The E-TEN P300

The E-TEN P300 is the latest of a number of innovative convergent devices to hit the U.S. consumer market. The P300 has the smallest form factor yet for a Windows Mobile Pocket PC with integrated phone. In addition to this, its excellent ergonomics and attractive trim have made it a hit with most of the staff here at the magazine. (I can't count how many times I've heard, "Where can I get one?" or "I want one!") If you carry a cell phone and a Pocket PC, but haven't been attracted to the larger and heavier Phone Edition Pocket PCs, the P300 may be just what you need.

Smaller screen

One of the first things you notice about the P300 is its smaller display. It has the same 320x240-pixel resolution as a standard Pocket PC screen, but a diagonal measurement of only 2.8 inches. Other Pocket PCs have 3.5- to 4-inch screens. Since this is a Pocket PC and not a Smartphone, the display is a touchscreen. You can use a stylus or your finger to access functions and input information by tapping on it. The screen is recessed from the front surface of the device, which provides a little more protection and helps to insure that your face doesn't touch the screen and accidentally activate a function while you're talking to someone. The display uses transflective technology, making it very readable inside and reasonably so outdoors. The latter is a necessity for everyday phone use. The P300 has a 12-bit color screen that is capable of displaying 4,096 colors. It looks a little washed out when compared with the 16-bit, 65,000-color displays found on most Pocket PCs.

"Unlocked" GSM/GPRS phone

The P300 has a tri-band phone built into it. It must be used on a GSM/GPRS wireless network, such as the T-Mobile or AT&T Wireless networks in the U.S. Fortunately the P300 has an unlocked phone, which means you can slip in a SIM (Subscriber Identity Module) card and use it with almost any GSM/GPRS carrier worldwide. The SIM card is easily installed in or removed from a slot located under the P300's removable battery.

Built-in digital camera

The P300 has a built-in "Web" quality (640x480) camera capable of taking digital photos and video clips. The lens of the camera is located on the front of the device, just above the right side of the screen. Because it points towards the P300 user, it's not really designed to be used like a stand-alone digital camera. Instead, you might use it to take a picture of yourself or make a short video message, and then attach it to an e-mail and send it to someone.

The P300's built-in camera captures digital images or video clips.

Relatively fast device with an excellent speaker

The P300 is powered by a 200 MHz Hitachi ARM 9 processor. It's fairly fast and for the most part did a great job of running the built-in software. The device comes with 64 MB of SDRAM to run applications and store data, and 32 MB of flash ROM to store the OS and other built-in programs.

The speaker is located at the top of the device and the microphone at the bottom. The speaker produces clear audio at a reasonably loud volume—good enough so that you can listen to your favorite MP3s without using the headset. When you answer the phone or make a call, the P300 automatically lowers the speaker volume so that you can put it up to your ear. The P300 has a combination stereo headphone/external microphone jack located on the top edge of the device, and comes with a really nice microphone/headset combo that includes an adjustable volume control and a button for initiating or answering phone calls.