Workarounds include dragging the boxes, rotating the screen so you can see more of their height and, rather interestingly, changing the screen resolution to 1024 x 768 from the same system tray link used to rotate the display. This interpolated resolution makes the display squint-inducingly small, but you can see all of a window.
Portrait-style browsing
Other niggles include the Wi-Fi, which supports 802.11b/g, but not 802.11n. Also, the headset socket is 2.5mm rather than 3.5mm, and a rather lacklustre set of flat in-ear buds is provided. Music playback through the internal speaker is loud enough for personal listening, but unsurprisingly is on the tinny side.
Browsing screen real estate in landscape mode
Still, the device had no trouble finding music on a USB drive inserted into the one full sized USB slot and, this along with micro SD option, are both very convenient ways to get data on and off the PsiXpda. An alternative is to create a direct connection, using the PsiXpda’s mini USB port and the provided cable, to another computer for file sharing. The supplied software manages the client/host relationship between PsiXpda and another Windows device.
Running Windows XP Pro, any screen orientation is available
The 3G data connection is a nice touch and is catered for by a Huawei EM730 modem. Getting 3G data is not a simple plug and play operation. You’ll need to configure the Huawei Mobile Partner software with some settings. You’ll find a range of these for the main UK network operators in an appendix to the PsiXpda manual, that alas, you need to download. This information might well suffice but, if not, configuration settings are easily obtained from your telco operator.
COMMENTS
What a disappointment
I never had a Series 5, but I did have both a Series 3 and 3a and both were positively svelte compared to this.
Dare I say it? Psion at their best were like a UK Apple when it came to industrial design.
This is pig-ugly and running an OS that really isn't tailored for the form-factor.
Contrast to the Series 3/3a OS (only because I know less about the Series 5): proper multitasking, extremely capable PIM/word processor/spreadsheet/database/programming environment, and all running in 256k of RAM. And about 3 months on 2xAAs. OK so it lacked a touch screen and any kind of multimedia which would be essential now, but in a decade of use I think I only had to reset the thing about 3 times. Now that's stable!
Something this clunky, with a desktop OS that only lasts a couple of hours on a full charge, really doesn't cut it in a world where you can get a netbook for less if you want to type a lot, or you can get an iPhone or Android phone for less: both much more pocketable and entirely capable of doing most of what you want to do on the move apart from write a thesis.
The previous poster who suggested that someone should licence the Series 5 case design and put modern hardware and software into it was spot on.
Psion of the times?
If this is 'state of the art' for 'the times', then I think there's been an interruption in the blah, blah, blah.
Psions had style, a bullet proof OS and were works of art in their own right. Just give me a Series 5 chassis with network connectivity...
I want it
But with a better battery. What I've wanted from my phone for some time now (and this does voice calls from the sound of it) is a Windows (real, not CE) device that I can, when required, do real work on.
I don't mind charging it each night. But it has to last a day.
Good step now lets see what they can do next
I like this direction. We do need a pocket computer that's not deficient in todays tech. It's my hope the next one has even more RAM and storage. Also good to see the very good Windows XP in use here. It would do MS well to keep it available just for this kind of device.
Yes, yes, yes....
...it's all well and good, but what does JF Mezei think?
There's no point making this device if it's only going to end up as yet another £500 paper weight.
