Original URL: http://www.reghardware.co.uk/2006/10/27/o2_asus_prep_xda_launches/
Cellco O2's new smart phone design and manufacturing partner is Taiwan's Asus, it has emerged after details of the upcoming XDA Zinc and Graphite - aka 'Mars 2' and 'Jupiter' - appeared, ahead of their launch, on the US Federal Communications Commission's website this week.
The carrier's decision to part ways with the original XDA manufacturer, HTC, was confirmed by Reg Hardware (http://www.theregister.co.uk/2006/09/22/htc_splits_with_o2/) in September. At the time, O2 wouldn't say why it was no longer working with HTC, only that it was looking forward to building new partnerships going forward.
HTC's growing unwillingness to stay behind the scenes and to establish its own name as a smart phone brand may well have encouraged O2 to switch. Smart phone seller i-mate, also a long-time HTC partner, has of late shown off devices made by companies other than HTC.
Zinc is a 3G device not unlike HTC's TyTN. It's a PDA-style device with a slide out QWERTY keyboard. Specification details published by the FCC reveal it's based on a 520MHz Intel PXA270 processor, 64MB of RAM and 128MB of Flash ROM. It sports a 2.8in, 240 x 320, 65,536-colour display.
There's two megapixel autofocus camera on the back, a Mini SD slot for memory expansion, and both Bluetooth 2.0 and 802.11b/g Wi-Fi for connectivity beyond 3G and GSM (it's tri-band) networks. Zinc measures 10.9 x 5.8 x 2.3cm and weighs 165g with the 1,300mAh battery in place.
Graphite is a candybar handset. It too is a tri-band GSM and 3G device with 64MB of RAM and 128MB of Flash on board. Its PXA270 processor is clocked to 416MHz, and its screen measures 2.2in. It uses MicroSD for expansion, but the slot's under the 1,100mAh battery. It has Bluetooth 2.0 on board but no Wi-Fi.
Interestingly, the spec sheet describes Graphite's USB controller as being capable of operating in both client and host modes, so the phone should be able to connect to devices like printers and cameras to send and receive data.
Trivia fans might care to know that while Zinc is codenamed 'Mars II', Graphite is codenamed 'Jupiter'. ®
Nokia N73 3G smart phone (http://www.reghardware.co.uk/2006/10/25/review_nokia_n73/)
Orange SPV M3100 3G handset (http://www.reghardware.co.uk/2006/08/30/review_orange_spv_m3100/)
HTC TyTN 'super 3G' smart phone (http://www.reghardware.co.uk/2006/07/31/review_htc_tytn/)
O2 confirms XDA Zinc zapped (4 April 2007)
http://www.reghardware.co.uk/2007/04/04/o2_confirms_zinc_zapped/
O2 offers smart-phone buyers Graphite (9 March 2007)
http://www.reghardware.co.uk/2007/03/09/o2_ships_xda_graphite/
O2 delays XDA Zinc roll-out (15 January 2007)
http://www.reghardware.co.uk/2007/01/15/o2_delays_zinc/
Quanta preps Apollo PDA phone for O2 (1 December 2006)
http://www.reghardware.co.uk/2006/12/01/quanta_preps_apollo_for_o2/
O2's 3G PDA phone to debut Jan '07 (30 November 2006)
http://www.reghardware.co.uk/2006/11/30/o2_xda_zinc_due_jan_07/
O2 UK ships XDA Orbit GPS smart phone (28 November 2006)
http://www.reghardware.co.uk/2006/11/28/o2_ships_orbit/
O2 readies XDA Flame PMP phone (22 November 2006)
http://www.reghardware.co.uk/2006/11/22/o2_preps_flame_pmp_phone/
i-mate unveils candybar-sized PDA phone (22 November 2006)
http://www.reghardware.co.uk/2006/11/22/i-mate_unveils_latest_smart_phones/
Symbol readies slimmer corporate PDA phone? (17 November 2006)
http://www.reghardware.co.uk/2006/11/17/symbol_preps_mc35_pda/
Pantech punts 3G music phone through Orange (6 November 2006)
http://www.reghardware.co.uk/2006/11/06/orange_offers_pantech_u4000/
Greeks says Asus media centre PC is a joke - literally (3 November 2006)
http://www.reghardware.co.uk/2006/11/03/asus_asteio_joke/
Asus kits out Lamborghini VX1 Golden Edition laptop (2 November 2006)
http://www.reghardware.co.uk/2006/11/02/asus_lamborghini_golden_edition/
O2 offers Asus-made XDA as the IQ (30 October 2006)
http://www.reghardware.co.uk/2006/10/30/o2_sells_xda_iq/
E-Ten touts 'world's thinnest' PocketPC phone (30 October 2006)
http://www.reghardware.co.uk/2006/10/30/e-ten_glofiish_phone/
O2 Jet talk-targeted frill-free phone flies in (10 October 2006)
http://www.reghardware.co.uk/2006/10/10/o2_flies_in_jet/
HTC and O2 split over XDA future (22 September 2006)
http://www.reghardware.co.uk/2006/09/22/htc_splits_with_o2/
O2 unwraps latest XDA smart phones in Germany (19 September 2006)
http://www.reghardware.co.uk/2006/09/19/o2_unveils_xda_phones/
O2 eyes Ice to drive consumer 3G demand (16 August 2006)
http://www.reghardware.co.uk/2006/08/16/o2_preps_ice/
LG, Samsung clamshells coming for O2's i-mode (11 July 2006)
http://www.reghardware.co.uk/2006/07/11/lg_samsung_ready_i-mode_phones/
O2 preps basic phone for business users (9 June 2006)
http://www.reghardware.co.uk/2006/06/09/o2_readies_business_phone/