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Dopod 838 Pro User reviews

By Andrew Lim, CNET.co.uk on 20/09/2006

More Dopod reviews , RRP: TBA

The good:

  • Range of connectivity options including 3G and HSDPA
  • Slide-out QWERTY keypad
  • Scroll wheel
  • Support for Bluetooth stereo (A2DP)

The bad:

  • Chunky size
  • Heavy
  • microSD expansion slot

The bottomline:

An extremely well-equipped Pocket PC PDA-phone, Dopod has made sure that the 3G-enabled 838 Pro balances features with power so it doesn't leave you hanging when you need to access applications like Skype. Due to its size and weight, however, you'll need a bag if you're going to carry it around.

Buying choices:

Editors' rating:

8.2/10

Users' rating:

6.7/10

Tags:

838 | 838pro | dopod | pda | smartphone

Simon
18/02/2007, 12:50 AM

rating
6
/10

Bought my first PDA 10 Feb. Need time to figure out how to use it

Pros: Nice design

Cons: Unstable and currently I have problem that my touch screen not functioning. Can anyone help me. Thanks!

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dontkey
16/02/2007, 12:57 PM

rating
8
/10

having great fun with mine, 3rd and best PDA I've owned

Pros: Gadgets, no stalling and great fun.

Cons: bit bulky, screen could be bigger

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steve
29/01/2007, 02:30 AM

rating
8
/10

Overall is good but i found biggest weakness that it is quite critical which the signal sensitivity is weak

Pros: Best windows mobile PDA phone

Cons: Signal stregth is low, compare to other like Nokia or Sony erricsson is much lower. So if you are in the area of low signal, do not buy this phone. I do hope dopod can improve the sensitivity of signal.

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the0ne
28/01/2007, 10:55 PM

rating
9
/10

awesome piece of hardware

Pros: *Keyboard & Wheel ( definite lifesavers )

*all the bells n whistle in a single unit

Cons: * OS is a bit buggy

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jeff
27/01/2007, 01:28 PM

rating
9
/10

This one of the nicest smartphones I've ever owned. If you want a windows mobile phone then this is the one to get.

Pros: The slide out keyboard is nice if you have to enter a lot of text. The Wifi and 3g connectivity works really well and the phone is pretty responsive. The build quality is also pretty good.

Cons: Windows Mobile 5 is a buggy OS so if you load a lot of software then the phone can become a bit unstable. There are a lot of features on this phone so it can be hard to work out how to do things.
The phone could also use a bit more memory and a VGA screen would have made it perfect.
The size a little bit large, but I don't think it would feel as nice if it was smaller, but a bit thinner and lighter would be nice.

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m00m00
22/01/2007, 11:00 PM

rating
10
/10

wewt ive got one and its excellent, i have no problem with the micro-sd card because most of the micro cards come with an adaptor anyway

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nikm
22/01/2007, 08:18 PM

rating
7
/10

Love the workings and power of the bulky little unit, but have had issues, has anyone tried to pair this unit with a Bluetooth GPS sat finder, I'm having trouble?

Pros: Windows is great, features and camera are excellent

Cons: Bulky, replaced my dopod as the hard buttons stopped functioning, replacement seems ok

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Sky23
14/01/2007, 06:49 PM

rating
9
/10

That's it's good mobile phone and pocket PC.I like it's

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Puzzled
14/01/2007, 06:32 PM

rating
5
/10

How does it compare agains the ETEN M700? Details of the new M700 is found at http://www.etencorp.com/products/Communication/index.php

Pros: Almost everything in one device

Cons: Why microSD instead of the popular and inexpensive SD card which is used in cameras, notebooks etc.?

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porsen
05/01/2007, 10:07 AM

rating
7
/10

My first Pocket PC. Impressed but not overall happy with it. With all the many features they should have included at least 1GB memory.

Pros: Grand display.
Fast menu.
Plenty of features.

Cons: Navigation is difficult. Was much easier on the Treo 600 and BlackBerry 7290. Trackball is on the wrong side, needs to be placed by the thumb.
USB ActiveSync doesn't work.
Can't connect to the company OWA Exchange server.
Short battery life.
Skype won't install.
Google maps MIDlet freezes.

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