Dopod 818 Pro

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Features
Like other Windows Mobile 5.0 PDA-phones, the Dopod comes with souped-up Office applications such as Word Mobile, Excel Mobile and PowerPoint Mobile. Although PowerPoint slides still cannot be edited on the Dopod, you can at least view and rehearse that deal-clinching presentation on the commute to work. Setting up a user profile and synchronizing Outlook data via Microsoft ActiveSync 4.0 was a breeze. Connecting via a mini-USB cable simultaneously charges the device as well.

Kudos to the Dopod's TI OMAP processor. Operating at 195MHz, despite clocking in at less than half the speed of the Xda Atom, the 818 Pro actually seems speedier, generally more responsive and with shorter loading times than the O2. With Windows Mobile 5.0, tapping the cross on the top right-hand of the program only closes the window with the program still running in the background. Thus, even though the 818 Pro comes with a generous 128MB of ROM and 64MB of RAM, users can still benefit from freeing up valuable resources allocated to open but seldom used programs by clearing them from memory via the Settings page.

Without a dedicated keypad, you can choose to use traditional ways of inputting text such as Block Recognizer, the Pocket PC equivalent of Palm's Graffiti, or a miniature on-screen keyboard which certainly isn't for the myopic. Like the O2 Xda II mini, though, the phone pad method, which displays a classic 0-9 keypad onscreen, allows users to tap away as if they were using a T9 predictive text input on their typical mobile phone. Also, take note to soft-key lock the device by tapping on the Today screen 'Lock' option, since the 818 Pro doesn't come with an external locking switch.

Like the Atom, the 818 Pro comes equipped with built-in Wi-Fi, the one thing that O2 critically left out with the mini which prevented it from being a no-brainer purchase for some PDA users. One press of the wireless manager button, one tap of the Wi-Fi tab, and we were off and running, be it chatting with friends on MSN Messenger, surfing Web sites or checking email.

Commendably, the imaging function of the 818 Pro is well-implemented. The camera activates fairly rapidly, with about 4 seconds of boot-up time, though a 2-second shutter lag leaves room for improvement. Picture quality is pretty decent for a PDA-phone, though color reproduction is still somewhat lacking. The macro mode is also a plus, allowing for sharper close-ups shots previously unachievable with a PDA-phone's camera. Settings and tweaks are minimal, though, limited to capture format, picture size and ambience. Video capture at 176 x 144 pixels is mediocre and nothing to shout about.

Sound quality is decent and perfectly acceptable for casual listeners, but as Windows Media Player 10 Mobile still doesn't offer any equalizer settings, the slightly bass-heavy and treble-thin sound may appeal to some but put off others. You won't find an FM tuner with this model, as well. Video playback, on the other hand, is rather choppy with an unstable frame rate. Again, the choice of employing a 2.5mm audio jack means you'll have to use an extra converter in order to plug in your favorite earphones.

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