The Android 2.1-based Sprint Zio, released at CTIA on Oct. 6, is set to
widen the adoption of smartphones by lowering the price to under $100 with a two-year
contract. The phone’s features–including Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync support
and low price–signal that IT managers will likely see a new class of employees
coming to work and wanting access to the corporate network.
The Zio, made by Kyocera for Sanyo, provides good call quality over the handset
and headset and is Sprint ID ready. It takes decent pictures and video with the
3.2-MP auto-focus camera and, weighing in at 3.7 ounces, offers a sleek,
easy-to-pocket form.
Although I encountered a few problems with the phone, the overall test
experience proved that the Zio is more than capable of handling voice and
messaging communication tasks, as well as providing generally good feature
experience. Initial email use via the widget that’s included was choppy when
connecting to my premium Yahoo email account. Integration with my Google Gmail account
worked fine, as did my integration with our Microsoft Exchange 2007
infrastructure. The weather widget provided continually insisted that San
Francisco (where I tested the device) was engulfed in
thunderstorms.
I tested the Zio running Android 2.1. This is among the first Android handsets
to be Sprint ID-ready. Sprint ID is similar to Motorola’s Motoblur; it is an
interface overlay that provides a group of pre-defined applications, widgets,
ringtones and wallpapers. Zio users can have up to five Sprint IDs, which are
downloaded from Sprint and then installed on the phone. I used the business
productivity Sprint ID pack, which includes one of my “must have” applications:
Documents to Go for viewing and working with Microsoft Office and Adobe PDF
files. The Sprint ID business pack is free for Sprint users.
The Zio is roughly the size of an Apple iPhone, measuring 4.6 x 2.3 x 0.5-inches
with a 3.5-inch TFT WVGA (480 x 800 pixels) touchscreen. The device is light in
the hand. While the sleek finish allows the Zio to easily slip into your pocket,
that same quality meant that I had to keep a sure grip on the device to avoid
dropping it. Part of the Zio’s slim profile comes from the noticeably rounded
front panel. The rounding made it rather difficult to accurately touch the keys
at both sides. I was unable to easily perform single-handed texting in portrait
mode. In landscape mode, the virtual keyboard is unremarkable, in that it
provides for a reasonable thumb-typing experience accompanied by a haptic tactile
feedback.
I used Zio through most of the workday on a single charge while performing a
moderately heavy workload with applications that were stored on the 2GB microSD
storage card. The Zio supports up to 32GB microSDHC, and uses an 1130 mAh
lithium ion battery. Sprint rates the battery at 4.6 hours of continuous talk time.
When I used my Plantronic Savor M1100 Bluetooth headset, it was necessary to
keep the phone charger near to avoid power anxiety.
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Enterprise Mobility News & Reviews 
