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Pantech prepping new O2 Xda device, say hello to the Venn?
The folks at the::unwired have unearthed a bit of news for fans of O2's Xda line, apparently Pantech is lining up a new device purportedly dubbed the O2 Xda Venn. Little is known about the Venn, but the rumored specs are of a quad-band GSM set with single-band HSPA -- of the 2100 MHz variety -- and of course we'd expect Windows Mobile. The when and where are still a mystery, but with a bit of luck Mr. Blurrycam'll be filling us in on the details sometime soon. Keep your eyes peeled for more as soon as we catch a whiff.
FCC spills beans on O2 Xda Graphite
If we were to play a game of word association and you said "Windows Mobile," we'd be likely to blurt out "HTC" in response. That appears to be just the kind of attitude ASUS is looking to adjust -- at least in Europe, anyway. After the VDA IV popped up via the FCC a few days back, its O2-branded sibling followed hot on its heels, bringing all that same 3G Windows Mobile Smartphone joy in a candybar form factor. Stand-out features include 128MB of Flash with 64MB of RAM (a lot of modern Pocket PCs get by with those kinds of numbers), a legit 3.5mm audio jack, front-facing cam for video calling, and of course, those UMTS data speeds. Hey ASUS, any chance you folks would mind investing in some 1700MHz radios?[Via CoolSmartPhone]
HTC Excalibur / O2 Xda Cosmo reviewed
If the Boy Genius' soiled-trow, hands-on of the HTC Excalibur had you gasping for more, then peep the full review of the O2 Xda Cosmo just posted at the::unwired. Their unit from O2 Germany came ready to go with Windows Mobile 5.0 and AKU3 which, besides some low-level tweaks, brought a new Internet Sharing application in replacement of HTCs Wireless Modem app. The reviewer who admittedly comes from a more traditional GSM phone background (read: no real experience with a QWERTY/Z Smartphones or BlackBerrys) found the keyboard confusing for "regular phone stuff" like entering a phone number or searching for contacts -- apparently preferring T9-style input instead. Still, he was stoked by this quad-band GSM phones WiFi, GPRS, and EDGE data connectivity options and "satisfied" by performance under normal usage or while watching live, Slingboxed TV. However, the reviewer then goes on to worry unnecessarily about the OMAP 850 processor getting overloaded if say, using it for GPS, watching live TV, and listening to audio over Bluetooth all at the same time. Hell, why not agonize over the risk posed by it getting lodged in your skull when used near certain supermodels? Geesh. Bottom line: if you're looking for a WinMo device with keyboard and "all the latest and greatest technologies" (well, almost all) then the Cosmo is a "great device."
