Guest philg2000 Posted August 17, 2006 Report Share Posted August 17, 2006 Well, today is my 7th day with my M3100, and I have just about decided to send it back to Orange. I already miss my C550. If I want to make a call on that the phone responds immediately to the unlock, I can immediately start typing the name of the contact, and I get a nice click from real keys rather than a bland not very confident feel from typing on a screen. I absolutely love the M3100 as a PDA, (using it to type this!), but for one handed phone use, including txting, I find it just too cumbersome, and a bit slow. I have tried Phonepad, which helps with txting a bit, but its just that using the screen as a keypad feels a bit naff, inaccurate, dead. Doing anything with the slide out keyboard means using two hands, and yet more delay if you "jst wana rite a qwk rply" Shame, coz as a small PDA its is absolutely fantastic. But carrying it with me all the time to use as a phone... Re: Phonepad. I also found the app kept disappearing or wouldn't pop up when I asked, the screen keyboard displayinh instead. Only way I have found round this is to remove the last "Customization" app and reinstall Phonepad. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest philg2000 Posted August 17, 2006 Report Share Posted August 17, 2006 I should also add the other things influencing my decision. For a phone its stil a bit on the large and certainly heavy side. Difficult one this, coz you wouldn't want it any smaller as a PDA esp with the slideout keyboard. Quite a bit of my software needs updating. I have TomTom3 on my 4150 iPaq, that won't run on WM5 and I have to pay full price for v5 coz the upgrade offer has expired. I also have copilot 6 Smartphone version, and whilst it will load, when run the display is all crunched up. Alk tell me I need to purchase the Pocket PC version, no upgrade price, even tho both versions are WM5 compatible. Likewise Fizz Traveller and Resco Explorer & Photo viewer. (Although being able to type all this on my phone is pretty cool!) Anyone else share my sentiments? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest podavies Posted August 17, 2006 Report Share Posted August 17, 2006 (edited) I know exactly how you feel, my past four phones have been SPV smartphones. But this device is a PDA with some phone functions added on. I prefer the Smartphone software but i am slowly finding more uses for the extra function that Pocket PC version adds. It would be nice if as soon as you unlock the device the phone software would load. I should also add the other things influencing my decision. For a phone its stil a bit on the large and certainly heavy side. Difficult one this, coz you wouldn't want it any smaller as a PDA esp with the slideout keyboard. Quite a bit of my software needs updating. I have TomTom3 on my 4150 iPaq, that won't run on WM5 and I have to pay full price for v5 coz the upgrade offer has expired. I also have copilot 6 Smartphone version, and whilst it will load, when run the display is all crunched up. Alk tell me I need to purchase the Pocket PC version, no upgrade price, even tho both versions are WM5 compatible. Likewise Fizz Traveller and Resco Explorer & Photo viewer. (Although being able to type all this on my phone is pretty cool!) Anyone else share my sentiments? Edited August 17, 2006 by podavies Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest mgumbs Posted August 17, 2006 Report Share Posted August 17, 2006 Hiya, I can sympathise with your findings. I started out with an i-mate JAM about a year ago and sent it back for the same reasons you have, especially using it as a phone. Then got a Gigabyte g-smart i a month back, was nice and small and fits well in your pocket but using its 2.4 inch screen with your thumb for dialling/text entry was very fiddly so that went back. I now have a Tytn. Using the Tytn as a phone in my opinion is a lot easier than the Jam and the keyboard is excellent. Phone in general is excellent, downloads via wi-fi is mind blowing! Yep, a bit thicker but just about ok for the pocket. I experienced similar Phonepad problems, both with Tytn and the g-smart, just would not load properly when invoked. I'm trialling Tengo Thumb for one handed text entry, software takes getting used to but is usable, i recommend you try it too. M I should also add the other things influencing my decision. For a phone its stil a bit on the large and certainly heavy side. Difficult one this, coz you wouldn't want it any smaller as a PDA esp with the slideout keyboard. Quite a bit of my software needs updating. I have TomTom3 on my 4150 iPaq, that won't run on WM5 and I have to pay full price for v5 coz the upgrade offer has expired. I also have copilot 6 Smartphone version, and whilst it will load, when run the display is all crunched up. Alk tell me I need to purchase the Pocket PC version, no upgrade price, even tho both versions are WM5 compatible. Likewise Fizz Traveller and Resco Explorer & Photo viewer. (Although being able to type all this on my phone is pretty cool!) Anyone else share my sentiments? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Wozbacca Posted August 17, 2006 Report Share Posted August 17, 2006 i completely undestand mate, i went from original SPV > SPV E200, then to the M2000 (pda blueangel) and it took a while before i got to grips with it. i had an ipaq for a few months before hand so the general pda thing was ok, but the phone interface was a bit strange. once i got used to doing everything on the m2000 i couldnt put it down, i've since tried going back to the c600 but couldnt handle the lack of wifi, and the small selection of available software. ppc phones have the entire ppc back catalogue too, and what with the lack of wifi on the c600 i swiftly sold it on ebay, and got a mda vario. i couldnt go back to a standard smartphone now. the funtionality of the m3100 actually scares me sometimes im just waiting for my 2gb microSD and my bluetooth headphones, and i'll be laughing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest jimbouk Posted August 17, 2006 Report Share Posted August 17, 2006 This is the classic phone form-factor to pda issue. I had spv, e200 and c500 and loved them. The move to the m500 was a big change and at times I thought about putting the sim back in to a c500. BUT having got used to it, I moved to and IMATE JAMin (same as M600) and loved the onboard wifi etc and am now fully loved up with my 3100. I dont understand the references to phone software not starting up straight away. Maybe its due to the fact I am coming from an Omap processor on the Prophet, but I have found the 3100 to be lightening fast. I wonder if you have done the simplest speed tweak - ie removing sounds for events, warnings etc and made sure that screen taps sound is disabled. As long as the programs and notifications sounds option is ticked you still get all the sounds you need, but with events disabled, the device doesn't have to load and play a wav file on each click of stylus and on every window opening. It speeds up the general response of pocket pc's considerably. You should also regularly go to settings, system, memory, running programs and shut down all the apps that have remained running in background. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Ingvarr Posted August 17, 2006 Report Share Posted August 17, 2006 (edited) I wonder how querty phones fit into this (Moto Q, Samsung i320). After all, they have fully-one handed operation (smartphone os, no touchscreen, enforced), and landscape screen, and qwerty keyboard. Edited August 17, 2006 by Ingvarr Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest scoobytwo Posted August 17, 2006 Report Share Posted August 17, 2006 i felt the same way. i went from a mobile to a m500 and it took me a while to get used to it. doing everything with a stylus. walking and txting became near impossible. basic phone features seemed to take alot longer to find anr bring up. i am now used to it and i couldnt give up the pda side of things. i do think they should make thes PPCs more'phone friendly' however. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest podavies Posted August 17, 2006 Report Share Posted August 17, 2006 You missunderstood what i meant about the phone software starting up. the phone is fast enough i would just like the dial pad software to load when i unlock the phone by default. This is the classic phone form-factor to pda issue. I had spv, e200 and c500 and loved them. The move to the m500 was a big change and at times I thought about putting the sim back in to a c500. BUT having got used to it, I moved to and IMATE JAMin (same as M600) and loved the onboard wifi etc and am now fully loved up with my 3100. I dont understand the references to phone software not starting up straight away. Maybe its due to the fact I am coming from an Omap processor on the Prophet, but I have found the 3100 to be lightening fast. I wonder if you have done the simplest speed tweak - ie removing sounds for events, warnings etc and made sure that screen taps sound is disabled. As long as the programs and notifications sounds option is ticked you still get all the sounds you need, but with events disabled, the device doesn't have to load and play a wav file on each click of stylus and on every window opening. It speeds up the general response of pocket pc's considerably. You should also regularly go to settings, system, memory, running programs and shut down all the apps that have remained running in background. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest M@rkC Posted August 17, 2006 Report Share Posted August 17, 2006 i felt the same way. i went from a mobile to a m500 and it took me a while to get used to it. doing everything with a stylus. walking and txting became near impossible. basic phone features seemed to take alot longer to find anr bring up. i am now used to it and i couldnt give up the pda side of things. i do think they should make thes PPCs more'phone friendly' however. I went from an E200 to my current M5000 and wouldn't swap back to a Smartphone - I've had a company supplied iPAQ hx4700 for about a year, but most of my PDA'ing is done on the M5000 (relegated the iPAQ to a desk ornament ;) ). The only problem I've found with the M5000 is the weight - still, it keeps the phone conversations short :) - mostly I just use my BT headset..... When you unlock the M3100, can you not just press the green "answer" button to load the phone software - that's what I do and it seems pretty quick?? Or maybe you are doing that and it's slow to load?? I'm waiting to upgrade to an M3100, but I'm not out of contract yet :D so I can't use the "right, I'm leaving tactic"....even tho the T-mo plans sound pretty good. Cheers, Mark. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest jimbouk Posted August 17, 2006 Report Share Posted August 17, 2006 snip... When you unlock the M3100, can you not just press the green "answer" button to load the phone software - that's what I do and it seems pretty quick?? Or maybe you are doing that and it's slow to load?? ... Indeed that is what I do and it is lightening fast. If you make use of the device for more than just phoning and texting, you soon get used to it and would miss losing the extra functionality if you swap back. But the converse is also true. I did the whole IPAQ thing years ago (the 3660) and after a few months I realised that I wasn't really using it so I put it in a drawer. Sold the Ipaq on ebay a month ago though for Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Wozbacca Posted August 17, 2006 Report Share Posted August 17, 2006 to be honest, i dont see the point in a pda that doesnt have internet access. i got a h5550 from ebaya few years back... yeah, it had bluetooth and wifi, but i couldnt really see the point in bluetoothing to my phone to gprs off of that. and wifi wasnt really that evolved so hotspots were few and far between i just felt completely cut off from the world. now with the m3100, with every single connection (gprs,edge,3g,hsdpa,ir,wifi,bluetooth) its about time i do honestly think that the hermes is the first 'complete' windows mobile phone, or at least it will be when i get the 2gb microSD card in it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest philg2000 Posted August 17, 2006 Report Share Posted August 17, 2006 Ok, thanks to everyone who has passed on information, made suggestions and given an opinion. I am almost completely undecided at the moment. I wish I had a little longer with it to make a decision. I have thought, worst case, if I get fed up with it I could check it on ebay and hopefully get about Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest gcarte Posted August 17, 2006 Report Share Posted August 17, 2006 to be honest, i dont see the point in a pda that doesnt have internet access. i got a h5550 from ebaya few years back... yeah, it had bluetooth and wifi, but i couldnt really see the point in bluetoothing to my phone to gprs off of that. and wifi wasnt really that evolved so hotspots were few and far between i just felt completely cut off from the world. now with the m3100, with every single connection (gprs,edge,3g,hsdpa,ir,wifi,bluetooth) its about time i do honestly think that the hermes is the first 'complete' windows mobile phone, or at least it will be when i get the 2gb microSD card in it! if you want a Smart Phone with 3g why not send it back and get the C700 when that comes out soon??? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest philg2000 Posted August 17, 2006 Report Share Posted August 17, 2006 OK, Better this way round rather than regretting the other way... I have made the call to return the device, (so thats one more for their stock level). If I regret sending it back I guess I can get another, maybe even a better deal on T-Mobile when they are sorted. Very mixed feelings.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest philg2000 Posted August 22, 2006 Report Share Posted August 22, 2006 HaHa - Just thought I'd let you all know, I have ended up keeping it! I had arranged to send it back, but in the meantime I got a new job, started yesteday. I thought about it hard over the weekend and decided that the PDA functions and in particular the 3G Internet access would be a godsend in my new job, so I phoned Orange and cancelled the cancellation, if you see what I mean. Anyway, all Sim activations reverted, full speed ahead. I do have a couple of issues with it, but I'll research those before posting seperately. Anyway, thanks again for everyone's thoughts. I am happy to have finally made the decision to keep it. The day or so I spent back on teh C550 I already started to miss some aspects. I will be getting a PAYG sim for that, so that if I need to go out traveling light I can divert to it. (I have posted a Q in PDA - Software asking about "free" SMS forwarding software... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Please sign in to comment
You will be able to leave a comment after signing in
Sign In Now