Fed up and im getting rid of my ameo

[ice_coffee]

After 14 months of of ownership im finally getting rid of my ameo, there have been highs and lows, in some respects it is an excellent device, but the facts are these.

1) it is awkward to use as a phone
2) it is not competent enough to be used as a media device and struggles to play windows media video without the correct drivers for the ATI GPU, (and it seems that HTC dont care enough to try to fix that)

really and truly all the web browsers suck compared to a desktop PC, (but they have come along way in 14 months I have to admit)

the bottom line is this, it tries hard to be a computer but fails, it tries hard to be a phone but fails (so close on both counts and yet so far)

I have now gone and purchased myself a used oqo 01+ at the very knock down price of £288 it is roughly the same size as the ameo but (being a windows XP machine) infinitely more competent, I will be linking it when necessary to my phone (which will hopefully be a vario 4 *hsdpa 7.2Mbps*) when my contract ends in 4 months. At last, I will have an easy to use pocketable phone that I can hold to my ear and a fully fledged 30GB media device when I need it.

I finally see why Leoni did what he did !

PS

Another thing that used to wind me up was the fact that even though the ameo has HSDPA 1.2 mbps it was so slow loading web pages, infact being on wifi made no difference either, but when connected as a modem to my laptop, my laptop connection was really quick, it just made me think if my ameo is capable of passing this speed through to my laptop why can't it use it for itself, and then I realised it must just be yet another limitation with Win mobile.

PPS anybody want to buy an ameo, mint condition as it was replaced under warranty a month ago (including documantation to prove this) however the keyboard is tatty as it was not replaced !

£270 can meet up in london ! boxed with all the usual accessories + a docking cradle charger station + a second battery (now in poor condition)

[leoni1980]

I think you're the first person since Spacecat to agree with me. I sometimes miss the Ameo and consider buying another but in the end it would just be a toy.

I obtained a TyTn 2 recently (having initially HATED the Vario 3) and with the latest Dutty ROM it really is rather good. The QVGA screen matters little as Opera Mobile does such a stoic job, and browsing is my only cause for a VGA screen.....it would be nice though.

People bring up the size and weight of the TyTn 2 in conversation, which is a nice means of putting me off EVER getting an Ameo again....jeez.

You're right about video quality - the Ameo just doesn't cut it. The TyTn 2 isn't much better - though Coreplayer offers Qtv support for the Qualcomm chipset - but the Ameo only heightens the jerkiness and tearing with its 5" screen. I don't really watch much card-based video anyway, it's usually just Youtube.

Correct me if I'm wrong but the Vario 4 - is that the Touch Pro?

Looks pretty hot, though I imagine some people just won't be happy unless their phone has a 5" screen. Me? I'm going for the Diamond: I've gotten used to the brilliant Diamond touchpad and enjoy using it. Although its memory is not expandable I've decided that 4gb is enough for me; If need be I've got an EEE to watch films on the train in a swankier fashion and conserve precious battery life.


Good luck with your sale sir

[ice_coffee]

TBH I do a lot of streaming from home using ORB, and the ameo just strugles with a service that other phones do so easily ! I prefer the form-factor of the OQO over the eee, but I see why you went in that direction, I am not to fussed on the spec of my new phone, as it is solely going to be a phone/satnav and 7.2 mbps HSDPA modem, the fact is only the Vario 4 and compact 4 (touch diamond I believe) really fit the bill, but I want number buttons instead of a touch screen numeric pad, and a qwerty to text with, hence the vario choice.

[leoni1980]

TBH I do a lot of streaming from home using ORB, and the ameo just strugles with a service that other phones do so easily ! I prefer the form-factor of the OQO over the eee, but I see why you went in that direction, I am not to fussed on the spec of my new phone, as it is solely going to be a phone/satnav and 7.2 mbps HSDPA modem, the fact is only the Vario 4 and compact 4 (touch diamond I believe) really fit the bill, but I want number buttons instead of a touch screen numeric pad, and a qwerty to text with, hence the vario choice.

It might seem dreadful to say this...

GULP

but the Iphone 3g might fit the bill for you....that is, if you can live without Winmo.

There's coreplayer (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lx-Vp3IVjbg) so you'll be able to play virtually any video file - no doubt in much better quality than any graphics-driverless HTC device!

A DEDICATED orb client (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EW7Q51Ma22o) which is absolutely brilliant: no more web-based Orbing, and it happily plays your streams in the background while you check mail, browse etc....

3g and HSDPA which you can share via WIFI adhoc.

GPS (Tomtom is already set for release)

Dedicated bbc iplayer (http://youtube.com/watch?v=-zDCzXuNmr8) support

And let's not forget it has the best browser and email client available....

And a whole host of companies queuing up to make software for it.

I'm certainly interested in it with so much cool stuff coming out, shame there's no keyboard but the onscreen QWERTY is very good.....

Apologies in advance if my suggestion is offensive to you!

[manmute98]

hi there,
Its a shame u feel u need to discard ur Ameo, am a junior hear, regular user of the website but with limited knowledge when it comes cookin rom(s) or dumping application to creat d best application, however i've had my amoe since last october, and only till a couple of months ago when the AP4 rom was released with window 6.1 then that my is d ultimate device:
1) Better Tcpmp player with SUPERB QUALITY VEDIO PLAY BACK,
2) HSDPA is brilliant
3) Support fring application for SUPERB VOIP app.
4) Opera for web browsing
5) Touch flo included but my tots: just a gimik.
6) Mobile Office i used for work
7) Screen with realvga so using Excel is brilliant
8) Google map that works with d built in Gps as i dont drive :-)
9)

[ice_coffee]

It might seem dreadful to say this...

GULP

but the Iphone 3g might fit the bill for you....that is, if you can live without Winmo.

There's coreplayer (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lx-Vp3IVjbg) so you'll be able to play virtually any video file - no doubt in much better quality than any graphics-driverless HTC device!

A DEDICATED orb client (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EW7Q51Ma22o) which is absolutely brilliant: no more web-based Orbing, and it happily plays your streams in the background while you check mail, browse etc....

3g and HSDPA which you can share via WIFI adhoc.

GPS (Tomtom is already set for release)

Dedicated bbc iplayer (http://youtube.com/watch?v=-zDCzXuNmr8) support

And let's not forget it has the best browser and email client available....

And a whole host of companies queuing up to make software for it.

I'm certainly interested in it with so much cool stuff coming out, shame there's no keyboard but the onscreen QWERTY is very good.....

Apologies in advance if my suggestion is offensive to you!

not offensive at all, but I want my next phone to just be a phone with qwerty texting keyboard, (not on iphone) and hsdpa 7.2 (not on iphone)

[leoni1980]

fair enough! in respect to the 7.2mbps HSDPA, do you think this is a gimmick or will speeds genuinely be upgrading? I still have the same speeds - around 1.2mb - I had when i first got my Hermes/vario 3. Even with the category 6 3.6mbps N95 I never saw any discernible difference.

Just a thought.


I've just bought a Toshiba Portege G900 really cheaply, though I'm hoping i dont suffer the signal problems and glitches other people have. The screen is supposedly really nice (800 by 480) but I'm concerned that I wont be able to install some of my favourite applications because of it. We shall see. I'm starting to think I should settle on one phone for more than 3 months!

[Noger]

I am getting 2-3 Mbps in London (on Voda), which is faster than my home broadband !

It is all about deciding what you want first, and then chosing the device. I love the OQOs, but battery life is just too short, and the Transmeta processors only just about cope. As long as you don't push it too hard, it is a "proper" computer for a couple of hours. Vista on the E2 devices is another matter, grrrrrr so slow. But like the Samsung Q1s and HTC shifts etc, if you MUST have Windows then you have to compromise on battery and speed. If you MUST have all day battery then you compromise on the OS.

Instant on and pretty much all day battery ... ain't many laptops that can do that. And there are none that will fit in your pocket as well. If there were, we would all have one :)

[ice_coffee]

only Voda offer 7.2 at the mo, and it is restricted to some areas of london ! but there will be more soon, so I might aswell be ready for it ! TBH I could manage without the keyboard so maybe I will go for a compact 3, I would really be happiest with one of the new hsdpa 7.2 LG's or samsungs they have a normal numeric pad, (fine by me) but unless I find one running symbian or win mo I will loose my tomtom, which is NOT acceptable.

I also want something with internet connection sharing, so I can get away with the cheaper data plan.

[leoni1980]

only Voda offer 7.2 at the mo, and it is restricted to some areas of london ! but there will be more soon, so I might aswell be ready for it ! TBH I could manage without the keyboard so maybe I will go for a compact 3, I would really be happiest with one of the new hsdpa 7.2 LG's or samsungs they have a normal numeric pad, (fine by me) but unless I find one running symbian or win mo I will loose my tomtom, which is NOT acceptable.

I also want something with internet connection sharing, so I can get away with the cheaper data plan.

Really it sounds like Nokia is the way forward for you. Personally I wouldn't touch Samsungs or Lgs as they are too basic and only have proprietary os's.

If you can cope with 'just' 3.6mbps then how about the N96?

16gb of true usb 2.0 speed storage plus a micro sd cardslot, large screen, wifi connection sharing (via the excellent free walking hotspot solution), flash support from within the browser, better integrated java manager than windows mobile, superb camera, integrated dvb-h player and recorder (though not immediately available in the UK)and its VERY pocketable. worlds away from the Ameo.

Oh and for the record it is now possible to use Tomtom 6 with the integrated GPS with a BINpda app.

It may be that the N96 IS 7.3mbps (category 8) HSDPA capable, the spec isn't too easy to obtain at the moment.

Just another idea for you anyway.

[ice_coffee]

I could maybe live with 3.6 mbps, until my next renewal but it would need to support internet connection sharing, over HSDPA, as far as I know the symbian phones don't ! I want my phone to fool the newtwork into letting me use my laptop/oqo without paying the extra, If I use a nokia I have to set up the dialling properties and account in the browser and it then uses the nokia as a modem ! which is why it needs to be win mo, however I might get a winmo smart phone, im not fussed on a camera my only criteria is
1) HSDPA 3.6/7.2 ICS
2) Easy pocketable phone maybe with a keyboard but defo with a numeric pad
3) Tomtom capable

this limits me to the vario 4 and win mo smart phones !

[leoni1980]

i'm not entirely sure I follow: there is no way to 'fool' the network with regard to your usage settings. With regard to internet connection sharing on a windows mobile device, ics simply uses the activesync drivers and creates a pseudo ethernet connection. If you use Nokia PC suite then essentially it does the same thing but via the modem utility. there is no difference in speed (despite the option in dial-up settings to alter the baud rate) and as far as the network is concerned you will still be using the same access point - they will not be able to tell whether you're using a Nokia, a windows mobile device or a Samsung D600 other than that you're usage will spike (and technically they could track what browser you are using, whether you are using IM, VOIP etc).

The easiest solution for Nokias is Walkinghotspot, through which ANY device can 'share' your internet connection via wifi. Walkinghotspot uses exactly the same connection as the built-in browser and has support for encryption and power saving. It's also free! the same software is also available on windows mobile.

[ice_coffee]

lol, I guarantee you my friend there is a big difference between tethered mode (phone as a modem ) and internet connection sharing (phone as man in the middle) !

1) Tethered Mode.
You put your internet access settings in to your computer, your computer then uses your phone as a modem, the network operator can tell you are doing this because your phone Identifies it self on the network as inuse as a modem

2) Internet Connetion sharing here your actual phone itself goes on the internet, your laptop does not require any of the settings required to go onto the network because all of this is done by the phone, the phone identifies it self as going on the network directly (not as a modem)

The difference being the networks can charge different rates for going on the internet, either direct on your phone or if your phone is used as a modem for a laptop, Provided they can tell.

T-mobile charge £7.50 for unlimted internet on your phone if you want the ability to connect to your laptop it will cost an extra £5 per month, however using ICS T-mob can't tell as all your requests appear to be coming directly from your phone, not your laptop, and so you can get away with the cheaper rate. as I have been doing for the last 14 months !

[ice_coffee]

duplicate duplicate

[ice_coffee]

duplicate duplicate

[leoni1980]

are you sure that's the case? as far as I was aware whatever method you use still connects to the same apn. what I do know is that since april 06 I've been on the standard 7.50 web n walk tarif and have never had a charge for going over my allowance. I have used all manner of different handsets- though mainly nokias - to connect my dell inspiron and eee to the internet. perhaps this will allay your fears. seems like we're both on the same network - good choice!

[ice_coffee]

hmm intresting, how do you connect, are you using bluetooth pan and then getting your laptop to dial *99# or whatever it is to connect over HSDPA

I will try your method and see if I get any data bills !!

[exzist78]

I have a Tilt, it is used; however, I can have it replaced through the warranty. The only drawback would be that I have the 7200 Chipset (most common) and the new ones have the 7201 (causes problems with the cooked roms, etc) I have a ton of accesories (4gb, 2gb, TomTom 7, North America, Motorola s9 headset, etc...Not sure if you think it is a fair trade but I should be able to sell it on ebay for 270 pounds, so we could go that route also...anyway, if interested, let me know!

[leoni1980]

hmm intresting, how do you connect, are you using bluetooth pan and then getting your laptop to dial *99# or whatever it is to connect over HSDPA

I will try your method and see if I get any data bills !!

I've used bluetooth DUN (not pan) with my EEE - which I've performed a bluetooth mod on - along with walkinghotspot (wifi router software) and standard Nokia OTA software/manual modem setup through windows. On the Nokia calls log you can see a rundown of the flow of information that's gone through the phone (SMS, GSM calls and packet data). No matter what connection sharing option I choose the log only displays 'T-Mobile Internet' and the ingoing, outgoing data quantity. There is no reference on the phone to what means of connection has been used, other than that the APN and password/proxy settings for 'T-Mobile internet' have been used. There is no way the network could tell that I'd connected my phone to my laptop other than by picking up download spikes and the use of certain ports for things such as IM and VOIP.

A friend at T-Mobile however told me (off the record) that T-Mobile tend to turn a blind eye to irregular use unless it starts to get ridiculous. The most you can expect (after 3 consecutive months of misuse) is a letter asking you to curb your use, or a threat to bottleneck your connection. They will NEVER charge you for going over your allowance or for misuse, unlike some networks.

On a separate topic I can also offer you an unlocked TyTn 2 with an eleven month warranty with CEX (and maybe some extra cash for your pocket). Depends how near you are to Derby though! I've got this Portege G900 coming so I was going to sell it anyway.

[rcf2]

Leoni, I own a Tytn2 and a Advantage and very much interested on the Portege G900. Let us all know your impressions about the G900 asap.

[ice_coffee]

For the time you are connected via Nokia software, you should check your internet connection settings, I think it sets up a temp connection while the nokia is plugged in and online, if so the number dialed will be there !

Sorry guys but im not looking to swap, I am selling to cover the cost of my OQO, my next phone I will get free from T mog in 4 months ! I will use my old A1000 in the mean time !

[leoni1980]

Leoni, I own a Tytn2 and a Advantage and very much interested on the Portege G900. Let us all know your impressions about the G900 asap.

I got the G900 so cheaply I thought it was worth a gamble. I've never seen one 'in the flesh' and early reviews of its performance are very poor, HOWEVER more recent comments from G900 owners are very positive - in light of the newest ROM updates. A radio update is supposedly on the way which will fix the signal problems some people have experienced.

With respect to build quality, again I've never seen the device but by all accounts it's very well made. I have been on the lookout for something with a vga screen and decent spec since getting rid of my Ameo and - as long as there are no glitches - the G900 seems like a good option.

My biggest concern actually is how Opera Mobile 9.5 will cope with the 800 by 480 resolution screen.....

[leoni1980]

For the time you are connected via Nokia software, you should check your internet connection settings, I think it sets up a temp connection while the nokia is plugged in and online, if so the number dialed will be there !

Sorry guys but im not looking to swap, I am selling to cover the cost of my OQO, my next phone I will get free from T mog in 4 months ! I will use my old A1000 in the mean time !

no different connection, no dialled number - just a packet connection through general.t-mobile.uk - same as for anything else.

Maybe the N96 is for you then lol

[ice_coffee]

Imust admit I will probably stick with a smartish phone, and I like the look of the touch pro, and it will probably be a free upgrade for me just as my contract is ending ! I like the spec on that toshiba though !! what HSDPA speed is it ??

[leoni1980]

i think its 3.6. Ive had my eyes on it for a while but ive been waiting for the glitches to be ironed out a bit. my 3 most important features for my next phone were high res screen, HSDPA and a good keypad, and supposedly the G900 has one of the best out, with good tactile feedback and comfortably large keys. Im not at all bothered about GPS: convenient as it is I prefer sirfstar external units. bluetooth on the G900 is 2.0 edr and it supports usb input like the Ameo. seems like quite a bargain once i've tweaked it how I want it, but we shall see.

Either way Im due an upgrade in November so I wont have to live with it too long if it's crap!

[ice_coffee]

I couldn't live without the GPS ! so no toshiba for me

[ice_coffee]

Well I have had my OQO for 2 months now, and I cant express how happy I am with it compared to my Ameo, Don't get me wrong it is not perfect I still can't get BBC iPlayer to work and the battery life leaves alot to be desired (it lasts the same as a full sized laptop namely 1.5 to 2 hours real usage) and the touch screen only works with it's stylus not your fingers, but aswell as a stylus it has an excellent mouse nipple thingy on the keyboard.

With regards to applications, WOW what a breath of fresh air to be able to run real windows (or linux if that is your preference) programs, anything my ameo did this does so much better and with less hassle, also all flawlessly plays all types of video apart from High Def (1280 X 720 res and above) however it is a laptop not a phone, I need to bluetooth link it to my phone to get access to the internet.

My ameo was so awkward to use as a phone I was already toying with the idea of getting a regular phone to put my sim into, I know many others here already have. Next up for me is a HTC raphael, as mentioned earlier I want GPS (I have tried MS auto route on my OQO, it is so rubbish compared to TOMTOM it is laughable) also the phone needs to act as a fast modem for my OQO, whilst being small and easy to use in public without a headset.

My advice to anyone who is carrying a separate phone for phone calls and their Ameo for data, is to ditch it and get one of these, you shold get around £240 ~ £250 for your ameo on Ebay. and you can get these for £265 as a B-stock refurb from expansys.

PS wide-screen is nice, as is the ability to use the display in direct sunlight with the back light turned off, saving battery power.

http://img170.imageshack.us/img170/2424/1000319vu8.th.jpg (http://img170.imageshack.us/my.php?image=1000319vu8.jpg) http://img389.imageshack.us/img389/5425/1000320gf3.th.jpg (http://img389.imageshack.us/my.php?image=1000320gf3.jpg) http://img409.imageshack.us/img409/6028/1000321cs0.th.jpg (http://img409.imageshack.us/my.php?image=1000321cs0.jpg) http://img375.imageshack.us/img375/2424/1000322ea1.th.jpg (http://img375.imageshack.us/my.php?image=1000322ea1.jpg)

[ice_coffee]

http://img120.imageshack.us/img120/5964/1000323wu6.th.jpg (http://img120.imageshack.us/my.php?image=1000323wu6.jpg) http://img376.imageshack.us/img376/4269/1000324un7.th.jpg (http://img376.imageshack.us/my.php?image=1000324un7.jpg) http://img404.imageshack.us/img404/6029/1000325ih9.th.jpg (http://img404.imageshack.us/my.php?image=1000325ih9.jpg)

[uczmeg]

I have an OQO 02.

It's a lovely bit of kit. But I still use the Athena more.

The Athena has better battery life, is instant on and silent.

I do love the OQO keyboard and having XP in such a small device and the 02 keyboard blows away the first version and every other slider I've used so far. (The thena keyboard rives me nuts).

If anyone want a good deal on a OQO 02 PM me... ;)

[rcf2]

sure the OQO is a great piece of hardware but I can't see how a micro laptop running Windows with underpowered processor and short battery life can be really effective. The Advantage sure has problems but to have a computer to acess internert using a cell as modem seems a old movie... I went to a 3 pieces set up long ago and does not look back yet. a cheap, small and sturdy cell for voice, the Advantage to keep me connected to my Inbox all day long and a X60Tablet to do extensive work.

[ice_coffee]

I put my OQO to sleep when not using it, it wakes up in around 5~6 seconds I can live with that. The CPU is more than competent and generally faster at doing stuff than the athena. Media player classic opens very quickly and plays widescreen video effortlessly, unlike the athena which only has acceleration for some types of video.

It's true about the cooling fan being far from silent though.

besides my phone is going to be a raphael which will have the long battery life to handle my incoming emails and music, my OQO is to replace the Large screen video an full internet capabilities of my ameo, c'mon guys you must be fed up with the Win Mo lack of internet ability on all but the most basic of web sites !! I want true internet.

[uczmeg]

besides my phone is going to be a raphael which will have the long battery life to handle my incoming emails and music, my OQO is to replace the Large screen video an full internet capabilities of my ameo, c'mon guys you must be fed up with the Win Mo lack of internet ability on all but the most basic of web sites !! I want true internet.

Yes of course.

I want built in 3g, full internet, decent video, instant on, long battery life, decent keyboard and silent. (maybe GPS but not essential). Preferably in a size no bigger than an OQO.

Gigabyte's M528 MID is my next hope. It should be all of those (not sure about instant on) and comes out next month. It has all the above and the linux on it has Firefox 3 and it's full internet capable. People with prerelease versions have installed XP sucessfully on it too.

[ice_coffee]

I just checked out the M528 it, looks good but it only has a 4GB SSD whilst I have 30GB of storage in the OQO, I know linux runs really well on my OQO too, but I have not tried it! lastly it is a bit larger than the OQO, I can tell by the size of surround by the screen. Im sorry but I prefer my 2006 OQO, Gigabyte have not quite trumped it though. Although I would imagine that the 800 Mhz Atom CPU is more effiecient than my 1GHz Transmeta Crusoe.

[uczmeg]

I just checked out the M528 it, looks good but it only has a 4GB SSD whilst I have 30GB of storage in the OQO, I know linux runs really well on my OQO too, but I have not tried it! lastly it is a bit larger than the OQO, I can tell by the size of surround by the screen. Im sorry but I prefer my 2006 OQO, Gigabyte have not quite trumped it though. Although I would imagine that the 800 Mhz Atom CPU is more effiecient than my 1GHz Transmeta Crusoe.

I'll take 3g, silent and GPS over a size difference.

Sizes here. It is quite a bit bigger as I didn't realise the 02 was bigger than the 01 which I've been comparing too:

http://www.sizeasy.com/page/size_comparison/16412-M528-vs-OQO-02-vs-OQO-01

And here it is with a pack of cards and a piece of A4 paper to see really how small these PCs are...

http://www.sizeasy.com/page/size_comparison/16413-Paper-A4-vs-M528-vs-OQO-02-vs-OQO-01-vs-Pack-Of-Playing-Cards

It probably makes sense to show one with the Athena...

http://www.sizeasy.com/page/size_comparison/16415-M528-vs-OQO-02-vs-HTC-Athena-vs-OQO-01

For me the 01 keyboard, processor and screen were very poor. Not sure how much the 01+ improved those.

Expansys are doing an offer on the 01+ next Friday (29th August). Selling new ones for £299 (instead of 399). Which is very good for a micro PC.

[ice_coffee]

Yeah but until there is a decent Navigator for laptops XP or Linux the GPS is useless, I would much rather have my GPS in my raphael than my UMPC so I can use Tomtom, as you can see the OQO is small for what it is, and no there is no improvement on the screen the Keyb or the CPU from the 01 to the 01 + but by comparison to the athena the CPU flies along the Keyboard is actually usable, compared to that magnetic nonsense and whilst the screen lacks in colour depth it makes up in being widescreen and transflective (usable in direct sunlight).

With regards to 3G my raphael will be with me at all times anyway allowing me to use it as a 7.2Mb mobile broadband modem, for the mere cost of a data add on, why would I fork out for another contract sim just to get data for my mini laptop ?

[uczmeg]

With regards to 3G my raphael will be with me at all times anyway allowing me to use it as a 7.2Mb mobile broadband modem, for the mere cost of a data add on, why would I fork out for another contract sim just to get data for my mini laptop ?

You make a good case for the OQO. If I could have afford the 3G 02, and it was quiet with better battery life (the 03 I guess!) then I'd think it was perfect.

I'm not a fan of tethering a device to my phone, but I agree, I'm no fan of two contracts either. I have a 3 PAYG SIM which is £5 per month for unlimited data (probably some fair use clause in there, but I've never hit it) which seems a good compromise.

How does the Raphael with Opera 9.5 compare to an iPhone for simple browsing? Looking at it I fear the screen is just a bit too small.

[ice_coffee]

I dont have my raph yet as t-mobile have not released it yet :( im suffering with a moto v3x until its released

[spacecat]

I have not logged in here for AGES since i ditched the Ameo (after many heated debates) and have been on the EEE PC and Viewty combo for 9 months.

TBH i cannot think of a better set up my phone is nice and small and i have full Xp capabilites with HSDPA connections via my phone as a modem with my EEE.

I am so happy with it i have actually lost a lot of interest in mobile phones i.e upgrading etc as my set up does all i need and more.

I reckon a lot of people will come to the same conclusion as i did that the Ameo whilst interesting is neither one thing or the other.

I may get a HTC Diamond when my upgrade is due or go for the upcoming Viewty 2 but im really not that fussed

[ice_coffee]

that is exactly what i mean, why bother with an ameo when there are devices out there that are the same size and so much more competent.

[alese]

I have gone the other way.
I bought Raon Everun last year to have an XP based UMPC and it worked well for browsing and some multimedia stuff and the device had excelent battery life. But the WiFi had a lot of problems, the AMD Geode CPU was slow and connecting to 3G was a pain - I have used 3G USB dongle in the begining, which was annoying as it stuck out and made everything uncomfortable. Since the device had Expess card slot I disassembled the dongle and put the 3G card directly in the device - I had a 3G enabled UMPC - it would be nice if the reception wouldn't suck.
Eventually the Raon broke, so I wanted to try something else. I bought an Ameo - it's smaller and lighter than Raon and has lower resolution and less storage - but is always connected and it connects seamlessly (the WiFi also works much better).
I actually like it more than UMPC and use it more - I have mails on big screen always with me - Exchange sync is awesome, the browsing is fine - the opera 9.5 is not Firefox 3 but it's good enough for my use, the video could be better, but it's workable.
I also use my Ameo a lot for inking - notes on meetings, something most UMPC's suck at it - I don't know why, but the inking on XP is usually really bad...

[cktlcmd]

Basically it boils down to power and needs. No UMPC will out last the Athena. It all depends on what you want. :)

I have a Fujitsu U810, every time I have to use it, I have to carry the power cord with me. :(

[techntrek]

Last time I tried to put an EEE PC in my pocket everyone in my office thought something was really wrong with me (my wife already knows they are right). :-)

How do you manage to fit that EEE PC, and spare batteries (16 hours worth) into your pocket spacecat?


[Yeah, I know, don't bait the extreme hater. Couldn't resist.]

[ice_coffee]

Last time I tried to put an EEE PC in my pocket everyone in my office thought something was really wrong with me (my wife already knows they are right). :-)

How do you manage to fit that EEE PC, and spare batteries (16 hours worth) into your pocket spacecat?


[Yeah, I know, don't bait the extreme hater. Couldn't resist.]

I just got the extended life battery for my oqo which gives me a real life 4 hours usage, more than enough to get me through the day, keeping in mind I will have my raph for email on the go.

this is more a competent internet and video device.