T-Mobile MDA Vario II is the HTC Hermes

[Raphael Salgado]

<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://www.engadget.com/2006/03/09/hands-on-with-the-htc-hermes-t-mobile-mda-vario-ii/' target='_blank'>http://www.engadget.com/2006/03/09/...e-mda-vario-ii/</a><br /><br /></div><i>"Last time we saw the HTC Hermes was at the 3GSM show. It's since made its way North, now sitting squarly in the halls of CeBIT. But you'd never know it -- no name on the shell, no display card detailing what the device is -- nothing. Just sitting there hoping for someone like us to come along and give it some love. Destined to appear with T-Mobile Germany this May as the MDA Vario II, this UMTS / HSDPA flauntin' Pocket PC still sports the specs we heard before: 300MHz Samsung processor, 128MB flash and 64MB memory, 2.8-inch display, 802.11b/g, Bluetooth 2.0, MicroSD, 2.1 megapixel camera, and a secondary videoconferencing camera. The MDA Vario II wasn't on the HSDPA network while we were giving it a walk-through, but then again it's always good to leave wanting just a bit more. "</i><br /><br /> <img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/2003/rs_mdavario2.jpg" /> <br /><br />Well, it's pretty much official that T-Mobile Germany will be the first carrier to pick up the HTC Hermes and call it the MDA Vario II. It's likely that i-mate and Qtek will hopefully make it to the market first (with Super-Sized price tags, no doubt :twisted:). The boys at Engadget were surely happy to get it in their hands for a fleeting moment, and I'm sure that even though it won't have 1900MHz UMTS support for the US, this might still be the answer to some who thought the Universal was too big and the Wizard was too slow. Plenty of screenshots available at the link. Any takers?

[alabij]

WOW. Its soooo beautiful!!!!. The keyboard looks great. It's so clear. All of a sudden my MDA just doesn't do it for me anymore.

[kcrain]

The styling differences between this and the wizard are subtle, but I think it has tons more appeal than the wizard (and I thought the rounded version of the wizard was pretty good).

And it should be a little faster than the wizard. Here's hoping that the alledgedly "energy efficient" samsung processor doesn't take away from the good wizard battery life.

I know some like the square-ish style wizard look, but I'm really, really hoping Cingular brings this out in the next year+. The UMTS/HSDPA would be the last piece to the puzzle to help me finally pull the trigger.

Maybe by then, micro SD will grow bigger than 1/2 gig (sadly, I believe we'll just have to live with ever changing memory formats). Crossing my fingers...

[adamz]

You'd still have to use it on slow GPRS in the US though since Cingular's 3G network ain't compatible, right?

[kcrain]

You'd still have to use it on slow GPRS in the US though since Cingular's 3G network ain't compatible, right?

I'm thinking since they ported the wizard to the US, they can port the hermes to the US as well. There's no reason why they'd leave such a big market w/o this. Has there been a popular HTC product that hasn't eventually made it here??? So far all the big ones have, and I wouldn't be surprised if the Universal made it to US cellular companies as well, once their 3G networks finally get going. nevertheless, that's why I said hopefully in the next year+ once Cingular really gets 3G off the ground.

[adamz]

I'm thinking since they ported the wizard to the US, they can port the hermes to the US as well. There's no reason why they'd leave such a big market w/o this. Has there been a popular HTC product that hasn't eventually made it here??? So far all the big ones have, and I wouldn't be surprised if the Universal made it to US cellular companies as well, once their 3G networks finally get going. nevertheless, that's why I said hopefully in the next year+ once Cingular really gets 3G off the ground.

The Magician and Universal devices were never picked up by a US carrier. The 3G networks in Europe use a different band than the ones in the US. That's why the Universal and Hermes will most likely never have 3G internet speeds in North America. The Wizard was designed for the US since it has quadband GSM and EDGE, which are currently supported by Cingular and T-Mobile. I doubt the Hermes will ever get picked up here. :(

[kcrain]

I'm thinking since they ported the wizard to the US, they can port the hermes to the US as well. There's no reason why they'd leave such a big market w/o this. Has there been a popular HTC product that hasn't eventually made it here??? So far all the big ones have, and I wouldn't be surprised if the Universal made it to US cellular companies as well, once their 3G networks finally get going. nevertheless, that's why I said hopefully in the next year+ once Cingular really gets 3G off the ground.

The Magician and Universal devices were never picked up by a US carrier. The 3G networks in Europe use a different band than the ones in the US. That's why the Universal and Hermes will most likely never have 3G internet speeds in North America. The Wizard was designed for the US since it has quadband GSM and EDGE, which are currently supported by Cingular and T-Mobile. I doubt the Hermes will ever get picked up here. :(

All that would be needed is to swap out the radio chip. I don't think the Magician was officially picked up because US carriers are slow to adopt new ideas. However, the Blue Angel was picked up. Who knows why they chose one and not the other (perhaps the keyboard). On HTC's website, both of those were originally tri band with no 850Mhz, just 900 and above. And yet the Blue Angel was used in the US. So I think it is possible for the Hermes to come, eventually. But there has to be the cellular backbone first. That's why there's no Universal yet because there's no US 3G. All I'm saying is it may still happen.

[UCCOFFEE]

will it be a lot faster than the Wizard?
seems like it 's only using a Samsung 2442 300Mhz , exactly the same one on the HP rx1950 ...

[Darius Wey]

...MicroSD

So much for standardisation. :?

[Mark Larson]

I have to wonder why the keyboard isn't taking up all the available space - is this device much bigger than the Wizard?