XDA Exec

[Arterion]

It is with a heavy heart that I must offer for sale my o2 XDA Exec. Barely 2 months old, this thing is absolutely fantastic and still in perfect condition, fully boxed etc and more importantly sim free!

I'll be including with it a nice leather case with belt clip attachment (as well as the standard one which came with it) and a 512mb SD card. I'm offering mine for £350 delivered. Advertised elsewhere. Will also send a bluetooth headset with it.

Info link http://www.my-xda.com/xdaexec_what.html

Advertised on ebay; http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=9136422675 but willing to end early for someone on these forums.

[Zenith]

I'll just follow this up with an endorsement for these phones. They really are one of the best phones a techy can get at the moment. I got mine in February and I don't see any other phones that I would want to switch up to for at least a year.

An XDA Exec isn't really a phone, it is a PDA with phone functionality. It has Bluetooth, Wifi, GPRS + 3G all running on Windows Mobile 5 as well as a video camera (for 3G calls) and a photo camera (which can also record video). It is also sim unlocked out of the box so thanks O2. :)

The ONLY thing that I don't like about it is the O2 Active User Interface (AUI), but if you perform a factory reset on it, you can choose a corporate install which is the bare version of Windows Mobile 5 and one or two Today screen plugins.


If you carry a PDA *and* a phone around with you, this device is definitely worth taking a look at. :D
Take a look at this site for a more in-depth review of the phone... just remember the O2 version is charcoal grey with a blue backlight for the keyboard.
http://www.pdagold.com/articles/detail.asp?a=257

[Arterion]

Thanks for that Zenith :D I've done a reset already, annoying AUI off by default but activatable should you wish to do so.

[Gunsmith]

looks like a nice bit of kit, but ive already a hx4700 and a lil V3, if it pissed over a 4700 id be very tempted to take this off your hands :(

[Arterion]

Well in all honesty, I couldn't answer that too specifically....all I know is that it offers fantastic functionality as a phone (and mp3 player and portable picture carry-arounder amongst other things), and is nicer to use than any pocketpc i've tried. The qwerty keyboard really is fantastic....and obviously it's doing all this in one package, which is a space saver to say the least.

Other advantages I can see now that i'm looking at the hx4700 are;

+ The XDA has 128mb ROM on board
+ Uses Windows Mobile 2005 vs. your 2003- i've used both and MUCH prefer the later version
+ A much better screen (1280x960 vs your 480x640).
+ It's pretty good in the video playback department (that seems to be a gripe about yours)- and colour depth seems much better too.
+ A 1.3mp camera is on the back as well as a video cam for video calling/recording on the front next to the screen.
+ EXCELLENT battery life, even when excessively playing MP3's like I do

The only other thing I can think of is that, as a tablet style phone/pocketpc, you obviously have several different options for the layout of your screen. There are two small stereo speakers built in, and on a purely phone-level, you're not only given you an excellent array of connectivity options (possibly more than your V3), but you dont have to piss around with buttons to access them- tap the screen and you're good to go with a text.

Hope this helps/tempts :D

[bright_]

lol, has been sold on e-bay so it says :)

[Arterion]

Yeah! seemed to happen while I was writing my last post. I'll keep you lot in the loop- hopefully this wasnt a mistake.

AP

[ProfLiebstrom]

Originally posted by Arterion
Well in all honesty, I couldn't answer that too specifically....all I know is that it offers fantastic functionality as a phone (and mp3 player and portable picture carry-arounder amongst other things), and is nicer to use than any pocketpc i've tried. The qwerty keyboard really is fantastic....and obviously it's doing all this in one package, which is a space saver to say the least.

Other advantages I can see now that i'm looking at the hx4700 are;

+ The XDA has 128mb ROM on board
+ Uses Windows Mobile 2005 vs. your 2003- i've used both and MUCH prefer the later version
+ A much better screen (1280x960 vs your 480x640).
+ It's pretty good in the video playback department (that seems to be a gripe about yours)- and colour depth seems much better too.
+ A 1.3mp camera is on the back as well as a video cam for video calling/recording on the front next to the screen.
+ EXCELLENT battery life, even when excessively playing MP3's like I do

The only other thing I can think of is that, as a tablet style phone/pocketpc, you obviously have several different options for the layout of your screen. There are two small stereo speakers built in, and on a purely phone-level, you're not only given you an excellent array of connectivity options (possibly more than your V3), but you dont have to piss around with buttons to access them- tap the screen and you're good to go with a text.

Hope this helps/tempts :D

*sniffs*

Smells like bull****

[Gunsmith]

*sigh* here we go

+ The XDA has 128mb ROM on board
4700 has 128mb rom with 64mb ram so snap
+ Uses Windows Mobile 2005 vs. your 2003- i've used both and MUCH prefer the later version
whilst i havent used 2k5 myself what i have read of it seems that theres not much more to it then 2k3 other then a slightly easier to connect wi-fi which is nice, but hardly arguable material.
+ A much better screen (1280x960 vs your 480x640).
do you work in pcworld by chance? consult the documentation that come with your device and you'll discover that it is infact a 480x640 VGA capably screen running in QVGA mode, same as the 4700 again. we'll ignore that its 0.3" smaller too.
+ It's pretty good in the video playback department (that seems to be a gripe about yours)- and colour depth seems much better too.
wrong again, the XDA supports a colour depth of 65536 colours which is the same as the 4700, as for video playback with the XDA's little 520mhz cpu as opposed to the 627mhz of the 4700 i thought you'd be the one with playback issues, perhaps your thinking im using WMP? lets have a look shall we using an unmodified 24.S05E01.HDTV.XviD-LOL.avi as a test using an unoptimised betaplayer 0.093a

BetaPlayer Version UNSTABLE.0.093a Benchmark Results

Average Speed 177.46%
Video Frames 59840
Audio Samples 119797632
Amount of Data 355845 KB

Bench. Time 23:26.367
Bench. Frame Rate 42.55
Bench. Sample Rate 85185
Bench. Data Rate 2.1 Mbit/s

Original Time 41:35.676
Original Frame Rate 23.98
Original Sample Rate 48000
Original Data Rate 1.2 Mbit/s

URL \CF Card\video\24.S05E01.HDTV.XviD-LOL.avi
Size 367007584
Platform PocketPC
OS Version 4.21
OEM Info HP iPAQ hx4700
Clock speed 627 Mhz
Video output ATI IMAGEON 480x640
Audio output Wave Output 48000Hz 16Bits 2Ch.

---------------------------------------
checksum of this file: 009ae7cf8d7fb223

at 177% avg im having issues finding this "gripe" help me out here.
+ A 1.3mp camera is on the back as well as a video cam for video calling/recording on the front next to the screen.
a nice addition but a little pointless at 1.3mp, if i want pictures, i'll buy a camera.
+ EXCELLENT battery life, even when excessively playing MP3's like I do
If five and a half hours powering the 4700's 627mhz CPU isnt enough, you can always double that with a high-capacity battery, for an extra US$130 + a few extra grams to the weight.

would you like to know more?

[Arterion]

Not really. As far as the res thing goes, I was (obviously, now that I think about it) wrong- looked at the wrong bit of info; specifically

3.6" Transflective 65,536 colour LCD (1.3m pixels)

* Camera 1.3 Megapixels
* Supports image formats JPG, BMP
* Supports video formats MPEG4, H.263, Motion-JPEG AVI
* CMOS Chip: XVGA (1280 x 960 pixels)

Obivously when comparing to the '4700' I was looking at the wrong thing....did a search, must've hit a bad link or just clicked the wrong one-- and read some user reviews which said the video playback isn't brilliant- again, probably for a different product. My bad. As far as the Windows Mobile comment....all I can say is that i've used both and the latter is different enough that I noticed it.

Hostile much?

[Gunsmith]

Originally posted by Arterion
Hostile much?

not really, just tired and not in the mood for reply consisting of a half arsed attempt at a slapdown after i complemented the gear you were selling.

[Zenith]

The screen is VGA which is 640x480. Trust me on this, I use the thing every day and my previous PDA was 320x240. The difference is obvious. :)
You're probably referring to the native resolution of the camera (1.3Mp or 1280x1024).

I can give you personal impressions of video playback with TCPMP.
VCD @ 320x240 is no problem at all, even scaled up to fullscreen.
XviD @ 320x240 is the same, no problem.
XviD @ 640x480 does have occasional dropped frames. It's not enough to be a problem, but it is enough to be noticeable.
To put it in plain english, it is adequate for video playback but it isn't made to do it amazingly well.

The main difference between WM2003/WM5 is softkeys and improved wifi connectivity.
This phone can be updated with new firmware from O2 with improved functionality and software. I flashed my phone last week and it can now suck in a 1 bar signal on Orange. Before I flashed it, I couldn't get Orange in the house at all. The equipment seems up to the task, the firmware running it seems to be lagging behind in the development cycle.


My primary reasons for having this phone... Satnav
I can't fault its ability to run TomTom or link to my GPS module. It is smooth as glass.
Pocket Excel
I keep a sort of permanent stocklist of what I carry in the car for work. If I send parts back to the office, I've got a nice easy way of keeping records.
Pocket Word
I've got a selection of my "heaviest" service manuals in .doc format for viewing on-screen. It saves on some weight from files in the car. :)
ClearVue PDF viewer
Same as the Pocket Word. For viewing some manuals that are in PDF format.
Dual-SIM
I've got a ghost dual-SIM in this phone. My personal O2 SIM and my works Orange SIM have been sliced and fit into it. To switch from one to the other, I just put the phone into "flight mode" for 3 secs and then click the phone functions back on with no need to turn it off. I also have a Today plugin that shows me what network provider I'm on as well as what wifi hotspot I'm connected to and if I've got bluetooth active or not.
Categorising contacts
I've got my personal and work contacts categorised and you can filter the Contacts list by category. Show only friends, or show only business contacts.
Voice dialling
It may be getting common now, but with the law regarding using a mobile while driving, this really is a lifesaver.
I've had a large number of people enquire about my Exec while I'm working because I just put my BT headset on, click the button, say "Phone work" and give the job closure details to my helpdesk. Once you've got it set the way you like it, you don't even need to touch the phone itself to make and break phone calls.

[Arterion]

Gunsmith....no slapdown was intended at all...sorry if that's how it came off.

Either way, this eBay thing doesn't look like it's happening...so, this is still for sale.

[Arterion]

Nigerian scammers.....hate 'em.

Still VERY MUCH for sale.

£335 inc anyone?

[Nexus]

Wel I've got the O2 XDA 2s and my boss has bought the XDA Exec, and to be honest I didnt think the exec was worth upgrading to yet for me. WM2005 has dire Bluetooth support, and O2 had similar issues with the XDA 2s which still are present to a degree after several firmware updates. Wifi is nicer, and interface is nicer, but still a few issues with the exec and O2 take ages to do firmware updates. Of course you get other updates via xda-developers (had wm2005 running on my 2s for a while but dropped it cos of speed/lag problems).