High IQ: O2's clever XDA smart phone

In the UK, there are more mobile phone handsets than there are people, and it's hardly surprising -- nary a day goes by without a new phone release. The latest to join the fray is the O2 XDA IQ.

Based on the Tornado handset from Taiwanese manufacturer HTC, the IQ is surprisingly compact given its impressive list of features. It weighs just 110g, which is less than a Motorola Razr V3x, but somehow they've managed to include Wi-Fi and a battery that can provide a claimed 4 hours of talk time.

As of yesterday, O2 has also activated the Microsoft Direct Push email service on all its XDA phones, so the IQ and its XDA brethren can automatically deliver emails directly into your trouser pocket. You know, like a BlackBerry.

The XDA IQ uses Windows Mobile 5, and has a host of productivity software including Mobile versions of Microsoft Word and Excel. It also has a 56mm (2.2-inch) screen, a 1.3-megapixel camera, 64MB of flash memory and a miniSD card slot.

If you like the idea of a phone that lets you make calls, surf the Net with the Starbucks fraternity and doesn't make you look like you're holding an aluminium-plated brick to your ear, look no further. The IQ is available now via O2's Web site. -RR