Dopod 838pro..at last, a purrfect WM PDA!

Finally...my dream WM5 has arrived in the form of the Dopod 838pro! It's all that I ever wanted in a WM5..only thing missing's GPS...annoying thing is that it uses microSD...only available in 1G when I bought the 838pro..

My favourite coolies of the 838pro that makes it stand apart from the usual
WM PDAs are:

- thumb scrollwheel (love this, love this, love this!)
- great assortment of buttons, buttons everywhere!
- macro mode for the 2 MP camera...for those extra closeup shots!
- backlit keyboard..
- WCDMA Triband
- EDGE/GPRS/UMTSl


Specifications
OS: Microsoft Windows Mobile 5.0
Frequency: GSM Quadband (850/900/1800/1900)+WCDMA Triband (850/1900/2100)
Processor: Samsung 400MHz
Memory: 128MB ROM, 64MB RAM (persistent storage)
Size: 112.5 x 58 x 21.95 mm
Weight: 176 grams w/battery
Standby time: up to 220 hours
Talk time: up to 5 hours
Colour: Classic Black

Communications
Mobile data connectivity: EDGE/GPRS/UMTSl
Bluetooth: Yes, v2.0l
USB: Yes (Sync and charge)

Screen
Main: 2.8" 240x320 resolution (QVGA)
Colors: 65536 colors TFT screen (effective)

o2 atom - love it..hate it!

Yep, history would have it that I did jump on the bandwagon and purchased a o2 atom when it was first released in Oz. It was loved at first sight...nice shiny glossy black body with brushed aluminium buttons...really sexy! I also loved the form factor...slim and just the right size/weight/screen size, albeit a typical WM 320x240 resolution!

Things were going great until I turned it on...arrgh! The original first firmware was shockingly slow..and it took 3 firmware upgrades before it become useable.

Some specs..

Dimensions
• Approx. 58(W) x 102(L) x 18.5(T) mm
• Weight with battery: 140g

Platform
• Microsoft Windows Mobile™ 5.0
• Integrated personal digital assistance, tri-band EDGE phone, FM radio, high-resolution camera, Bluetooth, and Wireless LAN

Processor
• Intel PXA272 416MHz

Memory
• Flash ROM: 128MB in total
• RAM: 64MB

Display
• 2.7" TFT LCD display with touch panel
• 240 x 320 dots resolution
• Supports 262K colours (65,536 effective)

Other notable coolies were the FM radio.

I ended up selling it to a good friend's wife as I found that I couldn't live without a keyboard. I went back to the Nokia Communicator, patiently waiting for the arrival of a WM5 PDA that'll meet my needs. The waiting ended with the arrival of the Dopod 838pro...:)

Fujitsu Lifebook P1510D - encore pic!

Here's the P1510D being twisted in readiness to be transformed into a Tablet PC! :)

Fujitsu Lifebook P1510D

Here's my current Tablet PC..the 8.9", 1kg lifebook p1510. Love this unit...and bought a 6 cell extended battery (notice the protrusion) that give me enough juice for 7 hours of fun! Specifications wise.. fingerprint sensor, touch screen, 60G HDD, 512MB RAM, Pentium M 1.2G. Only downside...max res is only 1024x600...would love to have this a little higher. But I can safely say that this is the perfect sized Tablet PC for me..any smaller you'll be squinting (ie, my previous UMPC was the vaio U71p with a 5" screen)..any larger, it'll be too heavy!

Plantronics D640 vs Jabra JX10

Here's what the 2 look like head to head..against a AUD $1 coin!

Plantronics D640 BT headset.

As a big James Bond fan, I couldn't resist jumping at the opportunity of buying the Plantronics D640 when I thought I lost my Jabra JX10! Just check out the presentation and the various attachments for this little bewdy! The long attachments are a "on the go" charging unit that uses a normal AA battery; this clicks into the BT headset holster and provides on the move charging to the BT that extends its use to 15 hours talk time! The rest of the little attachments are for attaching to different mobile chargers like Nokia, Motorola, Siements, Sony Ericsson. Also comes with its own charger as well.

A nice unit..light, compact and talktime around 5-6 hours with standby around 240hrs. Oh..the headset holster vibrates when an incoming call receives..quite cool!

Only annoying thing is that the BT headset doesn't not sit secure in the holster...I managed to drop this one fateful night and lost it (like the Jabra!). 2 days later, I found it on the driveway..incredibly still working..fortunately, I don't think it rained that night but it seemed to survive the cold winter morning! I was also surprised I didn't run this over with the WRX for 2 days in a roll...so it's a bit of a lucky charm for me..:) I'll start using this once the Jabra breaks...as you are probably aware, I'm very good at breakng or losing BT headsets..:) Stayed tuned for a more definitive review of this my "lucky" BT later on.

Sadly, I haven't been using this since I found my JX10..

Aigo Intelligent Stick and MP3 player

2 months back, I was looking for a 2G USB storage for storing work related documents and good ole Ronnie happened to be in Singapore and bought me this wonderful 2G stick from Aigo. Check out how wafer thin this is in the picture..it's almost indestructible..waterproof, shock proof and I've been putting this in my wallet and sitting on it for months! Another nifty thing is that it comes with a Storage Manager s/w that allows you to create a non encrypted partition for general usage and also an encrypted partition for your sensitive data. It mounts up as 2 separate partitions; the encrypted partition prompts you to enter a password to get in. I actually bought 2...this 2G in snow white and a 1G in jet back (kinda like the white and black Nano pair?) ...no sooner did I show this to a workmate...I had to sell the 1G stick to him...such is the cool geek factor this unit commands..:)

Oh, I was crazy enough to also buy an accessory for this stick..a Aigo DAP . Just stick the stick into the DAP and voila..an MP3 player ! Also doubles up as a vanity mirror..

Netgear SC101 (HDD Toaster!)

My first impressions when I bought this was that it resembled a toaster! Oh well, I needed a nifty Network Storage device and settled for the SC101 because it allows me to slot in 2 IDE drives, attach to the network. Setting this up was simple and was totally in harmony with my Netgear wireless router..so no complaints there.

Time to buy a second IDE drive..about to blow my 320G Western Digital..:(

Sartoech USB HDD OTG

Here' a nifty 2.5" USB HDD enclosure I bought..Sarotech Cutie OTG (on the go)..had an in built battery pack that provides juice on the move..perfect for digital photographers who need to back up their memory cards whilst in the field.

Turn on the power, plug in a USB card reader and start backing up your data from memory stick to the HDD. Has a red/green light and buzzer to inform you of progress. Each backup will result in a new directory being created on the HDD..

Oh..and obviously also acts as a normal USB HDD of course....:)

Bought this wonderful 19" Widescreen Proview LCD flat screen...1440x900, 5ms response time..for AUD$300...bargain!

Jabra JX10

Here's the Jabra on it's throne, with a Australian $1 coin to give you a perspective of how tiny this little BT is.. nice design curves, thanks to Jacob Jensen!

iTech i35 vs Jabra JX10

My quest for all things small and Bluetooth has led to the purchase of these 2 little bewdies..the iTech i35 and the Jabra JX10.

The Jabra has become my latest BT headset..and by far the most expensive. Picked this up back in March whilst on honeymoon in HK. Great design..funky option ear loop and a kick ass designer stand (see next picture). Moderate usage of around 20 mins a day comfortably yields a charging cycle of 4 days. It's incredibly light at 10g and less than 4cm in length.
So far, it's preventing me from buying another headset..well almost! I though I lost the Jabra, so I bought a replacement Plantronics D640 discovery..then found the Jabra again..so now I have 2 BT headsets! Sigh...Stay tuned for another review on the Plantronics!

The iTech i35 is a brillant stereo BT headset...if you have A2DP profile that is..:) Works wonderfully on my Dopod 838pro. ..10m range (despite what the guide says about 1m range as a maximum) but only line of sight...go round a corner and the connection drops!

I ended up bartering this for a lawnmower..:))