i-mate JAMin (HTC Prophet) gets official
By Thomas Ricker 
posted January 30th 2006 10:29AM
posted January 30th 2006 10:29AM
i-mate has posted the deets (officially) of their
new quad-band Windows Mobile 5.0 with EDGE JAMin (AKA, HTC Prophet or XDA Neo). And like we heard back in October, it throws down WiFi 802.11b/g,
a two megapixel camera, and a 2.8-inch, 64k color, QVGA (240 x 320 pixel) display. It also packs in Bluetooth 2.0 and
128MB ROM, 64MB RAM, with SD expansion. However, instead of sporting the rumored Intel Bulverde 416 MHz processor like
the i-mate JAM, it features the TI OMAP 850 running at 200MHz. Don’t fret now ‘cause those processors are
very different so you can’t compare based on cycles per second alone. Still no word on exact availability or
whether it will hit for the expected
$500-$550.[Via dave’s PDA]
I have one (the dopod 818 pro model) and I don't know what Brad (#1) is talking about - I find myself wanting to smasj this piece of sh>>> into the ground!
It's not just slow it's pathetic. And what battery time are you referring to? It doesn't even last a day on standby! Forget about using wifi!
Skype!? What are you - crazy? It can't even run it - never mind using it for real! The sound is pathetic - both on the phone and the speakerphone and on the headphones that come with it! It freezes on every thirf phone call and drops every other one. I need to reset the thing fifty times a day! to top it all off, you have to be a mobile phone hacker to configire it to work with T-mobile... and how to get the wifi/edge networking is still a mystery to me - and I'm a 20 year veteran of the IT industry... windows mobile STILL SUCKS - even WM5
BIGGEST WASTE OF MONEY I EVER MADE! STAY AWAY FROM IT - I'd sell you mine, but you don't want it for what I paid for it...
This I-mate JAMin is a mess.
The settings change by itself, it switches off by itself. The battery lasts only 12-18 hours in stead of 150 hours.
What shall I do with it!
I bought it from the UK and brought to Turkey. There is no service backup here and the pda is defected!
This I-Mate Jamin is a real POS. If you're considering buying one, forget it. It totally sucks. It turns off by itself. Resets for no reason by itself. You can't use an SD card in it because you'll see the PDA reset itself every 5 minutes. The radio turns itself off with no warning a few times a day. You don't get your calls. It's slow as hell...the slowest device other than the KJam I've ever used. I've done soft resets, warm resets and countless hard resets and the phone is still the same. I have no software loaded on it other than what came with the Jamin and it's still resetting. It has a mind of its own. I've owned other HTC products like the K-Jam and the Treo 650. They're all JUNK. Stay away from HTC and its rip-off players like Imate, Qtek, Dopod and others.
I used a HTC manufactured O2 XDA II for 2 years. I liked it very much. I chose the Dopod 818 Pro because of it's smaller form factor, 2meg camera, and internal wifi. And I think HTC makes good stuff.
The Dopod 818 Pro is fine. I downloaded an ARM version of PocketMusic software and it worked straight away too (I was surprised).
Also, with my home wifi, it didn't work at first until I turned on SSID on the base unit again. Somehow it won't recognise 'hidden' SSID wifi. With SSID turned on, it found the base unit almost instantly, and I was on the Internet seamlessly (no settings to do).
Disappointments? Well, the O2 XDA II used to allow me to take 320 x 240 videos. This new Dopod 818 Pro only allows 160 x 120 videos (I take a lot of videos. I would have thought they would have increased that, not reduced it! (Does anyone know of a 3rd party video capture software I can use?)
Their web site www.dopodasia.com says they are working on an upgrade so I can listen to WMAs and MP3s off my Bluetooth Stereo Headphones. Am waiting eagerly for that!
Lastly, there seems to be a bug with the 'display menu items' on the Today screen; I keep turning them off, but they keep coming back. Hopefully there will be a service pack on their web site soon.
Other than that, I am pretty happy with it. Battery life is fine. And it doesn't crash at all.
I'm not sure what everyone is talking about with the Jamin / HTC Prophet. I've had mine for over a week and run MS Voice Commander, Windows Media, the camera, contacts, calendar, you name it and it has NOT RESET ONCE. If yours is doing unitiated resets and the like SEND IT BACK! :-/
Mine seems to work fine. It's a little slower than I would like, but other than that... no complaints.
Hi Folks,
I'd have to say after a week of owning a Qtek 9100 (HTC Wizard) that I'm in agreement with the VAST MAJORITY of you good people; this thing is not nearly ready for prime time. Coming off of a PDA2k to the Wizard is truly a step down. I hadn't even begun to load onto the 9100 what I had on the PDA2k -- and it's loaded; 3 phones (GSM, SJ Phone and Skype), 4 browsers (PIE, Thunderhawk, Opera, and J2 Wap), GPS satellite mapping systems, global webcams, in addition to all kinds of proprietary aviation applications, etc., etc. . .
I think we've all gotten so far afield with having the newest and shiniest that before we buy we simply assume the idiots at HTC will adopt GREATER functionality in every new unit they come out with. Unfortunately, nothing could be further from the truth. The Wizard doesn't have NEARLY the functionality of the PDA2k -- even simple things like the dedicated Windows "Start" and "OK" buttons which allow us to operate the things virtually stylus-free. How about that really well-thought-out button on the Wizard that allows you to operate your radios; you know, the one that enables you to turn on and off the Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, speaker/vibe and something else that was totally useless? How could HTC screw up something so simple? Allow the button to control ALL of the radios; Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPRS, and for the hell of it, add GPS. . . Speaker/vibe? C'mon people!!!
As if that weren't enough, Windows Mobile 5 absolutely SUCKS in my best estimation. It's glitchy and it grows a brain way too often where it decides to do strange things of its own accord -- usually at the worst possible moment.
I have a great idea; let's get Windows Mobile 2003 working flawlessly before moving on to something else.
I have to be honest with you folks though; we are our own worst enemies; we buy these stupid things and we don't hold anyone to account. iMate is one of the worst offenders. They have absolutely ZERO tech support. All they offer when you do finally get ahold of someone are empty promises. Furthermore, they purposely make it difficult to contact them (here's their number in Dubai since I know it's impossible to find: 011-971-4-367-8555). I'm still trying to get them to fix the Bluetooth on the PDA2k; one of the few things on that unit that really SUCKS!
My point is, if we buy these things and not hold HTC accountable every time they build a POS, then nothing is ever going to change -- except, of course, the fact HTC will keep getting richer. Every time something new and shiny and smaller comes out we'll rush out to buy one, or more likely we'll buy it from some dubious online schmuck store that states "all sales are final; no exceptions." (In the U.S., don't be fooled by online operators making these statements; federal law REQUIRES them to take units back within 10 to 14 days depending on the location of the store.) It's time to hold HTC's feet to the fire; start by suing them -- worked like gangbusters when I sued Handspring years ago. . . Another piece of friendly advice; wait, wait, and wait some more when the impulse hits to buy that new unit HTC (or anyone for that matter) makes. Check the forums; heed the experiences of others. Remember, when HTC's sales start falling off, that's when they're going to get the message to shape up or find another line of work.
In closing, I have tons of experience fooling with PDAs and phones and convergent devices. Just about all of them suck. Experience dictates you should find the unit that sucks the least (for me, the PDA2k so far. . .) and stick with it until these companies get the message we're simply not going to tolerate anymore junk. Period.
And as for all that nonsense about "dual core" OMAP processors being on equal footing with the intel 400 plus ARMs. Total B.S. Those OMAPs were just cheaper by far and that's why HTC went with them. Aside from overclocking them (risky) Skype will never run as well on the Wizard as it does on any of the 400+ mhz processors; that's a fact. And just think about the logic here; do we really want to use overclocking software to make a program work on a newer machine that was already running fine on an older machine? Not me! I thought the advantage of buying newer hardware was greater functionality -- not less which is clearly the case with the Wizard versus the PDA2k. Now I see why the "old" PDA2k still costs more new than the newer new Wizard; because it works better. . .
Bottom line: The Wizard isn't done yet; it needs to go back into the oven for awhile. Mine's going back tomorrow. . . Thanks for your time. . .
Kindest Regards,
Brian S. Faile
I'm sure that all the people bagging this product have never actually used it. This is my 3rd Windows Mobile Device, and it is outstanding. The screen is awesome, the quality of the phone application (including reception, clarity and volume) is great and the OS is very stable. It's quick, it doesn't lag even with lots of apps open, and there's plenty of storage space. There is no comarison between Intel and TI processors, the clockspeed means nothing. The battery life is incredible, I get 4-5 days with medium use (including BT, WLAN and GPRS) and 2-3 with heavy use (including lots of camera shots).
I'm always amused by people who expect a 150g device to be a TV, Radio, GPS, Personal Computer, Espresso Machine, portable boat and emergency parachute. Come on people! This device does a great job for what it is, if you don't like it, then just buy a laptop with a WLAN hotspot account and skype away. Just don't start whining when you have to pay money to a chriropractor to fix your back from lugging around 5 kg's all the time.
What's Up Gang?
Is it me, or does Simmo #19 above give the distinct impression he works for HTC? Simmo, nobody's whining here; we're simply stating the true facts based upon our experiences. If you're going to sit there and claim your unit works flawlessly, then only two things come to mind: (a) you're lying, or (b) you don't turn your unit on and simply sit there and look at it. Please don't make the baseless assertion that nobody here has used these units, because we all have. Do you really think we have nothing better to do than sit in front of a computer and denegrate consumer electronics? Gimme a break. . . Brian
I've had one of these for two weeks now - so i'll give my quick impression.
The Jamin is a compromise device. They have had to compromise to get the size down while still preserving battery life etc. Sometimes they pull it off, sometimes they don't.
First off, the device isn't all bad. It's screen is nice, WM5 is stable (one soft reset in the last 2 weeks), the device feels nice in the hand - it's a solid lump - and calls can be made one handed (with a little practice).
The Jamin has two areas of bad design. One; the speaker is on the back. If i lay the device down on a table and it rings, the sound is muffled. If you want to watch something - the sound projects across the room instead of towards you. The phone ring is the not really loud but adequate.
The second bad design is the speaker sound when answering the phone. The sound is muffled and echoy. Useable, but not the best.
Other points of note are:
- The CPU is fast enough for most applications - I have TomTom installed, and it's pretty snappy. Sometimes I stop all the processes to free up some memory - this seems to solve any loading issues.
- Most apps load up pretty quickly (a couple of seconds - TomTom being an exception at about 10 secs).
- WiFi chews up the battery. If you want to sit around browsing the web etc, the battery will only last a few hours - this can be managed a bit through wifi power settings. It's fine for a bit of browsing and checking email - but not for leaving it on all the time.
Otherwise it's a nifty toy. I had the excellent Orange C500 prior to this one and I had no troubles with it over 1.5 years of use. On that basis, I though I would stick with HTC for this upgrade.
First of all Brian, post in the correct forum. We're discussing the HTC Prohpet not the Wizard. The Prophet has a dedicated Start and OK button. So my assumption that you've never even used the device is probably correct.
I don't work for HTC. The was another of your incorrect assertions . I also don't recall saying that my unit works flawlessly, perhaps you can highlight the section in my post where I said that?
What I did try and point out is that the majority of posters on this site are complaining that the unit doesn't do x, y and z and therefore it is a piece of crap. Refer to postings 1-7, including the gem "this is retarded", for examples. Other people posting have complained about battery life being 12 hours or so; clearly a defective unit that should be returned. SD card not working? A recognised issue that is resolved by AKU2 which I have installed and am using successfully.
Every new product will have problems. Windows Mobile is still a new(ish) technology, so if you aren't able to live with imperfection, then stick with regular phones. I have had great experiences with HTC devices, the JAMin being the best. Plenty of people agree with me, check out MoDaCo and see for yourself.
Unless, of course, you want to waste more time denigrating a product you've never even seen.
I now have an i-mate JAMin (arrived this weekend)and must say I have had no problems with it. Phone calls are clear, and it certainly seem as quick as my old iPAQ 2210.
I have owned my JAMin for about a month now. Overall it does its job well:
1. I am a T-Mobile (US) customer using my company's MS Exchange server. Got on GPRS without a hitch and email works just fine. I was roaming (Europe and West Africa) with it without a problem ... although I barely used the function because of T-Mobile's exorbitant roaming charges.
2. Most functions work flawlessly.
3. Surfing the Internet, accessing Hotmail and such work just fine.
BUT ...
1. Battery life is HORRIBLE. I cannot get more than 24 hours on one charge, and that's with plenty of time on standby and wi-fi turned off. I don't understand how #20 (Simmo) gets 2-3 days on a single charge with heavy use. What's his secret?
2. Speaker placement was really poorly thought. When I am on speakerphone mode, I have to talk to the BACK of the unit to be heard.
3. SKYPE doesn't f****ing work. And that's frustrating because I am a heavy Skype user. I cannot even begin to calculate how many $$$ I saved with that software. So Skype not working is a big letdown, especially since I wanted to use it to work around stiff roaming charges; I already had local SIMS from the countries I visited and had access to wi-fi just about everywhere I went.
JAMin is fun to use and compact but it does have some big flaws.
CORRECTION TO PREVIOUS POST:
1. I meant that I have to turn to the back of the unit to HEAR, not to be HEARD.
2. I fixed my Skype proble. I deleted the pre-installed Skype 1.1 for PocketPC and downloaded the 2.0 version from Skype's website. It now works LIKE A CHARM. I am quite happy about this.
[reply to 25]
Hey DaFLPeep. I'm guessing you've got a faulty battery, because I get now at LEAST 3 days (and up to 5 if I don't use it for anything but phonecalls and GPRS). I have noticed that the quality of the HTC supplied batteries varies greatly. I had an i-mate SP5 before this phone, and the battery was absolutely crap, it was lucky to last a day.
How long do you charge it for? I usually let mine run down to about 10% battery then charge it overnight (about 8 hours). Not sure if this makes a difference, but worth a go! Also have you upgraded to AKU2? I noticed a slight improvement in battery life since upgrading.
Hey guys, Lot's of drama on here...
I'm looking to get one from Orange in the UK (as SPV M600) soon. Glad to hear that there's a fix for Skype in the latest version. I'd heard that the cpu can be overclocked to 240mhz to help with this, anyone done it?
How do you find using the touch keypad for dialling, is it pretty responsive/accurate? Appreciate I might have to get used to it. Overall hearing pretty good things. Will use a GPS receiver and software with it too, plus 2gb SD card. Any limits on SD sizes for it as far as anyone know.
Comments greatly appreciated!
Garry
Can anyone confirm another posters comment that video capture is only 160x120? A bit miserable for a new piece of kit?
this is retarted
Does anyone care about any new QVGA devices? That is like Alpine releasing a new tape deck head unit for the car. OOOHHH AHHHH.
wtf i can compare the two on these grounds,,, :TI OMAP 850 suxorz my ass compared to xscale. This thing can`t even run skype
one advantage is prob longer battery life but man with windows mobile 5 this thing will laggggggggggggggggggggg
You can't fit VGA resolution in a 2.8" screen yet. Besides, at 2.8", you do get a fine dot pitch so it still looks pretty sharp.
Anyway, does it come with AKU 2 and the messaging and security pack?
Screen resolution ain't the only thing they need to improve on.
Get GPS in the damn thing, and, so that no-one can show-off their pdaphones in front of you, get FM & TV receivers built-in too!
Because it's not a PDA-Phone until it's packed full and leaking of features. HTC you biatch.
It can't run skype because it's a completely diffrent type of processor, not because it is slow. Kinda like power pc vs. Pentiums. They are working on a version for it but remember that pocket Skype is still in BETA.
Since 2.2" screens exist (while not in any PPC devices I am aware of) indicates they should be able to make 2.8" VGA screens.
i stand corrected no. 7
yea after looking it over i wouldnt mind owning one of these =P
#1, you know what's even more "retarted"? Not knowing how to spell the word RETARDED.
$500-550? I don't think so. The phone will sell for $650-$680 via MMB & Expansys. Expansys says the phone will be ready to be shipped the first week of March.
I'll take battery life over running Skype man.
Besides, that TI OMAP CPU is ARM isn't it? That's a very popular and widely-used architecture. I wouldn't be surprised to see a lot of common apps like Skype migrate there in time anyway. And isn't the OMAP multi-threaded? Seems like that'd give you a smoother experience. I've read a review with the Intel XScale that said there was lag in switching modes and apps. After the way the Pentium 4 has been put to shame by anything made by AMD and even Intel's own Pentium M's, I rather an ARM chip any day over what they've got.
If you say it can't run skype, it's cause you never
used the omap. I have a k-jam and run skype and
multitask.Dont believe the rumors.