MWg Atom V Review
Written on 4/05/2008 08:24:00 AM by poison_ivy
The Atom V is MWg's first phone out since it changed its name from O2. The MWg Atom V has all the features of the former Atom Life but with a slimmer profile.
Design
I've seen my share of PDA Phones from O2 but so far, the Atom V is the slimmest PDA Phone I've seen. Though not really super thin like most smartphones out in the market, *cough*iPhone*cough*, it is still pretty slim compared with the previous Atom Life. Though it is slimmer, the MWg Atom V is noticeably wider than the Atom Life, making it less compact than its predecessor. The MWg Atom V is HTC Touch Cruise's main competitor. The MWg Atom V did away with the raised bezel, making this device more “finger-friendly”. Ever since Apple introduced the iPhone, using a stylus for your PDA seems so 10 years ago.
The MWg Atom V, like the HTC Touch Cruise, has a circular directional pad, however, it lacks the circular motion that the HTC Touch Cruise has. I don't know why there's a need to make the directional pad circular, it takes up too much space on the device and MWg would have done better if they made it smaller and increased the screen size to 3 inch instead of the regular 2.8 inch.
Features, Performance, and Complaints
Though the MWg Atom V looks like a better version of the Atom Life design-wise, underneath the device is another story. While the Atom Life runs on a 624MHz processor, the Atom V only has a 520MHz processor which seems like a downgrade considering that both device have 64MB of RAM. MWg could have done better by upping the RAM to increase performance. Atom Life users would find that the MWg Atom V is less responsive compared with their previous device. Add to the fact that there seems to be a somewhat delayed response time with the touchscreen LCD.
Comparing the swiping motion on the HTC Touch Cruise and iPhone, the MWg Atom V is in last place. There's a noticeable lag when swiping through the buttons on the homescreen and it is not as responsive compared with HTC Touch Cruise and of course, the iPhone. Maybe it's my own personal bias but I always find that O2's PDA phones suffer from more freezing and resets compared with HTC's PDA phones.
One major update that the MWg Atom V has over the Atom Life is GPS. This is one of the deciding factors why I have purchased my Dopod D810 (HTC P3600i) over the Atom Life. The MWg Atom V has a SiRFStar III chipset. Since GPS is just an added feature on this device, obtaining satellite signals takes quite a while which is something that I'm used to with my HTC P3600i. This would probably frustrate those who are used to a stand alone GPS device.
Aside from the slow response time, low RAM, and slower processor, another thing I hated about the MWg Atom V is that it lacks an internal camera for video calls. I won't even bother reviewing the camera. Like the camera on every PDA phones, it sucks so if you're after a good camera phone, look elsewhere other than the MWg Atom V.
Conclusion
I have to give the MWg Atom V points for design. At first glance, this device is definitely mouthwatering. However, since HTC Touch Cruise offers almost the same specs with a higher RAM, I'd point you in that direction unless of course, the design of the MWg Atom V really got to you.
Posted in
Windows Mobile
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You think the Atom V is slow? You should try the Toshiba G910! The Atom V fies like light in comparison.
I liked the Atom V on the whole though. It offers nothing new, but it does what it says it does with minimal fuss and is actually a usable PDA.
You're right about the camera though - so bad I don't know why they bother (well, I do - it's so they can add it to the features list!)
You can check out my hands-on review of the MWg Atom V here:
http://mobilementalism.com/mwg-atom-v-review/
MWG/O2 has a reputation of very poor after sales support. Some of the troubleshooting features mantioned in the MWG website does not even work. Both network and sound quality of the device is very poor.
I Agree!
It's response is slow and there is a noticeable delay opening any applications. I'm using it for three months now and feels frustated sometime with the un-responsive touch screen.
what more can i say. was burnt by the O2 atom xda life. had xda II and excellent but had atoms, then bought two life phones by O2 for my business and had problems from day 1.
if you want to see FACTUAL examples of videos and the problems ive had see the link below.
Thanks