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Dopod 838

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List price as of Nov 28, 2005:
S$1288
for a 2-year price plan

CNET Asia Review

By Calvin Chia

Very good

7.3

out of 10

View score

The good: Strong build quality; slide-out keyboard offers good tactile feel; compact size; high-quality shots from camera; competent phone functions (thanks to Windows Mobile 5.0).

The bad: A tad too thick; sluggish operation; 2.5mm earphone jack; no lens cover for camera; no physical lock button; only miniSD expansion slot available.

The bottom line: Despite the new Windows Mobile 5.0 OS and integrated keyboard, the 838 is marred by its sluggish performance which leaves much to ask for.

Read full review of the Dopod 838 »

 

Average User Rating

from 23 users


Very good

6.5

out of 10
 

How would you rate this product?

 
 

User Reviews

Not as great as expected



Rating: 5 out of 10 (Average)
Pros: Friendly QWERTY Keyboard
Cons: Bulky and thick, Poor Camera, Sluggish, Screen rotates by itself, MiniSD often undetected
Opinion:
I've had this phone for over 2 years and I can say I'm quite disappointed. First, it's too thick. Then the camera is so poor that when you put them into computer it looks awful. It only works best outdoor (though still poor compared to other handsets) but certainly not indoors. The phone is also very sluggish, making myself having to soft reset it over and over again (about once every 2 days). Sometimes it's also hard to answer calls or ignore them due to its sluggishness. MiniSD often rendered undetected, quite annoying for those who installed their programs in their miniSD (which most us do).

However, the keyboard is comfortable to use making it good to send e-mails and messages.


 

Attractive features but less effective day to day



Rating: 5 out of 10 (Average)
Pros: Nice features
Cons: Sluggish performance, Poor service support considering the high price
Opinion:
Bought this on the strength of the features and package. While the features are useful, the battery life is only just adequate, the unit is a bit too thick for easy use and there is
The keyboard has a nasty habit of slipping out just enough to flip the screen and inactivate the buttons - makes it difficult to answer the phone at times.
Price is too high for what you get.
When the screen got cracked I was surprised at the poor service that I received. The service centre is hard to find, parking is very inconvenient and the service staff were rude and condescending.

 

The Dopod 838 is a outstanding All-In-One business mans phone



Rating: 8 out of 10 (Excellent)
Pros: Excellent slide out keyboard, exceptional signal to noise ratio
Cons: Internal memory needs to be larger, Quality of the camera not what it should be.
Opinion:
After using Treo for a long while and having to contantly perform soft resets due to lock ups, this is a nice relief. I look forward to their continued improvements and enhancements.

 

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Dopod 838