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MWG Zinc II Reviews and Specs
| Release Date | Available Now |
| 2G Network | GSM 850/900/1800/1900MHz |
| 3G Network | UMTS 2100/1900/850 MHz |
| Operating System | Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional |
| Processor Speed | 500Mhz |
| Processor Type | Samsung |
| Size | 109.5 x 59 x 18 mm |
| Display Type | TFT QVGA |
| Display Size | 2.8†|
| Ringtone Vibration | Yes |
| Phonebook Memory | Practically unlimited entries and fields, Photocall |
| Call Records Memory | Practically unlimited |
| Memory - RAM | 64MB RAM |
| Memory - ROM | 256MB Flash ROM |
| Memory Slot | MicroSDHC |
| GPRS | Yes |
| HSCSD | Yes |
| EDGE | Yes |
| 3G | Yes |
| WLAN | Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g |
| GPS | Built-In Sirf III Processor |
| Bluetooth | Bluetooth 2.0 with A2DP |
| Infrared Port | No |
| USB | MiniUSB |
| Messaging | SMS, MMS, Email, Instant Messaging |
| Browser Type | WAP 2.0/xHTML, HTML |
| Games | Yes + Downloadable |
| Camera Pixels | 2.0MP |
| Stand-by Time | Standby up to 260 hours (GSM) |
| Talk Time | Talktime up to 6 hours |
The MWg Zinc II is a Quad Band GSM (850/900/1800/1900mhz) Device that also features 3G Internet access through a Tri-Band UMTS (2100/1900/850 MHz) connection.
Editor review
MWg Zinc II Offers Great Build, Good Features
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
MWg ZINC II FULL REVIEW
Over the last 10 days i've been prying at, beating up, and pretty much attempting to destroy the MWg Zinc II,i'm happy to announce the device is still working as well as it did the day I removed it from the really nice packaging it arrived in.
The device from the same developers as the original O2 devices is a well built machine that offers a wide variety of well thought out additions. Whether your looking for a GPS solution, WiFi, 3G internet access, or a Sliding Qwerty Keyboard, the Mwg Zinc II has it all.
BUILD AND DESIGN
Before I give you the full walk around, I have to say that the Zinc II is a really well built device, given that the Atom Life and other O2 devices were so well built it really doesn't suprise me though, the unit offers a strong build factor with no gapping, a stronge back battery cover, and a feel that seems almost industrial in its depth.
The devices dimensions come in at 109.5 x 59 x 18mm. I know the 18mm may seem a little thick, but you have to remember that the device is built like an Ox and for that reason the unit feels like one. The unit also features a GPS Receiver which admittedly adds to the depth.
Looking at the front of the MWg Zinc its immediately clear that MWg was looking for simplicity, the front of the unit features very few buttons underneath the devices 2.8 inch TFT QVGA Touchscreen. In fact there is only a green send key on the left and a red end button to the right, between those two buttons is a D pad that can be pushed in the up and down and left and right directions while a large button in the middle allows you to make selections. The Touch Screen offers excellent feed back with every touch of the screen, which is always appreciated, and the screen is flush with the front of the unit offering a nice smooth look across the front of the device.
On left of the device features your volume up and volume down buttons, they are actually buttons not a rocker, which work in the same manner, the actual buttons are well constructed and offer great feedback when pushed. Below those keys is a button that looks sort of like a Windows Shortcut key, but its in fact the Zinc II Quick Menu, if you want to access your videos, pictures, connections, or Music this is the button to push, its great if your a music enthusiast
or you want to access your multimedia in a flash, i've always been a big fan of multimedia shortcuts so this was a big plus, the screen that displays shows 4 large icons that take up the entire screen making navigation among your multimedia offerings easier than ever. Finally below the Quick Menu is the MiniSDHC card slot, the slot is left open with no cover, at first I wasn't sure how I felt about that, on the one hand it can become a dust and other substance magnet
on the other hand I always have a card installed on my devices which covers up the opening and makes for easy removal and insertion access, this really depends on your taste and is a toss up based on preference.
The right side of the unit features the Power/Standby button at the top right follow by a quick launch camera button on the bottom right.
The bottom of the device features a MiniUSB port and nothing else.
The Top of the unit is bare.
Finally on the back of the unit you'll notice a fairly large speaker grill and the units 2.0 Mega Pixel camera, along with the camera's self portrait mirror. One option sorely missing is a flash option for the camera.
After looking around the device we come to the units Sliding qwerty keyboard. The unit features a non-raised keypad style that offers only small edges around each key. Admittedly the keyboard is a pain to get use to, I don't completely blame the design, which is a little akward, I think it was also partly the fact that i'm use to a raised keypad layout. It took me about 3 days of medium use to become comfortable with the keyboard. One thing i'll say is that the keyboard quick action, meaning right when I hit a key it appears on the screen. The top of the keyboard features two soft keys which can be programmed to access whatever you choose, but comes with the standard options. While the top right side of the keyboard has a nifty light up option for your Function (FN) and Caps offerings, just like on a laptop or desktop keyboard. One big issue I have with the keypad is that the period (.) button is only accessible if you push the Function (FN) key, I found this pretty annoying considering web browsing requires the constant use of the period key, an option like on the iPhone that offers a single (.com) button would have been much appreciated.
Overall the device is well built and offers quick launch functions for the most used aspects on the device. I would have liked to see a quick launch GPS button, but that's just being picky. The keyboard could also use a dedicated period key at the least. The device felt good in my hands, and while its a little heavier than i'm use to, I didn't really mind that fact knowing how well built MWg device are now and have been since their inception.
FEATURES
The Zinc II offers some nice features. First there is the units Samsung 500mhz processor! A nice speedy addition to the unit that keeps applications zipping along with no freezing, at least not that I experienced in the first 10 days of use. One peeve is the 64MB of Ram, on a higher end device 128MB would have been appreciated. While my device didn't slow down with 2 or 3 applications running at a time I can easily see how more power intensive programs may slow down the unit. The unit also features 256MB of Flash ROM.
The Zinc II also features Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional, which means access to Exchange Server 2007, Threaded Messaging, and an overall refined interface that features a more streamlined architecture that helps devices work at higher speeds than Windows Mobile 6.0.
I also really liked that the Start menu prominently featured the Task manager, it definitely made for closely applications easier, which helps the device run faster and conserves battery power.
Then there is the Zinc II Quick Launch application I spoke about the design section. The Quick Launch menu is great for multimedia enthusiasts, or for anyone who wants easy access to their devices top accessed programs without navigating the Windows Mobile menu architecture. The icons are bright and easy to touch thanks to taking up a quarter of the screen each, and upon hitting the Quick Launch button the screen pops up instantly. The MWg Quick Menu also in response to the HTC TouchFlo technology allows users to switch between menus by simply dragging their fingers across the screen.
GPS is also a very nice feature. The unit features a SIRF III GPS Chipset that can grab up to 20 satellite signals at a time. I tested the GPS with Google Maps and found that the satellites were picked up on average within 15 seconds. The unit also worked well with the standard GPS Location Finder for grabbing latitude and longitude settings. Thanks to the devices MicroSDHC card capabilities you can also literally store tons of country data on your card for use with TomTom Software which is also very capable on the device while adding voice navigated directions.
CAMERA
The Camera on the Zinc II isn't its greatest feature. At 2 Mega pixels the pictures were okay, usually showing some signs of
undertones and overtones. The camera doesn't offer a flash which means darker inside pictures don't turn out all that well, while the self portrait mirror is a little small and hard to use. The camera loads quickly which is a plus, and it will video record as well, although the quality leaves something to be determined.
MESSAGING
The MWG Zinc II offers the standard messaging functions, including MMS, SMS, Email, Instant Messaging via Microsoft Messenger. I was able to easily setup my Exchange server functions and I like the threaded messaging features offered. My particular device was a pre-production model and did not have the auto settings yet installed, however the consumer devices will have auto configuration implemented meaning you don't have to go through and setup your carriers MMS settings, a vary nice touch. SMS and MMS messages were also easy to access from the Windows Mobile Interface, again its a standard set of functions, but nice either way.
INTERNET
The MWg Zinc II offers your basic internet connections via Edge/GPRS settings and then it offers the much more appreciated 3G option via UMTS 2100/1900/850MHz settings. I live in an area where 3G is nicely implemented and I found the speeds on the MWg Zinc II to be up to par with HTC devices, screens loaded quickly, and I never appeared to lose the connection. When testing out at my home in a small town I was resigned to Edge connectivity which still worked fine. The device has basic, WAP 2.0, HTML, XHTML access with Windows Internet Explorer for Mobile. I actually decided to use the Opera Mini browser which allows for better page layouts and appeared on the device to render pages faster than IE. Personally the internet settings are pretty standard, however they worked and I was able to easily navigate the web.
CONNECTIVITY
The device is built for worldwide GSM use with a Quad-Band (850/900/1800/1900mhz) setup and Tri-Band UMTS (850/1900/2100mhz)3G access.
Aside from Edge/GPRS and 3G connections the device also features WiFi 802.11 b/g, while on vacation over the 4th of July I used the device to check my work emails and found the WiFi to work at blazing speeds, pages not only rendered quickly, but connecting to both my WEP Secured and Non-Secured networks at the lake house were easy and fast.
Aside from WiFi the unit also features Microsoft Active Sync Capabilities via USB, my device connected with no problems to my desktop which runs Windows XP and my laptop via Windows Vista Business Edition. USB transfers were fast from both the device and from the devices other connectivity option the MicroSDHC cardslot which can hold cards up to 8GB in size and which as mentioned before is easily removable via a side loaded dedicated card slot offering.
As mentioned network setup is also going to be available for MMS settings, making your connectivity for your messaging application easy as well.
CONCLUSION
Overall the MWg Zinc two offers some nice additions to the oringal Zinc, including a Sirf III GPS receiver that worked great,and a newly minted Quick Launch button, which isn't hardly revolutionary, but is still very much appreciated. I liked the Samsung 500mhz processor, but more RAM should have been used. The use of 3G is of course very nice, especially considering the device is Quad-Band GSM with Tri-Band UMTS access. The keyboard was a little frustrating, and while I became use to the design, the lack of a Period key was frustrating, while the camera was less than stellar.
Given the news additions and build of the MWg Zinc II, along with the excellent touch screen and the units 500mhz processor I can confidently recommend the unit despite some of its shortcomings, hopefully as the company continues to grow some of the issues above are addressed, because as it stands right now the devices are among the best built, its the need for additional offerings that I'm looking for.
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| Overall rating: |
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8.2 |
| Styling: |
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8.0 |
| Ease of Use: |
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8.0 |
| Display: |
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8.0 |
| Voice Quality: |
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8.0 |
| Battery Life: |
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8.0 |
| Quality/Build: |
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9.0 |
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User reviews
Average user rating from: 1 user(s)
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To write a review please register or login.
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| Overall rating: |
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8.2 |
| Styling: |
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8.0 |
| Ease of Use: |
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9.0 |
| Display: |
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7.0 |
| Voice Quality: |
|
8.0 |
| Battery Life: |
|
8.0 |
| Quality/Build: |
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9.0 |
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Just bought it and love it
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
I just bought this device and received it in the mail 3 days ago. I originally had an Atom Life from O2 and decided the Zinc II was the next logical step. As a Cingular Customer I had to say the 3G internet is very nice and the calls have come through very clear so far. I agree with the above review the camera is rubbish, but for quick shots it works well enough. I also like the speed of the device, its very fast with the 500mhz processor, but I don't use a lot of applications so that may be why the 64mb doesn't bother me. I haven't used the GPS yet but I will try it today. Also I like the memory slot being on the side of the device. One problem i'm having is setting up the MMS, but your review says an auto configuration will be available soon. Do you know when? Otherwise its a great device, very well built. Oh yes and the keyboard isn't bad once you get use to it, but people with fat fingers beware!
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| Overall rating: |
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8.2 |
| Styling: |
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8.0 |
| Ease of Use: |
|
9.0 |
| Display: |
|
7.0 |
| Voice Quality: |
|
8.0 |
| Battery Life: |
|
8.0 |
| Quality/Build: |
|
9.0 |
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