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O2 Xda Atom Exec

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By Asher Moses, CNET.com.au, CNET Asia
Jan 30, 2007

O2's XDA Atom Exec is an incremental upgrade to the original Atom, a move the company hopes will help stave off increasing competition from the likes of HP with its iPaq rw6828 or the upcoming multimedia BlackBerry devices such as the 8100 Pearl. On its own, the Exec is a highly impressive, push email-enabled smart phone, but if you already own the first Atom, its upgrade worthiness is questionable.

Editors' note:
This review is based on tests done by our sister site CNET.com.au. As such, please note that there may be slight differences in the testing procedure and ratings system. For more information on the actual tests conducted on the product, please inquire directly at the site where the article was originally published.

Design
Following the highly successful design of the original Atom, the Exec offers the same dimensions--102 x 58 x 18.5mm--and a more than manageable weight of 140g. It's not a burden to carry around in a jeans pocket, and you won't be self-conscious since the curvaceous, black chassis is quite attractive.

The most significant design difference between the vanilla Atom and the Exec is the fact that the latter uses a matte as opposed to a glossy finish. This is a smart move by O2, as the previous Atom was chastised by users for being prone to fingerprinting and other blemishes.

Menu navigation is handled using either the stylus (or, if you're lazy, a finger) or the hardware buttons that lie just below the 2.7-inch 240x320-pixel touch screen. These buttons include a five-way directional thumb pad, accept/reject calling buttons, a shortcut button for the start menu and a button for quick-launching your SMS/e-mail/MMS inbox.

Other handy shortcut buttons include volume adjustments on the left side of the device, a power button up on top and shortcuts to the notes and camera applications on the right.

In addition to the power button, the top of the Exec houses a miniSD memory card slot, while on the opposite end of the device you'll find a USB connector and a 2.5mm headphone jack.

 
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