O2 Xda Zinc: More QWERTY, Less Flame

[Darius Wey]

<a href="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/2003/xda-zinc-large.jpg"><img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/2003/xda-zinc-small.jpg" /></a><br /><i>Click the image above for a larger version.</i><br /><br />Here's another 3G Pocket PC Phone that O2 has up its sleeve. It's no <a href="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/index.php?action=expand,52548">Flame</a>, of course. In fact, it's your standard kind of device: Intel XScale PXA270 520MHz CPU, 64MB RAM, 128MB ROM, 802.11b/g Wi-Fi, a 2.0-megapixel camera, and a slide-out QWERTY keyboard. Okay, and now we shift all attention back to that power-packed <a href="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/index.php?action=expand,52548">Flame</a>. ;)

[Brad Adrian]

Just curious...

Does anybody know what determines whether a manufacturer makes the keyboard slide out to the left side or right side? Are there cultural/geographic influences, ergonomic reasons, or is it simply the whim of some engineer sitting in a lab somewhere?

And, while we're asking totally pointless questions, when you use your device in landscape mode, do you prefer left-handed (D-pad to the right) or right-handed (D-pad to the left)?

I'm right-handed and seem to prefer left-handed portrait mode, but I suspect that's because it's more comfortable with the flip-cover leather cases I usually use.


Have I mentioned that I actually ENJOY ergonomic and time-motion research?

[JKingGrim]

Hmmm. Wheres the alt key? They took away alt and added cap?

[Brad Adrian]

Wheres the alt key?
What are the ALT/CTL/CAP/etc. combinations that you use most often? Do you use any special applications to help map the functionality of any of those keys?

[bnycastro]

can we find out what memory card it uses? hopefully it's SDHC [just saw a 8Gb SDHC card online and it's really tempting! :P]

[Brutalba]

just wondering, when this device will be out for sale to regular consumers?

[saru83]

great specs.. may be its just me but vertical keyboard makes much more sence to me now a days.. :?

[bnycastro]

just wondering, when this device will be out for sale to regular consumers?Maybe next year 2Q??? Since they still have fresh products out ATM [Stealth etc]

[Darius Wey]

just wondering, when this device will be out for sale to regular consumers?

Q1-Q2, 2007, through O2 Asia-Pacific.

[bnycastro]

Goodie! More choices for us here in the AP region 8) If my dream device doesn't come out this will be on my shortlist.

[Nurhisham Hussein]

can we find out what memory card it uses? hopefully it's SDHC [just saw a 8Gb SDHC card online and it's really tempting! :P]

Based on the information gained from the SDHC debacle with the FSC T830, none of the current processor generation will be able to support SDHC cards at all. We won't see SHDC compatibility until at least 2008, when devices with the next-gen processors are released.

[bnycastro]

Based on the information gained from the SDHC debacle with the FSC T830 what debacle is that? the FSC T830 is on my list of devices to get [to replace my Exec] mainly because it's supposed to be SDHC ready. if it's not too much too ask maybe PM me the link to the story so we don't hijack this thread. thanks in advanced nurisham :)

[The PocketTV Team]

we just received information that the O2 Xda Zinc (designed by Asus) has a "spurious private messages" firmware bug similar to the one affecting the Motorola Q:

http://www.modaco.com/Motorola-Q-Spurious-...la-t242539.html (http://www.modaco.com/Motorola-Q-Spurious-private-messages-firmware-bug-confirmed-by-Motorola-t242539.html)

once again it shows that MSFT does not have anything to test this issue in their platform test suite, and that major Windows Mobile device manufacturers are still un-aware of this issue.

this firmware bug may affect applications that use private messages (in the range [0x8000 to 0xBFFF]) for inter-thread communications.

other Windows Mobile devices that are known to have this firmware bug include:

- Motorola Q
- Samsung i-600
- Asus P525
- E-Ten M500
- E-Ten E700

We have been unable to contact Asus or O2 to report this bug, but hopefully someone involved with this device will read this, some day.