MWG Zinc II Smartphone
The MWG Zinc II smartphone is the follow up to the O2 Xda Zinc. Aesthetically the device is similar in size to other smartphones (59 x 109.5 x 17.5 mm) and has a large 2.8″ TFT touch sensitive screen. The phone weighs in at 185g and has a slide out QWERTY style keyboard for easy input. This all gives the phone a nice solid feel, with a nice sliding action for the keyboard, but you can certainly tell the difference in weight from a standard mobile phone.
The phone comes with an impressive range of features, not least the Samsung 500mHz processor which is more than capable of running Microsoft Windows Mobile 6 Professional. We were surprised that the 64MB of installed RAM did not slow the operating system, and in fact we found the phone capable of running multiple programs in parallel. The phone comes with 256MB of internal memory and also has an expansion slot for microSD cards.
In contrast to a lot of smartphones, the phone comes with a mini slide-out QWERTY keyboard which makes interaction with Microsoft Office Outlook and other mobile office software somewhat easier than phones with standard keypads or only touch screens for input. Although the Zinc II does also come with a 2.8″ TFT QVGA touch panel and stylus for simple navigation and input, which we found to be very responsive.
The phone is quad-band meaning the phone will work on any network worldwide, and is fully compatible with 3G networks (tested on three). Data transfer over 3G networks with the phone is up to 3.6 Mbps.
The MWG Zinc II also comes with WiFi 802.11b+g connectivity (for connection to wireless routers and hotspots), Bluetooth 2.0 + EDR (the latest Bluetooth standard for fast and secure data transfer) and additionally has inbuilt SiRF III GPS for use with navigation software such as Tomtom or Google Maps, which we found to be responsive and accurate when used with Google Maps.
The only real downside to the MWG Zinc II is the 2.0 megapixel camera, which is much lower than other smartphones where the standard is becoming 5.0 megapixel.
Even with all these features, the MWG smartphone battery is apparently capable of maintaining a standby time of up to 260 hours and a talk time of up to 6 hours.
The Zinc II is capable of stereo sound input through incorporated speakers in reasonable quality, and a stereo headset is also included for more personal audio playback or video playback. The smartphone also comes with a a power supply with interchangeable plug adaptors for a range of countries worldwide (ideal for travelling).
All in all, if you need a good quality smartphone, with all of the features of Windows Mobile 6 Professional and are not so interested in camera or video quality the phone will definitely fit the bill. It can be purchased at Expansys UK, for £349.99 (including a £50 cashback offer) or for free on certain T-mobile and 02 contracts.