E-Ten Glofiish X500+
Glofiish X500+ is an upgrade of the popular model. But it got something more than just a plus in its name. In fact, its configuration has not been changed. Its modifications have to do with exterior - VGA display (640x480) and preinstalled Windows Mobile 6. There are also some minor changes. However, we have a question with regard to no configurational changes: will the new display and OS affect performance of this device? The X500 had no problems here, but the additional load still causes some concern.
Official Specifications
ETen Glofiish X500+, general features:
- Samsung S3C2410 400MHz processor
- 64 MB of memory
- 128 MB of flash ROM,
- Windows Mobile 6.0
- VGA 640x480 display, 2.8"
- Wireless interfaces: Bluetooth v2.0+EDR, Wi-Fi IEEE 802.11 b
- MicroSD slot with SDIO support
- 2 Mp camera. LED backlight. The camera allows to take 1600x1200 photos
- Dimensions: 113x59.5x15.5 mm, 146 g
- 1530 mAh battery (Li-Ion)
ETen Glofiish X500+ (communications):
- GSM 850, 900,1800,1900
- EGDE, GPRS Class B, Multislot Class 10
- The manufacturer claims that the continuous talking time of the device is 3.5-4 hours, 120-150 hours of standby time
Exterior
The case itself suffered almost no changes, but it has new coating - so called soft-touch. It's really soft and nice by touch. Although it looks bulky, this communicator fits even into a little palm without any problems. Its case is not slippery. It's equipped with the same buttons. Only the volume controls have marks now, so that you can easily grope for them as you talk.
The GPS and M-Desk buttons are located above the display. There are two phone buttons, context buttons, and a rectangular joystick under the display. The buttons are large and quite convenient to use, with a slightly tight stroke. The only gripe I have is with the joystick - it's very tight, and I sometimes scrolled two pages instead of one, when I read a book. You'll get used to it, of course. So scrolling pages won't be a problem. But it's irritating at first.
There is a camera button, a power button, and a reset hole on the right side. The left side houses volume control buttons, a voice recorder button, and a headphone jack (Jack 2.5).
The buttons are arranged well, just like in the previous model. But I again want to complain about the lack of a button to open the start menu and to close applications. On the other hand, a user can assign these functions to the context buttons, risking to run out of vacant buttons for all your needs.
There are no controls on top of the device. Its bottom holds a mini-USB jack, a microSD slot, and a stylus bay. The stylus is telescopic, quite long at that. I have the same gripe with its location as in the previous model - when you open the back lid of the communicator, the stylus always slides out of its bay.
The rear panel houses a lens of the 2-Mp camera, a LED flash, and a self-portrait mirror with a speaker near it. There is a connector for an external GPS antenna over the speaker protected with a rubber plug.
The communicator is highly ergonomic. The new case coating produces a very nice impression. I'd like to say special thanks for the marks on the volume buttons. As I have already mentioned above, I have only one gripe - there is no button to close applications. Assigning this function to a context button does not solve the problem completely, because context buttons are also frequently used.
