886 replies to this topic

[jonhitch]

Fantastic Dade - how did you manage to order this in advance? Business customer?

Important question - what do you have in the box? Handsfree, Case/Holder, SD card, Charger (main and/or car). Would be really interested to know.

Please let us know what you think. I'm torn between this and an imate JAM styled version. I prefer the looks of the M500 however like the fact that there are more accesseries with the JAM.

Thanks!

[Alison Astraware]

Now I'm interested. I'm currently with Vodafone and not due an upgrade for another 6 months, but I'd be willing to sign up for a new contract for this baby. Maybe I'll give Orange a call and see what they quote me. I checked the Orange store at the Trafford Centre on Sunday, no sign of them there.

[Dade]

OK guys.

In the box you get the M500, Battery, SyncCable, Headphones/headset, Charger, Carry Case, CD-Rom, Manual, SIM and Spare Stylus.

There is no docking cradle, no SD card, and just a single battery. The charger charges through the mini usb socket at the bottom. The sync cable also charges the device.

The 'carry case' is probably the worst thing I have ever seen!

I like the M500 better than the JAM, its nice in the darker grey colour.

I will try and review more as I get a chance!

[Dade]

The other good news is that the M500 can use proper headphones and doesn't need the nasty hack that the M2000 did!

[Dade]

Another nice pic to tease you all!

 range.jpg   38.52K   376 downloads

[mcolbeck]

Dade, i was just wondering how much the phone cost.  

Did you get it on upgrade or new contract and which contract

[Dade]

I cant tell you how or where I got this one but I can tell you that the price you pay will depend on your tariff and call spend etc. Offline its £250.

[rmg]

looks like its on OSPS.

[jonhitch]

What is OSPS?

Dade - thanks for the pictures and info. What do you think of it so far. A few questions I have before i take the plunge

1. How does this compare with the JAM? I know technically they are the same however are there any pro's or cons with the versions? I've heard before that the M500 is slightly bigger, has slightly different connectors etc.
2. I suppose a big question is how easy is it to use as a phone. I'm really excited about getting a PDA however I'm used to making calls using a normal nobile (with keypad!). Is the touch sensitive dial screen good?
3. A similar question - how easy is it to send text messages using the touch screen. Does this have a good form of predictive text. i've mainly used Nokia systems which I feel are easier than Samsung or Siemens.

Thanks again for the info. I hope this is released on the website soon!

[Russell@home]

Just called CS, the guy said that it wasn't on the database so couldn't give me a price :-(

Help, need one/want one!

[dwj]

Russell@home, on Jun 28 2005, 20:17, said:

Just called CS, the guy said that it wasn't on the database so couldn't give me a price :-(

Help, need one/want one!

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I also asked about this phone in my orange dealer and they looked at me like I was making it all up!
Think I might pay the difference and use my sim with a qtek or imate.

[Dade]

The M500 and the JAM are essentially the same thing; both HTC Magician devices. The JAM is slightly curvier than the M500 but the overall dimensions, weight, connector config. etc. are the same. The differences are cosmetic. Personally I prefer the M500, I like the button changes and the fact that the case colour is darker than the JAM, more of a titanium colour.

Ive only had the M500 for about 24hrs so its pretty hard to say what its going to be like living with it but my first impressions of it are good. It seems a lot smaller than it looks. That may sound strange but if you compare the size of the M500 against the M2000 in a photograph there doesnt seem all that much between them but when you start to use the M500 you realise how much smaller it really is.

That said, the screen retains its usability. In fact using an M1000/M2000 after the M500 seems quite awkward.

For those of you not familliar with PocketPC Phone Edition devices, there are a number of different text input methods available.

There are a couple of variations of what it essentially a handwriting recogniser, which works remakably well. Then there is Soft Input Panel (SIP) which is an on-screen QWERTY keyboard. There is also a 'PhonePad' which is an on-screen T9.

Most of the time I use the SIP keybaord but if Im using MSN or texting I tend to use the PhonePad. Its possible to type pretty quickly with these but the Keyboard requires more stylus accuracy, something of a problem on a moving train!

Its a case of what you get used to really. Having been an M2000 user for the past 9 or so months I can tell you that I dont miss the physical slide-out keyboard from the M2000 one bit. I rarely used it anyway.

Feel free to post more questions. Ill try to put together some kind of review in the same format as my M2000 review as soon as I have time!

[Dade]

dwj, on Jun 28 2005, 20:21, said:

I also asked about this phone in my orange dealer and they looked at me like I was making it all up!
Think I might pay the difference and use my sim with a qtek or imate.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I had some fun at lunchtime today. A friend and I went into the local Orange shop and looked around at their offering. When asked by a member of staff if I needed any assistance I told them I was looking for an M500. A strange look crossed the guys face, then 'Im sorry sir Orange don't stock the NOKIA(!) M500'

I pull the thing out of my pocket and say 'So Orange don't sell these?!'

lol

Come on Orange, sort yourselves out. People are hungry for these devices, you are missing out on sales!

[for_sean]

Hey Dade, do you have any more pictures of the thing in use yet that you could share with us?

Are you able to use the t9 phonepad to input text in messenger?

are you able to choose contact by entering an name on the phonepad instead of the number?

Cheers!

[Dade]

for_sean, on Jun 28 2005, 21:58, said:

Hey Dade, do you have any more pictures of the thing in use yet that you could share with us?

Are you able to use the t9 phonepad to input text in messenger?

are you able to choose contact by entering an name on the phonepad instead of the number?

Cheers!

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

You can use the T9 for text input anywhere and yes you can enter names or numbers on phonepad.

More pictures soon!

[jonhitch]

Thanks Dade - I think you're helping a number of us 'cope' with the wait. I really look forward to the review. I've read your M2000 review and was very impressed!

[MitchellO]

If you read any review of the various HTC Magicians (JAM, XDA II Mini, s100, Krome Spy, M500). They are all the same, just maybe a different cover, and different box and accessories. THe guts of the device itself is uniform.

I love mine!!!

[Squuiid]

So... Does it have 64MB of memory or 128MB like the M1000?
The i-mate JAM has 64MB as far as I am aware.

[Dade]

Squuiid, on Jun 29 2005, 12:45, said:

So... Does it have 64MB of memory or 128MB like the M1000?
The i-mate JAM has 64MB as far as I am aware.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

It has 64mb.

[ClintEastman]

Dade, on Jun 29 2005, 13:14, said:

It has 64mb.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

So it's not the same as a Dopod 828 then.