Messaging

The Xenon stands out as a messaging dynamo -- able to send all manners of multimedia to contacts. Whether the message is text, photo, video, audio or voicemail, the handset can fire it off quickly at 3G speeds over the AT&T network.

Its Web browser can access 11 email providers such as popular services from Yahoo!, AOL, AIM and Windows Live. However, it does not support POP3 or IMAP email protocols.

For instant messaging, the Xenon integrates popular clients such as AIM, Windows Live and Yahoo! Messenger.

Last but not least, the most robust messaging feature is its sliding, four-row QWERTY keyboard. With the keyboard, composing messages becomes effortless.

The Xenon saves precious minutes of the backspacing, tapping and misspelling that numeric keypad or touch screen devices experience on a daily basis.

Entertainment

Like most mid-range phones with 3G connectivity, the Xenon promises hours of downloadable music, game and video entertainment, at the price of a monthly data plan or per-download charges. All of the major carriers offer similar services on multimedia phones.

AT&T's hub for downloads, MEdia Mall, features more than 90,000 titles from more than 115 content providers, including ringtones, games, videos, graphics and more. Users have the choice of purchasing individual downloads or subscribing to a media plan.

AT&T's Mobile Music service offers different subscription plans to services such as Napster Mobile or eMusic for downloading songs as well as ringtones. With this plan, users can also stream XM radio. Want to transfer downloaded songs to a PC? It's quick and easy once you connect the two with a USB cable, purchased separately.

For videos on-demand, AT&T offers a service called Cellular Video (CV), which requires first buying an unlimited data package. This turns the handset into a TV of sorts, allowing users it to stream news, weather, sports and entertainment clips from outlets such as CNN, NBC and HBO Mobile.

Consumers can also kill time with games such as Guitar Hero III or Modern Warfare. Just go to MEdiaMall from the phone's main menu and start browsing the titles. Game prices vary. Some games come with as a one-time fee for unlimited use while others are part of a monthly subscription package.

Individual songs and voice tones cost $2.49 each. Polyphonic ringtones sell for $1.99 each. Users should be aware that download charges will appear on their monthly bill from AT&T.

The good thing about AT&T's service is that unlimited data plans are available, so users don't double up on download and data charges. At the same time, the charges can still add up because of the ease of wireless downloading.

< Prev Next >

This article is Copyright 2002-2012 Mobiledia Corp. and the review in part or in whole may NOT be reproduced in any electronic or printed medium without prior permission from Mobiledia. For information on reproducing any part of this review (or any images) please contact us.