Pocket PC Thoughts: O2 XDA Atom Reviewed

Phone Usage
The Atom as a phone actually surprised me, since it had the strongest reception I've had in any PPCPE device. Even though it doesn't have 850MHz band support, it held strong to every 1900MHz Cingular tower, and when I came out of the subway tunnel, the signal strength indicator shot up very fast. I also have one area in my town that every previous phone that I owned temporarily lost the signal. With the Atom, not only did it keep a signal, but it maintained a clear conversation throughout that area. Now, that's a phone!

Notably missing from the Phone applet is the Speakerphone feature. In the Call Status page, the "Call History" button is in place of the "Speaker On" button that I've seen on other Windows Mobile 5 phones, and the right soft menu doesn't even have it listed as an option. Of course, me being "Old School," I remembered that I could hold down the Send button for a few seconds to toggle the speakerphone feature. Why it's not a menu option is beyond me, since it works just fine as a speakerphone.


Figure 24: The Call History button serves little purpose here.


Figure 25: Where's the menu option for the Speakerphone?