Got Me A Cavalier - Let's Open That Box

[JohnnyFlash]

<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qvmRWANi4RI' target='_blank'>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qvmRWANi4RI</a><br /><br /></div>Look at what the UPS driver delivered for me yesterday - a HTC s630 (Cavalier) Smartphone. :mrgreen: The first thing I did was grab the camera and film the unboxing. I'll be using the device over the course of the next week and I should have a full review of this up by the middle of next week.<br /><br /><object width="425" height="350"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/qvmRWANi4RI" /> <embed width="425" height="350" src="http://www.youtube.com/v/qvmRWANi4RI" type="application/x-shockwave-flash"></embed> <br /></object>I've only been using it for a couple hours, but I have to tell you, this thing is FAST. In fact, it's the fastest Windows Mobile Standard device that I've used. It's also wide - especially for someone who had been using the BlackJack for as long as I have. I don't have any numbers or pictures to show the difference in width, but it is very noticeable to me. Anyway, enjoy the video, let me know if you have any questions and watch for the review coming next week! Thanks to the guys over at <a href="http://www.mobileplanet.com/p.aspx?i=149749&amp;f=21&amp;partner=sthoughts">MobilePlanet.com</a> for making this review unit available to me.

[Pete Paxton]

Very cool video. I may want one of these.

[Prosper]

I've always wondered about that "Pro" on the box, too... Got that same thing on my Vox box...

Also, the device interior structure, you know, the battery slot and so, reminds me of my Vox... seems like HTC changed some main designs there...

[Menneisyys]

I've always wondered about that "Pro" on the box, too... Got that same thing on my Vox box...


It seems all newer HTC products have this - so does my P3600 PPC.

[rkdiddy]

Hi Mike,

Does the unit come with BB Connect?

Cheers,

Rick

[JohnnyFlash]

I'm really curious about the battery life in 3G mode; better/same or worse than the Blackjack....

[JohnnyFlash]

It's always odd to put a voice to someone you've spoken to via the web via text...but never heard. Your voice is different than than one on my head...but now I know the real one! ;)

[david-ruffin]

i've used the Cavalier since January and i could say it's my favorite smartphone. same observation as Mike's, it's the fastest smartphone i've ever used, thanks to its Samsung 400MHz processor. i showed it to members of our local Palm User Group and they were impressed by its speed (they thought of switching platforms after they observed the device's snappiness). battery life on an average for me is around at least a day when on dual-mode. i only switch to 3G mode for internet surfing, so most of the time i'm on GSM mode to conserve battery life.

the processor is fast, but for some reason, I couldn't make a Skype call with it. maybe the newest version of Skype for Smartphones can work now with the Cavalier, but I'm amazed why Skype works flawlessly with the HTC Vox which runs on a slower processor! 8O

it's really great for emails, unfortunately, during my time of testing, the Blackberry client wasn't released yet for the Cavalier but I'm pretty sure it's gonna work well. i've used it once for writing a 1,000 word article for a local magazine with the Beta version of Documents-To-Go (Windows Mobile 6 wasn't released for the Cavalier back then) and i couldn't believe i did the whole thing on a small device!

i miss using the Cavalier. last night, i played with the Samsung I600. screen is nice but smaller than the Cavalier, and i like the latter's thumboard better. if i were to choose, i'd pick the Cavalier over the Samsung I600.

[baralong]

It's a great device, I've got the Dopod version. Does the HTC have the WWE ROM? Mine has HK chinese and it causes a few problems at times.

Also the dopod has this edit menu that pops up when you hit fn+space that helps you cut copy and paste etc. Does the HTC have that?

Oh and yes it's fast :)

[JohnnyFlash]

ohhhh, im excited for the review, as well as a response on the battery life. i love my blackjack, but the battery life is pretty weak :(

[JohnnyFlash]

Hi Mike,

Does the unit come with BB Connect?

Cheers,

Rick

It's not on the phone - that I have noticed anyway. It might be on the CD. I'll check that when I get a chance.

[JohnnyFlash]

I'm really curious about the battery life in 3G mode; better/same or worse than the Blackjack....

It's the worst HTC battery life I have seen since the early tanager days. Basically, it's the same as the BlackJack - without the extended battery. :(

[JohnnyFlash]

It's always odd to put a voice to someone you've spoken to via the web via text...but never heard. Your voice is different than than one on my head...but now I know the real one! ;)


:lol: Sorry to disappoint. ;) Actually, I'm getting over a cold, so that's not my 100% normal voice.

[JohnnyFlash]

Also the dopod has this edit menu that pops up when you hit fn+space that helps you cut copy and paste etc. Does the HTC have that?

Interesting... No, the HTC s630 doesn't have this. I find that odd that HTC would sell their Dopod brand with an application that isn't on their HTC branded device. Especially something like cut and paste.

Are you sure that came on the device and wasn't added after? Is it listed in the remove programs menu?

[baralong]

Also the dopod has this edit menu that pops up when you hit fn+space that helps you cut copy and paste etc. Does the HTC have that?

Interesting... No, the HTC s630 doesn't have this. I find that odd that HTC would sell their Dopod brand with an application that isn't on their HTC branded device. Especially something like cut and paste.

Are you sure that came on the device and wasn't added after? Is it listed in the remove programs menu?

It's part of the ROM. I did a hard reset and spent half an hour switching to English. It's not is remove programs list. Very handy though, select, cut, copy and paste, easier than a professional edition

[lsainsbury]

I really hate un-boxing videos - they are soooo yesterday!

Nice phone though...

[david-ruffin]

yes, the Dopod C730 has a WWE version. i'm not sure though how to make the switch from a Chinese version to a WWE.

i also find it interesting that the Cut/Copy+Paste feature was not included in the HTC ROM. it was extremely useful when i tested the unit with a WWE Dopod ROM. you won't find it in the Add/Remove programs since it's already embedded in the ROM. this same feature can be found on the Dopod C720 (a.k.a. HTC Excalibur)


Also the dopod has this edit menu that pops up when you hit fn+space that helps you cut copy and paste etc. Does the HTC have that?

Interesting... No, the HTC s630 doesn't have this. I find that odd that HTC would sell their Dopod brand with an application that isn't on their HTC branded device. Especially something like cut and paste.

Are you sure that came on the device and wasn't added after? Is it listed in the remove programs menu?

It's part of the ROM. I did a hard reset and spent half an hour switching to English. It's not is remove programs list. Very handy though, select, cut, copy and paste, easier than a professional edition

[david-ruffin]

AFAIK, BB Connect doesn't come pre-installed with the Cavalier nor its part of the CD Software. It has to be downloaded from the HTC website.


Hi Mike,

Does the unit come with BB Connect?

Cheers,

Rick

It's not on the phone - that I have noticed anyway. It might be on the CD. I'll check that when I get a chance.

[Pete Paxton]

I really hate un-boxing videos - they are soooo yesterday!

Nice phone though...

Really? I go to just about every unboxing video I can. There are many devices I'll never own but it's fun to watch them get unboxed. Oh well, to each his own!

[hokie36]

Anyway, enjoy the video, let me know if you have any questions and watch for the review coming next week!

When reviewing the Cavalier, please try out MS Live Search, Yahoo! Go, and Worldmate. A few of the users of the Dopod C730 are having input issues with these programs. I have tried to get support from the application developers with the issue but have not had much luck. The Yahoo! Go support has been useless telling me that my device isn't supported even though they have it listed with its own download page. I would think having these issues brought up in a review here would help us speed along the resolution process.

The issue is when typing in certain text fields, you are unable to input letters if that key also has a number or certain symbols associated with it using the FN key. As an example, typing in "123 Jeff Rd" would input "123 J155 34". There is a user over at the HoFo forums that has tried on a C630 and says that it suffers from this same input bug as the Dopod C730.

It would be great to get more exposure on this issue and figure out where the problem lies.

[dwhitney]

When reviewing the Cavalier, please try out MS Live Search, Yahoo! Go, and Worldmate. A few of the users of the Dopod C730 are having input issues with these programs. I have tried to get support from the application developers with the issue but have not had much luck. The Yahoo! Go support has been useless telling me that my device isn't supported even though they have it listed with its own download page. I would think having these issues brought up in a review here would help us speed along the resolution process.

The issue is when typing in certain text fields, you are unable to input letters if that key also has a number or certain symbols associated with it using the FN key. As an example, typing in "123 Jeff Rd" would input "123 J155 34". There is a user over at the HoFo forums that has tried on a C630 and says that it suffers from this same input bug as the Dopod C730.

It would be great to get more exposure on this issue and figure out where the problem lies.

DITTO. I've got the 630 and have this text input problem in the named applications. However when I attempt to input any letters that also have numbers on the keys, I don't get the numbers, the phone just beeps at you like "hey you idiot, you're only supposed to put letters here and you are typing in numbers!". Given how one of the 'features' of SM/WM6 Standard devices is 'smart' field input where it automatically changes from text to numbers and vice versa based on the field you are entering data into, I'd be shocked if this weren't just a generic WM6 Standard issue and not device specific.

No way around it that I can figure out.

VERY FRUSTRATING and it would be GREAT to get some real attention to this shortcoming.

[dwhitney]

Does the Cavalier use the same accessories as the Dash. Can you use the same charger, car chanrger and, battery (as a spare). If the battery size is the same, perhaps we can use the Seidio extended battery, which is 1300.

I'm not sure about the battery but the answer on the charger accessories is a definite yes as both the dash and the cavalier just use a mini-usb based port for power/charging (most/a lot of phones these days do that now).

I too would be interested in knowing if the Seidio battery would work though.

[hokie36]

DITTO. I've got the 630 and have this text input problem in the named applications. However when I attempt to input any letters that also have numbers on the keys, I don't get the numbers, the phone just beeps at you like "hey you idiot, you're only supposed to put letters here and you are typing in numbers!". Given how one of the 'features' of SM/WM6 Standard devices is 'smart' field input where it automatically changes from text to numbers and vice versa based on the field you are entering data into, I'd be shocked if this weren't just a generic WM6 Standard issue and not device specific.

No way around it that I can figure out.

VERY FRUSTRATING and it would be GREAT to get some real attention to this shortcoming.

You may be right about the WM6 issue. I do not think I've heard of any Vox users having the input bug, but both Cavalier platforms (Dopod C730 & HTC S630) along with the HTC Mogul have been reported as having these input issue with the hardware keyboards. BTW...Pocketnow.com did a review and mentioned this as one of the "Cons" and bugs of the phone.

[Mike Temporale]

I too would be interested in knowing if the Seidio battery would work though.

No luck on that one. Sorry.

[Mike Temporale]

Ok, to answer your ongoing keyboard concerns. There is nothing wrong or buggy about the keyboard on the cavalier. The problem is in how the software handles the keyboard. Each keyboard is different and applications need to be updated to handle this. This was highlighted a while back with the guys from SOTI and the problems they had. If you're having problems with an application and how it interacts with the keyboard, you'll need to talk with the developer. There's nothing HTC or Microsoft can do to help it out.

Well, Microsoft could make the keyboard controls more universal so each manufacturer would be the same, but that's another issue.

[dwhitney]

There's nothing HTC or Microsoft can do to help it out.

Except in this particular case one of the offending applications is Microsoft's Live Search for Mobile of all things! A windows mobile specific app written by microsoft to run on a MS operating system and it doesn't work right? Imagine that...

[MalPraktiz]

Ok, to answer your ongoing keyboard concerns. There is nothing wrong or buggy about the keyboard on the cavalier. The problem is in how the software handles the keyboard. Each keyboard is different and applications need to be updated to handle this. This was highlighted a while back with the guys from SOTI and the problems they had. If you're having problems with an application and how it interacts with the keyboard, you'll need to talk with the developer. There's nothing HTC or Microsoft can do to help it out.

Well, Microsoft could make the keyboard controls more universal so each manufacturer would be the same, but that's another issue.


The problem is not up to the application developers to solve, this is clearly HTC's fault and their matter to solve. I just wrote test app with just some text boxes in it. I tested the info received by my application from the OS by pressing several letters on my S630 keyboard and several of them are wrong. I press the "u" and I get the key code for the right navigation pad key while "h" generates a key press code for the up button and "n" sends the keycode for the down button. I'm getting all this while I have the text input method set to "abc" as evidenced by the "abc" in the upper right corner. "L" generates the key code for return.

[Mike Temporale]

Well, I'm going to have to disagree on this one. HTC's driver works just fine on their phone. I get all the letters I expect when I type an email with it. The problem is that your app doesn't get what you are expecting. This type of thing has been going on for a while. John Cody and I spent a lot of time figuring out the key sequences returned for different keyboarded devices a while ago.

Your program assumes that a given escape sequence means a specific key. And on the average keyboard that's true. On HTC's implmentation it's not. It's also not the same for other mobile devices keyboards. Sorry, but until there is a standard keyboard driver for Windows Mobile, I expect this won't be changing. You can wait for HTC to change things, but just don't hold your breath. ;)

[MalPraktiz]

Well, I'm going to have to disagree on this one. HTC's driver works just fine on their phone. I get all the letters I expect when I type an email with it. The problem is that your app doesn't get what you are expecting. This type of thing has been going on for a while. John Cody and I spent a lot of time figuring out the key sequences returned for different keyboarded devices a while ago.

Your program assumes that a given escape sequence means a specific key. And on the average keyboard that's true. On HTC's implmentation it's not. It's also not the same for other mobile devices keyboards. Sorry, but until there is a standard keyboard driver for Windows Mobile, I expect this won't be changing. You can wait for HTC to change things, but just don't hold your breath. ;)

The problems are in managed applications only. So being able to enter text into a native non-managed application like the pocket outlook client is not the same as entering text into a managed application. Clearly something is broken in the interface layer(s) between the OS and managed applications. The very same managed applications work just fine on the S620 so there is no reason why HTC can't fix whatever is broken in the S630.

[ptan55]

Well, I'm going to have to disagree on this one. HTC's driver works just fine on their phone. I get all the letters I expect when I type an email with it. The problem is that your app doesn't get what you are expecting. This type of thing has been going on for a while. John Cody and I spent a lot of time figuring out the key sequences returned for different keyboarded devices a while ago.

Your program assumes that a given escape sequence means a specific key. And on the average keyboard that's true. On HTC's implmentation it's not. It's also not the same for other mobile devices keyboards. Sorry, but until there is a standard keyboard driver for Windows Mobile, I expect this won't be changing. You can wait for HTC to change things, but just don't hold your breath. ;)

I had written to Mobimate about this and got the following reply.
Looks like they believe that HTC has a patch for you. Unfortunately I have not been able to get HTC to reply to my emails. Their support really stinks...

Peter

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: MobiMate Customer Care <[email protected] ([email protected])>
Date: Oct 31, 2007 12:16 PM
Subject: RE: Support Ticket
To: pt55


Dear Peter,
Thank you for getting back to us.

Please contact HTC on this matter. They have come up with a solution to this problem which is not unique to our WorldMate.<SCRIPT><!--D(["mb","\u003c/span\>\u003c/font\>\u003c/p\>\n\n\n\n\u003cp\>\u003cfont face\u003d\"Arial\" size\u003d\"2\"\>\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-size:10pt;font-family:Arial\"\>Let us know if you require any further assistance.\u003c/span\>\u003c/font\>\u003c/p\>\n\n\n\n\u003cp\>\u003cfont color\u003d\"black\" face\u003d\"Arial\" size\u003d\"2\"\>\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-size:10pt;font-family:Arial;color:black\"\>Please include previous correspondence.\u003cbr\>\u003cbr\>\u003cbr\>Regards,\u003c/span\>\u003c/font\>\u003c/p\>\n\n\u003cdiv\>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp\>\u003cfont color\u003d\"black\" face\u003d\"Arial\" size\u003d\"2\"\>\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-size:10pt;font-family:Arial;color:black\"\>Adir\u003c/span\>\u003c/font\>\u003c/p\>\n\n\u003cp\>\u003cfont color\u003d\"black\" face\u003d\"Arial\" size\u003d\"2\"\>\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-size:10pt;font-family:Arial;color:black\"\>Customer Care Representative\u003c/span\>\u003c/font\>\u003c/p\>\u003cdiv\>\n\n\u003cp\>\u003cfont color\u003d\"black\" face\u003d\"Arial\" size\u003d\"2\"\>\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-size:10pt;font-family:Arial;color:black\"\>Please visit us at: \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.mobimate.com/\" target\u003d\"_blank\" onclick\u003d\"return top.js.OpenExtLink(window,event,this)\"\>www.MobiMate.com\u003c/a\>\u003c/span\>\u003c/font\>\u003c/p\>\n\n\u003cp\>\u003cfont color\u003d\"black\" face\u003d\"Arial\" size\u003d\"2\"\>\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-size:10pt;font-family:Arial;color:black\"\>______________________________\u003c/span\>\u003c/font\>\u003c/p\>\n\n\u003cp\>\u003cfont color\u003d\"navy\" face\u003d\"Arial\" size\u003d\"2\"\>\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-size:10pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy\"\>*\u003c/span\>\u003c/font\>\u003c/p\>\u003c/div\>\u003cdiv\>\n\n\u003cp\>\u003cfont color\u003d\"black\" face\u003d\"Arial\" size\u003d\"2\"\>\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-size:10pt;font-family:Arial;color:black\"\>Want to help us improve our customer\nservice?\u003c/span\>\u003c/font\>\u003c/p\>\n\n\u003cp\>\u003cfont color\u003d\"black\" face\u003d\"Arial\" size\u003d\"2\"\>\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-size:10pt;font-family:Arial;color:black\"\>Please take a moment to tell us how we've\ndone at: \u003c/span\>\u003c/font\>\u003cfont color\u003d\"navy\" face\u003d\"Arial\" size\u003d\"2\"\>\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-size:10pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy\"\>\u003ca href\u003d\"http://survey.mobimate.com/\" target\u003d\"_blank\" onclick\u003d\"return top.js.OpenExtLink(window,event,this)\"\>\u003cfont color\u003d\"black\"\>\u003cspan style\u003d\"color:black\"\>\n\nhttp://Survey.mobimate.com\u003c/span\>\u003c/font\>\u003c/a\>\u003c/span\>\u003c/font\>\u003c/p\>\n\n\u003c/div\>\u003c/div\>\n\n\u003cdiv\>\n\n\u003cdiv style\u003d\"text-align:center\" align\u003d\"center\"\>\u003cfont face\u003d\"Times New Roman\" size\u003d\"3\"\>\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-size:12pt\"\>\n\n\u003chr align\u003d\"center\" size\u003d\"2\" width\u003d\"100%\"\>",1]);//--></SCRIPT>
Let us know if you require any further assistance.
Please include previous correspondence.


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______________________________

To: MobiMate Customer Care
Subject: Re: Support Ticket


Hi there

I just upgraded the ROM for the Dopod C730 to ver RUU_Cavalier_DOPODASIA_WWE_1<WBR>.16.707.7_1.43.50.00_108

And as a result I needed to reinstall Worldmate

After the ROM upgrade, neither the Free version or Pro version of Worldmate works anymore.



When I try to enter the email address, the number keys are forced on. So, I cannot type "T" and get "3" instead (even after I hit the Fn key to try to force it to alpha mode)

Thanks
Peter