common problems with the HTC wizard?

[Guest Shift_]

I'm looking to buy a HTC wizard, but I'm trying to find out what flaws it has (design wise) that could make it annoying to keep for a long time.

I read about the stylus hole problem but the tape fix seems easy enough.

But I also read that the screen 'vibrates' and the keyboard becomes really loose..how bad is it really? Because I don't think I'd enjoy a keyboard that slides freely on a device like this. When I saw the sliding keyboard, I thought it would be like the Samsung slider phones which are VERY sturdy.

Any solutions for that loose keyboard?

Any other problems?

Edited December 2, 2005 by Shift_

[Guest bennish]

i've never had those problems, or the stylus one. I'll tell you what though, the stylus is TINY - i had a pda phone before, which was the same size as the wizard, and its stylus was the wizard's size *unextended*. I've heard it's so they'd have room, but why not a 3x extender?

In any case, no wobbles, good grip (one of the best, it's what a lot of ppl talk about - easier to hold), keyboard's fantastic.

Oh, and no cradle. Still.

[Guest Shift_]

i've never had those problems, or the stylus one. I'll tell you what though, the stylus is TINY - i had a pda phone before, which was the same size as the wizard, and its stylus was the wizard's size *unextended*. I've heard it's so they'd have room, but why not a 3x extender?

In any case, no wobbles, good grip (one of the best, it's what a lot of ppl talk about - easier to hold), keyboard's fantastic.

Oh, and no cradle. Still.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

No cradle for what?

It comes with a cable so you can sync it to your PC right?

[Guest Chiz]

No cradle for what?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Probably so it can sit in it (and relax) whilst syncing.

I would imagine it comes with a cable but I haven't got one so can't be sure.

[Guest sbsdegb1]

Probably so it can sit in it (and relax) whilst syncing.

I would imagine it comes with a cable but I haven't got one so can't be sure.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Yes it comes with a usb cable to plug straight into your pc.

[Guest Shift_]

Few more Qs, are you able to switch it to landscape mode without having to slide the keyboard open?

And videos is it possible to watch them full screen?

How do you dial ph#s on the phone? and how easy is it to access the phone book? I know with my current SE phone it's just one tap away.

[Guest radiator]

Few more Qs, are you able to switch it to landscape mode without having to slide the keyboard open?

Not by default, although if you use Poket Plus you can assign one of the keys to flip the screen (anti/clockwise)

And videos is it possible to watch them full screen?

Yes. I use TCPMP and it plays videos perfectly...

How do you dial ph#s on the phone? and how easy is it to access the phone book? I know with my current SE phone it's just one tap away.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

To dial phone numbers you just press the green 'answer' button and a dialpad pops up on screen (nice big buttons, so easy to use without the stylus - takes up the bottom half of the screen).

The phones default setup has 'Contacts' assigned to the right soft-key.

[Guest DeanoSMB]

To dial phone numbers you just press the green 'answer' button and a dialpad pops up on screen (nice big buttons, so easy to use without the stylus - takes up the bottom half of the screen).

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Only took me a week to work that out! :oops:

[Guest eyecam]

The phones default setup has 'Contacts' assigned to the right soft-key.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

[Guest Shift_]

More questions:

Can you use any usb cable to charge the phone (like when I'm at work I can just pop it into a USB port and it'll charge, I don't need it to sync)

Screen protectors, where can I get one...and which one is the best one?

TCPMP: I heard there were some slow downs with the wizard, would I have to re-encode my divx/xvid stuff down to 320x240 or are things encoded at 640x480 okay :);

[Guest radiator]

More questions:

Can you use any usb cable to charge the phone (like when I'm at work I can just pop it into a USB port and it'll charge, I don't need it to sync)

When you connect the device whilst in standby, it'll try to sync (ie, it'll come out of standby and start trying to connect). If you just press the power button the phone will go back into standby and won't sync, but just charge instead (it may come out of standby once or twice).

Screen protectors, where can I get one...and which one is the best one?

I got a Martin Fields one off eBay. Seems pretty damn good! It's got a really nice finish on the top side (so the stylus glides really smoothly). Also, it's re-usable (just take it off and wash off dirt/dust etc with water and re-apply), and I've not noticed any marks (from the stylus) on the surface yet (it has some sort of anti-scratch coating).

TCPMP: I heard there were some slow downs with the wizard, would I have to re-encode my divx/xvid stuff down to 320x240 or are things encoded at 640x480 okay :);

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Hmmm, not sure about that one...320x240 videos play fine, but I've never tried anything larger.

[Guest Monolithix [MVP]]

The higher res shouldnt be an issue, its the higher bit-rate the videos are encoded at that causes problems (higher bit rate = more info for the CPU to decode)

[Guest Shift_]

Technically though if it's 640x480 vs 320x240, wouldn't the video decode of the 640x480 be twice as much as it requires twice the amount of info?

I guess I'll just have to get it an see, it's not hard to re-encode most things, the only thing I'd get pissy about is the OGG/MKV files, because it's a pain in the ass to break those down.

Also what kinds of cases/holsters do you guys have for this thing? I'm looking at a holster because I think it's too large to shove into a pocket :/

Do you guys think the keyboard sliding tray thing will be durable and last for ~2 years or so? (so the keyboard isn't flimsy and slides out on it's own)

I've just emailed the store to double check on the price with shipping, hopefully everything goes well :)

Edited December 3, 2005 by Shift_

[Guest Monolithix [MVP]]

It may be displaying (4) times the amount of info, however it isn't processing that quantity more. At the end of the say the resolution is just a number. The actual process of decoding the video is what hammers the cpu, not displaying it (within reason)

Thats my understanding anyway :)

[Guest Shift_]

I'll have to re-read up on my encoding stuff haha :)

I'm just hoping the site has the correct price listed, as it's quite low, VERY low in fact compared to every where else, if it's true, I'll be posting the site here, if not...then I don't think I can afford one :D

[Guest bennish]

why would u need pocketplus to rotate the screen? it's already there in windows, just go to buttons and you can set one up to rotate the screen without installing anything.

And yeah it comes with a cable. Unlike some pdas, you can't come home and sit it in the cradle tho. u uhave to make room on the desk, plug it in like a cheap 50 buck mobile phone, and pick it up to see anything on it. really advanced htc.

[Guest minty1978]

Screen protectors, where can I get one...and which one is the best one?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

My Vario came with a screen protector from T-mobile, very kind i thought.

it's not a great one, but it will do untill i find a decent one.