It's a shame, but I have been visiting this forum for a year or two now and must say - this forum is dead. It's a shame because , looking at new tablet pcs and similar devices entering the market, I think athena still is a good device, offering a lot of possibilities. Unfortunately I know nothing of ROM cooking and all the cooks have left us. Too bad
mietulo said:
It's a shame, but I have been visiting this forum for a year or two now and must say - this forum is dead. It's a shame because , looking at new tablet pcs and similar devices entering the market, I think athena still is a good device, offering a lot of possibilities. Unfortunately I know nothing of ROM cooking and all the cooks have left us. Too bad
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Unfortunately, this is the way with all devices these days..... I still use my Athena as a backup unit in case I muck up one of my other units....LOL
Later........... B)
I also think the HTCx7500 continues to be a good device. The things that is attractive with the new devices is the advancement of touch screen technology. Cypress true touch technology for example offer not only multi touch but also the ability to do hovering because the screen can sense the finger as soon as the finger is near the screen.
Undeniably Nice to play and might offer conveniences to a certain degree. But unless there is a way to browse the net as fast as a proper laptop or a way to do document processing or powerpoint slides editing 70% as efficiently as a desktop, what the newer device can offer as compared to HTC x7500 is just cosmetics. I can get the same job done with not much of a problem with the Athena as compared to the newer devices.
So, the things that will attract me to newer devices will be
1. Faster internet browsing
2. Document processing / slide editing
3. Looonger battery life
4. Snappiness of the operating system even after installing many programs
5. softwares availability - not specially controlled by a central "market" and all software makers have to pass their work to them and let their work be distributed by one central point where users can download and use free or paid.
Zooming with 2 fingers or 5 fingers is interesting but zooming by just pushing my athena directional buttons up and down isn't such a difficult job either.
Special today's page / Home menus like the ones in Androids or iphones are also not something difficult to reproduce or customized under windows mobile.
Athena still rocks!
Glad I chose to sell mine when I did. It was a device that was ahead of its time. Shame Android never took off on it.
Something different
The prices of these babies have dropped so much that I just bought one recently... after using various newer HTCs, etc, that are all basically the same, this ancient gadget was actually a breath of fresh air. Besides the marginal interior updates, OS versions, and the gradual screen size upgrades, I really can't figure out what's inherently different with almost all smartphones today... although using the athena needs somewhat of a change in mindset (especially of what is a phone), having something different to play with is already a big plus and an actual experience.... please phone makers, lets make the effort of trying to do something different and not just marketing something as different.
I want to browse the internet, do some emailing, write something in my blog, check auction sites, watch youtubes, can the HTC x7500 handle that? (YES - Opera mini, streaming player, etc)
I want to do some word processing, write a novel, edit some documents, and make sure the work can be in sync with my laptop/desktop. Can the HTC x7500 handle that? (YES - pocketword. document2go, softmaker textmaker, pnotepad)
I want to go through my powerpoint slides and rehearse, re position/re sort the slides, correct a few wordings and make sure i can keep both the slides i have in my desktop and my pocketpc in sync, can the HTC x7500 handle that? (YES - pocket powerpoint, clear vue slides, ...)
I want to enjoy listening to some mp3, can the HTC x7500 handle that? (YES - tcmp player, coreplayer)
I want to watch some movies in avi, wmv, flv, rm, mp4 format, can the HTC x7500 handle that? (YES - tcmp player with the correct codecs)
I want to do some voice recording, can the Athena handle that? (YES - resco audio recorder)
I want to share some photos album with friends sitting together in a restaurant, can the Athena handle that? (YES - resco picture viewer)
I want to connect to internet using 3g/ HSDPDA, because WIFI is unavailable, can the ATHENA handle that? (YES - just make sure 3G services in my data card is active)
I want to transfer file from pc, mobile phone to Anthena or transfer from my athena to my friend's mobile phone without using wires, can the Athena handle that? (YES - bluetooth connections, mocha ftp server, ...)
I wan to play some games, ?? (YES - gba emulator, nes..., playstation 1 emulator, Java, Just games made for pocket pc, etc)
I don't see what the other devices (androids or Ipods) can do that i cannot do with my ATHENA. Yes, I would love it if there is a way to try out putting ANdroids os in my athena but it will be just for fun and to know that there is one more choice of os i can use if i feel like it. Honestly, if there is a 7 inch windows mobile device, I might consider.
One of the MOST important thing that keeps me monitoring the android development is actually BATTERY LIFE (7 hrs with wifi on) and fast zooming.
Many people who try to impress me with android will show me how smooth the screen scrolls here and there with just a flick of the finger. Impressive but when i stop to think over, I realized that i am not going to spend my whole time flicking the screen here and there and just for the thrill to see how the screen can actually change simply by a flick of a finger.
What i will do mostly is click on a program i need to use and start typing or imputing. Scrolling and panning is only useful when i am reading long documents like webpages or ebooks. That is why i like isilo because it allows you to scroll without the need to use the scroll bar.
Fast zooming is another thing that i would like to see on mobile devices. The kind of fast zooming used in opera browsers and netfront browsers are heading in the right direction. FAst zooming is already something that is fast developing even under windows mobile environment.
So, in the end, it comes to a matter of which operating system uses less battery power and will allow longer battery life.
My Athena is going on ebay this weekend because I have one of these now, might be something to look into for the rest of you, as there is an active hacker community too:
http://www.slatedroid.com/wiki/index.php?title=Pandigital_Novel
I only used the Athena as a nightstand emailer/websurfer/weatherchecker, so I have no use for a phone. It worked well enough for that, but the PDN is even better for my needs, and now works with android market. Very cool not to have to activesync to move downloaded cabs to the athena, plus there won't be much activity for winmo anymore since everything is incompatible with wp7 as I understand, while android market is just beginning. Just found a solution that works for my needs, and thought I would share it. Athena was good to me, but it's time for her to move on about her life's work.
Fashion
It does seem a shame that just as big screen devices like this one are coming into fashion this forum has fallen into disuse. It doesn't stop it from still being a very good device, and still very usable in my view. Plus with the amount of ROMS to choose from on this forum there must be one to suit most people. You never know, we may get another cook some time.
regards
Jay
Yes, the Android os is very interesting to look at. If someone created a 7 inch - 10 inch screen tablet with windows mobile 6.1, (or even wm5,6), I would seriously consider but of course the battery life must be good and the processor and ram should have enough power to improve internet experience.
I've used all sorts of devices, from Psion to OQO, Everun, Zaurus, HTC BA etc etc. Recently I bought the Ameo and I can say that after some customisation this little device fits my bill perfectly.
The Ameo has been more flexible (keyboard/Tablet, case, landscape/portrait, 3G/WiFi) than the Archos 5IT it replaced. Sure, Android is nice and iOS is fluid and modern, but the Ameo kills them all with a large 4/3 screen.
I'm using it right now with a Logitech wireless mouse, it's been on all day with a 30% battery drain, browsing with Opera Mobile 10 over 3G.
I wish manufactures would revisit the 4/3 aspect ratio, not everybody wants to watch widescreen films all day, and books look terrible in portrait on thin devices.
Many thanks to the members of these forums for all the tweaks and custom ROMs. this Ameo isn't dead yet.
Last week I bought one of the android tablet made in china. It is called APAD 7 inch styleflying.
The android os has somethings going but I have a number of complains. One of them is why did they do away with "scrollbars." While it is true that Many many people enjoy swiping the screen up and down and feel the screen moving at the command of the finger but it is also true that SCROLLBARS do make sense. Without scrollbars, i believe that many users have experience accidentally opening a program while they were trying to flip the screen up and down. android wants to do things differently I guess but in the process, they took away something very practical and useful. Just my personal opinion. If they want to do something that appears different, they can do what HTC hd2 did. When I look carefully, i realise that in fact, HTC hd2 has a kind of scroll bar on the main screen. It doesn't look like the traditional scrollbar but it does the same job. It allows the user to accurately move from page to page by pushing a slider. And who said programs in Android doesn't crash or hang or stop responding. In my experience, they do.
Anyway, it is a free operating system and it is open source so I hope it will improve in time to come.
Meanwhile, my Athena HTC x7500 rocks! If only I can wake up one morning and find my 5 inch screen Athena grow up and become 7 inch screen! Heh Heh!
5 inch is good size. But i would surely not mind having a 7 inch screen HTC x7500 in my collection.
I am new to the Athena myself by just having bought one for about 200 USD - and it was a great find as it is in perfect shape, looks brand new, no scratches whatsoever!
I sold my Acer F900, as I am through with touchphones, I hate them - it's too bulky and smart for a phone, but too little to do productive work (for me that's office and remote computer administration, mainly). So I decided to scrap the smarthphone, and go back to the roots: buy a small and light cellphone with physical buttons and a PDA.
So I went for the x7500, and I love it! It's 3 years old, and still getting the job done!
My only complaint now is with WiFi: it seems to 'forget' the passwords for APs for some reason...
Btw I use an extra light Taxist WM6.1 ROM (42 Megs), as I have my own proven programs I am using for years, so everything except the OS is unnecessary junk.
it is a shame it is not popular.
I have this device since June. I guess I am getting old, and the little screen of my Polaris was just not fun anymore. The screen of the Athena and the real keyboard were really the 2 attractive points before I touched the beast for real.
So here we go for a search and I found one almost new 5 months ago over the net for 200 Euros.
That's probably the best deal I have done.
I have the device at work and at home, also at customer site. I receive my calls (through Bluetooth), while taking notes or making reports. Even camera pictures are good to fill in reports. WM6.5 works great on this fast device, the only thing I miss is the letter recogniser mode when I have to take notes not seating somewhere. But vocal notes do the trick.
i check my mails both personnals and professionnals, review a presentation in the plane, give free phonecalls to my family while travelling, and finish by a good movie or the news on streaming TV.
It is said to be big, but in fact not bigger than a decent leather covered organizer.
So bad they stopped it...
And so bad there is so few brands believing in this all-in-one concept !!!
does anybody of you have a decent, stable ROM for it?
most of the links here are dead and trying the ROMs i was able to find was a great disappointment...i tried them all, even the Wm 6 ones.
thanks!
KukurikU said:
does anybody of you have a decent, stable ROM for it?
most of the links here are dead and trying the ROMs i was able to find was a great disappointment...i tried them all, even the Wm 6 ones.
thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
For dead links to ROMs, the trick is to Google the exact name and see if some kind soul has uploaded them somewhere - try it, it sometimes works.
I am using AGB 3.0 - to be honest, the device is slow by modern standards, and it not really finger-friendly, it takes quite a tap with a finger to get the thing to respond.
However, yesterday, a young American looked impressively at it as I used it in the train, and asked if it was a phone or a tablet - and what OS it ran. I told him it was old, several years old, and ran WM (albeit a new version). OK, he was disappointed - but that is it, this gadget was way ahead of its time, if they did it again, it would succeed with a few tweaks (modern CPU, faster and better battery).
rjstep3
KukurikU said:
does anybody of you have a decent, stable ROM for it?
most of the links here are dead and trying the ROMs i was able to find was a great disappointment...i tried them all, even the Wm 6 ones.
thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Check Michy's sigs in any of his comments - there is a link to all of his ROMs, he removed it from rapidshare.
I recommend his Clear Edition 6 R1 or something version - I found it quite usable as I wasn't able to revert the WM6.5 start menu, found in the AVG 3 rom, to 6.1.
Nah, not dead, still in daily use by many. My Athena was 3 years old last month and I still haven't found a phone that I might want (the HD2 is close, but I got one for my wife and the screen still just feels too small). Still carry it every day.
Me too! I have tested HD2, tested Androids but the Athena is still amazing!
help making it alive agine....
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=849080
I'm trying, (probably lot many people) to decide between the current dual core tabs and the quad core.
I will be using this tablet for most anything you can use a tablet for - lots of art applications, streaming movies and music (flash required), some sort of g-sensor/accelerometer, and bluetooth, as I already have a good bluetooth keyboard that pairs nicely with my Android Phone.
I currently own the Acer A500 but I'm still within my return period. I'm strongly leaning towards returning it and getting a quad-core tab but I like the features such as the full size usb port and I want to be able to use that for an external HD for movies, music, etc. Of course, a lot of web surfing will be included. I will be using it for some office features but mostly through Google Docs, as that's what I use on my current mini-notebook (which I'll probably get rid of once I have the tablet decided on for sure). Price is a thought but I want a 10" inch screen and front facing camera so I can use internet video chat, etc. which I think means I'm in the $500 dollar general price range.
I find the Asus Prime intriguing but I'd like to have a USB port without having to have the dock to get it. I read somewhere about either Toshiba or Lenovo coming out with a quad-core with full size usb but I can't find the release date on it now. I'm willing to wait a bit, but also know there is always something better around the corner and at some point I need to just pull the trigger as they say. Some people want to know about basic computer literacy...I'm comfortable with Android and some basic rooting etc - have had an Android phone for 2 years and followed the development closely for some time prior to that. I've rooted my phone & my husband's from about the first week we had them. In addition, I used to run a triple boot laptop with two linux distros and a Windows install so I'm fairly comfortable with the ins and out of doing something like that.
I guess my questions are, has anyone heard of any release dates for quad-core tabs beyond the Asus Prime? Are there any other tabs that you'd say "forget the quad core and go for... instead?" Any info on release dates (other than the general sometime in 2012 would be uber cool to hear).
Oh, I'll also be using it in the hospital quite a bit with multiple surgeries coming up and digital magazines and e-books are definitely part of what I'll be using it for.
Thanks so much in advance! I look forward to your advice!!
Rae
You DEFINITELY don't need a quad-core phone if you are mostly looking for reading books and watching movies.
Look for tablets with extended battery life (larger batteries).
Also you might want to take a look at eReaders on which CyanogenMod has been ported, allowing you to run Android on devices with awesome displays for extended reading.
GoodLUCK!
Ainol Elf II. 'Nuff said.
Hey guys!
I just ordered the Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 (P5100) 10.1" today via Flipkart (Indian Online Mega-Store) and it is expected to arrive in a few days. I'm really excited that it's going to be my first tablet, but mostly because it'll be the first Android device I own. I've been living with my Nokia N8-00 (Symbian Belle) for about 2 years now and I finally have a replacement.
Along with the excitement, I had a lot of questions about the device. I'll just list them below, so it'll be easier for you guys to answer them
1. Have I made the right choice?
The first thing I thought to myself after I pressed the 'Buy Now' button. I bought it mostly for watching movies and the TV shows that I regularly download from the internet. Some rigorous browsing, downloading of music, and mostly showing off my photos to other people (I'm a photographer and having a portfolio on-hand is a good idea). I haven't demoed the device before, but my friends have all said theirs works wonderfully (granted, they own the 7" version).
2. What is rooting? Do I need to root my device?
My friends keep talking about this rooting thing. I'm a new android user, so I lack the basic knowledge of these terminologies. Will I need to root my tablet? Is it safe to do so? What will I benefit from this procedure?
3. What are the best apps I can download?
I want to know what are the best apps I can install on my device for my particular needs (mentioned above). I also wanted to know how I can customize my device to the fullest extent. When I had an iPod Touch, I jailbroke it and installed WinterBoard to use custom themes and icons of my own choice. What is the procedure to replicate the same on an Android device?
4. Is Android App Development easy?
What language is it generally coded in? I have a basic understanding of HTML/CSS & PHP, a firm grasp on C# and .NET (from Windows 8 Development). I'd like to try my luck in the Android App genre, how many have tried the same and do you feel it is easy for a beginner/intermediate?
I'd really love it if you guys could help me out starting with this new journey of Android! Thank you all!
Amruth Pillai said:
Hey guys!
I just ordered the Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 (P5100) 10.1" today via Flipkart (Indian Online Mega-Store) and it is expected to arrive in a few days. I'm really excited that it's going to be my first tablet, but mostly because it'll be the first Android device I own. I've been living with my Nokia N8-00 (Symbian Belle) for about 2 years now and I finally have a replacement.
Along with the excitement, I had a lot of questions about the device. I'll just list them below, so it'll be easier for you guys to answer them
1. Have I made the right choice?
The first thing I thought to myself after I pressed the 'Buy Now' button. I bought it mostly for watching movies and the TV shows that I regularly download from the internet. Some rigorous browsing, downloading of music, and mostly showing off my photos to other people (I'm a photographer and having a portfolio on-hand is a good idea). I haven't demoed the device before, but my friends have all said theirs works wonderfully (granted, they own the 7" version).
2. What is rooting? Do I need to root my device?
My friends keep talking about this rooting thing. I'm a new android user, so I lack the basic knowledge of these terminologies. Will I need to root my tablet? Is it safe to do so? What will I benefit from this procedure?
3. What are the best apps I can download?
I want to know what are the best apps I can install on my device for my particular needs (mentioned above). I also wanted to know how I can customize my device to the fullest extent. When I had an iPod Touch, I jailbroke it and installed WinterBoard to use custom themes and icons of my own choice. What is the procedure to replicate the same on an Android device?
4. Is Android App Development easy?
What language is it generally coded in? I have a basic understanding of HTML/CSS & PHP, a firm grasp on C# and .NET (from Windows 8 Development). I'd like to try my luck in the Android App genre, how many have tried the same and do you feel it is easy for a beginner/intermediate?
I'd really love it if you guys could help me out starting with this new journey of Android! Thank you all!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well you're in the wrong forum. This is the original galaxy tab forum. Might want to post here: http://forum.xda-developers.com/forumdisplay.php?f=1596
Our tablet here is laggy and slow, so you're not going to get proper opinions
1. It really depends on if you have a desktop computer or a laptop as well. If you don't? Sure, it's good for browsing and some other things. But I find watching video on it to be awful, the screen is just too tiny in comparison to an actual monitor, nevermind a TV screen.
2. Rooting allows you to access commands and run apps that you normally wouldn't be able to do. Most of the time, on this forum anyway, it also involves flashing another rom like Cyanogenmod to get even more functionality and remove some of the bloat and crapware that comes with the tablet (like touchwiz).
3. I use Firefox, Apollo and Android's built in gallery. The Android Market also has top paid and free app listings
4. Apps are written in Java and aren't too complicated if you have knowledge of the language and device.
Hi all,
Been reading a lot of the excellent information from the various threads on the Android head units. Thoroughly excited then quite disappointed when errors seem to be commonplace after a short time.
So which in your esteemed knowledge is currently the best of the Chinese Android Head Units, for reliability and functionality?
Personally, I've had units in the past from Eonon and Chinavasion, and they both developed errors after a while (the Chinavasion unit was much better though, it's only issue's were the GPS failing (just died), and some intermittant errors which a power recycle (turn off/on) sorted out.
I have a Pioneer touch-screen unit in the car at the moment, and although it's been super reliable, having to convert video's to specific Divx resolutions is a major pita.
So I've been researching for a touch-screen unit which can handle multiple video formats without having to convert too many on my pc beforehand. Not bothered about GPS, bluetooth, or DVD. Just want video, usb port on the front (proper usb connection, not micro/mini), and radio. And obviously the ability to customise to my own tastes. This will be for a Nissan Cubic we just bought, and will be connected to a rear flip-down monitor and reverse camera.
Btw, which is better for reliability: Pure Android, or Android with WinCE? According to the Wiki, Android is just the pretty face of the MCU, so what's the point of pure Android?
Omarko is a forum member who I also have chatted to on Whirlpool. He had a bit of a nightmare with one unit (from AliBaba), which is based on this build:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2528349
He then ordered the following unit, which he says has been very reliable so far:
http://cgi.ebay.com.au/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=331089665694&ssPageName=ADME:X:RTQ:AU:1123
Would you suggest this as one of the better built units?
If this is in the wrong thread could the mods please move it to the correct one, and notify me?
OK, I'm going to talk insanely to myself.....
others: Well, good question, and the answer is that really none are reliable at all, so you're better off spending big on a name brand which does half the things.
me: Surely there is a particular unit which is better built than the others?
Others: Well, actually there is the ......... , which many forum members recommend, but as you probably read on the Wiki, it has these particular peculiarities: .....
me: Hey thanks, I really appreciate your opinion and information. What a great forum!
Hi _StormZ_
I guess you won't be reading a reply to your posts 9 months later, but someone might.
As you have discovered (me too, and many others), if you are looking for a reliable car head unit, stay away from these non-branded (even "branded") units from China. They are good for developers because there is always something to fix (until they die prematurely). If you want Android and reliable, wait until some of brand names (Alpine, Pioneer, Kenwood...) start making them (maybe they do already).