O2 has introduced a Windows Mobile 6.1 phone said to have been made exclusively for the British carrier by Asus. The "XDA Zest" includes a 624MHz Marvell "Tavor" processor, GPS, WiFi, Bluetooth, dual cameras, and a 2.8-inch display with VGA resolution, according to the company.
Telefonica division O2 has had a long-standing relationship with HTC, and indeed recently released the XDA Mantle, a version of HTC's P6500, which features a fingerprint reader and dual SD slots. The new XDA Zest, however, is openly proclaimed to be an "exclusive" design from Asus.
Asus's P552w (Click image to enlarge)
Indeed, we can't trace any direct Asus equivalents, though the Zest in many ways resembles the Asus P552w, introduced in September and pictured at the right. Like the P552w, the Zest features a 624MHz Marvell PXA930 "Tavor" processor, HSDPA (high speed downlink packet access) connectivity, WiFi, Bluetooth, and GPS based on the ever-popular SiRF starIII chipset.
However, the Zest's 2.8-inch touchscreen display packs 640 x 480 pixels, instead of the P552w's 320 x 240. And, replacing that device's single two megapixel camera, there's a three megapixel autofocus main camera, plus a secondary VGA-resolution camera for videoconferencing, according to O2.
Other fundamentals of the Zest include 128MB of RAM, 256MB of flash storage, and a microSD expansion slot that's said to accept up to 32GB of memory. The device offers tri-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE (900/1800/1900MHz) and 2100MHz UMTS, and provides downstream data rates of up to 3.6Mbps, the company says.
Like many of today's phones, the Zest also includes tweaks to the standard Windows Mobile 6.1 operating system. In this case, the carrier offers the "O2 Menu" software, which is reportedly a version of Spb Mobile Shell (pictured below).
Spb Mobile Shell, pictured above, has been customized by O2 for the XDA Zest (Click to enlarge)
Features and specifications listed by O2 for the XDA Zest include:
Processor -- Marvell "Tavor" PXA930 clocked at 624MHz
Memory -- 128MB of RAM and 256MB of flash storage
Display -- 2.8-inch touchscreen display with 640 x 480 resolution
Cameras -- 3 megapixel, autofocus, plus front-facing VGA-resolution camera for videoconferencing
Wireless interfaces:
Tri-band (900/1800/1900MHz) GSM and 2100MHz UMTS
WLAN -- 802.11b/g
PAN -- Bluetooth 2.0
GPS
Other I/O -- USB (also carries audio signals)
Battery type/life:
1300 mAH lithium-ion
Standby time up to 260 hours
Talk time up to 5 hours
Dimensions -- 4.72 x 2.38 x 0.64 inches (120 x 60.5 x 16.5mm)
Weight -- 5.64 ounces
O2 posted this promotional "unboxing" video on YouTube to promote the XDA Zest (click to play)
Further information
According to O2, the XDA Zest is available now, not only via contracts, but also on a "pay as you go" basis with an outright purchase price of 250 U.K pounds (approximately $370). More information may be available from the company's website, here.
For an enthusiastic review of the XDA Zest, see the 4WinMobile.com website, here.
