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The new XDA Orbit does look flashy, and it's not too flashy only on the exterior, either, the fully flush screen and surround combining to make the Orbit 2 look just a little out of the ordinary. What we have here is basically a traditional Windows Mobile smartphone loaded to the gunwales with Wi-Fi, GPS and HSPDA and much more. Really much more!
Weighing 130g and measuring 110 x 58 x 15.5mm the XDA Orbit is not a chunkey monkey. Its royal and robust. Centre-stage on the handset is a 2.8in, 240 x 320 screen below which sits a circular navigation pad flanked by buttons to start and end calls, a Start Menu button, and the customary Windows Mobile OK key. The circular navigation tool allows the user to move around the menu system with ease. is a Quad Band phone in 2G networks (GSM 850, GSM 900, GSM 1800 & GSM 1900).
Media is well catered for with the Orbit 2 having the HTC Audio Manager acting as an alternative to Media Player for handling the playback and organisation of music libraries. Audio Manager can be used to scan through all directories on a Storage Card and auto add any media files found to the Music Library. This coupled with the Audio Streaming applet give a set of useful tools for playing back media both on and off the device. For the first time on any Xda device the Audio Booster has also been added which serves to allow you to fine tune your listening experience, giving you the ability to vary the Bass, Treble, and 3D effect of the sound output as well as choosing from various pre-defined profiles.
As far as satnav software goes, the CoPilot system is unique and simple. Destination search is straightforward and though the maps are a little basic they provide clear enough images of the route you're supposed to take. The features are perfectly usable. Route recalculation was rapid and unobtrusive, and there is no noticeable delays in picking up a GPS signal.
Orbit has a built in 2 megapixel camera complete with zoom & flash. The camera is capable of taking still photographs and to record video as well. The video recorded with the built in 2 mega pixel camera is in MPEG4 format. Orbit allows the user to play and stream video from the handset.
Orbit has a 128 Mbytes internal Memory plus 64 Mbytes Mini SD™ Memory Card. Bluetooth connectivity includes A2DP which means that devices like BT Stereo headphones can be used to great advantage with the HTC AudioManager. Other key features are Acrobat Reader LE - for reading PDF files, HTC Voice Recorder, Voice Dial, Push mail support and document editor. Orbit has 5 hours worth of talk time & up to 200 hours of standby time.
The combination of click-wheel, trackball and soft and shortcut keys is surprisingly easy to pick up and makes one-handed use a breeze. The Xda Orbit's virtual touch-keypadmay confuse newcomers. The microSD card slot is ridiculously under the SIM card, which is time consuming and very annoying. Leaving these tiny issues apart, For the money you pay, you're getting a perfectly decent Windows Mobile smartphone and a capable satnav system. What's not to like about the O2 XDA Orbit ?
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