Dopod 838Pro: Looks good, works even better

By Alex Villafania
INQUIRER.net

I HAVE a love-hate relationship with personal digital assistants that use the Microsoft Windows Mobile operating system, largely because it keeps crashing and eats up battery life. Plus, there’s already an obvious sense that once you see a personal digital assistant with Microsoft Windows Mobile, everything else is just the same, with only a few minor differences in terms of software included.

However, some rare breeds of PDAs make use of Windows Mobile for what it should be… or rather compensate for some of the troubles that Windows Mobile would cause. The Dopod 838Pro is one such PDA.

First of all, the Dopod 838Pro is one of the top-of-the-line units from the Taiwanese mobile manufacturer. It is powered by a powerful Samsung 400-megahertz processor and uses the latest Microsoft Windows Mobile 5.0.

Because it is supposed to be a jet-setting businessman’s mini-laptop and communications device, the 838Pro is itself a world traveling device; it can support cellular communications from GSM, 3G, HSDPA and EDGE. It also has Bluetooth and 802.11 a/b/g wifi connectivity, ensuring the owner any type of connectivity virtually anywhere.

Likewise, the unit has an integrated 2.0 megapixel camera but it only has up to 5x digital zoom. The screen allows you to control all the camera functions, from lighting, flash and resolution, among others. The unit can be held on its side when using the camera and a small button on the side of the upright unit can be used to take a snapshot. There is also a small camera in front of the unit for video calls. The entire screen can accommodate the video but it can also create a smaller viewing window, depending on user preference.

Design-wise, the Dopod 838Pro has one of the sleekest looks among most mobile devices in the same class; the buttons do not jut out and are seamlessly integrated. The stylus is well-hidden underneath the unit but can still be easily pulled out. Owners can use the stylus to tap on the screen or the scroll wheel on its right side. Surprisingly, the scroll wheel is mostly found in BlackBerry mobile devices (in fact, it’s the BlackBerry that started using the scroll wheel and is the only one that has successfully made it work).

Perhaps Dopod wanted users to have an option to either use one hand in navigating through applications, or two hands for the stylus.

But what sets the 838Pro apart from the rest is its QWERTY keyboard that slides out from underneath the unit. When the keyboard is pulled out, the screen’s orientation immediately changes to horizontal position and the keyboard can be used as an input device, though the stylus can still be used.

The user can access the other desktop applications, particularly Pocket Word, Pocket Excel and Pocket PowerPoint. The Dopod 838Pro becomes a fully functional PC in this respect.

One of the applications that is better suited for the Dopod 838Pro is a mobile version of Skype. For the uninitiated, Skype is a voice over IP application used by traveling businessmen. For the Dopod 838Pro, making both VoIP calls with videos will be relatively easy.

A microSD slot is placed on the side of the Dopod 838 Pro and it can accommodate up to 2 gigabytes of memory. The microSD would serve as the users’ hard disk since the internal memory of Dopod 838Pro is just a measly 64MB (I still wonder why manufacturers have not increased PDA memories to even at least 256MB). Because of the size of the external memory that can be accommodated in the Dopod 838 Pro, this model can serve as a video and audio player as it also includes multimedia player software.

While the Dopod 838Pro is a great addition to a businessman’s item list, it still has some problems inherent in all Windows-based PDAs and that is the short battery life. Users that make at least two hours of phone calls a day will expect their devices to die out in less than 12 hours. Even without phone calls, the unit will drain its battery after a full 24 hours. Not even the fast charging time of 40 minutes can compensate for the short battery life. Fortunately, the unit has not frozen up on me even once in the two weeks that I’ve tested it. So far, so good…

Likewise, the Dopod 838Pro is very heavy for its type. Even big users would have difficulty fitting it in their pockets because of its weight and dimension.

Overall, the Dopod 838Pro is the best breed of Windows Mobile-based PDAs. It works as well as it looks and is somewhat worth the P49,000 price tag — that is, if you’re a businessman-on-the-go. At some point, it may even replace a businessman’s laptop.

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