HTC Hermes

O2 Germany has posted details of a PDA phone it's calling the XDA Trion but is better known as HTC's 'Hermes' design. Hermes is also set to ship as the i-mate JasJam, if a posting on a US retail website is anything to go by. The Trion is based on a 400MHz Samsung-made processor and ships with 64MB of RAM and 128MB of Flah ROM. It runs Windows Mobile 5.0 with the Microsoft's push email extensions. There's the usual 240 x 320, 65,536-colour display, and a two-megapixel camera. A second, front-mounted camera suggests the handset will support 3G networks.

While the T-Mobile variant's Samsung processor brings 300MHz to the table, O2 seems to be feeding the hungry masses with a bonus 100MHz and a pair of extra buttons around the d-pad, both welcome additions. The device takes 3G baby steps for now by launching with UMTS, but an upgrade to HSDPA is promised. Expected to drop sometime in July.

Like other recent HTC-designed devices, the Trion has Bluetooth, 2.0 in this case, and Wi-Fi, though O2's website doesn't say whether it's 802.11b or 802.11g. According to a specification posted in US website On The Go Solutions, the i-mate JasJam supports both of these Wi-Fi varieties. It also says the device - which has yet to be confirmed or announced by i-mate itself - is a 3G unit with HSDPA high-speed download technology on board. Out of the range of a 3G network, the handset operates as a quad-band GSM/GPRS device.

The US site claims the JasJam offers five hours' talk time from its 1350mAh battery, but then it also has the processor down as a 300MHz part, not 400MHz. Neither O2 Germany nor On The Go Solutions provide any indication when their Hermes variants will ship, or for how much.

SPECIFICATIONS

• Windows Mobile 5.0 with AKU 2.0
• Support GSM/GPRS Quad Band and UMTS/HSDPA
• Samsung S3C2442 300 MHz
• 128 MB of ROM and 64 MB of RAM
• Display: 65k colors QVGA resolution
• Bluetooth 2.0
• WiFi 802.11b/g
• 2.1 Megapixel camera with Flash
• microSD Slot