Handhelds review : E-Ten glofiish X800

By John Chan, CNET Asia, Jan 16, 2008



The good: VGA display; HSDPA connectivity; GPS navigation with bundled maps.

The bad: Sluggish at times; horrible video calls; poor battery life; only 64MB RAM.

The bottom line: For all its great features, the X800 could have been significantly better if it had more RAM and if its software was implemented more elegantly.

The E-Ten glofiish X800 was first unveiled at CeBIT 2007. It created quite a stir among handheld enthusiasts because of the sheer number of features it managed to pack into its compact form factor. Though there's already news of the M800 which has a slide-out QWERTY keypad, the X800 should still appeal to those who will take a smaller form factor over tactile buttons.


Design





The X800 looks as good as it does in the photos. It is predominantly black in color with silver trimmings and a dash of red. It sits comfortably in our hand, thanks to the curved edges and compact form factor. We especially like the fact that it has a soft touch feel on the sides and that the silver portions are not too glossy, so there aren't problems with fingerprint smudges. That said, we expect that those going for a more professional look may not take to the colors of the X800. And because it's no HTC or O2, we don't expect there to be many third-party accessories like clip-on leather cases to change the outward appearance.

The dimensions of the X800 are 113.5 x 60.5 x 15.8mm, which is smaller than other handhelds with VGA displays like the O2 Xda Flame and Dopod U1000. Compared with the HTC P3600i, the X800 is longer but slimmer. That is an important comparison because its features are almost identical to the HTC, and we suspect many will be making a choice between the two.

Quite a few buttons sit on the front of the X800, under the screen. These include Start and OK keys found very close to the base, which are very thin, and we found we had to use our fingernails to press them. The power button on the right side of the handheld shares the same color as the side, black. It is small and not very pronounced and may be difficult to find when in a dark location. The same applies to the volume control rocker on the left side. These side buttons could all do with a little more tactile feedback for ease of use.

The X800 uses a mini-USB port for charging and syncing. It has a separate 2.5mm audio mini-jack for connecting a headset, something that is missing in the P3600i. For memory expansion, it uses the microSD format. That slot has a plastic dust cover and is found on its base beside the mini-USB port.





FeaturesOne of this handheld's main features is its VGA-resolution display. Though it wasn't retina-burning bright, we found its backlight sufficient for normal use. Like the E-Ten X500+ before it, having more pixels has its advantages. You see more of a Web page when surfing a site on the browser, and Excel sheets certainly get a boost.



On the back is a 2-megapixel camera with an LED light and preview mirror.
There is no lack of connectivity features on the X800. First up, it's the first mass-market device from E-Ten to come with HSDPA connectivity. This works in three bands (850/1900/2100MHz), so you won't be caught out when roaming in other countries. The same goes for its GSM radio--quadband so roaming in the US isn't an issue. Aside from the cellular features, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 2.0 are available, which is pretty standard for Windows Mobile PDA-phones.
One thing you won't find lacking in an E-Ten device is GPS and the X800 is no exception. This one, like many of its other devices, comes with the SiRFstar III GPS chip. We tested this out with software from MapKing and, as usual, found it to be effective when performing in-car navigation.

Like many other device manufacturers, E-Ten threw in a bunch of addon software to make the X800 different from other WM6 PDA-phones. The most obvious of which is Spb Mobile Shell, an application that modifies the Home screen of the handhelds, so commonly used items are more easily found. It also comes with its own wireless manager, battery meter and task manager software. Ironically, though all these are supposed to help you monitor and manage the device, they are the ones that cause slowdowns in the X800. We felt that E-Ten could have done better in this respect to scale down or, better still, optimize the applications bundled with the product, so they don't cause it to be less responsive. It doesn't help that the X800 comes with only 64MB RAM, not 128MB like what's becoming common on HTC devices starting with the TyTN II.

The 2-megapixel camera found at the back of the handheld also has an LED photo light and a preview mirror for self-portraits. It has an autofocus feature as we found images to be decent for a PDA-phone. But as usual, don't expect anything even remotely close to a dedicated digital camera. One thing we could have done without was the graphical interface in the camera application. It was full of cryptic icons that confused us--another software implementation that E-Ten needs to correct in future models.


PerformanceA 500MHz Samsung processor powers the X800. As we've mentioned earlier, the overuse of addons and lack of RAM cause it to feel sluggish. This could also be partly attributed to the VGA display as the four-fold increase in pixels can be quite a load on the processor.
Voice calls worked fine on the X800, but video calls were atrocious. The video call application was extremely laggy and it was during this test that we realized the front VGA camera was hopelessly inept. We don't expect great photographic quality, but the X800's front camera gave colors that were totally off--making us look like jaundiced patients to the other party.

One full charge of the X800's 1,530mAh battery gave us under two days of use. Daily charging will be required for those purchasing one of these.

ConclusionAfter the long wait for this device, expectations are bound to be high. It does deliver if you are focused on the features. But when you consider the software tweaks and performance, it leaves much to be desired. On the bright side, a quick Google search will reveal enthusiast sites that already have instructions on how to make the device more responsive. That's entirely up to the user to do though, and it's a shame the X800 couldn't have been better out of the box.
The E-Ten glofiish X800 retails in Singapore for S$1,188 and comes with a 1GB microSD card and MapKing with Singapore maps. It will be available throughout Asia Pacific, but the release in each country depends on the E-Ten distributor there. Check with your local retailer for details.


SPECS

Physical designForm factorPad
Dimensions113.5 x 60.5 x 15.8 mm
Weight w/battery147 g
Primary display resolution640 x 480 pixels
PhoneConnectivity options3G, HSDPA, GPS, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, GPRS/GSM, USB
Messaging featuresSMS, MMS, Email, Instant message
MultimediaBuilt-in digital camera?Yes
Maximum camera resolution2 megapixels
Camera sensor typeCMOS
Maximum digital zoomx
Maximum optical zoomx
Audio jack type2.5mm
Video featuresVideo recording, Video playback
Additional multimedia featuresStreaming video; VoIP; second VGa camera for video calling
PDAOperating systemWindows Mobile 6
Main processor typeSamsung SC3 2442
Main processor speed500 MHz
RAM64 MB
ROM256 MB
Expansion option(s)TransFlash/microSD
PC connectivityWindows
Removable battery?Yes
Rated battery life7 hours
Installed applicationsWindows Mobile 6.0 OS; Windows Live
Additional functionsSiRF star III GPS chip
DisplayMonochrome or colorColor
Touch screenYes
Backlit displayYes
Data InputMethodPen
AudioBuilt-in speakers?Yes
Built-in mic?Yes
Desktop ConnectivityDesktop software includedYes
Synchronization with desktopYes
Power supplyBatteries rechargeable?Yes
AC adaptor included?Yes
WarrantyBase warranty1 year