Follow Anthony Newman through his review of Audiovox' RTM8000 CF Type I card, which turns Pocket PCs with the right expansion slot into a fully featured communications device.
Although an increasing range of integrated PDA phone/data devices is now available, the majority of handheld sales are still non-connected: they have no ability to connect directly to voice or data services without a separate mobile phone or other device. Now that an increasing amount of business is conducted on the move, a number of manufacturers have entered the market with products to add this functionality to existing devices. Audiovox is one such company, and their latest product is the RTM-8000, a type I Compact Flash card with both tri-band GSM voice and data and Class B, Multi-Slot Class 8 GPRS onboard.
 | Although pretty, the dialer interface proves to be somewhat clumsy
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The unit hardly replicates the svelte design of more integrated devices, or even an unobtrusive Bluetooth combo: it requires a Pocket PC with a Compact Flash slot, and protrudes about an inch from the top of the handheld. However, in comparison to PC-card solutions, Audiovox have pulled off quite an achievement to make the unit this small - especially considering its features. The SIM card is contained inside the CF portion of the card itself, and so sits inside the user's Pocket PC when in use. A small swing-out aerial exposes a 2.5 mm headset jack, and a tiny LED on the front indicates connection status. The card comes with its own plastic carrying-case for transport. As a first impression, given past experiences with the truly integrated nature of the XDA, the bulk of the Audiovox is a little disheartening.
Although the RTM-8000 is voice-capable, it is not able to utilize the microphone or speaker of the PDA it lives in - headset only, although this is common to all competing solutions too. Incidentally, no headset was provided with our unit, although one should come in the box. In addition, the card is only connected to a GSM network while the device is actively switched on (there is an option in the dialler application to overwrite the power settings to achieve this), but it is possible to toggle the screen as in Windows Media Player to sustain a connection without too much battery drain. Nonetheless, these two things combine with the relatively large bulk of the unit to ensure that a user will definitely not use this as a primary (or even secondary) phone. This is a shame, as the XDA’s business flaw is its lack of tri-band capability, and the Audiovox would have made a great addition to the arsenal of a heavy traveller. There are a number of useful features on the voice side though: conference calling, call divert, call waiting, barring and support for the usual SIM security features mean that, although clumsy, there is plenty of power in the program. Voice quality through a headset proved good enough to elicit comments from people on the other end of the line, and ring tones have the potential to be very loud indeed.
Clearly, the RTM-8000 is a data-centric device, even more so than the Phone Edition devices. As well as Pocket PC use, it can be slotted into a laptop with a PCMCIA adaptor (not included). The Class B GPRS means users cannot be in a call while using GPRS for data, although this is mitigated somewhat by its five slots, of which 4 are down and 1 is up. GPRS settings are managed from a separate applet on the device, and although a little unfriendly, configuration proved smooth - GPRS, APN, number and other settings are all available at a moment’s notice, and anyone familiar with Pocket PC 2002’s woeful Connection Mangler should be up and running pretty quickly. Once ready, connections were on a par with an O2 XDA and produced adequate speed.
 | The Audiovox does not integrate with Pocket Contacts, but rather uses its own application to look up contacts to be dialled
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As a phone, the RTM-8000 is provided with a Nokia-esque Dialler application (a customized version of IA Style’s program), with basic contact list/SMS functionality and access to options, as well as a display of signal and battery strength. Again, it isn’t exactly intuitive and using it as a phone on a regular basis would be something of a strain. It takes some time to load, too, although it is flexible, allowing customization in the realms of ringtones, message alerts, dialler skins, and hardware button assignments, which facilitate a more natural use of the phone. In addition, SMS can be sent over GSM or GPRS. The dialler application can also be used to manage the SIM card’s phone book and SMS library, and to initiate a data connection. In the ‘Connections’ applet of the Settings menu the RTM-8000 appears as a modem like any other, so it is addressable by any program, including GPRS monitors.
In other news, the RTM-8000 comes with a comprehensive manual, which is paired by a genial online help file, and to avoid users having to check the screen the LED on the unit itself flashes to indicate signal, much like an Ericsson phone or an O2 XDA. Reception proved acceptable: although the card had trouble retaining a signal in blackspots, it was quite quick to regain a connection again once availability improved. ‘Extension’ of the swivelling aerial seemed to have no effect.
Availability
The RTM-8000 is available now from a range of online retailers for a suggested price of approximately 200 GBP including VAT. It is compatible with all Pocket PCs equipped with a CF slot and all modern Windows PCs with a PCMCIA slot and CompactFlash to PCMCIA adaptor.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the Audiovox card will certainly not replace your phone, even on a business trip. Its dependence on a headset and an active PDA, coupled with slightly clumsy software, means it would be thrown through a window long before the day was out. However, the RTM-8000 is intended to be a data device, and as a competent tri-band GSM / GPRS unit compatible with a range of Pocket PCs as well as Windows machines, the Audiovox is a versatile and handy business tool - just consider voice a bonus.
- What's positive: Competent data solution; versatile in terms of devices and connections
- What's negative: Poor voice solution; clumsy software; not as good overall as a fully integrated connected handheld
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