Siemens SX66 PDA Phone

Nov 02 Siemens SX66 PDA Phone
Found in:Devices,

You can never have too much of a good thing. The Siemens SX66 offered by Cingular in the US is one of the many HTC Blue Angel variants sold around the world by several carriers and wireless phone manufacturers. These variants are sold as the XDA III, MDA III, iMate PDA2K, Audiovox PPC-6601 and Audiovox XV6600. The first three are GSM models sold overseas only, and the last two are CDMA versions offered by Sprint and Verizon Wireless respectively. While the GSM models have integrated WiFi 802.11b wireless networking and the not-too-speedy GPRS for data, the CDMA models lack WiFi but run on Sprint and Verizon's faster 1xRTT wireless data networks. Otherwise the models are identical, and you'll notice a great deal of overlap between our review of the Audiovox PPC-6601 and the Siemens SX66 as they are identical in all respects save network (GSM vs. CDMA), presence of integrated WiFi and cellular wireless data connection technology. The device's biggest claim to fame is its slide out QWERTY keyboard that is hidden until you need it.
The Blue Angel is HTC's third generation Pocket PC phone. HTC designs and/or manufactures many fine PDAs and smartphones, including several HP iPAQ Pocket PCs, the Treo 650 and the Audiovox SMT5600 Windows Mobile Smartphone. They are also responsible for the well-received XDA II which was never offered in the US but was sold here by importers. The XDA II was the first truly powerful and feature-packed Pocket PC phone, and it set the bar for high end PPC phones. In the US, Siemens sold the first generation XDA as the SX56, and they now bring us the third generation Siemens SX66.
The SX66 is a full-featured, powerful Pocket PC phone that looks and acts like a Pocket PC and doubles as a cell phone. By phone standards this is a large beast, but by Pocket PC standards it is of average size, which can be said of most Pocket PC Phone Edition devices. It runs the Windows Mobile 2003 Second Edition operating system with support for both portrait and landscape orientations, has a fast 400MHz Intel Xscale processor and a whopping 128 megs of RAM. The SX66 has integrated Bluetooth and WiFi 802.11b and an SD slot for expansion. While Pocket PC phones lagged behind their non-phone brethren in the first few years, the XDA II and now the XDA III (Siemens SX66) give most Pocket PCs a run for the money when it comes to power and expandability.
The device has a quad band (850/900/1800/1900MHz) GSM radio that will work anywhere in the world where GSM service is available and has GPRS for data. Though the device is sold only through Cingular it is unlocked and works with other carriers' SIMs.
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Design and Ergonomics
Pocket PC phones target convergence users who wish to combine a PDA and mobile phone rather than carry two separate devices. Though the SX66 is larger than a cell phone, it is a more compact and convenient solution for many folks who currently carry two devices. It may seem strange to hold a PDA to your head, but in practice it's neither that strange nor uncomfortable. The top speaker and bottom mic are perfectly positioned for phone calls, and the unit is easier to hold than current miniaturized cell phones. The drawback is that the device is heavier than a traditional mobile phone and you may get some facial oils on the display which may look unsightly but won't harm the LCD. Of course, you can use the included stereo earbud headset or an optional Bluetooth headset and thus rarely have the device against your face.
The Siemens SX66 is the size of a large Pocket PC, and has pleasing curves that feel good in the hand. The unit is attractive and modern looking with a silver front bezel and black plastic back. The most striking feature is the phone's sliding design: slide the back half downward to reveal a QWERTY thumb keyboard with backlighting.
open with keyboard showing
back view
side view of Siemens SX66
Views of the phone with the slider open: front, back and side.
Buttons abound on the SX66, unlike most Pocket PC phones. While most PPC phones have only call send and end buttons and two application buttons on the front face, this unit adds 4 thin horizontal application buttons just below the display. This is great news for gamers, who often need several applications buttons for games and were left wanting with other PPC phones. The unit has a rounded rectangular direction pad that moves easily in all directions, supports diagonals and has a center action button. The speaker is located above the display and the mic is at the bottom of the phone, which is standard for units that double as phones.
On the left side you'll find the voice recorder button, volume slider, Windows Media Player button and the IR window. As with all Pocket PCs, you can re-assign different applications to all buttons except the dedicated call send and end buttons. The stereo 2.5mm headset jack is located on top, as are the SD slot and power button. The stylus lives in a silo on the top right and there are no buttons on the right side of the unit. As you'd expect, the sync/charge connector is located on the bottom. The user-replaceable Lithium Ion battery is inset into the back of the phone and sits flush. The battery door is integrated into the battery.
Horsepower and Performance
While not the fastest Pocket PC on the market, the Siemens SX66 is currently one of the fastest Pocket PC phones thanks to its state-of-the-art 400MHz Intel PXA263 XScale processor (the Samsung i730 running at 520 MHz is the fastest). Those of you who were wishing for an even faster processor should keep in mind that battery life suffers as processor speed increases. The SX66 is fast enough to please demanding users, gamers and avid video watchers. It has a generous 128 megs of RAM and 43.26 megs of Flash ROM available for program and data storage. That's considerably more Flash ROM than the Sprint version of this phone which has 14.57 megs, but the same amount of RAM. The unit uses an ATI graphics processor which gives good performance in gaming and video playback. All applications responded quickly and games run quite well on this device. It is a power user's dream to be sure. The SX66 has been very stable for us in three weeks of testing, and has proved a reliable companion on the road. For expansion, the unit has an SD slot that supports SDIO Now! This means you can use the slot for SD memory cards as well as networking cards, GPS and modems, though you generally won't be needing additional networking on this wireless jack of all trades.

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