O2's XDA Mini S venture

PDA phones can be very handy -- they let you to make calls, edit documents, access emails, and in some cases can even help you find your way home thanks to integrated GPS navigation.

Their only real drawback is their size -- particularly those with full Qwerty keyboards. Most are unwieldy items that, while ideal for typing on, will make you look ridiculous if used as a mobile phone.

Enter the XDA Mini S from 02 -- one of the smallest PDA phones with a Qwerty keyboard. It's based on the HTC Wizard handset that first appeared in Germany a few months ago, and is almost identical to the T-Mobile MDA Vario launched last week.

We aren't surprised two major operators have adopted the design as their own. It's around the same size (108 by 58 by 18mm) as the XDA II Mini but somehow its designers have managed to integrate a full Qwerty keyboard that slides out from under its 240x320-pixel screen.

It uses Windows Mobile 5.0, so you get Pocket versions of Word, Excel and Internet Explorer, and it can communicate with the outside world via Bluetooth, GPRS and 802.11b Wi-Fi, although sadly not 3G.

The XDA Mini S is out next week but we'll have our own to play with in the next day or two. Watch for a full review in the very near future. -RR