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View Full Version : Tips: Migrating observations from XDA II to Blue Angel…


rdaprix
03-03-2005, 06:47 PM
Well, I did it. I went out and bought the Blue Angel and have made the transition. As is always the case, there are a few things you find out after the fact that are good to know beforehand, so I though I’d pass on a few things I noted for those who are contemplating taking the plunge and are used to the XDA II.

The form factor on the Blue Angel is really nice. I bought it from “On the Go Sales” in Chicago, which means you’ll pay a little more--$899 as opposed to the $819, but they’ll help you configure your setting which is useful when you buy an unlocked device your carrier doesn’t support. (I’m on T-mobile, and they don’t support it, thought it works like a charm—I did that because I’m still under contract, but may migrate to Cingular who supports the device in the future).

First, from out of the box to set up and synced took about ten minutes. A breeze. If you’re familiar with the PPC, this will be a snap for you.

The form factor, as I said, is great and I like it, but it took me a bit to get used to the fact that the CD card is on top and the volume controls aren’t the round hard buttons but a slight switch that sticks out of an indent. Not bad, but recognize it’s not flush. The SD card doesn’t need to be re-formatted on the unlocked device, so no need to back up that bad boy, but be sure to save your old SD back up file to another PC or had drive and then delete it and back up your new device so you don’t accidentally restore the wrong ROM image and backup file.

The cradle for the angel is a little different. You will need to take a dremel to the front lip of your old XDA-II cradle to make it fit and re-use it—this is easy and saves you the cost of additional cradles.

The coupling at the bottom is the same, so you can use the old power chord with the adapter for the XDA power input and re-use those as well as the headphones you have.

Oddly, the power chord on the Blue Angel that goes into the cradle is a different size jack then the one that goes into the old cradle—not an issue if you have the adapters that go from that chord to the XDA input sans cradle, but what’s up with that? Keeping the jack the same would have been more logical.

If you have a sync ‘n go cable that also works just fine.

The case that comes with the device is OK, but horizontal on the belt instead of vertical, so you may want to buy the Peil Frama case so you can get at the keyboard without taking it out of the case.

The battery on the back of the Blue angel comes off with a quick clip as opposed to the screw in kind on the XDA II—I would have gotten the extra battery, but power consumption is not bad, and for my purposes it’s easier to use the sync ‘n go cable and tap the nearest laptop or use one of the chargers from a battery to XDA (there are two I know of—one from a 9-v and one from four AA batteries with a voltage regulating circuit).

Setting up the WIFI was painless and easy. The GPRS was just as it is on the XDA II and the unit will automatically look for a WIFI high speed connection first and then go to GPRS if it doesn’t succeed.

I think the volume is stepped down a bit on the speaker phone, but that could just be me. The keyboard is good, but I wish they had made it hard plastic rather than the soft touch keys—it’ll take a few years but they eventually can crack (the plastic covering the keys).

If you can get your carrier to insure the handset, I would urge it or get a rider on your homeowner’s policy.

Oh—I also have a goodlink license on mine, so it is my ‘blackberry’ and gets my exchange e-mail from work in addition to POP3.

It’s worth the $$. Go for it. And get the "screenguardz."

Jason Dunn
03-03-2005, 06:56 PM
Cool, thanks for sharing your thoughts on the product!

XDA_User
11-30-2005, 07:17 PM
Hi,

Does your Blue Angel (mine is an O2 XDAIIs) disconnect after a POP3 session?? I think that there is some power conservation going on with the IIs, versus the II, and this seems to be very weird, especially when one wants to be on AIM all the time....

rdaprix
12-02-2005, 02:44 AM
HI XDA User...

Well, here's the deal. After a pop3 session the XDAII will disconnnect and then fail to reconnect GPRS and sometimes fail to make a GSM call.

This is actually a known bug in the XDAII ROM version 1.4 upgrade--the problem is the extended ROM. It's generally most pronounced on the IMATE PDA2K versions running in the US on T-mobile or on Cingular (as they are GPRS).

The solution is one of two options. Either downgrade your ROM to the previous version 1.2 and perform a hard reset and then reconfigure your pop3 settings or go the XDA developers site if you are really technical and get the ROM unlock tools and delete the caller ID extended ROM files and strip them out. It's the caller ID extended ROM files in the 1.40 ROM version that causes the GPRS disconnect problem.

Most of the IT managers I know who use these devices stay on the older ROM version. I use a goodlink license (that's outlook exchange push e-mail--a competitor of Blackberry) so my GPRS is always on and cuts off only when the phone is in use. That makes the disconnect problem a major issue.

I would reccomend that you downgrade to ROM version 1.2

You can contact me at [email protected] if you need some help or the rom versions.

Good luck. This is a known bug. My hunch is you have either the Cingular SX-66 or the IMATE PDA2 running on Cingular or T-mobile. Is that right?

XDA_User
12-02-2005, 04:15 AM
Actually, I've just tried my new XDAIIs, and this is the one that disconnects (by O2), operator is actually an Indian one - Orange in Mumbai India....

My XDAII has absolutely no problems at all...but my batteries are getting weak, and I had the new unit around for a long time, but I'm not too happy with the IIs....

Thanks for the comments, and maybe you wish to clarify whether you were talking about the IIs (black), versus the O2 XDAII (silver)...

Nurhisham Hussein
12-02-2005, 04:21 AM
From the XDA Developers wiki, the HTC codenames are:

# Wallaby O2 Xda / Qtek 1010
# Himalaya O2 Xda II / QTEK 2020 / SPV M1000
# Blueangel O2 Xda IIs / O2 Xda III / Dopod 700 / PDA2k / MDA III / SPV M2000 / Qtek 9090
# Magician O2 Xda Mini / MDA-compact / Dopod 818 / I-mate JAM / QTEK S100
# Alpine O2 Xda IIi / Dopod 699 / i-Mate PDA2 / Qtek 2020i

So he is talking about the IIs.

rdaprix
12-02-2005, 04:43 AM
I'm talking about the IIs. The real issue here is your ROM and whether your on GPRS or CDMA for data connectivity.

The disconnect problem is pronounced on GPRS (less so on CDMA, but you are probably GPRS).

If you're connecting GPRS, then you have two choices. Strip out your extended ROM caller ID files, or downgrade your ROM.

Or, alternatively, you can 1) wait for XDA to write the patch (ggod luck with that, that's why we cook our own ROM versions on the XDA developer's site) or 2) perfomr a soft reset or go into fligth mode and thenn out again every single time you take a phone call and then try to go back into GPRS data connectivity.

Honestly, that's it. It's a drag. What is happening to you is this--every itme you use it as a phone, you disconnect the pop3 account. The extended ROM caller ID files prevent the GPRS form re-connecting until you eihter soft reset or go into and out of flight mode.

This sucks, but it's the way it works. When you do reconnect, after a reset, if you remain 'always connected' (and you don't meaning this problem will be intermittent for you--if you don't get a call before your next scheduled pop3 connection you'll connect, if you don't get a call you'll still keep connecting. The call disrupts things) you won;t get the call either.

Take my advice. If you're on a GPRS connection, downgrade your ROM. It's stable (1.02) and it works. I have the ROM file if you need it.

Otherwise, you are in for misery. Or, go to the XDA developers site and cook your own ROM. I've used several cooked ROM versions, but the problem is they eventually become unstable when you use third party applications.

XDA_User
12-02-2005, 04:59 AM
Understood - just found the XDA-Developers instructions here:

http://forum.xda-developers.com/viewtopic.php?p=181906

But thanks for your help - this alerted to me to such an actual problem, which is completely unacceptable to have with such an expensive machine, especially with someone who is a past customer of O2, and they haven't bothered to continue to same services in their new machine!

Don't understand this part though:

"When you do reconnect, after a reset, if you remain 'always connected' (and you don't meaning this problem will be intermittent for you--if you don't get a call before your next scheduled pop3 connection you'll connect, if you don't get a call you'll still keep connecting. The call disrupts things) you won;t get the call either."

Does this mean I will be able to get calls when on GPRS, as in the XDAII (Himalaya), and if one is always connected, can one shut off the GPRS by holding down the phone "end" button (hangup) as in the XDAII?

I have SPB GPRS monitor installed, so hopefully this will be able to shut it down through software....

Thanks!

XDA_User
12-02-2005, 05:04 AM
To All,

Note that all GPRS "normal" operations (as per Himalaya) seem to be working correctly, and incoming calls are also accepted!

Wonderful fix, as I was *very* unhappy with this situation....

Kind regards to all....and thanks to rdaprix....

XDA_User
12-02-2005, 05:17 AM
Another issue - speakerphone on XDAIIs (Blue Angel) is very, very tinny, with inaudible speaker output, as well as the other party not being able to hear properly...

This can be modulated using the volume control, but then you lower the volume to almost a normal (non-speaker) volume level....

Any thougths on this?

Thanks,