One of the sleekest PDA phones in the market, the new Xda II Mini from O2 runs Microsoft Windows Mobile 2003 PocketPC Phone Second Edition and is a tri-band GSM/GPRS device. It is sleek and is encased in a silver body with ribbed black sides and curved corners. The layout makes it easy to handle, with the camera button, volume slider and voice recorder keys on the left, the MMC/SDIO slot on top, the power button next to the stylus silo, the IR port on the right and the headphone jack next to the USB port at the bottom. The front facia is neatly laid out as well, with minimal controls. A square-shaped bank of keys under the screen is comprised of an enter/action key in the centre surrounded by a four-way navigation key. This is flanked by symmetri- cally designed ‘Send’ and ‘End’ keys on top and two applica- tion buttons assigned to ‘Contacts’ and ‘Calendar’ at the bottom. The camera, voice recorder, contacts and calendar buttons can be re-assigned to other applications, depending on your preferences. The lens and a self-portrait mirror are at the back. With an Intel PXA 272 processor providing 416 MHz of horsepower, and 64MB of flash ROM and 64MB of RAM under the hood, the Mini boasts a 2.8-inch TFT LCD touch screen that can display 64K colours at a resolution of 240 x 320. Connectivity options include Bluetooth and infrared, with support for additional memory through the MMC/SDIO slot. A 256 MB SD card is bundled. Voice clarity on the O2 Xda II Mini is excellent, even with the speakerphone. The screen is clear and vibrant, but you may face issues in direct sunlight. A neat feature is the ability to change the orienta-tion of the screen from portrait to landscape with just a tap of the stylus—handy for spreadsheets and documents. The 1,200 mAh Lithium Polymer bat- tery should see you through about three days with standard phone and PDA use. Overall, good features and the sleek form factor are the highlights of the package. Poor image quality from the camera and the high price tag are the potential deterrents.
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