Things that Need Improved for HTC Advantage

[fpbiii]

I would like to start a thread about the things that are annoying, don't work right, or were not designed optimally.

I realize that this device is incredible and that no device will be perfect for all.
I don't have mine yet, but for those who do, please share your thoughts....

Thanks.

[hybride]

Well, normal phone usage is not possible right now. Its handsfree or nothing.

It would have been nice if they made something, like a modified stylus or what, with a mini cord (usb?), wich you can hold on your ear so that it would be possible to use it like a normal phone.

At least they could have made a extra earphone loudspeaker on the other side of the mic.

But as you suggest its a little minus on a nearly perfect device

[Pantaloonie]

I've ordered one of these for use with my Ameo -

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/NEW-LG-BLUETOOTH-STYLE-i-HBM-700-PEN-HEADSET_W0QQitemZ280095150754QQcategoryZ133234QQss PageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

It's a bluetooth handset, rather than a headset.
I'll let you know how well it works when it arrives.

[hybride]

:mad: :mad: It's not available in europe...

[victoradjei]

:mad: :mad: It's not available in europe...

It is. If you have a Ebay account, your shipping bill is automatically calculated to your address. That is why the shipping button is unclickable :cool:

[cornelius]

We, in indonesia face so many problem to buy accessories for athena... no store...long time waiting....

lucky you all...

[schoofter]

Graphic. I really can't understand why is much cheaper PSP able to play any video in better quality than Ameo which is much more expensive (10 times more expensive Ameo)? I know it is just device for bussines but at least they could put some better graphic chip for Ameo or do something to play normal video.

[Slave1]

Graphic. I really can't understand why is much cheaper PSP able to play any video in better quality than Ameo which is much more expensive (10 times more expensive Ameo)? I know it is just device for bussines but at least they could put some better graphic chip for Ameo or do something to play normal video.


My video quality is as good as a PSP (if not better)

[schoofter]

My video quality is as good as a PSP (if not better)

I am very glad to hear that

[Slave1]

:confused:

[Ken_xda]

I just bought my Dopod U1000 not even 5 hours ago. My first impression seemed to be deteriorated at least by these following drawbacks
1. It can't really be used like any other normal phones: HTC should have known that ppl with need for this kind of gadget expect "all in one" functionality of the device so that they wouldn't have to carry many pieces of jigsaws to make just a simple call. I can't imagine how I could make calls during the day after my headset's battery dies.
2. Since the screen is huge, they should have included some software that allows icon size downward adjustment.
3. No vibration: I guess I gotta keep peeping at the device every time during my meeting
4. WM5: My addict to Crossbow has caused me some pain, even temporarily

[wu5262]

I just bought my Dopod U1000 not even 5 hours ago. My first impression seemed to be deteriorated at least by these following drawbacks
1. It can't really be used like any other normal phones: HTC should have known that ppl with need for this kind of gadget expect "all in one" functionality of the device so that they wouldn't have to carry many pieces of jigsaws to make just a simple call. I can't imagine how I could make calls during the day after my headset's battery dies.
2. Since the screen is huge, they should have included some software that allows icon size downward adjustment.
3. No vibration: I guess I gotta keep peeping at the device every time during my meeting
4. WM5: My addict to Crossbow has caused me some pain, even temporarily

i guess you should know what you are buying before you actually do. the icon size can be small if you use the VGA hack, WM6 will be out eventually, for the phone, well, can't say much about it, i knew it before i bought mine, so i don't really mind.

[mackaby007]

Graphic. I really can't understand why is much cheaper PSP able to play any video in better quality than Ameo which is much more expensive (10 times more expensive Ameo)? I know it is just device for bussines but at least they could put some better graphic chip for Ameo or do something to play normal video.

Do you have an Ameo yet schoofter? If so, try a DVD-Rip....the quality on the Ameo is short of High definition on my screen...but certainly DVD quality at worst.

I was just commenting earlier today how great this device really is. It's an all rounder, but I agree that it would have been closer to my dream device if they had substituted the ATI chip for the Nvidia 5500 GPU.:(

[faisal.husain]

i guess you should know what you are buying before you actually do. the icon size can be small if you use the VGA hack, WM6 will be out eventually, for the phone, well, can't say much about it, i knew it before i bought mine, so i don't really mind.

@Wu, what VGA hack?

[wu5262]

@Wu, what VGA hack?

it basically is a hack to make your device looks like real VGA, so you can display a lot more item on the screen. Try searching OzVGA, it's quite good

[faisal.husain]

it basically is a hack to make your device looks like real VGA, so you can display a lot more item on the screen. Try searching OzVGA, it's quite good

Ok, cool been reading a thread (http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=299460) about a guy who cant get ozVga working correctly, can you get it working correctly?

[wu5262]

Ok, cool been reading a thread (http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=299460) about a guy who cant get ozVga working correctly, can you get it working correctly?

sorry i don't use real VGA

[funkyfrog]

I've ordered one of these for use with my Ameo -

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/NEW-LG-BLUETOOTH-STYLE-i-HBM-700-PEN-HEADSET_W0QQitemZ280095150754QQcategoryZ133234QQss PageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

It's a bluetooth handset, rather than a headset.
I'll let you know how well it works when it arrives.

Let us know how you get on. I for one am holding off on buying an Advantage until I find a solution like this that works well. Some of the reviews I've seen seem to indicate the device has a problem staying paired.

Looking forward to your update

[Pantaloonie]

Well. my LG Style-i arrived to day, and I'm well pleased with it.
It is simple to pair, and simple to use. It's smaller than I expected, and pretty cool looking - it has the 'what the hell is that' factor, closely followed by 'and what the hell is that' when I pull out the Ameo.
Voice command works perfectly through it, the sound quality is excellent, and on full volume it's very loud, easily loud enough to use in a noisy pub.
I've (hopefully) attached a couple of pics so you can see the size against the Ameo.
It cost a total of £44 including shipping from the US, but hey, I would only have spent it on beer.....

[Pantaloonie]

Some of the reviews I've seen seem to indicate the device has a problem staying paired.


Not seen that mentioned anywhere, and I've not experienced that in the 9 days or so I've been using the Ameo - unless you are referring to the handset, and that has stayed paired all day without problems.

[wu5262]

Well. my LG Style-i arrived to day, and I'm well pleased with it.
It is simple to pair, and simple to use. It's smaller than I expected, and pretty cool looking - it has the 'what the hell is that' factor, closely followed by 'and what the hell is that' when I pull out the Ameo.
Voice command works perfectly through it, the sound quality is excellent, and on full volume it's very loud, easily loud enough to use in a noisy pub.
I've (hopefully) attached a couple of pics so you can see the size against the Ameo.
It cost a total of £44 including shipping from the US, but hey, I would only have spent it on beer.....

can it display caller ID or just number only. how long does it last on normal usage?

i am so looking for one which display caller ID.

[Pantaloonie]

It displays the number currently. My Jabra BT800 displayed the numbers from my Universal until I applied some registry hacks to send the contact name instead.
I'll have to dig them out again and see if i can do the same on the Ameo and the Style-i.
As for battery life, the manual says 200 hours standby, 8 hours talk time. Time will tell...

[wu5262]

It displays the number currently. My Jabra BT800 displayed the numbers from my Universal until I applied some registry hacks to send the contact name instead.
I'll have to dig them out again and see if i can do the same on the Ameo and the Style-i.
As for battery life, the manual says 200 hours standby, 8 hours talk time. Time will tell...

please let me know if you have found the solution for displaying caller ID.
thanks

[xandergk2007]

Hi Pentalonie, when you pair the LG Bluetooth with your athena and another 2 bluetooth phones, how will you tell an incoming call comes to which one of the 3 paired phones? Vice versa, when you make a call from the LG bluetooth which phone of the 3 paired phones is used to make the phone call? How do you know a call is coming? Does the LG Bluetooth ring? or vibrate? or does it ring still at the Athena?

Interested to buy this LG Bluetooth. Seems to be a perfect companion for Athena.

[Pantaloonie]

The memory of the Style-i can store 3 pairings, but it can only be paired to one phone at a time.
There is no vibrate, but both the handset and the phone ring when a call comes in.

[axle7517]

Well. my LG Style-i arrived to day, and I'm well pleased with it.
It is simple to pair, and simple to use. It's smaller than I expected, and pretty cool looking - it has the 'what the hell is that' factor, closely followed by 'and what the hell is that' when I pull out the Ameo.
Voice command works perfectly through it, the sound quality is excellent, and on full volume it's very loud, easily loud enough to use in a noisy pub.
I've (hopefully) attached a couple of pics so you can see the size against the Ameo.
It cost a total of £44 including shipping from the US, but hey, I would only have spent it on beer.....

Hello Pantaloonie
i've 2 question about LG Style I with HTC Advantage
> does the keyboard on style I works to dial any number or dial the numbers stored in rapid dial of HTC ?
> how is the ring of style I , loud enough to be ear in the street ?
> Does voice dial works good ?
thanks a lot
regards

[Pantaloonie]

Hello Pantaloonie
i've 2 question about LG Style I with HTC Advantage
> does the keyboard on style I works to dial any number or dial the numbers stored in rapid dial of HTC ?
> how is the ring of style I , loud enough to be ear in the street ?
> Does voice dial works good ?
thanks a lot
regards

2 questions? That was 3!

1 - The keyboard works for dialing any number.
2 - The ringing volume of the Style-i is not very loud, if you wear it around your neck on the supplied lanyard, or clip it to your shirt pocket, you'll hear it, but stick it in your jeans and you might miss a few calls.
3 - Voice dialling works perfectly.

[victoradjei]

I got the LG Style yesterday evening, but I prefer my Jabra 8010. Any one in the Netherlands who wants it can pm me. Will sell at cost and give you free shipping :cool:

[xandergk2007]

Too bad that the LG i-style can only be paired with one phone at one time. The product descriptions is a bit misleading. I know there are several bluetooth headset which pairs simultaneously to 2 phones. So when I read the LG i-style can handle 3, I think it is very interesting and thought it really handle 3 phones at the same time. Actually 2 is enough, if only it works simultaneously.

[nuclear]

The HTC Advantage X7500 is the perfect all in one solution for me at the moment. Although I would like a UMPC with built in 3G and SIM Support. lol. oh well i am waiting for the HTC Omni and HTC Kaiser for now. Their price range is $1500-$2000 for sure. Some guy is selling HTC Advantage X7500 on ebay for $2000 >_< I wonder which fool would buy that. I called my HTC contact and they said that the only difference in 7500 and 7501 is Crossbow.

[wu5262]

The HTC Advantage X7500 is the perfect all in one solution for me at the moment. Although I would like a UMPC with built in 3G and SIM Support. lol. oh well i am waiting for the HTC Omni and HTC Kaiser for now. Their price range is $1500-$2000 for sure. Some guy is selling HTC Advantage X7500 on ebay for $2000 >_< I wonder which fool would buy that. I called my HTC contact and they said that the only difference in 7500 and 7501 is Crossbow.

yes that is correct, the only main different is the operation system. However some people say the HTC X7501 don't have the front camera. I can confirm that next week when i speak to HTC.

I think Omni is going to be a great device, but i think i won't change it when it comes out. Once you have use a 5 inch screen, it's so hard to go back smaller one.

If you are looking for UMPC with phone function, then you can have a look at HTC shift.

[nuclear]

yes that is correct, the only main different is the operation system. However some people say the HTC X7501 don't have the front camera. I can confirm that next week when i speak to HTC.

I think Omni is going to be a great device, but i think i won't change it when it comes out. Once you have use a 5 inch screen, it's so hard to go back smaller one.

If you are looking for UMPC with phone function, then you can have a look at HTC shift.
Thank you so much. I might buy the HTC Swift. I am looking for mobility and performance. An all in one solution. I dont like the detachable keyboard thing on X7500. I dont mind smaller screens as long as it serves my purpose of watching xvid and mpeg videos and playing games and watching presentations and using word and excel.

[cornelius]

MMM... I think HTC Shift has bigger screen, 7" screen, and that's a bit big device. Buy it if you want a notebook with phone.

[nuclear]

MMM... I think HTC Shift has bigger screen, 7" screen, and that's a bit big device. Buy it if you want a notebook with phone.
Yup thats what i want. The smallest notebook with a phone alike function. And you know what, i know that all of you wanted that too. You all want a bigger screen with max spec's that fits in your hands or well BT Handsfree. With a lot of battery and highly functional. And you know what Windows vista is just the thing. Windows mobile is no match for vista. Look at how many more things you can do with this. And since you have a 5" why not go for a 7". Well not only that you can make your existing laptop a phone too. You just have to get a PCMCIA attachment or other attachments actually exist. But if you want to put the phone to your ear i suggest that anything bigger than 3" is just too weird.

[cornelius]

But I still imagine how to do call with this device, Do it need to shutted down, so if we want to make call start it up? How long it will need to start up? How aabout classic window's blue screen? Will it appear there?

[wu5262]

But I still imagine how to do call with this device, Do it need to shutted down, so if we want to make call start it up? How long it will need to start up? How aabout classic window's blue screen? Will it appear there?

that is a good point, that's why i think Athena is better, although making phone call is a bit difficult in Athena, but is still possible so we can still call it PPC Phone, but for Shift, is more like a UMPC with phone function built in.

[axle7517]

2 questions? That was 3!

1 - The keyboard works for dialing any number.
2 - The ringing volume of the Style-i is not very loud, if you wear it around your neck on the supplied lanyard, or clip it to your shirt pocket, you'll hear it, but stick it in your jeans and you might miss a few calls.
3 - Voice dialling works perfectly.

Hello Pantaloonie
thanks a lot for your answer, and excuse my bad english
i've just 4 more question
> how is the charger connector : is it a mini usb ?
> ok the keyboard is able to dial phone numbers , but for exemple if you press 1 for more than 2 secondes , does it call voice mail ?
> How is the sound in the ear ? : is it loud enough to make calls in the a noisy street
> how is the sensitivitie of the Bluetooth : is the sound ok without cracks if there is something betwen the style I and the X7500 (like your body) or when you walk more than 3m from your X7500 (i have a samsung WEP 410 with my artemis and i must have it in my right ear if my artemis is on my right or i get some "cracks in the sound and to compare i have the motorola S705 and wiyh it i can go to another room with closed door and still get perfect soud)
thanks
regar

[D_G]

hi fellas,
im not a big user of this forum but wanted to inquire of one thing..

why most advantage users dont go for the normal headset instead of a BT? too clumsy to carry a wired device? if you have your bluetooth on constantly..on your phone, for how long the battery will last?

personally, im not much into bluetooth as im still not sure of its side effects :)

but would a normal headset do or too difficult to use? also, from what i read, there is no vibrate function in the phone, so how can you find out if you have a phone call in places where your phone must not ring?! taking into considearion that you will not be looking at your phone every 2 seconds to check if you missed on a call.. perhaps a one beep ring?

thanks and regards.

D_G

[wu5262]

hi fellas,
im not a big user of this forum but wanted to inquire of one thing..

why most advantage users dont go for the normal headset instead of a BT? too clumsy to carry a wired device? if you have your bluetooth on constantly..on your phone, for how long the battery will last?

personally, im not much into bluetooth as im still not sure of its side effects :)

but would a normal headset do or too difficult to use? also, from what i read, there is no vibrate function in the phone, so how can you find out if you have a phone call in places where your phone must not ring?! taking into considearion that you will not be looking at your phone every 2 seconds to check if you missed on a call.. perhaps a one beep ring?

thanks and regards.

D_G

well, if we use wired headset then it isn't "Advance" enough for us :)
It's really easy to use bluetooth, my bluetooth is alwasy on 24 hours, battery drain is not noticeable.

My bluetooth headset has an external LCD on, so when i miss a call or when calls comes in, i will know it. Even i turn my Athena into mute, i can still make my bluetooth make a beep sound when calls comes in.

[D_G]

thanks wu.
but how about if you want to make a call when you are driving? im assuming its not that easy without a proper keypad!

im still trying to compare it to the E90..so i will need to be careful when i make my desicion..

as for bluetooth..how fast does the phone drain if the bluetooth is on, if you dont make any call and if you make short calls?

[mackaby007]

Personally speaking, my BT Samsung ear-piece is on from the moment I wake till I go to sleep.....then everything gets charged...even though it is not necessarily needed.

My cousin uses a Plantronics BT earpiece which comes with a nifty small pen-like holder with vibrate mode.....eliminating the need for the Athena needing a vibrate option!

Hope this helps.
P.S. the Athenas battery lasts all day....even under pretty heavy use.

[wu5262]

thanks wu.
but how about if you want to make a call when you are driving? im assuming its not that easy without a proper keypad!

im still trying to compare it to the E90..so i will need to be careful when i make my desicion..

as for bluetooth..how fast does the phone drain if the bluetooth is on, if you dont make any call and if you make short calls?

you can make call from voice command, just one click on the bluetooth headset, then you are done

[D_G]

"P.S. the Athenas battery lasts all day....even under pretty heavy use."

would that include having the advantage bluetooth on the entire day?

[mackaby007]

"P.S. the Athenas battery lasts all day....even under pretty heavy use."

would that include having the advantage bluetooth on the entire day?

Most definately!! :)

[funkyfrog]

And you know what, i know that all of you wanted that too.

Slightly presumptuous don't you think?

A phone that takes 2 minutes to boot?
4 hours battery life?
Weighing more than half a kilo?

I don't think so

[jlingo]

Slightly presumptuous don't you think?

A phone that takes 2 minutes to boot?
4 hours battery life?
Weighing more than half a kilo?

I don't think so

4hrs batterylife? half a kilo??!?

[mackaby007]

Slightly presumptuous don't you think?

A phone that takes 2 minutes to boot?
4 hours battery life?
Weighing more than half a kilo?

I don't think so

Me neither mate!!

That's what put me off the Sony UX UMPC. It's all well and good having a PC O/S and CPU power, but just for a brief period of time? Apparently playing a 3D game on it will fully drain the battery within 60-90 minutes!!

Different devices for different uses. Different class of device if you ask me. Just my 2cents worth. :)

[eaglesteve]

Me neither mate!!

That's what put me off the Sony UX UMPC. It's all well and good having a PC O/S and CPU power, but just for a brief period of time? Apparently playing a 3D game on it will fully drain the battery within 60-90 minutes!!

Different devices for different uses. Different class of device if you ask me. Just my 2cents worth. :)

Same for me here. I'd never have window vista even if it has the size, weight, and battery of Dopod U1000. This may sound wierd to you, but I actually think that Dopod has more functionality even as a non-vista machine. It has GPS, and UMPC don't. UMPC is not as instant on as PDA. In terms of software application, the TYPE of software that I need for personal use and on the road it is actually much richer on PDA than on PC.

Bear in mind that for word processing and spreadsheet use, PDAs do have the option of running software with full desktop functionalities with software such as SoftMaker Office for Pocket PCs. Granted that there are applications that would never run on PDA in native mode, but I don't need any of those applications anyway though I won't speak for everyone.

When I DO want desktop functionality, I actually want it on at least a 17" screen (20" is better). Certainly not on a 7". AND and want full keyboard and real mouse. On the road, however, Dopod U1000 is the most perfect product at this stage, in my mind.:) :)

For me, making calls on Dopod U1000 is no different to say Nokia phone, if you use a blue tooth headset. Such headsets let you store frequently called numbers, accept/reject calls, listen to music. So instead of holding the nokia phone, you hold a even smaller headset; or holding nothing at all if you choose to use the voice command.:)

[Packet 3]

But I still imagine how to do call with this device, Do it need to shutted down, so if we want to make call start it up? How long it will need to start up? How aabout classic window's blue screen? Will it appear there?

Maybe like HP Pavilion laptops, it would have a "QuickPlay" equivalent of a phone app, which can be used without booting into the OS.

Or Vista could be running all day with a Phone app, but the hard drive can be shut down and only be restarted when a phone call or sms comes in, or the user taps the screen. :)

[apd]

P.S. the Athenas battery lasts all day....even under pretty heavy use.

Does this apply when using the phone and 3G browsing a reasonable amount? Do you set the screen to go off or does it remain on all day?

[mackaby007]

Does this apply when using the phone and 3G browsing a reasonable amount? Do you set the screen to go off or does it remain on all day?

Does this apply when using the phone and 3G browsing a reasonable amount? Yes.

Do you set the screen to go off or does it remain on all day? I set the screen to go off after 2 minutes of inactivity on battery power and 3 minutes on AC power, but usually put it into standby manually (screen off) after I have finished whatever I am doing.

P.S. What's your definition of 'reasonable' usage?
I use the phone between 1-2 hours per day...sometimes less sometimes considerably more like 3-4 hours. This doesn't seem to drain my battery excessively but I do notice the hit, after a lengthy conversation or say 45 minutes of continuous browsing with some downloads.

This, for me, is normal usage and the battery will last all day including playing 1 1/2 hours of puzzle gaming and an watching the equivalent of a 2 hour movie.

I find GPS to be the biggest noticeable drain or extensive browsing using wi-fi for an hour whilst making and receiving calls and sending and receiving txt messages and responding/composing e-mails! phew...that was a mouth full.

Music playback doesn't seem to have a big hit on power consumption nor does taking photos or viewing them.

Honestly though, when I'm home and use the Ameo moderately to heavy, I find myself charging the device anytime it drops below 60% (that's 1-2 times a day for about 15 mins each time, so not really getting much of a charge).

Finally....heavy use including all of the above when out and about without charging availability, I'll wear the battery down to 10% by around 6 P.M. after using it from around 8:30 A.M.

Sorry about the long post peeps, but these types of questions seem to keep poppin' up, so I thought I'd be thorough and realistic in my answer this time.

[Kurvenal]

Prices for the LG Style-i on eBay seem to have gone up because postage from the US alone is $45.95. Anybody found a way to get these in the UK at a reasonable price?

[RichardKAthena]

Buy more than one?

They don't COST $45 to ship, They merely charge that to cover their packing materials, time, and (I think) the potential loss if the items sell for their start bids. Buy more than one and the shipping is MUCH cheaper.

They're excellent addons, too - very well suited to the Athena.

[fards]

My thoughts.

Screen Brightness isn't quite bright enough in full sunlight.
10hours battery out of internal GPS and memorymap on full brightness 30 sec dim.

Usually get approx 16hrs battery 4hrs use on 3.5g, about 25 mins of calls and 3 hours of media player. 3.5G is ace!
Wifi eats battery much faster than on Uni, but is so much faster..

Landscape doesn't render text too well in opera (ho hum)..
You can use it up to your ear as a normal phone, but works better with big hands. At full volume on speakerphones microphone seems to distort voice.

Would be nice to be able to use the button on the corded headphones for voice dialling. Would be even better to be able to use on earbuds on corded microphone.

[budo*85]

Hi all,

I'm looking ot replace my XDA Exec (jasjar) how does this compare to it? in terms of size and function? I would say style but ameo just looks shi7 hot! (excuse my language)

The only big flaw I can see with it, is it's phone function...are there any others I should be aware off (bare in mind I've never seen it in real life)

Also can it pair with two BT headsets? in my case it would be the LG Style-i and Jabra jx10

regards,

[eaglesteve]

:) For me, the number one area that needs improvement is the keyboard. There are a few aspects to this: a) the tactile feel b) more importantly the layout. After using it for a few weeks I'm still strugling with this terrible layout. I like it to be something like this:
http://i197.photobucket.com/albums/aa37/eaglesteve/newkeyboard.jpg

Second, I would like to see CFII card replacing the microdrive.

Third, I like to have the ability to use the phone without my neighbour hearing the conversation as currently the case (when headset is not used).

Fourth, I like to see infra connection. I would like to use it to open my garage door, control TV, etc.

Fifth, a standard SDIO for things such as TV tuner.

Sixth, ability to assign applications to the ok and explorer buttons.

Quite a wish list, but if HTC designers are reading this, I hope they give these some serious thought. Give us a reason to upgrade again

[Nara-e-Mastana]

Athena is perfect....Screen is amaizing, keyboard, hardware, fucntionalitites....all are excellent....Only 1 thing disturbs me.....its detachable keyboard....Athena should be in one piece.....like universal or HTC shift....I don't know who gave them the idea of keeping detachable keyboard....Handling it with a saperate keyboard, is headache....
everything else.....loving it :)

[tomchap]

Id disagree there, altho it would be nice to have a hermes style sliding down keyboard, if it was anything like the one that came with the Ameo, soft key presses and strange layout then im happy as it is. I just use the keyboard on bigger in the options for it and it suits me fine, im getting used to it.

Agree with everything else tho! Great screen, speed, device etc.. :)