O2 have been renowned for innovation over the years with the creation and development of the Xda series of machines. The last twelve months or so however have seen few machines being released which look to be current compared to machines being offered by other carriers. However this is now being addressed with O2 bringing to the marketplace the O2 Xda Stellar which is based on the design of the HTC TyTN II - one of the latest machines created by HTC.
The Stellar serves to bring to the user a high level of features; QWERTY keyboard, 3Mpixel camera, fast processor, large RAM / ROM, GPS, Quad band, phone, etc.
Once again O2 are back in tune with what the user wants. We'll look at these features as we move through the review and see if the Stellar does deliver the features demanded by today's user and whether it serves to extend the proud line of Xda branded products.
Needless to say that once again we extend our thanks to O2 for allowing us to review the Xda Stellar.
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 Kaiser
Supplier: O2 UK PLC
Product Name: Xda Stellar
Price: Varies depending on contract
Firstly let's cover the initial technical ground with a detailed listing of the hardware specification that comprises the Stellar.
The high points for me here are the large memory (ROM : 256 MB / RAM : 128 MB SDRAM), and a fast processor (Qualcomm MSM 7200 400MHz) as these have the greatest effect on the operation of the machine. It should be noted that the Qualcomm 400Mhz processor operates approximately 50-60% faster than the corresponding 400Mhz chip from Samsung (as used in the Xda Trion), which makes for a noticeable operational speed increase. The machine positively flies compared to the Xda Trion!
SYSTEM INFORMATION
Processor: Qualcomm MSM 7200 400MHz
Memory: ROM : 256 MB / RAM : 128 MB SDRAM
(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 written).
Operating System: Windows Mobile® 6 Professional
POWER
Battery: Rechargeable Lithium-ion polymer battery, 1350 mAh
Charging Time: 2.5 - 3 hours
Battery Life (estimates):
- Standby time:Up to 200 hours for GSM/UMTS
- Talk time: Up to 3 hours for GSM/UMTS
- Up to 2.5 hours for video call (video telephony)
- Media playback time:
- Up to 8 hours (WMV);
- Up to 12 hours (WMA)
AC Adapter:
- Voltage range/frequency: 100 - 240V AC, 50/60 Hz
- DC output: 5V and 1A
DISPLAY
LCD Type: 2.8” transflective TFT-LCD with backlight LEDs, touch sensitive screen
Resolution: 240 x 320 with 65,536 colours
Alignment: Portrait and Landscape
HSDPA / UMTS / GSM / GPRS / EDGE Module
Functionality:
- HSDPA/UMTS: 2100MHz for Europe, 850/1900MHz for USA.
- HSDPA: Up to 384kbps for upload and 3.6Mbps for download;
- UMTS: Up to 384kbps for upload and download
- GSM/GPRS/EDGE: Quad-band (850, 900, 1800, and 1900)
Internal Antenna: Yes
PHYSICAL
Dimensions: 112 mm (L) x 59 mm (W) x 18.65 mm (T)
Weight: 190 g (with battery) | CAMERA MODULE
Type Main camera: 3.0 Megapixel colour CMOS camera
Second camera: Color CMOS CIF camera
Resolution Photo: 2048x1536, 1600x1200 (UXGA), 1280x960 (SXGA), 640x480 (VGA), 320x240 (QVGA), 160x120 (QQVGA)
Resolution Video: 176x144 (QCIF), 128x96
Digital Zoom: Up to 8X
CONNECTIONS
I/O Port: HTC ExtUSBTM - an 11 pin mini-USB and audio jack in one (ExtUSB is a proprietary connection interface that is trademarked by HTC).
GPS Antenna Connector: Yes. Use external GPS antenna (part GA S120).
Wireless Connections: Bluetooth 2.0, Wi-Fi (IEEE 802.11 b/g)
Expansion Slots: Card Slot microSD™ (SD 2.0 / SDHC compatible)
AUDIO
Audio Controller: AGC
Microphone/Speaker: Built-in/Dual, Hands-free
Ring tone:
- 40 polyphonic and standard MIDI format 0 and 1 (SMF)/SP MIDI
- MP3, AAC, AAC+, WMA, WAV, and AMR-NB
Windows Media Player: MP3, WMA, MID, AMR, AWB, M4A
CONTROLS AND LIGHTS
Buttons:
- 5-way NAVIGATION Control
- Jog Wheel
- Two phone functions : TALK and END
- Two program buttons : Voice Command and Camera
- START button
- OK button
- Two SOFT KEYs
- POWER button
- RESET button
Hardware Keyboard: QWERTY keyboard with two additional SOFT KEYs.
LEDs:
- The left (bi-colour) LED shows Green and Amber lights for UMTS/GSM standby, message, network status, notification, and battery charging status. Shows a flashing red light when the battery level reaches 5% or lower.
- The right LED shows a blinking Blue light for Bluetooth system notification of powered-up and ready to transmit Bluetooth signal, or a blinking Green light for Wi-Fi status (when both Bluetooth and Wi-Fi are enabled, the Blue and Green lights blink alternately). The Amber light indicates GPS notification. |
EXTERNALS AND HARDWARE
 | WHAT'S IN THE BOX
It must be highlighted that this review is produced based on a pre-release machine which O2 kindly supplied therefore there are no shots that can be taken of the final consumer packaging; that was not available at the time of the review.
The review package received contained:
 Xda Stellar
Rechargeable Lithium-ion polymer battery, 1350 mAh
Belt case
USB Power supply
USB to PC sync cable
Headphones
It is anticipated that the final consumer package will contain in addition:
O2 Getting Started CD (with Outlook 2007 trial version, GPRS Monitor and Sprite backup) |
  | THE CASE
The case is very much as supplied previously by O2, basic and functional without any bells and whistles.
It is constructed of leather effect PVC, cushioned felt-like material and inner nylon support straps.
The sides of the case seem to be padded with thick soft cardboard, which will serve to withstand medium force impacts, but the peripheral edges give little protection at all as apart from the four support straps the case is open to the atmosphere.
Closure is made by a large flap which contains 'Velcro' hooks which fasten against the 'fuzzy felt' on the upper portion of the side of the case. This give a reasonably positive closure to the case but means that one does have to apply a firm grip to open the case. Of course as the 'velcro' effect weakens it will become easier to operate as time goes buy, but that will also give rise to the increasing woolliness of the felt material which will tend to make the case look somewhat untidy in appearance.
The belt clip is essentially a strong piece of spring steel covered with the leather/ PVC material that has been woven into the case body itself. The force needed to open the loop and place the case onto the belt is not excessive but when in place it is held reasonably securely. Even if the case is opened to withdraw the Stellar quite quickly there is no movement of the case away from the belt.
The case therefore can be considered sufficient for use and purpose, but there are no design awards offered for constructional quality or use. |
 | THE HEADSET
The headset supplied with the Stellar is a great improvement compared to those offered with prior Xda models. It comprises of 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 Stellar.
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.
It is worth noting that the Vodafone V1615 comes with a 'standard' headset without the extended control module supplied with the Stellar. |
| FIRST LOOKS AND FRONT
When one first removes the Xda Stellar from the packaging two facts come to your immediate attention: the first that the rounded edges of the casing ensure a pleasing and comfortable position in the hand and the second that it is quite heavy compared to the prior Trion machine (TyTN I).
The case colour scheme chosen is that of black and silver with the front surround being matte silver with an inlaid brushed aluminum fascia which covers most of the front of the device. This is pierced in various places to allow access to the screen, controls and other components on the front of the machine. Top right the O2 logo stands out clearly against the silver.
It is worth noting that the fascia around the screen is beveled inwards which means there is very little 'lip' around the screen - this serves to allow you to access the screen with the stylus at quite an oblique angle which aids ergonomic use - the stylus does not have to be held at 90 degrees to the screen itself.
Immediately above the screen can be found the secondary camera (used for video calls), and the twin LED / speaker aperture.
The indicator LEDS show various operational functions such as: |
 |
The left (bi-colour) LED shows Green and Amber lights for UMTS/GSM standby, message, network status, notification, and battery charging status. Shows a flashing red light when the battery level reaches 5% or lower.
The right LED shows a blinking Blue light for Bluetooth system notification of powered-up and ready to transmit Bluetooth signal, or a blinking Green light for Wi-Fi status (when both Bluetooth and Wi-Fi are enabled, the Blue and Green lights blink alternately). The Amber light indicates GPS notification.
Immediately below the screen is the main control module containing two 'rings' of controls; the outer bright silver ring with control buttons etched into the metal, and an inner plastic ring surrounding the cursor control keys and action button.
The outer silver ring contains the controls for:
(left) Answer call key / Start menu key
(right) End call key / OK button.
The inner 'ring' holds controls for:
Left / Right Softkeys
Internet Explorer / Messaging.
Central to these are the silvered action button and the cursor control which supports 4 axes of directional movement. |
  | THE BOTTOM PORTS
The base of the Stellar contains from left to right / top to bottom:
The MicroSD slot - this has been enhanced compared to the Trion in that it now has a firmly closing plastic cover that may be swung outwards and around to reveal the card slot. The interface itself is SDHC complaint which means that (at the moment) cards up to 8Gb can be used.
Below this is the soft reset port into which the stylus can be pointed to soft reset the machine.
Lanyard mount - HTC / O2 do insist on moulding lanyard loop mounts into the body of recent machines. Useful maybe but I've yet to find a lanyard small enough or strong enough that I'd wish to put into place on such a valuable device!
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 bottom right is the input microphone.
Bottom right is the stylus silo. |
  | STYLUS / STYLUS SILO
With the Stellar HTC have turned back to using a one-piece stylus compared to the expandable model used on the Trion / MiniS. This is all to the good as though the expandable stylus worked acceptably it did have a tendency to collapse itself at inconvenient moments!
It is essentially the same stylus used on the Xda Orbit with a slightly different head that conforms to the shape of the Stellar housing. This means that it is some 92mm in length and relatively comfortable to use when held. 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. |
 | THE LEFT HAND SIDE
The first control is the Voice Dial Button which serves to activate the Voice Command software, used for voice dialling and program activation.
Jog Wheel - this serves to allow one to navigate through menus/ applications, etc, and is a full movement wheel in that it spins continually - this is unlike the jog dial found on the FSC T830 which allows single step movement in each direction. This ensures smoothness of navigation as one can continue to scroll in one direction instead of releasing the jog action and continuously having to move the wheel, release and move again. During a phone call (or when playing music) the jog dial can be used to alter the volume level of the call in progress.
Immediately below the Jog Wheel is the Start/OK button which on the Today Screen serves to activate the Windows Menu, and on any other screen to either close an application or perform any designated 'OK' action.
The Jog Wheel and OK Button therefore allow the user to perform almost 100% of navigation around the touch screen interface without the need to start using the stylus. I find this invaluable for such actions as reviewing incoming E-mails. |
 | THE RIGHT HAND SIDE
Compared to the left hand side of the machine the right hand side is relatively spartan only containing:
On / Off (standby) button - this is coloured red so signify a power function and is set flush into the side to prevent accidental operation. If pressed briefly the display will be turned off. If pressed and held for around 5 seconds the Stellar will enter power off mode requiring a soft reset to bring it back to life.
Camera Button - Lower down towards the base of the machine is the camera button, this is slightly raised from the surface, which when using the camera serves to allow the finger to locate it comfortably.
It should be noted that the camera button is dual position - if slowly depressed it serves to set the focus of the camera, and if held in this position the focus will be locked at that point. When fully depressed the actual photograph will be taken. |
  | THE BACK FACE, CAMERA, BACK REMOVAL AND BATTERY
The back of the Stellar contains:
External GPS antenna port (with prise-off cover).
3MegaPixel camera. Trion owners will note here that there are no LED flash, vanity mirror (hooray) or macro focus mode - these are replaced with the auto focus facility.
Speaker which is protected by a wire mesh.
Unlike the Trion there is no sliding lock holding the battery cover in place. On the Stellar one has to press firmly down on the cover and slide it upwards. The press and slide do need firm pressure to effect the removal of the cover but the goods news is that means it is not likely to be released by accident via a car mount or belt holster.
Once the cover is removed the Rechargeable Lithium-ion polymer battery (1350 mAh) is revealed. One would think that such a battery would be underpowered for a 3G / GPS ready device but so far it seems to be perfectly capable - more on this later! |
THE KEYBOARD
One superb feature not immediately obvious to the casual viewer of the Stellar is the 'assisted' keyboard. This is revealed by holding the lower portion of the housing and sliding the screen to the left. An internal spring mechanism creates an initial resistance point which has to be overcome but once this has been passed the spring reverses and assists you in revealing the keyboard. That same spring also ensures that the keyboard is not closed unexpectedly and it held at the optimum position for operation.
All well and good at this point the keyboard is similar in use to that of the MiniS or Trion, however the Stellar has another trick up its sleeve! Once the keyboard has been revealed it can be tilted upwards (to a maximum of around 40 degrees). This means that the unit can be placed contentedly on the desk and the screen raised to turn it in to a mini laptop machine. This also alleviates the need for any type of desk or cradle mount.
  | The keyboard itself is attractively styled in charcoal with the QWERTY and other symbols picked out in white text with secondary functions (punctuation, functions keys and phone buttons) highlighted in a pale bright blue. These secondary functions are accessed via the use of the 'Cap' and 'Fn' buttons towards the bottom left of the keyboard.
At the top of the keyboard are the Left and Right Hand soft keys which are set partially into the R/T and I/O keys respectively. Those duplicate the functions of the hardware keys on the front of the device.
The action of the keys is just about right, not being too soft or too hard and each key is depresses with a mechanical click sound being heard. The only problem with any of the keys is possibly the Soft Keys as when the screen is tilted upwards these become difficult to strike cleanly (unless you have very small fingers)!
One nice ancillary feature is that above the 'W' and 'E' keys are orange LEDS which indicate whether the CAPS or FN modes are engaged. |
One noteworthy features is that if one is at the 'Today' screen on the machine and you commence to type using the 'phone' keys then the machine assumes you are starting typing a phone number, switches to the phone dialler and transfers the numbers typed onto the screen. Similarly if you type non-'phone' keys then it again changes to the Today screen but starts a contacts search!
As with most HTC devices with keyboards it is fitted with a back light sensor and if a certain level of darkness is detected the keyboard back light is activated. This serves to gently illuminate the keyboard to ensure that is it usable in all lighting conditions.
 | SIM LOADING
One aspect of the Stellar which we have not covered so far is the loading of the SIM card into the machine. On previous HTC / O2 devices this has usually been accomplished via the removal of the back cover and battery, but with the Stellar this is not the case.
HTC have engineered the SIM holder into the underneath of the keyboard which does mean at least that one can leave the battery in situ whilst the SIM is loaded.
Once the keyboard has been opened it reveals the locking plate for the SIM mount which is released via the sliding back of a locking strip. The SIM cover can then be opened and the SIM itself slipped into place. The cover is sprung slightly when pushed back into position prior to closing the locking strip which ensures that the SIM card is held safely and strongly in position. |
SIZE MATTERS
 | As the Stellar will invariably be compared to the Xda Trion 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 Stellar (underneath the Trion) is significantly thinner by some three millimetres even with that advanced active keyboard and the internal GPS module.
The only area where it fails to compare is that of weight being 14 grams heavier. However to me at least that additional weight serves to make the machine more 'robust' in the hand and gives it an air of solidity. Yes it can be somewhat wearing on the wrist muscles if held in one position for a goodly amount of time (ebook reading) but apart from that it is of no great issue.
In fact if you look back at the sizes of the previous Xda models the Stellar was the same weight and thickness as the Xda II but with less height and width. If you think of the technological improvements which have come with this new device that is pretty awesome! |
 | THAT GLORIOUS SCREEN
The last and probably one of the most important aspects of the hardware that requires discussion is that of the screen. HTC look to have changed screen suppliers again with the Stellar as the pale lacklustre screen as seen on the MiniS was been replaced with a brilliantly colourful model reminiscent of that seen in the Xda Orbit.
Colours are bright and deep with the blue O2 today screen image looking fine and dandy.
The only critiques that can be offered is that once again in bright sunlight the display fades somewhat and can be unreadable in very bright conditions, and that the back light is very slightly brighter at the base of the screen. The bottom 2-3mmm are much brighter than the rest of the screen appearing somewhat over lit. This is only really noticeable when using full screen applications such as eBook readers. |
HARDWARE CONCLUSIONS
It is clear once again that HTC have produced a superb machine (HTC TyTN II / Kaiser) and that O2 have revitalised the flagging Xda line with them bringing the machine on board as the Xda Stellar. 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, GPS and camera it looks like this will be a winner and valid successor to the MiniS / Trion machines.
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 Stellar 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.
 |  | THE TODAY SCREEN
O2 have added their own suite of today program applets into the ROM which comprise:
Last Call
Profiles
Meters
Calendar
Shortcuts
Running Apps
These are very much an O2 standard and have been seen in ROMs from older machines. There is no innovation here, you are still limited to 5 shortcuts in their launcher for example. Even if we accept that limitation the applets remain useful and do improve the functionality of the device making it easier to change profiles, see last callers, etc. |
 |  | APPLICATIONS
The Stellar comes with the full blown version of Windows Mobile® 6 Professional with all the usual programs in place.
The ROM is however recently updated and includes the Windows Mobile 2007 Office applications of Word, Excel and Powerpoint - giving you compatibility of file access with Office 2007 on the desktop PC. Supplied games are the standard Bubble Breaker and Solitaire.
Other additions include:
Acrobat Reader LE - for reading PDF files
HTC Audio Manager HTC's own library based music playback system
Bluetooth Explorer - Allows you to send / receive files with other BT devices
HTC Comms Manager - Allow control of communications
Java - for running small Java applets
O2 Operator Settings - reset / modify O2 connection settings on the fly
SIM Manager - allows you to copy contacts between the SIM card and the Stellar
System Info - O2 commissioned application displaying free memory, BT status and battery charge
HTC Voice Recorder - HTC application for recording voice notes
Cyberon Voice Dial - for voice enabled contact dialling
WorldCard Mobile - Business card OCR system using the camera
ZIP - HTC application which allows one to work with ZIP files
The Companion CD also includes:
Sprite Backup - Probably the best backup program available
Spb GPRS Monitor - allows you to monitor connection use / charges |
 |  | MEDIA
Media is well catered for with the Stellar having the HTC Audio Manager acting as an alternative to Media Player for handling the playback and organisation of music libraries. Audio Manager can be used to scan through all directories on a Storage Card and auto add any media files found to the Music Library.
This coupled with the Audio Streaming applet give a set of useful tools for playing back media both on and off the device. |
 |  | COMMUNICATIONS
The Xda Stellar as a converged device supports many communications protocols as well as mobile phone connectivity. The Comm Manager is used to control both which connectivity options on the device (WiFi / BT / Internet / Phone, etc) are active as well as allowing Bluetooth / WiFi connections to be configured and managed. Bluetooth connectivity includes A2DP which means that devices like BT Stereo headphones can be used to great advantage with the HTC AudioManager.
The Phone dialler works well and follows the theme of the Audio Manager (replacing the O2 dialler seen on previous machines). 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 Stellar 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). |
WORLDCARD MOBILE
WorldCard Mobile is one of those applications that you come across and wonder why it has never been implemented before on a WM machine. It is simple enough in concept - use the camera on to capture an image of a business card, perform a bit of OCR (Optical Character Recognition) to input the text, allow any errors to be edited and then add to your contacts. It may take a few attempts to be proficient with positioning the business card, but once you get used to working with the application it can be very useful. It can certainly save a lot of typing!
SETTINGS
 |  | The settings on the Stellar are very much Windows Mobile 'standard' with a few extras sneaked in to enhance the machine. These are:
Keyboard Sliding Sound - this controls the sound sample played when the keyboard is slid open or closed. Only three samples are offered and there is no option to define your own sample. Thankfully though the sound effect can be turned off as once the novelty has worn off it can prove to be somewhat annoying - especially in an office environment.
TouchFLO - unlike the HTC Touch where there is an entire 'Touch' based system on the Stellar the experience is somewhat limited, and restricted to scrolling through lists of data as within the Inbox, or navigating through the contacts list. However the TouchFLO applet does allow you to control whether a sound effect is played whilst scrolling. Again after a while one usually ends up disabling the sound.
HSDPA - The Stellar supports high speed HSDPA connectivity offering speeds up to 384kbps for upload and 3.6Mbps for download. This can have an adverse effect on battery life to that functionality may be turned off via the HSDPA applet. |
 |  | ROM AND MEMORY
As you can see here the Stellar is based on the HTC Kaiser platform and does indeed sport the fast low power Qualcomm 7200 processor which ensures good battery life whilst maintaining a fast operational speed.
Memory has been enhanced compared to the earlier Trion machine with the Stellar having 135Mb of Storage memory and 101Mb of program memory. After a hard reset 128.52 of Storage memory is available with 71.59mb of Program memory free. This gives plenty of 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.
Whilst discussing memory it is worth restating that the Stellar is SD 2.0 / SDHC compatible which means that MicroSD cards up to the (current) maximum of 8Gb can be used to hold applications and data.
Free memory after a hard reset:
Storage
Total: 135.41Mb
In Use: 5.37Mb
Free: 130.04Mb
Program
Total: 101.38Mb
In Use: 29.79Mb
Free: 71.59Mb
The screen shot on the left is the memory state once a small screen shot application had been added and PIM data synched onto the device. |
 |  | BATTERY INDICATOR
One of the great annoyances to owners of the MiniS and Trion machines was that the battery charge indicator only indicated decrements of 10%; in the Stellar this has been addressed and the battery charge is now shown in single percent increments. |
 | SMS / MMS
One question posed by prospective Stellar users will no doubt be concerning the SMS / MMS inbox. In some carrier issued ROMs for the earlier TyTN machine those messaging options had been combined into one Inbox which caused some problems to occur.
The combination SMS / MMS Inbox is present again on the Stellar but I'm happy to say (so far at least) that no problem issues have been observed and MMS / SMS messaging is so far working without any issues. |
CAMERA
 | THE CAMERA
The camera software included is the new 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). |
| Settings may be varied between: | Self Timer - On / off
Storage - Main Memory / MicroSD card (if inserted)
White Balance - Auto / Daylight / Night / Incandescent / Florescent
Effect - Grayscale / Sepia / Cool / Negative
Resolution - 120x160 / 240x320 / 480x640 / 960x1280 / 1200x1600 / 1536x2048
Camera - Main Camera / 2nd Camera / 2nd Camera (flip)
Quality - Basic / Normal / Fine / Superfine
Metering Mode - Center Area / Average
Time Stamp - on / off
Mode - Photo / Video / MMS Video / Contacts Picture / Picture Theme Panorama / Sports / Burst
Capture Format - JPEG
Shutter Sound - on / off
Shoot Option - Full Press / Half Press
Grid - on / off
Keep backlight - on / off
Review Duration - No review / 3 seconds / 10 seconds / no limit
Flicker adjustment - Auto / 50Hz / 60Hz
Prefix - Default
Counter - X / reset
Adjust - Contrast / Saturation / Hue / Sharpness |
 |  | Example photos.
The first three pictures were taken during a trip to Wales in September.
The lower two pictures were taken from a distance of 20-30mm and show how well the auto-focus handles 'macro' styles images.
In both cases all settings were left fully automatic and the Stellar hand braced with maximum resolution and quality chosen. |
PROS AND CONS
Pro
 Fast processor
Large memory
Inbuilt GPS
Active Keyboard
3G Quad band
Comfortable in the hand
Good quality screen
Loud Volume
Strong
Jog wheel
battery lock
Usable keyboard
Tiling screen
Full size stylus
Sprite Backup included
GPRS Monitor included
Business Card Reader application
Enhanced Headset
Good quality screen
Good battery life
Fast Sat Nav locks
TouchFlo in contacts and Email
CAPS / FN indicators
SDHC capacity microSD | Con
 No HTC Home application
Slight screen back light variation
Poor radio receptivity
|
Whilst we look at the Pros and Cons of the Stellar it is well worth considering the slight differences between the O2 machine and other variants of the Kaiser design offered by other airtime carriers.
O2 have decided not to include the popular HTC Home application but do include their own O2 today applets which whilst very phone biased do offer a lot of added functionality. Remember you can always download and add the HTC Home applet if you so wish.
The enhances headset is only offered by HTC and O2 - other carriers supply the basic headset.
Spb GPRS Monitor and Sprite backup included free of charge. The later especially is a superb bonus program that can save you from disaster!
OVERALL CONCLUSION
The Stellar will be available to buy with or without CoPilot Live! 7 (as was the Orbit with CPL6), exact pricing and information on what deals are available have yet to be published by O2.
Connectivity - As the Stellar supports HSDPA connectivity O2 were asked if they support HSDPA, and if so what is coverage like? They replied advising: Yes, and coverage is about 30% of current 3G coverage and growing. However it was pointed out that O2 Customer Services will need to be contacted as the SIM records will need updating to allow HSDPA connections to be made. If this is not done the SIM will only give you a lower data rate on HSDPA instead of the anticipated higher rate of connection.
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 of 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 Stellar 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 Stellar returned home with battery levels down to around 70%, with the lowest achieved being 64% and the highest 76%. Sat Nav is also used whilst travelling to and from the office, but as the Stellar is docked and powered this is seen as having no impact on battery life. This is on par or slightly better than other machines like the Trion or the Orbit which is pretty darned good considering the higher operational speed of the device.
SatNav lock times - during the course of the review the Stellar has been hard reset four 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 28 and 32 seconds and secondary locks were achieved in between 7 and 12 seconds. Subsequent later locks (with QuickGPS enabled) occurred within 5 to 8 seconds during normal SatNav use. This is very impressive beating the Orbit hands down and even being quicker than my aging BT GPS unit.
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 Stellar 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. Even though the Stellar supports auto-focus (via half depression of the shutter button) the picture generated can still be somewhat blurred.
Bugs - Only one annoying bug has been noted: The Shortcuts today applet still suffers from the old issue that if you set up a shortcut and then move it / delete it, you cannot reassign that shortcut position, as even though the shortcut vanishes from the list of shortcuts to choose when selecting it internally it is still there and you get the message you cannot have more than 5 shortcuts. O2 have advised that they are aware of the issue and it will be fixed in the first maintenance ROM issued for the device.
Email - As the Stellar is a fully converged device benefiting from an always on GPRS / HSDPA connection, Push Email, and a good quality keyboard email handling is an absolute pleasure. Those features along with the Enterprise facilities in the WM6 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 - One niggle for me is that the radio in the Stellar is slightly less sensitive than that used in the Orbit, MiniS or Trion. I tend to find that the signal strength indicator is lower by 'one bar' both at home or work. This may be just that I'm located in poor receptivity areas but it does mean that the radio can tend to seek on odd occasions. This of course can have an adverse effect on battery life so is something that needs to be taken into consideration.
Workhorse - I've been honoured to have the Stellar in daily use since early September (thanks O2) and I'm very impressed with all aspects of it's design and function. It's fast in operation, comfortable to use. As a PIM device as well as Alarm Clock, eBook Reader, Navigation System, and Messaging tool it has performed superbly. If I was issuing awards it'd have to be given the title of Best Xda yet!
THIRD PARTY PRODUCTS
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 was purchased from DSL Developments (
Brodit Proclip | UK | DSLDevelopments) who are my preferred UK stockist - based both on price and customer service. The Brodit mount I use for the Stellar is the same as that for the HTC Kaiser, Brodit model code 968752 (Brodit PDA Active Holder Tilt Swivel for HTC Tytn II-Kaiser-P4450).
The mount works well and for the first time Brodit have managed to develop a single mount which allows both portrait and landscape use (with the keyboard slide operantional). The Stellar fits into the mount very snuggly and a fair amount of force is need initially to remove it from the mount, but after a few removals the 'wearing in' time has passed and no excessive force is needed. The Stellar is held securely under all driving conditions and there is no danger of the machine coming loose during navigation.
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 Stellar with its large memory and fast processor:
Re: Xda Stellar Review
Linear Mode
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