Photo gallery: O2 Xphone IImUpside: At first glance, the mobile projects a fresh look in terms of aesthetics with its white-ish exterior. With clear keypads similar to the Sony Ericsson K500i, the handset radiates style. What's different about the Xphone IIm is that it includes four new buttons that allow quick access to Internet Explorer as well as music playback with Windows Media Player 10. There's also the usual camera capture button, allowing for quick casual shots.
Downside: Upon closer inspection, spaces surrounding its joystick could potentially lead to lint being stuck in the grooves. We were also disappointed that the new mobile still retains a VGA camera, hardly comparable with the megapixel camera-phones out in the market. While we were excited about the new media features, there hasn't been any improvement to the amount of built-in memory. In fact, a general run-through of the specs reveals nothing novel as the Xphone IIm still operates on Windows Mobile 2003 for Smartphone Second Edition. While an official from the company has confirmed hardware support for Windows Mobile 5.0, there has been no official announcement that a software upgrade will be made available. MP3 ringtones are again not supported and the new handset still uses a 2.5mm head jack, which means standard earphones can't be deployed here.
Outlook: In a nutshell, it's new looks but same old features. Other than the inclusion of convenient quick access buttons, the upcoming O2 phone seems to be simply trying to keep up with the MP3-phone market. O2 is expected to release the Xphone IIm in Australia on 1 June, 2005. Check back soon for the full review.
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