Review of the O2 XDA Orbit PDA phone
This is a real review because I've not just had the phone for a long weekend of toying; I've been living with it for a couple of months of real life. I've been to Milan with it, I've sat cross-legged on the floor in an airport playing on it, I've used it to solve all my navigational woes and I've actually used it as a phone. So here are my thoughts on it:
(It's worth mentioning that all the imagery of the phone itself is taken from this 4winmobile.com review - I didn't have a camera to hand so please go and read their review too).
It's a handsome phone but it doesn't really make people stop and stare - which can be a pro and a con at the same time depending on why you want it. So the question is what do you need it for? It's worth noting at this early stage that if you're going to be doing a lot of data-entry on the phone then it's probably not ideal - it has no keyboard/keypad. People around me expect it to have a slide-out keyboard of sorts but no - you need to enter data directly onto the screen using your preferred method (handwriting recognition, on screen keyboard etc). So (as with most other PDA-phones) text-messaging can be painful - especially to friends with predictive Nokia phones who can rattle off a message in 12 seconds flat.
As a phone
It copes without issue. Voice dialling, contact management, call management - all rewardingly easy and that's ideal for a business phone - you don't want to be faffing around trying to do simple tasks when time is an issue.
Using it with Windows XP
Is amazingly simple - once the drivers are installed the phone is recognised by Windows and this makes file management very easy. Dragging and dropping files between systems is effortless and XP even takes the time to encode files on the fly for you (Mp3's anyway). I can't argue with the ease of use with Windows.
Storage
It really lacks storage out of the box (around 54mb really doesn't go far) so it's important to expand the memory. I bought a 2gb Micro-SD card for around ?50 (they can be had for less online) which has enabled me to use it as a media device and install some "other" joys on it (more on that later).
Media playback
The one problem with this phone is the processor - clocking in at only 201mhz it's substancially less than other PDA's which isn't normally a problem but it becomes overly evident when playing videos. You really need to hack back at size and quality before a viewable solution is reached. Of course quality isn't lost because the screen is so small but the phone is entirely unable to cope with PC-sized files. So you'll need to find a MP4 encoder to convert your TV Shows/Movies into a usable size/format.
The O2 XDA Orbit really comes into it's own by having integrated GPS
The single most useful aspect of this phone is the integrated GPS; meaning you can install satelite navigation software onto it (purchased separately) and have full navigation wherever you are. This is incredibly useful not only bi-passing the need to buy a standalone sat-nav unit but it also means that you have sat-nav for the times you're lost on foot. You really have no excuse to be unable to find anything ever again with this phone.
The camera
Typically the camera isn't great on the phone because it's there more to tick boxes than perform well. It has a camera but it's not really much good. Below are a few examples of what the phone takes:
The above photo was taken outdoors in *some* park in Milan (Italy). It's sufficient to remember what you've seen but you couldn't hope to do anything with the image.
I felt it necessary to include this photo: picturing the single most german-looking man in the world (who was German, incidentily). He was on German TV in the hotel in Milan and I felt it important to photograph him. Again, a different environment with different lighting and the quality is "ok" without being anything to be proud of.
It's fair to say the camera is the weakest aspect of the phone but that's not really an issue - it is a business phone after all.
Overall
If you like PDA-phones then this is a winner because the battery life is excellent and it just works so well (it hasn't crashed once I might add). However it's not going to be right for you if you text more than you call because writing messages by hand is not fun when you're in a rush. Overall though I'm very happy with it; it has sat-nav installed, manages media files nicely (once you get your videos configured correctly) and generally makes my life so much easier by allowing me to manage so many different things all on one device.
Yes, it is a business phone more than anything else but there's so much fun to be had - integrated GPS and Wi-Fi support make it astonishingly flexible. Please do read this review over at 4winmobile.com for a more in-depth look at the phone (full technical specs etc).
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