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| Product: Cybiko Xtreme |
Company: Cybiko |
| Web: www.cybiko.com |
Phone: 630-540-1961 |
| Platform: Stand-alone or Windows 95/98/00 |
SRP: US$140
Street Price: same |
Cred Rating: | Special Award:
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Last year I reviewed the Cybiko, an innovative organizer/gaming handheld with wireless connectivity, marketed to teens. I had a few gripes, but overall, I thought it was an excellent first-generation effort. The Cybiko has now given birth to the Cybiko Xtreme, and it looks like the makers of the original read my review very closely (or, at least, that's what I'm telling myself).
The Cybiko Xtreme is chock full of new and welcome improvements. The form-factor has changed somewhat -- the unit is thinner, smaller and lighter, making it much more comfortable for hands of all sizes. The antenna has been slimmed down too (for more discreet classroom communications?). The new styling has shifted from garish iCandy colors (so 20th century!) to a more subdued silver, while also allowing for changeable faceplates.
The old keyboard, which was so small they had to include a stylus to poke at it, has been replaced with an almost-functionally-large keyboard closer to the one found on popular Blackberry devices. Navigation's also been improved, with better-positioned gamepad and function buttons. The syncing and charging cables have been combined into a single USB cable, an innovation that more handheld makers should copy.
The screen is the same 160 x 100 grayscale LCD as on the old unit, but the processor has been upgraded from 10MHz to 18MHz, making performance no longer sluggish in any of the core applications. Some of the games that are available for download still tax the processor, but generally, there weren't any programs that I tried that didn't function well enough to be enjoyable.
The Xtreme has significantly upgraded the operating system (now at CYOS 1.5) and included a software package as well. Although there was little to complain about with the basic apps on the first model, the second generation of the date book, contact list, and basic PIM programs have generally been improved for simpler navigation and entry.
The communication software has also been improved in both interface and functionality. Like its predecessor, the Cybiko Xtreme is designed around wireless connectivity, both for chatting and gaming. The Cybiko uses the 902 - 928MHz radio range to transmit at up to 19.2Kbps. The chat function logs you in the moment you turn on the device on, automatically forming a network with any other Cybikos in range, up to 300 feet, and then within 300 ft. of any other units, and so on, up to a maximum network capacity of 3000(!) Cybikos. There are options for forming chat rooms and Instant Messaging, and users can "bozofilter" people they don't want to talk to. As with the original, Cybiko Xtreme also matches romantic interests through the user's profile, which include areas of interest as well as more shallow criteria like height and weight preferences.
Cybiko has also changed the expansion slot, and is offering a free MP3 player with the unit through a mail-in rebate. The MP3 player, which I did not receive for review, will reportedly use MMC/SD storage expansion, which is good news in terms of storage capability, but bad news in terms of price-per-meg. The MP3 player software reads a format that allows low frame-rate video clips and accompanying text, too. A cool idea, but unlikely to catch on considering the gray-scale screen.
Cybiko Xtreme adds to the already impressive text messaging features with a voice messaging function that lets users send two-way voice mail over the Cybiko network using the Windows-standard .wav audio format. While I wasn't able to test this feature well with the beta units they sent me, I certainly think that it's a cool feature that will significantly improve Cybiko's fun(ctionality) [Ugh! -Ed.]. Since there's now a microphone on the unit, there's also a voice-memo function, as well other tools to add email, photo-viewing, e-books, a scientific calculator, translators, and a load of other cool apps and games. The software library has improved significantly over the past year, and while it doesn't come close to the number of Palm apps, it's an impressive selection that should satisfy most needs.
Cybiko has offered an excellent example of the kind of features that true wireless interconnectivity will bring, when Bluetooth and 802.11x networks become common. The one downside to Cybiko is that the wireless connection is proprietary and therefore will not be able to interact with other wide-area network (WAN) devices. The Cybiko comes with a program that allows you to hook one up to a PC permanently and use it as a wireless gateway to the Internet, but that's much less convenient than using existing wireless standards. The Cybiko is a great product, but since they are at their best only when other people have them too, success in the market depends on widespread adoption by fanatical teens, a group renowned for their whimsy and fleeting attention spans.
If the Cybiko people are reading this review as closely as they read my last one (c'mon, admit it, you hung on my every word!), I have two recommendations for Cybiko 3.0: a color screen and 802.11x compatibility. With these improvements, this gadget could find appeal far beyond a teen market. As it stands, the Cybiko Extreme is an impressive improvement over an already impressive product and should make an excellent X-Mas gift for the gadget freaks (of all ages) on your holiday list.
- Nate Heasley [12/5/01]
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