Author: cheewee

Introduction
When manufacturers roll out updates to current products, usually consumers would like shortcomings in the previous iteration fixed. So has E-TEN delivered the goods this round? PPCSG takes the plunge and gives you a lowdown.

As the product name suggested, the Glofiish X500+ is an upgrade of the current X500. As PPCSG has reviewed the X500 a while back, we will focus on the differences and improvements made. To sum up quickly, the key enhancements are the chassis, screen, operating system and camera.

The Chassis
E-TEN swapped the titanium-colored shell of the X500 for a classy black variant this time round. We like the slight velvety feel to it as it feels good to the touch and isn’t a fingerprint magnet. Fortunately, the downside is that the surface is susceptible to nicks when knocked. The material isn’t as robust compared to a metallic one. We would have preferred if the entire unit is metallic similar to the frame around the screen.
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Once again, E-TEN fails to provide “Start” and “Ok” keys for navigation purposes. This means users will need to constantly tab on the screen to navigate. Props to local distributor, Trends Mobile who added their own software workaround to address this design oversight. By utilizing the 2 soft-keys, pressing and holding the left key pulls up the Start menu while doing so for the right functions as an “Ok” key. Unfortunately, the directional pad is still situated too close to the edge rendering it hard to use.
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The Screen
In place of the QVGA screen, E-TEN upgraded the X500 with a spanking new VGA screen offering four times the resolution of its predecessor. No complaints as the color display offers good contrast, vibrant as well as bright.
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Contrary to what most thought, the 2.8-inch VGA screen didn't pose much usability issue. The added resolution meant text and pictures turn out crisp and clear. If you find yourself squinting a little, just tweak the font size in control panel to increase the font size.

The Operating System
As with most Pocket PC phones put onto the market now, the X500+ runs the latest Windows Mobile 6 Professional software from Microsoft and offers heaps of improvements over its predecessor.
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The most obvious enhancement is the refreshed user interface. New icons, color themes and sound make the device ‘sexier’ to operate. But WM6 is not all about looking good. For example, Office Mobile is a key differentiating features of Windows Mobile 6 powered devices. The new suite comprising of Excel, PowerPoint and Word Mobile offers improved document viewing and editing abilities.
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The Messaging app now lets you receive, view and compose HTML emails. We especially like the fact that you can enter letters within the app to locate messages quickly.

The ailing PocketMSN is now rejuvenated with a more up-to-date Windows Live Messenger. It supports avatars, personal message, emoticons, file transfer and even nudges. Another nifty feature borrowed from the desktop variant is voice clip support. If you’re lazy to type, simply hit a key, speak into the microphone, and hit the key again to end the recording. The clip will be sent over to the other party. Neat!
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Pocket Internet Explorer is also improved with faster page rendering and Ajax support. We especially like the fact that there is a "Use High Resolution" option to utilize the VGA screen.
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There are too many enhancements in WM6 to list here. Check out Jason Langridge's bog on MSDN Blogs for a complete list.

The Camera
E-TEN fails to bump up the camera’s resolution from the 2-megapixel previously. You get the usual self-portrait mirror and LED flash like the X500.
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On a brighter note, the camera on the X500+ now supports macro. Switching to macro can be done via software so you save the hassle of flicking a hardware switch. The company smartly put it to good use by including Namecard Manager for free. This contact card solution works similar to WorldCard Mobile bundled with some Dopod phones.

I tested it on my personal name card. On the first attempt, it recognized most fields correctly. It only mistook my email as the Web page. This useful utility is a godsend to digitize your huge stack of name cards in a breeze.
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As for the image quality, we feel it is a hit or miss affair. Most of the time, colors appear a little dull and we expected more from the 2-megapixel sensor. Indoor macro shots turn out reasonable well. As for outdoor shots with harsh lighting, the pictures usually turn out too contrasty with a heavy green cast.

We have included some sample shots at the end of the article for reference. To keep the size manageable, we have resized them to 1024x768 pixels but they are not tweaked in any other way.

Performance
Sporting a VGA screen, you must be wondering about the impact on battery life. Curious, we put the E-TEN to the test and with the X500+ set to flight mode and its backlight turned to maximum. We cycled a video until its 1,530mAh cell is completely drained and the X500+ lasted 6 hours and 16 minutes. Previously, the X500 with a QVGA screen managed 8 hours and 48 minutes. We’ll leave it to you to decide if the better display is worth the trade off.

This Glofiish runs on the same processor as the X500 and felt snappy for most tasks. This may be attributed to the new operating system as Microsoft made numerous performance tweaks.

However, when we tested the video performance with CorePlayer, it failed to keep up. The same clip played flawlessly on the Dopod 838Pro. Perhaps the lack of a dedicated video chip and the need to drive the VGA screen is too much for the Samsung 400MHz processor. The results from Spb Benchmark concurred. The unit suffers when it comes to video performance.
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Conclusion
The X500+ should be available in June and pricing is not available at the moment. For existing X500 owners, it may not be wise to upgrade to this refreshed model for just the chassis, VGA screen and macro functionality.

But if you’re someone looking for a GPS-enabled Pocket PC phone and don’t need fast 3G or 3.5G connectivity, this slim and sleek X500+ with its VGA screen is definitely worth considering.

Sample shots from X500+'s camera

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More sample shots from X500+'s camera

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wow the night pics are quite clear to me....

It's too bad that it seems they're not going to be bringing this to the PC Show...

Should I get flame+gps module "now", wait for X800, or wait for the unannounced M900... decisions decisions.

ter.. which pic are you referring to?

the picture in the dark

more pics of the Eten X500+ can be viewed at the::unwired, courtesy of Arne Hess of the::unwired.

Hi!

The problem about video reproduction worried me a lot, 'cause I like watching movies and YouTube videos in the PDA. So, I would like to understand: is it possible to reproduce videos in Glofiish if we use a lower resolution (like QVGA)?

Thank you!

It's not a night pic. It's a shot at noon. The white balance is off under bright conditions. That was mentioned in the review.

Great review! You mention that you cycled a video to test the battery life of this device. What software did you use, and was the playback smooth? You mention that it "failed to keep up", but did that mean there were only a few skips or was it playing in slow motion?

After searching for a while, I've found this message about the Glofiish X500+:

"I have tested x500+ and played some games on it (skyforce, tennis addict). Its true, this device is more than slow in every aspect. Its slow in games, slow in screen drawing, slow in destinator. People who say that are more or less satisfied, are guys who either have just bought their first ppc or they dont push it to its limits. After spending a couple of hours with x500, i would never recommend this ppc to anyone, even my worst enemy."
Source: http://eten-users.eu/http://www.ppcsg.com/index.php?showtopic=9...t=0&#entry52936



Since my Axim X51v was stolen 3 months ago, I've been searching for a replacement. I thought that X500+ (previously, I thought about X800 but I don't need 3G), with VGA and WM6 and camera, would be the good one, but it seems that it does not match the expectation.

Is there another device? Are there reviews of O2 XDA Flame? Will i-Mate Ultimate ever show up?

Sorry for the late reply. All devices are tested using Spb Benchmark. I used the same clip that played ok in the 838Pro. "Failed to keep up" refers to skips and dropped frames that so so evident, it impacts viewing pleasure. But it's definitely not the slide show type.

Great review!