Review: O2 Xda Ignito

The O2 Xda Ignito

Last year O2 announced and brought to the marketplace the Orbit 2 which featured: 3Mpixel camera, fast processor, large RAM / ROM, GPS, Quad band, phone, Touch interface, etc.

This has now been superceded and replaced with the O2 Xda Ignito which serves to enhance and further the popular Xda range. Again a candy-bar design (no hardware keyboard) the Ignito sports:

3.2MPixel camera, 528Mhz processor, VGA (640 x 480 display), Quad band, large ROM / RAM, A-GPS, 3G phone / video phone, Touch FLO 3D interface, etc

We'll look at its features as we move through the review and see if the Ignito does carry on the traditions of the Xda series.....

Once more we extend our thanks to the generous folks at O2 for allowing us to review the Xda Ignito.

As always in the hardware section of the review all images shown are thumbnails which may be clicked upon to load a larger more detailed image.


TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

Manufacturer: High Tech Computer (HTC)
HTC Code name: HTC Diamond
Supplier: O2 UK PLC
Product Name: Xda Ignito
Price: Varies depending on contract


Firstly let's cover the initial technical ground with a detailed listing of the hardware specification that comprises the Ignito.

The high points for me here are the large memory (ROM : 256 MB / RAM : 192 MB SDRAM), and a fast processor (Qualcomm MSM7201A 528 MHz) as these have the greatest effect on the operation of the machine.


SYSTEM INFORMATION

Processor
Qualcomm MSM7201A 528 MHz
Memory
ROM : 256 MB
RAM : 192 MB DDR
Internal storage: 4 GB

Note: Figures are the total ROM and RAM memory available for use and storage. Since the memory is shared by the operating system, applications, and data, the actual available memory is less than what is specified.

Operating System
Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional

Power
Battery Rechargeable Lithium-ion or Lithium-ion polymer battery, 900 mAh

Battery Life (estimates)
Standby time: WCDMA: Up to 396 hours
GSM: Up to 285 hours
Talk time: WCDMA: Up to 270 minutes
GSM: Up to 330 minutes
Video call time: Up to 145 minutes (The above are subject to network and phone usage.)

AC Adapter
Voltage range/frequency: 100 - 240V AC, 50/60 Hz
DC output: 5V and 1A

Communications
Network HSDPA/WCDMA:
900/2100 MHz
Up to 384 kbps up-link and 7.2 Mbps down-link speeds
Tri-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE:
900/1800/1900 MHz (Band frequency and data speed are operator dependent.)

Internal Antenna
Yes

Physical
Dimensions 102 mm (L) X 51 mm (W) X 11.5 mm (T)
Weight 110 g (with battery)

Display
LCD Type 2.8-inch TFT-LCD flat touch-sensitive screen
Resolution 480 x 640 VGA resolution

Camera Module
Type Main camera: 3.2 megapixel colour camera with auto focus
Second camera: VGA CMOS colour camera
Resolution Photo:

3M (2048 x 1536)
2 M (1600 x 1200)
1M (1280 x 960)
VGA (640 x 480)
QVGA (320 x 240)

Video:

CIF (352 x 288 )
QVGA (320 x 240)
QCIF (176 x 144)
Sub-QCIF (128 x 96)
Digital Zoom Up to 4X

Connections
I/O Port HTC ExtUSB (11-pin mini-USB and audio jack in one; USB 2.0 high speed)

Wireless Connections
Bluetooth 2.0 with EDR
Wi-Fi (IEEE 802.11 b/g)

Audio
Microphone/Speaker
Built-in
Ring tone Supports MP3, AAC, AAC+, WMA, WAV, AMR-NB formats
40 polyphonic and standard MIDI format 0 and 1 (SMF) / SP MIDI

Supported Playback Formats
Windows Media Player: MP3, MPEG-4, AAC, AAC+, eAAC+, WMA, WAV, AMR, AMR-NB, AMR-WB, AWB, SP-MIDI
TouchFLO 3D: MP3, MPEG-4, WMA, AAC, AAC+

Controls
Device Control TouchFLO 3D
Touch-sensitive navigation control with ENTER button
HOME button
BACK button
Phone buttons: TALK/SEND and END
POWER button
VOLUME CONTROL buttons
RESET button

Others
Special Features FM radio with RDS
GPS and A-GPS ready (GPS navigation software not included)


EXTERNALS AND HARDWARE

WHAT'S IN THE BOX As O2 have been lagging behind a little over the release of the Ignito formally for this review we've actually been provided with a consumer release package so we can detail exactly what is in the package.

The box contained: Xda Ignito Rechargeable Lithium-ion polymer battery, 900 mAh Xda Ignito cleaning pouch AC charger for recharging your Xda battery. USB to PC sync cable Hands-free stereo headset Spare Stylus Car Charger Applications CD User manual (on the CD in PDF format) Warranty Card Quick Start Guide TouchFlo 3D leaflet Windows Mobile 6 license terms Screen protector A 'Recycle your phone' bag to allow you to dispose of your old phone safely

Note: The Applications CD contents include:

Windows Mobile Device Handbook (for PC install)
Windows Mobile Device Centre (for Vista)
Outlook 2007 60 day trial (CD install)
Outlook 2007 60 day trial (web download install)
Spb GPRS Monitor

The above are accessible via the CD's auto-run menu. However on browsing the disk these other utilities can be located:

Diamond_BackupTool v6.2 - PC based installer of the Sprite Windows Mobile backup system
SetupSpriteBackup v6.2.3.2301 - PC based part of the Sprite backup system
Microsoft ActiveSync 4.5 (for Windows XP)

It is worth noting that Sprite has been fully customised for the Ignito, defaulting to using Internal Storage for backup. Be warned though it is slow, painfully slow compared to prior incarnations of the software on older machines. As a guide after 8:17 of backup time 5.34Mb out of 38.93Mb was been backed up. The complete backup took a staggering 42 minutes 26 seconds - average transfer speed 15Kb/Second! After the backup completion and auto-reset of the machine Sprite also failed to auto-input the SIM PIN code (even though this has been selected in the options). I think Sprite need to go back to the design workshop here!

CASE The 'Cleaning Pouch' is basically what it says. It it not hardy enough to be considered a protective case as it seems constructed from leatherette covered cardboard on the top and bottom with soft sides allowing the case top be opened to insert the Ignito. The bottom of the case is bridged with a thin piece of plastic webbing. The inner top and bottom sides are slightly furred which means that technically the pouch could clean your Ignito, but I'd suggest that an opticians cleaning cloth may be better. If you do use the pouch then personally I'd say just use it as very basic protection in a purse or briefcase. Remember though as the bottom of it flimsy little protection is actually afforded to the machine.

THE HEADSET The headset supplied with the Ignito is exactly the same as supplied with the Xda Stellar and as such is a great improvement compared to those offered with prior Xda models. It comprises two distinct parts: Earphone component - which sports a 3.5mm (standard) jack plug, stereo earphones (with foam padding to ensure a good fit), and a sliding spacing bar which allows you to control the spread of the wires once fitted. The ear pieces when fitted with the foam comfort pads fit well in the ear and are reasonably comfortable to wear. However as the jack plug is the 3.5mm standard size used in third party headsets you are free to replace this portion of the headset with a more expensive comfortable third party model of your choice.

Control module - This comprises the control module itself and a metre of connecting cable which terminates into the HTC modified USB connector which fits into the bottom of the Ignito. The module supports a number of top mounted remote controls such as: - Answer call, terminate call, play track, pause track, previous / next track, volume up / down, with the side supporting additional controls for putting a call on hold or for muting the volume. The back of the control module sports a spring loaded plastic clip which allows it to be conveniently clipped onto a shirt or jacket collar.

FIRST LOOKS AND FRONT When one removes the Xda Ignito from the box the first impression is of the small size of the machine. Compared to the Orbit 2 or even the Stellar the Ignito is tiny. The second impression is that of weight or density, the Ignito feels much heavier than expected, this is no doubt due to the steel housing or framework that surrounds and support the inner workings of the machine. Only the plastic back cover belies the feeling of sturdiness and build quality. One gains the impression that the Ignito could be dropped quite a distance without and damage occurring. The next aspect that strikes home is the mirrored or 'Touch' surface of the front of the machine. Seen first on the Orbit 2 the smooth flush surface allows the fingers and thumbs to glide over the surface, there are no raised edges to interfere with any interactive handling or control of the screen. The glassy surface aches for your touch and as you will be controlling the Ignito via that surface the comfortable tactile feel is important. Unfortunately those initial finger strokes do show up quickly the adverse effect of that smooth glassy interface - finger marks. The surface is very very susceptible to each and every fingerprint. Under most conditions these are not that visible but get the Ignito in bright sunlight and angle the screen to catch the light and you will see them. Get used to them and live with them they are a small price to pay for such a pleasant feeling screen. Most of the front face of the Ignito is taken up with a highly polished transparent touch sensitive screen which is pierced only by the second camera and the ear piece. The actual display screen in set centrally within this with the Xda and O2 logos printed immediately above and below this area. The small stature of the Ignito ensures that it sits nicely in the hand even with the rather harsh and sharp corners. To me the aesthetics of the device would have been greatly improved if the corners had been given a more rounded aspect - however the engineer in me points out that the steel 'bones' would have been much more difficult to manufacture to create those rounded edges. Unlike the previous Xda machines the Ignito follows the fashion statement that black will always be in vogue as the silver and tungsten colours found on earlier machines are not to be found anywhere. The Ignito is simply black - everywhere. The black colouration continues below the screen onto the equally flush and smooth control area, styled carefully not to be intrusive. There are no raised buttons only lit areas of the fascia which give evidence of the four control pads with the exception of the navigation control / swirl gadget which is in-set centrally within the main control area. That control itself is multi-function, with a centre 'action' button, which is back lit in white round the edges (more on this later) surrounded by an outer ring which serves to act as a 4 way navigation pad and also functions to pick up any rotational or swirling motions that may be made. After a few seconds on non-use all the lit areas of the control fade back to a pale grey colour but spring back to life if the swirl is stroked or the screen touched. Impressive - very.

The main controls / functions on the front of the Ignito are: 1 - HOME - Press to return to the Home screen. 2 - BACK - Press to return to the previous screen. 3 - TALK/SEND - Press to answer an incoming call or dial a number. During a call, press and hold to toggle the speaker phone on and off. Press and hold to use Voice Speed Dial. 4 - END - Press to end a call or return to the Home screen. Press and hold to lock the device. 5 - Navigation Control - This Navigation Control is both press-sensitive and touch-sensitive. LED Indicators: LED Ring: A “breathing pulsing ” white light is shown around the Navigation Control as the battery is being charged after the battery has been fully charged, the Navigation Control LED shows a solid white light. The LED ring flashes a white light once when the battery level is low and reaches down to about 10%. The top and bottom parts of the LED ring flashes a white light twice when there is a new e-mail, voice mail, or meeting reminder. A white light goes around the LED ring counterclockwise twice starting from the top when there is a missed call or new SMS or MMS message. Other LEDs: SEND button Light flashes when there is an incoming call. END button Light stays solid when there is an incoming call. The LED ring, HOME, BACK, SEND, and END buttons will flash a white light once when one of the buttons or Navigation Control is pressed.

THE BOTTOM PORTS The base of the Ignito is minimalistic in features and contains from left to right / top to bottom: The strap holder which may be used for attaching a lanyard HTC custom USB port - this serves to allow the device to be fitted with either a power charger (mains or car), PC sync cable or the wired headset. The very small hole top right (set into the black body) is the input microphone. Bottom right is the stylus silo again set into the body area.

STYLUS / STYLUS SILO The Ignito uses a one piece stylus, it is some 79mm in length (compared to 92mm on the Orbit) and relatively comfortable to use when held despite the sharp edges that are found on the stylus head. The nose is nicely shaped similar to a spear head and therefore when being used the shank does not interfere in any way with screen visibility. There is no locking mechanism as such in the stylus silo. The silo / stylus are magnetic and pure magnetism holds the stylus in place, the magnet being strong enough to draw the stylus in to the docking position once it has been pushed into place leaving around 1cm still exposed. This does feel somewhat strange at first, but one soon adjust and at least there are no mechanical parts to wear. One very cool feature is that HTC have added movement detection into the stylus silo, which means that if the Ignito is turned off and the stylus withdrawn the machine will turn on ready for use. It is worth noting that the Ignitos back cover has to be removed to get at the red reset button which is cunningly (and annoyingly) positioned inside the machine within a hole under the stylus silo. That to me is a rather annoying design feature, it should have been accessible without removing the back of the machine.

THE TOP FACE The top of the Ignito is very plain and understated holding only the on / off / standby button. Press to turn on or turn off the display temporarily. To turn off the power, press and hold for about 5 seconds. A message prompts you to choose whether or not to turn off the device completely.

THE LEFT HAND SIDE Volume Buttons - There are two separate volume buttons - during normal operation these raise or lower the system volume of the device. During a phone call (or when playing music) they can be used to alter the volume level of the call in progress.

THE RIGHT HAND SIDE The right hand side continues the spartan theme to the extreme, with nothing visible at all apart from the side of the stylus / silo. There are no controls at all.

THE BACK FACE, CAMERA, BACK REMOVAL AND BATTERY The back of the Ignito contains only the 3.2 MegaPixel camera. There is no port for an external GPS antenna or any vanity mirror as found on some prior Xda machines. The back / battery cover is removed via pressing down on it gently and sliding the back upwards towards the top of the machine Once the cover is removed the Rechargeable Lithium-ion polymer battery (900 mAh) is revealed. One would think that such an underpowered battery would be weak for a 3G / GPS ready device but so far it seems to be perfectly capable - more on this later!

SIM LOADING With the back of the Ignito removed one can take hold of the battery and gently prise it out of position, once removed this allows one to slide the SIM card under the holding strip. There is no locking mechanism as such, the strip serves to hold the SIM against the contacts. Once the battery has been popped back into place it does however butt up against the end of the SIM card and prevents it moving out of its position under the strap. With the SIM card loaded and the batty back in place the back cover can be slid downwards back into position where it will lock with a dull click.

WHAT - NO EXTERNAL STORAGE? As will not have escaped the notice of our esteemed readers there has been no mention at all of any way of adding additional storage to the Ignito, there is no MicroSD card slot to be found anywhere. The reason for this is that the Ignito natively has within it an internal storage area (drive) that can be used to hold both applications and data. The internal store is a useful 4Gb in size and for myself proves large enough to hold the applications I want to install as well as reference documents, the odd movie and my eBooks. For those who have large music collections and wish to carry them around this may however not be enough storage. In these days of cheap memory it may have been wise for HTC to fit an 8Gb drive. However there are other advantages as when the Ignito is linked to the PC via USB cable the screen will prompt you as to which mode you wish to connect in; the slower Active Sync which allows you to synchronise your documents and copy files, or to connect as a Disk Drive. If connected as a Disk Drive file transfer speeds are greatly increased and file sync is disabled. When in disk drive mode the Internal Storage area is in effect disconnected from the Ignito and it is therefore wise to close any programs that may have been installed to that area of the machine. The good news is that the Drive mode can be used on any PC the Ignito is connected to - ActiveSync or WMDC are not required. So in effect the Ignito doubles as a USB drive. As is usual with most USB drives the data access rates vary between copying to and reading from the disk. On the Ignito read speeds averaged 3.2Mb/Second and writing 405Kb/Second. It should be noted that on rare occasions when writing large files to the Internal Storage area that Windows Vista occasionally lost connection to the Ignito. If a retry option was chosen then the copy continued usually with no issues, however this results in the problem that when the Ignito is next connected in disk drive mode Vista will report that there are drive problems and the disk needs to be scanned for bad sectors. The scan should be allowed to complete to rectify any issues.

SIZE MATTERS

As the Ignito will invariably be compared to the Orbit 2 and the Xda Stellar both for performance, specifications and size we thought it might be a good idea to compare them physically side by side. As you can see the Ignito (center) is incredibly small compared to the Orbit 2 and the Stellar, the smallest VGA phone edition machine ever. It scores on weight too where it is 20 grams lighter than the Orbit but an incredible 80 grams lighter than the Stellar.

THE SCREEN

The last and probably one of the most important aspects of the hardware that requires discussion is that of the screen. The screen is a work of art. At 2.8" diagonally it is small in size but clear and highly visible, this if course helped greatly thanks to the VGA resolution (640 x 480 pixels instead of the recently more common QVGA 320 x 240). This ensures that any icons, aspects of the OS, TouchFlo 3D or photographs are rendered cleanly and crisply with good contrast and colour balance. The screen is usable in all lighting conditions encountered so far, although it is a little difficult to read bright sunlight (possibly due to the glassy touch interface layer.{br}{br}It should be noted that O2 have set the text display size at almost the largest possible setting on the Ignito which ensures that text is clear and readable on the small screen, but you may wish to go into the screen settings an reduce it in size as even at the smaller settings text is perfectly readable.

All images have been processed using the superb SnagIt from TechSmith

HARDWARE CONCLUSIONS

O2 have worked closely with HTC to re-engineer their premier Xda machine, however unlike the Orbit 2 the external housing has only been minimally changed from the HTC reference design (HTC Diamond), with only The Xda and O2 logos being added. There is no custom housing as was present on the Orbit 2, but given the nature of the design with the metal protective shell this would not have been easily achievable. I do think though that HTC should have engineered that metal housing to be a little less square and harsh in its lines. The Ignito serves to carry on the tradition of the original Xda machines; style, light weight, small size and a goodly number of features.

The machine is very well constructed, with no undesirable idiosyncrasies that I could see and all the essential external hardware features are there. Taking these together with 3G connectivity, A-GPS and camera it looks like this will be a winner and valid successor to the Orbit 2. Features such as the internal storage will however either be loved or loathed by users.

Of course the hardware is only part of the story so we'll move onto examining the internals of the device next and also see how it performs in the real world!

INTERNALS AND APPLICATIONS

In this overview of the internals / applications on the Xda Ignito we will not cover or look at all applets and programs that the device has built into ROM, as that would be in large a review of the Windows Mobile operating system - we will highlight only applications or programs that have been added by O2 or screens that show interesting changes that have come to light with this ROM build.

Touch FLO 3D The Ignito is the first machine to market where HTC have updated their 'touch' interface to the new Touch FLO 3D style. This interface is in actuality a single large (approx 12Mb) Today plug-in which gives ten differing panels for the user to work with. These are: Home People Messages Mail Photos and Videos Music Internet Weather Settings Programs Each of the panels interface with the user via 'touch', that being the panels can be navigated through but holding and sliding across the grey slide bar at the bottom of the screen. As the finger slides across the various panels are previewed in a light grey colour and when the finger movement is ceased the required panel darkens and becomes current. Each individual panel and further be interacted with either through stroking the screen up / down or left / right or by use of the on screen soft buttons. We'll cover each of the panels in detail next. Touch FLO 3D is an incredibly useful and cool interface in my opinion and has results in my loading a lot less third party applications as these are in effect included as standard on the machine. The only drawback of the system is that if it is in place on the Today Screen it prevents any other Today applets for being used as it does take over the entire screen.

Home The Home tab initially shows a large flip-style clock detailing the current time. Below this is a tappable 'Missed Calls' area which takes you into the 'Missed Calls' tab, below that is the next forthcoming or all day appointment. If the screen is stroked upwards the clock reduces in size and allows you to view more calendar details. If any appointment is tapped upon it will open in the Calendar application to show more details. If the Clock is tapped on it will open to allow you to set the time, or to configure any required alarms.

People The People tab allows you to create favourite contacts of the people you most often communicate with. TO do this you tap on the '+' sign which take you into the contacts selector from where you can select a phone number (Work, Home, or Mobile) or an email address for that contact. If a contact has a photo assigned (via Exchange) that photo will be used, of if not you can select a picture or silhouette from the photo library. You can have a maximum of 15 favourite contacts. Once you have your contacts configured you can stroke the screen up / down to flip through your contacts . You can also slide your finger up / down the photo strip on the right hand of the screen to quickly navigate through the contacts. Touching the Contact picture allows you to phone the contact on any number, send an email or a text message. If the text (or arrow) beneath the picture is tapped then the default action you defined when setting up the contact is actioned immediately.

Messages The Messages tab allows you to view any incoming Text Messages (SMS / MMS) as they arrive as well as create new ones. To move through the various messages you simply swipe the finger up or down the screen or touch the counter icon. Replying to the message is simple, you just tap upon it which will then open the message on screen for you to reply to. The new message icon can be tapped (top right) to create a new message. The SMS messaging system is fully threaded so you can see the flow and history of any conversations. The 'All Messages' soft button allows you to access all text, picture and video messages on the Ignito in the various Inbox folders. The 'Menu' soft button allows you the options of 'New / Reply or Delete'.

Mail The Mail tab allows you to receive, preview and send email messages. A maximum of four email accounts can be added to this tab. Each email account has it's own email counter so you can instantly see how many emails are unread in each mail account. The counter can be tapped upon to switch between accounts. For the active mail account the large envelope is displayed which details the name of the account (bottom right) and shows a preview of the messages in that account. Swiping up / down the screen serves to switch between the emails being previewed. If you tap on the previewed email it will open in the Inbox application and you can then read or reply to that email using the standard Email editor. Touching the New Email icon (top right) opens a new email in the Inbox immediately. It's worth noting that swiping he screen sideways also moves you between the different email accounts which includes the SMS / MMS message folders.

Photos and Videos This tab allows you to visually flip through your photos and video clips via swiping up / down the screen with your finger. If you touch the current photo or video on screen you can then view it in full screen mode. Tapping on that full size image allows you access to the album, start a sideshow, email the picture, save it to a contact, save it, delete it, or view its properties. Swiping left / right in full image view serves to move you through each photo in turn. If you physically turn the Ignito through 90 degrees the motion sensor within it will automatically rotate the photo from portrait to landscape view. Rotating it back again changes the display to portrait. Swiping your finger clockwise over a portion of the photo serves to zoom you in to that area, and anti-clockwise serves to zoom you back out. Double tapping serves to reset the image back to the original fit to screen view. Once in the Album you can swipe through your various saved pictures or switch between any folders on the device in which pictures or videos are stored. From the main tab itself you can use the icons top right to initiate the camera for taking a photo or video.

The Camera The camera software included is the updated HTC application which replaces the camera part of the 'Pictures and Videos' application. This offers a one screen display consisting of a central view finder with adjustment / mode controls surrounding it. Options use for the camera may be changed by tapping on the surrounding icons or via selecting the bottom right 'menu' icon (options icon). When actuated the screen rotates into landscape mode and in effect becomes the viewfinder for the camera. Taking a picture is simple, you depress the action button slowly (which activates the auto-focus system) wait for the viewfinder to turn green and a beep to occur (focus complete) and then depress the button the rest of the way to complete the shot.

HTC have taken great trouble to improve the camera application with the Ignito and have added a Quick Settings panel that allows one to quickly vary the: Resolution White Balance Brightness Storage Medium used Camera Mode Call timer Digital zoom is available from 1x to 2x. This is operated via either rotating the LED ring clockwise or anti-clockwise, using navigation left / right, or via using the on screen zoom icons. Navigating up / down serves to switch through the varying photo modes which are available via the regular options.

Modes - Photo, Video, MMS Video, and Contacts Picture Resolution - 1M / 2M / 3M / M / L White Balance - Auto / Day / Night / Incandescent / Fluorescent Brightness Camera - Front / Back / Back (flipped) Self Timer - On / Off Review Duration - none / 3 secs / 10 secs / no limit Quality - Basic / Normal / Fine / Super Fine Capture format - JPEG Time Stamp - On / Off Storage - Internal Storage / Main Memory Keep Backlight - On / Off Shutter Sound - On / Off Shoot Option - Touch and Press / Touch / Full Press Image Properties - Contrast / Saturation / Sharpness Effect - None / Greyscale / Sepia / Negative Metering Mode - Center Area / Average Prefix - Default / Date / Date and Time Counter - Value / Reset Flicker Adjustment - Auto / 50Hz / 60Hz Grid - On / Off Help - Help system About

Photo Resolutions available are:



Photo

• 3M (2048 x 1536) 1.0x to 2.0x
• 2M (1600 x 1200) 1.0x to 2.0x
• 1M (1280 x 960) 1.0x to 2.0x
• Large (640 x 480) 1.0x to 2.0x
• Medium (320 x 240) 1.0x to 4.0x

Video

• CIF (352 x 288 ) 1x and 1.5x
• Large (320 x 240) 1x and 1.5x
• Medium (176 x 144) 1x and 1.5x
• Small (128 x 96) 1x and 1.5x

Panorama

• Large (640 x 480) 1x and 2x
• Medium (320 x 240) 1x, 2x and 4x
• MMS Video
• Medium (176 x 144) 1x and 1.5x
• Small (128 x 96) 1x and 1.5x

Contacts

• Picture Medium (240 x 320) 1.0x to 4.0x

EXAMPLE PHOTOS

All photographs were taken with the Ignito set to use the highest resolution and best picture quality:

A misty damp day coming down to Bedgellert from Snowdon Overlooking Criccieth from the castle

A slightly closer view of Criccieth from the abandoned castle kitchen Tyddyn Iolyn Farmhouse overlooking the valleys and foothills

Tyddyn Iolyn Farmhouse Down the Dan yr Ogof Welsh National Show Caves

Tyddyn Iolyn Farmhouse rear - taken from the fields Llangennith beach looking towards the Wyrms Head

In all cases the settings were left fully automatic and the Ignito hand braced.

Music The Music tab allows you to visually browse through your albums and play music. Swiping up and down the screen allows you to flip through your albums and tracks. To move forward or backwards through the track touch hold and slide your finger along the progress bar. Tapping the menu option allows you to set up a music playlist and to configure repeat or shuffle modes. The left hand soft key allows you to access and work with the library on the machine. The library also allows you to browse and play music and also organises the tracks into categories such as title, artist and genre.

Internet The Internet tab allows you to tap the globe and launch the Opera Mobile browser which is installed on the Ignito as a superior replacement to Pocket Internet Explorer. As an alternative to that you may swipe up / down the tab to reveal your bookmarks and tap on any one of those to go directly to that site. You can tap the left hand soft key to manage your bookmarks. Once Opera has loaded a web site you can rotate the Ignito to view the pages in landscape using the accelerometer in the machine, or zoom in on areas of interest via double tapping the screen. To zoom out just double tap again. Once in zoomed mode you can navigate round the screen via simply dragging the page with your finger.

Weather The weather tab on the Ignito allows you to check the weather both locally and around the world. As standard the Ignito is configured with eight default global weather locations and these can be navigated through by swiping up / down the screen or tapping the up / down arrows. The '5 day' soft key allows you to look forward at the forecast for the next 5 days. The menu soft key allows you remove and add entries. New locations are added via the country / city selector whereby you first select the country and then the town / city you require. Navigation through the selector screens can be done via swiping up / down or by using the alphabetical quick selector on the right of the screen. Options within the menu also allow you to choose between centigrade or Fahrenheit and to turn on / off auto updating as well as updating whilst roaming. Additionally from the menu when in 5 day weather mode you have the option of 'more' which takes you to the Accuweather page which is the source of the information used by the tab.

Settings The settings tab allows you to modify common configurational aspects of the Ignito from one common place. You can turn on / off flight (airplane) mode whereby all connectivity is disabled, turn of just the cellular radio, modify the sound settings such as your ring tone, choose a new wallpaper for use with the Touch FLO 3D interface, control wifi, direct push operation and even the download options for weather.

Program The Program tab serves as a quick launcher for programs whereby you can set favourite programs to execute at a single tap of the screen. As a default O2 have set this to use a set on commonly used applications such as YouTube, Getting Started, Email, File Manager, etc. If you tap the Remove soft key an 'X' will appear in the bottom right corner of the icons, and if you then tap that icon it will be removed from the tab. If you tap 'Done' then you will return to the launch tab and any icons that have had applications removed will be showing a '+' symbol. Tapping on that symbol will bring up a scrolling list of installed applications which you can swipe through and then tap the icon you wish to add as a shortcut to that icon. The programs tab itself is swipable and can be moved up and down to reveal additional launch slots. Tapping the All programs soft key will take you to the standard windows mobile programs screen.

All the Applications This extended screen shot details the entire list of applications loaded on the Ignito after a hard reset of the machine. As well as the standard Windows Mobile application-set O2 have added: Adobe Flash Lite - for viewing flash applications Adobe Reader LE - for viewing Acrobat PDF files Google Maps - For viewing locational based maps with basic street navigation MP3 Trimmer - which allows you to trim MP3 files into usable ring tones Opera Browser - Fully featured web browser RSS Hub - which allows you to subscribe to and view RSS feed on the move Voice Recorder - Application for taking voice notes YouTube - For viewing and downloading YouTube videos Zip - For working with PC-Zip files

Google Maps Google Maps on the Ignito phone makes it easy to: Determine your current location with GPS Get driving and transit directions Get phone numbers and addresses for local businesses

YouTube The YouTube application allows you to connect to the YouTube servers and download videos for viewing. You may look through All Videos, Top Rated, Featured, Most Viewed, Search for any videos, and view the history of what you have viewed. Be warned though that this application is very data intensive so you either need a an unlimited 3G account or to use WiFi to download the videos. I've also noticed that occasionally it reports no videos can be found - no doubt due to poor Internet links to YouTube. If you get that same issue just exit the application and then re-load and try again.

Teeter Teeter is a Labyrinth-type maze game. On loading Teeter starts up and a silver ball bearing appears on a dark table with black holes, walls, and a single green exit hole. The object of the game is to get the silver ball into the green hole without vanishing into any of the black holes and disappearing. The challenge is that you do not use your finger or stylus to move the silver ball, but holding the Ignito parallel to the ground you tilt the device to move the ball. The sensors are very sensitive and you can even move along the edges of the black holes without falling in. It also picks up how much you tilt the device and the ball will accelerate/decelerate depending on your angle. The real surprise though, is what happens when the ball hits a wall/side. You physically feel the strike in the actual area where the ball hits the wall. Plus, the vibration/feedback varies by how far the ball travels before it hits the wall/side. This is completely amazing it almost feels like the Ignito has come alive in your hand! At the end of each level you will are presented with an score as to your performance and then given an even more complex and challenging table to navigate and complete. Tapping the screen during game play gives you the option of exiting the game or resuming. On reloading the game you are allowed to either resume the last game or start afresh.

FM RADIO One useful feature of the original Orbit(s) machines was the FM radio which is retained by the Ignito. Once again for this to function the wired headset must be in place and this has a secondary function as an FM antenna. The first time the application is run it will automatically scan for the available FM channels in your area, save them as presets, then play the first FM station found. Full control of the radio is allowed with options / features of: Allows you to switch between Mono and Stereo modes. Switches between speaker and headset output. Search the FM band for the next lower / higher FM channel. Volume adjustment RDS Station name display Preset saving and adjustment As well as navigation via the LED ring: Press NAVIGATION left/right to search the FM band for the next lower/ higher FM channel. When the search reaches the last station, it cycles back to the beginning of the FM band. Press NAVIGATION up/down to select the previous/next available preset station. Press the ENTER button to toggle mute on and off. Rotate the NAVIGATION LED clockwise to increase the volume, anticlockwise to decrease the volume.

Settings / Personal The personal settings are completely vanilla WM6.1, no great surprises here at all. The only device specific customisation of note is that the 'Buttons' applet only has one setting for the only customisable button on the Ignito. This is the 'Start Call' button which if held down will activate the application defined here.

Settings / System The System applets are very much standard with the only extra (or non-standard) applets being: Clear Storage Long Key Press End Key Managed programs Touch FLO We'll look at these below.

Clear Storage The Clear Storage application is used for wiping or hard resetting any WM based device. That is standard and expected, but on the Ignito it has been enhanced to allow you to also format the Internal Storage area. The options include: Clear Storage only - which performs a hard reset leaving the Internal Storage untouched Format Internal Storage Only - which formats the 4Gb Internal Storage only without a hard reset Clear Storage and format Internal Storage - Which performs both a hard reset as well as formatting the 4Gb Internal Storage

Long Press End Key This applet controls what happens when you press and hold down the End Call key. As standard it is set lock the device but can be adjusted by the use to display a quick list of functions or carry out other pre-set default actions.

Managed Programs Managed Programs Displays the programs that are installed on your device using System Center Mobile Device Manager (SCMDM). This means that in a corporate environment if SCMDM has been used to push install any applications to your Ignito this is how you will be able to see what has been installed.

TouchFLO The Touch FLO applet allows you to somewhat configure the Touch FLO system. The first setting, which O2 wisely set to off, is that of having a sound sample play when finger scrolling or panning. You can turn it on if you so wish but be warned it becomes annoying very very quickly! You can also toggle on and off the large start menu whereby the start menu font is increase in size and the 'last run' programs at the top of the menu are increased in size - both good options for finger use. Lastly you can toggle on or off the System Status screen, this replaces the WM6.1 standard notification bubble system with a finger friendly touchable full screen notification selector. This works well, it's a pity though it is still in HTC black instead of O2 blue!

A Touch FLO effect is also used when the Volume controls are used to lower of raise the sound level. This full screen display will pop onto the screen and give you a visual and audible (rising or lowering tone) indication that the volume level has been changed. You can also tap the 'Vibrate' and 'Silent' buttons to switch to less intrusive modes of notification. Tapping on the '<' and '>' arrows allows you to switch the volume control between that of the System Volume and the Ring Volume. The Task Manager has also been enhanced on the Ignito to use finger friendly controls which make it very easy to switch / stop applications and as well view the memory currently in use on the device.

A Touch too far? It seems at times however that HTC have gone a little too far with the 'touch' mentality. Yes we have a very cool Touch 3D system and the LED touchable jog dial but we've lost as a default the Sounds and Notifications Events warning. As standard this is turned off so if you get an incoming email or SMS message the only sign of it arriving will be the glow of the LED ring.

Enhanced SIP It is worth noting that the SIP (Soft Input Panels) on the Ignito have been enhanced with the addition of two new panels: Full Qwerty - Which is a reasonably good finger friendly input system that will suit those users moving from a QWERTY keyboard. Pressing and holding for a second or two on a key serves to activate the light grey characters on the keys. Compact QWERTY - This is aimed at the user who is moving on to the Ignito from a more regular number pad based mobile phone where by single / multiple taps are used to activate the required keys.

Error Reporting It is worth mentioning that on the Ignito Error Reporting is turned on as standard as part of a requirement in WM6.1 from Microsoft. Although useful for reporting problems to MS, this can slow the machine down by 10-15% so we recommend that you turn it off to get the best out of the Ignito!

CPU and Memory The Xda Ignito is based on the HTC Touch Diamond platform and sports the fast low power Qualcomm MSM7201A 528 Mhz chip (compared to the Orbit 2's 7200 processor) which ensures good battery life whilst maintaining a fast operational speed. This processor is also 32 bit internally and supports integrated A-GPS functionality. Memory is differently mapped compared to the earlier Orbit 2 machine with the Ignito having 96.68Mb of Storage memory (compared to 120Mb) and 115.03Mb of Program Memory (compared to 101Mb). After a hard reset 67.90Mb of Storage memory is available with 56.52mb of Program memory free. This gives enough memory for running large applications as well as room internally for loading 'critical' applications which you may wish to hold in the internal faster memory. Free memory after a hard reset: Storage Total: 93.68Mb In Use: 25.78Mb Free: 67.90Mb Program Total: 115.03Mb In Use: 58.50Mb Free: 56.39Mb If the TouchFLO 3D interface is disabled then the Ignito will gain a significant amount of memory as can be seen here: Total: 115.03Mb In Use: 53.08Mb Free: 61.95Mb However then one loses most of the benefits of the new slick interface and that regained memory will probably be used by adding third party Today applications!

Phone Interface The Phone dialler works well and follows the finger friendly touch ideal with the keys being large and easy to use. As expected the dialler supports smart dial whereby typing a contacts name on the keyboard operates a smart search which then offers numbers to dial. Whilst configuring the phone options are found to adjust connectivity between various bands (2G and 3G in reality) as well as controlling other options such as PIN security, Ringtones, Services, Network etc. As always with O2 Xda phones the Ignito is not SIM-locked which means you can insert a SIM card from a different air time provider and use it without any issues (apart from adjusting the connectivity settings).

PC INTEGRATION

PC INTEGRATION One feature available in Windows Mobile 6.1 that can be used with WMDC (Windows Mobile Device Center) and Vista is that of icon integration. This takes place during the creation of the partnership with the PC and means that both WMDC and Windows Explorer will detect and load in icons specific to the connected mobile device.

OVERALL CONCLUSION


The Ignito is available to buy now in the O2 online stores, and is expected to be in stock in high street shops shortly.

Connectivity - The Ignito supports HSDPA connectivity and O2 UK coverage is now 100% of all 3G areas.

Battery life - For me battery life is measured on how much of the working day I can get through without running out of power, or if the device survives with power remaining then how much is left by the time I reach home. Typically my average working day involves about an hours eBook reading, two or three phone calls, and extensive use of both Pocket Excel and Pocket Informant. For around half an hour the machine is connected to a BT headset in case any calls come in whilst working on the shop floor resolving IT issues. The machine is connected to 2G GPRS (there is no 3G connectivity for me either at home or work) all day with Push Email active. The Ignito is set to turn off the back light after 60 seconds and the back light intensity level is set to 50% then turned down by one notch in the settings applet. Typically the Ignito returned home with battery levels down to around 76%, with the lowest achieved being 58% and the highest 85%. Sat Nav is also used whilst travelling to and from the office, but as the Ignito is docked and powered this is seen as having no impact on battery life. This is only slightly better than I found with the Orbit 2.

SatNav lock times - during the course of the review the Ignito has been hard reset three times which has the side effect of clearing the GPS cache. Each time after the reset the Sat Nav system was initialised and times taken to achieve a first and secondary lock. First lock times varied between 20 and 70 seconds and secondary locks were achieved in between 5 and 19 seconds. Subsequent later locks occurred within 5 to 9 seconds during normal SatNav use. This is impressive beating the Orbit 2.

It should be noted that the QuickGPS application is not installed on the Ignito as that functionality is inherent within the processor itself. The lack of QuickGPS has served however to increase initial lock times compared to the Orbit 2.

On some recent journeys undertaken whilst holidaying around Wales it was noticed that the Ignito lost GPS lock even whilst not travelling through the valleys. This was usually recovered via exiting the GPS program, but on occasion a soft reset was needed to regain functionality. It is not known whether this is due to the radio build in the ROM or whether it is due to to the hardware design of the machine itself.

GPS Software - Taking into account the developmental history of the Xda series of machines and O2's prior relationship with ALK Technologies it is somewhat surprising that there is no CoPilot 7 Live! GPS navigational software supplied with the Ignito, and unlike machines sold via O2 GmbH (Germany) TomTom Navigation 7 is also not supplied. Therefore if you do wish to use satellite navigation on the Ignito you will have to source your own software package.

Bluetooth - It is worth mentioning that the Bluetooth system included within the Ignitos' ROM supports EDR, and according to the Bluetooth 2.0 specification, EDR provides the following benefits:

- Three times faster transmission speed — up to 10 times (2.1 Mbit/s) in some cases.
- Reduced complexity of multiple simultaneous connections due to additional bandwidth.
- Lower power consumption through a reduced duty cycle.

The WM6.1 operating system also supports auto-pairing whereby when bonding the Ignito to a hands free headset (for example) the machine will send the common pairing passwords for you which means in most cases that the pairing is achieved in seconds.

Camera - Camera quality is adequate and suitable for taking those quick snaps to record a holiday trip or an event which may occur whilst out and about. However HTC still have not realised that other non Windows Mobile camera phones have moved onward and improved the technology and quality of the cameras. This is the one area in which the Ignito falls over the camera needs to be improved in quality - 3Mp is adequate for a device like a PDA but the camera hardware itself needs to be improved to give better light balance, focus and depth. HTC have improved the camera software within the Ignito which allows one to gain significant photo improvements over the earlier machines but there is still a lot of room for improvement.

Email - As the Ignito is a fully converged device benefiting from an always on GPRS / HSDPA connection, Push Email, email handling is an absolute pleasure - you are always in contact and in touch. Those features along with the Enterprise facilities in the WM6.1 ROM for searching (and retrieving) Exchange server emails which are not stored locally on the device, together with HTML email support make it a dream device for email handling.

Signal Strength / Radio - The radio in the Ignito is about the same sensitivity as the Orbit 2, that is at home inside the house I get 2 bars of signal, moving out of doors it rises to 3-4 bars. At both home and the office we tend to get poor 3G connections and somewhat 'spotty' HSDPA speeds.

Workhorse - I've been honoured to have the Ignito in daily use since mid-May (thanks O2) and I'm very impressed with all aspects of its design and function - The Touch FLO 3D combined with the small size and good screen make it a positive joy to use. It's fast in operation and sleek. As a PIM device as well as Alarm Clock, eBook Reader, Navigation System, and Messaging tool it has performed superbly. Prior to the release of the Ignito the Orbit 2 was my 'Best ever Xda', but the Ignito again raises the Xda stakes and for me takes the crown. The full TouchFLO 3D implementation along with the accelerometer make it a pleasurable and unique machine to use.

PROS AND CONS

Pro Fast processor Small size and weight Large memory Inbuilt GPS Steel housing 3G Quad band Good quality VGA screen Loud Volume Strong construction FM Radio Unique LED Ring navigation dial Battery lock Full size stylus Sprite Backup included GPRS Monitor included O2 added applications Enhanced Headset Good battery life Fast Sat Nav locks TouchFlo 3D system

Con CoPilot Live not included Sprite very slow to backup GPS lock not always maintained Internal storage can corrupt

THIRD PARTY PRODUCTS and ACCESSORIES

BRODIT MOUNT

One item I consider essential for any GPS enabled PDA is a car mount, and the choice of mount I prefer are those manufactured by Brodit. These are manufactured in Sweden, but are sold through various outlets in the UK. The mount shown (Active Holder Tilt Swivel) was kindly provided by DSL Developments (Brodit Proclip | UK | DSL Developments) who are my preferred UK stockist - based both on price and customer service.

DSL Offer two Brodit Mounts for the Ignito, these are:

Brodit PDA Active Holder Tilt Swivel for HTC Touch Diamond - Item No. : 848843
Brodit PDA Passive Holder Tilt Swivel for HTC Touch Diamond - Item No. : 968843

THE EXTENDED BATTERY

O2 have worked with HTC to engineer an extended battery for the Ignito, having a capacity of 1340mAh as opposed to the original 900mAh. As this has only been recently received no longevity tests have been carried out to analyse any differences battery life. Dimensionally it adds about 3mm to the thickness of the Ignito.

Again all images shown above are thumbnails which may be clicked upon to load a larger more detailed image.

APPLICATIONS

Of course to make any PDA completely usable each respective owner will install their choice of third party applications to ensure that the device meets more closely their own personal needs.

Here are a few of my essential applications that I always load onto any PDA I use. I can confirm of course that they run well and fast on the Ignito with its large memory and fast processor:

Pocket Informant

uBook

eWallet

Memory Map

CoPilot Live 7 Diamond Edition