The AXIA A108 PDA phone

Looks an awful lot like all those anonymous Windows Mobile-powered Smartphones out there, so odds are they're just rebranding somebody else's something or other, but the tri-band GSM/GPRS AXIA A108 doesn't actually run on Windows Mobile—it runs on Windows CE .NET 4.2. Does have a lot of other stuff you may be interested in, like a 1.3 megapixel digital, a 2.2-inch, 240x320, 262,000 color LCD touchscreen, 64MB of flash ROM, 64MB of RAM, and an miniSD memory card slot. There is, as usual, no information about when this might ever come out here.

[blugg @ Dec 19th 2005 12:07AM]

it looks a bit like a P900. I feel like I'd want to pick at that keyboard to flip it open!

[Jelmer @ Dec 19th 2005 12:07AM]

...no bluetooth?.. Strange?!

[Ranjeet @ Dec 19th 2005 12:07AM]

I saw someone using it already, and its got a Video Camera, and playback is on .mp4 files, kewl. The camera on phone is 1.3 megapixels, and the quality of your picture can be adjusted via a scroll bar, like photoshop u can save ur jpg quality from 1-100. The scheduler is really nice and easy to use. Wish I had more time with the phone.

[Ranjeet @ Dec 19th 2005 12:07AM]

I saw someone using it already, and its got a Video Camera, and playback is on .mp4 files, kewl. The camera on phone is 1.3 megapixels, and the quality of your picture can be adjusted via a scroll bar, like photoshop u can save ur jpg quality from 1-100. The scheduler is really nice and easy to use. Wish I had more time with the phone.

[veedubadubdub @ Dec 19th 2005 12:07AM]

Hmmm. I've been using the A108 for 4 months now, and what I can honestly say is that I truly am appalled at the fact that the phone is not Bluetooth equipped. I really hate using a standard headset. The functionability of the phone is marvellous. As Ranjeet pointed out, the pictures taken with the A108 is really not bad at all, however, because of the relatively small screen, it may look a bit hazy. Download it to your laptop, and walla! the pictures are really sharp!

With regards to the games available, I'm actually missing the Cubis game that was installed with the first generation software in the phone. However, due to licensing matters, it's no longer available. It's a shame really, because it was really fun!

Let's proceed to user-friendliness. The SMS feature can prove to be a bit of a hassle for those accustomed to standard keypad features of other mobile phones. The touch screen can sometimes be a bit tad insensitive, and coupled with the keyboard feature,you may have to spend some time editing what you've typed out. The keys on the keypad will really fade after much usage, and I mean fade! The body's quite resilient however, built-tough.

Battery time is really good, in fact it actually lasts longer than claimed.

To users of the A108, in order to keep your phone in great working order, just reset it once a day. It should actually prevent hang-ups. And those who may be experiencing hang-ups, don't fret. Just leave your phone be for a minute or two, and it would be AOK. If that doesn't actually happen, switch it off and reset it.

For users in Malaysia (far and few in between!), should any problems arise, just contact the Fifth Media people at +603 - 2380 4744.

Happy exploring your Axia, fellow users!