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This keyboard is one of the best keyboards I have seen on a Pocket PC so far.  It is a full qwerty keyboard with added keys along the top to control the phone, and two additional buttons mapped to the on screen soft buttons unique to the Windows Mobile 5 environment.

As can be seen, all the keys are nicely raised and curved which makes them easy to find while touch typing two finger style.  There is the light sensor in the upper left that enables the key backlight when it senses it is dark enough.  With the key backlight on, everything on the keyboard is easily visible and easy to find.

Two finger typing responding to SMS and email messages is nice and quick, although I found it easier to have the XDA Exec sitting on a firm surface like a table or book while typing.

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By far, the best feature of the XDA Exec is the magnificent VGA screen.  All of the applications in the mobile office suite look fantastic, with heaps of visible area to work with.  Excel and Word Mobile are simply a pleasure to use, as well as impressive graphics on VGA compatible games.  If you require a VGA screen that is bright, crisp and clear, then you should investigate the XDA Exec as your next Pocket PC.

My favourite application - OziExplorer - just looks so good on this screen.

As with the I-Mate JASJAR, my main concern is dust migration into the well constructed and solid hinge.  Unfortunately for me, the territory around Dubbo (central NSW) is made from fine red dust, making this Pocket PC unsuitable for my requirements.  However, considering this device was designed with business professionals in mind, it would be well suited to a nice and clean office environment.

Although this review device has been around most of the press by now, there is some play in the hinge which is another concern for me.

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Performance

At the heart of the XDA Exec beats an Intel PXA270 X-Scale processor running at 512 MHz.  At the time of writing, I have been using this device as my Pocket PC and Phone for a few days and am a little disappointed in the overall performance.  After enjoying my XDA Atom experience, I anticipated improved performance from the XDA Exec, but have found it slightly slower to perform day to day tasks than my XDA Atom.  Perhaps this is due to more processing required to drive the VGA screen.

Overall, Office applications, VGA compatible games, Windows Media Player 10 and my favourite third party applications run without much fuss.  I have noticed a substantial delay while switching between landscape and portrait views, particularly with the included O₂ Active User Interface running.

Software

Since most of the applications bundled with Windows Mobile 5.0 have been well documented, I will only make brief comments about those.

Pocket Office: Word Mobile, Excel Mobile, PowerPoint Mobile

With an impressive VGA screen (640 x 480 pixels), Office Mobile applications have more screen real estate to use, and more information is visible.  It is a joy using Excel and Word Mobile compared to using these applications on a QVGA screen (320 x 240 pixels).

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Microsoft Windows Media Player

Windows Media Player 10 is nice to use, and has the ability to have music and play lists synchronised with your desktop or laptop computer.  Music through the stereo speakers sounds loud and clear, although a graphic equaliser as included in the XDA Atom would make it sound better still.

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Microsoft Pictures

Microsoft Pictures enables the user to view and edit photo's on the device.

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Microsoft MSN Messenger

With Microsoft MSN Messenger, you can keep in touch with family and friends while on the move, either through GPRS, WCDMA or through a WiFi Hotspot.

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Microsoft Pocket Internet Explorer

The VGA screen makes a huge difference while surfing the internet with Pocket IE.

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Camera

For some unknown reason, SOTI Pocket Controller Professional refused to allow a screen shot of the camera in action.  As a result I can only show the camera quality and this photo shows the quality of the camera and it is of my front yard.

The application opens relatively quickly, and photo's are comparable to other 1.3 Megapixels Pocket PCs on the market.

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O₂ User Interface

O₂ User Interface is a nice addition, and grants access to most of the common settings and tasks from the today screen.  With this application running, third party applications like Spb Weather won't run correctly requiring a soft reset to remedy.  There is an option after a hard reset to install and run O₂ UI, or leave the Today Screen so that third party applications can run.

I quite enjoyed having this application on my Today Screen, and found it gave a fresh new look to the fast becoming popular standard WM5.0 Today Screen.

Another inclusion is a very good task manager that shows not only running programs, but also running processes.

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Phone

If you live in an area that has 3G Network coverage, then you will enjoy the new video phone features only available to 3G devices.  As I do not live in a 3G coverage area, I was unable to test all the features offered by 3G.

If used as a standard GSM phone, audio quality is excellent, being crisp and clear.  The device has good audio output, meaning there is more chance to hear your phone in noisier environments.

Voice Dial works reliably, and works through the Bluetooth devices I have.  This means that Voice Dial can be activated from the multifunction button on your headset and voice commands issued through the headset.  The XDA Exec can sit in your pocket, or the centre console of your vehicle and used as a phone through the headset alone.

Compatible Hardware

Conclusions

Pros:
The XDA Exec, in my opinion, was designed with the business professional in mind.  It is packed full of features including VGA screen, full qwerty keyboard, flip screen to use laptop or PDA style, two cameras (1.3 Megapixels for photo's and video, the other for video calls), 3G Network capable, Bluetooth that works brilliantly through compatible headsets... and the list goes on.

Cons:
This is a large device, weighs probably 50% more than the XDA II or XDA IIi and is slightly slower than the latest XDA Atom despite using an Intel PXA270 X-Scale processor running at 520 MHz.

Despite these points, the XDA Exec is good for what it was designed for.