E-Ten Glofiish X500+ Review

The full E-Ten Glofiish X500+ Review

E-TEN is never contented with releasing just another smartphone. The company always has to do something special, something different, something unique. In the case of the glofiish X500+ this is combining GPS, Wi-Fi, Windows Mobile 6 Professional and a 640 x 480 pixel display in a normal sized smartphone. Oh, and there is an FM radio too.

High-definition display

Now, while we've seen all those features before, even the high resolution screen, this is the first time we've seen them in combination.

The screen is probably the feature you'll come to take for granted soonest. It measures 2.8 inches corner to corner so is on a par with other Windows Mobile Pocket PC screens, and its higher resolution is something you'll just come to expect as normal after a short while. That is not to say it doesn't add a degree of clarity over more usual 240 x 320 pixel screens, just that it doesn't shout out at you every time you switch the gloffish X500+ on.

GPS sat nav built-in

Slowly but surely, GPS is becoming a 'must have' addition to any smartphone. Sure, you can get by without it. But with it all you need to add is navigation software and you've got a satellite navigation device in your pocket.
E-TEN doesn't go as far as including satellite navigation software with the X500+, but it does include one little utility you can use without any extra software. It's called Location SMS, and you can use it to send a text message which includes your current latitude and longitude. There are some predefined messages but it's easy to either edit these or create your own from scratch.

Bundled software

E-TEN is always generous with bundled software and in this case there is plenty to augment what you get as part of Windows Mobile 6 Professional. This latest version of Windows Mobile is itself still not by any means in all new Pocket PCs. It has many advantages over Windows Mobile 5.0 - far too many to list here.

E-TEN's additions include utilities like backup and restore software, block and allow lists for the telephone, and software for editing photos that you shoot with the built-in 2.0 megapixel camera.

Namecard Manager

Then there's something called Namecard Manager. You take a photograph of a business card and then capture the contents into the contacts application. We found that when this works well it is really very good though it does have trouble with some business cards.

You also get a utility that can put tappable icons for every application of the system onto the Windows Mobile Today Screen, and if you aren't particularly a Today Screen fan, then something called M-Desk replaces it altogether was an icon driven utility that sorts your applications into tapped pages.

Verdict
The glofiish X500+ is not the smallest Pocket PC, nor is it the least expensive, but with a combination of hardware and software features that is difficult to beat the sheer ebullience of what is on offer deserves a second glance.  

Specifications