Guest danr1 Posted March 14, 2007 Report Share Posted March 14, 2007 (edited) Hello guys, first let me say I have been a happy SPV M600 owner for the last 12 months. Any software niggles have been rectifies by searching on these great boards. Now I'm coming to the end of my Orange contract I have been looking at the possible hardware upgrades. I shall be moving to T-Mobile in order to get the Web'n'Walk data tariff. Does anyone know when/if the Kaiser will be available on T-Mobile? I believe it has a June/July 07 date penciled in, but will the carriers be quick to release it? My plan is to sign up to T-Mob and get a new Vario II, which I will sell on ebay. I then plan to pick up an 'as new'/new M3100 with the money I'll get from the Vario II sale and selling my M600 - or is this just too much hassle for the sake of the marginally better looks of the Orange version? Basically my decision will depend on any ball park figure for the release date of the Kaiser, anyone ? Thanks alot, Dan Edited March 14, 2007 by danr1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Paul (MVP) Posted March 14, 2007 Report Share Posted March 14, 2007 No dates as yet, and no word whether T-Mo will take it. Re: the MDA Vario II vs the M3100, the design and usability of the keypad are MUCH better on the T-Mobile version than the Orange version IMHO, so save yourself the hassle (and money) and keep the T-Mo version. It really is the best Hermes variant! P Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest mandt Posted March 14, 2007 Report Share Posted March 14, 2007 If you get a Hermes now as soon as the Kaiser is released (with WM6, 2.8 MP Camera and onboard GPS ;) ) you'll be kicking yourself and asking yourself why on earth you didn't wait Although it isn't a cert that T-Mo will release the Kaiser, I'd be surprised if they didn't Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest SimonTALM Posted March 14, 2007 Report Share Posted March 14, 2007 If you get a Hermes now as soon as the Kaiser is released (with WM6, 2.8 MP Camera and onboard GPS ;) ) you'll be kicking yourself and asking yourself why on earth you didn't wait Although it isn't a cert that T-Mo will release the Kaiser, I'd be surprised if they didn't I too would be suprised if T-Mob don't do the Kaiser but the big question is when; it will be almost certainly a few months after the HTC release i.e. Aug / Sept so you need to ask yourself is can you wait another 6 months (possibly longer)? What you must also consider is that the VarioII (T-Mob's Hermes) is actually well supported (both here and at XDA-Developers) with a decent knowlege base behind it. The hermes has also become pretty stable (with later ROMs) and I am starting to hear increasing rumours that T-Mob will finally realease an official ROM upgrade in the near future for the Vario II (possibly AUK3.3 which is not too far from WM6???). I know T-mob in the UK offer 12 and 18 month contracts so if you can afford a 12 month T-Mobile contract with a Hermes do it. That will mean you get the device now and then 6 months (or less) after T-Mob introduce the Kaiser you can upgrade, even if you get the 18 month contract you may find that the Kaiser replacement is due about then. I know you can get the Vario II for free especially if you ask nicely and push a little bit, the Kaiser will be at a premium for at least 3 months after launch. One final thought, if you wait for the Kaiser to be released and available via the carriers the rumours will be starting about the the Kaiser replacement will you'll be asking the same questions then? It is your choice but personally I'd go for the Hermes now and see what the future brings. P.S. if you go T-Mob and want to use your hermes as a modem make sure you get WnW Plus rather than the standard WnW as you can get hit with a rather large bill. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest danr1 Posted March 14, 2007 Report Share Posted March 14, 2007 That's my problem. Although I'm not that bothered about the GPS or extra megapixel on the camera (I find the shutter lag on most camera phones a real pain) I would like WM6. Is it possible to upgrade to WM6 on the Vario II ? I know the Kaiser is slightly thinner and I think it has a fullsize stylus, just wish there was a date. Something else I've noticed about the Kaiser - it seems to have the screen sliding out at an angle. Now, given that I doubt many people sit the Hermes on a flat surface to enter text or browse the web (ie. they hold it in both hands and use thumbs for text entry). Would the Kaiser screen mechanism not reduce the viewing angle? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest mikeeey Posted March 15, 2007 Report Share Posted March 15, 2007 That's my problem. Although I'm not that bothered about the GPS or extra megapixel on the camera (I find the shutter lag on most camera phones a real pain) I would like WM6. Is it possible to upgrade to WM6 on the Vario II ? I know the Kaiser is slightly thinner and I think it has a fullsize stylus, just wish there was a date. Something else I've noticed about the Kaiser - it seems to have the screen sliding out at an angle. Now, given that I doubt many people sit the Hermes on a flat surface to enter text or browse the web (ie. they hold it in both hands and use thumbs for text entry). Would the Kaiser screen mechanism not reduce the viewing angle? no i think that was just a picture on pdadb.net to show more of how the phone looked from an angle. im pretty sure this is how it should look slid out: if i were u i would wait for the kaiser. its a much better phone and probably doesnt cost too much more than the hermes. the kaiser is supposed to be the phone that replaces the hermes. theyve fixed everything up that was wrong with the hermes or what it didnt have. IMO i think u should get the kaiser. of corse u can upgrade the hermes to WM6 when its out, but so far there's only betas. there would be no advantages to WM6 on the hermes tho cuz it was a device that was ment to have WM5. the Kaiser can use all the features of WM6 and was ment to have it. I myself was saving up for the hermes but when i heard about that kaiser then my money i was saving went to the kaiser. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest 2004mark Posted March 15, 2007 Report Share Posted March 15, 2007 (edited) no i think that was just a picture on pdadb.net to show more of how the phone looked from an angle. im pretty sure this is how it should look slid out: if i were u i would wait for the kaiser. its a much better phone and probably doesnt cost too much more than the hermes. the kaiser is supposed to be the phone that replaces the hermes. theyve fixed everything up that was wrong with the hermes or what it didnt have. IMO i think u should get the kaiser. of corse u can upgrade the hermes to WM6 when its out, but so far there's only betas. there would be no advantages to WM6 on the hermes tho cuz it was a device that was ment to have WM5. the Kaiser can use all the features of WM6 and was ment to have it. I myself was saving up for the hermes but when i heard about that kaiser then my money i was saving went to the kaiser. Out of interest, what makes you say that there would be no advantage to using WM6 on the Hermes? Saying it was meant to have WM5 just doesn't cut it for me I'm afraid. What dose the Kaiser exactly have that will let "use all the features of WM6". It has been well documented, on other forums that I'm sure your all aware of, that WM6 on the Hermes makes it far more responsive. Edited March 15, 2007 by 2004mark Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest mikeeey Posted March 16, 2007 Report Share Posted March 16, 2007 Out of interest, what makes you say that there would be no advantage to using WM6 on the Hermes? Saying it was meant to have WM5 just doesn't cut it for me I'm afraid. What dose the Kaiser exactly have that will let "use all the features of WM6". It has been well documented, on other forums that I'm sure your all aware of, that WM6 on the Hermes makes it far more responsive. i had not known that the hermes was actually more responsive with wm6. i did hear reports of bugs and things that werent working tho. and i dont know too much about that kaiser, but what i was trying to say when i said "use all the features of wm6" i ment "more features of wm6". when wm6 is installed one the hermes it will have the programs and and stuff the hermes is supposed to have right? so it would mostly seem like a more colorful and pretty version of wm5. the kaiser i imagine would have more apps and things on it that would come with wm6. im pretty much saying that the kaiser will have more of a selection of things on wm6 than the hermes would. being that it is an upgraded version of the hermes Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest 2004mark Posted March 16, 2007 Report Share Posted March 16, 2007 i had not known that the hermes was actually more responsive with wm6. i did hear reports of bugs and things that werent working tho. and i dont know too much about that kaiser, but what i was trying to say when i said "use all the features of wm6" i ment "more features of wm6". when wm6 is installed one the hermes it will have the programs and and stuff the hermes is supposed to have right? so it would mostly seem like a more colorful and pretty version of wm5. the kaiser i imagine would have more apps and things on it that would come with wm6. im pretty much saying that the kaiser will have more of a selection of things on wm6 than the hermes would. being that it is an upgraded version of the hermes hmm, I sort of see where you're coming from, but not sure if I agree though. Yes, there are bug with WM6 ROMs but as you say they are all still in beta. I'm hoping that when the bugs are ironed out they will start to pack some extra programs in with the ROMs. The main advantages of doing an WM6 upgrade (if/when it's legal of course) is that it will be compatible with upcoming versions of Pocket Internet Explorer and other mobile software and also interface with Vista and other programs like new versions of Windows Media Player more efficiently than older Windows Mobile editions. Plus hopefully it will have better security - I'm sure that a major PPC virus wont be to far around the corner. But I suppose that only time will tell. Just to not to go totally off topic Danr1, I think that you should ask yourself if you really need GPS and a 2.8mp camera, if no then I would try to find a M3100 free on a 12 month contract. I was in the same boat waiting for the M3100 to arrive, I almost got a M600 but am now glad I waited 4-5 months, but then again the were a lot more extra features on the M3100 so the decision might have been simpler than yours. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest danr1 Posted March 16, 2007 Report Share Posted March 16, 2007 I think that you should ask yourself if you really need GPS and a 2.8mp camera, if no then I would try to find a M3100 free on a 12 month contract. Well I've had a think over the last couple of days - thanks for your input guys. I don't NEED the GPS - would just be something to showoff to the mates. I'm going to go down the Hermes route on a 12 month contract. Not having had a QWERTY slider before I'm not sure how much it will get used (although I suspect that it's one of those things that you don't think you need but once it's there you wouldn't want to go back). Then if after the 12 months I find I'm not really using the keyboard I could switch to something sleeker. Dan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest 2004mark Posted March 16, 2007 Report Share Posted March 16, 2007 The qwerty is good for typing fast, but I'm lazy and sometimes don't use it when I should. Couldn't use MSM now without it though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest mikeeey Posted March 18, 2007 Report Share Posted March 18, 2007 (edited) Well I've had a think over the last couple of days - thanks for your input guys. I don't NEED the GPS - would just be something to showoff to the mates. I'm going to go down the Hermes route on a 12 month contract. Not having had a QWERTY slider before I'm not sure how much it will get used (although I suspect that it's one of those things that you don't think you need but once it's there you wouldn't want to go back). Then if after the 12 months I find I'm not really using the keyboard I could switch to something sleeker. Dan if u dont need gps then the hermes might be what u want. however.. the kaiser has USB 2.0, twice as much internal memory (256mb) wm6 already on it (no upgrading nescecery). what exactly would u use your pocket pc for? gaming? music? email and texting and web browsing? or taking pics and videos? Edited March 18, 2007 by mikeeey Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest SimonTALM Posted March 18, 2007 Report Share Posted March 18, 2007 Well I've had a think over the last couple of days - thanks for your input guys. I don't NEED the GPS - would just be something to showoff to the mates. I'm going to go down the Hermes route on a 12 month contract. Not having had a QWERTY slider before I'm not sure how much it will get used (although I suspect that it's one of those things that you don't think you need but once it's there you wouldn't want to go back). Then if after the 12 months I find I'm not really using the keyboard I could switch to something sleeker. Dan I think you've made the right decision, you get the benefit of the W'n'W Data Tariff now (beleive me I've only had my Vario II a month on W'n'W plus and it's a liberating experience). If you go to a t-mobile shop and be prepared to sign up to the insurance (you can cancel it immediately) you should be able to walk out with the phone for free or as close as especially if you are asking for W'n'W plus. My tip would be to express interest and let them make the first offer. Then sit back asking more questions and watch the price drop (just keep asking questons about how to moving to t-mobile) as soon as they mention the word free make the offer "if you can get the phone for me free I'll sign up today". As for the QWERTY keyboard I had an XDA Exec before and having used the keyboard on that, I knew I had to have a keyboard on all devices from now on. Enjoy ;) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest leoni1980 Posted March 21, 2007 Report Share Posted March 21, 2007 ;) I think you've made the right decision, you get the benefit of the W'n'W Data Tariff now (beleive me I've only had my Vario II a month on W'n'W plus and it's a liberating experience). If you go to a t-mobile shop and be prepared to sign up to the insurance (you can cancel it immediately) you should be able to walk out with the phone for free or as close as especially if you are asking for W'n'W plus. My tip would be to express interest and let them make the first offer. Then sit back asking more questions and watch the price drop (just keep asking questons about how to moving to t-mobile) as soon as they mention the word free make the offer "if you can get the phone for me free I'll sign up today". As for the QWERTY keyboard I had an XDA Exec before and having used the keyboard on that, I knew I had to have a keyboard on all devices from now on. Enjoy :D I agree about the wnw on t-mobile - i've been on it since it came out and its brilliant. I initially bought a Vario ii, however I found a knackered spv m3100 on ebay took them both to bits and swapped the cases over. I also installed a cooked WM6 ROM off Xda developers and it works a treat. Internet Sharing facility is streets ahead of the 'wireless modem' app on wm5 - just plug and play like an ethernet cable - no drivers necessary. All in all I'm now happy with my tarif and super-happy with my phone. Check out google maps for PPC for navigation, i found it yesterday - its a good compliment to t-mobile's data plan, free and it loads really quickly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest randomelements Posted March 21, 2007 Report Share Posted March 21, 2007 no i think that was just a picture on pdadb.net to show more of how the phone looked from an angle If you've seen the latest pictures of the Kaiser they confirm that it does indeed slide AND pivot forward - this would be ideal when resting the device on a flat surface. You can leave it flat if you're holding it in both hands. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest mikeeey Posted March 21, 2007 Report Share Posted March 21, 2007 (edited) If you've seen the latest pictures of the Kaiser they confirm that it does indeed slide AND pivot forward - this would be ideal when resting the device on a flat surface. You can leave it flat if you're holding it in both hands. ur right! i hadnt known there were new pictures. thats awesome! u can have it slide or pivot! http://translate.google.com/translate?u=ht...Flanguage_tools :D ;) Edited March 21, 2007 by mikeeey Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest mikeeey Posted March 21, 2007 Report Share Posted March 21, 2007 btw it almost looks like it's made out of metal. is it?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest mandt Posted March 21, 2007 Report Share Posted March 21, 2007 Looks like a full size stylus there Ooh yes!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest mikeeey Posted March 22, 2007 Report Share Posted March 22, 2007 (edited) 1 thing i wonder tho, where's the flash? it looks like it could be underneath that black thing in the top right. but then again that black thing might just be a rubber grip. then if u look here: you see there's no black thing on the bottom corner. wich means it's probably not a rubber grip. so it looks like the flash light might be underneath that black thing. u think u have to manually slide it aside to use it? also, the size of this flash light looks different than the ones u see on other phones. it looks bigger. if so it might be a more powerful flash light =) Edited March 22, 2007 by mikeeey Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest noct Posted March 30, 2007 Report Share Posted March 30, 2007 I think you've made the right decision, you get the benefit of the W'n'W Data Tariff now (beleive me I've only had my Vario II a month on W'n'W plus and it's a liberating experience). If you go to a t-mobile shop and be prepared to sign up to the insurance (you can cancel it immediately) you should be able to walk out with the phone for free or as close as especially if you are asking for W'n'W plus. My tip would be to express interest and let them make the first offer. Then sit back asking more questions and watch the price drop (just keep asking questons about how to moving to t-mobile) as soon as they mention the word free make the offer "if you can get the phone for me free I'll sign up today". As for the QWERTY keyboard I had an XDA Exec before and having used the keyboard on that, I knew I had to have a keyboard on all devices from now on. Enjoy :D Can you get the M3100 or Vario II for FREE as a new customer on a 12 mths contract? i tried asking for it yet those guys in both shops just wouldnt do it. not even a penny less. ;) so i ended up with orange since the tariffs from TM and O for a new custy are quite the same and the m3100 looks a bit sleeker in my opinion... i would be impressed if someone as a new custy could get it free from T-mobile tho (on 12 mths) cuz their Web n Talk package kicks ass... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest bingobob Posted March 30, 2007 Report Share Posted March 30, 2007 Can you get the M3100 or Vario II for FREE as a new customer on a 12 mths contract? i tried asking for it yet those guys in both shops just wouldnt do it. not even a penny less. ;) so i ended up with orange since the tariffs from TM and O for a new custy are quite the same and the m3100 looks a bit sleeker in my opinion... i would be impressed if someone as a new custy could get it free from T-mobile tho (on 12 mths) cuz their Web n Talk package kicks ass... I tried to get my vario II for free on a 12 month contract with t-mobile but couldn't - cost me 120 quid. bb Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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