The Ignito is one of two new XDA devices released by O2 in recent months, the
other being the fatter XDA
Serra, which I looked at a few weeks back. The two devices are very
similar in many ways. They both have a 2.8 inch touch screen with 480x640
resolution. This is smaller than the screen on the Apple’s iPhone, which
many power users looking at the Ignito will also be considering, but is
plenty big enough to look comfortably at web pages using the pre-installed
Opera web browser.
Both the Serra and Ignito come with the Windows Mobile 6.1 operating system
overlaid with something called TouchFlo 3D, which tries to emulate the
iPhone’s intuitive gesture-driven interface. Tries and fails unfortunately.
Using TouchFlo 3D is a nice departure from menu-driven Windows Mobile but it
just didn’t respond well in my tests. Of particular annoyance is the
applications ribbon which drapes across the bottom of the Today screen.
Apparently, you can easily swish along this ribbon using finger gestures.
Unless I have a problem with my finger, this responded sluggishly and
intermittently.
Still, there are things in TouchFlo that are good fun – being able to do a
double tap to zoom in and out of web pages. Quite why you have to draw
clockwise and anti-clockwise circles to do the same for photos remains a
mystery.
Both devices also feature a tilt sensor, which is probably best suited for
gaming applications. The pre-installed Teeter game, where you guide a ball
bearing round a maze, is annoyingly addictive and could easily waste a
couple of hours on an unscheduled stopover at Schiphol.
As for differences between the two devices, the Ignito doesn’t have a slide
away qwerty keyboard like the Serra but is stylishly slim as a result. The
Ignito also lacks the microSD slot of most recent XDA devices. Instead, it
features 4 gigs of onboard flash storage with no option to expand. This
seems a little unimpressive, especially when compared with the latest
iPhone’s 16 gigs.
The specified battery life is 280 hours on standby and I found that with heavy
on the road use – i.e. with regular access to wi-fi and 3G data sessions - I
had to charge the phone every night or risk it dying during the day.
As for looks, the Ignito is a winner. It’s dark, moody and slim – a sort of
smartphone version of Clive Owen. Unlike the XDA’s orbit models, there are
very few ports and buttons interrupting its slick exterior – just some
barely noticeable volume buttons and a micro USB port for data communication
and charging. It also has a very cool stylus which magentically clicks back
into its dock when you have finished using it.
Business travellers will like Office Mobile – allowing you to read and amend
docuemtns in Word, Excel and Powerpoint – as well as Microsoft push email.
One final note, if you are a texting fan, this device could infuriate you. The
predictive text input seems buggy, often inserting additional words into
your text at inopportune moments.
The spec
Dimensions 102x52x11m. Weight 110g. Standby up to 280 hours. Talk time up to
3.5 hours. 3.2MP autofocus camera. 4GB flash memory. Tri-band. 802.11b/g
wi-fi. Bluetooth 2.0+EDR.
The hype
They say: “Combining tactile design with interactive technology, the Xda
Ignito delivers your media, your internet and your work wherever you happen
to be.”
The reality
We say: If tactile means jabbing away with your finger to get ToucHFlotto do
something then yes, it’s tactile. Browsing the internet on the move is a
pleasure compared with earlier XDA devices, largely down to being able to
zoom in and drag web pages with your fingers.
The bottom line
Free to £244.67 on a pay monthly contract
with O2.
The verdict
If you are looking for a business-like alternative to an Apple iPhone, this
will be on your shortlist. If the iPhone’s touch interface is what you want,
then TouchFlo 3D isn’t a patch on it. But for business applications such as
Office Mobile and push email, the Ignito wins hands down.
The roadwarrior rating
7.5 out of 10
