We first saw the Samsung Nexio at the Integer Pavilion 'Intelligent Home' showcase early last year, where the Microsoft Windows CE.Net device was used as a remote control to wirelessly change room temperature settings, draw curtains, switch on the coffee pot and dim lights.
That was the older Nexio S150. The model we reviewed is the S160, powered by Intel's XScale PXA250 processor running at 400 megahertz on Microsoft's Windows CE.Net version 4.1 operating system. The device has many powerful features, but the price of HK$7,180 could make even the wealthiest wireless warrior wince.
The Nexio falls into the category of 'others' for mobile devices. It is about twice the width of a personal digital assistant (PDA) but much smaller than a sub-notebook, with the functionality of a watered-down tablet PC.
It is also twice the price of the average PDA and costs a little less than an entry-level notebook. Samsung calls the Nexio a 'wireless handheld PC', giving users a light, compact, visually appealing PC useful to set up appointments, give presentations, get e-mail via Wi-Fi or browse the Web.
Ironically, the feature that disqualifies the device from being a Pocket PC is its greatest strength - a 800x480 screen, which gives it four times the resolution of other Pocket PCs in a device that is just a little heavier than a Hewlett-Packard iPaq.
The Nexio S160 measures 15.5 x 9.1 x 1.3 centimetres and weighs 250 grams. Samsung sells an optional keyboard, an extended battery and a PC adapter so it can double as a laptop replacement for some users.
Some people like the Nexio because it has the top-of-the-line Intel chip, a display bigger than any PDA's and it is small enough to fit in your hand. What is more, it is stylish.