Pocket PC phones win Swedish hearts

[Andy Sjostrom]

<a href="http://www.expressen.se/article.asp?id=113481">http://www.expressen.se/article.asp?id=113481</a><br /><br />Expressen, the second largest evening paper in Sweden, has published a review of the Pocket PC Phone we know as <a href="http://www.carrierdevices.com/">"Joey"</a> and "xda". The article's title says it all: "Internet mobile phone is a success!"<br /><br />The review consists of several compiled statements from two reviewers, and it comes out as an overall very positive review. Here are some quotes:<br /><br />"Microsoft's new revolutionary Internet mobile phone, Joey, should cause sleeplessness for old mobile-veterans such as Nokia and Ericsson."<br />"The Joey is Microsoft's springboard into the mobile market."<br />"Mats Sjödin is telekom expert at Telekom Online and has during the three weeks he has had the Joey available become addicted to it:<br />- Almost as a friend, a part of me. I use Joey everywhere. With Joey I can, where ever I am, communicate both via voice and e-mail, I can chat with people. I can connect to the Internet and do research I need for my job."<br /><br />The article makes positive remarks about the Windows-like user interface and predicts that Joey will attract many customers because of its familiarity. Mats Sjödin's conclusion is: "Joey is in a class of its own in the multimedia category. Nokia's Communicator 9210i is hereby defeated."<br /><br />Joey will, according to the article, be available in stores in July and cost $650-$800. I can definitely agree with Mats Sjödin's findings. I too, am addicted to my Joey. In all aspects, it is simply the best mobile phone I have ever had. From the "consumer" features such as voice, connectivity, Web, e-mail and games to the "developer" features I like such as the APIs and the Windows platform itself -- it simply rocks.<br /><br /><img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/joey_1.jpg" />

[farnold]

As much as I like this concept... there is still certain disadvantages.

Just 32 MB of RAM is really not enough, while 64 MB is standard and we will soon see even more.

The xda lacks expandibilities such as Bluetooth and CF slot.

Besides this - a superb device. But I will still wait for other devices to hit the markets. What's i.e. with the HP 928 WDA as it was shown at CeBIT in March? That could seriously be a compeditor for the xda, couldn't it?

[Andy Sjostrom]

I have heard that the HP 928 WDA will be released only in the UK, and then be dropped. While I haven't been able to confirm this with official sources, I believe it is true.

I agree that a Joey with 64 MB or more, Bluetooth, WiFi, CF and so on will be an ever cooler device... and when that device hits the street we will dream about getting even MORE stuff jammed into the little device (which we then hope to be smaller)... Innovation is a never ending story and Microsoft leads the pack right now.

What I am saying is that, while I agree with you... we do want products to be released at SOME point, even though we know cooler things will appear in the future. Don't we?

[karlth]

Battery life?

[Andy Sjostrom]

I am glad... no, I am thrilled to say that battery life is excellent.

From a phone perspective I get about 5 hours of voice calls, and 130-160 hours in standby.

From a Pocket PC perspective, it beats my iPAQ Pocket PC and HP Jornada hands down. I have been able to squeeze 10-13 hours of Pocket PC use from it. It translates to 3-5 days of usage.

So, the way I use Joey as both Pocket PC and phone I can go at least 3 full days without a charge. Heck, that is better than my old black-and-white Nokia phone.

[SimonJudge]

[quote="farnold"]As much as I like this concept... there is still certain disadvantages.

Just 32 MB of RAM is really not enough, while 64 MB is standard and we will soon see even more.
quote]

I have an xda (same as the Joey) with an SD card. If you add a 64Mb SD card there is more than enough memory to add music, images etc.

However, I have found some bugs and limitations. See my new web site for further details.

[PlayAgain?]

[Deleted]

[pt]

As much as I like this concept... there is still certain disadvantages. Just 32 MB of RAM is really not enough, while 64 MB is standard and we will soon see even more. The xda lacks expandibilities such as Bluetooth and CF slot. Besides this - a superb device. But I will still wait for other devices to hit the markets. What's i.e. with the HP 928 WDA as it was shown at CeBIT in March? That could seriously be a compeditor for the xda, couldn't it?

it has a sd slot, so 32 mb of ram is not a problem. i have 128 mb sd card, love it. as far as "lacks expandability" the sd slot will handle bluetooth and memory so cf isn't needed.

[jpaq]

XDA with

- Working and efficient X-scale
- 64-128 MB RAM
- 16-bit color screen (not the current 12-bit)
- 48-64 MB User accessible ROM
- SD I/O
- Similar battery life to what Andy reports

Now that's a machine.

Until then, give me the XDA with 64 MB RAM a 16 Bit Screen and good abattery life and I'll be happy.

And yes, I'd like fries with that.

[karlth]

Are all of these O2 XDA devices the same unit?

[karlth]

Sorry about that, had no idea that O2 was a british mobile company. So these xda units are probably all the same.

I contacted O2 and if you have a friend in the uk he can buy the phone for 499 pounds for you but you'll have to pay minimum 20 pounds per month for 12 months for the contract. No contract, no phone.

[marlof]

No contract, no phone, and no matter what you do: a simlock on the phone. I believe that for the first ( or may be even first and second ) year of the contract, the phone will only work with an O2 SIM card. So make sure you find out if this works with your SIM card as well before you'd "import" it through a friend.

[marlof]

as far as "lacks expandability" the sd slot will handle bluetooth and memory so cf isn't needed.

2 questions: is the SD slot SD I/O on the XDA ? I still did not see any definite answer to that one. But even with SD I/O , the place of the SD slot would have your BT antenna sticking out from below your XDA, wouldn't it? And how do you connect it to a (Wireless or not) LAN ?

I do think the memory limitations are not so big, considering the SD slot. But I regret there not being a CF option for this device. If it would have only that, I might like the XDA as good or better than the 928, but currently the 928 still has my vote.

But if you can't get a 928 ( who knows if, where and when it will be released ) I do think the benefits of the XDA / Joey are much bigger than the lack of CF epxansion, and I think I'd be very happy with an XDA!

[karlth]

No contract, no phone, and no matter what you do: a simlock on the phone. I believe that for the first ( or may be even first and second ) year of the contract, the phone will only work with an O2 SIM card. So make sure you find out if this works with your SIM card as well before you'd "import" it through a friend.

Sim-Lock? O2 didn't warn me about that. I asked the sales person specifically if the root I mentioned was possible and he said no problem. He probably forgot to mention that I just couldn't use the phone for 12 months.
:(

[karlth]

as far as "lacks expandability" the sd slot will handle bluetooth and memory so cf isn't needed.

2 questions: is the SD slot SD I/O on the XDA ? I still did not see any definite answer to that one. But even with SD I/O , the place of the SD slot would have your BT antenna sticking out from below your XDA, wouldn't it? And how do you connect it to a (Wireless or not) LAN ?


tekguru.co.uk mentions in his extensive review that the SD is not I/O.

Personally the XDA would replace my phone, not the laptop that I use at home for wireless surfing.

[farnold]

What I am saying is that, while I agree with you... we do want products to be released at SOME point, even though we know cooler things will appear in the future. Don't we?

Yep, we do. And that's what the manufacturer love us for... wonder what they would do, if we all would decide: "OK, that's enough now. Don't bother develop newer things. We're happy." Noone here to say that, I bet...

[farnold]

it has a sd slot, so 32 mb of ram is not a problem. i have 128 mb sd card, love it. as far as "lacks expandability" the sd slot will handle bluetooth and memory so cf isn't needed.

Hm, but there's the problem. It handles either of them at a time. What if I want Bluetooth and Memory at the same time???

Besides, where is a SD Bluetooth card available right now?

[farnold]

No contract, no phone, and no matter what you do: a simlock on the phone. I believe that for the first ( or may be even first and second ) year of the contract, the phone will only work with an O2 SIM card. So make sure you find out if this works with your SIM card as well before you'd "import" it through a friend.

isn't it available in the UK w/o a contract as well?

[tekguru]

Well it looks like the XDA will be going back for a full refund on Saturday. The reasons are:

- It was bought for an always on GRPS connection, I can connect but if the XDA is turned off the connection is disconnected.

- I can only get a connection to O2 while at home some 10% of the time. Coverage is not good.

- Even when online and I tick the POP3 option to check my email every X minutes it is never checked.

So as far as I am concerned it is not fit for the purpose it was bought ;-(

[pt]

tekguru.co.uk mentions in his extensive review that the SD is not I/O.

from what i've been told it's can support sd i/o. there just isn't hardware yet. the toshiba sd bluetooth card uses wacky drivers just for their pocket pc unit.

[marlof]

isn't it available in the UK w/o a contract as well?

Yes, for those in O2 with an exisiting contract, they can get the phone without a contract. But... with an O2 sim lock.

[kagayaki1]

I think it's important to remember that any OEM goes through a tought decision making process involving what to include in the device versus the final cost of the product. Yes, it would be nice to have every little goodie in a single package...but I'm willing to say most consumers (enterprise users, likely in this case) of the device aren't as picky as you and I regarding the specs. They're generally more concerned about one thing: does it fit my need?

In all fairness, HTC did a good job making this device. While most complain about the 32MB, I'm sure that was a cost cutting measure. Most know the 4096 color limitation is to help with battery life, a point that Tekguru and others have made clear. All in all, this device does the basics very well, and it has plenty of memory to hold the custom ringtones, call log, SMS messages, etc. Huge games? You might want another device.

I, like many of you, would love a device jammed with everything I (might) need. But would you pay a 4 digit price for it? I think not.

[karlth]

Just talked to a O2 rep and he guaranteed that the XDA is not sim-locked.

So it seems feasable to buy the machine in the uk + a minimum contract and use it in another country.[/b]