O2 Xda MiniS

O2 Xda Mini S Review Supplier: O2 Manufacturer: HTC Product: Xda Mini S Colour: Black / Silver Cost: From £79.99 with contract from 5th December Supplier Web Site: http://www.o2.co.uk/xda Supplier Product Web Site: TBA Manufacturers Page: http://www.htc.com.tw/ The 4WM web site staff were previously wowed by the wonder machine from O2, the O2 Xda Exec. We're now taking an in depth look at the Execs little brother the O2 XDA Mini S. The Mini S is O2 UK's first official compact Pocket PC device and even boasts a keyboard. Can it live up to the reputation of it's larger sibling? Read on to find out! For your delectation all photographs are thumbnails which may be clicked on to load an image. Introduction The last few months have heralded a new generation of truly magnificent mobile devices. We've seen the first real (IMHO) palmtop computer, in the form of the HTC Universal (O2 XDA Exec), and now the most compact mobile device to incorporate a qwerty keyboard to date. I am of course referring to the O2 XDA Mini S. Created using the HTC Wizard platform the Mini S builds on the overseas success of the O2 XDA Mini (HTC Magician), enhancing all the major aspects of it's predecessor. The Mini S is O2 UK's first compact Windows Mobile device, as the original XDA Mini never officially made it to UK shores. There have been versions of the HTC Magician available in the UK though (Imate Jam, MDA Compact etc), and as both a year long Magician user and hardcore Magician fan, I was eager to get my teeth into the Wizard. For clarity I'll refer to the original O2 XDA Mini by its HTC moniker, the Magician, for the rest of the review as the whole Mini S - Mini thing gets a little confusing. The O2 Mini S seems a logical upgrade for Magician users, but should also be stirring up interest from users of the larger devices looking at the smaller form factor. For this reason we've decided to do a joint review for this device, with commentary from both Windows and Waveydavey. Being primarily a full form factor user, Exec, XDA2s, HP IPAQ's etc Windows will offer his views, and being a former Magician user Waveydavey will offer his. While the majority of the review is a joint effort, for the key areas of performance and aesthetics we have listed both our views, so we can share with you our opinions individually. Specifications Platform PDA form factor integrated quad-band GSM/EDGE, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, 1.3 mega-pixel camera, and sliding QWERTY keyboard. Theme: messaging Microsoft Windows Mobile 5.0 Pocket PC Phone Edition Dimension 108mm(L) x 58mm(W) x 23.7mm(T) 106g with battery pack Processor/Chipset TI OMAP 850, 200MHz Memory ROM: 128MB RAM: 64MB SDRAM LCD Module 2.8" 240x320 dots resolution 64k colour TFT Transreflective LCD with white LED back light Sensitive Touch Screen Support both Portrait and Landscape mode (keyboard sliding and soft button on today screen) Screen rotation icon (portrait, right-hand landscape, or left-hand landscape) and key lock icon (lock or unlock) on the bottom of status bar GSM/EDGE Function Internal antenna Quad-band (850/900/1800/1900) Audio codec: AMR, EFR, FR, HR SMS (MO, MT), concatenated SMS (640 chars) Supplement services Call holding/waiting/forwarding Call barring CLI (Calling Line Identify) Display own number Network Selection Cell broadcast Multi-party conference call Spool icon Phase 2+ unstructured supplementary service data Network Lock EDGE Functionality GPRS Multi-slot class 10 PBCCH MCS 1-4 in UL/DL (GMSK) MCS 5-9 in UL/DL (8PSK) Incremental redundancy Selective Type I ARQ and Type II hybrid ARQ SIM 1.8V/3V operation SIM Application Tool Kit release 98 class 3 Over the Air (OTA) programming FDN ADN SDN Security Pin 1 & 2 control Stylus Lock type mechanism Keyboard/Button/Switch Power button One navigation pad (5-way) Send/Hands-free button End button Voice command/Voice recorder (right side) Connection Manager (left side) Volume up & down Camera capture 2 AP buttons (Messaging-left button, Portal or PIE-right button) 2 soft keys Notification One bi-colour LED for GSM standby, GSM message, GSM network status, notification, and charging status Two respective (blue and green) LEDs for bluetooth/WiFi notification Vibration for notification Notification by sound and message on the display Audio Built-in Microphone Receiver Dual speakers on both sides with stereo sound Loud speaker for Hands-Free supported Full duplex Audio sampling rate: 16bits with 8KHz, 11KHz, 22KHz, 44.1KHz AMR/AAC/WAV/WMA/MP3 codec Camera CMOS 1.3 Mega Pixel with fixed lens Software interpolation up to 2 Mega-Pixels Video flash light Preview Mirror Interface Infrared IrDA SIR Mini-SD card slot with door (top) External antenna connector 3V SIM card 2.5 0 stereo audio jack Power Battery: Removable and chargeable Lithium ion polymer battery 1250mAh Battery life: Talk time: 3.5 - 5 hours (Approx.) Standby time: 150 - 200 hours (Approx.) AC adapter AC input: 100 ~ 240 AC, 50/60 Hz DC output: 5V and 1A Device-to-Device Connectivity Bluetooth: Compliant with v1.1 Class 2 transmit power Supported profiles Co-exist with Wi-Fi IEEE 802.11 b Internal WLAN antenna 11, 5.5, 2, and 1 Mbps per channel, auto fallback for extended range Infrared IrDA SIR Mini-USB Mini-SD Pocket PC Phone Edition Applications Microsoft Outlook Mobile: Inbox, Contacts, Calendar, Tasks Microsoft Windows Media Player Microsoft MSN Messenger Microsoft Internet Explorer Mobile Microsoft ActiveSync Games Calculator Voice Notes Photo Caller ID Value Added Applications Camera capture utility Camcorder (H.263 and MPEG4 encoder and decoder) Polyphonic MIDI Ringtone Engine Smart Dialer Phone Pad MMS with video clip support JAVA virtual machine (J2ME, CLDC1.1, MIDP2.0) Voice command/voice dial SW Wireless Modem (IR, USB, Bluetooth) SAR Body 0.856mW/10g Head 0.317mW/10g Packaging The Mini S arrived contained within O2's fantastic new style packaging, as seen with the O2 Exec. The box really is a minor engineering miracle before you even see the device. I half expected it to transform into a Robot in Disguise! In the grand scheme of things the box is pretty low in import, but never the less, the packaging IS impressive, and it serves not only to protect, but it whets your palate for the contents. Size The O2 XDA Mini S is a lot of device squeezed into a tiny case. Just exactly how small is it though? I've compared the O2 Mini S with three of the more common Windows Mobile devices. The image showing the height of the machines shows the following devices left to right. Motorola MPX220, HTC Magician, O2 XDA Mini S and the O2 XDA Exec. As you can see, the Mini S is roughly the same height as Magician, considerably shorter than the Exec and only a little taller than the Motorola. The other image, displays the depth of the four devices. Again these are from top to bottom the Motorola MPX220, HTC Magician, O2 XDA Mini S and the O2 XDA Exec. Here you can see the Magician is the trimmest of the devices with the Mini S approximately as deep as both the MPX220 and the Exec. Aesthetics Waveydave. My first impressions of the Mini S were obviously based on the look and feel of the device. The same classic silver front and back, with a black centre line look is back as with the Magician, and it still looks great. There's still a nice new wow factor, even though the device is so similar to it's predecessor. I prefer the silver to the dark metallic greys and blacks we've seen recently, and the raised metallic O2 emblem underneath the screen in the bottom right corner is a nice touch. It's also worth seeing and feeling the Mini S in the flesh. Almost all the pictures I've seen seem to somehow make it look bigger and more unruly that it actually is.[/color] Windows The first thing that strikes one is how small the device actually is - here you can see it next in situ next to the mains power supply, the plug for connecting to the supply looks positively huge compared to the Mini S! On taking the Mini S out of the box and wrappings one is immediately impressed with how sleek the lines are, there are no rough edges to snag against clothing or to catch on a pocket. Even though the device looks almost retro in shape harking back to the smooth looks of the original Xda the way the buttons are cut into the fascia serves to give it a new and very stylish look. In use the striking lines of the Mini S have drawn many more favourable comments compared to the Xda Exec! Ergonomics Physically, the sides of the phone taper away from you and the feel in your hand just seems to "fit" better than just about any other phone I've used recently. Strangely enough the extra depth actually makes the Mini S sit better in your palm than the thinner Magician, something I wasn't expecting at all. In your pocket the Mini S does feel chunkier than the Magician, but not uncomfortably so. I still use it primarily as a pocket phone, as opposed to a belt clip device like the overly massive Exec and XDA2 range. I've never liked having to use a belt clip, so I find this a big plus. The Mini S comes with a telescopic stylus, something I personally have not experienced before, although I understand some of the Pocket Loox devices have used them. While I found the "gadget" factor of the stylus quite appealing, in actuality I found it slightly less functional. This not a huge issues, more a very minor annoyance. Hardware Layout When charged, turned on and loaded the Mini really comes to life - the screen is bright and vibrant and even though only QVGA is a pleasure to read. There are no distortions over the area of the screen, the colour balance is even and there were no areas lacking in stylus sensitivity. While looking at the front of the Mini one can almost fail to see the resident controls, so well are they merged with the fascia, but the essentials are there. The top front of the device houses the speaker with the dual purpose rocker button beneath serving to hold buttons for activating the Inbox client and PIE respectively. While discussing the speaker be warned the Mini is LOUD - of all the PPC devices I've owned the Mini has the loudest speaker on them all. With this device there is no chance of missing either an incoming phone call or a wake up reminder! Below the screen can be found the second dual rocker button that serves to activate the left and right soft keys which will remap depending on hat function is indicated on screen. Finally we come to the phone buttons and the d-pad and action button which reside towards the bottom of the device. The Start Call (green) and End Call (red) buttons illuminate very brightly when pressed and serve to operate the standard WM5 phone application functions. Between these lies the d-pad and action button. The d-pad supports movement in all eight directions although the diagonal aspects are a little difficult to operate due to the unusual shape of the control. The action button is just about perfect in its setting, not too much force is required to operate it and yet it is not pressed easily by accident. Looking at the other controls on the Mini, the right hand side of the device sports the camera button, soft reset hole, IrDa transfer port, microphone (I assume) and the voice dialling button. The bottom holds the headset port, and unlike the Xda Exec this doesn't follow the 3.5mm standard, but rather has a 2.5mm headphone jack. This means any regular headphones can only be used with the device with an adapter. Next to this is the Mini-USB2 port which is used for syncing and charging the machine - there is no cradle supplied or at this time available for purchase. Finally next to this can be found the battery lock and to the right the stylus silo. Yes this is a strange location for the stylus - on the bottom of the machine. This does make it initially somewhat difficult to extract but after an hour or two of use the awkward feeling soon passes. The stylus is held very tightly within the silo and needs to be gripped fairly tightly to remove it (useful taking it's location into consideration). The tightness of the frictive lock does however serve to allow the stylus to extend while being withdrawn. As with the FSC LOOK 720 the Mini uses a telescopic stylus which folds down on entry into the storage silo and expands when withdrawn. When closed to it's smallest size it really is minute. The bottom rear of the Mini also contains a lanyard loop which protrudes from the inside of the housing and which serves top give a superb method of securing the machine while out and about. The loop appears to be constructed of aluminium and is therefore strong enough to be strung on a lanyard and the Mini slung round the users neck while out and about! The left hand side of the Mini is somewhat sp**** as it contains a shortcut button for the connectivity application (WiFi/BT/Phone) controller and the main volume slider for the machine. The connectivity button proves a god-send in operation as turning WiFi or BT on becomes an absolute breeze and makes the machine so much easier to interact with when once wishes to use the inherent connectivity features. The back of the Mini is somewhat reminiscent of the original Xda II machine as it has the similar checked back styling which serves to act in part as an anti-slip surface. On the back can also be found the 1.3Mp camera module, vanity picture mirror, LED light (flash) and the connection for an external aerial. Below these is the battery cover which unlocks smoothly and which when remounted is held securely by the battery lock which is of very good quality and a great improvement over that used on older Xda machines. Underneath the battery cover (and battery) can be found the SIM dock, and with the Mini O2 (HTC) have gone for the 'slide into the cavity' type of SIM mount, this serves to hold the SIM card securely and yet allows rapid removal if required and also eliminates any moving parts which could be damaged over time. The battery is fitted into the slot with a gentle sideways movement and care should be taken to ensure that the removal strap fits correctly around the battery, both to help it to stay in place via frictive top loading and also to ensure easy removal of the battery as it does fit rather snugly into the cavity. Keyboard I have to admit to always playing down Mobile Devices with keyboards, and although I've tried most of them, I've tolerated few and liked even less. During my first couple of weeks use with the Mini S though I've slowly been converted from an avid Letter Recogniser fan to a keyboard junkie. I now use it for SMS, IM, Notes and even editing the odd review! You could say I've seen the light, the blue light. The slide out keyboard really IS the detail that sets the Mini S apart from the crowd. Sure, other devices have qwerty keyboards, but the Mini S keyboard is exceptionally well engineered, and more importantly it's big. Yes, we all know size isn't everything, but the keyboard covers roughly 2 thirds the surface area of the phone. Compare this to its competitors, the HP iPAQ HW6515, XDA2s, P901 etc and proportionally it's grand indeed, no thumb cramp here then. The keyboard has a nice feel to it too, the keys have a solid click to them, and it sits very nicely atop your index fingers, for use with your thumbs. The typing position feels very natural. Someone with very big hands may have issues with key size, but my glove size is large, and as I said it feels very natural to me. Oh, and did I mention the lovely blue backlight? VERY nice indeed. Having the keyboard slide from the middle of the device as it does is good. It makes it much easier to access then the clam shell style access method of the Exec. Only time will tell how well the slide mechanism holds up, and I would guess the slide itself will loosen a little over time. The way the keyboard latches at both ends of it's travel length though, should stop any danger of it flapping around in the future. It locks into place with a reassuring click. Camera Along with the rest of the XDA range, you'll find no reason to be throwing out your compact digital cameras just yet. The camera is functional, and even pretty good for a camera phone, but not up to scratch compared to dedicated digital cameras. As you can see from the three comparative screen shots, the camera quality across the Mini S, Magician and Exec are all much of a muchness, if anything the Magician being the best and the Mini S being the poorest. However, the default settings for the Mini S and Magician were different, so I changed the Mini S to match the Magician, hence the second Mini S image to the right. With these settings you can see all three cameras are almost on a par and the O2 Mini S is better than before. O2 XDA Mini S with Magician settings O2 XDA Exec HTC Magician O2 XDA Mini S Screen The screen is a TFT Touch screen boasting 65K colours and 240 x 320 pixel resolution. Apart from some yellowing in the old XDA2 range I've always rated the HTC screens for their clarity. The Mini S continues this trend and improves upon the Magician's brightness. It's difficult to grade exactly how much brighter the Mini S is, suffice to say with the devices sat next to each other the Mini S is pumping out noticeably more light. It is almost as bright as the positively beaming Exec. The extra brightness makes the screen very easy to read in even the brightest sunlight. Wireless A massive bonus over the Magician is the incorporation of a wireless NIC into the Mini S. Not so impressively is that the wireless standard used is 802.11 b, which effectively means only a speed of 22Mb. Slow wireless is always going to be better than no wireless though, so it's still a big bonus over the Magician. Interestingly, the wireless facility on the Imate K-Jam, also the HTC Wizard platform uses 802.11 g now and the Imate website states further upgrades to 802.11 i and e will follow via ROM upgrade. This may mean O2 could improve the wireless too via a ROM upgrade to g e i or all three. I guess time will tell. It's also a shame that the mobile data is slightly under specced. I'd like to have seen UMTS (3G) capability on board as on the Exec, but alas, it's only the slower GPRS (2.5) here. There is EDGE functionality on the device, but from a UK point of view this is irrelevant. I've experienced none of the GPRS issues that plagued the early ROM releases on both the XDA2i and XDA2s though, WM5 seems to have this pretty much sown up now. Even the switch between GPRS to Wireless and vice versa is surprisingly crisp, when wandering in and out of wireless range. Good stuff. Bluetooth As is standard with the HTC devices, Bluetooth is included, and supports profiles. The Bluetooth on the O2 Mini S is still the Microsoft Bluetooth stack, although it's an newer version than the poor iteration on the Magician. External Storage The Mini S comes with a MiniSD slot on the top of the device. With MiniSD cards only being slightly behind regular SD cards in capacity stakes but I was still a little disappointed about this. I've accumulated many SD cards over the years, as they were standard in the XDA devices, so I've plenty of them. Both the Magician and Exec take the full sized card too. It's probably down to getting an extra millimetre here and there as with the stylus and battery, but I'm sure many of others will have this issue too. The MiniSD card also bothers me a little with the play afforded to the card while it's in place. The SD cards in my other devices feel very solid once they click into place whereas the MiniSD seems much more unstable. I've tried a couple of the devices and it seems to be the same on them, so I don't believe it's just mine. Software The O2 Mini S comes bundled with the latest operating system for pocket PC's, Microsoft Windows Mobile 5. In part most of the applications are those that are available as standard under Windows Mobile 5.0, but O2 have added their own specialist applications, as they did with the Exec. In fact, the Mini S suite of applications is almost identical to that of the Exec. The initial option to select the install mode is again present as you power on for the first time, and on each successive hard reset. The three install types are:- Basic - The Mini S is set up with basic features only; the O2 today screen and O2 connection settings. This is the preferred option if you do not want to use O2 Active and want to be up and running on the 'net' as painlessly as possible Corporate - The Corporate option remains as in prior Xda builds - you get the standard HTC Universal applications and nothing else, no preconfigured 'net' settings, nothing. Personal - This offers the richest application set and comprises; the O2 Active System, O2 applications and settings as well as the O2 network configuration settings. In my experience the three modes suit different Beginner, Novice and Advanced levels of users very well. For the beginner, the Personal mode installs O2 active. O2 Active is An O2 specific suit of applications which affords the user a well laid out Home screen from which they can easily access today applets, custom icons, and an easy to read visual display of the devices settings. You also several applications with a nice GUI to make configuring your device much easier, like email for example. As well as the easy to configure applications, all the default O2 settings for GPRS, MMS etc are preconfigured for you. Basically in Personal mode you can pick up your device, put in a few personal settings and use it for phone, SMS, MMS, multimedia web browsing straight away. The new WM5 version of O2 active is more advanced over prior O2A versions and I'm glad to say the problems with prior incarnations seem to have been eliminated. For the Novice, O2 offers the Basic setting. You get the O2 today screen preconfigured O2 settings for GPRS, MMS, SMS etc, but you don't get any of the extra O2 Active applications. O2 Active, while helpful, invaluable even, to the beginner is a compendium of applications, all of which have been enhanced by third party software companies. Basic setup allows the user to install their own suit of applications, and free up the extra memory O2 Active would normally take. For the Advanced user the corporate setting offers a vanilla device, without any O2 settings for the user to configure how they wish. You get the standard HTC Universal applications and nothing else, no reconfigured 'net' settings, nothing. The code needed to allow Corporate mode is still 0506. Applications The standard application set (WM 5.0 and O2 apps) includes: Games - Bubble Breaker & Solitaire O2 Active - allows you to manually activate the O2 Active system if you have disabled it auto-starting (O2 specific) ActiveSync - The WM client component of ActiveSync 4.xx Calculator - WM 5.0 Calculator Camera - HTC Camera control application Clear Storage - This removes the need to hard reset - it wipes the protected part of memory that allows the persistent store system to work, in effect hard resetting. A very effective and easier way of performing a hard reset than juggling buttons and stylus presses! Comm Manager - HTC client application for managing the phone / Bluetooth and WiFi (HTC application) Download Agent - Allows you to obtain updates for your device 'over the air'. MS have not yet turned this system on Email Setup - Custom O2 wizard which allows you to easily configure email (O2 specific) Enroller - For managing digital certificates. Not in any real use at the moment, but this type of application will become more important in the future Excel Mobile - WM 5.0 Pocket Excel File Explorer - WM 5.0 File Manager Hotspots Directory - Custom O2 application which allows you to search for WiFi Hotspots on the O2 UK network (O2 specific) Install Type - here you can load the Install mode selector and switch operating install types (O2 specific) Modem Link - allows you to use your device as a 3G modem (HTC application) MIDLet Manager - allows you to use mini Java applets on the device Notes - WM 5.0 - Notes application O2 - SIM Toolkit - used to access operator features on prepay SIM cards (O2 specific) Pictures & Videos - WM 5.0 Video / Picture viewing application PowerPoint Mobile - WM 5.0 PowerPoint Application Search - WM 5.0 system search applet SIM Manager - WM 5.0 client for managing SIM contacts Task Manager - Allows you to control running apps, or in advanced mode see running processes (O2 Europe specific) Tasks - WM 5.0 To-Do list application Terminal Services - WM 5.0 Terminal Services application for accessing servers remotely Voice Speed Dial - Voice activated speed dialling / application launching (HTC application) Word Mobile 5.0 - WM 5.0 Pocket Word Application Zip - HTC ZIP client for managing Zipped file archives This is a goodly set of applications comprising the full WM 5.0 suite, some good applications from HTC and the icing on the cake is the O2 additions. In addition to the above applications which are part of ROM install O2 supply the Spb GPRS Monitor and the ClearVue PDF viewer on the companion CD. Performance Waveydavey I think in the mobile device arena we're suffering technologically at the hands of the battery manufacturers. HTC obviously have the technical and aesthetic prowess required to produce spectacular devices but seem held back by power requirements. I was amazed though by the size of the battery in the Mini S. It's only about a third of the footprint of the device. Relatively speaking much smaller than both the Magician and the Exec. The fact that the battery life is almost comparable to the Exec and the Magician even with such a small footprint is excellent, but there is a price to pay. The Mini S has moved away from the swift Intel XScale CPU's, and instead uses the less power hungry OMAP 850. The rumours you've heard are true, the Texas Instruments chip does lack the performance of the Intel ones, but it's no slouch. In fact, if you use the device in its vanilla state, O2 active and all, you'll probably feel the Mini S is faster than the Magician. In my opinion WM5 in its general use is faster than WM2003 SE, even with the slightly less powerful processor. It's only when you begin to install more hungry 3rd party applications that you notice some lag, and even then you'll kinda wonder if maybe there's a little optimisation missing from an OS point of view in some of the coding, and it's not all the TI chips grunt. Lag wise I noticed very little when compared to the Magician, but the extra power of the Exec when running 3rd party apps was noticeable. As a side note, the newer iterations of the Windows Mobile ROMs likely to be issued for the Mini S should give it a hefty performance boost. Definitely something to look forward to. Windows If the MiniS is hard reset and then set up in corporate mode or even in basic mode (with the startup shortcuts copied out of the start-up folder) it can feel significantly faster than the O2 Exec. Screen refreshes are noticeably faster, when redrawing the start menu for example but much more noticeably when extracting the keyboard and the auto-change takes place from portrait to landscape mode. The screen redraw is approximately 4 times faster than that of the Exec. Part of the reasoning for the speed differential is that the MiniS is using AKU1.5 of the WM5 OS whereas the Exec is still on AKU1.0 (with AKU2.0 in the pipeline). It should be noted that the Mhz speed of the Intel XScale and TI OMAP 850 processors is also not like for like, the TI chips have a greater speed in use compared to the Mhz figure. Pro's & Cons Pros Small form factor. Dual speakers. Excellent slideout QWERTY keyboard. Bright, clear screen. Stable, powerful Operating System. Camera. WiFi. Bluetooth. MiniSD slot. Lots of hardware buttons. Excellent packaging. Cons MiniSD instead of regular SD slot. Wireless is "b" rather than "g". No 3G. No VGA. Slightly shorter than normal battery capacity. Underpowered TI OMAP CPU. Poor (average for HTC devices) camera. Conclusion When you first look at the cons list above you'll probably think that I could take or leave the O2 Mini S. You couldn't be more wrong. The Mini S is a magnificent device. While there are several technological advancements available to place the machine at the leading edge, it is a multifaceted fully functional device a whisker behind the state of the art. The cons listed above are minor enhancements, omitted probably to save space, or to increase stability. Personally, I think these omissions are a small price to pay for the diminutive stature of the Mini S. If you don't agree, then maybe you should check out the O2 Exec instead. I think it's wrong to compare the Mini S directly with the Magician, as the keyboard really places it in a different league. The Magician was really a cut down version of the XDA2i, with a fair amount of functionality sacrificed for size. The Mini S should be thought of as replacement to the ;grander XDA2s/XDA2i, or a Magician and a half, so to speak. With that in mind, if you're upgrading from the XDA2s/XDA2i you'll love the smaller form factor, and the better keyboard. If you're upgrading from the Magician you'll be very impressed with the extra functionality, wireless, keyboard etc, and not overly bothered by the extra depth. It's a win win situation either way. Finally, if you're buying the O2 XDA Mini S as a first Windows Mobile device you'll be getting a superb compact device with a good keyboard and operating system that really is ready to go out of the box. Truly excellent. 4WinMobile rating:- 95%