Updated HTC Hermes Spotted at CeBIT

[Raphael Salgado]

<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://windowsmobile.web-log.nl/log/5239568' target='_blank'>http://windowsmobile.web-log.nl/log/5239568</a><br /><br /></div>PPCT Reader Marco has provided us some interesting tidbits on his blog regarding the upcoming HTC Hermes Pocket PC Phone that he spotted at the CeBIT convention. The device that many have grown to long for and drool over (now supposedly called the Hermes 100) has been updated to include two additional hardware buttons and a refined directional pad, as shown in the image below:<br /><br /><img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/2003/036cebit2006.jpg" /><br /><br />More buttons can never be a bad thing, in my opinion. Unfortunately, he also noted that the release date has slipped to "late summer" 2006, as opposed to the initial reports of a May to June release. Check out his blog (translator may be required) for more pictures and info regarding this anticipated device.

[KTamas]

:drool:
:drool:
Yes! Finally! My next Pocket PC! Wizard's only flaw is the missing Start and OK hardware keys, but thanks to HTC, the next (almost) perfect Phone Edition device has arrived for me....

[Silver5]

So, this will realistically be released around October or November...fine with me. I'm still REALLY enjoying the Qtek 9100 I got at that time last year.

Does this new device look like it will include Edge? All the Fast wireless networking mightx be nice over in the EU but it won't work here.

[Arne Hess]

Yes, the 6+1 buttons version is indeed the one we will see launched (see my photos of an unwired prototype here which wasn't shown public: http://www.theunwired.net/?itemid=2945).
At least, that's what T-Mobile confirmed me on the first day already. Timing changes on depending with whom you talk... :?

[Silver5]

:drool:
:drool:
Yes! Finally! My next Pocket PC! Wizard's only flaw is the missing Start and OK hardware keys, but thanks to HTC, the next (almost) perfect Phone Edition device has arrived for me....

You know, you can re-map the softkeys of your Wizard to act as Start and OK. There is a free program called Smartskey on the forums at xda-developers.com that will do this for you. You tap them as normal to perform the task that they are normally assigned to do, or hold for a second to open the Start menu or OK/Close.

[rbrome]

Holy crap - it has a scroll wheel? Awesome! That's a such a key feature. It makes the Q light years more usable, so I'm glad to see it in more devices.

[KTamas]

:drool:
:drool:
Yes! Finally! My next Pocket PC! Wizard's only flaw is the missing Start and OK hardware keys, but thanks to HTC, the next (almost) perfect Phone Edition device has arrived for me....

You know, you can re-map the softkeys of your Wizard to act as Start and OK. There is a free program called Smartskey on the forums at xda-developers.com that will do this for you. You tap them as normal to perform the task that they are normally assigned to do, or hold for a second to open the Start menu or OK/Close.
That'd make things even worse I guess :roll: I mean, for WM5 and one-handed operation, four hardware buttons are required: Start, OK/Close, Left softkey, Right softkey. That's the failure of the Wizard at the hardware keys, and the extra two buttons on Hermes corrects this.

Edit: I should read more carefully :roll: The "one button acts as two" layout is not perfect, but it is indeed a solution. But I guess I'll wait for the Hermes instead of getting a Wizard.

(Yes, the HTC Apache has a really nice button layout with all the keys, but that's just ain't gonna work in Europe)

[Eugenia]

T-mobile's version of the Hermes is better, yes. However, other things remain really bad: the keyboard. With Hermes HTC took a bad decision to include this kind of qwerty keyboard. Not only all the buttons are glued to each other, but the keyboard doesn't even use the full surface anymore, making it even more difficult to hit the keys correctly. The HTC Prophet's qwerty keyboard design was much better.

I have ranted about this and more on my blog today: http://slashdot.org/~Eugenia+Loli/journal/131390

[Silver5]

The HTC Prophet does NOT have a keyboard at all. I don't think I'd mind the keyboard too much. It would just be something to get accustomed to.

Does anyone know whether the device is Edge capable?

[KTamas]

T-mobile's version of the Hermes is better, yes. However, other things remain really bad: the keyboard. With Hermes HTC took a bad decision to include this kind of qwerty keyboard. Not only all the buttons are glued to each other, but the keyboard doesn't even use the full surface anymore, making it even more difficult to hit the keys correctly. The HTC Prophet's qwerty keyboard design was much better.

I have ranted about this and more on my blog today: http://slashdot.org/~Eugenia+Loli/journal/131390
You are confusing HTC Prophet and HTC Wizard (aka Prodigy). Prophet and Wizard has pretty much the same hardware spec, but the Prophet has the form factor of the Magician (and 6 hw buttons below the screen) and no keyboard, while the Wizard has the slide-out keyboard and 4 hw buttons below the screen.

[Eugenia]

Yeah, the Wizard, whatever. I provided pictures to show which one I meant on my blog post. My point remains.

[alese]

T-mobile's version of the Hermes is better, yes. However, other things remain really bad: the keyboard. With Hermes HTC took a bad decision to include this kind of qwerty keyboard. Not only all the buttons are glued to each other, but the keyboard doesn't even use the full surface anymore, making it even more difficult to hit the keys correctly. The HTC Prophet's qwerty keyboard design was much better.

I have ranted about this and more on my blog today: http://slashdot.org/~Eugenia+Loli/journal/131390

I'm guessing noone here (with possible exception of Arne) actually used keyboard on the Hermes, so saying that it's bad is a bit too much.
Also the keys on the keyboard look like the ones on Universal and the Wizard 100 design. And I can say that I like the keys on my Universal better than on my Wizard (200) so I would not dissmis the keyboard just like that.
What would be good, with all the spare room would be either bigger keys or even better dedicated number row.

Oh, and yes HTC Prophet does not have keyboard, Wizard and Apache do...

[alese]

Yeah, the Wizard, whatever. I provided pictures to show which one I meant on my blog post. My point remains.

Just one more thing about the blog post.
People are using beta ACU2 rom from Qtek on their Wizards with included A2DP support (check the XDA-Developers...), so the OMAP is quite capable of handling it...

[Eugenia]

>People are using beta ACU2 rom from Qtek on their Wizards with included A2DP support

I highly suggest you try STREAM via WiFi an online radio station and then channel it via A2DP. You require lots of CPU power for that, even my 312 Mhz Samsung CPU HP PDA can't handle that (it chops the sound because it's not fast enough to both stream and encode in real time). You need about 416 or 520 Mhz to pull this through correctly without bringing the device to its knees. The Omap is too slow for that, even if in some operations is as fast as a 416 Mhz Intel CPU, but on others is really like a 200 Mhz one.

>I'm guessing noone here (with possible exception of Arne) actually
> used keyboard on the Hermes, so saying that it's bad is a bit too much.

I am sorry, but I don't agree with this. BOTH the Wizard and the Hermes have pretty much the same vertical length (there was a site that posted pictures of both models next to each other). Having the Hermes using only 75% of the surface that the Wizard does for the keyboard, PLUS glueing together the buttons like that, I don't NEED to actually use it, I have eyes and I can compare and evaluate it. It's a no go for me from the usability stand point. Whoever designed that keyboard must be fired. Sure, the actual key construction and material might be better than before in the Hermes, but the actual LAYOUT is BAD. At least, WORSE than it COULD (easily) BE.

[jngold_me]

The apache has a similar layout too. I don't hear too many people complaining about the keyboard.

Oh well, you can't please everyone.

P.S. Although my K-JAM won't be getting AD2P anytime soon (or ever), it certainly powerful enough to do everything that Eugenia mentions in her blog. Alese mentions the Qtek ROM (beta) having AD2DP, I am not sure the production (gold) release has it. I personally think that the driver stack is poorly written and should be optimized more. The OMAP 850 certainly is a capable processor.

Well, I can't wait until Hermes is released and people start complaining about the Samsung 300mhz processor. :roll:

Like I said before, you can't please everyone.

you require lots of CPU power for that, even my 312 Mhz Samsung CPU HP PDA can't handle that (it chops the sound because it's not fast enough to both stream and encode in real time). You need about 416 or 520 Mhz to pull this through correctly without bringing the device to its knees

Right. And your battery life will be how long? Maybe you should be considering a UMPC.

[Eugenia]

No, the 200 Mhz of the K-Jam doesn't do it for me. It also doesn't have UMTS or a Video Call camera. The HTC Hermes is a better solution for what I need, but I just can't stomach that keyboard.

And there is not a capable SIP application for Windows Mobile right now. I tried SJPhone and it freezes my pocketPCs (all 3 of them) when doing calls with it via Gizmo. Skype is heavy too. Both applications very unoptimized for mobility in various levels.

[jngold_me]

No, the 200 Mhz of the K-Jam doesn't do it for me. It also doesn't have UMTS or a Video Call camera. The HTC Hermes is a better solution for what I need, but I just can't stomach that keyboard.


I don't recall reading that the Hermes UMTS frequency will be compatible with US 3G implementation.

As for what might do it for you...maybe a Dualcor CPC?

http://www.dualcor.com/

[alese]

I highly suggest you try STREAM via WiFi an online radio station and then channel it via A2DP. You require lots of CPU power for that, even my 312 Mhz Samsung CPU HP PDA can't handle that (it chops the sound because it's not fast enough to both stream and encode in real time). You need about 416 or 520 Mhz to pull this through correctly without bringing the device to its knees. The Omap is too slow for that, even if in some operations is as fast as a 416 Mhz Intel CPU, but on others is really like a 200 Mhz one.
...

Well I would try this, but my Wizard is my work device and my main phone, I don't want to go through Flashing and reinstall of all software, just for fun. I'll wait for official Qtek AKU2 ROM and if it will lack the A2DP then I'll install the beta.
And while we are on the topic, I did something what you suggested on my company notebook today while I was checking the Orb and had problems with skipping and stopping. The Notebook has 2.0GHz Centrino, so it does not lack the power - I guess it comes down to software implementation.
On the other hand I'm amazed by how good OMAP performs almost every day and since it has 2 cores (one for Wireless and GSM and the other for "general" processing if I remember correctly) you never know...


I am sorry, but I don't agree with this. BOTH the Wizard and the Hermes have pretty much the same vertical length (there was a site that posted pictures of both models next to each other). Having the Hermes using only 75% of the surface that the Wizard does for the keyboard, PLUS glueing together the buttons like that, I don't NEED to actually use it, I have eyes and I can compare and evaluate it. It's a no go for me from the usability stand point. Whoever designed that keyboard must be fired. Sure, the actual key construction and material might be better than before in the Hermes, but the actual LAYOUT is BAD. At least, WORSE than it COULD (easily) BE.

I checked the pictures again and the keys/keyboard looks exactly the same as on Universal (except the size of the keys I guess). Universal's keyboard is very nice to use and the keys are not glued together.
As for the layout - it's exactly the same as on Wizard and people use it daily without problems or complaints.
But again, we won't know until someone tries the keyboard on Hermes.

[JwY]

is it just me or it looks like they lost the stereo speakers from the wizard?

[moaske]

I can tell y'all that keyboard is just fine...apart from one thing: the middle 'bulge' doesn't stick out high enough compared to the Wizard's keys. So, there's a little less tactile feedback to unsensitive thumb-tips :)
As for the Samsung... I didn't quite get into that yet, but my guess is that there will be some sort of dualcore or subprocessor setup, as i would imagine that UMTS does require quite some power...
And from what i have seen in the specs department; the device will have EDGE! What it doesn't appear to have (to my great shock), is a regular headphone jack 8O This is the first thing that bothers me most for this otherwise perfect mobile communicator...
Maybe Arne Hess has picked up something about how connecting a headphone is gonna be arranged on this Hermes ? Maybe some sorta USB to jack adaptor, or a proprietary included headset (which will probably suck big time on the music department... :cry: )

[Jeff Song]

I've used the MDA keyboard and don't like it at all. Sure the buttons aren't stuck together, but they're smaller and harder to press. My 8125 is great, love the keyboard.

[Eriq Cook]

FINALLY. Additional buttons. One of my most missed features of other pocket pc phones. It just doesn't make any sense to have a pocket pc phone with no Contacts or Calendar buttons. I also LOVE the new design. Looks more slick and modern.

We're getting closer to a perfect pocket pc phone--for now. Too bad it's not coming out until the end of the year. F€€igures. :-|

[ctmagnus]

Very interesting. Does it have SDIO or miniSD?

There's a Babelfish translation here (http://babelfish.altavista.com/babelfish/trurl_pagecontent?lp=nl_en&amp;url=http%3A%2F%2Fwindowsmobile.web-log.nl%2Flog%2F5239568).

[Eriq Cook]

Does it have SDIO or miniSD?

Mini I believe.

[Jason Lee]

I heard micro sd somewhere.

[Darius Wey]

I heard micro sd somewhere.

Yes, it's definitely microSD. In many ways, it's a step forward and a step back.

[MarcTGFG]

Well, people keep saying that it' approximately the same size as a Wizard. I have been doing the dirty work and *insert_bombastic_background_music* here are the EXACT dimensions of the prototype shown at CeBIT (the one working with just 4+1 keys!): 111x57x22mm. I blogged this and more here:

http://pdanews-de.blogspot.com/2006/03/cebit-2006-measuring-up-prototype.html#

I can also tell you, that I found the keyboard pretty nice although I don't understand why it only uses 75% of the available space.... IMHO the Apache still has the best keyboard, button layout and joystick!

[bnycastro]

To me the keyboard on the HERMES looks more user friendly. The numbers are place together :) I'm currently using a dopod 838 [WIZA100] and sometimes it's tough to press the soft keys on the lower portion of the slider so the enlarged softkeys are welcome. I do wish that they add a key that emulates a 'tap and hold' instead of shortcuts to apps you can get to using the startmenu. I'm also glad that they have put in a faster processor. IMO TI OMAP is great for batteries poor for multitasking. WTF microSD now that is LAME!!! I mean isn't miniSD small enuf?! If true, it strikes me odd that it doesn't have a headset jack you alienate a whole group of people who use their device with their uber nice earphones/headphones as a mp3 player going proprietary on the headset feature will PO alot of peeps.