Rating: 7 out of 10
The good: Slide-out QWERTY keyboard; solid feel; wide range of connectivity options including A2DP; faster Intel processor compared with the 838 Pro.
The bad: Soft keys hinder typing; 2.5mm audio jack; no HSDPA; average battery life.
The bottom line: With a faster processor, the Xda Zinc has a slight performance edge over the Dopod 838 Pro but falls short by a slight margin in terms of aesthetics. Unless you're looking for a QWERTY handheld, there're more options out there.
Mar 02, 2007
The Xda Zinc is O2's answer to a touchscreen handheld with a QWERTY keyboard. It's not for everyone, though, as you can tell by its size--you couldn't put in your shirt pocket without feeling the weight. Features-wise, mobile professionals who frequently edit Office documents will find the keyboard a godsend, while there are others who will probably be content with just a numeric keypad, sans the bulk. Although the Xda Zinc retails at S$1,298 (US$853.05), S$100 (US$65.01) more affordable than the Dopod 838 Pro, you give up on certain feature, such as HSDPA connectivity and BlackBerry Connect.
Design
At 109 x 58 x 22.6mm and 175g, O2's Xda Zinc is about the same size and weight as the Dopod 838 Pro. Side-by-side, the curvaceous Dopod is undeniably sexier dressed in black-and-silver compared with the matte-gray casing and silver trimmings on the O2. But other than the QWERTY keyboard that slides out from beneath, which is about all that's similar on the two handhelds, both Windows Mobile 5.0 devices are, in fact, not quite the same.
At a cursory glance, we find more dedicated buttons on the Dopod that provide quick access to frequently used applications for surfing the Web, managing wireless connections, reading messages and voice dialing. But the O2 is not without its merits, either. There's a Hold switch on the left edge and the individual keys on the QWERTY keyboard are larger with slightly better tactile feedback, although some may prefer the softer pitch from typing on the 838 Pro. Over at the back of the unit you'll find a 2-megapixel camera with self-portrait mirror, LED strobe flash and onboard speakers.
What we didn't fancy was the location of the two soft buttons on the keyboard that eat into the W, E, U and I keys. Chances are you'll end up with unwanted keypresses, more so if you are a hasty typist or typing while on a moving train. When you slide out the keyboard, the screen switches to landscape orientation almost immediately. Unlike the slimmer Xda Atom Life, the 2.8-inch LCD on the Zinc has a wider viewing angle, so your friends beside you would be able to watch the latest video clip without having to peer over your shoulder.
In our hands, the QWERTY keyboard was easy to use and lit up adequately for typing in dim light. Larger keys also meant our thumbs had to maneuver a longer horizontal distance which took a little bit of getting used to. If we had our way, we'd have preferred a little more room between each individual key. Overall handling felt very solid, though it would have been better if the keyboard slid out and locked into position more smoothly.
The Xda Zinc charges and synchronizes with the PC via a standard mini-USB port, but falls short with a 2.5mm audio jack (considering its size, there certainly appears to be enough room for a 3.5mm port) which is incompatible with most standard earphones. So you're stuck with the bundled stereo wired headset with microphone unless you purchase an adapter.
The O2 Xda Zinc runs on Windows Mobile 5.0, which allows you to read, view and edit Word, Excel and PowerPoint (open and view only) documents directly on the handset. You also get the usual multimedia features like Windows Media Player, Internet Explorer and MSN Messenger so you can conduct online chats or Web browsing over Wi-Fi, 3G or GPRS networks.
Other wireless connectivity features on this triband (900/1800/1900MHz) Zinc include Bluetooth, A2DP and infrared. No FM radio or HSDPA support, though. If you're on an Exchange Server, you can also synchronize the device with the server via the ActiveSync program.
Synchronization with the desktop and Outlook is a breeze. Once both terminals are connected, you'll get a prompt to set up a new user profile (if connected for the first time) and the ActiveSync program will go on to sync data between your desktop and the handheld. If you're traveling, connecting the Zinc to your PC would trickle charge the device.
Unless you rip the handheld apart, you won't see the important difference between the Xda Zinc and the 838 Pro: The Xda Zinc is powered by an Intel XScale PXA 270 processor that runs at 520MHz with 64MB of RAM and 128MB of ROM compared with the 400MHz Samsung CPU on the Dopod. Screen-wise, the large 2.8-inch, 240 x 320-pixel touchscreen LCD is easy on the eyes for document viewing, although this appeared washed-out when we were taking pictures outdoors.
The Xda Zinc comes installed with a number of proprietary software to enhance user experience. There's AutoInstall, AutoConfigurator (adjusts network settings), Connect (ROM updates), MessagePlus (one-stop place for checking messages), SMS Plus and Phone Plus (additional dialing features). Unless you can remember all 1,000 numbers on your handheld, we'd recommend you install the Phone Plus program when you first power up the device. What it does is enable smart dialing so that when you key in 2, 6, 3 and 8 on the onscreen numeric pad, you'll get a filtered list of phonebook entries beginning with "CNET".
Another useful and convenient feature is the O2 Plus program which allows you to switch between open applications by tapping and holding the cross button on the top right corner--the action calls up the list of running programs. Just think of it as a taskbar on your Windows PC.
There are two cameras on this Zinc: One on the front for video calls and the other at the back with a 2-megapixel CMOS fixed-focus sensor. Unlike the 838 Pro, the camera on the face of the Xda Zinc doesn't sit flush with the surface of the phone and that could result in potential scratches. The addition of the camera could also force some business users to look elsewhere given that some companies or industries don't allow camera-phones on their premises.
Unlike the Dopod 838 Pro which uses the microSD/TransFlash card, the Xda Zinc employs the miniSD format for additional memory. You slot the card in on the left edge of the handset. To remove it, you need to press the media further in (having nails would help) and the card will snap out halfway from the slot.
Performance
The Xda Zinc runs on a 1,300mAh Lithium-ion battery (handheld shuts down when you remove the battery cover) and is rated for 5 hours of talktime and up to 220 hours on standby over GSM networks. You can expect the figures to be lower if you're a heavy user who thrives on wireless LAN and streams music to a Bluetooth headset. On regular usage, that is if you make only a few calls, text a few buddies while chalking up new game scores on the machine, the Zinc should be able to last up to 2.5 days before calling it quits.
During tests, applications loaded almost instantly even though there were programs running in the background. Video playback (116MB, 320 x 180-pixel video file at 24bits) was smooth and our music was moderately loud, although it would have been better if the speakers were on the face of the handheld, rather than behind. It wouldn't matter much if you're indoors, but when you're watching a video clip outdoors the audio would be projected away from you and, together with other ambient noise, sound output wouldn't be fascinating. Picture quality, on the other hand, was average at best. Some of our pictures turned out blurred because it wasn't possible to pre-focus on the unit.
During our review, we encountered situations where the time zone shifted to -8GMT (we set to +8GMT as our default) without us having to do anything, which ends up affecting our calendar entries. Problem is, an unsuspecting user could go for his appointments 12 hours later than the scheduled time if he didn't switch back to his local time zone. According to O2, this is a Windows Mobile issue and a ROM update (some time in March or April) should rectify it.
Physical design
Form factor - Slider
Weight w/battery
Primary display resolution
Phone type
Networks
Connectivity options
Messaging features
Ringtone options
Polyphony
Calling Features
Multimedia
Built-in digital camera?
Maximum camera resolution
Camera sensor type
Maximum digital zoom
Maximum optical zoom
Imaging features
Audio jack type
Video features
Additional multimedia features
PDA
Operating system
Main processor type
Main processor speed
520 MHz
RAM
64 MB
ROM
Expansion option(s)
PC connectivity
Battery type
Removable battery?
Rated battery life
Installed applications
Included accessories
Display
Monochrome or color
Color
No. of colors
Touch screen
Backlit display
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