O2 Xda Atom

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This is O2's first PDA-phone powered by the new Windows Mobile 5.0. Let us see if this shiny dark and handsome prince has what it takes to earn its place as the successor to the ever popular O2 Xda II mini.

Editors' note:

While testing the O2 Xda Atom updated with the latest ROM (Feb 2006) firmware, we noticed a significant improvement in overall speed. According to the O2 Web site, this is due to the secondary Storage' under Start > System > Settings > Memory > Storage Card merging with the main storage memory. As such, users will no longer see the Storage device in File Explorer or in Memory setting. This merger allows more memory space for storing PIM data and 3rd-party programs. Part of the Storage space is now hidden and allocated to host the Windows CE Operating System image in uncompressed mode. This allows for improved execution performance. Interestingly, the program memory remains unchanged from the previous version at 32.9MB.

With the upgraded firmware, answering calls now take 4 seconds instead of 8 seconds. However, we find the Atom's voice quality still not up to scratch. Echoes are still evident during calls.

When launching the camera application, the new ROM update speeds up the loading time from 15 seconds to 8 seconds. This is relatively slow compared with some other Pocket PC phones we tried. Hopefully, the third ROM update sometime this month will rectify this issue. We did notice that the camera application now starts in landscape mode.

Smart Dialing is still not available on the Atom. Since the smart dial software is developed by HTC, O2 is unable to include this software for the Atom as the PDA-phone is manufactured by Quanta. Users who want smart dial capabilities will have to look to third-party software.

Here's more information on the second ROM update for the Atom.

Design
Here, its appearance follows HTC's mini design very closely. It sports a solid black, shiny, plastic casing which leaves fingerprints easily. Like the mini, the camera is located at the back of the device together with a photo light and round mirror that's used for self-portraits. Manufacturer Quanta, in its infinite wisdom, has relocated the speaker from the back of the PDA-phone to the front, and it is now in full stereo glory.

The Atom succeeds in shaving off 6mm in length from the Xda II mini's specifications and compresses all its components into a 102 x 58 x 18.5mm frame. However, the struggle for estate space means some sacrifices have to be made. The manufacturer therefore chose to implement a 2.5mm audio jack, which is incompatible with all your standard earphones, and a miniSD expansion slot that effectively renders all your existing SD memory cards useless. Its 2.7-inch (mini's screen is slightly larger at 2.8 inches) 262K-color QVGA display serves its purpose well and the screen is sharp and vibrant.

Windows Mobile 5.0 implements softkeys with functionality not unlike those found in Nokia phones. Unfortunately, the Atom does not come with dedicated softkeys like the Dopod 900 and Dopod 838. Therefore, you will have to reconfigure two of your buttons to use them as the left and right softkeys. This leads to another gripe that we found: Of the nine buttons available on the Atom, only four can be reconfigured to other functions. Unfortunately, too, the practically useless "Start" button cannot be reconfigured to do something else.

The camera button on the right is too low and easily pressed by accident. Speaking of which, the camera application takes too long to start up. Once you accidentally press the camera button, you cannot do anything but wait for the camera application to load for about 10 seconds and then wait another 10 seconds to shut it down again. We recommend reconfiguring this button and the Notes button on top of it to the two softkeys.

It's a good move by O2 to provide a real stylus rather than a retractable one. However, it is as skinny as the mini's stylus and feels very much like holding a toothpick. It also takes considerable effort to insert the stylus into the Atom's silo. On the bright side, at least we are certain the stylus is well taken care of and will not fall out of the silo.