O2 XDA Atom Pure: My First PDA-Phone

Instead of a clamshell phone (which i originally planned to buy), I opt for a PDA-Phone since the dealer of this phone has given me a good deal (and it’s really hard to resist), and besides, PDA is the next entry on my ’To Buy’ List.

Yes it’s my first ever PDA-phone, O2 XDA Atom Pure-limited Edition is a make over (aesthetically) of the O2 XDA atom (which comes in glossy black). Features are almost the same except that the ’Pure’ version comes in a pearly-white casing and somewhat addressed the issues regarding the casing of the XDA Atom version. It also comes with the latest version of the firmware, so I think most of the problems encountered on the original atom was solved.

Specifications:

• Touch screen: 2.7” TFT LCD display with 65536 colours effective. (Hardware support 262K
  colours).
• 5-way navigation key.
• Windows Start menu key and O2 MediaPlus key
• Stereo speaker (with receiver) & Omni-directional mono microphone.
• Mini-USB connector for connection and battery charging.
• Camera: 2 mega pixels.
• Connections: IrDA, Bluetooth, and Wireless LAN
• Microsoft Windows Mobile 5.0: Pocket MSN, Pocket Outlook, Pocket Explorer, and Office
  tools (Word, Excel, and PowerPoint). Also features Windows Media Player 10, Terminal
  Service Client, Pictures & Videos, calculator, games, ActiveSync, and File Explorer.
• O2 programs: O2 connect, O2 SMS Plus and O2 MediaPlus.
• Other programs: FM Radio, Java, Equalizer DirectShow plug-in, AutoConfigurator, Setup Wizard, Self Diagnostics, GPRS Monitor, and ClearVue PDF viewer.

I run a wireless network at home so the WI-FI capability of the Atom Pure is really useful for me (chatting while lying on my bed hehehe) . I had tried to activate the WI-FI while I was eating at KFC MRT – Ayala and chanced upon an unsecured network, and presto!, an instant internet connection for me (i guess you know where to find me hehe).

Browsing techigirl.info

Battery life is fair, but it would be better if it is equipped with a longer battery life. Usually it last for about a day or so with intense texting and about 4hrs of music playing using the installed media player.The camera is not advisable to use in poor lighting condition, even if the strobe flash is turned on. In general, the picture quality is fair. See sample shots below.

Picture(s) taken using the XDA Atom Pure

Among the pre-installed applications, the O2 SMS plus is my favorite, its an application that allows me to exchange SMS messages in a chat interface. Though, texting is not that easy in the O2 Atom Pure due to absence of physical keyboard. Well, im starting to get use to it, since the interface is not that hard to use and the touch screen is very responsive.

Sending files via bluetooth is kinda confusing though, (or maybe its just me hehe) since i used to see ’Send via Bluetooth’ not the word ’Beam’ which appears to me to use the Infrared feature. Nevertheless, I still managed to send the file, how? you can check my other post on How to send file via bluetooth. Pairing the phone with Jabra BT620s Bluetooth headset is really easy and no hassle at all.

FM Radio is good, aside from some stations with weak signals.

The pre-installed ClearVue PDF reader loads a medium-sized file at tolerable speed, but sad to say, since the screen is not that big, it’s really hard to read the PDF file using the O2 Atom Pure.

So far, the overall performance of the Atom Pure is very good. Just don’t run several applications at once (say running 7 or more applications hehehe) since it will slow down your device (I guess that’s kinda obvious).

Package Includes:

• Xda Atom Pure
• Universal AC adapter with four plugs for different countries
• Additional Stylus
• Warranty Card
• Quick Start Guide
• User Manual
• Companion CD
• USB cable
• High quality stereo wired headset
• Battery

Price: P30,000 – P35,000 , approximately USD750.00