The HTC Universal, the first Windows Mobile powered device to be 3G enabled. On paper this device looks amazing: 3G, 802.11b wireless networking, a powerful 520 MHz processor, Windows Mobile 5.0, 180' swivel screen with VGA resolution, a decent sized QWERTY keyboard and dual video cameras for photos/video calls. Pretty impressive I'm sure you'll agree but is it really all it's cracked up to be? Well, not content with merely one Universal review, today we'll be looking at this device in it's O2 branded incarnation, the O2 XDA Exec.
I'm going to do something a bit different with the review today; I'm going to break it up into three main sections: Microsoft, HTC and O2. This will help to give credit where credit is due and assign blame in areas that are lacking. I'll also be introducing a new feature, which I hope to include in all my future reviews, interactivity! More on that later, lets examine the role Microsoft played in the creation of this device:
Microsoft
It's taken a while but Windows Mobile 5.0 is finally upon us. The few leaked test ROMs of WM5 from past months were enough to whet our appetite but nothing can compare to a finished ROM for a device whose hardware was designed to make the best of this new operating system. With the new OS comes a new look.
Appreciation of this new look will vary between Smartphone and PocketPC users as more has changed from Smartphone 2003se than has changed from PocketPC 2003se. Nevertheless, whether Smartphone or PocketPC, WM5 has a much nicer look and feel. It won't compare to heavily over-designed interfaces found on other well-known devices but it is a step in the right direction. The main differences, from an average user's point-of-view, are the gradients found on the top and bottom bars, sweeping from dark at the sides to light in the middle. WM5 also has a much nicer font which was designed to be used with Clear Type and makes smaller text a lot easier to read. I even use the WM5 font in my 2003se powered M500 as it just makes everything look nicer. Aside from the font and the design, PocketPC users will be delighted to know that WM5 now allows for persistent storage meaning that even after the back-up battery has drained, all your personal information will still be there. Great news I'm sure you'll agree but considering Smartphone users have always had this, it makes you wonder why it has taken Microsoft so long to enable it for PocketPC users. Before WM5, once the backup battery had drained (72hrs after the main battery), PocketPC users would loose all their data. Of course there were manual ways of backing up your data but what if you forgot? However, this is no longer a problem with the advent of WM5 and persistent storage. Persistent storage also has the added bonus of allowing devices to have more storage than was previously possible and can also double battery life!
Aside from the new look and added comfort of knowing your data is there to stay, the only other changes of any real significance to the average user are to Pocket Internet Explorer. It now allows you to have a full screen view and one column layout. However, one of the biggest annoyances with PIE, for me at least, is still apparent. Even in it's latest incarnation, there is still no option to move the side scroll bar to the opposite side of the screen for left-handed users! What good is having a pocket version of internet explorer when it's left-handed users can't even see the content!? There are applications out there that will let you map hardware buttons to perform the page up / page down action but why should you have to go to those lengths? How hard is it to add an option to display the scrollbar on the opposite side of the screen? Another annoyance I have found with Microsoft's bundled software (Excel, Word etc.), is the lack of a print option. Now I am fully aware that not all the WM5 devices will have wireless networking but a lot of them will and even if they don't, they will still have Bluetooth and, more so in the case of PocketPC, the Personal Area Network profile so connecting to a printer should not be an issue. In this day and age, especially when it comes to business oriented devices such as these, failing to realise user's needs is a bit of a let down on Microsoft's part.
The biggest changes, however, are not directly aimed at the user. They are in fact aimed at the developer which, in turn, will eventually benefit the user. I won't go into detail on this as I'm sure it doesn't apply to the majority of you out there but if you are a budding developer interested in what's new in WM5 then you can check out the MSDN article HERE
On the whole, the Microsoft OS is the same as ever. It's a little faster, easier on the eye and more reliable but nothing of great significance has changed. It still won't appeal to everyone, with many complaining it is 'too complicated' but that's why it still appeals to many. It's a challenge and, if nothing else, it gives you a little bit of exclusivity in a world full of Nokias. So the verdict on Microsoft's new OS? A good effort but could try harder.
HTC
For those of you not up to speed on the relationship between Microsoft, HTC and the various mobile operators that carry WM powered device, it goes like this:
-Microsoft licenses the operating system.
-HTC produces the hardware and certain software applications.
-Mobile operators have HTC brand the devices with their corporate image. They then sell them as their own devices and also provide the software updates.
Now some will say that HTC have somewhat of a monopoly on phone-enabled Windows Mobile devices and this can be seen as a bad thing. There are two schools of thoughts on this subject. Some think that HTC are doing a fine job at producing great devices, so why bother changing the situation by bringing other companies into mix that could potentially tarnish the reputation of phone-enabled WM devices which could eventually lead to their demise? Then there are those that see competition as a good thing, making companies compete against each other to build better devices. Competition sounds good, right? In theory yes but as you may or may not know, non-HTC devices have their own little quirks that HTC devices don't and vice-versa. With a platform as complex as Windows Mobile being pushed at users who aren't always computer literate you need consistency. If everyone is having the same problem it is easier to fix. If, however, everyone has different problems, things become more complicated to diagnose. The point I'm trying to make here is simply this: if it ain't broke, don't fix it. HTC make great devices. 90% of the time the build quality is top notch and they're always pushing the boundaries of mobile technology. The Universal is a prime example of this. Who would have thought 20 years ago that you could have so much computing power in the palm of your hand? In fact, the Universal is more powerful than my girlfriend's old Dell laptop from 5 years ago!
So, HTC are good at what they do and the Exec has some impressive hardware but how good is it? Well, it's pretty damn good. There are, however, a few minor bad points I would like to touch on. The battery cover is quite flimsy and on the odd occasion you might need to pull the battery, it is the type of thing that could get broken. The stylus doesn't fit as snugly into the device as I'd like, in fact I'd already lost the one that came with it and that was within the first two days of having it. Good job they supply a spare. The space bar on the keyboard has two switches underneath it as opposed to one big one and this does tend to make an ugly crunching sound when you are trying to type. Not a big deal I know but the click of one switches sounds better than that of two mashed together. The last point may or may not be HTC related and it concerns the swivelling screen. Now the device I had was not new, it had been used by other journalists before me and quite possibly had been slightly mistreated. As if someone had tried to force the screen to turn the wrong way. The result is that the screen no longer sits centrally. Its not a major problem but if this has been caused by just general usage then I would be quite worried as to how it would hold up over an extended period of time. However, that being said, these are just minor points. The overall quality of the Exec is excellent. It feels nice and solid. The keys on the keyboard are firm but not overly so and give a nice reassuring click when you hit them, the stereo speakers are great for catching up on the latest episode of Lost and the high resolution screen is crisp and clear. However, as with what seems to be all of HTC's PocketPC devices, the camera quality is dismal in low light and is still only 1.3MP. They have tried to improve on the quality by adding a camera light but it hardly makes a difference. How they can make the Smartphone cameras usable and not the PocketPCs is beyond me. Unfortunately I haven't been able to test the full capabilities of the Exec's 3G hardware due to the patchy coverage here in Leicester so I can't really comment on how fast the internet is or how well the Exec handles video calls although it does bring me on nicely to another little annoyance in that you cant seem to switch 3G off. I'll be happily browsing the internet via GPRS at full strength when the connection with switch over to 3G at one bar. Then, due to the patchy coverage, the connection will drop and I'll have to wait for it to re-establish itself. Not strictly HTC's fault, more Microsoft's but maybe a fix O2 could implement? I must warn you now though, heavy GPRS/3G usage does severely drain the battery. You'll be lucky to get a day out of it if left switched on and connected to MSN for example. Although the OS does warn you quite a lot that doing various things will harm battery life, which is something I guess but if they know how bad it is going to be, then why don't they do something about it? Another large drain on battery life is the built-in wireless networking connection. Unfortunately the Universal is only equipped with 802.11b Wifi but this is more than enough to reduce the battery to nothing in mere hours if not used responsibly. Luckily there is a hardware shortcut on the keyboard that will open up the 'Wireless Manager' where you can quickly turn off the things you don't need.
All the little flaws aside, HTC have done a great job but again, could try harder.
O2
So Microsoft provides the operating system, HTC provide the hardware and what role does O2 play in this little threesome? Well, O2 are the reason the Exec is finished in the sexy black colour and why the keyboard is illuminated in glorious blue. That's not all they do though. They also cripple the device horribly with the O2 Active UI. 
Now don't get me wrong, it is blatantly obvious O2 have spent time and money developing the O2 Active UI and if it didn't slow the device down so much I would be raving about it but O2 appear not to have spent any time testing it at all and the device really suffers for this. It looks good, makes the today screen look more like a nice Smartphone homescreen and with a bit of hacking the possibilities with this could be endless but the amount of memory needed to run it makes the Exec run at a snails pace. However, all is not lost. There are a couple of options available to you depending on how competent you are with a PocketPC: When you first switch the device on, the Exec has no obvious customisations by O2 or anyone else for that matter. Apart from the boot screen, it is standard WM5. However, it will then start to install things such as patches and customisations stored in the extended ROM, which is hidden. You can either soft reset the Exec before the files start to install then copy the extended ROM using Total Commander (just type extended_rom to view files) and install the important patches manually or, secret option number two, while the files are installing, select corporate installation and enter the password 0506. This will install just the important patches but none of the customisations, not even GPRS/3G/MMS settings. I didn't bother checking the basic install as I'm sure it will install some if not all of the nasty Active UI software. While I'm encouraging you not to use the Active UI, I may as well help you out with the settings as you will probably need them:
Internet:
Connection Name: O2 Internet
Access Point: mobile.o2.co.uk
Username: faster
Password: password
DNS: 193.113.200.200
Alternative DNS: 193.113.200.201
MMS:
Server Name: O2UK
Gateway IP: 193.113.200.195
Port: 9201
Server Address: http://mmsc.mms.o2.co.uk:8002
Now, it may sound like I'm being a bit harsh on O2 but they are responsible for Orange not having a monopoly on HTC WM devices in the UK which in my book is great if only for the fact that O2 are selling the Exec online and on any tariff for only '149! This is where competition is a good thing ;) but it does take me back to the 'different companies, different quirks' remark I made earlier.
Unfortunately, the story with O2 is the same as the others. A good effort, could try harder.
Gallery
Click on the thumbnails below to view larger images
Interactivity
I've saved the best til last. There's been some nice pictures along the way but what I'm about to show you should rock your world! Ok, it's probably not going to do that but I think it's cool. Below are two QuickTime movies I made of the Exec but these are no ordinary movies! Drag your mouse over them and appreciate O2's XDA Exec in all it's interactive 360' glory!
Use your mouse to drag/rotate the images
Big thanks to Steve of www.steves-digicams.com without whom these movies would not have been possible. Well, they would but they wouldn't look as nice ;) Check out Steve's site for some excellant camera reviews.
Conclusion
When it comes down to it, the Exec is a truly great device. It suffers from most of the flaws associated with HTC devices, poor battery, poor camera etc. but that never stopped people buying and loving the devices anyway. My M500 isn't amazing but I still think it's a great device, the Exec isn't flawless but it still rocks. It's an excellent example of convergence but there are a couple of bugs that need to be worked out. Whether you can live with said bugs is entirely down to you. Personally I can. For me, the pros greatly out-weigh the cons.
To buy the O2 XDA Exec online, go HERE
By the way, i hope to add video calling / 3G information to this review tomorrow when i am in an area of better coverage. The call will be made between the XDA Exec and the SPV M5000.
UPDATE: You can in fact turn off 3G from Phone > Band > Network type in the settings menu. How i missed that i'll never know