electronics O2 XDA mini S – the keyboard makes all the difference opinions and reviews

O2 XDA mini S – the keyboard makes all the difference

O2’s Xda Mini S just goes to show what can be possible if you place the consumer’s needs above commercial goals.

There are no two ways about it: the guys in O2’s product development have done a superlative job in creating this PDA phone. The most striking feature, and one that shows these chaps really think, is the slide-out QWERTY keyboard. This becomes such a convenience while navigating a maze of menu options, especially when editing a document or texting an alpha-numerical message, frequent and routine tasks for on-the-move executives.

The operating system Windows Mobile 5 brings the required zip to the machine with a software bundle that includes Pocket Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook and the browser IE. You will find many similarities between the Windows platform here and the desktop PC version. In that sense it’s more a pocket PC than a phone and meant to be used likewise. This needs mentioning especially because the audio during voice calls is not very satisfactory. So if you’re an intensive mobile user and rarely use Office applications, check out other options.

But then one does not need the keyboard all the time, what with shortcuts provided for nearly every feature. Once you familiarize yourself with its many features you can nimbly navigate through the options using your thumbnail as usual.

Other attractive features include a huge 240 x 320 pixel 65k colour-display touch screen. The mini S is also a quad-band phone making it compatible with any network around the world. The WiFi connectivity and Bluetooth combine to provide a complete mobile office experience. Options include 802.11b wireless, Infrared, US and Bluetooth links.

Another welcome feature is the Direct push technology which brings your email directly to your handset and pronto! Not when you log in and look up the inbox of your email id.

The machine is truly versatile but not without faults. To begin with, you have to be connected to a WiFi network to be able to browse the Net at broadband speeds. That’s because the device is not 3-G compatible.

The OMAP 850 processor with a 195MHz speed is fast but not enough for making VoIP calls using services such as Skype. This would require a CPU with a 400MHz speed.

Battery life is good enough considering the amount of work you will do on it. By normal measures, it is powered for 5hrs talktime and 200hrs standby time.

The camera and video features are so basic you’d like to send stinkers to O2. About the only consolation is the flash for the camera.

Lastly, if you’re going to constantly transfer all documents and files from the gadget to your PC then the Mini S is perfectly allright, otherwise you will find the 47MB (plus 44MB dedicated to the various apps) of storage space very frustrating. We suggest buying a mini SD card for additional storage.

With dimensions like 58mm x 109mm x 24mm and weighing 150g this isn’t exactly a pocket phone. But then the pocket needs to be bigger, one that can shell out about Ł260 for the gadget should be big enough.