O2’s Xda range of PDAs has been going strong for as long as Windows Mobile itself has. The company has always been a real contender. Most of its devices are made by HTC and available in other guises from other operators or SIM free. Not the Zest, though. This is an Asus design, and we have not seen it available anywhere else but from O2.

There is something else new about the Zest. It is the first Xda to be available on a Pay As You Go tariff as well as on contract. That is quite a step forward, though at £250 on PAYG it is not exactly a pocket money price. So how does it stack up?

Specs & info

Price: £250
Operating system: Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional
Processor: Marvell Tavor P
Memory: 256MB ROM, 128MB SDRAM
Dimensions: 102mm x 60.5mm x 16.5mm
Weight: 120.5g
Display size: 2.8 diagonal inches
Display resolution: 640 x 480
Expansion slot: 1 x microSD

Well, in design terms it is a little different from the norm in that it is more squat than usual. This affects its look but we didn’t feel it had a negative affect on either handling or pocketing the Zest.

The screen is a pleasure to look at, its 640 x 480 pixels offering the kind of higher resolution we are coming to expect as a minimum specification from Windows Mobile these days. The pastel colouring of the Windows Mobile Today screen is appealing, and this extends to O2’s own overlay.

Like other overlays to Windows Mobile 6.1, O2’s offering has three screens. You switch between them using either a set of icons along the bottom of the screen or by sweeping a finger left to right or right to left on the screen. Either way the three screen on offer are a 4 x 4 grid of photo contacts, a 3 x 3 grid of applications and settings, and a main screen which offers the time, weather, and shortcuts to messages, missed calls and an indicator of power level.

There is GPS built in and O2 bundles a 3 month trial of the excellent CoPilot navigation software. Other added software includes the Adobe PDF reader, Google Maps, an RSS reader and the Opera browser. Wi-Fi is also here, and this is a 3G device. There is a camera above the screen for two way video calling. Another camera is on the back of the casing, and this shoots stills at resolutions to 3 megapixels.

One feature we really like is the hold button. This is a slider and it sits on the right side of the casing. Slide it into position and the screen dims and becomes non-responsive to the touch, and all buttons become inactive. Slide it back and everything works again. This is ideal for ensuring you can’t accidentally press something when the Zest is in a pocket. And it is accessible all the time, unlike the software based lock feature that is part of Windows Mobile.

On the other hand, to counter this great plus point is the fact that the microSD card slot, which you’ll need to use to build on the provided memory, is under the battery. We find this most unsatisfactory as it means that every time you want to copy files manually – and some people do this as a matter of course – you need to power down the whole Zest which is little short of extremely annoying.

O2 is to be praised for finally bringing a Pay As You Go choice to the Xda line. We aren’t sure the Zest offers anything special, but if you are an O2 devotee and want a decent smartphone without a lengthy contract, it could be worth a look.

Essential Verdict

Performance: 7/10
Battery life is average and there is nothing overly exciting or novel here

Design: 7/10
Slightly squat to look at but comfortable enough in the hand

Features: 8/10
A strong range of features keeps this Xda’s head well above water

Value for Money: 7/10
Decent value on pay as you go

Overall score: 7/10

Review originally published in Smartphone & PDA Essentials magazine. Words by Sandra Vogel.

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