Dopod 818 Pro

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When the O2 Xda II mini first arrived on our shores more than a year ago, we marveled at a full-fledged PDA-phone that boasted the latest features in a petite form factor that was truly portable. However, it still left some things to be desired, including Wi-Fi. 2006 welcomes two similarly handy convergent devices: The O2 Xda Atom, which heralds from an established brand name and looks the part, and the 818 Pro, brought into Asia by new kid on the block Dopod. We ran the fledgling PDA-phone through its paces, discovering another worthy entry into the wonderful world of mobile-capable handhelds.

Design
If mimicry is, indeed, the best form of flattery, then the revolutionary O2 mini must have its head among the clouds. Despite a glut of mini doppelgangers like its sibling, the Dopod 838, and O2's own Atom, the 818 Pro is the closest clone yet. This isn't particularly surprising, since both the 818 Pro and O2 mini are produced by the same OEM company, High Tech Computer (HTC). As a result, you still get a clean, sleek-looking metallic frame that's smooth to the touch, fingerprint-resistant and retails with a choice of five color shades. Slightly differing is the smooth rubber lining along the circumference instead of the mini's ridged version, though both offer sufficient and comfortable grip.

Likewise, we have no gripes with the Dopod's size and weight. Traditional phone users thinking of going convergent may inevitably compare this with pint-sized clamshell phones and find it goliath-esque. For our money, though, you can't get a sweeter form factor for a PDA-phone at the moment without sacrificing either its portability or display.

Screen real estate is another critical point when choosing a PDA-phone. While large screen PDAs such as the Dopod 900 along with its full-sized QWERTY may be better suited for business professionals who do a lot of Internet surfing or documentation on-the-go, most other users should find the 818 Pro's 2.8-inch TFT display sufficient. On the downside, compared with the sharp VGA screens of other PDAs, the 320 x 240-pixel, 65K-color display here seems slightly less vibrant and detailed.

The 818 Pro's camera, volume and wireless manager controls are located on the left, while the power button and infrared port sit on the opposite side of the set. With the Dopod resting on the palm, all these are easily accessible and controllable. The cheaper and more common SDIO expansion option is a welcome choice for most users as compared with the costlier miniSD format.

Below the display sits a circular five-way navigational pad, two calling buttons and four soft keys, two of which are devoted to activating the start menu and OK option, and the other two for Windows Mobile 5.0 menu navigation. The pad itself is easy to use and responsive, while all the other buttons provide excellent tactile feedback and are comfortably spaced out.

The reverse of the handset houses a 2-megapixel camera sensor which can be switched between normal and macro shots by slightly rotating the metal ring around the lens. Unfortunately, along with a reflective metallic circle for taking self-portraits, the speaker grill is also located behind, forcing us to consciously rest the device face down or risk muffling the sound and missing calls.