O2 Xphone IIm

Design
While we universally went gaga over the Xphone II's classic chic-black design, we reckon the camps will be polarized this time round. Despite the mixture of two colors--sleek silver and iPod white--that hardly ever goes wrong, this reviewer thinks the overall combination a tad odd while others find it aesthetically pleasing. No question about build quality, though. This is one solid, well-constructed handset.

Wisely sticking to the same display as its predecessor, we can't help but wax lyrical over the Xphone IIm's gorgeous 2.2-inch, 176 x 220-pixel TFT LCD, matched with adequate brightness and vivid 65K colors. The screen size fills up almost the whole width of the handset, accounting for its generous display real estate.

Right below the screen are the Home and Back softkeys, flanked by two selector buttons for menu navigation. Sandwiched between that row and the numerical keypad are dedicated music playback buttons, much like Samsung's new E720, plus a Web browser shortcut key. Thankfully, the Xphone IIm finds itself on the right side of convenience vs clutter.

Compared with the Xphone II's angled keys, the contoured, white-backlit numerics on the Xphone IIm are just as responsive, yet even more ergonomic and well-spaced out. However, the small joystick isn't that ideal, its reduced size making it hard to maneuver for larger thumbs. Also, its location is slightly too far from the menu softkeys.

Completing the setup are quick access volume controls on the left, camera button on the right, and earphone jack and mini-USB connector at the base of the phone.

Features
One could be forgiven for wishing this model to be the first smart phone packed with Microsoft's recently announced Windows Mobile 5.0. Instead, the IIm still runs on the same Windows Mobile 2003 Second Edition and is powered by the same TI OMAP processor as the Xphone II. In fact, a quick comparison of the two models' specifications reveals a virtually identical setup. The operating system and user interface are generally responsive, and you can quickly navigate through the menus by pressing numbers tagged to each menu option.

Like the Palm Treo 650, all your SMS, MMS and emails are managed within one messaging category. Sporting the same intuitive contacts search function as the company's PDA-phone gem, the Xda II mini, tapping the first few letters of a desired name returns you a list of corresponding entries. You can assign speed dials to individual contacts as well as menu functions. A long press on the green call button conveniently activates the loudspeaker.

Using Pocket Outlook and the included USB cable, the Xphone IIm easily synchronizes with your desktop Outlook for all your contacts, tasks and calendar entries. Unlike WAP-only handsets, this smart phone's Pocket Internet Explorer gives you full Web browsing, albeit at slow, pricey GPRS speeds. To its credit, it takes just a few button presses to set up a data connection before you're off and surfing. Additional connectivity options include infrared and Bluetooth.

The Xphone IIm's entertainment capabilities are handled with Windows Media Player 10 Mobile which supports resuming a song after an incoming call, as well as background playback. Searching and adding all your music and video content to the media library are a breeze. We were slightly put off by the lack of an equalizer option, but not so with the delivery of our favorite music tracks. Packaged with quality earphones and less tangle-prone cables, the acoustics are very impressive by phone standards and should easily suffice for casual listening and commuting pleasure. The Xphone II supports MP3 ringtones, WMA, WAV and built-in 32-chord melodies.

On the other hand, we can't hide our disappointment at the lack of any upgrades to the photo-taking department. Still sporting a VGA-only sensor, photos are decent at best. While shutter lag is minimal, imaging tweaks and options are just as barebones.

While decent by phone standards, the Xphone IIm's 32MB RAM will hardly be enough for all your ripped audio tracks and video clips. To that end, users can choose to employ the onboard miniSD expansion option. This isn't hot-swappable, though, so you have to remove the battery to insert or extract the storage card.

Reception, Battery Life And SAR
During our testing, we had no problems with either voice quality or reception using the triband Xphone IIm. The 1,050mAh Li-ion battery lasted between 2.5 and three days on normal usage, which includes music on the way to work. The highest SAR value for this device when tested for use is 0.29 W/kg, meeting international guidelines for exposure to radio waves.

Conclusion
The phone is set to retail at S$798 (US$587.53) without contract. Considering the Xphone II and IIm have similar price tags, hardware specifications, operating software and phone functions, it's pretty much a case of which handset tickles your fancy. In short, while this newest O2 falls way short as an upgrade to a previous model, it still stands out as an outstanding smart phone.