The E-Ten glofiish X800 was first unveiled at CeBIT 2007. It created quite a stir among handheld enthusiasts because of the sheer number of features it managed to pack into its compact form factor. We managed to get our hands on a non-final unit. Here are our thoughts.

Design:
The X800 looks as good as it does in the photos. It is predominantly black in color with silver trimmings and a dash of red. It sits comfortably in our hand, thanks to the curved edges and compact form factor. We especially like the fact that it has a soft touch feel on the sides and that the silver portions are not too glossy, so there weren't problems with fingerprint smudges.

The dimensions of the X800 are 113.5 x 60.5 x 15.8mm, which is smaller than other handhelds with VGA displays like the O2 Xda Flame and Dopod U1000. Compared with the HTC P3600i, the X800 is longer but slimmer. That is an important comparison because its features are almost identical to the HTC, and we suspect many will be making a choice between the two.

Quite a few buttons sit on the front of the X800, under the screen. These include Start and OK keys found very close to the base, which are very thin, and we found we had to use our fingernails to press them. The power button on the right side of the handheld shares the same color as the side, black. It is small and not very pronounced and may be difficult to find when in a dark location. The same applies to the volume control rocker on the left side. These side buttons could all do with a little more tactile feedback for ease of use.

The X800 uses a mini-USB port for charging and syncing. It has a separate 2.5mm audio mini-jack for connecting a headset, something that is missing in the P3600i. For memory expansion, it uses the microSD format. That slot has a plastic dust cover and is found on its base beside the mini-USB port.

Features:
One of this handheld's main features is its VGA-resolution display. Though it wasn't retina-burning bright, we found its backlight sufficient for normal use. Like the E-Ten X500+ before it, having more pixels has its advantages. You see more of a Web page when surfing a site on the browser, and Excel sheets certainly get a boost.

Because the firmware is not yet final on the review unit, we cannot pass judgment on its wireless performance. We can confirm though that the X800 comes with a Samsung 500Mhz processor, similar to the HTC P3600i. According to earlier reports, the GPS module in it is the SiRF Star III, which is found in previous E-Ten products like the M700 as well.

Outlook:
Though it was originally slated for a September release, we have now been informed that the X800 will be available only in October. Though pricing has not been fixed, we suspect that it will come at a slight premium over the HTC P3600i. That would be a fair asking price considering its higher screen resolution and SiRF Star III GPS module. Check back for a full performance review once we get our hands on a final production unit.

Eten Glofiish X800 review
November 27th, 2007

Having used the Eten Glofiish X800 for a few days now here are my initial findings.

Firstly, having read a little about this machine, I was expecting it to be larger than I would have liked, as it measures 113.5 x 60.5 x 15.8 mm. Although it is on the large side it is not unpleasant and fits nicely in the hand, and pocket for that matter.



I was also expecting a wow factor from the VGA screen and this is ultra sharp, but not as vibrant as I would have liked, this has now been resolved, I believe, with a software upgrade from Eten.

The wow factor does come from the 3.5 Mbps HSDPA, application downloads and emails are lightening quick, a 300k file loaded as quick as you could see it! Add to that the fact that it also includes quad-band GSM and EDGE-enabled GPRS, not to mention 3G and GPS. It certainly packs in pretty much everything that you could need or ask for.

What's in the box?
# The X800
# USB sync cable
# AC adaptor
# 2.5mm stereo headset
# spare stylus
# battery
# Getting started software CD's and quickstart guide
# a 'leather' case with belt clip
# screen protector

ETEN Glofiish X800 Specification:
# Windows Mobile 6 Professional
# 500Mhz 32bit Samsung SC32442 CPU
# 128MB ROM, 64MB RAM
# VGA (480x640) Touchscreen
# GSM850, GSM900, GSM1800, GSM1900, UMTS2100
# CSD, GPRS, EDGE, UMTS, HSDPA
# SDIO, microSD, TransFlash
# WiFi: 802.11b, 802.11g
# GPS: SiRF Star III , 20 channels
# Bluetooth 2.0
# 2 Megapixel primary camera
# Front mounted VGA camera for Video calling
# 1530 mAh Lithium Polymer Battery
# 113.5x60.5x15.8 mm
# 160 grams

General

The left side of the PDA holds the volume rocker switch, voice command button, reset hole, and the headset jack.


X800 left side

On the right side are the power and camera buttons.

X800 right side

The bottom of the device houses the telescopic stylus, microphone, mini USB slot and the microSD card, which for me is very fiddly with the card being so small, but at least it is accessible without having to take the device apart.


X800 bottom

The phone does feel solid and well made and it has been well laid out overall. The back of the unit holds the 2 Megapixel primary camera which has autofocus, mirror and a flash, which doubles as a flashlight. And then there is the VGA camera on the front for video calling.


X800 back

A point to mention here is the back casing, also commented on in Matt's unboxing video, which takes some effort to pull off and you do get the feeling that at some time you are going to break it. Also the first time I put the battery in its holder I didn't notice the two little lugs on the side of the battery and once seated I couldn't get the back cover on, the battery was now wedged in, to the point that it was very difficult to remove it without force, so don't rush in as I did!

The X800 has a number of back-lit buttons. These include a four-way mini-joystick, not being a D pad/joystick user this one isn't bad and is quite nice to use, but isn't it quicker just to tap the screen? The usual 'send' and 'end' call keys, left and right soft keys, a dedicated GPS key for launching the GPS viewer and another to open up a quick launch panel. On top of that there is a Windows button and an OK button used to close apps in a quick and easy fashion. All very useful in themselves but of course the only input method available is the touchscreen as there is no keyboard of any kind.


X800 Keypad

Software

As I mentioned earlier, even when it's set to the highest brightness, the screen just isn't as bright as it should be. Putting the X800 alongside my existing phone it appeared quite dim. However, this is prior to the ROM upgrade which which has just been released by Eten which promises to address this issue.

Windows Mobile 6 Professional is included which has now become the defacto standard, and the useful additions of a Task Manager icon, and the aforementioned quick launch buttons make this machine very user friendly.

Eten have also included Spb Mobile Shell, a TouchFLO style icon panel from which you can launch popularly used programs, Time and date settings including alarms, 5 day weather and a speed dial tab. All of which are changeable to suit your own preference.

Another mention here of the speed dial softkey which launches a speed dial application, but with this application you get 2 types for input method. The first being a list of your most used and latest dialled numbers on a large keypad for quick redialling, and then you have the option to switch to an index dial, this allows you touch another large keypad containing a number pad and the alphabet, press a letter and it brings up all your contacts that contain that letter, much more usable than the normal Windows contact list.

There is the usual mobile Excel, PowerPoint and Word installed, a program called Location SMS which allows you to send your current location to someone else via SMS, a GPS position updater program which can be manual or automatic, and a GPS viewer to see what satellites you are connecting to and fixed into, either as a compass or as a globe, accessed as I mentioned via either the dedicated GPS button or the screen.

Camera functionality from the 2 megapixel camera is fine, the layout and function buttons are again well thought out, I was impressed with the video quality in various lighting conditions.


X800 camera

The camera button is in the wrong place in my opinion as whenever I hold the phone my finger naturally rests on the button, when making calls, dialling etc. And more than once I have pressed it and launched the camera without realising.

Highlights
# The speed dial program
# The autofocus on the camera which I have not had before and is a welcome addition.
# The freebies such as the case and screen protector.

Lowlights
# Screen brightness as spoken about now apparently fixed.
# Voice call quality was also awful, on more than one occasion I had to use speakerphone to understand the person I was talking to, but once again Eten have addressed this problem in the latest ROM update which is already available. Having run this patch it is much improved.
# The 500 MHz 32bit Samsung processor, seems a bit unreliable, most of the time things run really quickly but annoyingly at times it takes forever to get going.



Conclusion

The size of the unit could be an issue for some, I thought it would be for me but it is not a problem. It is a more than capable machine and I am sure that with a bit more use and a bit more familiarity I could get really used to it on a day to day basis. The niggles with the screen and call quality appear to be behind us.

I haven't seen anyone quote battery expectancy as yet, I did come across an alleged 7 hours talk time and 150 hours standby. I found that with normal daily use with a little internet surfing and phone calls I would get around 2 days, heavier use today resulted in a score of 40% life left. Obviously it really depends on what you are using it for as to how much time you will get.


Looks like the Eten range is set to challenge the 'big boys' and with the range they have now it is likely that they will fair very well, it has one or two gripes but well worth considering, and very capable.

Review by: Steve

wm6 os, phone, gps, 3G and VGA galore.. nice would be among my target but Eten availabilty quite loew here

I'm just waiting for the m800....... Would prefer the slide out keyboard, even though it comes with a premium.

It would be nice if it has another 64mb of ram to it. Not too sure how good is the Samsung processor though.

I used to own an Eten device in the form of M500 and I think it was really good. Only letdown from my opinion on Eten's products is the quality. Support is also another aspect to consider when buying Eten.

Ram seems a bit low.
Afraid that the center joystick will give problems in the long run.

RAM again...
the center joystick no comment, haha....

cos seldom use joystick, always use the touch screen ma...

I know but some times it would be faster & easier to use the center pad. Especially if using one hand

sean,

msmobile issue some problem here
http://msmobiles.com/news.php/6920.html

do you mean you already have it ?
well youve mention to use images of of x800 or x800 captures images ?

do you mean you already have it ?
well youve mention to use images of of x800 or x800 captures images ?

I was about to ask the same question...