XDA II mini

cheshire · 12-17-2004, 11:20 AM

What are your impressions of the XDA II mini?

A lot of reviews rave about it, and it does look like a good size, but with a 2.8" screen at 320x240, I am beginning to have doubts on whether it will be kind to my eyes when it comes to reading ebooks.

TadW · 12-17-2004, 05:43 PM

I personally think it is cool. True, the display is relatively small and perhaps not usable for reading full-length e-books (unless you have really good eyes and don't mind ruining them). But the design is just great! Plus all the other goodies I talked about before. So you can listen to MP3s with it, take small snapshots, and use it for phonecalls - virtually from anywhere on this planet (tri-band).

cheshire · 12-19-2004, 11:37 PM

I agree! I held one in my hand and couldn't resist, so I bought it already.

It's currently 3 days old.

TadW · 12-20-2004, 08:21 AM

Wow cool!

Please tell us what you like/dislike about it. And snapshots would be very nice too, of course

Btw, Brando already has a leather case for the XDAIImini:
http://shop.brando.com.hk/bwo2xdaIIminicase.php

tomdooley · 03-15-2005, 05:01 AM

Hi there:

Can you share your views on the O2 XDA mini now that you've used it a few months?

I hear a lot of mixed comments about it: poor battery life, frequent resets, bad/difficult bluetooth headset use, wifi card issues ..... I'm choosing between the mini and the Treo 650..

thanks

Quote:

Originally Posted by cheshire

I agree! I held one in my hand and couldn't resist, so I bought it already.

It's currently 3 days old.

cheshire · 03-15-2005, 10:35 AM

Hello tomdooley,

Let me comment on each of those comments that you have heard:

So far, during these past few months, I have found the battery life to be adequate. My daily use includes reading news, about an hour of phone talk time, some games and very heavy PIM usage. I also use a Bluetooth ear piece. The Mini lasts about 1 to 1.5 days without charging; charging daily is sufficient, not forgetting that the sync cable charges too.

Having said that, I find that the OS, Windows Mobile 2003 Second Edition Phone Edition (WM2003SE/PE), is not very stable. Using the stock applications are fine, but the more third party software I install, the more likely it is to soft reset itself. Sometimes a simple action of changing the today theme will cause a reset, due to installed third party software. The biggest offenders are today screen plugins that do not specifically support the Phone Edition (support of WM2003SE is not enough, software must explicitly support the Phone Edition). I have gone for a minimalist approach, and so far it turned out fine, but the initial stage was extremely frustrating as I have encountered several hard resets. I have also started to do weekly backups.

Bluetooth headset use works all right. I am using a Jabra FS250 ear piece, although the Mini works well with Sony Ericsson and Motorola headsets too. The Mini does not support Bluetooth audio gateway, meaning you cannot pipe music to the Bluetooth headset. Also, voice dialing via the Bluetooth headset doesn't work; voice dial must be activated via the mic on the Mini.

Not too sure about the Wifi use, but I have heard success stories with the Sandisk 256MB Wifi combo SD card. I personally don't use Wifi on my Mini but I haven't heard any horror stories so far.

Having said all those, what I enjoyed most about the Mini is its size; it's one neat little package that I can put in my pants pocket unobstrusively. My biggest gripe is that the OS doesn't seem too stable, but if you watch what you are installing, you should be fine.

I haven't had any experience with the Treo 650, so I can't comment. The most obvious difference is the attached keyboard, and how often you think you will be using the keyboard. The Mini uses an onscreen keypad, so you'll have to touch the screen to dial. Other than that my impressions of the Treo are that it is quite a solidly-built device, albeit a little larger and with a protruding antenna, which I personally don't prefer.

tomdooley · 03-15-2005, 11:14 PM

Thanks Cheshire.

One more question: when the mini is used without a headset, how is the sound and microphone quality? If used on the street with moderate background noise does it work okay? I rarely use a headset.

Last time I changed phones/PDA was 3+ years ago; I treat them as tools and am reluctant to deal with hassles when I get a new one ..

I feel 'safer' with the Treo 650, but I don't like it's relative bulk/antenna sticking out. It doesn't fit in trouser pockets so well.

Cheers

cheshire · 03-16-2005, 10:51 AM

The sound quality's pretty good, even when using without a headset. However, it does pick up background noises, because I think it doesn't have those fancy ambient noise reduction features found in conventional mobiles.

Now that you have mentioned that you're reluctant to deal with hassles, if your PDA usage is not heavy, you might want to consider Smartphones? The O2 Xphone II was a candidate, but I didn't choose it because I consider myself quite a heavy PDA user, and I read a lot on my PDA so I'll opt for a bigger screen.

12-17-2004, 11:20 AM	#1
cheshire Fence Sitter Posts: 51 Karma: 10 Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Singapore Device: Asus P525	XDA II mini What are your impressions of the XDA II mini? A lot of reviews rave about it, and it does look like a good size, but with a 2.8" screen at 320x240, I am beginning to have doubts on whether it will be kind to my eyes when it comes to reading ebooks.

03-15-2005, 11:14 PM	#7
tomdooley Junior Member Posts: 2 Karma: 10 Join Date: Mar 2005	quality of phone Thanks Cheshire. One more question: when the mini is used without a headset, how is the sound and microphone quality? If used on the street with moderate background noise does it work okay? I rarely use a headset. Last time I changed phones/PDA was 3+ years ago; I treat them as tools and am reluctant to deal with hassles when I get a new one .. I feel 'safer' with the Treo 650, but I don't like it's relative bulk/antenna sticking out. It doesn't fit in trouser pockets so well. Cheers

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12-17-2004, 05:43 PM	#2
TadW Uebermensch Posts: 2,583 Karma: 1094606 Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: Italy Device: Kindle	I personally think it is cool. True, the display is relatively small and perhaps not usable for reading full-length e-books (unless you have really good eyes and don't mind ruining them). But the design is just great! Plus all the other goodies I talked about before. So you can listen to MP3s with it, take small snapshots, and use it for phonecalls - virtually from anywhere on this planet (tri-band).

12-19-2004, 11:37 PM	#3
cheshire Fence Sitter Posts: 51 Karma: 10 Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Singapore Device: Asus P525	I agree! I held one in my hand and couldn't resist, so I bought it already. It's currently 3 days old.

12-20-2004, 08:21 AM	#4
TadW Uebermensch Posts: 2,583 Karma: 1094606 Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: Italy Device: Kindle	Wow cool! Please tell us what you like/dislike about it. And snapshots would be very nice too, of course Btw, Brando already has a leather case for the XDAIImini: http://shop.brando.com.hk/bwo2xdaIIminicase.php

03-15-2005, 10:35 AM	#6
cheshire Fence Sitter Posts: 51 Karma: 10 Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Singapore Device: Asus P525	Hello tomdooley, Let me comment on each of those comments that you have heard: So far, during these past few months, I have found the battery life to be adequate. My daily use includes reading news, about an hour of phone talk time, some games and very heavy PIM usage. I also use a Bluetooth ear piece. The Mini lasts about 1 to 1.5 days without charging; charging daily is sufficient, not forgetting that the sync cable charges too. Having said that, I find that the OS, Windows Mobile 2003 Second Edition Phone Edition (WM2003SE/PE), is not very stable. Using the stock applications are fine, but the more third party software I install, the more likely it is to soft reset itself. Sometimes a simple action of changing the today theme will cause a reset, due to installed third party software. The biggest offenders are today screen plugins that do not specifically support the Phone Edition (support of WM2003SE is not enough, software must explicitly support the Phone Edition). I have gone for a minimalist approach, and so far it turned out fine, but the initial stage was extremely frustrating as I have encountered several hard resets. I have also started to do weekly backups. Bluetooth headset use works all right. I am using a Jabra FS250 ear piece, although the Mini works well with Sony Ericsson and Motorola headsets too. The Mini does not support Bluetooth audio gateway, meaning you cannot pipe music to the Bluetooth headset. Also, voice dialing via the Bluetooth headset doesn't work; voice dial must be activated via the mic on the Mini. Not too sure about the Wifi use, but I have heard success stories with the Sandisk 256MB Wifi combo SD card. I personally don't use Wifi on my Mini but I haven't heard any horror stories so far. Having said all those, what I enjoyed most about the Mini is its size; it's one neat little package that I can put in my pants pocket unobstrusively. My biggest gripe is that the OS doesn't seem too stable, but if you watch what you are installing, you should be fine. I haven't had any experience with the Treo 650, so I can't comment. The most obvious difference is the attached keyboard, and how often you think you will be using the keyboard. The Mini uses an onscreen keypad, so you'll have to touch the screen to dial. Other than that my impressions of the Treo are that it is quite a solidly-built device, albeit a little larger and with a protruding antenna, which I personally don't prefer.

03-16-2005, 10:51 AM	#8
cheshire Fence Sitter Posts: 51 Karma: 10 Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Singapore Device: Asus P525	The sound quality's pretty good, even when using without a headset. However, it does pick up background noises, because I think it doesn't have those fancy ambient noise reduction features found in conventional mobiles. Now that you have mentioned that you're reluctant to deal with hassles, if your PDA usage is not heavy, you might want to consider Smartphones? The O2 Xphone II was a candidate, but I didn't choose it because I consider myself quite a heavy PDA user, and I read a lot on my PDA so I'll opt for a bigger screen.

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