BoyGenius unboxes the HTC Kaiser

[Guest Paul (MVP)]

A lot has already been written on this pages about the HTC Kaiser, the device that will later this year become the HTC P4550, as well as likely being picked up as the successor to the HTC Hermes range by networks currently carrying that device.

For me, the interest, nay excitement - around the Kaiser is justified. It's fair to look on the Kaiser as a significant step in the evolution of Windows Mobile Pocket PCs, and a milestone that has been coming for many years.

Why? Here's my take on the device.

• The Kaiser includes Windows Mobile 6... the latest and certainly greatest version of the operating system, and likely the last before it undergoes a massive overhaul.
  
• The Kaiser takes the form factor evolution that started way back with the HTC Magician, continued with the HTC Herald (HTC P4350 / T-Mobile Wing) and finally gets to the point where you can have the form factor that everybody wants, but without compromise on specifications. It's thin, fractionally thicker than the Herald, and retains it's gorgeous keyboard.
  
• The Kaiser finally dispenses with the 128MB ROM / 64MB RAM formula with it's 256MB ROM and 128MB RAM. The days of Pocket PC users battling to make efficient use of diminishing space look to be coming to an end.
  
• The Kaiser is set to show at last that HTC can make a camera enabled device that takes decent pictures. As hinted at by the Athena, HTC finally seem to have both gotten their act together, and realised the importance of this feature. The secondary forward facing camera is a bonus too.
  
• The Kaiser pushes the envelope for data connectivity. It features GPRS, EDGE, 3G, HSDPA and even HSUPA. Never before has 'mobile broadband' been a more appropriate description.
  
• The Kaiser includes GPS. No longer do you have to choose between a rather chunky keyboarded device sans GPS (HTC Hermes) or a thin device with GPS sans keyboard (HTC Trinity), there's no compromise on the Kaiser.
  
• The Kaiser continues HTC's innovation with it's flip up screen.
  
• The Kaiser retains features we've become used to, and expect on a top end device. It of course has miniUSB connectivity, microSD expansion, USB 2, Bluetooth 2.0 - and the popular thumbwheel.
  

There are some who argue that the Kaiser could go further, by adding a VGA screen... but in reality, a 2.8" VGA screen is not as worthwhile as you might think. It requires significant extra horsepower from the chipset to drive it, and many, many applications still aren't geared up fully for VGA. Fuzzy icons, fuzzy rescaling... VGA's time will come, but you could argue it's not yet.

Why my ramble about the Kaiser?

BoyGenius is following up his flood of recent unboxings with a Kaiser unboxing. Head on over and check it out... and start saving the pennies. I am :rolleyes:

P

[Via: EngadgetMobile]

[Guest agent.m]

think i found my next phone then :rolleyes:

[Guest The Doctor]

think i found my next phone then :rolleyes:

Oooo, can't you just feel that itch for a new device :P

Phil

[Guest Ayle]

Mmmmmh... This or a n95... The choice will be hard....

[Guest Ovie]

Loving it!

I recommend you try out an N95 as my Dad has one, and we are both largely disappointed with it.

[Guest Paul (MVP)]

No flash on Kaiser camera is surprising, doesn't bother me tho.

P

[Guest wi11]

Liking it, but when are we going to be able to buy one?! :rolleyes:

[Guest Monolithix (MVP)]

October is so far off :rolleyes:

[Guest Paul (MVP)]

I'd be really really really really surprised if we didn't see it sooner than that!

P

[Guest Ovie]

October is so far off :P

Ooo it's my birthday in October :rolleyes:

[Guest thereaperman]

looks like i found the replacement for my mda(tytn). just have to wait until paul gets a review unit :rolleyes:

[Guest mikeeey]

thankyou paul! i love reading new info about the kaiser.

oo 128mb of ram, i believe pdadb said 64mb but im happy to know it has more.

dont forget to mention it has a qualcomm 7200 chip which is liek 10 times better than the graphics chip the Dell pocket pc's used. and that was a good grahpics chip.

this will be a great gaming phone.

when it says october does that mean it will be out for all carrier by then? including US? or is that just when HTC will have it completely done? im hoping it will be in the US by then

Edited May 25, 2007 by mikeeey

[Guest magic_peanuts]

Elf unboxing? Kaiser unboxing? Surely we have to see the Wings soon. This won't replace my Ameo but it is a great device and I would put money on a network release well before October.

[Guest mikeeey]

btw is this entirely made of metal? id just love to have a strong phone thta doesnt break when u drop it =)

and paul when will u get one to review?

Edited May 25, 2007 by mikeeey

[Guest Paul (MVP)]

btw is this entirely made of metal? id just love to have a strong phone thta doesnt break when u drop it =)

Nope... of course not :rolleyes:

and paul when will u get one to review?

The sooner the better :P

P

[Guest agent.m]

Oooo, can't you just feel that itch for a new device :rolleyes:

Phil

Yeah...I have to curb my impulse. seems like the ultimate upgrade :P

Mmmmmh... This or a n95... The choice will be hard....

Word on the street is N95 has issuse with the slider thing. Plus the os is a bit slow. Camera will be much better as well as sound on N95

[Guest Webreaper]

All these little snippets keep coming out. I wish one (some?) of the carriers would get on an announce it as a 'coming soon' handset. I've been out of contract for 2 months now, and I've got "new gadget" withdrawal symptoms. :-D

[Guest shimmip]

All these little snippets keep coming out. I wish one (some?) of the carriers would get on an announce it as a 'coming soon' handset. I've been out of contract for 2 months now, and I've got "new gadget" withdrawal symptoms. :-D

Ditto. I'm on Orange, been out of contract for 2 months and I want to upgrade. I've been toying with the 3100 but if this is on the horizon I'll hang on. Although Orange haven't been as quick on the uptake of new handsets as they used to be...

[Guest Webreaper]

Ditto. I'm on Orange, been out of contract for 2 months and I want to upgrade. I've been toying with the 3100 but if this is on the horizon I'll hang on. Although Orange haven't been as quick on the uptake of new handsets as they used to be...

I'm not fussed which carrier provides it:

• O2 - currently with them, very happy, although their lack of decent data tariffs is frustrating.
  
• Orange - Been with them before, reasonable features, and the new data tariffs look promising
  
• T-Mobile - not been with them since they were One2One but like the data tariffs and won't be in Scotland so coverage is less of a worry.
  

Mind you, I wouldn't touch voda with a bargepole.

[Guest RussellH]

Hi All,

Great review thank you Paul. Modaco is always the place to come when looking for your next device. It was invaluable to me prior to my decision to buy an SPV M2000 when it came out. I still have it and still love it, though the earpiece is about to fall out! I dedcided to avoid the Hermes, mainly due to the bugs highlighted here, some of which I felt I couldn't live.

I'm very much hoping the Kaiser will appear soon on Orange at a pleasant upgrade price, but will probably wait for you guys to roadtest it first! I see the Kaiser's sylus is at the bottom of the phone, something which seems to be the norm these days. I can't help feeling that if it becomes loose, it's more likely to slip out and be lost. Does this prove to be a problem?

Best wishes,

Russell

[Guest Ovie]

Hi All,

Great review thank you Paul. Modaco is always the place to come when looking for your next device. It was invaluable to me prior to my decision to buy an SPV M2000 when it came out. I still have it and still love it, though the earpiece is about to fall out! I dedcided to avoid the Hermes, mainly due to the bugs highlighted here, some of which I felt I couldn't live.

I'm very much hoping the Kaiser will appear soon on Orange at a pleasant upgrade price, but will probably wait for you guys to roadtest it first! I see the Kaiser's sylus is at the bottom of the phone, something which seems to be the norm these days. I can't help feeling that if it becomes loose, it's more likely to slip out and be lost. Does this prove to be a problem?

Best wishes,

Russell

I've not found it a problem on my M700, it's difficult to get used to at first, I was always grabbing for the top right hand corner of the phone to find nothing there, but it's not problematic.

Just looking through the specs of the Kaiser again I've noticed the 256mb ROM and 128mb RAM, I thought it was 128 and 64 before, so the device looks more promising.

I'm still confused between this, and one of the i-mate ultimate range which all have 520mhz processors and 256mb ROM and RAM...the only problem is there's not one with as nice a form factor..

[Guest RussellH]

Thanks for the reply. I've been trawling through the information on both the Hermes and Kaiser. I'll probably wait for the Kaiser now, as I'm not in a particular hurry. In fact, I think I'll miss my M2000. It's done me proud! I see the bugs thread in the Hermes section is closed, so I don't know if any or all of these got resloved. In particular, Dade's discovery of a fault with the joypad making gameplay impossible. Did this ever get fixed?

Best wishes,

Russell

[Guest richard_d]

Well my contracts not going to be up for renewal until March next year, but as my wife's is due the end of September I might have to persuade her that she's still happy with her Nokia 6230 (well I do pay her phone bill...).

This is increasingly looking like a near perfect device for me.

[Guest mikeeey]

Nope... of course not :rolleyes:

The sooner the better :P

P

dang it kinda had that look to it. o well.

[Guest]

Just spoke to my supplier and I am getting the kaiser tomorrow it is currently in transit :-)

I am doing a night shift tonight but when I get home I will be playing with this pda. Pictures will be on here tomorrow.