HTC Athena

[SpeedDemon]

Anyone heard about the HTC Athena?
Is looking very good I think.

http://msmobiles.com/news.php/5983.html

here is more info.

[schettj]

Uh... that's kinda huge for a phone, isn't it? And it's nearly a pound in weight.

[budney]

Neat looking, but too bad it's for T-Mobile Europe.

[Wideawake]

Looks very interesting detachable keyboard Bigger tho andi like that
~Mike

[bunnytrigger]

i digg that. ........Just think, i could have a phone, ppc, and a protective shield like He-Man!!! ......or was it He-Men???

[dannzeman]

Originally Posted by MobileBurn.com

Earlier this week Dopod Hong Kong announced the U1000. Based on the HTC Athena reference design, the U1000 is basically a Hong Kong version of T-Mobile's Ameo. Dopod warned that not all features (especially GPS) can be used in all markets, even with manual setup. They claimed that regional versions differ not only in language packs and themes but other subtle system registry differences that users have no access to.

The 624Mhz Intel Bulverde CPU worked well, but actual performance appeared to be more limited by the 128MB RAM. This is especially apparent when loading up the camera. Loading files from the 256MB ROM and the 4GB miniSDHC are noticeably faster than from the 8GB MicroDrive hard disk. When you save a file, the device will prompt you to choose between the ROM or the MicroDrive.

It might not be truly fair to comment on the streaming video quality, as that depends heavily on individual network coverage, but with that said, everything seemed to work just as it should. Don't expect too much from the ATI W2284 graphics chip, however, as it didn't really seem to make much of a difference in video quality. Since we didn't get to test the U1000's gaming abilities, we'll give the W2284 the benefit of the doubt for now. Also, the native VGA TV-out worked flawlessly, and the system does not slow down at all when TV-out is on.

The keypad was far from great, much to our disappointment. Tactile feedback was inadequate and the connection with the device was not always reliable. The magnet mechanism that holds the keyboard over the screen as a cover worked well, though.

One interesting feature on the Dopod U1000 is the VueFLO motion sensor, which can respond to the slanting of the device. As such, you can tilt the screen to scroll up or down. This worked pretty well during our quick test. Take note that only the Opera Browser and Internet Explorer can make use of the VueFLO motion sensor, neither the main menu nor other programs currently support the system.

The battery bundled with the device has a huge 2200mAh capacity. Dopod claims the device is capable of up to 300 hours of standby time. Talk times of up to 5.5 hours on GSM networks should also be within reach. Charging can be done via USB.

The Dopod U1000 will start selling in Hong Kong in late February, suggested retail price is a whopping US$1280, which is comparable to a full blown UMPC.

You'll find more live photos of the Dopod U1000 / HTC Athena on the following page.

Specifications for Dopod U1000 (HTC Athena)
Band GSM 850/900/1800/1900MHz UMTS 850/1900/2100MHz
Data GPRS/EDGE, WCDMA/HSDPA, 802.11b/g
Size 133mm x 98mm x 16mm (5.2" x 3.9" x .6")
Weight 375g (13.2oz)
Battery Life Up to 12.5 days standby time, Up to 5.5h talk time
Main Display 5" 64k color TFT touchscreen, 640x480 resolution
Sub-Display N/A
Camera 3MP autofocus, VGA resolution secondary camera
Video Video capture/playback
Messaging MMS/EMS/SMS
Email Yes (POP/IMAP/Direct Push)
Bluetooth Yes 2.0 (A2DP)
Sound Polyphonic, stereo
Java Unknown
Memory 128MB RAM, 256MB internal flash, miniSD card slot
Availability February 2007 (manufacturer's estimate)
Other Built-in GPS, detachable QWERTY keyboard, tilt sensor for browser scrolling, stereo speakers, VGA TV output, 3.5mm audio jack

Here's the link for pics: http://www.mobileburn.com/review.jsp?Page=1&Id=3115

[Alwaysbelieve1]

No thanx. That thing is GINORMOUS!!! Might as well just use a laptop computer.

[dannzeman]

Oh now what would be the fun in that? :P I like it just because its like a laptop but so much smaller. If you think of it as a pda or a pda/phone then yeah it seems huge and not all that practical. But if you think of it as a tiny laptop it seems cooler, imo. Its way expensive though and there are much better options if your looking for a tiny laptop.