E-TEN glofiish X800 review

E-TEN glofiish X800 Review

Reviewed by: Andrew Lim

Reviewed on: 5 February 2008

Considering the various connection options, getting emails was a snap. Of course, it all works over Windows Mobile 6 Professional so it's primarily aimed at Microsoft Exchange users. But here's the rub: there's no Qwerty keypad, so you have to type on the touchscreen.

In a nice design touch, E-TEN has added red rings around the two cameras on the X800

We're not against virtual keypads, per se, but if you love to write long emails out on mechanical Qwerty keypads, then you and this phone are going to get along like water and oil. Fortunately, the on-screen, 'Easy Keyboard' option isn't too painful to use but you'll still need the stylus.

Performance
During our tests, we found audio quality during calls on the X800 transmitted loud and clear. This was also the case for the loudspeaker, which, at full volume, conducted plenty of sound waves for our eardrums to enjoy. There's also the option to use Bluetooth for calls, which we also used without any problems.

Sadly, with only 64MB of RAM, running several apps at the same time was slower than we would have liked. It's a shame E-TEN didn't put more RAM in this phone to speed its performance.

While you shouldn't be aiming to shoot Gurskys on this 2-megapixel camera, you can still send MMS pictures to your friends and colleagues and at a push, produce small prints. The X800 also includes video capabilities, but don't expect to be Gondry either.

Battery life is quoted at 5 to 7 hours talk time. Overall, we were disappointed with the battery performance, particularly when we used all of the features intermittently. We had to charge the X800 before the end of on day, which isn't great.

Conclusion
While its products aren't necessarily on the cutting edge, E-TEN still produces quality handsets. The X800 features a solid casing and comes with many useful features. Unfortunately, it's let down by a lack of RAM and droopy battery life.

If this device had moved into the mobile market a few years ago, it might have revolutionised the whole smart phone block. Looking at it now, among the high-rising N95 8GB and innovative TyTN II, we can't help but feel that it's just skipping down the wrong street.

Edited by Jason Jenkins
Additional editing by Shannon Doubleday