The XDA (January 2003, page 41) and the
XDA II have both done well in
PC Authority reviews before, but our main complaint has been one of size: the XDA's are normal PDAs, but big phones. The XDA IIs still keeps a large touchscreen, but the unit is slightly slimmer and thinner than the previous models. It's still chunky, but scalloped and rounded edges help keep the dimensions down while making it much more pocket-friendly.
The IIs' main selling point over similar units is that the top and bottom slide apart, revealing a full QWERTY keyboard. The keys are small though and not well spaced so mis-keying is something you'll have to improve on as time passes. However, this keyboard is hundreds of times easier to use two-handed than hunting-and-pecking with the stylus at the soft-keyboard as you had to with the XDA and
XDA II.
The XDA IIs' display is superb -- it's large, bright, and has a great transflective coating which means it's not just good for use indoors, but it handles a bit of sunlight too.
