O2 Xda Flame
$1,498
Available at O2 retailers

The O2 Xda Flame is one giant of a PDA-phone - it measures 126mm x 74mm x 17.5mm - think first-generation Palm Pilots, which were as big as a person's palm.

That said, big in this case may not be so bad, since the Flame is positioned as an entertainment device, given its dedicated NVidia GoForce 5500 processor and huge 3.6-inch VGA touchscreen.

Flame is the first PDA-phone to boast a dedicated graphics processing unit (GPU). O2 claims that the GPU gives 'console-class 3D gaming', DVD-quality video and allows the gizmo to display 3D charts and diagrams, among other things.

The smartphone has a slew of entertainment features that put it ahead of its rivals. There's a TV-output cable that lets you view photos, watch videos or give presentations on projectors or large LCD TVs.

You can even use the device as a universal remote control! The Flame comes with common infrared codes, and I found that there were out-of-the-box presets for my Samsung TV. Presets are available for most major brands.

While I had to program it to work with my StarHub cable box, that task was pretty brainless and took little time.

Its USB On-the-Go is a rare feature in PDA-phones. You can plug a mass storage device into the supplied adaptor and it will show up as a drive in File Explorer on your computer.

To test its graphics prowess, I downloaded photos, movie trailers and games into the gizmo and the O2 Atom Life, which has a slightly faster Intel XScale PXA270 at 624MHz and has 64MB RAM, but no graphics processor.

I couldn't tell the difference in picture quality between these two phones - both produced equally good visuals.

The 2-megapixel digital camera took decent pictures. Its auto focus was generally quick and accurate too. Music output was clear, with strong bass. Earphones are plugged into a 2.5mm mini-jack at the bottom of the device.

Voice quality was good, but I found it tiresome to hold on to the device's bulky frame whenever I talked on the phone for longer periods.

It takes about two seconds for the screen to come on after you press the power button, which can be quite annoying when you are in a hurry.

FINAL SAY

Good PDA phone for work and entertainment. The phone's bulk takes some getting used to, but that's the price you have to bear for the delightfully large screen.