HTC Xda Mantle - we recently received a parcel from our network partner O2 containing a new device for us to evaluate and review - that device is the Xda Mantle. The background of the Xda Mantle is what you would normally expect in that everything under the hood is manufactured by HTC. The relationship HTC and O2 have goes back some 6 or 7 years now, so there are certainly no concerns over HTC's ability to meet an O2 brief on a new device.
Out of the box this is a far from insignificant device and is quite possibly one of the largest Windows Mobile devices Airtime Manager has ever seen. It also tips the scales at 220g, although it's lighter than it looks and when in the hand you notice the weight is distributed relatively evenly across the device.
The Mantle is certainly the heavyweight here, but there is a very good reason for this - the Mantle is not your average executive smartphone. Smartphones are always designed with the user in mind, and while your average executive would not want to walk around with something this big, the Mantle is designed with hard hats and steel toe cap boots in mind. It is without a doubt one of the most ruggedised devices we've come across for some time.
"The Xda Mantle combines great features with a robust, semi-ruggedised device. From logistics to warehousing and transportation, this full featured PDA fits perfectly into any industry." - O2 UK
So, diving in to the box we have exactly what you expect in terms of extras - spare stylus, wall charger, sync cable, screen protector (probably vital given the target market) and finally a very comprehensive case with space for cards, notes and spare memory cards and is secured with a sturdy Velcro clasp.
Moving on to the capabilities of the hardware this is, of course, a Windows Mobile device running variant '6 Professional'. The Mantle is a quad band device running on 3G and has both Wi-Fi and Bluetooth for short range wireless connectivity. HTC have gone for a 400MHz Qualcomm chipset in the Mantle (excellent choice of manufacturer for the 3G component) and combined with the 1500 mAh battery (one of the physically largest we've seen) provides over 7 hours of talktime when running on GSM and just under 5 hours when running on WCDMA (very impressive by any Windows Mobile standards).
The only element which confused us was that O2's technical breakdown of the Mantle showed a longer talktime on GSM than the standby time on GSM (by an hour) - we can't see how this is possible and assume it is a minor typo in the documentation.
Moving on to some of the other hardware we continued to be impressed. There is an interesting array of hardware buttons on the Mantle (again, probably incorporated for the target audience).One of these is a clickable trackwheel, very similar to that on earlier BlackBerry models which allows you to navigate the OS without having to dig out the stylus. Underneath the trackwheel you have an 'OK' button which closes whatever window you are in, so the combination of the button and the clickable trackwheel let you go in and out of whatever you want easily.
On the body of the device there are 8 hardware buttons - two at the top for email and web access, two under the screen for calendar and contacts, send and end call keys, a Windows menu key and another OK button. You also get a 4-way clickable pad and, saving the best to last, a fingerprint scanner to lock up sensitive files. There are also two heavy duty rubberized bungs (one on the side and one on the top) which, when opened, expose memory expansion slots for full sized SD cards allowing for expansion up to 32GB. The whole package is rounded off nicely with a GPS receiver and a 3.0 megapixel camera.
So what we have here is one of the most multifunctional, expandable, easiest to navigate and toughest Windows Mobile devices that we have come across. Are O2 about to sell out of them in their high street stores - no, but they won't expect to. What the Mantle is, is a workhorse destined for a harsh life in the hands of construction workers and motorcycle couriers, but it'll serve them well and it will survive longer than anything else would in such physically demanding environments.
Out of the box this is a far from insignificant device and is quite possibly one of the largest Windows Mobile devices Airtime Manager has ever seen. It also tips the scales at 220g, although it's lighter than it looks and when in the hand you notice the weight is distributed relatively evenly across the device.
The Mantle is certainly the heavyweight here, but there is a very good reason for this - the Mantle is not your average executive smartphone. Smartphones are always designed with the user in mind, and while your average executive would not want to walk around with something this big, the Mantle is designed with hard hats and steel toe cap boots in mind. It is without a doubt one of the most ruggedised devices we've come across for some time.
"The Xda Mantle combines great features with a robust, semi-ruggedised device. From logistics to warehousing and transportation, this full featured PDA fits perfectly into any industry." - O2 UK
So, diving in to the box we have exactly what you expect in terms of extras - spare stylus, wall charger, sync cable, screen protector (probably vital given the target market) and finally a very comprehensive case with space for cards, notes and spare memory cards and is secured with a sturdy Velcro clasp.
Moving on to the capabilities of the hardware this is, of course, a Windows Mobile device running variant '6 Professional'. The Mantle is a quad band device running on 3G and has both Wi-Fi and Bluetooth for short range wireless connectivity. HTC have gone for a 400MHz Qualcomm chipset in the Mantle (excellent choice of manufacturer for the 3G component) and combined with the 1500 mAh battery (one of the physically largest we've seen) provides over 7 hours of talktime when running on GSM and just under 5 hours when running on WCDMA (very impressive by any Windows Mobile standards).
The only element which confused us was that O2's technical breakdown of the Mantle showed a longer talktime on GSM than the standby time on GSM (by an hour) - we can't see how this is possible and assume it is a minor typo in the documentation.
Moving on to some of the other hardware we continued to be impressed. There is an interesting array of hardware buttons on the Mantle (again, probably incorporated for the target audience).One of these is a clickable trackwheel, very similar to that on earlier BlackBerry models which allows you to navigate the OS without having to dig out the stylus. Underneath the trackwheel you have an 'OK' button which closes whatever window you are in, so the combination of the button and the clickable trackwheel let you go in and out of whatever you want easily.
On the body of the device there are 8 hardware buttons - two at the top for email and web access, two under the screen for calendar and contacts, send and end call keys, a Windows menu key and another OK button. You also get a 4-way clickable pad and, saving the best to last, a fingerprint scanner to lock up sensitive files. There are also two heavy duty rubberized bungs (one on the side and one on the top) which, when opened, expose memory expansion slots for full sized SD cards allowing for expansion up to 32GB. The whole package is rounded off nicely with a GPS receiver and a 3.0 megapixel camera.
So what we have here is one of the most multifunctional, expandable, easiest to navigate and toughest Windows Mobile devices that we have come across. Are O2 about to sell out of them in their high street stores - no, but they won't expect to. What the Mantle is, is a workhorse destined for a harsh life in the hands of construction workers and motorcycle couriers, but it'll serve them well and it will survive longer than anything else would in such physically demanding environments.