Verzio’s Envii Enters the Windows Mobile Market: SRS WOW, FM Tuner and Flick Dynamic Menu system
A few months ago, we welcomed a new player in the mobile handset market: Singapore based Verzio. These were some former Nokia and Sony Ericsson guys (we heard) who wanted a fresh start with a new company. Their flagship product was the Verzio Duplii a dual SIM phone that was aesthetially appealing as well.
Just recently Verzio entered the Windows Mobile market with the release of the Envii, a WM6 smartphone with up to date features and priced at about USD $600 - $700 depending on where you’re from. The Envii, to be honoest doesn’t bring anything too innovative to the playing field of smartphones. It has a decent lineup of connectivity options, SRS WOW speakers (a good addition but not absolutely necessary) and some customized apps such as the Flick Dynamic Menu similar to the HTC Touch.
Speaking of HTC, the Envii has the look and feel of one of their products. Remove the “Verzio” logo and you’d probably think of the device to be one of theirs.
The Envii is definitely top notch in the connectivity arena - not only does it have USB and Bluetooth options, but IrDA as well. Yes folks, infra-red is still a welcome addition in the Asian market despite its being phased out in the west. Wireless 802.11g LAN (WiFi) and HSDPA connectivity is also supported.
The Envii’s real estate feels like a dry bar of soap in your hands. It is robust and compact but we’re thinking its about time that smartphones started to do away with the circa-2005 all-touchscreen and have some other way of interacting with the user interface like a keypad or jog dial on the side of the device, which the Envii does not have.
No worries. Part of me thinks that this is a function of Windows Mobile as a platform rather than the device itself. I’ve yet to see a really good WM 6 device with a kick ass user interface (minus all the lag as well). The HTC Touch was something to look at but it wasn’t quite there yet.
Verzio’s Envii works fine with The Missing Sync if you’re a Macintosh user but craps out on some beta apps we tested. This could be an internal design issue as the Envii isn’t really known in the western side of the pond. All in all, you won’t go green with Envii entirely with this device if you’re all geeked out. It does have some neat features like built in FM tuner, HSDPA and WiFi — but with the pricepoint, we’re thinking you may opt for something else. We’re not saying the Envii is all that bad. Because it isn’t. Some gripes would include a screen time out when in sleep mode about one out of every four times I’d try to un-sleep the device. The solution would be to do a manual reboot or remove the battery to try again. In fairness, this should be fixed with a firmware update (taps fingers… dum dee dum). And yeah, just like most Windows Mobile devices plagued with a crappy camera system, the Envii’s battery life is also an issue. Be prepared to have this thing plugged in when you’re idle or carry an extra battery pack with you.
If you’re looking for a fresh new take on mobile devices, I’d definitely recommend the Envii just to be different. It isn’t lacking in features (I mean it even has IrDA which is obsolete in the West but still useful!) but it doesn’t shine in anything that can shut out the competition.
All images in this post were taken by yours truly on top of my antique tabletop chess set :)
Tags: Envii, FM Tuner, Singapore, SRS Wow, Windows Mobile 6Related Stories
POSTED IN: Verzio
1 opinion for Verzio’s Envii Enters the Windows Mobile Market: SRS WOW, FM Tuner and Flick Dynamic Menu system
Steve Naromal
Aug 27, 2008 at 5:24 am
I saw one at SM North QC, Philippines. I liked the demo. I want to buy it. Question is, how is the battery life when used both as a cellphone and internet surfing? How is it compared to Nokia E71 or Nokia N95 in terms of features. Can I use verzio envii to “skype” (video conferencing)?
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