ETEN Glofiish X800

ETEN announced a new pocket pc phone, part of the Glofiish series, the ETEN Glofiish X800. The Eten Glofiish X800 (previously known as ETEN X600) is a unique device with a great set of features. The device will be running Windows Mobile 6.0 and will have a Samsung SC3 2442 processor at 400 MHZ (The power of this processor is equivalent to the Intel XScale processor of 520 Mhz). The display of ETEN X800 is 2.8 inch Ultra Sharp VGA with 640 x 480 resolution. A very large display with a resolution that will make web browsing and reading very confortable. In terms of connectivity this device has the richest set of connectivity features you can find on a Windows Mobile Pocket PC Device. It supports 3.5G connectivity – HSDPA/WCDMA, Quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE and has a built in Wi-Fi, bluetooth 2.0, usb 1.1, a built in GPS receiver (SIRF Star III) and a built in FM Radio! ETEN introduced innovation once more in pocket pc device by creating a device which includes so many connectivity features.

The ETEN X800 will also have two cameras, one 2 mega pixels camera with auto - focus located on the back and a VGA Camera located on the front (for video calling). The expansion slot is a Micro SD.

Besides the excellent feature set the ETEN Glofiish X800 stands out for another thing, its design and size. It is a device for those who don't want a built in QWERTY keyboard. These kind of devices are usually thinner and easier to hold but they have the disadvantage that for any mass text input you have to use the stylus or your fingers to tab the letters on the touch screen. In our opinion such devices are more usable, but this is not absolute since there are pocket pc users who consider the QWERTY keyboard a must. The absence of a QWERTY keyboard brings down the size of the device to 113.5 x 60.5 x 15.8 mm. Compared to other similar devices, for example to the upcoming i-mate Ultimate 6150, the ETEN Glofiish is 5 mm shorter in length, and it is 2mm thinner. The dimensions of the ETEN X800 are satisfactory making the device compact and easy to use and carry around. It is not the smallest or thinnest pocket pc device in the market but if you consider that it has a 2.8 inch screen then it worths its size. The weight of ETEN X800 is 165g, a weight which makes ETEN X800 a relatively heavy device if you consider that the Motorola MotoQ is 115g and the Samsung SGH-i600 105g. The ETEN X500 is 146g and the ETEN M700 is 165g.

Pros
Large 2.8 inch VGA Display
Support for 3.5G, Built in GPS, Bluetooth 2.0, Wi-Fi
Compact Size

Cons
Only 128 MB of ROM and 64 MB of RAM - Could be better, taking into account that most new devices are coming with 256 MB ROM and 128 MB RAM
165g weight

According to ETEN the X800 will be available in the second quarter of 2007 at a price of aprx 800 USD.

Size Comparison of ETEN X800 Glofiish with other Pocket PC Devices

ETEN Glofiish X800 Specifications:

Press Release from ETEN Corporation about ETEN Glofiish X800

E-TEN Information Systems is moving its own-brand Pocket PC Phone line in to the next generation, with its latest product the Glofiish X800 (previously known as X600). With support for 3.5G connectivity – HSDPA/WCDMA – the Glofiish X800 offers access to new mobile services, while the new Windows Mobile® 6 platform and large VGA display deliver improved ways to work with documents, messages and multimedia while on the move.

At CeBIT 2007, E-TEN has released details of the company's next Pocket PC Phone which is to be launched in the second quarter 2007. The upcoming Glofiish X800 will deliver three significant innovations that make it the first of a next-generation of Glofiish devices.

High-speed connectivity via HSDPA Offering always on connectivity and speeds that are comparable to fixed-line connections such as ADSL, HSDPA, an updated 3.5G mobile technology, improves mobile communications with faster downloads to make surfing the internet and checking email more enjoyable. Additionally, HSDPA makes it easier for Glofiish X800 users to access advanced mobile services including VoIP, streaming video, and video calling.

Latest Windows Mobile® 6 OS The recently unveiled Windows Mobile® 6 platform offers new and improved ways for Glofiish X800 users to stay productive while on the move. The new Windows Live™ for Windows Mobile® suite incorporates utilities to simplify web search, email, instant messaging and blogging all from a single location, while the Mobile Office suite has been updated to offer even more ways to view and edit documents, spreadsheets and presentations.

Large VGA display The Glofiish X800 features a new, large VGA (640x480) display offering up to four times the resolution of previous E-TEN handsets. With its increased screen-area the Glofiish X800 increases mobile productivity letting users display more of their documents, calendars, messages and spreadsheets onscreen at once. Additionally, the Glofiish X800 makes mobile multimedia more enjoyable by allowing pictures and video to be viewed in finer detail. At just 113.5x60.5x15.8 mm, the Glofiish X800 maintains similar ultra-thin, pocket-friendly dimensions as E-TEN's previous X-series model, as well as the all-in-one connectivity solution - GSM, Wi-Fi®, GPS and Bluetooth® - that has become a standard of Glofiish Pocket PC Phones. The device features two digital cameras, an auto-focus 2-megapixel version at the rear to capture high-quality photographs and video, and a front-mounted VGA camera for video calling.