Confession they say, is good for the soul, so here is ours: We have been counting down the hours waiting for the release of the O2 XDA Atom. This is because we have been big fans of O2 products in the past and we were so impressed with the O2 XDA Mini that we nearly ended up buying one.O2 has upped the memory on the Atom to 128MB ROM (from 64MB on the Mini) and 64MB RAM. This should be more than sufficient for most users and a mini-SD slot is provided for extra memory. We were a little disappointed by this, as many people use SD cards rather than their smaller and more expensive mini-SD counterparts. If you do end up buying this unit, you will have to factor in the purchase of a new mini-SD card into your price considerations. As with the Hewlett-Packard iPAQ hx2190, the Atom runs on Windows Mobile 5.0, meaning user files are stored on non-volatile memory, so data won’t be lost in the event of a dead battery.Physical features are pretty much as per O2’s standard take on smartphones, which means that you’ve got a small five way selector at the base of the phone, surrounded by call accept and decline buttons and dedicated buttons for the program Start function and the integrated O2 Media Plus application. The small stylus slots neatly into the top right of the phone, which also houses a MiniSD memory card slot and the phone’s power button. The rear of the phone houses the Atom’s 2-megapixel CMOS camera, as well as a strobe flash. The Atom’s display is a 2.7″ TFT LCD touchscreen with a top resolution of 240 x 320 pixels.

O2’s Xda II Mini has been one of the most popular phones reviewed, so we were especially keen to get our hands on its successor, the O2 Xda Atom. At first, visually speaking, it’s hard to obviously tell the two apart, save for the obvious switch from a silver style scheme to an all-black one. The Atom is marginally smaller than the Xda II Mini at 102 x 58 x 18.5mm versus the Mini’s 108 x 58 x 18.1mm, but that’s more of a paper measurement — we’d challenge anyone picking up both phones to intuitively feel the size difference without putting them side to side.At first, visually speaking, it’s hard to obviously tell the two apart, save for the obvious switch from a silver style scheme to an all-black one. The Atom is marginally smaller than the Xda II Mini at 102 x 58 x 18.5mm versus the Mini’s 108 x 58 x 18.1mm, but that’s more of a paper measurement — we’d challenge anyone picking up both phones to intuitively feel the size difference without putting them side to side.

If mimicry is, indeed, the best form of flattery, then the revolutionary O2 mini must have its head among the clouds. Despite a glut of mini doppelgangers like its sibling, the Dopod 838, and O2’s own Atom, the 818 Pro is the closest clone yet. This isn’t particularly surprising, since both the 818 Pro and O2 mini are produced by the same OEM company, High Tech Computer (HTC). As a result, you still get a clean, sleek-looking metallic frame that’s smooth to the touch, fingerprint-resistant and retails with a choice of five color shades. Slightly differing is the smooth rubber lining along the circumference instead of the mini’s ridged version, though both offer sufficient and comfortable grip.Likewise, we have no gripes with the Dopod’s size and weight. Traditional phone users thinking of going convergent may inevitably compare this with pint-sized clamshell phones and find it goliath-esque. For our money, though, you can’t get a sweeter form factor for a PDA-phone at the moment without sacrificing either its portability or display.

Dopod International (S) Corp Pte Ltd continues to reinforce its leading position in the PDA phone and smart phone market by announcing its latest product model, the Dopod 818pro with 5 colours for lifestyle consumers choices. Available first in Singapore, the Dopod 818 Pro is the follow-on to the world’s most successful PDA phone Dopod 818 and its alike (such as O2 mini in Asia) and being all ODMed by High Tech Computer (HTC), Dopod brings its latest product with unparalleled price performance and the only one in the world to come in 5 different colours ? silver, matt black, lavender, pink and blue. It also comes with WiFi 802.11b/g, Bluetooth A2DP, GPRS, Quad band GSM, EDGE and a 2-Megapixel camera with macro photo taking function. The industry prevalent MMC/SDIO slot, expanded memory size also brings extra cost benefits to consumers.Both the Dopod 818 Pro and O2 Xda Atom may offer similar specs such as a 2-megapixel camera, Bluetooth and Windows Mobile 5.0, but they actually share more differences than similarities. In terms of dimensions, the 818 Pro is marginally thinner than the Atom but is 6mm longer length-wise. It should also be noted that the Dopod sports a matt surface finish which gives it a more solid feel and a lot less fingerprint smudges than the Atom.In Dopod’s favor are its upgraded connectivity components such as the Bluetooth v2.0 (compared with the v1.2 on the Atom), 802.11b/g wireless LAN (Atom has 802.11b) and quadband GSM support (versus Atom’s triband). The 818 Pro also comes with a larger 2.8-inch LCD display, which is 0.1-inch more than the Atom.

Looks like the much anticipated O2 XDA IQ is going to hit the market very soon. For those who are not aware the XDA 1Q is a state of the art smart phone which is also wi-fi enabled! So you may wonder what’s new.? Well unlike other wi-fi enabled phones this one isn’t bulky at all and sports a very stylish and sleek design. Weighing just about 110 grams, the O2 XDA IQ includes integrated wireless LAN support and Bluetooth. Other features include infrared, a 1.3-megapixel camera, a mini SD slot, quad-band, GPRS, EDGE and Wi-Fi connectivity.

O2 prefers the Pocket PC variant of Windows Mobile but there has been a single Smartphone in the Xda range previously – the Xda SP. With its second outing into Windows Mobile Smartphone territory O2 does something no other operator has done in the UK – bring Wi-Fi into the mix.O2 is unconcerned enough about this to have taken the plunge and I’d guess that revenue is not in too much immediate danger. The world’s best known VoIP provider, Skype has a beta of a client for Windows Smartphone, but as yet it is text only (i.e. only suitable for IM). A VoIP solution that I know does work on Windows Mobile Smartphones, CiceroPhone is designed for corporate networks and delivered as part of a big rollout to companies rather than individual.

O2’s Xda IQ looks every inch a smartphone, its overall dimensions (46.5mm wide by 109mm deep by 18.5mm high) and weight (110g) being entirely average for its class. The silver and black styling is distinctive, but the way the screen and keyboard are bisected by an array of shortcut buttons and a mini joystick is pretty standard.The 2.2in. screen has a resolution of 240 by 320 pixels and delivers a high-quality image. A light sensor automatically activates the keypad’s backlight when you press a key if surrounding conditions are dark enough.The Xda IQ has a 1.3 megapixel camera, whose lens is on the back of the device; the camera is activated using a button on the upper right edge. There is a self-portrait mirror, but no flash. The top edge houses the infrared port and the on/off switch, while the bottom edge is home to a 2.5mm headset connector and mini USB port for PC connectivity and mains power.

O2 has obviously tried to design the Stealth to match its name, but they haven’t done a very good job. Measuring 110mm x 53mm x 22.5 mm and weighing 140g, the Stealth is a fairly standard shape for a smart phone running Windows Mobile 5 and is finished entirely in a matte black plastic. The handset feels flimsy and in particular the sliding mechanism is very clunky. Instead of smoothly sliding up and gliding into place, the Stealth rocks slightly from side to side when slid open or closed. We also weren’t fans of the minimalist look O2 has gone for; it gives the phone an unfinished look that isn’t particularly appealing.

The size of this device is 110 x 53 x 22.5 mm. This is slightly bigger (smaller in width) compared to O2 Atom Exec but smaller than the HTC TyTN. The weight is 140g, which is the same as O2 Atom Exec but lighter than HTC TyTN (176g) and ASUS P525 (160g).The display is 2.4 inch, with 320X240 resolution. On the front and below the touch panel, there are the selection buttons, calling buttons and a four way directional pad with a small enter key in the middle. When you slide open the phone you will see the keypad with the dialing buttons set in the standard way, the same as you find on all regular phones. At the bottom of the phone there is a USB socket used for PC synchronization and for charging. Next to the USB you can find the stylus.

On the smartphone front, the Xda Stealth runs on Windows Mobile 5.0, with capabilities for push e-mail, office document viewing, Web browsing and, of course, playing Bubble Breaker. One nice add-on feature that the Xda Stealth includes is a virtual answering machine, designed to save fees on mobile phone voicemail services. When activated, it’ll automatically intercept all incoming calls, play a user-recorded file and then save the calls as Windows Media Audio files, rather than leaving them with your telco. It’s a nice software addition that we could see annoying plenty of telcos if the idea spreads.

On the Windows Mobile front we were mostly satisfied with the Stealth, but never entirely happy. On the plus side, while its offering of applications isn’t that much different from any other smartphone, they all worked reasonably quickly and well. On the minus side, as with other touchscreen specific smartphones, long text entry is still something of a chore. We also quickly found it prudent to keep the Stealth locked at all times, as it had the disconcerting habit of launching applications while it was sitting flat on a desk. Hopefully a future firmware upgrade will fix that particular quirk.

Achieving the right balance between size and functionality has long been the challenge with smartphones. O2 has just about got that balance right with the Xda II Mini, providing all the features of a tri-band smartphone packed into a case only slight larger than a mobile phone.

The Xda II Mini is light, compact and fits comfortably in the hand. Unlike the larger smartphones, such as the HP iPAQ or O2 Xda IIs, the Xda II Mini can also slide comfortably into a pocket, making size a big selling point of this phone. Looks are another bonus, with the sturdy attractive silver casing and large LCD screen.

O2 has outfitted the Mini with an Intel PXA272 416MHz processor–the fastest processor on an O2 device with the exception of the just released Xda IIi. The Xda II Mini runs on Microsoft Windows Mobile 2003 Pocket PC Phone Second Edition and applications like Word, Excel, Outlook, Internet Explorer, PowerPoint and Windows Media Player 10 are all provided.

Unlike its larger cousins, the Mini only comes with 64MB of onboard memory, but an MMC/SDIO card slot is provided at the top of the phone for an extra memory card.

O2 has managed to integrate a large 2.8″ TFT LCD 64,000 colour display, but does not have a keypad on the phone. An on-screen keypad is displayed when using the phone, but they keys are small and some users will have to dial numbers with the stylus. The large and sharp screen which dominates the device is impressive - the screen also lets you view files in portrait and landscape mode, with the icon to switch views conveniently located at the bottom of each screen.

As popular as the device was with executives and the so call ‘geek’ user base, one common gripe was its size. Despite the many adverts promoting the device as a pocket friendly gadget, the hard reality was its size was anything but pocket friendly. Not even the successor to the original XDA, the XDA II could parade size as a selling point, as both weigh about 190g and have roughly the same bulky physique as a fully endowed Pocket PC. Naturally, size reduction is the next step in the XDA’s evolution and hence the birth of O2’s latest offering - XDA II mini. It is hoped that with this new product, the company can finally win over the hearts of consumers outside the executive and geek user group.

The first thing that catches the eye is, well, the Xda II mini’s tiny form factor, particularly when placed next to its heftier sibling, the Xda IIs. According to O2, the Xda II mini is about two-thirds the size of the Xda II and weighs just 150g, making it a far more portable PDA-phone for frequent travelers. The matt silver-white finishing on the exterior adds to the overall clean and comfortable touch and feel, although our first impression is that the mini somewhat lacks the design elegance of the earlier Xda offerings. Impressively, O2 manages to equip the Xda II mini with a faster 416MHz processor than the Xda IIs. The tradeoff is a cutback on the onboard memory size to 64MB RAM and 64MB ROM, although O2 makes up for this with a free 256MB SD memory card bundled in the standard package. This will certainly come in handy for storing images snapped by the built-in 1.3-megapixel CMOS camera, again an improvement over the Xda IIs and Xda II’s VGA-capable shooters. Downside: The Xda II mini comes with all the standard connectivity options such as Bluetooth, infrared, triband GSM/GPRS and USB (through the mini USB port). What’s missing, however, is built-in Wi-Fi which will probably disappoint avid hotspotters. Although users can still connect to a wireless network via an optional WLAN card, it will mean that the MMC/SDIO expansion slot cannot be used for other purposes. One of the tradeoffs for the reduced form factor of the Xda II mini is its smaller 2.8-inch TFT touchscreen. Even though it offers the same 320 x 240-resolution and 65K-colour depth as its Xda IIs predecessor, the result is smaller fonts which can be quite an eye strain for some.

Simply put, the O2 Xda II mini, or mini for short, looks gorgeous. The seductive silver finish surrounded by a matt black-ridged circumference give the device a refined and classy image without being too flashy. Users who previously hesitated over the O2 Xda IIs and the HP iPaq h6365 because of their bulk shouldn’t have the same issue with the mini. At 58 x 108 x 18.1mm, the form factor befits that of a true pocket-friendly PDA-phone which also fits comfortably in your palm. You can also carry the mini on your belt using the supplied leather case. Although some may lament the 150g weight, the mini is considerably lighter than the Xda IIs and only slightly heavier than the PalmOne Tungsten T5 which doesn’t have phone capabilities. The usual solid construction and excellent build quality of an O2 product can also be found on the mini.

Using a 2.8-inch touch screen, the 240 x 320-pixel resolution display puts the mini on par with the Xda IIs and HP’s iPaq h6365, though both deploy larger 3.5-inch TFTs. The 65K-color screen looks excellent with sharp contrast and can be clearly viewed even under direct sunlight.

Forgoing an external QWERTY, four soft keys–two for phone functions, another two for contact list and calendar–as well as a five-way navigation pad grace the front panel. Additional shortcut keys for notes, camera, volume and power are located on the sides of the mini with the infrared port on the lower right. While the stylus is inconspicuously concealed on the right, it is too thin for a comfortable grip.