Wednesday, May 25

Distraction



While I'm waiting to get my next mobile, it's natural that I could be vulnerable to some... detours. Just the other day I found myself ogling and enamoured in the O2 Xphone II. While I've been through a lot of 'smart' phones using the Symbian platform, I was actually quite surprised by the concept of a Windows-based smartphone. These are phones that have PDA/PIM functions, but lack the touchscreen and basic apps of true Pocket PCs. I actually found myself considering getting an Xphone II.
I went to a local forum/website and the Filipino smartphoners are going all wild over the Xphone II, which is apparently coming into the country very shortly. Their enthusiasm for the device was contagious, and I found myself lusting for the device.
The PROs are: It is very small and handy and is a real phone device, with a numeric keypad to make texting easy. The Windows OS gives me apps that I like, including games and a version of Pocket TV. The battery life is very good, at about three days of normal use (supposedly). And darn, the phone looks slick. All that for about 20K, almost half what I would spend for an XDA2 Mini.

But then, I finally realized stuff. There are the CONs. Big glaring CONS. No touchscreen. Far smaller screen (176 x 220) means tiny videos which I haven't suffered through since owning a 7610. No Pocket Word or Notes to easily scribble down stuff. Requires third-party apps to be able to send or receive files though Bluetooth. Worse of all, the Xphone II only uses mini-SD cards for memory expansion, limiting extra storage space to just 512 MB. I need my Gig of space!!!

I realized that the Xphone II was just a shortcut... a stopgap... an inferior substitute for what I really wanted.

And so, no deal. I was distracted for a bit, but no. It's the Mini or nothing.

Well, in the end it was just a little wavering in the faith. It was a harmless distraction, and looking on the bright side it was a good way to occupy my interest for a bit. I could not have gotten the Xphone II now even if I wanted to, since the phone hasn't arrived here yet. So, it's back to lusting and pining for my lovely, future O2 XDA2 Mini.

I'll be having my new toy soon enough. Stay tuned. Heh.

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