electronics O2 XDA Atom: streets ahead of the pack opinions and reviews

O2 XDA Atom: streets ahead of the pack

The O2 XDA Atom is a near-perfect PDA phone that any road warrior would be ‘almost’ proud of. I used the word ‘almost’ because it could have easily been classified as a business tool, were it not for the few lags and the absence of certain Office applications that executives need while on the move. Had that been the case, this phone would very likely get an average of 8 on 10 from every one who used it.

A large quantum of features in this gadget are noteworthy, especially the Intel PXA27x416MHz processor which is supposed to add speed to the functions. It does that, to be honest, but there have been instances during our tests when the machine showed signs of lagging.

While we are discussing the plusses of the Atom, we definitely cannot overlook the Wi-Fi connectivity and the improved battery life. The LCD screen is also a march ahead of its predecessor. Most people who use it also find its compact size an attractive feature.

Looks-wise it certainly measures up: shiny black, curvaceous casing; the camera is at the back with photo lights and a round mirror for self portraits.

The Windows Mobile 5.0 operating system also makes it worth buying. Those looking to judge the Atom on speed considerations alone would find noticeable improvement during multitasking because the main storage memory has been merged with the secondary storage (look under Start > System> Settings> Memory> Storage card). That opens up a lot of memory space to store 3rd party programs and PIM data.

Among Office applications, you now have the improved Pocket Word, Excel, and the Mobile versions of these applications with support for tables, charts and embedded images.

If you’ve seen its older sibling, you’ll notice the Atom is shorter by 6mm yet it packs in more features. And when you cram so many features in so little space, it only right to expect some compromises: the most obvious one - the 2.5mm audio jack makes it incompatible with most earphones; the other problem is that all the current SD memory cards are useless on the mini SD expansion slot.

More on the downside: the camera is noticeably sluggish – the application needs about 10 seconds to load and then just as much time to shut down; music playback is about average; the speakers are hardly worth wasting words on; video playback is sluggish; and there is the persistent problem of echo feedback. While making a call from outdoors, the external sounds added to the echo making the conversation difficult and unnecessary prolonged.

If you look at it as a package deal of the good, the bad and the average, then you might be reasonably satisfied with it. But you’d still miss an integrated keyboard.