I have been using the O2 XDA exec for a full month now. Initially it is difficult to get over the actual size of the device (chunky I call it) but you soon get passed that when the real value of the device kicks in – Information on the move.

A Phone: The XDA Exec will always be a rather cumbersome telephone, but its only fault is aesthetic when used as a phone its great, good reception, integration with contacts etc.

My Contacts: I sync the device with my Outlook 2003 Contacts, it all works fine and dandy

My Calendar: Like my contacts my Outlook 2003 Calendar synchronizes with no problems

My To Do List: My ever-growing “To Do” list is now all syched up and stressing me out. Not the device but the sheer number of things I have “To Do”

My E-mail: In 2005 I received 5200 e-mails inbound and sent out 4100 so that volume of e-mail requires constant attention. E-mail on the move works perfectly connecting either GPRS/3G or WIFI.

Music(Mp3)/Podcasts/Video: I purchased a 1GB SD card that can hold a lot of mp3 content, I listen to about 3 or 4 podcasts a week as well as two video episodes of www.dl.tv as a mini Multimedia box on the move its fine.

Access to RSS feeds: www.bloglines.com the web based service I use to manage all the RSS feeds I am subscribed to.

The Good Bits
Wifi Works Great
The Stereo Speakers are good

The Bad Bits
Out of the Box I was a tad dissapointed with the perfomance, changing screen orientation refresh for example. This later turned out to be the software O2 installed on the device. I also upgraded the firmware that fixed a few performance bugs.

I needed to purchase and install SBC’’s Pocket Plus to really take control of the device.

This offered the following features:-

Today Plug-in:
Tabs. Battery, backlight, memory indicators, drag-and-drop, …
File Explorer:
ZIP support, encryption, “Folder Up” button, storage card format, file properties, …
Close Button:
The close (X) button really closes programs, task manager, …
Pocket Internet Explorer:
Multiple windows, full screen mode, save as, view source, …
Buttons:
Alt-Tab, backlight change using a button, keyboard navigation in the Today plug-in, …
Safe Mode:
Loading the device in safe mode to prevent it from hard-reset in case of any problems.
Other:
Taskbar battery indicator, extended Pocket PC themes, plug-ins, …

I would recommend this piece of software on any Pocket PC device, even the older ones.

http://www.spbsoftwarehouse.com/

This entry was posted on Thursday, January 5th, 2006 at 9:21 am and is filed under O2 XDA Exec, Windows Mobile 5.0. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.