Reviews and tests | E-TEN glofiish X800 Review

Our X800 preview became a subject to much controversy; however the reality cleared all things up – indeed, the device proved to be imperfect with a number of flaws. We had intentionally waited until mass deliveries began and compared the new retail versions of X800 to those of the first lots as well as to presale samples. Besides, we have already managed to gather some statistics of remarks on this novelty. If one forgets for a moment about traditional flaws of the E-TEN PDA-phones as well as about its implementation, theoretically the device may be considered as rather interesting. First of all with its advanced hardware, particularly the VGA-display.

The uniqueness of E-TEN glofiish X800 consists in its being the first 3G smartphone of the brand as well as the first VGA smartphone with such functionality, though some extra charge as compared to X500+ for the 3G support is generally of current importance only for the countries with well developed 3G networks. At the moment of release X800 had, except for a twin X500+, some other competitors - Gigabyte GSmart i350 and O2 XDA Flame. Large players ignore this tendency, though the same HTC have such experience, they being the first company to create a VGA smartphone.

The E-TEN glofiish X800 sales package includes the device itself, a stylus, a PDA-to-PC synchronization cable, a battery charger, a wire stereo headset, a case, a printed manual, a software disk, a battery. The packaging is a little bit poor for a top-class device.

As we have already mentioned, we took a retail version of X800 that is why we had an opportunity to dwell on numerous flaws of E-TEN glofiish.

• A CPU suspension during conversation A CPU suspension during conversation. Call buttons are pressed, but the timer goes on running. A reset is required. Other users also mention spontaneous switching off, but our sample didn’t have this problem.
• An interlocutor cannot be heard through the ear speaker, only through the speakerphone (in a hands-free mode). A reset is required.
• An SMS-message cannot be sent (a new one and a response to somebody’s message alike). After a while the glitch fixes by itself. We couldn’t seek out regularities. Most likely an OS version updating is required for proper feature functionality, but even with the latest version from EtenClub the flaw "pleased" from time to time.
• First IMAP and POP3 icons vanished from the list of Mail-protocols in Messaging. Further the same has happened to Bluetooth at attempt to pair the smartphone with headsets. They are displayed, but the list of options lacks the Hands Free item. An OS version updating is required though you can make use of the latest MailAccountRepair for mailing.
• The GPRS/EDGE connection is unsteady even if to allocate it to a register. As a result you have to waste time every time you set up the connection.
• The GPS sometimes "forgets" to get disconnected; therefore the battery often discharges very quickly. And sometimes vice versa it displays 99 % just until the battery gets dead. Registry editing is required.

As for now, new OS version updates are of unofficial status that is why you should take into consideration that in case of using them independently, you’ll have to lose your warranty. The latest official version is 382. Here is the list of changes:

• Fixed the incomplete key blocking problem when turning the device OFF
• Embedded Navitel Navigator in the device’s ExtROM
• Added support for auto focusing in Namecard Manager (the manager of visit cards)
• Improved Camera application. The image is saved and processed much faster after the shooting button is pressed
• Fixed problem of security PIN code and e-mail boxes loss after the device is reset and the battery cover is removed
• Improved Video Call application

Device ID changes from this OS version on; it is used for license registration of some software products such as Navitel Navigator (iNavi), Inesoft Address Book, etc. There are two ways of solving problems caused by the impossibility to use old license keys got for these applications before updating to the 382 version:

We have dwelt on just the most common problems, there are also a lot of other ones (altogether several dozens varying in their degree of complexity), but they occur less often. We suggest you to proceed with discussing them at our forum so that not to pollute the body text of the review.

The E-TEN glofiish X800 smartphone is implemented in a classical "monoblock" form factor (traditionally for a WM-based PDA phone) with a touch screen and a controls panel below. The casing has a matte surface, that’s why it doesn’t tend to be easily soiled. It is completely made out of plastic with rubber inserts and a texturized area on the front panel. The coating is good enough, it makes an expensive product’s impression, but actually the quality of plastic is below the average. It is clearly visible after a single look at the back surface of the battery cover. Besides some doubts are cast upon its mechanical wear-resistance - for a week of work it got worn and scratched. The back panel is a little bit loosely fitting, but it almost does not creak at squeezing.

The new E-TEN design itself is also ambiguous, especially taking into account the considerable price of the device. The X500+ conservatism is more appropriate for this class. Besides, let’s note not the most balanced dimensions and weight, that’s why X800 doesn’t sit in hand properly - the same i350 is more successful in this regard. The congested navigation block is not to ergonomics’ advantage, since the manufacturer has placed at once 9 (!) controls there. It’s a strange bent to invent a bicycle anew because all manufacturers have already long since dispensed with a large number of them and, accordingly, enjoy better ergonomics. This point becomes especially obvious in winter, when one is gloved he cannot easily tap at the keys that are not spaced apart.

Besides the navigation block, there aren’t so many control elements on the side edges as one could expect. There is no scroll wheel (HTC Touch Cruise, Mio A702, etc.), no blocking slide button (ASUS P750, etc.). The interface slot (miniUSB) is not combined with the headset output (a 2.5 mm jack), that is convenient. By the way, the bundled accessory provides for a quality of sound below the average, and it is not much better with a third-party one. The main speaker definitely has disappointed - it is too faint, you can easily miss a call, two calls or even a dozen. This element is located on the back panel, but it’s not covered with the surface on which the smartphone lays, the sound is distorted to a moderate extent.

Above the audio connector there are some controls: a soft-reset socket, a sound volume rocker button and a voice recorder button. The latter ones are a bit tight, which causes certain discomfort, they could be solved better. The same also concerns the power button on the right edge, however the short stroke is quite to the point here; stray keystrokes are excluded. The main camera lens is located on the back panel; it’s not protected with any cover and accumulates fingerprints rather quickly, which worsens shots that are mediocre even without that. The front camera also suffers from fingerprints, but it’s a minor flaw outside 3G service areas. As it should be with the autofocusing camera device the camera button is a two-position one. There is no problem with it, its location being quite reasonable. The shooting aspect is horizontal.

As well as the audio-out socket, the stylus holder is located on the bottom edge which is typical of the majority of smartphones. The reason is the same - a developed communicativeness and corresponding units on the upper part. The stylus is of a telescopic design. It is a little bit short and that’s why not too convenient. However the more unpleasant point is that you have to fit the stylus to the notch every time you slide it into the holder. Let’s also note an awkward memory expansion slot; it is problematic enough to take a card out of it. As for the navigation button it has been improved since the times of presale samples. At present it is not the ideal yet, but really much more pleasant, than it used to be.

The indicator on the upper right part of the handset displays a charge status and functions of the device. Burning red: the smartphone battery is charging. Blinking red once every 4 seconds: a warning that the battery charge is low. Blinking red twice periodically: a warning that the battery charge is critically low. Blinking red constantly: the battery cover is loosened or the battery is practically discharged. Burning green: the battery is fully charged. Blinking green twice every 4 seconds: the phone (GSM) is activated. The indicator on the upper left part of the handset. Blinking blue once every 4 seconds: Bluetooth is activated. Blinking yellow once every 4 seconds: Wireless LAN is activated. Blinking white once every 4 seconds: GPS is activated.

For a bit more than a month’s work the X800 final version has several times required being hard reset, therefore let’s describe the procedure, it is rather trivial. You should press and hold down the Power button, use the stylus to lightly press the Reset button and release both buttons simultaneously. Further keep the button held until a message appears on the screen and then release the button. Follow the on-screen instructions.

E-TEN glofiish X800 is designed to be used in GSM 850/900/1800/1900 and UMTS 850/1900/2100 networks; it supports GPRS and EDGE, as well as HSDPA. Wire communication is achieved through USB2.0 that makes use of the common microUSB slot. The data transfer speed isn’t high due to low-quality interface implementation. There's no support for the Mass Storage here in contrast to the same ASUS smartphones.

The wireless communication is represented by the Bluetooth 2.0 + EDR (Enhanced Data Rate) module and Wi-Fi. The latter sometime fails to pick up network where HTC and Mio gave raise to no reprimands. As for Bluetooth, it caused no problems during testing. A2DP is implemented on a level with its equal price counterparts. It's a pity though that should the connection be lost, the sound doesn't stop automatically, the built-in speaker is instantly activated – the same disadvantage is found with Symbian-smartphones. In addition to AD2P, the following profiles are supported:

• File Transfer
• Generic Access
• Generic Object Exchange
• Handsfree
• Headset
• HID
• Object Push
• Personal Area Networking
• Serial Port
• A2DP
• Audio/Video Remote Control
• SAP (SIM card access profile)

Document printing is also possible. There's also the Bluetooth synchronization, you just need to:

1. Install the Windows Mobile Media Control Centre or ActiveSync software to your PC
2. On the PDA side, run - Start > Programs > ActiveSync.
3. Activate Bluetooth both on the PC and the PDA, than engage the visible mode.
4. On the PDA side, run - Menu > Connection > Bluetooth.
5. first run, start the Bluetooth Configuration Wizard.

No support for such features is provided in the Wi-Fi mode due to security reasons, though it was possible in earlier versions of AKU (as early as WM5).

Wireless Manager is functionally standard, but looks absolutely like a plaything, too bright and colorful and by no means like a solid expensive product. But the icons are big in size that’s why they are easily activated with a finger; there is no need for a stylus. It would be pleasant to see any embedded scheduler (like with ASUS P750), but there is none here, the features are minimal.

The GPS support is well done for X800, this aspect of the PDA phone is based off the SiRFstarIII chipset, that proves itself slightly better than Qualcomm 7200 with HTC, for example. The device was able to detect some seven-eight satellites on a clear day, which is quite in keeping with Mio and ASUS P750, it is better than with the nearest Gigabyte GSmart i350. The geographical software supplier is Navitel. It’s a rather controversial solution against the background of more successful TomTom with HTC and MioMap with Mio. It’s advisable to use iGo at least. Suffice it to say that the quick access menu with Navitel is implemented in the form of buttons without any prompting. The only option that can place this product in a good light is traffic integration from Smilink. The preinstalled software package is remarkable for a number of GPS-utilities.

The FM tuner is available, but its shell functionality is quite poor, the sound even cannot be played through the embedded speaker.

Many people felt disappointment at only 64 Mb of RAM with X800, really it‘s not pleasant. There is less than 20 Mb left after loading. It means that you cannot start a large number of "heavy" applications. Say, a player and a pair of service utilities – that’s the limit, the camera won’t be activated.

The ROM size is quite sufficient - 256 Mb. The memory card slot is the microSD standard, the most universal variant for the time being, the officially announced card capacity maximum is 4 Gb. Unfortunately, no memory card comes bundled, so it has to be purchased separately. As we have already mentioned, it keeps with the full hot swapping support.

E-TEN actively promote VGA screens nowadays, but it’s a niche tendency since none of the large players has followed it. We have already mentioned in our reviews, that this point is more likely to be a marketing trump, rather than an essential advantage. The reason is more that evident - it is a small physical size of the screen. If you watch similar smartphones’ screenshots on a desktop computer, the difference is sure to be obvious and doubtlessly positive. The point is that even on a sub-notebook with a 10-12” display you will see the comfortable 640x480 that won’t ruin your eyesight. It’s absolutely another matter with a smartphone which screen often has a diagonal less than 3”. It is unreal to look through some sites in a VGA-resolution even under comfortable conditions, let alone jolting transport.

The Microsoft Company have went through a good deal of preliminary inquiry to get to know what the ideal balance of ergonomics is. The conclusion looked exactly like a 3.5’’ QVGA (320x240) display which found a wide implementation in many of their PDAs based off the Windows Mobile software platform. Over the course of time pureblood PDAs got to lose their market importance, so most manufacturers switched their priorities to PDA phones. One of the most important development tasks was to minimize the device dimensions. The first module to suffer was the screen. It squeezed from the usual PDA dimensions down to 2,8’’ or sometimes even 2,6’’ or 2,4’’. Some of the manufacturers were quick enough to make a real hype out of their VGA-standard matrices which let the screen elements become smaller. This, quite expectedly, shattered the ergonomics concept developed by Microsoft. Aggravated by the awkwardness of the Windows Mobile interface, this misbalance is exactly the thing that keeps the WM OS lagging behind Symbian-based solutions.

X800 is a vivid example of marketing to the detriment of practice. The smartphone sports a VGA (640x480) resolution. Its diagonal is 2.8”; the color depth is 65K colors. The image quality is good; the maximum brightness is high which is especially pleasant, though the view angles could have been better. The colour rendering is average. The screen info stays quite legible in the sunlight; however the sun-resistance is not ideal.

The interface implementation is typical of Windows Mobile phones. Here there is no such firmware innovation as TouchFLO with HTC, but at the same time something similar to Home is available. The upper line is used for displaying service indicators like the battery life meter or signal quality, the clock as well as the wireless protocols availability, Bluetooth, GPRS/EDGE, 3G, Wi-Fi, the list of launched applications. The lower line contains info about context button functions.

The main part of the desktop can be varied to your liking. By default it shows current day, the service provider info, the owner personal data, messaging stats, the tasklist and schedule, and the indicator area (battery charge, display angle, wireles module manager and backlighting level). The user can customize the order in which these fields follow or remove some of them from the screen completely. Today Desktop can feature a custom picture or a photo.

There are two kinds of menus in this phone: the quick access menu and the main menu. The former is activated on pressing the Start button and essentially is a vertical list that contains 7 items, info about the 5 recently launched applications as well as grants access to the main menu and settings. The main menu is a list of applications very much similar to a regular Windows-styled window with icons and application names below them. A maximum of 12 icons per screen is allowed.

The Spb Mobile shell implementation is interesting. E-TEN made an attempt to introduce a certain counterpart of HTC Home. This applet offers info on the battery charge, the date, the time, the weather forecast and the icon providing shortcut for telephone numbers. There are four sections:

• Main menu: shows the information on the battery charge.
• Time: shows the current time of 3 different time zones and the info on the next reminder.
• Weather: shows the weather forecast for the four next days.
• Quick access to telephone numbers through photos: a convenient way to make phone calls.

They can be changed, removed and added. One more noteworthy application of the X800 interface is QuickBar. This launcher makes use of a separate hardware button which operates as follows:

Once - QuickBar
Twice - M-Desk
Three times - Today Desktop
Four times - QuickBar

M-Desk is an enhanced launcher providing a capability to arrange applications by categories or change application icons in accordance to your preference. Arrangement, renaming, removal or adjustment of icons in the M-Desk shell does not influence default settings of the smartphone, it’s a separate application.

Let's also note the Task Manager, displaying a list of running applications that allows to switch between them quickly or shut any unused running task so that to clear the smartphone storage.

Multimedia
Camera, FM tuner, Image Maker *, Image Wizard *, Multimedia Manager, Namecard Manager

Phone
Add Ringtone, Call Filter *, MMS Message, Scenarios, SIM Manager, SMS Sender, Speed Dial

Utilities
Backup Utility, Bluetooth Manager, Default Settings, M-Desk, Birthday Reminder *, WLAN Utility, Quick Bar

Internet Explorer is a Web and WAP browser used for downloading files from the Internet

Task Manager to shut any unused running task so that to clear the smartphone storage

Wireless Manager for handling Bluetooth and Wireless LAN connections, phone settings

The Personal Tab
Buttons for buttons customization
Input for input method customization
Menus for Start elements customization
Owner Information
Lock to specify a password and access rights
Phone for phone parameters customization
Sounds and Notifications for signal mode and volume adjustment
Today for the Today screen customization

The System Tab
About - displays smartphone’s parameters
Backlight for backlighting and screen brightness adjustment
Certificates to set up the parameters of network identification
Clock and Alarms to set up time and alarms
Memory - displays the amount of free/used memory space and the list of running applications
Microphone for microphone sensitivity adjustment
Power - displays the charge meter, allows for setting auto power off
Regional Settings for regional customization, such as date/time format, etc.
Remove Programs for applications removal
Screen to calibrate the screen, to customize the image orientation (landscape or portrait)
System Information

Connections Tab
Beam for setting the parameters of IR data transmission
Connection Wizard for setting network parameters
Connections to set up a network connection
CSD Type for setting the smartphone to use it as a wireless modem
Network Cards for setting network card parameters
USB to PC to set the type of USB connection

Conversations are in charge of the Phone application, which can be activated either by pressing the Call Button or by activating the corresponding menu item in the Start menu. The main screen of the Phone application hosts three tabs - Calls, Quick Dial and Phone Settings.

X800 stores contacts within the Contacts application. The SIM-card stored contacts share the same list with the user-memory stored contacts. A SIM-stored contact can be transferred to user memory and vice versa. The PDA phone supports three types of contacts:

MS Outlook contacts can either be created directly on the PDA phone or synchronized with a PC or an Exchange Server contacts database. Each contact stores a few phone numbers, e-mail addresses, instant messaging contacts, home and work addresses and misc info like post, date of birth, etc. Each Outlook contact can be associated with a unique picture and ringtone.
USIM/SIM card contacts. Any of those can only store a name and a phone number.
Windows Live Contacts are used by the Windows Live Messenger (MSN). Likewise the Outlook contacts, Windows Live contacts can contain detailed data about the person.

Only one telephone number is allowed per USIM/SIM-card stored contact. If you copy a user memory contact to SIM/USIM, the SIM Card Manager program splits any multiple phone numbers associated with a single contact into separate contact records for the USIM/SIM card memory. A special suffix is added automatically to the names of such duplicate contacts to tell between them (by default "/M" stands for Mobile, "/W" for Work and "/H" for Home).

To make a phone call, you can equally use the Phone application, the Contacts book, the Quick Dial or the Calls menu as well as the SIM card manager. Traditionally there's support for Smart Dialing which makes dialing easier than before. Once you input the initial symbols of the phone number or the person's name, the phone filters all the contacts automatically to fit the search criteria. This sorting works automatically for contacts stored both in user memory and on the SIM card and is applicable to the contacts book and the call log. This saves a bit of time while searching for some person's name in the phonebook.

By default, the call log displays information about all calls but it's customizable to filter missed, outgoing and incoming calls only, sorting by name is also present. Besides the name and the number each record in the log stores the time, the date and one call or all calls length.

The only limit to the size of the contact book is the volume of free user memory. Up to 12 phone numbers of different types, 3 e-mail addresses, home and work address, web page address and a plenty of other details like Assistant's Phone Number can be associated with every contact. It goes without saying that each contact can enjoy its own ringtone and picture as well as belong to one of the customizable user groups.

The profile management item is available together with the standard WM settings. There is also the Add Ringtone application used for the ringtone management. Let’s note the most useful addition to the traditional Windows Mobile software packet – the Call Filter application. It allows blocking undesired contacts. The feature is a basic one; however its availability is pleasant. Finally, Speed Dial is available as a handy way to dial frequently used contacts.

Traditionally the Messaging application is used for composing, viewing and sending SMS and MMS messages as well as e-mail messages. Once you get a new message, the Today screen displays a special reminder symbol. You can sort your messages in a number of ways, for example you can sort your e-mail messages by topic.

An incoming message is indicated by a pop-up window regardless of the menu the user is currently browsing through. The message can be instantly opened, deleted or ignored. That stands to reason that all the messages are stored within the same folder, at the same time shown in a tree-like structure allowing for easier navigation. We reviewed the keyboard input above, there are no problems when using MioKeyboard, everything is highly convenient.

E-mail can be set to be delivered automatically (you specify the interval before each message is received or sent automatically). Sorting by date is possible. You can activate simultaneous sending and receiving of mail, set a mailing schedule when roaming abroad and sort incoming messages by size prior to downloading them to the phone.

If you use a Microsoft Exchange 2007 server the message will be delivered instantly and not on the next synchronization. Full HTML support is present. If the message contains several attachments, all of them are downloaded, but you can activate delayed downloading mode. You can use hot key combinations for quick access to the messaging functions like Reply, Forward, etc.

An able security system is in the place. For example, in ActiveSync any outgoing message can be digitally signed and encrypted automatically prior to sending, an IRM (Information Rights Management) capability allows you to limit access to messages in the way you like.

Calendar is used for scheduling events and meetings, this day's schedule can be displayed on the Today screen. If your PC has a copy of Outlook installed on it, you can synchronize the schedules. Reminders can be set in the form of sound signals or screen flickers.

The Calendar application can also be used for arranging meetings via e-mail with the users of Outlook or Outlook Mobile. If the recipient accepts the proposition, the meeting is automatically added to their schedule. When the person affirms to participate, your schedule is automatically updated with an acknowledgement. The Windows Mobile platform has long been known for its strong points in the corporate sphere.

The standard vCalendar file format is supported for exchanging information about scheduled events; the corresponding files can be exported to the PC version of Outlook.

The Tasks application is used for scheduling events which can either be set to be one-time or recurring. You can set up reminders and sort them by categories. There's a tasklist which automatically highlights in red expired tasks. You can set a reminder that will be automatically activated on every occasion when open your schedule to add a new event.

The Notebook application helps you to store quick notes. You can input the text from the keyboard, put it down in handwriting or use voice-to-text processing as well as convert handwritten notes into text files or send your notes to other people. If a letter crosses more than three marking lines, it's processed as an image, otherwise - as text. To select an image for further removal or copying just hold your stylus pressed to the screen where the image is for a few moments.

Office Mobile comprises three applications used to view and edit Microsoft Office documents - Word Mobile (viewing and editing of *.doc, *.rtf, *.txt and *.dot files), Excel Mobile (viewing and editing of *.xls files), PowerPoint Mobile (playing *.ppt and *.pps files).

The Explorer is a basic file manager that serves for browsing media folders. The standard Calculator and Search applications are available as well.

A back-up functionality is provided by the Backup software.

The smartphone is compatible with the following graphic file formats: *.bmp, *.jpg, *.gif, *.png. A simple Photo and Video Manager is preinstalled to help the user make simple changes to the files, like rotation or trimming.

It does better at handling audio and video files:


Windows Media Video	.wmv, .asf	Windows Media Audio	.wma
MPEG4 simple profile	.mp4	MP3	.mp3
H.263	.3gp, .3g2	MIDI	.mid
H.264	.mp4, .3gp, .3g2, .m4v	AMR, narrowband	.amr
Motion JPEG	.avi	AMR, broadband	.awb
		AAC	.m4a, .aac

The selected media file can be sent by e-mail, transferred to another device, played as a slide show, sent to a person through the Windows Live MySpace network and so on.

The preinstalled Windows Media Player Mobile allows for executing video and audio records, both local and networks playback is possible. The three main display windows are:

Playback control keys (Play, Pause, Next, Previous and Volume) and the video window.
The playlist showing the currently played file as well as files that are going to be played.
The media library that stores audio and video files as well as playlists.

The voice recorder serves, quite expectedly, for talk recording. The records can be further sent via MMS or e-mail, or transferred through a wireless connection. Recorded fragments can also be used as ringtones. The records are stored in the AMR-NB (Adaptive Multi-Rate Narrowband) format. The default save location is the My Voice Records folder.

Multimedia Manager allows for a basic photo and video files management.

This point is one of the key features of X800; the model is supplied with an autofocusing 2 Mpix camera, which is quite a match to the same longstanding Sony Ericsson K750, but being a smartphone X800 can quite lay claim to a medium class. The competitors have already long since equipped their top models with 3 Mpix modules, particularly HTC Touch Cruise, ASUS P750, Mio A702 and others.

There is no protective cover for the camera, so it's highly advised to use the camera as carefully as possible - the grease that sticks to the lens is able to cause serious photo quality degradation. The LED flashlight with average performance is available as well as the mirror for self shooting. The shooting aspect is horizontal; a large touchscreen is used for controls and settings. The button is two-positioned; the exponometer settings are very flexible.

The phone is able of taking pictures at resolutions up to 1600x1200 and shoot video clips at resolutions up to 320х240. A 4x digital zoom is available. The view-finder performance is average, the inertness is perceptible, but it’s less than with Cruise. The focusing is quite long (4-5 seconds or even more under difficult conditions) and not always precise, in particular the macro mode could be worked over better. The image saving speed is low, that’s why it often turns out, that the seemingly acquired material is smeared.

It takes about 5 seconds to start the application itself which is not pleasant. If you add some 15-20 seconds necessary for saving, you will clearly understand, why we speak about low performance of the X800 camera. This point is critical for it when used as a cameraphone, therefore we consider it as an essential disadvantage. Moreover, the quality of ready material isn’t above the average (it concerns taking both photos and videos), - just take a look:

The percent of satisfactory pictures is moderate because of the above-mentioned inertness of X800. As we have mentioned above, the VGA-camera for video calls is also available. There is no GPS Stamp function – a user POI cannot be associated with a corresponding photo, though the competitors sport this function. A capability of visiting cards’ recognition with Cyrillic support comes in handy (this could be found too – with HTC, Mio, E-TEN and others). There's plethora of settings including everything necessary. But the interface isn’t comfortable, even after several weeks of using the device one cannot get used to it.