It is easy to type messages and input data on the Dopod C800, using a sliding QWERTY keypad.

Or course, if you prefer, you can also use the provided handwriting recognition to input data by writing on the PDA's screen.

Its slim body measures 109mm x 59mm x 17mm in length, width and thickness and it has an acceptable weight of 168 grams.

The C800 features a very bright 2.8-inch screen at a resolution of 240 x 320 pixels in 65K colours. However, the test found that under bright sunlight, the screen was hard to read.

Dopod C800 is driven by the Windows Mobile 5.0 operating system, allowing you to check e-mails and browse the Internet on the go.

The operating system package provides all the necessary applications for accessing PDF, Word, Excel and PowerPoint documents on the go.

The C800 does not provide a dial-up networking feature but it comes with an Internet Sharing feature, which can provide an Internet connection to your notebook or desktop computer using a USB cable or Bluetooth link. The Internet Sharing feature allows a very easy connection.

It has built-in Bluetooth v2.0 and WiFi 802.11g adapters. The C800 has 64 megabytes of useable memory, which can be expanded using a Micro SD card.

The C800 is powered by a TI OMAP 850 processor, which runs at 201 MHz. The PDA could have been perfect had Dopod used a much faster CPU. The test found that the PDA handled most applications fast enough but it crawled when browsing its own Windows folder, which has several sub-folders.

On the phone feature, the C800 featurse Quad-band GSM at 850/900/1800/1900 MHz and supports the fast EDGE or Enhanced Data GSM Environment connection apart from the GPRS data connection.

The test found that the sound quality of the phone very clear and the microphone was able to reduce environmental noises. The PDA phone also features a two-megapixel CMOS camera. The Dopod C800 has a suggested retail price of Bt30,900, including VAT.

THE NATION