mmO2 XDA released

[marlof]

<a href="http://www.online.o2.nl/productinfo/xdaactie">http://www.online.o2.nl/productinfo/xdaactie</a><br /><br />Starting May 27, the O2 XDA will be released in The Netherlands. You can either get it at O2 Den Haag, O2 Utrecht, BelCompany, Correct Business Electronics, Dixons, MediaMarkt, Raf Staffhorst, or <a href="http://shop.o2.nl/tstinfo.php3?artid=99">order it online</a>!<br /><br /><img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/O2.gif" /><br /><br />Without a contract, the price of the XDA alone will be € 999. I believe the XDA will be sim locked, so you have to have an O2 SIM to use it. With an O2 contract, depending on the amount of GPRS data you prepay, it's between € 499 and € 719.<br /><br />My country may not be present at the World Cup Soccer (don't get me started!), but at least we're the first to have a real Pocket PC 2002 Phone Edition in our hands! Add to that that I saw the <a href="http://www.leica-camera.com/digitalekameras/digilux1/index_e.html">Leica Digilux 1</a> in store yesterday, and I may have to revise my opinion that this is Gadget Third World. Today we're cutting edge, baby. :)

[Arne Hess]

My country may not be present at the World Cup Soccer (don't get me started!), but at least we're the first to have a real Pocket PC 2002 Phone Edition on our hands! Today we're cutting edge, baby. :)
Sorry to say Marlof but for the next 28 days I don't care any PPCs but looking to Korea and Japan only and this time not because their gadgets but for a simple ball only... :lol:
Okay, the next 28 days the Netherlands have time to get their hands on devices as they don't have to do anything else... :wink: :wink: :wink:

[Paragon]

My country may not be present at the World Cup Soccer (don't get me started!), but at least we're the first to have a real Pocket PC 2002 Phone Edition on our hands!

Geeez imagine how Jason and myself feel we don't have either. On top of that the Leafs just lost to Carolina so we won't even be in the Stanley Cup playoffs. Believe me the World cup pales in comparision if you are a Canadian EH!

Dave :(

[bjornkeizers]

Sheesh; I thought I could get away from all this world cup crap...

PPC thoughts seemed like the last place on earth to find soccer discussions; guess I was wrong :D Who knew?

Oh well, I am happy enough not to have to watch any soccer at all. If you ask me, I'm happy we didn't get to participate in world cup 2002.. Did I mention I hate soccer?

[Arne Hess]

Did I mention I hate soccer?

Doesn't every Netherlandese hates soccer in this days? :wink:
Anyway - in Pocket PCs we are united - more important (after the next 28 days... :lol: :wink:

[mike6024]

Without a contract, the price of the XDA alone will be € 999

If I did this right then that converts to $425.06 US Dollars! Wow. I want one right now. :D

[Paragon]

Ok back to the O2. Isn't this really a PPC 2000 device 32MB RAM, 4000 colours.... yuk! Where's the HP928

Dave

[Andy Sjostrom]

Nope! This is a Pocket PC 2002 Phone Edition.
32 MB RAM and an SD slot.

It is simply the most well designed PDA + phone hybrid made to this date.
I will be posting a review shortly, but I can already now say that it is an amazing device.

[orinoco]

The O2 XDA will NOT work in the US. Is this correct ? :(

[Ed Hansberry]

Without a contract, the price of the XDA alone will be € 999

If I did this right then that converts to $425.06 US Dollars! Wow. I want one right now. :D
Not even close. A euro is roughly 93 cents, so that would be $929 without a contract.

[GregWard]

Without a contract, the price of the XDA alone will be € 999

If I did this right then that converts to $425.06 US Dollars! Wow. I want one right now. :D

Unfortunately you didn't it's $930 - a little bit different! Plus it won't work in the US (it's a 900/1800) BUT Expansys are quoting the HTC (Seems to be an XDA but with 900/1900 Phone) for $797.50 sim free. No delivery time quoted though.

[marlof]

It is simply the most well designed PDA + phone hybrid made to this date.

928 What did you say, Andy? ;)

I love the XDA BTW, and I was very impressed when I saw it in action the first time. When you read the specs, you might think it's not such a hot device, but wait until you've seen (and used) it in real life! It's just that I like the 928 a bit better. To each his own!

[kagayaki1]

It's pretty much been confirmed that Voicestream will be coming out with the XDA in July (many postings on several sites by VStream people). It's really a big jump for them, as they move to finalize their brand shift to T-Mobile per their buyout last year. Rather than picking up a sim free, just wait for the VStream one. I understand that Dale at PPCPassion.com has a sim free one currently working on the Cingular network in New Mexico...very interesting. (Cingular leased a bunch of networks from 1900 Mhz carriers in order to break into several markets, including Seattle...) I'm pretty excited to see this come around in a month or so. Oh, and it's sure to be less than $920 :wink:

Jason

[mike6024]

Without a contract, the price of the XDA alone will be € 999

If I did this right then that converts to $425.06 US Dollars! Wow. I want one right now. :D
Not even close. A euro is roughly 93 cents, so that would be $929 without a contract.

Oh, I wasn't converting from Euro's but from whatever they use in the Netherlands. Just as long as I can still use my charge card, I'm fine with that. :lol:

[van_mierlo]

Without a contract € 999
O2 - 60 GPRS (12mnd) € 899
O2 - 120 GPRS (12mnd) € 749
O2 - 180 GPRS (12mnd) € 739
O2 - 240 GPRS (12mnd) € 729
O2 - 300 GPRS (12mnd) € 709
O2 - 360 GPRS (12mnd) € 689

[Paragon]

Nope! This is a Pocket PC 2002 Phone Edition.
32 MB RAM and an SD slot.

It is simply the most well designed PDA + phone hybrid made to this date.
I will be posting a review shortly, but I can already now say that it is an amazing device.

Uh.... Andy I think you missed my sarcasm 32mb of RAM and 4096 colours are feature of a PPC 2000 device not PPC 2002. I guess they have to make it cost effective some how.

[cough]928[cough] Damm Marlof gave me his cold :-)

Dave

[mjaffe]

Howdy...this is currently in the store at Verizon..
Built in Speaker phone...32 mb/32 mb sd card....1X...Express Network...$799...and you do not need the phone to use it
http://www.verizonwireless.com/thera/popup.html
http://www.verizonwireless.com/images/homepage/thera/thera_popup/thera.gif
Marc

[William]

Oh, I wasn't converting from Euro's but from whatever they use in the Netherlands.

Well, they are using euro's in the Netherlands. You were probably looking up the exchange rate for Dutch guilders, a currency they used to use a loooooong time ago (from a technology perspective). :wink:

[mike6024]

Oh, I wasn't converting from Euro's but from whatever they use in the Netherlands.

Well, they are using euro's in the Netherlands. You were probably looking up the exchange rate for Dutch guilders, a currency they used to use a loooooong time ago (from a technology perspective). :wink:

Yup, that's the one I chose. Thanks for clearing that up.

[SiliconAddict]

Without a contract € 999
O2 - 60 GPRS (12mnd) € 899
O2 - 120 GPRS (12mnd) € 749
O2 - 180 GPRS (12mnd) € 739
O2 - 240 GPRS (12mnd) € 729
O2 - 300 GPRS (12mnd) € 709
O2 - 360 GPRS (12mnd) € 689

Although these prices indeed are on the Dutch O2 website they are not correct!

I have bougth a XDA yesterday at a BelCompany store over here in my hometown Enschede, the Netherlands.

I have purchased the XDA with a 1 yr O2 120 GPRS subscription for €599,- . Then there was a special O2 'toestel korting' (device discount) of €25,- so the XDA has cost me €574,- ($538 US).

Then also untill May 31st (I was just in time!) there was an O2 promotional discount because of which you are not charged with 'aansluitkosten' (hook up fee) of €50,- AND you don't have to pay the subscription fee for the first 2 months (€25/month). Total discount €125,- ($117 US).

And the XDA already was €150,- cheaper than I expected. Nice! isn't it?

Oh, and the XDA really is a fabulous device. Sleek, fits in your hand perfectly, PPC 2002 Phone Edition is absolutelly great, screen is good, comes with GPRS cost monitoring software (not a bad idea at all, too bad I didn't know this and already had bought ALL-locations GPRS Traffic Counter V3.0.0... Oh well.).

Can't say anything about battery life yet though, but there's a 2nd battery availabe (optional) which can be added to extend battery life. The default battery is NOT user-replaceble BTW.

Can't say anything about dust in the screen either. The XDA comes from the same manufacturer as the Compaq iPAQ, and many of you probably remember the dust in screen issue of the early iPAQs. Drove me crazy anyway, the screen of my old iPAQ was replaced 3 times because of this, and finally the iPAQ was replaced in September last year. No more dust then, so maybe the XDA has got it right from the start.

The XDA comes with a leather case with belt clip so I can carry it around safely. Just one device on my belt now instead of both my iPAQ and my Nokia mobile phone like it was.

Oh, and the GPRS implementation (4+1) is faaaast!

Oh, and I case you're wondering; NO! I am not a O2 XDA sales person, just a very happy user. :D

[Marc Zimmermann]

Did I mention I hate soccer?

Hey, I'm not the only one?

[marlof]

Hey, I'm not the only one?

What about that German team, hey Marc? ;)

SiliconAddict: thanks for your detailed report. This must be one of the first real life user testimonies on the web. :)

[bjornkeizers]

Hey, I'm not the only one?

Nope :) It's really great we're not participating. I can watch TV, go out, talk to people just like a normal person. I don't have to lock myself up in my penthouse suite for the duration of the WC :)

[jpzr]

Sorry to say Marlof but for the next 28 days I don't care any PPCs but looking to Korea and Japan only and this time not because their gadgets but for a simple ball only... :lol:

agree! I watch now Germany-SaudiArabia and Germany leads: 5:0 - Arne must be in heaven now...

[Inaki C]

Marlof,
might you confirm this phone has not free SIM ?
I am in a country that probably will win the WorldCup X-) but anyway I would like to take a look at this device in the spare time.

[marlof]

Inaki: that is hard to confirm, as different markets have different players in the XDA department. From a presentation by O2 I remember that the O2 devices will be simlocked. If this will happen by all providers offering an XDA is not known to me.

[Janak Parekh]

The O2 XDA will NOT work in the US. Is this correct ? :(
Not this one. You'll have to wait for Voicestream's version coming later this summer, which is 900MHz/1900MHz apparently. Details are on their site.

--bdj

[Janak Parekh]

Howdy...this is currently in the store at Verizon..
Built in Speaker phone...32 mb/32 mb sd card....1X...Express Network...$799...and you do not need the phone to use it
... and, unfortunately, it has bad battery life (90min talk time, 8hr standby!) and poorer phone capabilities. (BTW, what do you mean by "do not need the phone"? Both the Thera and the XDA are voice- and data- units...)

--bdj

[jpzr]

I can already now say that it is an amazing device.

no digital camera, no Bluetooth, 32 MB RAM (instead of typical
for PocketPC 64 MB).

what is there amazing apart from stylish design?

[ijablokov]

Anyone know if Cingular is planning on carrying these as well?

[kagayaki1]

Cingular has given public indication that they are jumping into the Smartphones with the rumored release of the Sendo Z100 in Q3. Apparently it reflects the difference in opinion between Cingular and Voicestream as to the future of GPRS; Cingular - phone first, then organizer, VStream PDA first, phone second.

Some information can be gleamed out of Cingular's press releases. However, with Dale using his VStream account SIM card in his O2 with Cingular showing as the provider, anything is probably possible right now. Long term, look for the XDA to go with T-Mobile's (VStream's parent company) vision for PDA phone worldwide release in July.

[ijablokov]

yes, the question will be whether or not vstream will sim lock them...