02 Xda Atom Life
Master of Work and Play
( Review )
 
   
02 Xda Atom Life 
( actual size ) 
   
   
 		 Associate good aesthetics to a smart phone, it means O2. Stylish, elegant and feature packed, that is O2 Xda Atom Life. Smaller than a deck of cards and with a weight less than 145 gms it has a glossy stylish black body with a chrome band all around. With rounded corners it is one of the smallest multimedia PDA Phone. It will get full marks on looks.   

USP : Good looks, Powerful processor, Windows Mobile 6.0 OS (first time in India) & Multimedia. Users can enjoy programs that are more PC like, has direct access to HotMail.    

Processor: Intel XScale® PXA 270 processor at 624MHz. Applications respond instantly. No hang ups there. 

Operating System: 
Windows Mobile 6.0 OS has enhanced capabilities in terms of  messaging, infrastructure interoperability and security features. Richer Windows Live for Windows Mobile experience, more powerful Microsoft Office, mobile version of Office Outlook®, Office Word®, Office Excel® and Office PowerPoint®.   

Softwares: 
ActiveSync® and Direct Push Technology for email to keep Calendar, Contacts and Inbox up-to-date. More than 25 software applications bundled, many developed by O2 exclusively (including O2 Connect, O2 SMS Plus and O2 Phone Plus). 
 
Unique Features:
New Self Diagnostics utility to check that the device is functioning at optimum condition; the Auto Configurator utility meant for frequent travelers; and the O2 SMS Plus which gives a one-page summary view of all incoming and outgoing text messages.

Getting used to the Windows Mobile interface doesn't take much time. Very much like the desktop Windows, it's easy to find your way through the menus etc. Even though the phone looks like it's meant for an expert, it won't really take a lot of effort even for a novice to understand Windows Mobile.

Display
Designed for ultimate personal entertainment, the Xda Atom Life has a brilliant 262k-colour 2.7-inch TFT QVGA LCD screen. The O2 MediaPlus interface enables you to read comic strips or watch video clips.

Camera  
The XDA Atom Life has 2 MP non-autofocus camera. The camera can capture images at a max resolution of 1600 x 1200 pixels. The camera has flash support for capturing images in low lighting conditions. It isn't too bright though because the flash consists of just a single LED. For portrait image, there is a mirror provided. The camera quality is good. The camera has a Macro mode to capture nearby images. The camera app provides just a few options such as default storage, resolution, continuous capture, self timer, camera sounds, and quick view. There is an advanced tab which displays color, white balance and lighting options.  

The alternate camera for 3G video calling is a VGA camera. You can switch to this camera when in the camera app and capture images.  

Audio and video 
The Atom Life has a video capturing capability. It does a decent video capture and especially with VGA resolution capture it makes a decent overall camera. For video options there are two formats, H.263 or MP4 and the quality of the video (Low, Normal, and High). The video can be with or without sound.  

Music
Music lovers can enjoy  listening to FM radio with RDS function, SRS WOW HD sound technology and dual stereo speakers will make your spirit soaring.

Memory
1GB of onboard Flash ROM to store MP3s, videos files, ringtones and games. 64MB RAM keeps things smooth. There is also a miniSD card slot for external storage.

Creativity
Creative minds can use Xda Atom Life to make their own music video and home movie, while the range of connectivity options allows you to share multimedia files, or photo-video blog.

Connectivity
With O2 Xda Atom Life, you can make video calls, add the latest music podcasts to your library at fast download speeds, watch funny clips on YouTube or stream sports clips smoothly. Built-in Bluetooth® and Wireless LAN ensure that you have a host of connectivity options to choose from.

Features at a glance: 
Frequency  GSM 900/1800/1900, HSDPA 3.5G compatible
Size 106 x 58 x18 mm 
Weight 145g
Colour Black
Battery Standard battery- Li-Ion 1530 mAh, Stand-by time up to 150 hrs and Talk time up to 4 h   
Display 262k colour, 2.7-inch TFT touchscreen, QVGA LCD    
Size 240 x 320 pixels
Processor Intel XScale ® PXA 270 processor at 624MHz
Operating System Windows Mobile 6.0
Memory 1GB of onboard Flash ROM, 64MB RAM , miniSD card slot 
Ringtones Polyphonic (64 channels), MP3, Customizable 
Music FM radio with RDS function, SRS WOW HD sound technology, MP3/AAC player 
Camera 2.0 mega pixel camera with macro flash   
1600x1200 pixels, video, flash; secondary VGA video call camera
Data GPRS Class 10 (4+1/3+2 slots), 32 - 48 kbps    
EDGE enabled    
Infrared & USB ports 
Browser  WAP 2.0/xHTML, HTML (PocketIE)
Messaging  SMS, MMS, Email, Instant Messaging
Connectivity Wireless LAN 802.11 b/g, Bluetooth SIG v1.2, HSDPA 3.5G technology 
Other features Video call  
Voice memo   
Built-in handsfree  
Vibration  
Handwriting recognition    
Java MIDP 2.0 
Games  Yes
 

Disadvantages

Advantages The bottomline
If you are looking for an aesthetically good powerful smartphone and budget is not a constraint then none to beat an O2.