Review by Katrina T. Rivere
I've never been a fan of handhelds that run on Windows. True, I'm used to working on Windows-based PCs,
but PCs are huge machines. Seeing hundreds of menus and submenus in a handheld with a tiny screen just
overwhelms me.
That is not to say that Windows-run handhelds are difficult to use. The Mio DigiWalker 8380 smartphone runs
the MS Smartphone 2002 OS and it's easy to get used to. I would have preferred a touchscreen smartphone
instead of navigating the menus via the keypad like in the 8380, but that's just me.
The test unit I got included the phone unit, two battery packs, a cradle, a USB Active Sync cable, AC adaptor,
power cord, a Companion CD (ActiveSync), a Mio Programs CD, leather case, a headset and two big booklets
(a.k.a. operation and software manuals). The tri-band Mio 8380 is bigger than most phones I've tested, at 97
x 51.5 x 29.6mm and 143g. But considering that this is a smartphone, the size is forgivable.
The menu system is straightforward and intuitive, which is good because not everyone wants to waste their
time learning new things on a mobile phone. Like I said, it can be a bit overwhelming to see all these programs
and menus in a handheld, but you'll soon get used to it. The most recently used menu options are displayed as
full-sized icons at the top of the screen, making it easier to select frequently used options.
"How about sending SMS?" you ask. Text input is easy, thanks to the nicely laid out keypad. However, if you're
a T9 Text Input user like I am, you'll be disappointed to know that this phone's T9 does not allow the input of
new words not found in the dictionary. There are downloadable programs on the Web to remedy this, but I didn't
get around to trying it.
The 8380 has a camera built into the front of its flip cover. It takes JPEG pictures and AVI video clips at either
320 x 240 or 176 x 144 pixel-resolution. It has adjustable brightness and contrast settings and a digital zoom,
which, oddly enough, only works when image resolution is set at 176 x 144 pixels. Pictures taken indoors or under
poor lighting conditions were disappointing; it would have helped if there was an on-board flash. But in bright
environments, the pictures I took looked clear and sharp on the phone's 2.2-inch, 65k-color TFT LCD screen.
Only 7MB of the total 32MB memory is available for image storage, but users can opt to buy an SD or MultiMediaCard
for more memory.
As for the "smart" side of the phone, users can configure the phone as an infrared wireless modem for a notebook
PC or PDA. There's also a calendar function, a contacts list and a tasks list, which can all be synchronized with a PC
via USB cable and Microsoft ActiveSync.
The Mio 8380 comes bundled with a host of software, some of which a non-serious smartphone user may find no use
for. These include PhoneViewer, VideoPlayer, jBrowser, jMMS, Task Manager, Phone Explorer, PhoneCity, PhoneBackup
and PhoneReader. jBrowser is a tool for browsing WAP pages on a smartphone while PhoneBackup allows you to save your
data and important documents onto the storage card for restoration in future.
Oh, and before we forget, the 8380 is made for talking, too. The earpiece speaker is loud and clear, and the speakerphone
and hands-free headset delivered the same result. Both the ringing and vibration mode work fine. Aside from the pre-loaded
40 polyphonic tunes, users can add more tones via simple drag and drop during ActiveSync.
As with many phones, the Mio has an IrDA port. While it's big on features, adding Bluetooth would have been a great selling
point. Also, battery life lasted only less than a day and a half after a full charge during normal use. Good thing there's an extra
battery included in the box.
GRINS
? easy to use and full-featured
? tri-band
? easy synchronization with PC
? a familiar user interface to PC users
? takes decent quality pictures in daylight
? good reception
? price
GRIMACES
? short battery life
? camera has no flash; poor picture quality under artificial lighting or indoors
? no Bluetooth
? T9 dictionary does not allow the input of new words
THE LOWDOWN
At P18,000, a good buy for those looking for a smartphone without
having to break their piggybanks.
