Sunday, February 29, 2004
Original HugeBee Pocket PC Phone SP230 Review
Posted by Jonathon Watkins in "*** Site Administration & Internal Chat" @ 10:01 AM
(I'm posting this here on Kati's advice, so we have a backup in case it is needed.)
Last month, Janak posted about the AnexTek Pocket PC Phone photographed At CES. Now PPCT member Phoenix sends word that this design has surfaced as the HugeBee Pocket PC Phone SP230, on sale for $599 at the web shop of the HugeBee group here. He's even managed to find a very positive review linked from that site as well – although it should be noted that it is not clear who the reviewer is! The review sums up the unit under the following headings: "The Good, the Excellent and the Beautiful". :idontthinkso: Caveat Emptor!
"A first look at the surprisingly handsome HugeBee SP230 reveals a top-notch design that makes few compromises to either phone or PDA functions. If you are looking for an all-in-one device this unit might serve you well. It features a Tri-band phone with video transmission, GPRS as well as fairly standard PPC specs but with a generous 64 MB of user-accessible RAM." Hmmm, I'm not so sure that 64Mb is 'generous' these days. :? That amount is standard, expected, a minimum perhaps.
"The core unit is about the size of an iPAQ 2210, but thicker. It also feels heavier but not by much (158 gms vs. 144 but adding the numeric keypad notches it up to 170 gms and adds a few more mms in thickness). What makes the unit larger than the iPAQ is its protruding antenna. It sticks out by about 20 mms but, cleverly, also incorporates a full-size stylus (and comes also with a spare one!). Sometimes it’s the little things that count. The large capacity 1480mAh battery clips on securely and bulges just slightly, aiding the grip on the unit." Ah – so the bulky parts are clever and aid grip. Indeed. That's one of those irregular verbs isn't it? "My unit has clever aiding grips, yours is bulky, his makes house bricks look skinny." :lol:
"This is not a phone with some or most PDA features. It is a fully-featured, albeit basic, PocketPC. It might lack Bluetooth or WiFi capability but it scores really high on that more important form of connectivity: the phone. Of course, it also has infra-red, SDIO, a full and brilliant 3.5” TFT screen with no yellowing. On bluetooth: the software has the BT functionality already built-in so the unit is BT-ready so to speak and can handle BT devices. With a 400 MHz Cotulla XScale engine and 64MB memory the SP230 is no slouch either." Which is nice.
So, check out the review to get the full specs of the unit, but don't forget the salt! :wink:
edit: Ryanic report that this review is almost identical to this one at Pocket PC Reviews. But, I see there are slight but significant differences.....
Last month, Janak posted about the AnexTek Pocket PC Phone photographed At CES. Now PPCT member Phoenix sends word that this design has surfaced as the HugeBee Pocket PC Phone SP230, on sale for $599 at the web shop of the HugeBee group here. He's even managed to find a very positive review linked from that site as well – although it should be noted that it is not clear who the reviewer is! The review sums up the unit under the following headings: "The Good, the Excellent and the Beautiful". :idontthinkso: Caveat Emptor!
"A first look at the surprisingly handsome HugeBee SP230 reveals a top-notch design that makes few compromises to either phone or PDA functions. If you are looking for an all-in-one device this unit might serve you well. It features a Tri-band phone with video transmission, GPRS as well as fairly standard PPC specs but with a generous 64 MB of user-accessible RAM." Hmmm, I'm not so sure that 64Mb is 'generous' these days. :? That amount is standard, expected, a minimum perhaps.
"The core unit is about the size of an iPAQ 2210, but thicker. It also feels heavier but not by much (158 gms vs. 144 but adding the numeric keypad notches it up to 170 gms and adds a few more mms in thickness). What makes the unit larger than the iPAQ is its protruding antenna. It sticks out by about 20 mms but, cleverly, also incorporates a full-size stylus (and comes also with a spare one!). Sometimes it’s the little things that count. The large capacity 1480mAh battery clips on securely and bulges just slightly, aiding the grip on the unit." Ah – so the bulky parts are clever and aid grip. Indeed. That's one of those irregular verbs isn't it? "My unit has clever aiding grips, yours is bulky, his makes house bricks look skinny." :lol:
"This is not a phone with some or most PDA features. It is a fully-featured, albeit basic, PocketPC. It might lack Bluetooth or WiFi capability but it scores really high on that more important form of connectivity: the phone. Of course, it also has infra-red, SDIO, a full and brilliant 3.5” TFT screen with no yellowing. On bluetooth: the software has the BT functionality already built-in so the unit is BT-ready so to speak and can handle BT devices. With a 400 MHz Cotulla XScale engine and 64MB memory the SP230 is no slouch either." Which is nice.
So, check out the review to get the full specs of the unit, but don't forget the salt! :wink:
edit: Ryanic report that this review is almost identical to this one at Pocket PC Reviews. But, I see there are slight but significant differences.....
