Little Pleasures


Got it.

Yesterday, right on the dot I left the office at quitting time and hied off to Park Square to get my own O2 XDA II Mini pocket pc phone. I went in a rush, not wanting to stay for long with a wad of cash in my pockets. When I finally unloaded and got my new mobile, it was a mix of relief and tech-glee. It's been a bit of a trick to decide how, where and when to get my new toy- the device is HOT right now, so it's pretty pricey at just beneath 39K. But then, chances are I would be staying with this device for the long run (Yes, Damn it) so I sprang for a brand-new model with warranty and all the trimmings. You can't really take chances with something like this- a used one may save me a couple of thousand pisetas, but if it has a messy OS or some unknown glitch or defect, I have little defense.

Anyway, got it and rushed off home. Spent the night with the Mini plugged in for the initial 8-hour battery charge. Along the way I started customizing it, loading some themes and wallpapers, loading several games and my fave app Pocket TV. I'll add more as I weigh the capacity of the somewhat lesser RAM and ROM (half that of the XDA II).

What can I say? It's GORGEOUS. The thing is also freaking tiny. How tiny? See for yourself...


Comparing the XDA II with the Mini and a Nokia 7610.

The Mini isn't light as a feather- it's substantially weighty, but not overly so. The size is amazing, and it just fits so well in the hand (granted I have a big hand). The 2.8" screen is lovely- just perfect for looking at photos or watching vids. And wallpapers as well, so it was a treat to just select what wallpaper I would use for the moment.

In terms of features and apps, the Mini seems to accept most of the programs I used for the XDA II... though a message would pop up warning of possible incompatibility. The interface and general handling is almost the same- though I have to get used to a plethora of little tweaks and some new elements, such as a more complex playlist system for the embedded Windows Media 10 Player, and the ability to switch to landscape mode at the touch of a button (great for looking at text and webpages, I hear).

One gripe I guess is the Megapixel camera- which, in low lighting, suddenly breaks out with irritating snow. It's not as much of a problem in well-lit places or outdoors, but in The Sanctum, with just the ceiling light, things were flaked with white dots. Not nice, but a little tweak of the camera settings is supposed to remedy this problem a bit. Otherwise though, the camera is nice and a step up from the VGA cam of the XDA II.
Oh well. It's actually not that much of a thrill as it is a pleasurable reunion since I'm pretty familiar with most of the features and interface. Still, it's great to be able to have my mobile multimedia back. Next step is to get a decent belt holster with loop and a charge-sync cable. Things are just peachy. Hoho!