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By Damian Koh
Feb 10, 2007

The Xda Atom, Atom Pure and Atom Exec have been charmers and, if you ask us, a handheld that looks good is already half the battle won. With the Atom Life, a faster processor, a generous 1GB onboard memory and loads of connectivity features such as 3G and HSDPA (3.5G) completes the equation. But at a sticker price of S$1,428 (US$955.63), the Windows Mobile 5.0 handheld isn't for everyone on the street.

Editors' note: During the final stages of our testing, we were informed that the unit has a ROM update. Our performance review is based on the Atom Life with the updated ROM.

Design
Ok, we confess we're not big fans of glossy handhelds, but if you have a high tolerance for smudgy surfaces, the O2 Xda Atom Life is undeniably sexy. The first Atom had a highly successful design, as did the Atom Exec that came after it. So it's not at all surprising that this latest iteration commands the same head-turning effect.

	The 2.7-inch QVGA screen washes out in direct sunlight.

We have no gripes with the size and weight of the Atom Life which is 0.5mm slimmer than the Atom Exec, though the difference is barely noticeable. Below the 2.7-inch LCD is the main control pad of the handheld. A circular directional pad pulls double duty as volume keys and music track selector and, accompanying the Call and End keys on the sides are a pair of stereo speakers that croon music. Unlike handhelds that have their speakers on the underside which could possibly muffle sound, audio output on the Atom Life isn't much better, bordering on the soft side. Bass, too, is also rather weak with the bundled earbuds.

The Atom Life uses the same 2.7-inch QVGA screen as its predecessor. It's not exceptionally large, and we find it a comfortable (barely) size for daily texting, Web surfing and document viewing. The screen washes out slightly in direct sunlight, though, and we had to turn it up a few notches on the brightness scale. Above the LCD is where you find a VGA camera for video telephony and a sunken grill where you hear the voice of the other party on the line. In idle mode, an intermittent green light flashes to signal that you're connected to the operator's network.

	On the back of the Atom, you will find a 2-megapixel CMOS camera, a self-portrait mirror and a white LED strobe flash.

On the back of the Atom, you will find a 2-megapixel CMOS camera, a self-portrait mirror and a white LED strobe flash. The handset comes with 1GB of onboard flash memory and there's an option for you to switch to a miniSD card for extra storage on the top edge of the unit. Should you decide to see the 1,530mAh Lithium-polymer battery in its full glory which, frankly, isn't very exciting to look at, slide down the battery cover. The good thing is the handset doesn't power down like some others when you do that.

What we didn't fancy were the dedicated buttons on the sides of the Atom. Yes, they look nice with embossed symbols pointing to the different functions, but that's about all there is to it. The keys didn't respond too well to our presses and often we had to consciously push the buttons in for the unit to register the key press. When we had the device to our ear, it was hard to feel the volume keys since they sit almost flushed with the surface. On a different note, the stylus stayed firmly in its holder and removing it required a little bit of effort and, occasionally, your nails.

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