Quanta/O2 loaned us a unit of their brand new GSM communicator, the O2 XDA Atom. The phone is a GSM 900/1800/1900, GPRS class B, multi-slot class 10, EDGE phone running Windows Mobile 5.1 (the unit arrived loaded with the latest ROM). Dig in for more info about this interesting smartphone, mostly aimed at the Australia/Asian and European markets.
Post a Comment
Member since:
2005-07-06
Windows Mobile based phones are simply not very good phones. They are okay as PDAs.
Why are Windows Mobile based phones bad?
1. battery life - very short, less than a day, some only for 6 hours or so
2. ease of use - phone is a PITA to access, dial, etc
3. form factor - bulky as a phone
4. stability - Windows Mobile is not stable and has to be reset frequently
5. poor screens - extremely hard to see outdoors
My experience comes from developing and testing on multiple variations of the pda (cell and non-cell based) and smartphones. These things have lots of issues, and that's before our applications are being tested!
Member since:2005-06-28
>1. battery life - very short, less than a day, some only for 6 hours or so
This is not true. Windows Mobile 5 is amazing on battery life. Look some of the newer HTC models and you will see that battery life is just fine, as long as you use the right hardware parts.
>2. ease of use - phone is a PITA to access, dial, etc
I didn't have any problem with that.
>3. form factor - bulky as a phone
Not this phone. This the first Windows PDA/phone that is actually not bulky at all. It's smaller than my Linux-based Motorola one.
>4. stability - Windows Mobile is not stable and has to be reset frequently
Well, depends what you run. Windows Mobile has 20,000 apps out there, some of them are old or bad enough to bring down the OS. Same goes for PalmOS' 28,000 apps. Compare that to 500 apps of Nokia's Symbian and you will see that it will fair better with stability in that regard.
>5. poor screens - extremely hard to see outdoors
This is not true. It all depends what screens the hardware manufacturer is buying to use for their product. It has nothing to do with the fact if something is a Windows PDA or not.
Member since:2005-07-10
Kyle, i have Sprint PPC-6700 and here is my review:
1. Battery life is awesome almost 3 days if you don't use it and almost 5 hours with wireless. Remember wireless drains the battery life like anything.
2. ease of use - i find it quite easy to use, what is your specific complain?
3. form factor - i agree here but with all the features, phone has to be bulky. My phone has 802.11 interface, infra-red, blue-tooth etc.
4. Stability - In last 6 months it froze on me only once so whats your point?
5. Poor screen - Totally disagree, PPC-6700 rocks and its screen is crystal clear.
Edited 2006-02-23 05:42
Member since:
2005-06-29
Member since:
2005-07-06
Eugenia,
Its obvious you are always trying to defend WM.
Fact is i have a windows mobile phone (recieved it from my old employer) and its lying in the closet because it really sucks.
Battery life sucks, when i used it, it needed a reboot 3 to 4 times a day. I lost all my addresses, email, sms and settings etc. more than once.
I really tried to use it, while i am not a fan of windows, but in daily life its almost impossible to use.
Windows is like washing powder, its always improved, more sexier and more expensive but at the end of the day you will find out the stains remain.
Member since:2005-06-28
>Its obvious you are always trying to defend WM.
And it's obvious that you are a troll. Windows Mobile proved very stable here.
>Fact is i have a windows mobile phone
Do you have the PDA or the Smartphone edition? You see, the Smartphone edition of Windows Mobile SUCKS. My husband has one of those and I get cramps each time I have to use it.
But the PDA edition of the phone -- like this one reviewed--, is not bad at all. And that's the truth of it, you like it or not.
Member since:2005-07-06
>And it's obvious that you are a troll. Windows Mobile
>proved very stable here.
A troll? because WM was stable at your place? huh?
I was not talking about stability..........
I have a Qtek 220 (out of my head) PDA/Phone.
It can, but that never worked, navigate, be a phone, a camera, an internet device etc.
It is an PDA with phone functions and it really sucks.
But i guess that is all the fault of the hardware because the software is obvoius flawless
Edited 2006-02-22 23:39
Member since:2005-06-28
I can't find that Qtek model on google. Maybe it's a very old model, back in the days where Win2003 was trying to be a hybrid. But WinMob5.1 is a whole new animal. It was modified and extended to BE a phone more than a PDA.
It's like comparing Win98 to WinXP. Different animals.
Member since:2005-07-06
Member since:2005-06-28
RE[7]: Windows Mobile phones are not good phones.
Member since:2005-06-28
Member since:
2005-07-10
Member since:
2006-02-23
Dopod 818pro
http://www.mobileplanet.com/product.asp?code=127976
http://asia.cnet.com/reviews/handhelds/0,39001703,39097160p,00.htm
Same OEM (HTC), Same picture quality, support 802.11g
Member since:2005-06-28
Member since:
2005-07-10
There's a shift going on globally in the telecommunications market to support 3G which the O2 Atom smartphone doesn't but devices such as the O2 XDA Exec do. 3G offers greater connectivity both with speed and the amount of bandwidth allowed for transfering data.
Atom specs: http://gsmarena.com/o2_xda_atom-1372.php
XDA Exec specs: http://gsmarena.com/o2_xda_exec-1279.php
3G info: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/3GSM
Member since:
2005-07-06
I finally got hold of the a/c for the qtek and fired it
up. You where right ia windows mobile 2003 SE.
I was really convinced that it was running wm5 because i got it in 2005 and they said it comed with the latest
update.
So wm 2003 se is a pain in the ass and wm5 is much better....
Sorry for this mix up..i hope you accept!
Member since:2005-06-28
Member since:
2006-02-28
I've been madly wantin 2 get hold of O2's new atom.. But ceynet reviviews hav kinda scared me u know.. probably the new ROM update figured all those complaints of atom being slow.. And I'm a newbie to PDAs... Please can some one suggest if I should stick 2 O2 atom or would Dopod 818 be a better option?
Member since:
2006-03-01
The rating (6/10) given for the Atom is excessively severe - and the price you're being given is far too high. If you have to pay anything like that amount in US$ try mail order from Australia :-)
This is a great little device. The footprint is barely more than a Motorola V3 although of course it is thicker. I've been carrying one for a few weeks now and would not go back. Have not noticed any screen washout issues in sunlight, and I prefer the small size rather than packing in every possible feature.