HTC Universal Review

[Ekkie Tepsupornchai]

<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://blogs.msdn.com/jasonlan/archive/2005/08/17/452812.aspx' target='_blank'>http://blogs.msdn.com/jasonlan/arch.../17/452812.aspx</a><br /><br /></div><i>"Well I promised it… I've had lots of email on the theme of 'lucky devil' as I declared I'd got an HTC universal device. I wanted to share my initial thoughts on the device and my experiences over the last few days. I'll focus on the Universal as a Phone/Data device initially and expand over the coming days…."</i><br /><br /><img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/2003/ekkie_htc_review.jpg" /><br /><br />Hot! Hot! Hot! A gentleman by the name of Jason Langridge has gotten his hands on the HTC Universal and gives his initial impressions. Unfortunately, there are no screenshots and his review is somewhat short, but he does seem excited about the device. To be sure, it is a BIG device according to Jason, but all the features and capabilities more than make up for it in his opinion. Head on over and take a look!

[kcrain]

Is anyone else having a problem with deciding between the universal and wizard?

I mean, really, each device has some really nice aspects. The aspects that I could use are:
Universal - phone, VGA screen, keyboard, wifi, bluetooth, clamshell (screen protection), full SD (preferred over miniSD)
Wizard - phone, keyboard, wifi, bluetooth, small size, EDGE (No UMTS in my area yet)

It is such a toss up for me, I can't decide!

[ctitanic]

With persistent storage (in Windows Mobile 5.0) means I can run the battery and I don't event take the power charger because ultimately if it does run out…. Who cares! I won't lose my data! [:)]


THAT'S WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT!

I hate HP for not releasing WM5 on time! 0X

[pivaska]

OK, OK so how much and where....I WANT IT....NOW!

[dazz]

Wow! I don't know which I would pick but it probably would be the wizard just because of the size difference. I REALLY like the Universal but it really is big, isn't it?!

[Paragon]

OK, OK so how much and where....I WANT IT....NOW!

Expansys have it up fpr pre-order...... Surprise, surprise. ;)

http://www.expansys-usa.com/product.asp?code=125550

$1154.95 USD. Man that's got to leave a bruise. MadMonkeyBoy is selling the Wizard for a bit more than half that.

http://www.dweiniger.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=93&amp;osCsid=3006af49d805fe7d37c3a0c67f0bff09

Dazz, I thought you would be slobbering all over the Universal, with its HPC form factor.

[pjerry220]

Nice tool but I could buy a laptopand PDA for that price.

[Jason Lee]

Is anyone else having a problem with deciding between the universal and wizard?

I mean, really, each device has some really nice aspects. The aspects that I could use are:
Universal - phone, VGA screen, keyboard, wifi, bluetooth, clamshell (screen protection), full SD (preferred over miniSD)
Wizard - phone, keyboard, wifi, bluetooth, small size, EDGE (No UMTS in my area yet)

It is such a toss up for me, I can't decide!

I am. I would probably go with the wizzard just for the size. It has all the features i need.. Except for that mini sd slot. That alone may kill it for me. For now I'll wait and see. :(

[kozak]

No CF slot, no buy. With 10+ gig microdrives on the horizon (Toshiba shipped 40 gig perpendicular drive last week), I will not purchase any device without a CF slot. Besides using my PDA for contacts, notes and GPS, I also listen to music and watch movies on it. Only having one expansion option really limits it's capabilities.

[encece]

I can put a phone card in an old thinkpad and have a comparable device! Including size!!! :)

[Phoenix]

Is anyone else having a problem with deciding between the universal and wizard?...

It is such a toss up for me, I can't decide!

Well let's see...

----UPDATED----

They have similar specs, except for:

Universal: 3.6" VGA Screen
Wizard: 2.8" QVGA Screen

Universal: Intel Bulverde 520MHz
Wizard: TI OMAP850 195MHz

Universal: Tri-Band GSM and 3G, but no EDGE
Wizard: Quad-Band GSM and EDGE, but no 3G

Universal: SDIO slot
Wizard: MiniSD slot

Universal: 1620 mAh Battery
Wizard: 1200 mAh Battery

Universal: 128mm x 81mm x 25mm, 10 oz.
Wizard: 108mm x 58mm x 24mm, 5.3 oz. (I don't know how the Wizard could be this light with the added hardware, but these are the specs).

Universal: 3.5mm Stereo Audio Jack
Wizard: 2.5mm Stereo Audio Jack

Universal: 802.11 b
Wizard: 802.11 b/g

Universal: Bluetooth 1.2
Wizard: Bluetooth 2.0


Some specs both phones share are:

-Consumer IrDA
-Windows Mobile 5.0
-1.3 MP CMOS Camera w/Flash
-64MB RAM / 128MB ROM
-Integrated Backlit Keyboard
-Stereo Speakers
-USB 2.0


So those are the differences and similarities. I wish the Universal was shipping with Quad-Band GSM and EDGE in addition, (G-band WiFi, and 128MB RAM would be nice, too), but apart from those two (or four) things, the Universal is what I'm going with - but I only want it in black! 8)


...$1154.95 USD. Man that's got to leave a bruise.

Yeah, no kidding! Geesh! Certainly, someone out there will sell it for a more reasonable price when the time comes for it to finally ship. But I figured it would be somewhere around the neighborhood of a grand.

Gotta pay if you wanna play, eh?

[kcrain]

Pheonix - I think I saw the Wizard specs say 7 or 8 oz. Does anyone else know for sure? Or was it closer to 5 or 6? Almost as small as the Jam, but a little thicker...

[kcrain]

No CF slot, no buy. With 10+ gig microdrives on the horizon (Toshiba shipped 40 gig perpendicular drive last week), I will not purchase any device without a CF slot. Besides using my PDA for contacts, notes and GPS, I also listen to music and watch movies on it. Only having one expansion option really limits it's capabilities.

Not having a CF slot in something so big is kinda strange, I wish there were a CF slot myself as well. I just don't see any company combining phone capabilities and a CF slot in a single device. It would definitely be nice for the microdrive capability, but I'm doubtful it would ever happen.

[Paragon]

Pheonix - I think I saw the Wizard specs say 7 or 8 oz. Does anyone else know for sure? Or was it closer to 5 or 6? Almost as small as the Jam, but a little thicker...

150 grams or 5.2 oz.

[Phoenix]

Pheonix - I think I saw the Wizard specs say 7 or 8 oz. Does anyone else know for sure? Or was it closer to 5 or 6? Almost as small as the Jam, but a little thicker...

150 grams or 5.2 oz.

Actually, the current JAM is 160 grams or 5.6 oz., but since the Wizard is 5mm thicker, it's most likely going to be heavier - probably closer to 7 or 8 oz., like kcrain suggested.

[griph]

OK, OK so how much and where....I WANT IT....NOW!

Sorry - but as nice as it must be to have all this functionality I've got one thing to say for this little beastie!

B R I C K! :soapbox:

[Paragon]

Pheonix - I think I saw the Wizard specs say 7 or 8 oz. Does anyone else know for sure? Or was it closer to 5 or 6? Almost as small as the Jam, but a little thicker...

150 grams or 5.2 oz.

Actually, the current JAM is 160 grams or 5.6 oz., but since the Wizard is 5mm thicker, it's most likely going to be heavier - probably closer to 7 or 8 oz., like kcrain suggested.

Hmm...yeah, that would make sense. Any listing of specs I have seen for it list it at 150 grams. That has to be wrong.

[Phoenix]

OK, OK so how much and where....I WANT IT....NOW!

Sorry - but as nice as it must be to have all this functionality I've got one thing to say for this little beastie!

B R I C K! :soapbox:

YES! HUUUUUUGE! I like to hear a thud when I set my phone down. :lol: It's a phone, AND a throwing weapon - good for smashing windows and knocking people over the head! :lol:

[Pdaholic]

Hey, great comparison post, Phoenix!

Everyone keeps saying the HTC universal is a brick, but it's not much bigger than most of my PDAs in a case. I previously carried a 5555 in the slim keyboard sleeve, and now I carry a 4355 in an aluminum case. I have measured out the two units, and there is not much difference in size when you consider that the HTC won't need a case given the flip screen.

Only problem is the 10 ounces...I've never had a PDA that heavy. I carry my PDA in my scrub pants, and I'm afraid my pants will fall down with that much weight 8O :oops:

[Stephen Beesley]

As much as I love the specifications of this device and even thought the size does not really worry me that much. I just cannot ever see myself being in a situation where I could justify spending that sort of money on a PDA.

[jeasher]

Man, that's a lot of coconuts! Does anyone else think being only tri-band will kill it for them? I'm with Cingular right now, so I don't really know what being just tri-band will mean in the real world. As nice as the Universal is as a PDA, it MUST be a good phone with good reception and voice quality. If I need to switch back to T-Mobile I might consider it.

[mv]

As much as I love the specifications of this device and even thought the size does not really worry me that much. I just cannot ever see myself being in a situation where I could justify spending that sort of money on a PDA.

I just cannot ever see myself being in a situation where I could justify spending HALF that money on a PDA. :)

[ricksfiona]

It's big, heavy and the keyboard is quite useless for us touch typist types.

Remove the keyboard, put in a faster processor and would be really cool!

[nilcat]

Is anyone else having a problem with deciding between the universal and wizard?


You bet! When I first read abotu the Universal I thought the time had finally come to say goodbye to my trusty old Qtek 1010 (the original HTC Wallaby). Since then I've soaked up on everything about this device.

But then just as the release is nearing the Wizard sneaks up on me and I start to look at the size in a new light, after all I carry the device in a shirt pocket a lot of the time (hm - bluetooth can change that..)

This one requires som serious thinking - a difficult prospect when dealing with hot new hardware :wink:

The cost might be the deciding factor

Cato

[adbosch]

800 euro max.

[Jonathon Watkins]

No CF slot, no buy. With 10+ gig microdrives on the horizon (Toshiba shipped 40 gig perpendicular drive last week), I will not purchase any device without a CF slot. Besides using my PDA for contacts, notes and GPS, I also listen to music and watch movies on it. Only having one expansion option really limits it's capabilities.

I totally agree with the usefulness of a CF slot Kozak. It's just that I can't really see any manufacturers releasing any new PPCs with one. :? I would love to be wrong about that though.

[SteveHoward999]

Goodness you people ned to get some exercise. 10 ounces is not, by any stretch of the imagination, heavy.


Anyway - I'd like to see this device with an additional SD slot and/or a CF slot added. Then it would be, in comparisson to other devices I know of, about the best PDA available today.


Now .... give it a 1 GHz chip, 16 hour or better battery life, monitor out support, external keyboard support. Then you have a complete portable office with enough storage space and horsepower to play music, games and videos on the go and still have more than enough capacity left over for phone calls, emails etc as you play ... er ... work. Hmmmm :-D

[griph]

Goodness you people ned to get some exercise. 10 ounces is not, by any stretch of the imagination, heavy.
Well you'd certainly be aware of it in your trouser or jacket pocket! Its hardly a Pocket PC is it?

In response to Pdaholic - I'd still want a case - whilst the screen isnt exposed a drop for an unprotected 10oz lump will result in damage to the hardware regardless pretty much of the surface it drops onto (well excluding cotton wool, deep upholstery etc)!!

A brick is a brick because of its weight and its size. The Universal is like carrying 2 MDA Compacts! 8O

[SteveHoward999]

Goodness you people ned to get some exercise. 10 ounces is not, by any stretch of the imagination, heavy.
Well you'd certainly be aware of it in your trouser or jacket pocket! Its hardly a Pocket PC is it?


Anybody ever been anal enough to weigh PDA plus case?

--

[mv]

I really see no future for this kind of toys... sure, some rich folks will buy it, and that´s it. The rest of the world will just buy a wizard, cheapest with contract :)

[Pdaholic]

SteveHoward:

I have to say, I wear a set of scrubs and work in an ER for 12 hours a day. I have two pockets, one on my top and one on my pants. I can fit a PDA and a wallet in the bottom pocket. Those items, together with a pager, cell phone (I can't get rid of the cell phone despite the HTC; it's an in-house phone), trauma sheers and security badge make for a set of scub bottoms that are ready to fall!!!

And yes, I have been anal enough to weigh my 4355 with aluminum case--comes up to about 9 oz. I won't put the HTC in a case, so what's one oz more, right?

To griph--I carried a Clie UX50 in my back pocket for a year without a case, dropped it several times onto tile floors, and had no problems. Hopefully the HTC will be just as sturdy.

[griph]

Anybody ever been anal enough to weigh PDA plus case?
Nope - but not that anal. Some cases are pretty heavy though - so if you've already got a 10oz PDA an extra 1 or 2 ounces will be noticeable and also increase the bulk - then it will definitely not be a pocketable device - short of a pair of cargo pants!

[Jonathon Watkins]

I just cannot ever see myself being in a situation where I could justify spending that sort of money on a PDA.

I really don't intend to spend a lot on it, as I can get it on contract with my mobile operator. It's definitely positive that the carriers are subsiding a lot of the cost of devices such as this. The prices of non-carrier phone devices are just shocking! 8O

[Kadegboye]

Hi,
Much as I like this device, I don't think I will buy it because it is too big and very expensive. The specifications are impressive, however. Many people will still buy it despite these drawbacks. I hope HTC will work on these constructive criticisms when making a follow-up device and I will not be surprised to see another form of the same device out soon.
Kay.

[Stephen Beesley]

I just cannot ever see myself being in a situation where I could justify spending that sort of money on a PDA.

I really don't intend to spend a lot on it, as I can get it on contract with my mobile operator. It's definitely positive that the carriers are subsiding a lot of the cost of devices such as this. The prices of non-carrier phone devices are just shocking! 8O

Unfortunately that is not really the case here in Oz. The carriers here mainly either offer these type of devices at full price with an unlocked sim or with a no interest payment plan over two years (for the full price) and you still have to sign up for a two year contract with a minimum spend.

I guess Australia just does not have the same level of competition that you have in the UK.