[MDA III, XDA III, PDA2k, 9090 General] lewcamino:
I just got a request to post a comparison of the SX66 (Blue Angel) and the 8125 (Wizard). So... here is goes.

Lets start with some obvious differences.

The 8125 has WM5 and it is quite stable. It also has that smart dialer and it kinda nice too. The contacts provides syncing with Outlook 2003 (and exchange 2003) in a more intricate way then WM2003 did. For instance it syncs contact pictures and therefore there is no need for a "photo contacts" app.

The BT on the 8125 is Microsoft, I think that is a double edge sword. You see it works with my BT headset like a champ!!! (Anyone who has suffered through using a bt headset with the blueangel knows what a relief it is to have it JUST WORK!) However I think that it dosent support certain BT profiles that the BA did, cause it used WICOMM (sp?).

The key board on the 8125 is SO much bigger then the BA (although the device is smaller). I was unsure of how much I would like the side sliding keyboard, but I got use to it in about 10 min and it is nice and easy to use, plus so far it hasn't just stopped working for no apparent reason and required a soft reset (once again BA owners know what I'm talking about)

I found it typing to be considerably faster on the 8125 then the BA just cause of way the keys click when pressed, its more defined then it was with the BA.

The 8125 has a 1.3 MP camera, I have to say that the VGA camera offered on some BA's sucked, and the SX66 didn't even have one. So the fact that the 8125 has a camera is great in comparison to the SX66 which didn't have one at all. Plus it does video, burst shots, shots specifically for contact photos, and up to a 2x zoom (digital). Its also has a light on it that, although it is quite bright to look at, doesnt seam to do much for the pictures. I think I will take a pic to post with this thread.

That brings me to WIFI, I know you are all thinking that they are equal when it comes to WIFI, but they aren't =) You see the 8125 works on G-only networks. I didn't change the registry on mine to make it do so either. I have posted about this an I am waiting for someone else to confirm this. Plus the WIFI works a lot more smoothly on the 8125. Just less over all hassle.

The 8125 has A LOT less hardware buttons then the BA. I have to admit that I missed them at first. However now there is a small app (and i mean REALLY tiny) that makes one hand use not just do able but down right easy.

The speaker on the 8125 is MUCH loader than the ba. I dont just mean on speaker phone or when ringing either, I mean on regular also. It is very easy to hear people now, even in a noisy place, such as Jamba Juice with all their blenders going and the music playing. I will admit that the sound on the 8125 has more treble then the BA had. The BA had quite a bit more bass. But I would rather hear the person I am talking to then hear my boom boom musics bass.

Voice command over BT works. To be honest it works well considering the voice codec for BT is 8bit and Voice Command uses 16bit. It requires some reg editing, not much at all, and ta da, it works.

The 8125 uses just a USB cable to sync and charge, and that also makes using it for DUN a lot more convenient. Where as the SX66 requires a proprietary connector.

The BA is faster when it comes to BIG programs such as GPS Navigation. As soon as I can get iGuidance working on the 8125 (I think it is a WM5 issue, I get a security message when I try to run the app after installing) I will post a good run down of the difference. However in day to day things like PIE, messaging, voice command, and phone calls of course it runs great. As soon as I can run iGuidance I will let you know. I can tell you that NAVIGON ran quite unbearably slow on the 8125.

The 8125 is MUCH smaller then the BA. It is much more portable, where as the BA was quite luggable. It is lighter, smaller, and one hand friendly (especially with that smartkey app). I was always finding myself dressing to so that I was suited to carry my SX66 all day... those sad days are gone now =)

I think I touched on everything there. But if you have any questions just post and I will be glad to answer.

Later; Lew

P.S. Wow, I almost forgot about EDGE. 8125 has EDGE. SX66 does not.

[E] > [G]

UPDATE:

Due to a little debate on Skype (I had never used it), I installed skype on the wizard. I then tested it. I ran skype with the wifi on and connected to a g-only access point. Skype ran good while not in a skype call. It was very responsive and chatting was easy. When I made a skype call it connected, and to be honest worked ok, the quality was good and the conversation wasn't lagged (not by the Wiard atleast). However I must say that the Wizard was VERY slow to respond to any input, such as pressing the hang up button in skype, but the conversation as smooth (BTW it was over the internet, NOT the local network.) So my conclusion is SKYPE WORX... it just uses ALMOST ALL of the devices resources.

BTW, I used Skype 2.0, from this URL. Download the one that says;

"Download Skype for 312 MHz CPUs"

http://www.skype.com/products/skype/pocketpc/download.html