It has taken O2 quite a long time to add HTC’s latest Advantage device to its range, but it has finally appeared in the form of the Xda Flint. The O2 XDA Flint handheld is designed differently from other O2 devices.
For one, the XDA Flint uses a detachable QWERTY keyboard as an input device aside from its touch screen features. Its stylish and unique design may even attract some other experienced PDA users. However, it seems that the issue with the XDA Flint may be by standing in the way of devices above and beneath its category.
The Flint is an unusual size and shape. It comes in two separate pieces with a keyboard that fixes to the screen. Due to its ungainly size, you’ll need very big pockets, and it comes with a carry case that rivals a netbook for size.
The O2 XDA Flint is marketed as a handheld with desktop like capabilities. From supporting Direct Push Email by Microsoft, IE and Opera 9 browsers, it surely looks that way.
With a built-in Mp3 player, a 3 megapixel camera, video playback support, Wi-Fi connectivity, integrated GPS, a 5 inch display and Bluetooth support, the XDA Flint may be offering more than what the traditional handheld currently provides. In fact by the looks of it, the XDA Flint is designed more of a smaller version netbook that it is as a handheld device.
The VGA screen is a luxurious five inches diagonally across with a crisp, clear display that makes for very comfortable web and document viewing. Even the Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional interface, whose icons usually display quite small, is more finger friendly on such a large screen.
The detachable keyboard connects to the main body via magnets, which snap it into place nicely. As it is flat with a rim separating individual large keys, typing is comfortable, and while the keyboard isn’t big enough for touch typing, it is larger than any other smartphone keyboard currently available.
We found it great to use on a desk, but you can’t hold the Xda Flint in one hand and use the keyboard with the other – the system is too unwieldy for that.
The keys are flat, but deliver a haptic feedback – vibrating each time you press a button so you know your actions have registered – which really helps with the typing speed. This is a 3G device with HSDPA for rapid and smooth web browsing and reasonable download speeds. A front camera is also provided for two-way video calling. Wi-Fi lets you connect to wireless networks when in range, and Bluetooth and GPS are integrated too.
As this is such a large-screened device, it would work well in a vehicle for point-to-point navigation, but it’s far too cumbersome to be used with any ease on foot. It also works well as a Pocket PC but, again, it’s simply too large to hold to your ear to make private calls.
Video calls are great though, as the onscreen image is suitably large. There is 16 GB of flash memory included and an old-fashioned miniSD card slot for adding more. Overall, we like the Xda Flint but, in terms of usability, it falls uncomfortably between a netbook and a smartphone without offering the specific usability of either.
And this is where the issue may just come up. Would people rather opt for using netbooks and what conveniences they offer than the XDA Flint does, which offers the same capabilities but on a slightly smaller scale?
The handheld designation may surely attract some people, but the limitations of using a small detachable keyboard may be another. And since the price as well as the availability in the market is still not yet known, it remains to be seen whether the XDA Flint really has what it takes to attract users.
Unfortunately, because O2 has pitched it as an ideal mobile device for document creation and office applications, for example, it has almost forced the device to compete against both netbooks and phones – and it’s slower than a netbook, yet much more unwieldy than the average phone. Still, if you don’t take the Xda Flint as a PC replacement, it’s a decent smartphone, albeit one with less consumer appeal than most.
