yashsingh1/xdaforums huggingface dataset:
[JASJAR, XDA Exec, MDA Pro General] Pyrofer:
Orange are famous for bringing out phones 6 months after everybody else, and crapping up the firmware on them in the process.

I seriously doubt that the orange shop will get it that early. O2 have typicaly been quite good with XDA releases, I doubt they will let orange beat them this time.

If its 3 months for O2 (about what I was told on the phone last week) then its 6 months for orange. Or did they mean NEXT september?

However, anyone from O2 reading this, I will get this phone from whoever gets it first, if its Orange then im cancelling my O2 contract.

The O2 people on the phone said I was in the highest spending band and would get a good deal on this as an upgrade, so be warned, dont lose your customers!

On another note, no matter WHO i get it from, Ill be wiping out all the provider customisations like O2 active menu etc asap. So why do they bother? it just messes up the phone.
[JASJAR, XDA Exec, MDA Pro General] Hannibal:
Can I direct you towards the M500....AFAIK the XDAmini isn't out in the UK yet...

H
[JASJAR, XDA Exec, MDA Pro General] saldous:
Neither is the O2 XDA II Mini (AKA Magician / Imate JAM)
[JASJAR, XDA Exec, MDA Pro General] Pyrofer:
"Neither is the O2 XDA II Mini (AKA Magician / Imate JAM)"

Pardon? I have one on my desk, I bought it in the UK, its a UK model...

If you are suggesting the Magician isnt available in the UK then clearly you need to do better research, its been available for a LONG time here.

"Can I direct you towards the M500....AFAIK the XDAmini isn't out in the UK yet... "

Um, what I said was that Orange is usualy late bringing out a phone, so saying it isnt out in the UK can only agree with my point? Or am I totally misunderstanding you?

Anyway, I thought the XDAMini WAS the Magician/Jam ?
[JASJAR, XDA Exec, MDA Pro General] jaythemagician:
I have my vpa compact from uk vodafone too-another version of that jam.Oranges version has been out a while too
[JASJAR, XDA Exec, MDA Pro General] xiasma:
Well, I popped into my local O2, Orange, T-mobile and Vodafone stores on Wednesday.

O2 now list the Exec in their new catalogue. From £free to £179.99 to £229.99 iirc, depending on contract. Release date September.

The guy in the T Mobile shop said "definately september, when we properly launch 3G"

The chap in the Orange shop, who last week had never heard of the device, tells me that on that very morning they received a "Display backing card" for the M5000, but don't yet have the fake device for display.

Vodafone are going to get back to me.
[JASJAR, XDA Exec, MDA Pro General] xiasma:
Just heard from Vodafone. They have it down as the VPI 640 and have pencilled in a release date of 28th October.
[JASJAR, XDA Exec, MDA Pro General] mjames_84:
Well this should make everyone smile, just been to my local O2 store to enquire about the XDA Exec.

Whilst they didn't give me any more information other then a vague September release date, the salesman seemed positive that it was an inferior product to my XDA II....guess they're not that well informed afterall, because we all know differently right guys :D
[JASJAR, XDA Exec, MDA Pro General] rick83:
yeah.. this is the part i hate... the waiting part... :x
[JASJAR, XDA Exec, MDA Pro General] Hannibal:
Er, yes, you misunderstood. I agree with you that Orange is usually the last network to release a new phone, however in the case of the Magician (XDA2mini on O2, M500 on Orange) it's the other way round.

H
[JASJAR, XDA Exec, MDA Pro General] saldous:
Phone up O2 or look on the O2 XDA web site. O2 UK do not offer the Mini. You may have got it from somewhere that has imported it, O2 will not be offering the Mini in the UK. T-Mobile do and now Vodafone. But you can't buy one direct from O2 here.
[JASJAR, XDA Exec, MDA Pro General] Pyrofer:
OK, I wasnt being operator specific, the Jam IS out in the UK, but under what brands/labels I have no idea.

Anyway, good news people... I looked at a real printed O2 catalogue, and it had the Universal in it!!!

Its called the XDA Exec. Claimed date, September.

Carphonewarehouse knew nothing about it and denied its existance, however go into any O2 shop with the latest catalogue and its in there.

Some of the staff even know what it is!
[JASJAR, XDA Exec, MDA Pro General] mavrik64:
Is this catalog avilable online?

Can't get to an O2 shop at the moment.

:D
[JASJAR, XDA Exec, MDA Pro General] ccsnet:
I'd be intrested in seeing one of these but I am not sure how pratical no display would be in a car situation... if you see what I mean.

Terran
[JASJAR, XDA Exec, MDA Pro General] Tekguru:
Check out this thread to see the catelogue. You will have to be logged in I think........
[JASJAR, XDA Exec, MDA Pro General] ccsnet:
Here is a question for you call... lid closed with the screen facing you - will you get a dial pad etc ? Comes back to my Car Kit question above....

Thanks

Terran

EDIT thought of a prob here... in the car - how do you charge it ? The USB port ? Then it would need to be in a land scape mode holder... a bit strange if you ask me.. should have been at the bottom..

http://www.eprice.com.tw/news/?news_id=2913

T
[JASJAR, XDA Exec, MDA Pro General] Tekguru:
Dial pad automatically no - but you can press the phone button, or do you mean if a call comes in?
[JASJAR, XDA Exec, MDA Pro General] ccsnet:
Thinking of both really.... ie in a Car situation how pratical is it.

What I mean is that the MDA3 etc seem to be the best shape - the connectors at the bottom and easily acessable in a car holder.

The MDA 4 ( or Universal ) seems to be a little impractial not having a screen on display for the most part so I'm wondering in a real life enviroment how well would it work both dialing and receiving calls... apart from how do you charge it etc. ( connectors on the side )

I can see this been a business tool and most business people ( inc me ) spend a lot of time in the car.... to me it seems this very basic thing might have been forgoten and been replaced by design hence the sort of strange questions.... if you see what I mean.

Terran
[JASJAR, XDA Exec, MDA Pro General] BoSJo:
Yep, car cradle would have to be in Landscape with connection to USB.

The cradle would have to be shaped in a way that would allow you to activate the call buttons.

Not for incooming calls, as a dialog box will appear on screen [Answer | Ignore | (And the missing) Mute Call]

But for showing the Phone application, so you don't have to Start->Phone.

But then again, what if we are able to change the layout of the two soft keys
[JASJAR, XDA Exec, MDA Pro General] elkay:
Why not a 90 degree rotatable base/holder? Seems kinda elementary to me. :)
[JASJAR, XDA Exec, MDA Pro General] BoSJo:
Well as I se it; I hate using two hands when putting the phone in the car cradle ( As I'm doing now with my BA )

If the cradle where to rotate 90 degree, you would need arms to hold it, so it won't slide out of the cradle in an upright position.

No i'd like a landscape model that the universal would slide down into, and sit secuerly. Only using one hand!!!
[JASJAR, XDA Exec, MDA Pro General] ccsnet:
And with that I think my point ( or question ) is prooved - its not very pratical in a car.... like I say if this is a business machine then surley this must be a boo boo in design ? Can you see the exec how spends hours on the road not been able to make calls or see the screen - let alone charge it ? And if your using it via BT surely it would not last long with out a charge in a day if been hammered ?

I have to say this convo has basically made me decide to wait for the magition as that seems a little more car friendly as such.

Terran

EDIT - makes you wonder what the Universal really offers over the side kick apart from corprate functions....
[JASJAR, XDA Exec, MDA Pro General] elkay:
Don't need 2 arms. Just 2 sides that the phone can "rest" on. In landscape mode, you simply slide it straight down and in. In portrait mode, you rest it on the bottom (what used to be the side), and slide it to the side to engage the USB connector that holds it into place. Simple and functional one-handed design. :)
[JASJAR, XDA Exec, MDA Pro General] elkay:
A non-proprietary development platform that allows you to install your own applications and has more than 32MB of RAM? I had an SK1 and SK2. Trust me, you don't want it. :roll:
[JASJAR, XDA Exec, MDA Pro General] BoSJo:
You just fold it so the screen is visible, then cradle it.

Power is supplied via USB.

Would work as anyother car cradle.

I don't se any problem in this, other than the missing Hardware keys.

But thats what the new two Soft keys are for, ain't it :?:
[JASJAR, XDA Exec, MDA Pro General] BoSJo:
Sorry but I just don't se how this would work without some kind of moveable arms, and then you'd need both hands to cradle it.

I'm not using car cradle that don't secure my device 100%, and the way I see your description, there is no way to do it without moveable arms :cry:
[JASJAR, XDA Exec, MDA Pro General] xiasma:
Orange and now saying September too. Can anyone find out about T Mobile? then we'd have dates for all four networks carrying the Universal
[JASJAR, XDA Exec, MDA Pro General] Anton.Valleyman:
Regards o2, I sent an email to Staff Accounts asking

Would I be able to upgrade within the 12month period for my XDA2i?

Does it involve a fine?

When is it likely O2 SA will have the Exec? (there was a small delay when the 2i came out to SA selling it)

I got this reply:

Thank you for your email.

I have been in touch with our marketing department to try and get some information regarding the release of the new XDA but unfortunately they cannot provide me with anything at this time. They have advised that (Subject to network testing) that more information will be available in the middle of September so I would prefer not to commit to any comments regarding upgrading and costs at this time until we know more.

I am sorry I cannot provide anything further and I hope you understand our position at this time.

Please let me know if I can help further.

Kind regards

Maybe an October launch? Do we know for sure it's September? It is O2, remember!

Cheers

Ant
[JASJAR, XDA Exec, MDA Pro General] Pyrofer:
From a story on TheRegister,

"The carrier (Orang) confirms the device will support Bluetooth and tri-band GSM/GPRS connectivity in addition to its 3G support. The Universal is also expected to support Wi-Fi, but there's no mention of it here - possibly Orange has asked HTC to disable the feature in the M5000."

Hmmm, doesnt sound very promising, but given the quality of their reporting....

Anyone have actual reliable facts on this?
[JASJAR, XDA Exec, MDA Pro General] Tekguru:
The Exec does have WiFI :)
[JASJAR, XDA Exec, MDA Pro General] wamatt:
This makes no sense. Why would the Universal only be triband if the Blue Angel is quad? I'm holidaying in the USA at the moment and TMobile works like a charm on my PDA2k. If its aimed at a business traveller it has to be quad or even 5-band.
[JASJAR, XDA Exec, MDA Pro General] AdmiralAK:
There are only 4 GSM bands = 800, 900, 1800, 1900 (GSM 450 was never accepted)

UMTS has for the moment two bands = 1900, 2100 and the 800 band is up-and-coming.

The XDA IIi is only Triband, so is the Jam (I believe).

The Universal will only be triband from the indications that we've seen thus far.

If you pick T-Mobile as your carrier in the USA, you cannot go wrong. Their network is purely 1900 with some 800 roaming but the 800 roaming is "extended coverage" that not all phones get ;)
[JASJAR, XDA Exec, MDA Pro General] elkay:
TMo is HORRIBLE in our area (Connecticut). I had dead spots and roaming all over the place. Gave it over a year and no change. Switched to Sprint, problem solved!! No more dropped or missed calls, and I never enter roaming. :)
[JASJAR, XDA Exec, MDA Pro General] wamatt:
Yeah the XDA IIs was the only quadband. I reckon its just a cost saving move.

Also some countries still use 450/400

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GSM_frequency_ranges

The reason I mentioned it is I think I saw a press release about a large European operator going 450mhz but it could have ben CDMA come to think of it.

What I would really want is a XDAIIs with 3G support and a VGA screen, XGA camera, Quadband, 802.11g, and a 600mhz processor. :) That would totally dominate.
[JASJAR, XDA Exec, MDA Pro General] ccsnet:
No release date or price but this is the same place that is expecting a stock of the Wizard soon having good relations with Qtek.

http://www.buymobilephones.net/store/merchant-4-34-423-Phones.ihtml

PS Its not on the UK Tmobile site yet - I just checked ... mind you they admited to me once they are not that quick at getting it updated.

Terran
[JASJAR, XDA Exec, MDA Pro General] wamatt:
Interesting - thats the first pic I've seen where its in "Normal" phone mode. IE with the screen on the outside.. it looks good.
[JASJAR, XDA Exec, MDA Pro General] Anton.Valleyman:
Interesting...

The 2i was £99.99 last week, I'm sure of it.

Now it's £69.99

http://shop.o2.co.uk/cgi-bin/o2uk/jsp/handset/SelectHandset.do?page=2&manufacturer=all

Soon be Exec time!!!
[JASJAR, XDA Exec, MDA Pro General] Rudegar:
huh i've never seen CDMA in europe

i believed that along with 800/1900 it was only used

in usa
[JASJAR, XDA Exec, MDA Pro General] xiasma:
O2 have pushed back their launch date to 3rd October, but T Mobile are confident of a september release. They'll be launching it with 3G services, some tie in with Google (who recently bought Android and Dodgeball - mobile phone s/w and wireless service providers respectively) and a whole host of new tariffs. But I reckon it'll not happen before 1st October.
[JASJAR, XDA Exec, MDA Pro General] Poke_N_PDA:
It's official, T-mobile germany is going to be launching the Universal (mda pro) on September 1st. This is great news to everyone, because it means that the other European carriers can't be far behind (too bad I'm in the US). I think that this will also mean that the other WM5 stuff will start to come out soon as well (wizard, apache, smartphones, ect.). Here is the link to the story.

http://msmobiles.com/news.php/4200.html

Zach
[JASJAR, XDA Exec, MDA Pro General] AdmiralAK:
CDMA exists in Europe in Western Europe and Russia. These operators were using NTM at 450Mhz. They experimented with GSM 450 - but that never took off, so they went with CDMA 1x 450. These CDMA networks utilize RUIMs (SIMs).

In Asia CDMA runs on 800 Mhz (like some parts of north america)
[JASJAR, XDA Exec, MDA Pro General] joebongo:
XDA Exec

Coming second week of October on O2 UK - got it from a store manager today when I returned my BA due to the irritating faint static on the mp3 playback.
[JASJAR, XDA Exec, MDA Pro General] Rudegar:
well i just never seen or heard of cdma being used in europe

here when gsm came along everybody here changed to it

and payed nmt users to change and gave them a gsm phone

of cause i know little of the other countries usage of nmt or cdma
[JASJAR, XDA Exec, MDA Pro General] xiasma:
T mobile officially state MDA Pro for UK "from Septembe

http://www.t-mobile.net/CDA/uk_-_must_have_gadgets,20,,newsid-4111,en.html?w=1280&h=866

"MDA Pro: For the trendsetter and city slicker. A highly desirable all-in-one device on sale from September. This groundbreaking ‘mini-laptop’ offers PDA and mobile handset functionalities in one super compact device. The MDA Pro also has Wi-Fi and 3G capabilities, as well as a mini Qwerty keypad and unique swivel screen design, making it this year’s hottest gadget. "
[JASJAR, XDA Exec, MDA Pro General] xiasma:
Also, the Google tie-in, probably called "web’n’walk", will likely include 30mb of data for £10/month with additional data in the ballpark of £1.50/Mb. A voice tariff is needed in addition.

The MDA Pro should cost under £300 with a web’n’walk tarrif.
[JASJAR, XDA Exec, MDA Pro General] Pyrofer:
"Coming second week of October on O2 UK - got it from a store manager today"

The Catalogues clearly state SEPTEMBER in them, and the staff I spoke to on the phone all say the same, have O2 dropped it back already????

Ill start beating people with pointy sticks if they have.

I cant stand this waiting. Argh. ARGH.
[JASJAR, XDA Exec, MDA Pro General] saldous:
I guess September will be the official launch date, but stock availability in stores won't happen until October.

This site: http://www.smartdevicesdirect.com/product_info.php?products_id=927 has changed to say availability of the Wizard is now 5th October where as a week ago it said September. So I guess there is supply issues getting stock to the outlets for both of these new devices.
[JASJAR, XDA Exec, MDA Pro General] Southern_Man:
This is quite funny, but a lot of these guys do the same thing year on year. When the CARRIERS go to market, then you can trust the dates Expansys and co have. CARRIERS have the power here....

Xda Exec is 1st to 2nd week of October depending on where you are.... London will get it first, Scunthorpe probably not... :wink:
[JASJAR, XDA Exec, MDA Pro General] gavinfabl:
O2 UK Date

Well I'm buying my device at 10.00am 12th September 2005 from 02 for £149.99.

Dial 02 from handset. Upgrade etc. This was confirmed yesterday. You cant buy it until after 10am 12th Sept 2005..

£149.99 is an upgrade cost. I believe it £249.99 full price
[JASJAR, XDA Exec, MDA Pro General] Pyrofer:
What number did you call?

I just phoned them on the upgrades department from a landline and was told "That is NOT something we will be stocking here, at all."

They even suggested I try Carphone Warehouse !!!!!

This is the same dept that said yes they are getting it and to call back in Sept. Man, this sucks. I want some concrete info that stays the damn same!

I dont mind so much the waiting, but its the not knowing what the hell is going on, IF YOUR FROM O2, PLEASE SORT THIS OUT!!!!

Ill just cancel my contract if I cant get it sorted soon, because its available already in other places now.....
[JASJAR, XDA Exec, MDA Pro General] Anton.Valleyman:
Staff Accounts don't have that kinda info, though at least it was promising in that the woman actually knew what I was on about...unlike when the 2i was out.

Ant
[JASJAR, XDA Exec, MDA Pro General] gavinfabl:
As I high user I have been given a special number. 402 for all customer orders. This also gives me a discount supposedly. They verify your mobile number etc.. when you call.

My info is 100% correct. Period.

I am not responsible nor do I work for O2. So your comments in capital letters were offensive.

Why dont you check my sister website out http://www.justinelaymond.com (and if you're kind enough leave a message of support in her guestbook), or think of the suffering in the US and around the world before moaning about a materialistic item and/or making an assumption of where I work.

Perha
[JASJAR, XDA Exec, MDA Pro General] Pyrofer:
Firstly, sorry. I was not talking directly to you when I said about working for o2.

What I meant to say was,

Anyone reading this who works for O2, sort it out!

I shortened it to "if your from o2" meaning the person reading it, I wasnt refering to you directly and am sorry.

But, the fact that you say you have to be a "high" user with a special direct line to the REAL customer support department just shows how much of a crappy joke o2 customer support actualy is, when they admit that for real information you need a different number!

It doesnt cost anything to give your staff correct information, in fact id say its essential business practice! You shouldnt give artificialy inflated service to premium users by making normal service worse by deliberatly mis-informing staff.

Thanks for your information, Rest assured ill be chasing o2 every day now.
[JASJAR, XDA Exec, MDA Pro General] mzaslam:
This is my post on this forum but I have been following the news on the HTC Universal closely. I have had both a XDAII and XDAIIi in the past.

I have been checking all the UK Network websites on a regular basis in the hope that the release date and pricing would be confirmed.

I just wonder why O2 and other Network Providers are so hush hush about it all. Other than the fact that it could hurt sales of existing products, I can't really see any reason why they refuse to disclose any concrete details about the release date, or price. Maybe each Network is waiting for the other to show their hand?

Especially, when you consider i-mate, Orange UK and T-Mobile (Germany) all have the Universal listed on their website.

Gavinfabl - I popped into an O2 store at the weekend and the O2 assistant told me that it was due to release in August but had now been pushed back to Spectember. I picked up a brochure and it does indeed say September as being the release date - price upto £229.99.

Roll on September 12th...
[JASJAR, XDA Exec, MDA Pro General] gavinfabl:
Thanks for apology.

Tomorrow I will be with Microsoft and will be able to obtain a number of WM5 devices.

However, they will be unlocked but cost more than the price quoted by O2.

If I get one, I will reveal all, and answer all, although Im sure many of these devices are already in operation.
[JASJAR, XDA Exec, MDA Pro General] chrisford101:
yet another date for release!

just a quick post to further blaze o2 and the info they give out. Rang today on normal customer service number and when I pressed her for info she stated that she said the first batch will be available in their warehouse for the 3rd of October (according to her computer) stating that the release had been delayed due to problems in their testing process. She also pointed out that this would be the EARLIEST possible date it would be available. It would be really nice if people who rang o2 could get the same answer twice!
[JASJAR, XDA Exec, MDA Pro General] gavinfabl:
Re: yet another date for release!

so i rang o2 again.

and now the price is still the same after a haggle explaining my conversation yesterday.

and now the date is not confirmed as 12th Sept.

So i'm really gutted . Still I could get an imate jasjar tomorrow.
[JASJAR, XDA Exec, MDA Pro General] Pyrofer:
Well, I called the 402 number, got given an 0870 number, called that, held for aaages, finally got a nice bloke who confirmed the 3rd October date.

He said there was no product code or pricing so I have to wait untill that happens. Basically, thats 2 of us that got the 3rd Oct date, so id assume the september date is out the window now :(
[JASJAR, XDA Exec, MDA Pro General] gavinfabl:
The only thing could be the date is brought forward due to other carriers releasing device and the lady I spoke to told me info she shouldnt.

She knew the Exec and all the pricing etc without looking it up.

Im still going to ring on the 12th. But October does look more releastic. There is a code for it though. This was confirmed in my second call,
[JASJAR, XDA Exec, MDA Pro General] xiasma:
Pyrofer said

:evil: errrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

On Tue Aug 30, 2005 13:39, xiasma said

HTH :roll:
[JASJAR, XDA Exec, MDA Pro General] marcelol:
Anyone willing to .....

work out a deal with someone from the US to get a Universal via your upgrade path ?

If anyone's up, I'd be very interested, and make it worth person's time.

After all, it's not like the USA carriers ARE PLANNING ( are you listening TMobile ? ) to bring out that unit over here anytime soon.

Marcelo

PS> Sorry for raising my voice
[JASJAR, XDA Exec, MDA Pro General] Pyrofer:
Xiasma> sorry for missing you, I should have said "at least 2 of us with the 3rd of Oct date"

Anyway, the 3rd looks to be a pretty reliable date now :( A bit more waiting I guess.

Marcelol> I dont think there are going to be many people who would be willing to get a Universal and pass it on! I know if i get the chance to own one I will keep it! If they do it will be via ebay and extremely high prices.

You could try Expansys as they have a US site that sells the Universal I beleive.

Good luck to everyone trying to get one!

One other thing, If people are going to get it by whatever route they can most people will want to unlock it for all carriers right?

Does anybody know if the unlock tool works on the Universal or is it too early to tell yet?