It's Hot: More O2 Xda Flame Information

[Darius Wey]

<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://www.dinarsoft.com/gitex.html' target='_blank'>http://www.dinarsoft.com/gitex.html</a><br /><br /></div>Yesterday's <a href="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=52548">O2 Xda Flame news</a> seemed to tickle the fancy of more than just a few of you. You asked for more information, and here it is!<br /><br /><img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/2003/wey-20061123-xdaflame.jpg" /><br /><br />What you already know: The beast comes packed with an Intel XScale PXA270 520MHz CPU, 64MB RAM, 2GB ROM, 802.11b/g Wi-Fi, an NVIDIA GoForce 5500 GPU, a 3.6" VGA display, TV-out functionality, SRS Mobile HD surround sound support, USB On-The-Go, and a 2.0-megapixel camera. What you don't know (but now know): It includes Bluetooth (yes, you had your doubts, but it's there), tri-band 3G connectivity, a flash for the primary camera, a secondary camera for video calling, a microSD slot, an FM tuner, an infrared port, and Windows Mobile 5.0. The capacity of the battery is still being finalized, but at the moment, it's sitting at 1,600mAh.<br /><br />When's this baby being released? Q1 2007, with Thailand being the first lucky country to pick it up. Oh, and for those of you hoping for a quad-band version, sorry, it's not happening. Visit <a href="http://www.dinarsoft.com/gitex.html">DinarSoft</a> for your requested Xda Flame eye-candy.

[beq]

Who is the (non-HTC) manufacturer for the O2 XDA Flame and XDA Zinc? Will they be as mature as HTC in QA?

And just to confirm, does the Flame support three GSM bands (900/1800/1900) and three UMTS/WCDMA bands (850/1900/2100)? So the only thing missing is GSM 850 for voice?

[palur]

Thank you Dinarsoft team.
It is something more than a regular pda phone with USB on the go and card reader (with camera) and TV out (we can do presentations as with Axim x51v). Quite impressive.

But not QUAD band! Not so useful in USA. bummer!

[visha78]

I'm in love... I wonder how much this beauty would cost.... I bet by the time I see the price tag on this baby, it would make me feel like I wanna rob a bank.

[cgavula]

I'm a little surprised as well that it's only tri-band. Why, in this day and age, aren't all GSM phones quad-band? It can't save that much money to drop the 4th band, can it?

Cingular is the largest GSM carrier in the US and they use the 850MHz band. That's usually the band missing on a tri-band phone. Without it, I just can't see this selling very well in the U.S. But then, O2 doesn't really have much of a presence (if any) here anyway and the US is definitely not their target market.

--Chris

[SteveHoward999]

Wow. I imagined there could be lots of reasons why I might regret moving tot he US, but lack of access to the best PDA devices was not one I had pictured ...

So who do we need to lobby? US cell phone strangleholders -- oops -- providers, or the PDA manufacturers? Or the FCC? :-)

Still this device looks like it has almost everything the power users have been missing for the last year, so there's hope yet for greater things to come to the US.

Not that I ever had any doubts, you understand. Really. Never one. Ever. At all. So quit looking at me like that!

[JesterMania]

I sort of guessed things would turn out this way. It's ironic how GSM is supposedly a global standard but then we get manufacturers who like to cripple their phones to certain regions of the world. It seems we still need to rely on people like HTC and Palm to manufacture quand-band GSM offerings.

[phate]

It having VGA is quite a selling point for me. If it had a thumboard of some sort (ala HTC Universal) I'd get one in a hot minute.

To my knowledge its the only other VGA Pocket PC Phone besides the HTC Universal (And its variants). For that matter I can't even get a straight count on how many Pocket PCs there are that feature VGA, no less phone abilites. I can only count four off the top of my head now:

Dell Axim x51v
HP hx4700
HTC Universal (+Phone)
Fujitsu Loox

Anyone know of any others?

I wish MS, HTC, or someone would make VGA displays a requirement for pocket pcs.
/wish Microsoft Make VGA a requirement for Photon (or better Crossbow, as it will hit streets sooner)

[Menneisyys]

The direct screenshots (and the fact that the screen is 3.6") are promising. The device seems to have a Sony (means high-quality in this area) screen as was in the Universal.

[Menneisyys]

It having VGA is quite a selling point for me. If it had a thumboard of some sort (ala HTC Universal) I'd get one in a hot minute.

To my knowledge its the only other VGA Pocket PC Phone besides the HTC Universal (And its variants). For that matter I can't even get a straight count on how many Pocket PCs there are that feature VGA, no less phone abilites. I can only count four off the top of my head now:

Dell Axim x51v
HP hx4700
HTC Universal (+Phone)
Fujitsu Loox

Anyone know of any others?


There're quite a few, most importantly, the Toshi e800/e830, the Asus a730(w), the Acer n3xx and the new Gigabyte. Also see http://www.firstloox.org/VGAppc.htm for more info (it, unfortunately, lacks info on the Gigabyte. See http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=273825&amp;highlight=gigabyte for info on the latter.)

[Menneisyys]

Cool it has an FM radio too - this has alwys been lacking from most HTC devices.

Now, I only wish it had flawless call recording capabilities - as opposed to all HTC PPC PE devices.

[SteveHoward999]

I can only count four off the top of my head now:

Dell Axim x51v
HP hx4700
HTC Universal (+Phone)
Fujitsu Loox

Anyone know of any others?


Toshiba E800/805 E830/835, Asus MyPal A730, Loox 720, Casio DT-10 (??)

http://www.vgapocketpc.com/vga-pocket-pc-comparison.php

[Faenad]

ell Axim x51v
HP hx4700
HTC Universal (+Phone)
Fujitsu Loox

Yes :
- Asus made one (The A730);
- Acer too (N311 and N310), they are the most recent ones and the smaller on the market (same size as Ipaq 4150), while still having a 3.7'' LCD.

Also don't forget the first one : the Toshiba E800.

There is also a Sharp PDAphone with a 2.8" VGA LCD.
Eten will release a device with a similar LCD in 2007 too :D

[alese]

Did anyone else noticed the screenshot with memory configuration.
Not only it shows 2Gb ROM but it also shows 128Mb RAM (despite the specs above saying it will have 64Mb).

[markvan]

A comprehensive list of VGA devices can be found here:

http://www.pdadb.net/index.php?m=pdalist&amp;list=vga

[a4ace]

Did anyone else noticed the screenshot with memory configuration.
Not only it shows 2Gb ROM but it also shows 128Mb RAM (despite the specs above saying it will have 64Mb).
yeah i noticed that (http://www.dinarsoft.com/gitex/flame3l.jpg)... got me excited. i hope it reaches production.

[SteveHoward999]

A comprehensive list of VGA devices can be found here:

http://www.pdadb.net/index.php?m=pdalist&amp;list=vga

Wow. There's a TON of devices I never heard of there. There's a few with this form factor that I find interesting ...

http://www.pdadb.net/index.php?m=specs&amp;id=434

Seems to me that this would be a better arrangement than the current vogue, although the miniaturists among us would probably never be happy with it as it would have to be relatively wide ;-)

[SpencerAR]

The only things keeping me from being in absolute lust for this device (besides US availability and perhaps price) are the lack of an SD slot and the incredibly high likelihood that there will never be a CDMA version (curse you, Verizon!). :cry: :D

Regardless, I look foward to seeing this device in person in the hopes that my opinion may be swayed :wink:

[DooMan]

Do we know if O2 Germany will offer it in 2007? Or will it be Asia only again...

[DinarSoft]

Thank you Dinarsoft team.


You are welcome, we're glad the information is useful :)

[DinarSoft]

I'm a little surprised as well that it's only tri-band. Why, in this day and age, aren't all GSM phones quad-band? It can't save that much money to drop the 4th band, can it?

Cingular is the largest GSM carrier in the US and they use the 850MHz band. That's usually the band missing on a tri-band phone. Without it, I just can't see this selling very well in the U.S. But then, O2 doesn't really have much of a presence (if any) here anyway and the US is definitely not their target market.

--Chris

I asked the guy at the booth there about the same thing and he said : "the US is more interested in the blackberry not the PocketPC".

[DinarSoft]

Who is the (non-HTC) manufacturer for the O2 XDA Flame and XDA Zinc? Will they be as mature as HTC in QA?



I think (but not 100% sure) it is manufactured by Asus

[SteveHoward999]

I asked the guy at the booth there about the same thing and he said : "the US is more interested in the blackberry not the PocketPC".


Well I hope that either that's not true, or it will change very soon as 'ordinary' people realise how much more powerful and versatile PocketPC is compared to the anaemic BlackBerry.

[guinness]

I asked the guy at the booth there about the same thing and he said : "the US is more interested in the blackberry not the PocketPC".

It seems like Cingular has come out with a few more smartphones recently, a couple PPC and few S60. Same with Verizon.

This new phone sounds nice, but I finally upgraded my phone and knowing the US carriers 1) it will be way too expensive, 2) it will be released as a crippled variant, or 3) they won't release it at all.

I got the Nokia E62, and it's just too bad Cingular took out the Wifi radio, just so that people would be forced to buy their expensive data plan. Nice phine otherwise.

[pgh1969pa]

I asked the guy at the booth there about the same thing and he said : "the US is more interested in the blackberry not the PocketPC".

DINARSOFT, YOU SHOULD TELL HIM TO GO TO H....oops I'm sorry, I don't know that came from!:devilboy:

The blackberry dominates the market because there were no full featured PPC Phones when it arrived on the market. Now the blackberry has mind-share and a stronger position in the marketplace.

[DinarSoft]

DINARSOFT, YOU SHOULD TELL HIM TO GO TO H....oops I'm sorry, I don't know that came from!:devilboy:


I argued with the guy for a while about how this is going to be a killer and how important the N.A. market is but the guy is just a sales and/or marketing agent and not a decision maker.
And the only advantage blackberies HAD was the push eMail which is now avilable for most PPC Phone editions (including the flame).
I asked him to deliver the message to whom ever is the decision maker.
I hope he does :)

[Stephen Beesley]

Like pretty much everybody else who has posted on this device, I am seriously impressed.

The one thing, however, which I think this and every other vga WM device lacks however is an operating system that can actually make full use of those 640x480 pixels!

Having played around with a Zaurus C1000 (http://www.gelhaus.net/cgi-bin/showpage.py?zaurus/+review_C1000.html) for a couple of months I am definatley a convert to the useability of full vga on a screen this physical size. It is the one thing that I really do not like about Windows Mobile.

[mmidgley]

Add the 850 GSM band and GPS and I will swim the ocean to pick one up off the assembly line in person.

m.

[ricksfiona]

Yeah, it's gotta have quadband... Triband? Get real! Though when I go around 'the hood', I almost always get a T-Mobile signal instead of Cingular or ATT these days.. So it would THEORETICALLY work fine for me...

While the ROM is fine, it looks pretty darn big. At this point, it's the HP 6945.. 2GB of ROM is great, but I'm doing just fine with 64MB!

[Menneisyys]

Like pretty much everybody else who has posted on this device, I am seriously impressed.

The one thing, however, which I think this and every other vga WM device lacks however is an operating system that can actually make full use of those 640x480 pixels!

Having played around with a Zaurus C1000 (http://www.gelhaus.net/cgi-bin/showpage.py?zaurus/+review_C1000.html) for a couple of months I am definatley a convert to the useability of full vga on a screen this physical size. It is the one thing that I really do not like about Windows Mobile.

Yup, the Zauurs has some really cool innovations to make life easier for the visually impaired or people that just want bigger font sizes. For example, the keyboard-based zoom buttons - they're genuine.

In this respect, the WM OS does need some serious work. Starting with allowing for increasing ALL font sizes, not just some classes of them, while leaving for example the MSN Messenger font size at their default (very small) in native VGA mode. Additional hardware-based tuff like zoom shortcuts should also be implemented.

BTW, I too love the Zaurus (I have the SL-C760) - the screen quality is unbeatable.)

[Darius Wey]

Do we know if O2 Germany will offer it in 2007? Or will it be Asia only again...

This is an O2 Asia-Pacific release, and if history is anything to go by, it's likely to stay that way. O2 Germany hasn't made any official announcements, unfortunately.

[netboy]

What you don't know (but now know): It includes Bluetooth (yes, you had your doubts, but it's there), tri-band 3G connectivity

i currently using a Tytn, and i just check Tytn spec, it' also tri-band 3G! that means this O2 VGA pocketpcPhone will have 850/1900 hsdpa and 2100 hdpda for europe! i really dont care about 850 GSM, since i live in a 3G area! and cingular is installing more and more 3G towers, so we US user should not be worry about lacking 850 gsm!

[Cirrob]

If I were to purchase this device from an overseas source, ship it here in the states, could I use it with my cellphone company (Tmobile)? I mean use everything about it: internet, email, voice, etc etc.

I am not quite sure what all of this triband quadband talk means but I assume it has some pretty important significance to that question.

[the_very]

Why only 64M ram mentioned in specs? :oops:

[Menneisyys]

Why only 64M ram mentioned in specs? :oops:

becaue it'll only have 64M, as with all the other current (non-low-end) PPC's.

I would certainly welcome 128M RAM to be able to run for example Quake 3 or PocketGBA with 32M cartridges...

[hamishmacdonald]

Yay! Innovation, at last.

This is what I like to see: everything that's gone before plus new features, not the same old ones and a tiny screen in a device whose only distinction is being phone-shaped.

Looks pretty big, but I guess it's justified, given that they've stuffed everything in there.

[stylus king]

oooooooooooooooooooo at last a real replacement for my xda 2, come on o2 uk bring this home

[Mr_Music]

:D 8O 8O :D WOW!!!
Now I´m gonna sell my Ipaq 4150 and buy this!
I don´t care if this never makes it to sweden, I´m gonna import it myself!
YAY!
haha
It´s stupid that a gadget like this makes me wanna travel halfway across the globe to have it..

but hey! Im crazy stupid in love with this thing! YAY! 0X :devilboy: :mrgreen: :D

[fanacreonte]

Hi Guys

Ever since this device was announced several days ago i have hunted every nook and cranny on the net for info on this beast....and have found some very real gems of info.

The O2 Xda Flame shall be made by Asustek and i have great respect for this company as i am currently using a Asus P525 which i have to say this is the best and most stable Pda i have ever owned..and i have had nearly every PDA/Smartphone since they came out.

Alot of love goes into to making these devices and the quality of build and there ROMS in my opion are better than HTC
The Benchmark for ASus Mobiles are far faster and stable than all other PDA manufacturers.

So we know we are getting a quality device

First of all what isnt told to us this devices does have the following.

520mhz pxa270 intel mx chip - benchmark will be the fastest 520mhz on the market.
128 meg rom - user available 110mb
2gb flash Ram
VGA 640*480 screen
Window Mobile 5.0 not crossbow
wieght 190grams
dimensions 124*71* 19
Camera 2mpixel with Auto focus
Nvidia goforce 5500 which is capable of putting a Sony PSP to shame and even close to XBox graphics and i believe Electronic Arts and some other Games developers have agreed to make games for this Graphics Chip

2.5 Headphone Jack
Srs Surround Sound
Micro Sd Card
A2DP
Bluetooth 2.0
Mini Usb Connection with Usb Go connectivity - connect digital camera,Ipods, etc directly to PDa
Wifi B.G
Tv VGA out connection
h.264 playback - High Difinition 320*240 at 30 frames per second
Business Card Scanner
3G video calling,Download
Fm Radio
1600mah Battery

Due date to public sale Feb 2007

[ADBrown]

If I were to purchase this device from an overseas source, ship it here in the states, could I use it with my cellphone company (Tmobile)? I mean use everything about it: internet, email, voice, etc etc.

I am not quite sure what all of this triband quadband talk means but I assume it has some pretty important significance to that question.

Yes, you could. However, you would not be able to use T-Mobile's 850 MHz roaming coverage. Check compass.t-mobile.com to see the areas of coverage you'd be unable to use. It's quite a bit, these days.

[Phoenix]

Ever since this device was announced several days ago i have hunted every nook and cranny on the net for info on this beast....and have found some very real gems of info...

128 meg rom - user available 110mb
2gb flash Ram

I think you inadvertently switched these around. But if 128MB RAM is what it will truly have, then I say FINALLY!!! Long overdue!

I really like the specs on this device. They keep getting soooo close to what I want, but not quite. I just wish some manufacturer would build what many of us want once and for all.

What would make this device perfect, IMO, would be to add a really good GPS chipset (SSIII or MTK), a slider keyboard, quad-band GSM/EDGE, and maybe a scroll wheel. If they did that, I'd drop a grand for that thing.

[SteveHoward999]

they did that, I'd drop a grand for that thing.



I think you inadvertently quoted the wrong price. Surely a device such as you describe would be worth no more than $250 of our hard earned cash.

And at that price, it would be aguaranteed best-seller ;-)

[Darius Wey]

I think you inadvertently switched these around. But if 128MB RAM is what it will truly have, then I say FINALLY!!! Long overdue!

Yes, it's 128MB RAM / 2GB ROM. 64MB RAM was originally reported, but pictures of the device show 128MB RAM, so hopefully, that'll stick around until the final version is released.

[Phoenix]

I think you inadvertently quoted the wrong price. Surely a device such as you describe would be worth no more than $250 of our hard earned cash...

Yes, of course! I stand corrected.

$250 indeed. That's sounds much better. :) And I'll take two please.

[Nurhisham Hussein]

Yes, it's 128MB RAM / 2GB ROM. 64MB RAM was originally reported, but pictures of the device show 128MB RAM, so hopefully, that'll stick around until the final version is released.

If you guys remember, the prototypes for the HTC Universal also had 128MB RAM. Hopefully that won't happen here (fingers crossed).

[fanacreonte]

Today ive been investigating what this function is take a look at this ,truely a killer device

....please follow link below




http://srslabsdev.etheorem.net/pdf/techinfolibrary/Mobile%20HD%20Technology%20Info/SRS%20Mobile%20HD%20Spec%20Sheet.pdf

[Jason Lee]

fanacreonte,

You really shouldn't cross post. It is bad forum etiquette.

Just stick to this topic. It is the newer of the two.

[Darius Wey]

Heads up! Jenneth (http://www.girlsgonemobile.net/?p=935) is reporting a February release date in Australia. :)

[datasafe]

So, the last post to this thread about the XDA Flame was November.

So what's the latest? Will it be available in the UK before Christmas 2007? :)

[Darius Wey]

So what's the latest? Will it be available in the UK before Christmas 2007? :)

You're probably better off importing from Australia or New Zealand next month. :P

[datasafe]

Is this worth the wait or is there anything else I could consider meanwhile?

My MDAIII has a fault so I need something pretty soon.

Thanks

[Darius Wey]

Is this worth the wait or is there anything else I could consider meanwhile?

That really depends on what you demand from a Pocket PC Phone. The Flame is a very powerful device, but because of its extras, it has a much higher price tag than most other devices. Perhaps you could tell us what you plan on using your next device for, and we can look at the bang-to-buck ratio of the Flame.

[datasafe]

Thanks for the reply.

I'm a bit of a gadget freak but alway like to have the latest today :)

Presently I have an MDAIII on a contract from T-Mobile although I'm free to move.

I would like to have 3G for high speed internet. I run TomTom Navigator with a bluetooth Sat receiver and I also like to watch video and listen to mp3. I want Windows - presently using Windows Mobile 2003.

So I guess I'm looking for something to up-stage the MDAIII

Cheers

John

[Darius Wey]

So I guess I'm looking for something to up-stage the MDAIII

If you're a gadget freak, then the Flame is probably a good fit, but so are a few other devices. Some of HTC's 3G devices (for example, the Hermes) have QWERTY keyboards, but no dedicated GPU as powerful as the GoForce. Not sure if that's a deal breaker for you.

[datasafe]

Any idea when the Flame will be available &amp; where?

I guess not in the UK!

John

[Darius Wey]

Any idea when the Flame will be available &amp; where?

Most likely, next month in Asia, Australia, and New Zealand.

I guess not in the UK!

Not anytime soon, unfortunately. :(

[datasafe]

Thanks Darius.

Finally. has a price been mentioned?

John

[Darius Wey]

Finally. has a price been mentioned?

Yes. You may find this thread (http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=53534) useful.

[Texican]

Is this worth the wait or is there anything else I could consider meanwhile?

That really depends on what you demand from a Pocket PC Phone. The Flame is a very powerful device, but because of its extras, it has a much higher price tag than most other devices. Perhaps you could tell us what you plan on using your next device for, and we can look at the bang-to-buck ratio of the Flame.


I've looked far and wide and this is the device I want. I currently own a Dell X50V and use it extensively for my job (excel spreadsheets, pdf documents, task/contact/calendar management) plus for entertainment (games, books, video). Basically I want a Dell X50/X51V that can make phone calls and this is the closest thing I'v found. I DO NOT WANT a slide out keyboard but rather as slim a device as possible with the best hardware possible (fast processor, dual memory slots, jog dial, dedicated video processor). This is as close a device as I've seen however I'm afraid that I won't be able to get good coverage outside of Dallas. This is a major buying obstacle that can not be overcome.
I liked the Imate JasJar but balked because it was Tri-band. The Flame appears to be superior to the JasJar plus it doesn't have a QWERTY keyboard. If anyone has any suggestions for a US compatible phone similar in performance and specs to Dell X50/X51V or HP 4700 please let me know. I don't believe that it exists yet. The HTC Athena looks very promising but looks too big for me to carry around all the time for use as a phone. I may be a geek but I'm not a dork. Thanks in advance for your suggestions.

[Anath]

Very disappointed that it does not have HSDPA connectivity. I wonder why they excluded it in the Flame but included HSDPA in the atom life

Anyone have any info on this

[ecsk2]

Very disappointed that it does not have HSDPA connectivity. I wonder why they excluded it in the Flame but included HSDPA in the atom life

Anyone have any info on this


Battery time perhaps?

[phreaker18]

i think its about 1100 USD... is that worth it??

[Darius Wey]

i think its about 1100 USD... is that worth it??

Latest figure I've seen is ~$1000 USD. They're currently on order and set to be delivered in a couple of weeks.

Now to answer your question, the bang for buck is subjective. Some are willing to pay top dollars for a very feature-rich device, while some aren't.

[datasafe]

My view, total rip-off.

But then I won't be buying one at that price!

[phreaker18]

well too bad i just bought a X500.... well maybe this december if i have the green i might go for it...

[vilasman]

who is selling it and where can I get the final specs on the flame. I havent seen any recent press on it

[Darius Wey]

who is selling it and where can I get the final specs on the flame. I havent seen any recent press on it

Try http://www.anythingonline.com.au/

An official specs list hasn't been unveiled, but most of what you see in the threads here should be spot on with the final release.

[dansus]

its up.

http://www.expansys.com.au/p.aspx?i=147272