HTC P6300 (HTC Panda)
Available
now 9th July 2007
An unusually large PDA-style smartphone,
the HTC P6300 (codenamed the "Panda") is a
Windows Mobile 5 device that is almost exactly identical
in size to HTC's earlier device sold as the O2
XDA II from way back in 2003.
Be
in no doubt - this is much larger than most tablet-style
smartphones at 170 x 70 x 18mm and 160 grams in weight
(just 20 grams lighter than the O2 XDA II). The large
size means a large screen - in the case of the HTC P6300
this is a 3.5" 240x320 pixel touch sensitive display,
plus a 2 megapixel camera, SD memory slot with SDIO
capabilities, Bluetooth and WiFi support.
Windows Mobile 5 is a pretty familiar
package, and it comes with support for Microsoft Office
documents and the HTC P6300 supports Microsoft's Direct
Push email. HTC are pitching the P6300 at business users,
especially functions such as warehousing and delivery
where the large screen is a bonus.
It's a slightly odd device - the HTC
P6300 comes with Windows Mobile 5 rather than the new
version 6. HTC have an upgrade programme for some of
their other handsets, so it's quite likely that the
P6300 can be upgraded at a later date.
A more serious problem with the HTC
P6300 is the lack of any high-speed cellular data connectivity.
When not using the P6300 on WiFi, you're stuck with
GPRS only which many users will find slow. The lack
of UMTS, HSDPA or even EDGE data is a serious omission
from this handset.
Although the HTC P6300 marks a welcome
return for this style of large format PDA-type smartphone,
we feel that ultimately the phone is flawed and this
will restrict its market appeal.
The HTC P6300 is available now for a
SIM-free price of around €580 / £370.
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HTC
P6300 (HTC Panda) at a glance
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Available:
|
Q3
2007
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Network:
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GSM
900/1800/1900
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Data:
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GPRS
+ WiFi
|
Screen:
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240x320
pixels
|
Camera:
|
2
megapixels
|
Size:
|
Large
PDA-style device 170
x 70 x 18mm / 160 grams
|
Bluetooth:
|
Yes
|
Memory
card:
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SD
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Infra-red:
|
Yes
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Polyphonic:
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Yes
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Java:
|
Limited
|
OS:
|
Windows
Mobile 5
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Battery
life:
|
Not
specified
|
|
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