Decisions, Decisions - Omnia or Omnia 2

[Guest Straenge]

Just joined and thought I would introduce myself with a bit of a quandary.

Well I have finally left T-mobile and considering my options. At the moment, I am considering one of these choices and wondered if you could help me along a bit.. I was considering the Iphone only because, after the pricing for each one, it comes in at being cheaper monthly. But the cons outweigh it for me considerably. So what I am debating on now is this.

Should I pick up the Omnia now or wait for the Omnia 2?

I have been studying this phone extensively online and I truly believe, aside from the Winmo negative feedback, that I would enjoy it and use it at its full potention after tweaking. Now I am needing to know what your views as far as a new user to: Windows Mobile OS Touchscreens, Tweaking/Rom additions and Smartphones in general. The learning curve as a new user, what you can and can't do that won't void warrantys ect. I don't mind working at it unless I have to keep working at it every single day.

To be honest, I had always stayed away from the Blackberrys due to the uncomfortable keyboards and was considering the LG EnvTouch route due to the keyboard. But the Omnia looks beautiful and aside from the complaints I have read that windows mobile is exceptionally slow compared to most smartphone OS's and may take getting used to using an onscreen keyboard, I still would rather have this than almost any other phone so far. So as a new user and one that could get the Omnia by the end of the week, would you go this route now or wait for the Omnia 2. Is it worth the wait for the next version or just get the Omnia now and abuse the hell out of it until next years phone comes out?

Also for the Verizon users, are there any serious drawbacks/lockdowns? Is there a way to tether without having to pay for the "privilege" of doing so? I would like to stick with the 29$ data plan if possible.

Thanks for the advice, guys.

[Guest Adrynalyne]

The Omnia II is nowhere near release on VZW.

Does that impact your decision?

[Guest ilyukha]

According to the reports Omnia 2 on VZW will be available by the end of this year. They usuaally try to introduce new models for holidays, so Thanksgiving or Christmass time is my guess. If you sign up with VZW now you will not be able to get Omnia 2 with discount when it comes out. So it all depends on how bad you want a Smartphone now and how much are you willing to pay for something better later.

Get an Omnia now ( i think its like $100 with VZW which is a great price for this phone, unlocked GSM ones still cost around $400 for 8GB version) and learn WM on it. When Omnia 2 shows up you will know exactly what you want.

I think lots of problems with VZW Omnia has been solved here recently (i.e. better ROMs and unlocked GPS). It is a great phone overall. And in terms of WM vs iPhone - WM is more of PDA with phone function and iphone is a phone with PDA capabilities.

Hope it helps

[Guest jonboyuk]

Omnia II - no question!!!

[Guest vishalm]

Omnia 2 pro...

[Guest aceofrazgriz]

Depends on how long your willing to wait :D

I jumped into the omnia rather rashly myself (had upgrade price during a half off sammy devices sale on VZW, free for me)

I don't think i could have been happier. The Omnia 2 will obviously be an upgraded version and a bit faster.

As far as tweaking it and the like, if you ever play around with windows and tweak things on a pc or laptop, it shouldn't be too difficult for ya, there are some very good instructions here and some very knowledgeable and helpful people. At most, it would take a few days to get it setup to your liking, but its always worth checking into what new stuff pops up with applications and customizations.

[Guest msra6la2]

OmniaII

Edited June 24, 2009 by msra6la2

[Guest thetwiztidfreak]

I would go ahead and get an omnia now. Its a great phone and you can definetly make it last till an annual upgrade is avaliable to get the omnia 2 or who knows something even better may be announced by then. And the other questions no there is not a way to get out of the 29.99 a month data plan, but there is a way to teather it for free with out paying verizon. just look aaround this site a great guide for that is floating around

[Guest Straenge]

Thank you for the replys. I have been giving this alot of thought and were the Omnia 2 coming out around Thanksgiving/Christmas, I would buy the Omnia today in fact. However, several sources have confirmed it will be release in the 3rd Quarter of 2009 and there was a a supposed leak stating it would hit stores in July (phonarena.com) So I think I will wait for July. If it turns out to be untrue then I will probably go ahead with the Omnia.

You know, in my research I came across this quote:

"My daughter has an iphone and loves it. I have an Omnia and my wife has a Storm and we love our phones. That's because we all bought what we wanted."

Its almost a stereotype or a personification of what each phone's user base is. I just found it ironic and funny.

Now a few questions/Answers:

Unfortunately, I am unable to find an Omnia for under the 199$/2year at Verizon. I think if it was 99$, I would be out the door right now. As for tweaking, I have a tendency to do that a bit too often and ruin warrantys. :D However, I want to be careful with this one since I haven't used Windows Mobile OS before, but I figure installing roms can't be harder than installing/tweaking things on my old Communicator.

Now, as for the Omnia 2. Since this will be running the same OS, but with a different GUI, is it possible to still use the same Roms for this unit for Tethering or using the GPS without signing up for VNavigate? And as for the Data Plan, I didn't mean if there was a way around it, but if the only difference between 29$ and 49$ is the lack of email support/tethering.

Thanks again for the advice.

[Guest Uribam]

Well here's the thing. With current Omnia, you can unlock the GPS and customize roms. There's little doubt about the new hardware being superior, however you may not be able to customize the new omnias like we can with what we have. For that reason alone I'd recommend the current Omnia. After the new one comes out someone will need to leak a rom, then we'll have to get people to cook roms for it. That took awhile with the current iteration of the phone, so how long will you have to wait for that to happen? Anyway, good luck with your decision, and that's my 2 cents.

[Guest ilyukha]

Straenge,

You can buy it for $49.99 with 2 year plan through newegg.com

[Guest rappetor]

Wait for the new Omnia (Omnia II). You shouldn't even have to think about it. Higher resolution screen, but most importantly AMOLED screen. If it's anything like the i8910 it's much much better!

Since it also runs WM you can be sure custom roms and other things will pop up very soon. So then some custom stuff like gps and tethering should be possible eventually.

[Guest Straenge]

Straenge,

You can buy it for $49.99 with 2 year plan through newegg.com

Wow, thank you ilyukha. I just checked out newegg (tbh, I didn't know you could sign up service thru them) and I have to admit, thats making me want to pull the trigger now. However, I need to see if the 30 day return policy would still be in effect if purchased online in case the omnia 2 comes out in July and if I can trade it in. I also need to find out if I can use my corporate discount for verizon through newegg.com as well.

[Guest mnissan]

well, statistically speaking, most people (at least where i live) hang on to their phones for about two years.

if the omnia (original i900) is cheap, its hardware is still hard as nails even compared to phones that are just released or going to be released soon and got a strong community keeping the software side interesting then i would go for it. the omnia II will definitely cost a lot more and as glamorous as it seems its still a wm6.1\wm6.5 device. wm7 would be out and for not a whole lot of cash in two years (hopefully :D ), and snapdragons will be cheap and available too.

[Guest Straenge]

Well I finally decided to go ahead with my order to NewEgg. Unfortunately, as all good things are too good to be true, signing up for service through cellstores.com ended up in 2 hours of frustration and no customer support on sunday. For some reason, my order was cancelled twice and they kept 2$ of course.

I guess I am going to either wait some more or end up buying it at Verizon.

[Guest somedude]

Wait for the Omnia II!!!

Have you seen the phone in action? It is sick!

Just wait, trust me, it will be worth it.

You buying the Omnia now, is like someone buying the Iphone 3g over the Iphone 3GS.

Better battery life, better UI, bigger screen, better resolution, it is a NO BRAINER!

Edited June 29, 2009 by somedude

[Guest Rooster Misfit]

you dont want to wait till the end of the year for a phone (speaking of omnia II).... when it comes out it will be like 300 dollars with the contract most likely... just get the omnia (i910) it will be 100$ with the contract you can get used to the phone, winmo, and touch screen.. when your contract is up get the next omnia since it will be A LOT less by then or you can buy the next big thing at the time...seriously its going to drive you nuts waiting that long

and you dont want to buy it anywhere except from verizon cause you wont be able to get the insurance on the phone for the 2 years... they replace it no matter what happens -lost, stolen, water damage, dropped it, broken screen... they will replace it for you and back up your contacts and its only like an extra 6 bucks a month... you buy the phone somewhere else your gonna have to pay for a whole new phone again

Edited June 29, 2009 by Rooster Misfit

[Guest Straenge]

you dont want to wait till the end of the year for a phone (speaking of omnia II).... when it comes out it will be like 300 dollars with the contract most likely... just get the omnia (i910) it will be 100$ with the contract you can get used to the phone, winmo, and touch screen.. when your contract is up get the next omnia since it will be A LOT less by then or you can buy the next big thing at the time...seriously its going to drive you nuts waiting that long

and you dont want to buy it anywhere except from verizon cause you wont be able to get the insurance on the phone for the 2 years... they replace it no matter what happens -lost, stolen, water damage, dropped it, broken screen... they will replace it for you and back up your contacts and its only like an extra 6 bucks a month... you buy the phone somewhere else your gonna have to pay for a whole new phone again

That vid was sick, though I wish he went into browsing a bit more. But Rooster does have a point. Also, I keep hearing about this 100$ Omnia that I can't find. I live in Indy as well and when I went to Verizon last week, it was still 199$ with contract. The only cheaper price I have been able to find is the 50$ new egg which failed for me at least. Any ideas on where this 99$ deal is?

And thanks again for the input.

[Guest Rooster Misfit]

That vid was sick, though I wish he went into browsing a bit more. But Rooster does have a point. Also, I keep hearing about this 100$ Omnia that I can't find. I live in Indy as well and when I went to Verizon last week, it was still 199$ with contract. The only cheaper price I have been able to find is the 50$ new egg which failed for me at least. Any ideas on where this 99$ deal is?

And thanks again for the input.

hey i live in indy too... i got mine at the main store down the street from the castleton mall... i think its on craig st and 82nd.... i just looked at teh website... looks like they raised the price. i got mine a few months ago... you might be able to taklk them in to it if you bring it up that it was just 99 a few months ago. try to talk to the manager

[Guest Quang05BlkBoxsterS n Omnia]

go with whatever you want NOW! That was what happened to me last Labor just weeks after the i900 Omnia was announced available, when I walked in a local store in Orange County (had not came there for years) and right there inside the glass display was the one (opened for display only). So I bought it an unlocked 16G version (Singapore) right on the spot for a $770 cash ;) and have not any regret ever since.

I was shooting for HTC Diamond, iPhone 3G, X1, N96 but I am glad I did not, hehe. The original i900 still shines over even some of the new competitors but only for a few more months when the younger and more powerful (better looking too) brother II comes out.

Sorry I can't help you with the $99 find. Good luck and well be more patient than me :D

[Guest Mr. B!]

VZW was advertising $99 on their website here in South Florida for the Omnia and now it's back up again. Try and talk to them and I'm sure they'll get the price down.

As for buying now or waiting, well, there's always something better coming out in the next couple of months. The Omnia is a great phone. I'm sure the Omnia II and Omnia Pro will be even better. Of course if you wait to buy them, 6 months later you'll be wowed again with the next lineup.

[Guest Lisbian08]

I have seen ADVERT LINK REMOVED and others say the Omnia II would be released late July or early August. These same people said the HTC Touch Diamond would be released in December, and it didn't get here until April or May. It was already released in GSM form as well as on Sprint in the fall. There shouldn't have been that much work to get it out.

With that said, Verizon has historically been very slow to release phones. Without the Omnia II being released on any other platform, I would be very suprised if they made a late July/early August release. I wouldn't say it is impossible, but improbable based on past performance.

[Guest Gibeon]

You got to be shitting me, in Holland it's already for sale for 400 euro's, ordered today, delivered tomorrow!

[Guest Mr. B!]

You got to be shitting me, in Holland it's already for sale for 400 euro's, ordered today, delivered tomorrow!

Damned Dutch..... :D

[Guest Straenge]

Well I finally made my decision. I went to Verizon today to see about the 99$ deal for the Omnia but of course, they would not go down from the 199$ and I walked out deciding to wait for the Omnia 2 possibly. That is until I got home to find an email concerning my order from newegg. Apparently there was a discrepancy with my address and once I fixed that, the order went through completely.

So while I appreciate everyones input on either waiting or buying now, I decided that for the moment, 50$ for an Omnia outweighed waiting a few months for 200+ Omnia 2. Gives me time anyway for the next year to play with the phone and make it purr.

Now I do have 2 more questions and then this thread can finally be at rest. I am a rather decent graphic artist and I would like to know what is a good (and free, don't forget free) WinMo Theme/Icon Designer program that I could start my itching fingers to design? And secondly, after searching through some of the stickies, what would be the best roms to load to enhance overall performance?

Thanks for help guys, I plan to stick around for awhile.