanks.

[wu5262]

wu and others,

an off question if you dont mind. how much does the dopd cost where you got it from?

how much do all the versions of the advantage cost?

thanks.

i got mine for £600 , look here for more detail if you want http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=296525

i think no one can be sure of Advantage cost now, because it's not out yet, but will be availlable soon.

[sadara]

Hi all, this is the first post i have made in this forum

I also, I agree with some of the other points about the shortcommings of the U1000:
1: Resolution is to low for the screen size. Should be more like 800x600.
2: The case color is terrible, what is wrong with black, grey or metalic?
3: I can see the screen been damaged quite easily, should have a riged clear cover as standard
4: the keyboard should be bluetooth, and self powered
5: The package should include a base station for chargeing and sync
6: GPS mapping software should be included as standard, even if the maps arn't
7: The package should at least contain a cheap bluetooth headset, the wired headset is a POS
8: I can't understand why they didn't hold of the release until WM6 was available, I bought mine on the assumtion (possibly incorrect) that I would be able to upgrade it at a later date.
9: The battery life really does suck, I can't use it for a whole workday without having to charge it, I don't get they didn't put a bigger battery in it. I mean, come on, it's a big phone, adding 1mm mores not going to make a difference, my old O2 XDAIIs could go a week without recharging.

10: Why the F*#K would you put a hard drive in a mobile device unless you are absolutly F*#KI#G sure it's not going to fail on someone in the first week of use!

Not Happy Jan...
really not happy.

I aquired a dopod u1000 3 days ago, and now the microdrive has stopped working for no apparent reason. :mad:
The microdrive can no longer be detected by the device, even after a hard reset.

They way I see it through my admitidly jilted view is that at least the last two faults could have been fixed by using flash memory, and lets face it, 8gig of flash memory couldn't be that much more than a 8gig microdrive, considering you can buy 8gig USB flash drive for less than USD$80 retail.

I might be the first to try that mod of putting a 16Gig CF card in a Athena if I'm not successful with a warenty claim.

Anyone reading this who has a athena with a failed HDD, please let me know, because if this isn't just a isolated incedent, I would like to know, and I;m sure others would too.

ROM version 1.24.707.3
ROM date 02/01/07
radio version 1.32.00.10
prot version 32.65.7020.09H
ExtROM version 1.24.707.104

NOTE TO MOD: Please excuse the language, but I'm pretty sure you would do the same if the HDD in your brand new uninsured USD$1100 Athena failed.

[wu5262]

Hi all, this is the first post i have made in this forum

I also, I agree with some of the other points about the shortcommings of the U1000:
1: Resolution is to low for the screen size. Should be more like 800x600.
2: The case color is terrible, what is wrong with black, grey or metalic?
3: I can see the screen been damaged quite easily, should have a riged clear cover as standard
4: the keyboard should be bluetooth, and self powered
5: The package should include a base station for chargeing and sync
6: GPS mapping software should be included as standard, even if the maps arn't
7: The package should at least contain a cheap bluetooth headset, the wired headset is a POS
8: I can't understand why they didn't hold of the release until WM6 was available, I bought mine on the assumtion (possibly incorrect) that I would be able to upgrade it at a later date.
9: The battery life really does suck, I can't use it for a whole workday without having to charge it, I don't get they didn't put a bigger battery in it. I mean, come on, it's a big phone, adding 1mm mores not going to make a difference, my old O2 XDAIIs could go a week without recharging.

10: Why the F*#K would you put a hard drive in a mobile device unless you are absolutly F*#KI#G sure it's not going to fail on someone in the first week of use!

Not Happy Jan...
really not happy.

I aquired a dopod u1000 3 days ago, and now the microdrive has stopped working for no apparent reason. :mad:
The microdrive can no longer be detected by the device, even after a hard reset.

They way I see it through my admitidly jilted view is that at least the last two faults could have been fixed by using flash memory, and lets face it, 8gig of flash memory couldn't be that much more than a 8gig microdrive, considering you can buy 8gig USB flash drive for less than USD$80 retail.

I might be the first to try that mod of putting a 16Gig CF card in a Athena if I'm not successful with a warenty claim.

Anyone reading this who has a athena with a failed HDD, please let me know, because if this isn't just a isolated incedent, I would like to know, and I;m sure others would too.

ROM version 1.24.707.3
ROM date 02/01/07
radio version 1.32.00.10
prot version 32.65.7020.09H
ExtROM version 1.24.707.104

NOTE TO MOD: Please excuse the language, but I'm pretty sure you would do the same if the HDD in your brand new uninsured USD$1100 Athena failed.

ok, firstly, i am sorry to hear that your MD is gone. But i must say i disagree with you on the suggestion you made. Of course for us we always wanted more in our device, but since i have a deep relation ship with HTC, i must say the choose they made is always there for a reason.

Some pople might not wanted to wait until the WM6 to comes out, not all people dislike the colour. Yes some of the suggestion you made is a good, and i am sure if you want to pay more money you can get them. Of course you can pay more to get the GPS software, BT headset. So you pay $1100 to get the Athena, do you want to pay more? Personally i think the Athena price is very reasonable. If you think it's missing some function then DON'T BUY IT! Maybe nothing is good enough for you, always wanted more......

Anyway, i think your case is individual incident only, and i am 90% sure they will do a replacement for you.

[k_kirk]

Anyone reading this who has a athena with a failed HDD, please let me know, because if this isn't just a isolated incedent, I would like to know, and I;m sure others would too.


Sorry to hear about your problem. I had the same issue and now Unit #1000 is still ok on its day 2. Living with the fear is not fun though. Good luck with your replacement. Hope they do a one to one replacement for you.

[Corenne]

I aquired a dopod u1000 3 days ago, and now the microdrive has stopped working for no apparent reason. :mad:
The microdrive can no longer be detected by the device, even after a hard reset.

(...)

Anyone reading this who has a athena with a failed HDD, please let me know, because if this isn't just a isolated incedent, I would like to know, and I;m sure others would too.

Unfortunately, I had the same problem. I was really happy when I received my HTC X7500. It is a cool gadget and I love all the features. I never dropped or bumped my smartphone: anything that costs about EUR 1000,- deserves to be treated like a baby! And so I did. But while installing TomTom 6 (legal copy) on my microdrive, it suddenly gave an error after which my microdrive was inaccessible. The drive simply could not be detected by my smartphone anymore. I contacted HTC, but I still have no response, although it is 3 weeks later already. :(

I really hope to hear from HTC soon and hope they will acknowledge and solve the problem for all the users, because the X7500 is just too expensive to be tossed into the waste bin.

[Olipro]

Yeah... they've replaced the drives in them now, the spinning ones were nothing short of a fucking disaster :P

[Confucious]

Yeah... they've replaced the drives in them now, the spinning ones were nothing short of a fucking disaster :P

How can you tell which type you have?
Mine is a UK T-Mob Ameo - spinning or not?

Cheers

[ltxda]

Yeah... they've replaced the drives in them now, the spinning ones were nothing short of a fucking disaster :P

Yes, how do you find out which drive you have?

[victoradjei]

Yes, how do you find out which drive you have?

Someone said to put it to your ear while playing some music on that drive. You may hear the spin. You may have to turn the volume to zero...lest somebody ask :confused: :confused: :confused: :cool:

[BigDede]

Anyway, i think your case is individual incident only, and i am 90% sure they will do a replacement for you.


Well finally hes not the only one to have this problem ...

[Olipro]

Yes, how do you find out which drive you have?

listen and see if it's constantly running

[mackaby007]

listen and see if it's constantly running

All I hear is the hissing of silenced speakers :)

Suppose I'm in the clear then!?!? Hope so anyway :( as I got one of the first UK Ameo's.

[mackaby007]

Well I'm sorry to say, that I now have had first hand experience of the MD being seriously up the creek.

Fortunately it's NOT my unit, but unfortunate for my cousin, who is now on Unit number 2.

I remember posting some trouble he had, having to chase a thief in the act of stealing his Ameo...anyway the Ameo was drooped and badly scuffed & dented and scratched....yet the device still worked....can't remember wether he had any issues with it.....can't recall any. Anyway, he got a replacement and has managed to drop it on several occasions, as can be on all corners of the device...which probably broke the brunt of the fall each time.

It now seems the MD is damaged as I cannot format it for the life me.:) Seriously though, I've tried low-level formating, Flash Format and several data recovery tools that Run from the PC and others that run directly from the PPC.

I simply cannot delete or format the darn thing...getting all sorts of messages like:

1) The Micr Drive cannot be formatted... there has been a sharing violation.

2)..please make sure no their program is using the app...blah blah.:)

3) The MicroDrive may be in use

Last but not least,the following exe seems to be always present in the running process list:FormatMicroDrive.exe.

I've done all the usual hours sifting through search results on xda and on the web. It's now obvious that there is a percentage of people who are experiencing this issue and I am yet to see a working solution or a success story from anyone who had the same experience.

I'm rather careful with my Athena, so have never dropped it etc (I know accidents can happen to anyone :)), but some have suffered this fate whilst be just as careful as I try to be or more so.....seems to me like a hardware failure with the outward appearance the it's a software issue.

I flashed WM6 to my cousins Athena, hoping the ROM may have something to do with it, but no, nadda change...same problemo.

I thought I'd take on his plight, 1) because he hasn't a clue what to do 2)I'm always expecting other peoples bad experiences with the same PPC to work itself around to my turn. I just like to be prepared and armed with a solution should this happen, and somebody needs to put it on the wi-ki, if this is a know problem is some devices...but truth be told, I've read many scenarios where they sounded very similar, but there was always something radically different about them too.

Hope someone out there has already found a solution to this...basically I cannot format/wipe/clean the MD..I'm simply that there has been a violation....ensure your card is not locked.

Q] Can our MD's be locked, unknowingly or otherwise,preventing Mobile Windows writing to it?

Gotsta go peeps...it's 5:13 over here now...better get me some shut-eye,;)

[skoop99]

I'm on device #3 by now. Got one of the first Ameo's in the UK, the only one my T-Mobile shop had. Arrived that morning. That evening, MD disappeared. No quibbles replacement from T-Mobile. One week or so later, same again. No apparent reason, just suddenly not there anymore. Gor it replaced again, but had to do some fast talking to not be charged anything this time... Device 3 seems ok, although it "blips" occasionally - just losing the drive for a minute, after a soft reset it's OK again. Does anyone know if T-Mobile are now sending devices with flash memory instead of spinning thingies?

[irus]

I don't think so cause evey pic i have seen of the in side has a MD in it