Product Reviews

The term PDA (personal digital assistant) can be generally applied to any mobile device offering calendar/contacts and data management as well as data synchronisation to and from a PC. More recently, such devices have included multimedia elements, such as Palm's m505 (see Reviews, issue 82, p172), plus Internet/phone capabilities.

However, for those who don't want - or wouldn't use - these advanced features, Olivetti has introduced the XSmall. This mini-PDA offers many of the PIM functions of a larger PDA but forgoes the multimedia element, opting for credit card-sized ultra portability.

The XSmall is certainly aptly named and, once installed into the leatherette credit card holder, it's easily pocketed - much more so than a conventional PDA. However, a danger with making a device so small is that you compromise usability. Viewing data is certainly no problem, as the 55 x 35mm mono LCD equates to 150 x 100 pixels, which allows for six lines of text and some detailed icons. Operation is via a four-way directional thumbpad, which is slightly rotated to make it more natural in operation. There are also four other buttons on the main unit: one for quick access to the 12-digit calculator, a menu/power button, a view button and an enter button. This allows you easy access to the device's functions and is fairly intuitive.

However,

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this simple system is inadequate when it comes to editing or inputting data, so Olivetti has also included a foldaway QWERTY keyboard. With this attached you can search through the contacts database - something that's not otherwise possible.

This is a good way of providing extra functionality, but unfortunately the keyboard is disappointing in use. The size and layout are fine for the nimble fingered, but the keys are small and it can be difficult to type accurately. This isn't helped by the fact the keys are spongy and unresponsive, making the whole experience time-consuming and unproductive.

This alone wouldn't be enough to rule the XSmall out for serious business users, but the device has several other frustrating features. For example, the contacts database search engine is context sensitive, meaning you have to spell things exactly to obtain a match.

More impressive, though, is the ability to synchronise with most major PC information management software such as Outlook 2000. This works smoothly, but there's no active synchronisation software; you have to prompt the device to sync manually.

On the plus side, the XSmall was able to synchronise a 2,000-strong test database plus calendar while only using half of its 768K Flash memory space, and navigation was fast enough to be usable in a hurry. The applications are also good considering the limited resources, and the unit can give calendar alarm reminders just like a PDA.

The Olivetti XSmall is a good attempt at providing a flexible PIM in a small package. However, it's something of a compromise when compared to Pocket PC devices or Palms, and the usability issues are a cause for concern. For such a small device, the functions on offer are superb, but it simply doesn't offer the flexibility of its more powerful siblings. As such, stepping up to Palm's m100 (see Labs, issue 74, p135) would be a far better choice.