Dopod Introduces the CHT 9000 (HTC Hermes)

[Darius Wey]

<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://www.dopodasia.com/Dopod/Taiwan/Products/PDAPhone/CHT9000/default.htm' target='_blank'>http://www.dopodasia.com/Dopod/Taiw...000/default.htm</a><br /><br /></div><img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/2003/wey-20060630-CHT9000.jpg" /><br /><br />Asian-Pacific-based company, Dopod, has just introduced the CHT 9000 (HTC Hermes) through Taiwanese carrier, Chunghwa Telecom (CHT). The device features a Samsung 400MHz CPU, 64MB RAM, 128MB ROM, quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE/W-CDMA connectivity, Bluetooth 2.0, 802.11b/g Wi-Fi, a microSD slot, a 2.8" QVGA (240 x 320) TFT-LCD, a 2.0-megapixel camera, a slide-out QWERTY keyboard (with Chinese character support), and Windows Mobile 5.0 with the MSFP. <a href="http://shopping.pchome.com.tw/dopod/detail.php?pid=AZV00183">Sources</a> indicate a $25,800 TWD price tag (~$790 USD) with a free 512MB memory card and a Bluetooth headset. Any Taiwanese readers among us considering this device? :)

[txcas]

You will be able to get the same device from Expansys in July:
http://www.expansys.com/product.asp?code=TYTN

[bigneeker]

I never trust expansys for release dates. They are notorious for wrong dates.
though it would be great to have these by july 17th.

[Silver5]

I will NOT pay for that thing at such a ridiculous price. Maybe in the low $600s or high $500s but that is too much to ask. I will be getting one eventually though. I can wait till the prices drop since it is not a significant upgrade for US users.

[Jeff Song]

I will NOT pay for that thing at such a ridiculous price. Maybe in the low $600s or high $500s but that is too much to ask. I will be getting one eventually though. I can wait till the prices drop since it is not a significant upgrade for US users.

I'll be getting mine through cingular. But what else do you expect for the latest and greatest in PPCphones? The universal went for what, $1000 when it was new, up to $1200 for retail? And that thing didn't even have EDGE or 850mhz. All it had was the VGA screen, and I don't think the screen is worth half of the phone's asking price.

[Patrick Y.]

I will NOT pay for that thing at such a ridiculous price. Maybe in the low $600s or high $500s but that is too much to ask. I will be getting one eventually though. I can wait till the prices drop since it is not a significant upgrade for US users.

I'll be getting mine through cingular. But what else do you expect for the latest and greatest in PPCphones? The universal went for what, $1000 when it was new, up to $1200 for retail? And that thing didn't even have EDGE or 850mhz. All it had was the VGA screen, and I don't think the screen is worth half of the phone's asking price.

Agree... Though, I'm pretty sure you can get the phone cheaper than the stated price in taiwan...

[Jeff Song]

I will NOT pay for that thing at such a ridiculous price. Maybe in the low $600s or high $500s but that is too much to ask. I will be getting one eventually though. I can wait till the prices drop since it is not a significant upgrade for US users.

I'll be getting mine through cingular. But what else do you expect for the latest and greatest in PPCphones? The universal went for what, $1000 when it was new, up to $1200 for retail? And that thing didn't even have EDGE or 850mhz. All it had was the VGA screen, and I don't think the screen is worth half of the phone's asking price.

Agree... Though, I'm pretty sure you can get the phone cheaper than the stated price in taiwan...MMB over at Hofo and expansys will be charging 700+ when its finally out, just a guess though. If the wizard taught us anything, it's that unlocked versions of highly coveted devices come with a hefty premium - and considering how much extra the TyTN has packed into its skin, I'm making a bet it'll be 50-100 more than the wizard/9100 was when first released.

Hopefully cingular has it for &lt;$500 when it comes out on its network.

[JesterMania]

Since it supports W-CDMA, will this device work with Japanese phone carriers as well?

[scoopster]

Since it supports W-CDMA, will this device work with Japanese phone carriers as well?

Yes, because the TYTN/Hermes supports tri-band WCDMA/UMTS/HSDPA, it will in fact work at 2100MHz 3G in Japan......assuming either:
a) your native carrier (in this case, Chunghwa Telecom) has roaming agreements in Japan
or
b) you SIM-unlock it and install a 3G chip from DoCoMo or another WCDMA carrrier in Japan (note not all Japanese carriers use WCDMA, some use CDMA2000, which is completely different)

[saru83]

i thought HTC was going to close or not produce PPC phones under the name Dopad again as they own more than 51% of the shares &amp; as they r releasing the phone under there own Brand "HTC"

Any explanations?

[aquanaut]

This is a huge 3G launch for Chung-hwa Telecom (CHT), Taiwan's largest mobile carrier. They purchased 50,000 devices for sale with their CHT logo. After two-years of complaints, they even got HTC to print Chinese phonetics on the keypad. All Taiwan phones are sold 'unlocked'. This is a launch price (03-July) to help drive contracts with CHT. CHT is bundling four voice with four data plans. Signing up for the unlimited 3G and unlimited voice plan will cost approx. US$73/month and drops the devices price to US$378.00. CHT probably has an exclusive deal with HTC for this device, maybe for 90-days? Eventually, HTC will release the device as the Dopod 838 Pro and allow consumers to choose alternative carriers... and the carrier-less 'unlocked' version will be 15-20% lower than the currently advertised price of USD790. Pretty smart marketing really...

Cheers

[Darius Wey]

i thought HTC was going to close or not produce PPC phones under the name Dopad again as they own more than 51% of the shares &amp; as they r releasing the phone under there own Brand "HTC"

To my understanding, that was just a change in ownership. The Dopod name still lives on.

[Patrick Y.]

as they r releasing the phone under there own Brand "HTC"

Any explanations?

I don't think HTC is selling devices under their own name. They only use HTC for the code names of the devices (ex. HTC Universal, Hermes, etc.) .

[Darius Wey]

I don't think HTC is selling devices under their own name. They only use HTC for the code names of the devices (ex. HTC Universal, Hermes, etc.) .

Well, that's not entirely true. Qtek is now adopting the HTC name for all devices sold from here on. The first two of the crop are the HTC TyTN and HTC MTeoR.

[saru83]

I don't think HTC is selling devices under their own name. They only use HTC for the code names of the devices (ex. HTC Universal, Hermes, etc.) .

u might wanna check this out

http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/index.php?topic_id=49352

:wink:

[Patrick Y.]

oops.... :oops: You learn something new everyday.

I must I have missed that piece of news.

[aquanaut]

In case anyone is still following this thread, the HTC HERMES was released yesterday in Taiwan as the CHT 9000. The 'carrier-free' unlocked version, originally set at US$790 in 1-day has already fallen to $667...

cheers!

[Phillip Dyson]

Things are looking good.

Perhaps by the time the TyTN is release the end of July, we'll see prices around $650.

Okay maybe not. But I'm sure HTC is watching the market.

[robotbrain]

I'm not a Windows Mobile user so forgive me if this is an easy question, but does anyone know what, if it is possible, is required to change the CHT9000 to English? I am living in Taiwan and am considering defecting from Palm OS. The Chung Hwa Telecom unlimited data deal sounds pretty sweet...

[Nurhisham Hussein]

...but does anyone know what, if it is possible, is required to change the CHT9000 to English?

I won't tell you whether it's possible, all I can say is that changing the language of a Windows Mobile device is a breach of the WM license. Since changing the default language presumes that an English ROM is available anyway (and by extension, English language devices), it would be far easier (and legal) to obtain an English device in the first place. The Hermes will be released pretty much worldwide soon, so have a little patience :)

[robotbrain]

I'm ok with a ROM flash (don't tell MS) but want to try to get the Taiwan version as my boss may be willing to pay for it if I get it locally. I think he has connections to get good deals here...

[Drewdawg]

HI,

I hope someone can still help me from this thread. Im living in China and would like to buy the 9000 from Taiwan. Still can't figure out if there is a way to change the OS to english, as I cant read chinese. I called Dopod, and they said you can't, but hinted that there should be a way, altho they are against it as they have license with MS in Chinese.

Any help is much appreciated. Don't want to waste money on buyin the phone if i can't read it.

Thanks in advance.

[Darius Wey]

Welcome to Pocket PC Thoughts.

I hope someone can still help me from this thread. Im living in China and would like to buy the 9000 from Taiwan. Still can't figure out if there is a way to change the OS to english, as I cant read chinese. I called Dopod, and they said you can't, ...

Yes, short answer is, you can't.

...but hinted that there should be a way, altho they are against it as they have license with MS in Chinese.

The hint is, you acquire an English version of the ROM and install it on to the CHT 9000. The problem is, there are none available (at least, not publicly), and even if there was one available, installing it would be a breach of the end-user license agreement (in other words, illegal). By using a device, you digitally sign yourself into a licensing agreement with Dopod and Microsoft, and Dopod does the same with Microsoft.

Hope that makes sense.

If you want an English version of the same device (HTC Hermes with different branding), there is the HTC TyTN (http://europe.htc.com/products/htctytn.html) in Europe, and soon, the SPV M3100 (http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=50036).

[Drewdawg]

Hi Darius,

Thank you so much for your quick reply, altho not really the reply I was hoping to get...

Just read that they will release 838Pro in HK soon, which is suppose to be the Hk version of the CHT9000. Any idea if that will have English?

By breaching the licensing agreements (which I hope I don't offend anyone by asking), wouldn't it be possible to use the English version of the OS that is on the HTC Hermes and install it onto the CHT9000? And if so, will it just mean that I won't be able to update it/register the OS online....but still able to use it normally? Or will this cause any conflicts?

I really would like to get the CHT9000 as the price is quite reasonable, and it is much easier for me to get it then it would be for me to get one in Europe.

Thanks again for your help!

[Darius Wey]

Just read that they will release 838Pro in HK soon, which is suppose to be the Hk version of the CHT9000. Any idea if that will have English?

It's possible, but I wouldn't bet on it. A lot of the devices released in Hong Kong (in particular, Dopod's) are in Chinese.

By breaching the licensing agreements (which I hope I don't offend anyone by asking), wouldn't it be possible to use the English version of the OS that is on the HTC Hermes and install it onto the CHT9000?

No, because (a) ROMs for HTC's root devices do not exist publicly, and (b) installation of one company's ROM on to another company's device (even if it's of the same type) is not easily executed. It requires hacking of the setup files and ROMs themselves, which is something beyond what an end-user can do.