UBiQUiWHO? is probably the first question you asked yourself when you saw this review... and you're probably not alone :P

UBiQUiO was initially a North American mobile computing services company, that was then acquired by MobilePlanet, who were in turn acquired by Expansys. Therefore, UBiQUiO is nowadays wholly owned by Expansys - a familiar name in the Windows Mobile space, but as a reseller of devices rather than as someone with their own brand. Despite having been around for a good few years, it is only recently that UBiQUiO branded devices have started to come to market. The previous efforts have been somewhat forgettable, including the distinctly unimpressive UBiQUiO 401, a rebranded Gigabyte G-Smart.

So to the UBiQUiO 501... our object of interest today. A rebranded TechFaithWireless device (that incidentally will also be coming to i-mate as the JAQ3), the 501 shows a lot of promise with it's diminuitive size, Pocket PC Operating System (therefore with touchscreen) and QWERTY thumboard.

In a market that all of a sudden seems to be somewhat flooded with such devices, can the 501 hold it's own? Can the 501 emulate the success of it's TechFaithWireless sibling - the i-mate SPL - with a positive review? Read on to find out!

Buying the UBiQUiO 501

The UBiQUiO 501 is available exclusively from Expansys.

UBiQUiO 501 - £299.95

For comparison, i've included the prices of some of it's rivals (although, the 501 is unique in a lot of respects, so it's hard to really identify it's rivals)...

Fujitsu Siemens LOOX T830 - £494.95

HTC TyTN - £494.95

Samsung i320 - £339.95

HP iPaq 6915 - £359.95

HTC S620 - £319.95

Vodafone Treo 750v - not available SIM free from Expansys, available locked and SIM free from Vodafone, £380 + £20 imei-check unlock

As you can see, the UBiQUiO 501 comes in cheaper than any of it's rivals. Food for thought indeed!

Unboxing the UBiQUiO 501

Inside the compact, smart, blue box you will find the following...

- a manual

- a quick start guide

- an ActiveSync / Outlook CD

- a wall charger

- a 2.5mm headset

- a miniUSB sync / charge cable

- a 1250mAh battery

- the device itself!

No carry case is included.

Hardware - overview

The 501's specifications are definitely in the middle to low rather than high end, in the realms of 'tried and tested' rather than trailblazing! That's not necessarily a bad thing of course! :D

A quick run through the specifications...

- Windows Mobile 5.0 Pocket PC Edition AKU 2.2

- GSM/GPRS tri-band

- TI OMAP750 200 MHz

- 64MB RAM

- 128MB ROM

- WiFi 802.11b/g

- Bluetooth 1.2

- 2.5" QVGA Colour TFT

- 2 Megapixel Camera

- miniSD expansion

- miniUSB connection

- 1250mAh battery

- 122mm x 65mm x 13.5mm

- 135g

The positives

The device is thin - in fact the thinnest Pocket PC in the world at this time! A 13.5mm Pocket PC is something of a rarity, and the diminuitive size is definitely the 501's party piece. It's not overly heavy either, tipping the scales at 135g. The inclusion of 802.11b/g WiFi is a plus, and goes some way to compensating for the lack of 3G connectivity.

Expansion is via miniSD which means that you won't have to reinvest in microSD should this be your format of choice, and connectivity is via a miniUSB connection.

The camera is a 2 Megapixel affair, albeit a typical phone camera, i.e. average quality (at best).

The negatives

There's no denying the TI OMAP750 processor is getting long in the tooth. Coupled with the 128MB ROM, it will be interesting to see how this processor copes with running the Pocket PC OS, and how long the battery lasts - is it a typical performance v battery life tradeoff?

The lack of 3G / HSDPA connection should be considered, although in all honesty the number of Pocket PC devices that offer this is still quite low. Unfortunately, the 501 also lacks EDGE support. As a tri rather than quad band device, the 501 isn't ideal for US customers or frequent US travellers.

The 501 runs Windows Mobile 5 for Pocket PC AKU2.2, and while we now expect AKU2 to be included as a minimum, it's a shame no to see AKU3, which brings with it useful enhancements such as WPA2 support.

Despite the thin size and good thumboard, for me the design of the device is still somewhat 'industrial'. The design and choice of plastics could be 'sexier', but we'll come to this later in the review. I wouldn't want to lose any of the apparent durability however.

Hardware - around the device

So let's work our way round the device!

The front of the device is fairly evenly split between the 2.5" QVGA landscape screen and the hardware buttons / QWERTY thumboard.

Starting from the top, you'll find a single LED in the top right, above the speaker, which is in the centre with a 'chrome effect' grille. The speaker sits at the top of an 'bevelled frame', which contains the screen and the hardware buttons. The screen is slightly set back into the device, meaning that it has a degree of protection, and shouldn't come to any damage should you place the device face down. Below the screen sits the UBiQUiO logo, above the hardware buttons.

I'm pleased to say that the UBiQUiO 501 comes with the full complement of hardware buttons. As well as the silver directional pad, you'll find hardware buttons for the on screen soft keys, 'Windows' and 'OK' buttons, green and red buttons, and Messaging and Internet Explorer buttons - excellent.

Just below the bevelled panel, on the left hand side, sits the microphone hole.

Next we come to the thumboard. As well as the alphabet keys, the keyboard features a tab key , a function key, a shift key and a clipboard key (more on this later), a space bar approximately twice the size of a regular key, a 'conv' key, arrow keys, a backspace key and a return key. You'll also notice a dedicated '0' key that forms part of the number pad layout.

The keys are formed from very hard plastic, and feel very durable. They, like the rest of the device, are a very dark metallic grey, with white writing. The numeric keypad keys are marked in blue where appropriate.

The device has a fairly bright white backlight on the keyboard and hardware buttons.

Over to the back of the device!

At the top right you will notice the 2 Megapixel Camera, which has a silver surround. There is no flash or self portrait mirror, and below the camera sits prominent '2.0 MEGA PIXELS' and unusual 'MPEG4.p3.MINISD' branding. Below this, still on the right hand side, sits the loudspeaker.

2/3 of the back of the device is occupied by the battery cover, which has a 'Designed for Windows Mobile' logo. It also has a pair of very slightly raised 'feet', made of the same material as the rest of the device. The battery cover fits well, but it easy to remove when required.

The base of the device is home to the stylus silo. This contains a telescopic stylus, that on my unit was a little stiff in the silo - although I imagine this will loosen over time. In use the stylus feels acceptable, but nothing more.

The top of the device is home to the lanyard loop and the miniSD slot, which has a small plastic dust cover. The cover feels quite sturdy, unlike on some devices!

On the left of the device you will find the volume up / down buttons, a camera button, and the power button. The power button is thoughtfully recessed to try and prevent it being pressed accidentally. The right of the device is home to the 2.5mm headphone socket, the miniUSB socket, the IR eye and the reset pin.

The bottom of the device has no connections / buttons.

Software

The software on the 501 consists of a Windows Mobile 5 Pocket PC AKU 2.2 that is very much a base build. The only additions to the standard applications are UBiQUiO's own Camera application and the Esmterec Java runtime.

The included voice speed dial is the familiar 'Cyberon Voice Commander', which requires voice training for each specific contact / function.

The UBiQUiO camera application is reasonable, with a number of different modes (Photo, Video, Portrait, Self Shutter, Burst), different lighting moves (Auto, Daylight, Fluorescent, Tungsten and Night) and a number of image effects. Video can be recorded up to a paltry maximum resolution of 176x144.

As someone who very rarely uses Java, I can't honestly say i've extensively tested the esmertec Java runtime on the UBiQUiO 501, but strangely the new GMail java client doesn't seem to work, requiring installation of an additional JRE (such as the one provided free of charge by IBM).

Unlike most devices, no PDF reader is included but hey - no big deal - as the excellent PocketXpdf is free anyway! :(

In use

So what's the 501 like to use?

First impressions are of a device that is well built and solid (probably due to the hard, dark plastic used in it's construction). The device isn't ugly, but it's not overly pretty either - the only way I can think of to describe it is 'industrial'. Despite the thinness, sexy it ain't! Beauty is of course in the eye of the beholder however, and some people I have shown the device to have been immediately impressed. :)

From a hardware perspective, everything works well.

The volume and camera buttons feel good, and having the power button set back is a thoughtful design, even if it makes for slightly strange tactile feedback when it is pressed. The same applies to the main hardware buttons on the device and the thumboard keys - they all respond with a reassuring click, providing the impression of a well built device. The hardware buttons are all thoughtfully placed, and pleasant to use. My only slight criticism in this respect is that I would prefer to have had the dpad set a few mm higher, but it is still more pleasant to use than a number of devices I have reviewed in the past.

The thumboard is nice to use, it's interesting to see exactly how different thumboards can be between devices. The difference between the UBiQUiO 501 and, say, the Treo 750v for example, is marked. While the 750v has soft keys with a muted click, the keys on the 501 are rock solid and click loudly. This isn't a bad thing per se, it's just different. For me personally, I like the thumboard. The shapes of the keys are good, I find myself rarely making errors, and can type more accurately than I can on either the 750v, T830 and perhaps even the Samsung i320. If you're going to be banging out a lot of emails on your device, bear this in mind!

As I mentioned previously, there are a number of additional keys on the 501. The inclusion of a tab key is useful (also on the T830 but missing on the 750v), and the function and shift keys are to be expected. What is in a interesting addition however is the 'clipboard' key. Pressing this, as you would imagine, brings up the the clipboard menu when entering text. A neat idea, but the implementation is not quite perfect... there is no way of selecting text from the keyboard (e.g. with shift and arrows), so to cut or copy you need to touch the screen anyway - unfortunate. I previously mentioned the 'Conv' button that sits to the right of the spacebar. This opens up Comm Manager, and unfortunately there doesn't seem to be any way to reassign it. I'd like to see this button listed in the standard 'Settings' buttons applet. Finally with regards to the thumboard, the 501 has 'full time' arrow keys. Unfortunately, this means that a press of the function button is required to get a comma or full stop. I definitely use those more often that I do the arrows (which I can achieve with the dpad too), so that's one aspect i'm not keen on.

As we mentioned above, the 501 runs the somewhat long-in-the-tooth OMAP 750 processor... so how does this impact performance?

If i'm honest, this isn't the fastest Pocket PC i've ever used, but you wouldn't expect it to be. In the time i've had it, i've used it in the same way that it will be used by the majority of purchasers... as an e-mail warriors companion. In that regard i've found it perfectly capable. There is very little noticeable lag navigating around the OS and the messaging application, i've been browsing the web and using IM no problem too. If you are buying the 501 as a video playback tool, then you might want to think twice but again, I don't think that is the device's target market.

On the flipside of this, I have found the battery life on the UBiQUiO 501 quite formidable, and among the best of the Pocket PCs I have at the moment. I've been using 24/7 push mail for well over 3 days now, with some web and IM use (admittedly no calls), and the battery still has a small amount of juice left. I can't quite believe it myself, and am trying to think if i've plugged it in at all - but aside from the occasional USB hookup to install an application, the device has been unplugged.

WiFi on the device has performed fine around the house, connecting to my 802.11g network with no problems. Bear in mind that, with AKU 2.2 on the device rather than AKU 3, WPA2 encrption is not supported. It looks likely this can be achieved using a third party solution though (more on this coming soon).

Conclusion

If you're looking for a solidly constructed Pocket PC device with a QWERTY thumboard that will slip into your Pocket, then the UBiQUiO 501 could well be the device for you. It's not particularly sexy to look at (although it's far from ugly) and the specifications are OK rather than outstanding, but I get the impression it set out to perform a particular role - challenger to the Blackberry - well, and that it does. Due to it's thin size, it's a fairly unique offering. The Samsung i320 / HTC S620 are thin and slightly smaller, but Smartphones with no touchscreen. The Treo 750v is similar, with better specs, but it's a lot thicker. The T830 and Hermes are also much higher spec but again, much thicker.

Bear in mind too that the pricing on the UBiQUiO 501 undercuts all of it's likely rivals, and you could have quite a compelling case for the device!

All in all, a decent effort from UBiQUiO, and their OEM, TechFaithWireless.

I would like to see an AKU3 build released for the device (and I will consult with Expansys as to whether this is likely), and it's also worth bearing in mind that the same device we have here is waiting in the wings from i-mate, with a slightly more rounded overall look, and an 850/1800/1900 tri-band option.

I'll leave you with the pic of the 501 with some of it's rivals.

From top to bottom...

- HTC S620 (Excalibur)

- Samsung i320

- Treo 750v

- MDA Vario II (Hermes)

- Fujitsu Siemens T830

- UBiQUiO 501

and an easier to view picture of it and it's thumboarded friends :D

Back in February of this year, i-mate released the PDA-N. The PDA-N represented HTC's first foray into GPS enabled PDA devices. The device, also released as the Dopod P100, had a decent enough feature set, but with only WiFi / Bluetooth connectivity and no cellular connection it didn't find it's way into the hearts of many at MoDaCo. Internally, the device was codenamed the HTC Galaxy.

Although HTC weren't playing the GPS-phone game, others were. Eten shipped the G500 (now superceded by the X500), Mio shipped the A701, HP offered the iPaq 6515 (now superceded by the 6915) and Fujitsu are joining the party now too with the T830.

Well, look out... because HTC are back with their new GPS enabled device, the P3300... and it's a phone too :( Codenamed the HTC Artemis (or HTC Love, depending on who you ask), the new kid on the block is looking to depose the aforementioned devices with some rather innovative features of it's own!

But more on that later ;)

Buying the P3300

Using Expansys as a price guide...

P3300 Deluxe Pack (including Western Europe TomTom 6 Maps) - £509.95

P3300 Starter Pack (including 1 TomTom 6 City Map) - £439.95

Expansys also sell the P3300 on a number of different O2 or Vodafone connections, thereby providing a 'virtual subsidy' for the device as if you bought it from the operator directly.

For comparison, i've included the prices of some of it's rivals...

Fujitsu Siemens LOOX T830 (cheapest package) - £494.95

Mio A701 (cheapest package) - £389.95

HP iPaq 6915 (cheapest package) - £359.95

E-TEN G500+ (cheapest package) - £319.95

In a nutshell, the P3300 is coming in at the top end of the scale price wise, with the exception of the T830, which does however pack a number of extra features (such as 3G radio, full size SD slot), although it has a 240x240 screen rather than the QVGA screen found on the P3300.

Unboxing the P3300

For the purposes of this review, i'm covering what I believe is equivalent to the P3300 'Taster' pack (the cheaper one without TomTom Europe, but with a TomTom single city), although my box was labelled a 'Marketing Sample', so I can't guarantee that you'll receive the same in the retail pack (but I think so).

THe HTC P3300 arrives in an uncharacteristically large box for a HTC device.. but when you open it, you see why.

The box contains the following items:

- a HTC P3300 device

- a spare stylus

- a USB sync cable

- a car charger

- a stereo headset with a USB connection to the device

- a mains charger

- a windscreen suction mount

- an external GPS antenna

The windscreen suction mount is on par with what I have seen for other devices (e.g. the Mio A701), but I strongly recommend that if you are purchasing one of these devices, you invest in a purpose made Brodit mount for your vehicle (DSL Developments - UK Brodit Supplier).

Hardware - overview

Hardware. Mmm... So that's where the P3300 starts to get interesting. :) It's not a top spec device in every respect, but it does have some very unique features!

Let me run you through the specifications first...

- Windows Mobile 5 for Pocket PC AKU 3

- Quad Band GPRS / EDGE

- FM Radio

- TI OMAP 850 @ 200MHz

- 128MB ROM

- 64MB RAM

- 2.8" QVGA 65K colour screen

- microSD expansion underneath battery

- 2.0MP camera

- miniUSB connector for sync / charge / headphones

- 1200mAh battery

- up to 3.5 - 5 hrs talktime

- up to 150-200 hour standby

- 58mm x 108mm x 16.3mm

- 127g

- Unique RollR trackball

The positives...

Let's talk about the good things first ;)

The P3300 ships with AKU3, which means it's bang up to date with the latest version of the Windows Mobile 5 operating system. The .net Compact Framework 2 is in ROM, which means all your apps will run with the minimum of fuss.

The unit is small and light considering it's packing GPS connectivity! The GPS antenna is internal, so the device has a nice shape, with no ugly antenna bulge seen on other devices such as the Mio A701. The device is a nice dark grey colour with subtle HTC branding.

The device has the unique RollR trackball control method, although whether this is positive or not, we'll come to in the 'in use' section ;) It also has an abundance of hardware buttons. As well as the usual Green / Red / Soft keys / Start / OK buttons that I expect to see on every Pocket PC nowadays (you hearing me Glofiish?), the device has dedicated keys for your chosen GPS application and Pocket Internet Explorer.

GPS on the device is powered by SiRF's SiRFStar III chipset, the latest and greatest when it comes to low power, high sensitivity GPS chipsets. This is supplemented by 'Quick GPS', the A-GPS service that allows for ephemeris download using your mobile data connection, thereby (theoretically) allowing quicker TTFF (time to first fix). The device stacks up to be a considerable navigation companion.

I'm not sure whether to mention the TI OMAP 850 processor as a positive or a negative :P Sure, it's slower clocked than the Samsung processor found on some of the top end HTC devices, slower than the 416MHz XScale found on the Galaxy, but it has something of a reputation as a battery life hero. It's also rather overclockable should you desire :D

Finally, the P3300 features a full size stylus! Hurrah! I've kinda got used to the extendable stubby feeble-excuse-for-a-stylus on the Hermes, but having used the one on the P3300 for a little while now, I realise how much I miss a decent stylus.

The negatives...

If you're a regular reader of my reviews, you'll know I tell it like it is, and it's exceptionally rare that a device gets away without any negatives. Well...

What the P3300 gains in GPS connectivity, it loses somewhat in cellular connectivity. 3G / HSDPA are not available on this device, although in it's defence, it does thankfully offer EDGE data speeds should your operator support it.

Again in comparison with HTC's Top Tier devices such as the Hermes, the P3300 loses features such as the side scroll wheel (which I really miss now, although there is the huge scroll wheel on the front!), the LED flash for the Camera (big deal, it's rubbish anyway), and of course there is no sliding keyboard. This wouldn't be so bad if the 'Phone Pad' T9 typing application was present on the device... but we'll come to that later.

In common with other HTC devices hitting the market at present, the P3300 has a miniUSB connector that doubles as the headphone port. No 3.5mm or even 2.5mm ports here, you WILL need an adaptor if you want to use your nice earphones :)

The screen seems to have some sort of matt coating - anti-glare I believe, which bizarrely means that when used in direct sunlight, I have found it is very poor in comparison to other Pocket PC devices. It's very strange, particularly on a device of this nature, but I did gauge the opinions of friends and colleagues who on the whole agreed with my assessment.

There is no IR port on the device (I find IR useful now and again, but I understand i'm in a minority!)

Finally, the RollR! It's a trackball, and a wheel, on a device. Hmmmm. Is it a negative? Or is it a positive? I'll come to that later ;)

Hardware - around the device

The front of the device is dominated of course by the screen. It's 2.8" in size... as I mentioned previously it's good, except perhaps in direct sunlight.

Above the screen is the new HTC logo, and the speaker. There is a LED each side of the speaker, used to indicate service (green), GPS activity (orange), Bluetooth activity (blue) and WiFi activity (green on the other one!).

Below the screen you'll find all the hardware buttons, and the RollR. The hardware buttons are sensibly laid out and nice to use, the addition of dedicated buttons for your GPS application and Pocket IE is a nice touch, especially when implemented in such a compact but usable layout.

The RollR consists of a tiny white ball, which is used like a trackball on a computer. Rolling it up / down / left / right emulates the action of a regular directional pad, and you can also switch to an 'on screen pointer mode' to make the experience more like a Windows PC. The ball illuminates in a funky blue when in use. Around the outside of the trackball is the wheel, The wheel is shiny in appearance, and makes a quiet 'click' as you use it. It performs the same function as the wheel on the side of other devices, i.e. it performs the up and down directions depending on whether you scroll clockwise or anticlockwise. On my particular unit, the wheel is exceptionally 'loose', and feels very cheap. That's not to say it compromises it's use, it still works as intended, it just doesn't feel as good as I had hoped.

The back of the device contains a black piece of rubber at the top, behind the right hand side of which is the plug for the GPS antenna. This will be vital for you if you plan using your P3300 in environments such as a car with a reflective windscreen.

Below this, centrally mounted, is the 2 Megapixel Camera. I won't dwell on it too much, as it's a typical HTC camera (poor). There is no flash, and the self portrait mirror is mounted just below it, actually on the battery cover. Also on the battery cover is another HTC logo.

The left hand side of the device has a shiny silver strip, which contains a 'voice speed dial' button at the top, which opens the voice recording application when held down. Below this is a conventional volume slider, and at the bottom of the strip is the reset hole.

The right hand side of the device also has a shiny silver strip, and at the top is the power button. At the bottom is the Camera button.

The bottom of the device is home to the miniUSB port (for sync, charge and headset), the lanyard loop, and the stylus silo.

The top of the device is home to the speaker (which actually is on the top / back), which is sufficiently loud for a device of this type.

Software

When you first spark up the P3300, you're greeted by the HTC logo, before the device launches into the AKU3 setup wizard. Traditionally the bane of Pocket PC owner's lives, the wizard has been improved slightly for AKU3. Most importantly, the annoying 'tap and hold' tutorial can now be skipped! Hurrah! In addition, email accounts can be configured during this first setup phase.

After the initial setup has been completed, and the device has performed it's Extended ROM customisations (followed by a reboot), the user is greeted by the Today screen. Presented in the now-familiar HTC ultra-green, the layout is very simple. The TomTom homescreen plugin is immediately apparent (TomTom 6 is in ROM on both the taster and premium packs), and the new 'Shortcut Bar' is also displayed. You'll notice the default configuration has shortcuts for power status, screen rotation, comm manager, backlight settings, quick GPS and mouse mode.

Let's talk about mouse mode. This shortcut toggles between the regular operation of the RollR (whereby it emulates the directional pad found on conventional devices) and a mode where a pointer appears on screen that is controlled by the trackball.

Application wise, all of the standard applications you'd expect from a Pocket PC are there. I won't go through them in detail, rather i'll talk about what's new and different on the P3300 :)

• The P3300 includes an updated Bluetooth stack with some new features. More protocols are now support, and a Bluetooth Explorer / Bluetooth FTP application is now also in ROM.
  
• The Camera application on the device is the usual excellent HTC Camera client. It is a slightly newer revision than that found on the Hermes, but is identical in operation.
  
• Clearvue PDF is installed in ROM. Along with all previous HTC devices however, this doesn't seem to be the latest build. Interestingly, in the 'next wave' of devices (that have AKU3.2 installed), Clearvue PDF has been dropped, and replaced by Adobe's own PDF reader for Pocket PC.
  
• The P3300 has an FM radio built in, and an application to use it called, er, FM Radio ;) The application is great, with RDS support, memories, Stereo / Mono modes and more. Of course, the headset needs to be plugged in when using the radio to allow it to act as an antenna, however you can select an option to play it through the loudspeaker. Sound quality is fine, although there is one annoyance. If you are using the device while you're listening to the radio, any action that makes a sound (such as clicking the Start menu) will create a harsh break in the radio playback, which is somewhat messy and unnecessary. This can be avoided by turning off these systems sounds of course, but it's far from ideal.
  
• Internet Sharing is a new application for AKU3. It makes the process of using your device as a modem for your computer a lot easier. You choose the connection method, choose the connection on your device to use, and off you go. Piece of cake ;)
  
• QuickGPS is the P3300 A-GPS application. The premise is simple... instead of having to use the GPS signal to download the ephemeris data, the device downloads it over a web connection, and then feeds it to the GPS chipset. The GPS chipset the avoids having to start with a 'blank page' as it acquires the satellites.
  
• TomTom Navigator 6 is preinstalled on the device. In the taster pack it is installed without any maps, and you are able to go online from the device and download one city map. In the Premium package, a DVD is included containing full European maps.
  

So far as specific applications are concerned, that's a run down of everything that is new or interesting on the P3300 :D Next, i'll talk about other aspects of the device build aside from the installed applications that may be of interest.

As you'll note from the specifications, the P3300 has what appears to be a good memory size, with 128MB ROM. However, as you can see from the memory screenshot that was taken virtually immediately after a hard reset, things are not too great in this department. The amount of memory that is left for the user is smaller than I would have liked to see. I'm not sure if this is due to TomTom being installed or something else, but should you purchase a P3300, you will definitely want to buy a microSD card, and re-jig the default configuration.

Next, I come to Phone Pad. Oh, HTC why has thou forsaken me? :D 'Phone Pad' is actually nothing to do with phone functionality, it is (was) HTC's fantastic little implementation of T9 (predictive text) as a Pocket PC input mode. It worked GREAT, I (and many others) loved it, and it was one of the single biggest reasons to buy a HTC Pocket PC over those of other manufacturers. Basically, it's not installed on the P3300. HTC seem to have dropped it from their lineup altogether. Boo :D

In use

My my, so we get to the In use section. Take a deep breath... and read on :D

First things first, let's talk about the general use of the device aside from the RollR.

In use, the device feels nice and brisk, with very few pauses belying the fact that the processor is 'only' a 200MHz OMAP 850 :D This experience is consistent with what I've seen on AKU3 devices in general... the latest OS coupled with a generous helping of RAM (altho not in this case!) adds up to a good user experience.

The P3300 holds on to both the mobile signal and WiFi signals as well as my other devices, indicating that the inclusion of a GPS antenna hasn't had a detrimental effect. Likewise, when GPS is enabled, it too doesn't cause any unexpected issues.

As previously mentioned, the GPS chipset in the P3300 is the acclaimed SiRF Star III chipset. It offers very high sensitivity with good power management, although that being said, GPS is still a big drain on power. By supplementing the GPS with the A-GPS download function, the theory is that TTFF (time to first fix) is much reduced. Unfortunately, the reality seems to be that it's taking as long to get a fix as my other non A-GPS SiRF III devices, so i'm not 100% sure it's working properly. On the plus side, once I have a fix, I've actually managed to walk right around the house without losing the fix at all, which is very impressive, and something that i've not been able to do on a GPS enabled PDA before now.

Having said that, I have noticed some performance issues when using the GPS in the car. I have been running the P3300 alongside my Hermes + Parrot CK3300 car kit, to compare signal strengths. In general, the P3300 has had a vastly superior signal, which I attribute to the fact that it is a far newer chipset and the fact it is sat on the dashboard , unlike the the CK3300 antenna which is actually below the dashboard, tucked away for stealth :rolleyes:. In some urban canyon environments however, and particularly on a journey today under some trees, the P3300 would lose fix when the CK3300 was still merrily tracking away with a good signal strength. Very odd, and something that I will investigate further.

The Camera on the P3300 is typical HTC fare. It's just about 'acceptable' rather than 'good', and is particularly poor in low light. It lags behind the competition considerably, which is a real shame. It's particularly a shame because the HTC Camera app is really quite fully featured, if only they could work some magic with the sensors on their devices, they could really do well.

OK, so I can't put it off any more... let's talk about the RollR.

Firstly, I should applaud HTC's innovation... the RollR on the Artemis and the JoggR found on the Excalibur show that as a company they are not afraid to innovate with their control methods, and put them on real live shipping products. However... I had serious reservations about the RollR.

Let me start by saying that this is just my personal thoughts on it, and I would dearly love to hear what you, the readers, think of the RollR, whether you've bought a Artemis based device, or used one in store.

In a nutshell... I don't see the point of the RollR. No matter how skilled you are with a trackball, I think that your experience with the RollR is going to be poorer than you would find with a real keypad. The ball itself is a little too 'loose' for my liking, and even if you are very skilled and used to the ball, it's too easy to either end up going in the wrong direction, or as I have experienced, 'overshooting' the selection. The 'click' action too can be troublesome, in that I find when I click I occasionally accidentally knock my selection up or down, and end up clicking on the wrong thing.

The 'mouse mode' of the RollR has also been a much talked about feature. This mode replaces the conventional Pocket PC control with an onscreen mouse pointer, much like Windows on a Desktop PC. Once again - nice idea, but for me, it just doesn't work. Pocket PC as an operating system just isn't designed to be driven that way, and even after trying to persevere by running the pointer for a few hours... I really didn't like it. I found myself doing a ton of 'pointer miles' just to perform functions that were usually so simple!

The wheel works well enough - as you would expect. It feels cheap, and I don't especially like the action, but it works.

Conclusion

So there you have it, a review that has actually turned out far more negative than I thought it would when I started it.

Your experience with the P3300 will almost certainly hinge on how you feel about the RollR. I would find it very hard to recommend the purchase of a P3300 without trying it first, particularly for those who are already Pocket PC power users, who may find it just holds them up too much.

The form factor and appearance of the device is nice, the integrated GPS is a great feature (although i'm disappointed at the performance of Quick GPS), and despite the 200MHz processor i've found performance more than adequate in my usual usage scenarios. If it had a regular dpad, I would probably be raving about it now, and even considering it as my primary device, just because the integrated GPS is a real nice to have. Having said that, the memory usage after a hard reset is also something of a worry too.

So, in fact, this isn't really a conclusion at all. It's a 'it'll be a great device for some'... and maybe the best way to end would be to hear the feedback from other people who've tried it, or indeed own it!

If YOU are a P3300 owner, i'd be very interested to hear if you agree with my review and my conclusion... feel free to reply below! ;)

Introduction

What a rollercoaster year 2011 was for Sony Ericsson. From the lows of the X10 update debacle to the highs of the bootloader unlock announcement, Sony Ericsson turned themselves from Android outcasts to Android champions not least with a varied product range of price competitive products that, while not blowing away the competition, stood out in a number of areas.

Fast forward to 2012 and Sony Ericsson has become Sony, with the electronics giant buying out its partner and looking to leverage its brand in the still rapidly growing Android space. With a new name come new products, starting with the ‘NXT’ range, consisting of the Xperia S, P and U.

The Xperia S sits atop the pile (at least until the larger screened 'Xperia Ion' hits these shores) but is it worthy of that status? Read on to find out. I’ve been lucky enough to spend a fair bit of time using the Xperia S as my main device... this isn’t a 5 minutes hands on ‘review’!

In the box

The device I’m reviewing is shipping hardware and firmware device, but it wasn't supplied in a retail box.

With this in mind I don’t have any box pictures, but you will find your device, headphones, charger and a HDMI cable in there - nice to have that included and not having to purchase it as an extra. It's also nice that we have a proper microHDMI port, not a MHL port that requires a special adapter. Some retail packs will also include NFC SmartTags, but this will vary by retailer / network (some supply none, some 2, some 4).

Hardware - overview

Let’s start by getting the raw specifications of the device out of the way!

Inside your Xperia S you have...

• Google Android 2.3 (upgradeable to Ice Cream Sandwich Q2 (Apr-Jun) 2012)
  
• 1.5 GHz Qualcomm MSM8260 Dual Core Processor with Adreno 220 GPU
  
• HSPA 850 (Band V), 900 (Band VIII), 1900 (Band II), 2100 (Band I)
  
• GSM GPRS/EDGE 850, 900, 1800, 1900
  
• 4.3” 1280x720 TFT screen with Bravia Engine and scratch-resistant / shatter proof sheet on scratch-resistant glass
  
• 1 GB RAM
  
• 1 to 1.5 GB internal phone storage
  
• 32 GB eMMC
  
• Rear 12.1MP Exmor R camera with 1080p recording with backlit sensor and f/2.4 aperture
  
• Front 1.3MP camera with HD 720p for video chat
  
• Accelerometer / Proximity Sensor / Ambient Light Sensor / Magnetometer / Gyroscope
  
• NFC
  
• ANT+
  
• WiFi 802.11 b/g/n
  
• Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR
  
• aGPS
  
• micro HDMI
  
• microSIM
  
• 128 x 64 x 10.6 mm
  
• 144 grams
  
• 1750 mAh battery (inbuilt)
  
• Available in black or white
  Not a bad spec list eh? Plus points for me are the 720P 4.3” screen, 32GB internal storage, NFC and of course that 12.1MP camera, negative points being the lack of microSD and integrated battery (par for the course on high end devices now?), the somewhat ‘last generation’ CPU and of course shipping with Gingerbread rather than Ice Cream Sandwich.
  
  Hardware - around the device
  
  The design of the Xperia S is a key departure from Sony Ericsson devices of old and is a recognisable facet of the ‘NXT’ range.
  
  
  

  
  
  Let’s give you a tour of the device starting with the front, which is of course dominated by that 4.3” 720P screen. Above the screen sits the Sony logo and the speaker in the centre, a notification LED and the various sensors on the left and the front facing camera on the right. Below the screen sit 3 tiny silver dots that indicate the position of the capacitive buttons (i’ll talk more about those later). Below those sits the standout design concept of all the NXT devices - a completely transparent panel with stencils indicating the button functions. This clear panel houses the device’s antenna (if you look closely you can see a very thin wire mesh) and illuminates as the capacitive buttons are pressed. Finally, below this sits a stencilled Xperia logo.
  
  

  

  
  
  On the back of the device, from the top you’ll see the camera, LED flash, secondary microphone grille (used for noise cancelling) and down towards the bottom the green ‘orb’ logo of old, that transparent panel and another stencilled Xperia logo to match the front.
  
  

  

  
  
  The top of the device is home to the power button and 3.5mm headphone socket, the bottom the main microphone and a lanyard loop. Thankfully, the somewhat fiddly little round button on the Arc series has become a proper, rectangular, man-size button... :)
  
  

  

  
  
  The left hand side of the device has only the microUSB charging port, which is behind a plastic flap. The right hand side has a microHDMI port (again behind a flap) the volume rocker and a 2 stage camera button.
  
  The device has a soft touch matte rubberised finish on each surface, which feels great. The device feels very solid in construction with no flex or creak.
  
  Software
  
  As mentioned previously, the Xperia S ships with Gingerbread 2.3 with an Ice Cream Sandwich update to follow in ‘Q2 2012 (Apr-Jun)’ (i.e. any time now?), but unfortunately Sony are being very non-committal about an exact release date. More than likely this is because they don't have one... they have to go through due process to gain approval from Google.
  
  In reality, when you’re shipping your ‘next generation’ flagship device, not loading up the latest OS release is a big mistake... there is no denying that. But, on the flipside, the update is due soon and so i’m not going to let the OS choice colour the review too much... there’s plenty more to talk about on the device!
  
  So, we have a gently massaged version of Gingerbread, very much iterative of the last Sony Ericsson devices. That means a smattering of styling changes, a number of additional apps from Sony and some interface changes here and there.
  
  To prepare the device for the software review I’ve turned it on, put my Google account details and updated all the various apps that pop up in the Google Play Store as needing updating. Then, I’ve gone through each of the ‘shell’ icons in the launcher and installed the app as appropriate. For a number of products, they don’t come preinstalled - clicking the icon takes you to the Google Play Store to perform the initial install, a little strange.
  
  So, we turn the device on and unlock the themed lockscreen with a smart looking ‘smoky wisps’ live wallpaper in blue. A number of themes are available for selection - ‘Silk’ (white), ‘Turquoise’, ‘Emerald’, ‘Sapphire’, ‘Gold’, ‘Ruby’ (pink) and Amethyst. Selecting one of these themes changes not only the live wallpaper colour, but the coloured accents throughout the device.
  
  The stock launcher has been replaced with Sony’s own variation. The launcher uses horizontal paging and offers customised application sorting (own order, alphabetical, most used and recently installed). Applications can be uninstalled straight from the launcher. 5 homescreens are offered satisfying the most obsessive of widget fans (I know writing this that someone will reply they need at least 7 screens) and the pages support putting applications in folders.
  
  Let’s work through the pre-installed applications. There’s quite a lot on there, but happily a lot of them are installed to the /data partition, which means they can be uninstalled.
  
  As a 'GMS' device (i.e. signed off and approved by Google!) the Xperia of course includes the full Google suite - Gmail, Google +, Maps, News & Weather (Genie), Play Books, Play Movies, Play Store (no Play Music as it is US centric), Search, Talk, Voice Search and YouTube.
  
  Like its predecessor the Xperia Arc S, the Xperia S has 3D camera and 3D album apps. These don’t display 3D on the device of course, but allow you to take 3D images for display later on a compatible TV over the HDMI connection. Since the device only has a single camera, you can’t take one-hit 3D images like you can on the Evo 3D or LG Optimus 3D, you need to use a ‘pan’ technique which, in fairness, is fairly variable in its success.
  
  With a headline feature of the Xperia S being its 12.1MP camera, as you’d expect there’s a fully featured custom camera app.
  
  The stock setting is a 9MP 16:9 image, although a 12MP 4:3 image is of course an option. 2M 4:3 or 16:9 images are strangely the only other options in the resolution settings. The Flash can be run in auto, fill flash, red-eye reduction modes or turned off completely, 2 second and 10 second self timers are available and 3 levels of smile detection can be used. Geotagging is optional (and off by default). The application has the option of taking your shot with the on screen button, by touching the screen (allowing focus on a specific area) or ONLY via the camera key (which of course is also available with the other two methods). The shutter sound can be mercifully set on or off. One of the features Sony is touting for the S is its ‘quick launch’ camera. This means that when the device is in standby and even if it is locked, a press of the camera key will wake it and take a shot in under 1.5 seconds. The camera app launches in a kind of ‘sandbox’ - you can take pictures, but not view them or do anything else on the device without going through the usual unlock procedure. Quick launch can be disabled completely, as well as configured to either launch and snap an image as quickly as possible or just launch. Digital zoom is available by using the volume key. The application has a surprisingly effective auto scene recognition mode for switching between portrait, landscape, night scene, night portrait, beach and snow, sports or party (!) modes, or you can only turn scene recognition off and choose them yourself. Doing so also reveals the options to manually configure the EV (Exposure Value), ISO level (Auto, 100, 200, 400 or 800), white balance (auto, incandescent, fluorescent, daylight or cloudy) and metering (centre, average or spot). Panorama and 3D panorama modes are available and you can take pictures with the front camera.
  
  When switched to video recording again videos can be taken with either camera, the rear camera offering full HD / 720P / VGA / MMS recording and the front camera offering 720P / VGA and MMS. Often when switching a device’s camera app to video mode, all the customisation options disappear completely, but this isn’t the case with the Xperia S. All of the same options you see in manual scene mode are available (no auto scene detection for video), with added options for LED light status, image stabilisation status and the ability toggle the microphone on or off. Phew!
  
  What else is installed?
  
  

  • The Alarm Clock application offers a world clock, stopwatch and timer in addition to the alarm clock itself, which has variable snooze durations, styles (alarm clock ‘themes’), custom behaviour for if the device is in silent mode and configurable behaviour of the side buttons to decide whether you’d prefer them to snooze or dismiss the alarm.
    
  • Astro (complete with ugly UI and ugly ads) is one of the preinstalled apps on my device... thankfully this is one of those apps that can be easily removed.
    
  • The Browser is standard Gingerbread fare and is probably one of the biggest negative points over picking up an Ice Cream Sandwich device. No Chrome for the Xperia S until the OS gets a revision bump... although the stock Browser of course supports Flash which you don’t get with Chrome.
    
  • The Calculator and Calendar apps have the expected UI makeover.
    
  • The Desk Clock app links to the enhanced music application.
    
  • A Connected Devices application lets you stream content to DLNA devices or alternatively set your phone up as a DLNA server.
    
  • The Contacts app is pretty standard from a features perspective, with the exception of the addition of ‘smart dialling’ (dial a contacts name on the keypad to filter the list).
    
  • The Email app is Gingerbread standard fare.
    
  • Facebook is preinstalled (common place for Gingerbread).
    
  • The Xperia S includes an FM Radio with RDS where, as always, the headphone cord works as the radio antenna and sounds can be played via the headphones or via the speaker.
    
  • A preinstalled but removable app called Football Downloads lets you download UEFA Champions league wallpapers and ringtones, a tie in to Sony’s sponsorship of the tournament.
    
  • The Gallery app on the device is standard with the exception of the 3D functionality and integration with the Xperia’s ‘Facebook Inside’ feature (version 2.0) allowing viewing and sending to Facebook photo libraries direct from the gallery.
    
  • The LiveWare Manager lets you manage Sony connected hardware (e.g. headsets, headphones and charger) and assign actions to occur when those accessories are connected. This is also where the configuration happens for the NFC ‘Smart Tags’.
    
  • McAfee Security (trial) is a preinstalled but removable application on the device.
    
  • Media Remote allows you to remote control your compatible Sony TV - if you don’t have a compatible set, again, don’t despair - you can uninstall it! Bravo Sony!
    
  • The Messaging app fairly standard.
    
  • The Music app is again heavily integrated into Facebook to allow you to see music and videos your friends have shared on Facebook. The Music app also integrates with Sony’s Music Unlimited service but has a nice UI and feature set in its own right, including the ability to find missing album art and track info for your music.
    
  • The Sony Music Unlimited app is preinstalled, which is currently priced at £3.99 for the basic plan or £9.99 for the premium plan.
    
  • The NeoReader QR code reader is installed and removable.
    
  • OfficeSuite caters to your Microsoft Office document viewing needs. Other third party apps include WhatsApp and WisePilot, both of which can be uninstalled.
    
  • The official Playstation app is preinstalled (as you would expect), allowing you to connect to your PlayStation Network (PSN) account.
    
  • TrackID offers music recognition on the device (a-la-Shazam or SoundHound) with an added tab to view the current chart with associated links to Music Unlimited.
    
  • Now, Google rebranding their online properties as ‘Play’ hasn’t really helped the clarity of who’s services are who’s on the Xperia S, but ‘PlayNow’ is present and belongs to Sony! PlayNow is yet another content store.
    
  • The Xperia S is ‘Playstation Certified’ and this is evidenced by the PS Pocket and PS Store icons that went live towards the end of our time with the device. ‘PS Pocket’ is a hub for your Playstation Pocket games, and ‘PS Store’, predictably, is where you go to find / buy Playstation games!
    
  • Also installed is Recommender, an app to help you find apps and games in the Play Store (that’s the GOOGLE Store), and, you guessed it, share your apps with Facebook friends. :)
    
  • Timescape is another Sony addition that has been installed on Xperia devices for a while. It’s a client that allows you to view your Facebook and Twitter stream, with plugins available for other services via the Google Play Store. Now, maybe it’s just me, but I find it one of the most useless apps I’ve ever used... and I can’t really imagine anyone liking its UI!
    
  • A new Power Saver application allows you to set a number of profiles to help manage your battery life. Three profiles are offered, ‘Power Saver’ which you can activate manually, ‘Low Battery Saver’ which is trigged by a chosen battery threshold and ‘Timed Saver’, which, as you would expect, activates between chosen times. Each profile can manage WiFi, GPS, Bluetooth, Brightness, Sync and background data settings.
    
  • An Update Center application manages over-the-air updates, which can also be installed via the PC or Mac update clients. This is split into system and application updates.
    One other area that Sony Ericsson have tweaked the device is with their software keyboard. The keyboard is 'swype-alike' in operation, letting you input text by swiping around on the keyboard and, I have to say, it works very well indeed. For regular non swipe input the Gingerbread keyboard or SwiftKey are definitely more to my taste, but I did find swiping on the Xperia S more accurate than I have on other devices in the past for some reason. Should swiping (or 'gesture input' in Sony speak) not do it for you, you can turn it off and you can also switch the portrait keyboard to a 12 key 'T9' layout should you choose. Chinese and Japanese keyboards are also preinstalled.
    
    In use
    
    So that’s the software rounded up - let’s talk about what the Xperia S is actually like to use!
    
    I switched to testing the Xperia S from the Galaxy Nexus, which of course has a 4.65” 720P screen. With that in mind, the dimensions aren’t as different as you might expect. The Xperia S measures up at 128 x 64 x 10.6 mm, the Galaxy Nexus is 135.5 x 67.94 x 8.9 mm. By comparison, the Xperia Arc S, which features a slightly smaller 4.2” display is a noticeably more svelte at 125 × 63 × 8.7 mm, feeling thinner particularly by virtue of its curved-back design. So that’s the stats (and you can view an online comparison here, but how does it feel? Nice. It is a very pronounced ‘slab’, with only a slight curve on the back and gently rounded edges, but with its soft touch coating it feels good. The transparent strip below the capacitive buttons serves to disguise what is a very large bottom bezel and makes the simple design more interesting.
    
    
    

    
    
    The button placements all make sense to me, I like to have the new enlarged power button on the top, the dedicated camera button is a real bonus and as a right handed person the volume buttons are perfectly placed for operation with my thumb in a call. One thing i’m definitely NOT so keen on is the plastic flap on the power socket. Argh! I know it smooths off the design, but I’m plugging my device in AT LEAST daily, so I don’t want to be messing around with that silly little cover. On the HDMI port? Fine. On the charging port? Don’t do it! I notice that the lanyard holes are in front of the mic on the bottom which is the opposite of what I would have thought makes sense, but I imagine this isn’t an issue for most people. The buttons are suitably ‘clicky’, including the aforementioned 2 stage camera button.
    
    The Xperia S is the first device from Sony / Sony Ericsson to feature a fully TTRS compliant headphone port (again, sensibly, on the top). This means that for the first time, headphones with buttons and microphones designed for TRRS devices (like the iPhone and just about everything other device out there) should work. Good news! The inbuilt speaker is loud but incredibly tinny... I can see these devices blasting out tunes on high streets up and down the land. :P
    
    Let’s talk about the capacitive buttons. I’ve seen on Twitter that a lot of people have had a short time with the Xperia S and come away with the impression that the buttons don’t work properly, are too small, are in the wrong place etc. etc. BUT... they’re wrong. Sort of. The first thing you have to realise when you pick up the phone is that you don’t press the transparent strip where the button icons are, you press the little silver dots below the screen that represent the capacitive touch points. When you first start using the phone, you WILL get times when you think you’ve hit the right place and it hasn’t registered, but having used the phone for a while now, I can say with confidence that the phone is now registering every press of mine when i’m holding the device normally. As with a lot of phones, tapping a capacitive button when the phone is sitting on a desk doesn’t always get registered, but I’ve seen this on other devices too. In normal use, the buttons work great and presses are accompanied by a short vibration.
    
    I spoke before about the transparent panel at the base of the device that holds the antennas and represents a signature feature of the NXT series. This lights up in white, only when you press the capacitive buttons - unlike the Xperia U it is NOT a notification area. A RGB LED can be found on the top left of the device. A little bit of a shame I think (I would have preferred to see the ‘bar notifications’ across the whole range), but I will agree it’s more subtle and sophisticated. :)
    
    

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    http://content.modaco.net/dropzone/xperiasantenna.png][/lightbox]

    
    
    The device has a dual core processor (albeit ‘current generation’ rather than the newer Snapdragon chips found in the HTC One S for example) and 1GB of RAM so, as you’d expect, the phone is snappy in use. For all its faults (the main one being ‘it’s not the latest and greatest’), Gingerbread is a mature OS that Sony have been fettling for a long time now, so you’d expect nothing less than smooth, stable performance and that’s what you get. Benchmark wise the phone performs well, you just need to be aware that you're not getting the newest possible release and on raw horsepower, devices that are out very soon will surpass it. Whether or not that's an issue is your call! ;)
    
    The software tweaks are fairly subtle and nicely designed and... well, on a 720P screen at 4.3” most things are going to look good! The screen is incredibly sharp, nice and bright (although, like early devices of the last Sony Ericsson generation, brightness can only be manually controlled - no auto brightness here - at least, no user configurable auto brightness). The Mobile Bravia Engine is present for enhancing clarity of pictures and videos. The screen really is quite a highlight - as a 'regular LCD' the viewing angles aren't the best ever but that aside, it's pretty stunning, imparting a retina display like awe in those who played with it.
    
    In line with other new devices, the Xperia S eschews microSD expansion in lieu of 32GB internal storage. Now, I can often see the thinking behind this, but the S isn’t exactly a super thin handset so was it really necessary? One could ask the same of the microSIM slot, again something that seems to be present on a lot of new generation handsets.
    
    One of my biggest complains with the Arc S, Arc and other devices in the old Sony Ericsson range was that the internal storage was horrendously small. Installation of a handful of applications would leave you plagued with ‘low memory’ messages, something that thankfully seems to have been resolved for this handset. On a pretty empty handset (only the latest app updates etc.) installed the phone is reporting 1.66GB internal storage available, with 25.80GB total space on the internal storage card. ‘Internal storage card’ I hear you say? ‘That means mass storage access’ you cry? Well, actually, not so fast - the Xperia S only supports MTP access. A bit annoying, but it’ll prepare you well for Ice Cream Sandwich where that is the norm! It will be interesting to see whether Ice Cream Sandwich merges these two memory concepts (as it does on the Galaxy Nexus) to provide just one large space.
    
    The Xperia S supports NFC and is the first Sony (or Sony Ericsson) device to do so. To make the most of the NFC hardware, Sony have created the concept of ‘Smart Tags’. These are basically regular NFC tags in a fancy ‘dog tag’ shape written with special URLs to interact with the Smart Tags application (you can actually use generic NFC tags and turn them into Smart Tags - details to follow!). When the phone senses a smart tag (and bear in mind that NFC is a 'perform an action when a tag is found' concept, you can't then do something else when it goes away) you can set up a large number of device functions to trigger. You can open applications, toggle states of the various wireless services etc. - it's pretty neat. I'm a big fan of this kind of automation and it's a good introduction to the concept!
    
    Should you wish to plug the Xperia S into your TV using the HDMI functionality, you'll find it works rather well. Sony tell me that the output is at 1080P (I haven't yet verified this personally), but what does happen when you plug in is that there is a custom 'TV UI' that is launched when you do so. Provided your TV is new enough to support the relevant HDMI specification (it doesn't have to be a Sony TV though), you can even use your TV remote to browse through the menus on your phone - great for when you are boring your family with your holiday snaps! :D
    
    The camera!
    
    A big selling point of the Xperia S is going to be the 12.1 Megapixel camera, which in raw numbers at least, sits top of the pile at the moment. It's rumoured that the Galaxy S III will also have a 12 Megapixel shooter and the forthcoming HTC devices have the new 'ImageSense' chip to allow them to create great pictures (albeit at 8 Megapixels), but the camera is an important selling point for Sony. This isn't new... the Xperia Arc and Arc S made a big deal about their 8 Megapixel Exmor R cameras and rightly so - they took great shots!
    
    The Xperia S is, thankfully, more of the same. A number of comparison photos are included below but in a nutshell, i'm finding the Xperia S to take great pictures that surpass those of the Xperia Arc S. Colour representation seems to be improved, detail is very good and although I would like to see an option to choose the JPEG compression level of the pictures, the software itself is full of options and customisation. The functionality that allows you to turn on your device straight into the camera by pressing and holding the dedicated camera button is neat too. Indeed the camera button itself is a feature for which Sony should be applauded, it's far too often missing from today's phone designs! One area where the camera does disappoint slightly is when taking panorama pictures (see samples below). They are ultimately pretty low resolution as is pretty common and appear pretty comprehensively over-compressed. Video recording quality seems pretty variable... I found the results with the image stabilisation on a bit disappointing, but with it off they were much better. The single focus, face detection or infinite focus options should be carefully selected given what you are recording, then you can get decent results!
    
    Battery life
    
    The Xperia S packs a 1750mAh battery which is a ‘built in’ item - don’t be fooled by the removable back cover! I find battery life really hard to quantify as people use their devices so differently. With that in mind, I get a ‘full normal day’ out of the Xperia S, just as I do the Galaxy Nexus with its 1750mAh battery. I take it off charge in the morning, use it periodically through the day with a few bursts of high activity and it’s ready to go on the charger as I go to bed. As with the Galaxy Nexus though, a few bouts of heavy gaming or extended surfing / video viewing and it probably won’t get me through the day. Not good, not bad, the epitome of average.
    
    Pricing
    
    I wouldn't normally give pricing its own section in a review, but for the Xperia S I think it's worth it for one simple reason - Sony Ericsson have a history of pricing their phones very competitively and all signs are that this will continue with Sony's Xperia S.
    
    At the time of writing a Xperia S can be snagged for £379.99 from Amazon and is available on contracts from Three and Phones4u at extremely competitive prices.
    
    The Xperia S undercuts the Galaxy Nexus despite having double the storage and a vastly superior camera (albeit at the expense of the 'stock Google experience').
    
    In conclusion
    
    Whether the Xperia S is right for you or not, it's a well-rounded, capable and desirable device. It stands pretty uniquely in the market as it is at the moment by offering a 720P screen resolution without forcing a 4.6"+ screen on the user... a size that for many is just too big. Couple that with solid build quality, a great camera, 32GB of online storage and all the other little bits and pieces you could want (NFC etc.) and there's little to disappoint. Yes, Ice Cream Sandwich isn't on the device out of the gate but it's coming soon and while the dual core processor isn't the 'next generation', it performs well and benchmarks more than respectably.
    
    There's no denying that it would have been nice if the device had arrived a little bit thinner than it is and maybe with some slightly more interesting design features (transparent strip aside), but on the whole Sony [Ericsson] have done a good job here. If your contract renewal comes round or you snag a Xperia S SIM free, probably at a price that undercuts a lot of its rivals, I doubt you'll be disappointed.
    
    Pros and cons
    
    Pros
    
    

    • 720P screen in a 4.3" form factor
      
    • Decent camera
      
    • 32GB of onboard storage
      
    • Unusual design with 'transparent panel'
      
    • Overall solid performer with decent build quality
      
    • Unlockable bootloader

    Cons

    [*]You have to wait for ICS

    [*]no microSD

    [*]Fixed battery

    [*]It's not thin and to some it's not pretty

    [*]Capacitive buttons do take some getting used to

    Have your say

    Do you have a Xperia S? Do you agree / disagree with my review? post below! :)

    Video

    To follow

    Photos

    

    

    

    

    Screenshots

    

    

    

    

    

    Camera samples

    Xperia S

    

    Xperia Arc S

    

    Xperia S Panoramas

    

    Video samples

    To follow

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This is all quite new at the moment, so to be honest, you may encounter some bugs, random crashes and problems, but is it all worth the $19.95 USD price tag?

Well, I've been using it exclusively for the last few days, and there are a few areas of improvement needed. The first is for a unified look between the individual apps as, at the moment, each one can look totally different - which just doesn't work for me. Another would be an option for themes and applets to be downloaded directly via PointUI on your device. Thirdly, simplification of the install process for third-party applets, as it can be fiddly. It would also be great it didn't drop back into the standard Windows Mobile interface so quickly. For example you can read texts and emails within PointUI, but when you need to reply, you revert to the standard interface. However, this is not specific to just this UI, as the same thing happens in other UI's, such as SPB Mobile Shell.

Overall there is a lot of potential in PointUI. I had no problems with the default install, it's just not very interesting without the tweaks, I had no problems during the time I used it before the add-ons, but if you need something 100% reliable at all times, then in its modified form, this is not for you.

Why not try it for yourself and let us know what you think? ;)
Thanks to PointUI for providing us with the review copy.

See PointUI.com for download and more information.

Introduction

When it comes to eagerly anticipated handset releasses, they don't come much bigger than this. For me personally, the HTC Kaiser is the culmination of many years of Pocket PC development by HTC. Over the past few years HTC has been pushing the envelope of Pocket PC designs and features. The introduction of 2.8" screens, integrated GPS, QWERTY sliding keyboards, 3G, HSDPA, Dual Cameras... all innovations by HTC over the years, many of which we've come to take to granted.

Up until now, compromise has been the order of the day. Want GPS? Then you can't have QWERTY. Want a compact form factor? Then you can't have a QWERTY either, unless you give up 3G. There have been some great devices (HTC Trinity, HTC Herald)... but the device we all really want hasn't quite existed.

Enter the HTC Kaiser.

You can imagine the design brief for the HTC engineers. "Let's take the HTC Herald / Atlas slim QWERTY form factor, and stuff in as much as we can. Let's not leave anything out. Let's include a fast (new generation) processor, tons of ROM and RAM, 3G, HSDPA, HSUPA, GPS, thumbwheel, lots of hardware buttons, a 3 Megapixel camera to set new benchmarks in the Windows Mobile world, a sprung QWERTY keyboard and - what the heck - let's dream up a cool new party piece too."

So well have they executed their brief? I'm lucky enough to have a HTC Kaiser handset sitting with me right now, and i'm going to take you through it and give you my verdict. Enjoy :)

One final point before we get started - HTC have NOT finalised the ROM for this device. Anything software related in this review is subject to change, and it's not inconceivable there could be very minor hardware variations in operator versions (as we say with the Hermes HERM100 / 200 / 300). Primarily though, this is what you'll be buying in the shops around August time!

In the box

My Kaiser arrived in the typical 'HTC pre-production unit' white box. The box contained the standard fare...

- HTC Kaiser handset

- Mains charger

- USB sync cable

- ExtUSB headset

I understand that for the HTC unit at least, this (with the addition of a soft case) is what is expected to be in the retail package, together with the normal documentation and software bundle of course.

Hardware - overview

Holding the Kaiser in your hand, you'll notice that it feels weighty, and yet is compact in size. Indeed, my unit tips the scales at around 190g - no lightweight, but for me at least - acceptable.

The claimed specs...

- Windows Mobile 6 Professional

- Qualcomm MSM7200 Chipset @ 400MHz

- 256MB ROM

- 128MB RAM

- 2.8" QVGA screen

- GPRS + EDGE + UMTS + HSDPA + HSUPA

- WiFi

- Bluetooth 2.0 EDR

- USB 2.0

- 3 Megapixel primary camera

- VGA secondary camera

- 1350mAh battery

- Thumbwheel

- ExtUSB

- microSD expansion

- Spring assisted QWERTY keyboard with tilt

As you can see, you're not left wanting for much. The only real omissions are a VGA screen, which is starting to appear on some of it's competitors and a radio (for both FM stations and TMC traffic information). IR is of course missing, but this is in line with recent HTC devices and their stated plans to discontinue IR support.

Hardware - around the device

Let me walk you around the device, starting with the front face.

Most of the front is dominated by the dark grey 'brushed aluminium' effect, which is framed by shiny black plastic previously seen on 'Trinity' devices such as the HTC P3600 and the SPV M700. At the top left sits the forward facing video camera (VGA resolution), next to the speaker which itself has a notification LED on each side. The top right of the device will be home to the branding, at least on the HTC units. Below the speaker sits the 2.8" screen, which is bevelled into the device slightly in order to provide it with a degree of protection. This also denotes that the Kaiser will not be a 'Touch' equipped device, as such devices have a flush screen covered with reinforced plastic. Next we come to the front hardware buttons and directional pad which, as regular readers will know, are SO important to me! Thankfully, everything is top drawer here. An excellent directional pad is flanked by soft keys, dedicated PIE and mail keys, red and green call keys and the all important Start / OK buttons. So far, top marks. :P

Flipping the device over to view the back, the shiny black coating remains and simplicity is the order of the day. At the top left is a plastic cover behind which lie connections for attaching external GPS or GSM antennas. Below right of this is the camera (3 Megapixels autofocus with no flash) and the speaker. The back of the device is something of a fingerprint magnet, but looks smart when clean and shiny! :D

The bottom of the device has a lanyard loop, the extUSB connector, a reset pin, the microphone hole, and on the top sliding section - the microSD slot with a rubber cover.

The left of the device has a voice dial / memo key, the thumbwheel and the accompanying 'OK' button.

The right of the device has the power button, a two stage camera button (focus / take shot) and the stylus silo. The stylus is of the full length (non telescopic) type. Hurrah!

The top of the device has no buttons :D

The whole device has a magician-esque (althought to a lesser extent) 'ribbed' plastic effect around the side, which aids holding the device with a firm grip.

When the device is opened (with the satisfying spring assisted mechanism previously seen on the HTC P4350 / T-Mobile Wing and also the HTC Vox based Smartphones), the excellent rubberised keyboard is revealed. As is standard fare now, Cap and FN indicator lights are present, which are a very useful addition, Due to the tilt mechanism, the screen slides slightly further upwards compared to other devices with spring assisted keyboards, which actually makes tapping the 'soft key' mapped hardware buttons easier. When the device is open, flipping it over reveals the SIM slot, built into the back of the screen.

We mentioned previously the Kaiser's party piece, and it is the tilting screen. After sliding the screen open, it can be tilted upwards - perfect for when you have the device sitting next to you on a desk, or if you're using the device on a table.

Software

I mentioned in the introduction to this review that the ROM has not been finalised as yet for the Kaiser, and for that reason I am not going to go into detail on the software side - I will update this section later. I will however give you an overview of significant developments on the device.

Firstly it's worth noting that even though this is a preproduction ROM which will still receive a number of revisions before launch, it is extremely fast and stable. I switch to the Kaiser from a T-Mobile Wing (200MHz OMAP) and of course it is way, way faster. Even compared to the Trinity, which has a 400MHz processor, it feels snappy.

The Kaiser runs Windows Mobile 6 Professional of course, which is fantastically well suited to the device. The QWERTY keyboard means you can make the most of the new smart filtering in Outlook Mobile, and Windows Mobile 6 is easier than ever to use without needing to touch the screen thanks to the plethora of hardware buttons on the device and sharpened up UI.

Each operator will of course be customising the software to varying degrees. The HTC branded device will be a fairly base build, featuring all the standard Windows Mobile 6 offerings plus the usual HTC customisations (additional homescreen plugins, task manager, camera application etc). The camera application is slightly improved and updated for the Kaiser. HTC have also partnered with 'Hubdog', and their content application will be included on the Kaiser out of the box. I have also had brief sight of the AT&T Kaiser prototype, which had the usual suite of additional applications such as MusicID, Video, Music etc. The only other firmly rumoured Kaiser-launching operator is T-Mobile, who will likely make only slight tweaks to the interface for their 'Web n Walk' branding.

I'll be adding a few screenshots from the software in my device below, to keep you going until such time as I have a final ROM!

In use

So far so good, but now the acid test... what's it like to use?

You hold the attractive yet functionally designed device in your hand, and marvel at the solid build, and the weight! After tapping the power button on the right hand side of the device, it sparks into life... and boots up quickly! It's not feature-phone quick, but you can tell there's considerable horsepower under the bonnet of this baby. It bodes well B)

Up comes the usual Windows Mobile 6 setup wizard, which you step through. Again, snappy. The ExtROM customisations are applied, and finally you're ready to play. So... what first?

"Well, i'm an Exchange user, so the first thing I need to do is to get my GPRS connections setup etc. If you have a HTC branded device, a wizard pops up to do it for you. If you have an operator branded device, then no problem, it's all done for you already. That's easy enough, so I click the Start Menu and run Activesync. Wow, it is responsive!

I now need to enter my credentials, so it's time to get the keyboard out. Rotate the device clockwise, slide the screen upwards with that oh-so-satisfying click and the OS rotates to landscape quickly and smoothly (this action also turns the device on if it's off). A rather annoying 'keyboard open sound' is played at this point - mental note, 'must turn that off'. B) I quickly enter my details using the rubberised keypad that I loved so much on the HTC P4350 and T-Mobile Wing, and kick off the sync. This is the first time I notice that i'm in a 3G area, with the '3G' icon on the top bar. As the sync gets going, this switches to 'H' and the magical HSDPA kicks in. Sweet.

Time for a cup of tea while that syncs up, so I sit the device on the desk and tilt the screen up at an angle - that new Kaiser feature. Oh, this is sweet. The tilt mechanism doesn't click into place and feels 'soft' compared to the positive action of opening the keyboard, but this in turn allows you to choose any screen angle that suits you. Excellent.

;)

The sync is now done, and it's time to have a play. I install my favourite apps - some to the internal memory, some to the storage card. With 256MB ROM and 128MB RAM, you don't need to be anywhere near as prudent with on device installs as with previous devices. Now for some fun.... I open PIE, CamerAware, my massive Exchange mailbox, my blogging client and then, just for fun, TomTom - waiting for it to fall over with a lack of memory. It doesn't! I close that, launch iGo... same deal. It starts. Now this is the way Pocket PC was always SUPPOSED to work. Ah ha - I know what'll kill it! Opening the Camera! But nope, you guessed it, it just loads right up."

Honestly, that's a fairly accurate representation of my first 20 minutes with the Kaiser. For the record, I was seriously impressed.

Since then, I've obviously used the device a lot more, and still my experiences are good. Let's look at the things people always seem to care most about. The camera is surprisingly good for a HTC device! I've posted some pics below that i've taken with the phone, a few general shots and a few closeups. For a phone camera, this will do be just fine. The battery life, although i'm reluctant to comment too much as the device is preproduction and i've been hammering the hell out of it, seems to be on par if not better than on my Trinity - i'd expect this to improve before release too. The build quality is solid, with no great amount of flex or movement in any direction. The thumbwheel IS a real thumbwheel (i.e. it goes round and round and round) :D The call quality and volume is excellent, probably the best call clarity i've ever heard on a Windows Mobile device! The USB connection seems to be extremely fast. I'm told it's USB 2, and I can believe it.

I know a lot of people will be very interested in the GPS functionality, but at this time, the Radio ROM that provides GPS functionality isn't complete, so operation is flakey. For that reason, i'll cover this too at a later date.

In conclusion

So there you have it. I've been waiting a long time for my dream machine to come along, and I thought the Kaiser was it. And it seems I was right. As ever, i'll reserve final judgement until I have the final device... i'm pretty comfortable saying that the Kaiser is going to blow everyone away when it hits the shelves. I wonder how the competition and even HTC themselves are going to better it (although of course they will), and take my hat of to HTC for their achievement.

It's quite simply awesome. Don't use your upgrade yet, start saving the pennies, forget the iPhone (and the Touch) and put your preorder in for THIS device. You won't be disappointed.

Paul's HTC P4550 Kaiser Pros and Cons

Pros:

- Massive specification

- Great keyboard

- Great camera

- Attractive yet functional and innovative design

- Buckets of RAM and ROM show Pocket PC in it's best ever implementation

Cons:

- Quite heavy

- Not VGA

- No FM radio or TMC

Sample camera pictures

All pictures are taken with default settings, the first 4 pictures are regular pictures, the last 2 are very close up macro shots.

Kaiser with Trinity

EDIT: You can find my video unboxing/review of this device here.

Well, HTC's Kaiser has finally hit the shelves and I'm sure many of you out there are wondering what's next? What could possibly outshine a device that's widely regarded as one of the best yet? Well dear readers, about 3 weeks ago a very special device landed on my desk, a device which I'm nicknaming "the Kaiser killer"!

The device in question is the Asus P750, some details of which first leaked a few months back. Little in the way of concrete information has surfaced since then but today we're going to change that and give you the full run down on what's set to be an awesome device.

I should mention before we get down to business, the device I have is an engineering sample (the only one in the country in fact!) and as such is subject to change and improvement but I'm reliably informed that hardware-wise, this is pretty much the finished article. Due to that, this article will be a preview only. There's no point in fully reviewing a non-retail device, especially when software-wise, there's a fair amount of room for improvement ;)

Enough of the chit-chat, on with the show![/teaser]

Design & Build

Some of you may remember when when details of the Asus P526 came to light after it won the iF Product Design award. It was a sexy little device and it's bigger brother, the P750 is no exception. The rear of the device is covered in a nice touchy-feely rubberised coating which also makes it's way round to the borders of the front of the device too. The front and rear halves of the device are separated by strip of black chrome and some of the main device buttons also carry the chrome look. It makes a change for me to be able to say that a Windows Mobile device actually looks good and not only does it look good but it feels good too. The device is solid, it fits well in the palm of your hand and in case I didn't mention it enough already, it looks good, really good!

Hardware

So what hardware does this Smartphone-esque Pocket PC actually pack? Well, it has:

• HSDPA
  
• SiRF Star III GPS
  
• Wi-Fi (b/g)
  
• 3.0MP Camera (with Auto Focus)
  
• 2.6" QVGA Touchscreen
  
• Forward facing video calling camera
  
• 520Mhz Intel PXA270 CPU
  
• 256MB ROM
  
• 64MB RAM
  
• External microSD slot
  
• Smartphone-style keypad with backspace button
  
• 1300 mAh battery
  
  
  
  Software
  
  Software-wise it's pretty much what you'd expect from a modern Pocket PC. It runs Windows Mobile 6.0 (or Windows Mobile 6.0 Professional as Microsoft would now have us know it), includes Office mobile, has a number of Asus-made applications such as a call filter, a device status monitoring tool, a backup utility and a few third-party applications too, like WorldCard Mobile.
  
  The device also has AGPS (Assisted GPS) software which allows the GPS hardware to acquire a fix quicker via regular software downloads (every three days or so).
  
  Finally, for those wondering how well the keypad works, Asus have included xT9, so it works very well indeed :wub:
  
  
  
  Gallery
  
  
  
  
  
  Dimensions
  
  At a mere 57mm(W)x112mm(H)x17mm(D) and weighing in at only 145g (with battery), the P750 beats the Kaiser on almost all counts. In fact, when I first held the P750, it actually felt lighter than my everyday workhorse, the (MoDaCo) Orange SPV C600. Obviously it isn't but the P750's increased width over the C600 means it's weight is spread over a larger surface area, thus giving the feeling of it being lighter :D
  
  (approx. dimensions measured by me)
  
  Accessories
  
  My sources tell me that the P750 will come bundled with the following:

  • Case
    
  • Desktop holder
    
  • Car holder
    
  • Car and mains charger
    
  • microSD (size unknown as yet)
    
  • and of course a sync cable
    

  What's uncertain at this point is whether or not the device will come bundled with any Navigation software. The hope is that it will but Asus know that everyone has their own favourite when it comes to Sat Nav software so may instead opt not to ship it with any at all to keep everyone happy. In my opinion, you can't go wrong with TomTom or iGo :D

  Release Dates & Pricing

  I'm told to expect this device to hit stockists like Expansys within the next two months with network/carrier deals becoming available in Q1 of next year (most likely February). Pricing is a little vague at present but I'd expect it to go for a similar price as the Kaiser (£400-500 off-line).

  Conclusion

  So why do I think this is a Kaiser-killer? Ever since the crop of Smartphone-style Pocket PC devices from Gigabyte, I've longed for feature-packed device that I could use competently with one hand. This is it. It has almost every feature I could want, it's sexy looking, light, solid and I've only had to pull out the (full-size) stylus a few times in everyday use. I'm not fussed on the design of the Kaiser, nor the fact you have to flip it round to slide out the keypad (that little HTC trait has annoyed me since the Wizard) so for me, the Asus P750 is as close to my idea of Pocket PC perfection as I think I'm going to get.

  Anyway, that's just my opinion. What do you think? Any questions?

  PS: I wrote this article about two weeks ago and since then have used the P750 as my main device. It's awesome! Apart from the odd software glitches in its as yet unfinished ROM, it's been rock solid in performance and certainly gets some admiring glances. If you planned to shell out on a Kaiser and haven't yet, you may want to wait a little while for this puppy to come our way...it's a beast :D

Mid December 2004 was a very significant milestone in the life of Pocket PC, and more specifically Pocket PC Phone Edition. Can you guess why? In December 2004, the iMate JAM was released to an unsuspecting world.

The iMate JAM was something of a revelation... the release coincided with Microsoft relaxing their restrictions around screen size, and therefore the JAM, with it's 2.8" QVGA screen, broke new ground in terms of compactness and viability as an everyday phone.

The iMate JAM was based on the HTC Magician reference design, that was quickly adopted by carriers across the world, who clearly saw that it was set to be a best seller. Those carriers included Orange, who released the Magician as the 'SPV M500', albeit with slight asthetic tweaks, which were generally well received.

HTC have continued to build on the success of the Magician. As well as a version of the Magician with 128MB memory rather than the original 64MB, HTC released the Charmer, with a virtually identical feature set, but sporting Windows Mobile 5 and the now ubiquitous TI OMAP 200 MHz processor - a battery life friendly processor replacing the 416MHz Intel XScale found in the Magician. The Charmer didn't seem to make much traction with carriers however, with only T-Mobile really taking it under their wing as the MDA Compact II. Maybe this was due to the fact that the HTC Prophet was on it's way...

So, to 2006... and the Prophet is here. Released first as the Dopod 818 Pro in the far east before appearing as the iMate JAMin and the QTek S200 worldwide, HTC's latest compact Pocket PC gets it's first outing with a carrier... as the Orange SPV M600!

Hardware

If you've held / used either the Magician or any of it's variants, you'll feel right at home with the M600. At a shade under 150g, the device is light enough to be pocketable, and heavy enough to feel solid and high quality. At 108.8 x 59.3 x 18.4 mm, the size compares well with other Pocket PCs, and even Smartphones.

A quick look at the tech specs:

- Construction: Anodized Aluminum / Plastic

- Operating System: Windows Mobile 5.0 for Pocket PC

- Processor: Texas Instruments OMAP850 200MHz

- RAM: 64 MB

- ROM: 128MB (this is the area used for user installing programs etc)

- Interfaces: SD/MMC supporting SDIO, IrDA (SIR), Bluetooth 2.0, MiniUSB, Wi-Fi (inc WPA)

- Radio: 850/900/1800/1900, GPRS, EDGE

- Screen: TFT 2.8" (43 x 57 mm) 240x320 pixels QVGA, 65K colours

- Camera: 2 MP without flash (max photo resolution 1600x1200 pixels, max video resolution 176x144), macro mode

- Battery: removable Li-Ion , 1200 mAh

- Dimensions: 108.8x59.3x18.4 mm

- Weight: 148g

There's do denying you get a decent bit of kit for your money! ;)

Sporting the latest version of Windows Mobile 5 for Pocket PC, known as AKU2, the device supports Push Email from Exchange servers out of the box, a big plus if you are either an enterprise user in an Exchange environment or a personal user with a hosted Exchange account (e.g. 4smartphone).

The TI OMAP 200MHz processor has been a cause of much debate. Despite the change from the 416MHz processor in the Magician, the 200MHz processor in the M600 - as a later generation device - doesn't perform at half the speed - in general use, the speed feels pretty much comparable, although power hungry applications, such as VOIP, will suffer in comparison. Of course, there is a trade off, and that is power consumption... the M600 is very frugal compared to it's predecessor.

With the advent of Windows Mobile 5, persistent storage comes to Pocket PC. Always included in the Smartphone version of the OS, persistent storage means that all of the data on the device is stored in ROM, meaning that should the battery go completely flat on the device, you'll no longer lose your data. Hurrah! :D

A welcome inclusion on the device is the full size SD port. In a world where MiniSD and MicroSD devices are becoming more and more popular, i'm very happy to see the M600 with a full size slot. I recently snapped up a 4GB SD at a bargain price, and now have a very spacious and competent portable music player. MiniUSB, IR and Bluetooth are included, although the omission of A2DP (Stereo Audio) support in the Bluetooth stack is disappointing - and something that will hopefully be rectified in a future update.

One of the most significant improvements to be found in the M600 is the inclusion of WiFi. Most impressive is that this is the first HTC device to feature 802.11g rather than the slower 802.11b. Together with Windows Mobile 5's support for WPA, this is a very useful addition... albeit one that should be used sparingly if battery life is important!

Rounding off the connectivity comes compatability with EDGE. EDGE is an advancement in speed over GPRS, think of it as a stop gap between GPRS and UMTS (3G). Orange UK have stated that they do plan to offer EDGE in the UK, although primarily as back fill for areas that will not receive UMTS coverage initially.

It's fair to say that HTC's previous efforts with regards to cameras in phones have been, well, 'disappointing'. As the first device in the HTC portfolio to offer 2 Megapixel shooting, the M600 takes fairly decent shots, although like previous devices it is handicapped in low light situations due to the lack of flash. A macro mode is included, which is a handy addition for taking pictures of business cards and the like.

The feel of the device as you hold it in your hands is hard to describe. The device - a combination of metal and plastic - is coated with a black 'soft touch' paint, that feels good to hold, and in my experience to date seems good at resisting bumps and scratches.

The front of the device is dominated of course by the 2.8" QVGA screen. It is sharp and bright, and feels perfect for the 320x240 resolution. Having seen 4 different HTC Prophet devices alongside each other, I have noted that the screen brightness and degree of 'yellowing' seems very variable... if you are purchasing your device in store, you might like to consider firing the device up at time of purchase, checking your are happy with the display - especially if switching from another Pocket PC.

Above the display sits the speaker, with a silver surround. Embedded in the speaker are 2 LEDs, yes, the annoying flashing 'in service' LED remains (it is also used to indicate charging status), together with a LED to indicate Bluetooth status. To the left of the speaker is a white 'M600' logo, accompanied by an Orange logo in the right hand side of the device. Below the display 'SPV' is written in white. I personally quite like the branding and think it suits the device, but should you disagree... 'sugar cubes' at the ready :(

Below the display sits the directional pad and a number of buttons. As well as the directional pad and red / green call buttons, the M600 sports dedicated keys for the start menu, OK, and the left and right softkeys. HALLELUJAH! Don't underestimate the significance of this addition... with these new keys and the improved Windows Mobile 5 Operating System, the M600 suddenly becomes a huge amount more viable as a device for 1 handed operation. To give you an idea of the significance, I recently switched to another Pocket PC WITHOUT the additional keys, and it drove me nuts to the extent I switched back within a day!

The top of the device is home to the SD slot.

The bottom of the device has the miniUSB port, a 2.5mm headphone jack, and the microphone.

The left of the device contains a dedicated camera button, a volume slider, a dedicated button for 'Comm Manager', and a loop for a lanyard. Comm Manager in AKU2 has been very much improved, but more on that later :P

The right hand side of the device includes the IR eye, the power button, and the stylus silo, which is home to a good length and fairly decent stylus... particularly compared with the trend torwards stubby extendable stylii found on devices such as the HTC Wizard variants (e.g. MDA Vario).

The back of the device includes an external antenna plug with a rubber bung, a mirror for self portraits, the 2 megapixel camera with a macro mode switch, a shiny section proclaiming '2 Mega Pixels', and a 'Designed for Windows Mobile' sticker!

Software

On to the software!

Upon assembling your device from the compactly packed box, a tap of the power button sparks the device into life. The Orange splash screen is displayed while the device goes through it's boot cycle, which I am afraid to say is not noticeably quicker than previous Pocket PCs. After completing initial setup and a reboot, you are presented with the 'love-it-or-hate-it' Orange custom homescreen, and a very Orange-y theme. I have to confess i'm not a big fan, however at least on the M600 the custom homescreen can be turned off, unlike on some other Orange handsets!

If you've used Pocket PC before, everything will be familiar! With the exception of the soft keys that are new to Windows Mobile 5, it all looks pretty much the same!

App by app... what do you get out of the box?

A whirlwind tour of the start menu...

Calendar - This application allows you to view / edit your calendar, which can be synced to a desktop PC or an Exchange server. It's an easy to use application, yet still contains a good range of features. You can view your calendar by agenda / day / week / month / year, and items from here are also highlighted on the homscreen.

Camera - The camera application uses the whole screen as a viewfinder, and works very well. It includes a menu for switching ambience for different types of lighting, and includes 'greyscale', 'sepia', 'cool' and 'negative' effects. Contrast, brightness, saturation, hue and sharpness can all be adjusted. Date / time can be superimposed on the image if desired.

The application offers Photo, Video, MMS Video, Contacts Pictures, Picture Themes, Sport and Burst modes.

My only complaint with the application is that it defaults to landscape for pictures, and there seems to be no way to switch orientation to portrait... particularly annoying when superimposing date / time on pictures.

Macro mode for pictures can be enabled using the hardware switch on the back of the device, next to the camera lens.

Contacts - The contacts application contains, you guessed it, all your contacts! Again, they can be synced to either a desktop PC or Microsoft Exchange. There is an exhaustive list of fields you can have associated with each contact, including a field for a Contact Picture, which can also sync to your desktop PC or Exchange server (new for Windows Mobile 5!)

Internet Explorer - Internet Explorer has been slightly improved for Windows Mobile 5. It is relatively quick, and includes different modes for rendering pages as intended, or reshaped for the mobile device. Functionality is still quite basic in that there is still no support for opening multiple pages, but on the whole, using Pocket IE is a pleasant experience.

Messaging - Messaging is where all of your messages - SMS, Email and MMS live. Additional POP3 and IMAP accounts can be created here. Unlike other Windows Mobile 5 devices, the M600 does NOT support HoTMaiL accounts - more on this later. Messages are kept in seperate 'accounts' within Messaging, and you can switch between them using left-right on the directional pad.

Phone - Phone is where you make phone calls! HTC's 'IntelliDial' application is included, which means you can dial names of contacts in a 'Smart Dial' type way. Call History and Speed Dials are also accessed from this application, which can also be launched by hitting the green call button on the front of the device. Speakerphone and call conferencing are also accessed from this page, although Speakerphone can also be activated in call by holding down the green button.

Pictures and Videos - The M600 uses Microsoft's standard Pictures and Videos application, which is new to Windows Mobile 5. It serves as a central place to find all of your pictures and videos, and also offers very basic picture manipulation such as rotation, cropping and 'Auto Correction'.

Programs -> Accessories -> Download Agent - Who knows what this is for - it seems to be unused ;)

Programs -> Accessories -> Help - The standard Pocket PC Help application, i'm willing to bet you never use it ;)

Programs -> Accessories -> Modem Link - This allows you to configure your device to act as a modem when connected to your PC.

Programs -> Accessories -> Orange Plus - This is the SIM Toolkit application, that allows you to access your SMS based services such as sports news.

Programs -> Accessories -> SIM Manager - This allows you to manager your SIM card contact entries.

Programs -> Accessories -> Terminal Services Client - This allows you to connect to and manage Terminal Servers.

Programs -> Games -> Bubble Breaker - Jawbreaker is now called Bubble Breaker - pop groups of coloured bubbles!

Programs -> Games -> Solitaire - The old favourite - the Solitaire (Patience!) card game.

Programs -> ActiveSync - Here is where you set up / manage sync relationships, either with your desktop PC(s), or with an Exchange Server should you have access to one. You can sync Mail, Contacts, Calendar, Tasks, Notes and Media with a desktop PC, and Mail, Contacts, Calendar and Tasks with an Exchange server. Exchange Tasks sync is new to Windows Mobile 5!

This is also where you set your sync schedules, and enable direct-push always on mail if desired.

Programs -> Calculator - Does exactly what it says on the tin... a very (very) basic calculator.

Programs -> ClearVue PDF - This 3rd party addon application by Westtek allows you to view PDF files on your device - a useful addition.

Programs -> Excel Mobile - A mobile version of the Excel spreadsheet, with full viewing and editing capabilities.

Programs -> File Explorer - A simple file explorer.

Programs -> Java - An application to allow you to run Java MIDlets on your device.

Programs -> Notes - An application to manage 'sticky notes'. This syncs to Outlook Notes on your desktop PC. Note: As yet, Notes do NOT sync OTA to Exchange :(

Programs -> PowerPoint Mobile - View powerpoint slides on your device.

Programs -> PVPlayer - Packet Video player.

Programs -> Search - Search your device for items.

Programs -> Speed Dial - Manage your speed dials.

Programs -> Tasks - View / Edit your tasks. These may be synced to either Microsoft Outlook or Exchange (new for Windows Mobile 5).

Programs -> Voice Speed Dial - Exactly what it says on the tin ;)

Programs -> Windows Media - Windows Media Player 10 mobile. A competent Media Player with integrated library management, album art support etc.

Programs -> Word Mobile - view and edit Word documents on your deivce.

Programs -> Zip - Create and extract ZIP archives on your device.

Comm Manager - Comm Manager, accessed by pressing the dedicated button on the left hand side of the device, is much improved in AKU2, and therefore on the M600. It gives you one place to enable / disable the phone, Bluetooth, WiFi, DirectPush, Activesync and even to mute the device.

Other stuff

There are a wealth of different settings under the settings menu of course ;) Things that I think are most significant area:

- Button Lock features on this device. You can set the device so that when you turn it off, all buttons are locked except the power button - useful to stop the device being turned on in your pocket. A must have, but not all Pocket PCs ship with such an option.

- Phone Pad - The M600 ships with HTCs respected 'Phone Pad' implementation of T9. A further step towards one handed use - although using Phone Pad with a thumb isn't always easy due to the lack of tactile feedback - Phone Pad is another invaluable addition that doesn't feature on other non HTC Pocket PCs.

What's missing?

A point of note, and that is what's MISSING from the M600.

If you compare the M600 to it's HTC Prophet brothers, the iMate JAMin, the QTek S200 etc., you'll notice that they feature Pocket MSN, which is missing from the Orange device.

Why? Orange have plans to implement their own IM solution, and so have removed MSN Messenger from the device.

Unfortunately, Orange don't actually HAVE their IM solution available yet, but it's also worth noting MSN Messenger is not all you lose. Pocket MSN gives the ability to add HoTMaiL accounts to the Messaging application, and this is not available on the M600. This may be significant if you are a HoTMaiL user.

One other omission from the device, at least when compared to previous Orange Windows Mobile devices, is the lack of a Backup / Restore function. Again, we understand that a new and improved Orange solution for this is due at a later date...

Conclusion

The M500 was a very popular device, and rightly so, it took Pocket PCs to a whole new audience, and made a practical device for use where Pocket PCs never were before.

The M600 builds on this by taking the best features from the M500, and building on them.

It's a great device to look at and hold, and Windows Mobile 5 has made great improvements to the usability, and the additional hardware buttons make this a device that can be operated a lot more with one hand. Good though it is, it's not yet up to Smartphone standards for 'phone usability', but it's getting there.

The new hardware features, WiFi, EDGE, 2MP camera etc. etc. are all very welcome, and make this a small form factor powerhouse of a device... EDGE is a real bonus if you happen to live in a coverage area, else you may feel the lack of UMTS is a shame.

The lack of Pocket MSN functionality and backup / restore is a shame, i'd love to see Orange finish the replacements for things before they remove what is already there.

Push Email, made available through AKU2 works great on the device, and I know that i'd rather have the M600 than a Blackberry any day! Good though AKU2 is, the omission of A2DP (Bluetooth Stereo) is a shame.

In conclusion then...

If you can live with the lack of a keypad and the still imperfect one handed operation, the M600 is a stunner. I'm sure this device is destined to be a big seller... and for what it's worth... it is now the device of choice for both myself and my wife :( The real deal-breaker? Orange's data charges...

P

[PS Actual device shots to follow shortly!]

• Windows Mobile 6 Standard
• GSM/3G/HSDPA/BT connectivity
• 2.2" qVGA screen
• 128MB/64MB ROM/RAM
• 94.9 x 59.3 x 16.3 mm
• microSD Slot
• Slide-out QWERTY Keyboard
• Touch sensitive home/back/call/soft keys
• Scroll wheel mounted in the D-pad
  
  
  The front...
  
  The device itself has a rather nice matt finish glass or plastic facia and a chromed bezel surround. While a bit of a fingerprint magnet, I love the final look. Unfortunately the photos do not do it justice. The screen is a bright but smallish 2.2” affair which I had no issues using outside (although there isn’t much direct sunlight in December in the UK!), and finally the forward VGA camera for video calling is situated in the top right corner.
  
  
  

  
  
  Samsung have however added a number of nice touches to the device hardware. Most notably of course is the slider, covering a full QWERTY-format thumb-pad. The thumb-pad was perfectly usable and similar that used on the i600 (or Blackjack), however personally I have used better. This may just be the slightly “pointy” keys feeling slightly uncomfortable on my large thumbs. If you’ve used the i600 thumb pad and are happy with it, you should be fine with the i620.
  
  As with a number of their other handsets, Samsung have included touch sensitive home/back/soft keys. While I liked the look of the touch sensitive keys and in general had no issues with them, in some instances I found them to be a little unmanageable. The sensitivity of the keys is fine, if a little off-set (although this may just be my large thumbs again!), so it took a little more getting used to than I was expecting. The D-Pad doubles as a scroll wheel, working in the same way as the jog-dial found on devices such as the Samsung i600/Blackjack. While a nice addition and convenient if you do a lot of web browsing, was just a little too sensitive for my tastes and I found it fiddly to be accurate with it. Overall all the keys worked flawlessly, their implementation was just a little weak at times.
  
  The back...
  
  Nothing much to report here other than the addition of stereo speakers, a nice feature bringing the device in line with Samsungs other high-end handsets. The standard 2Mpix camera is shielded by the slider and includes a self portrait mirror. Unfortunately I forgot to grab any sample pictures before returning the handset, however those that I did take (and didn’t save unfortunately!) seemed to be fairly on par for WinMo devices: passable but not great.
  
  

  

  
  The sides...
  
  Here we see the external microSD slot and volume rocker, while the other side holds the proprietary Samsung charge/headset port and a function button, this brings up the quick menu for flight mode and profile selection on a quick tap and the camera when held down. This button functionality could be customised in the handset settings. Finally the top holds the power button, held down to power the device on or off, and tapped to activate the touch-sensitive buttons.
  
  

  

  
  Software
  
  Hardware concerns aside, the tweaks and apps added by Samsung really make the i620 shine. First up: the Home Screen. Samsung provide a custom design vaguely reminiscent of a SBSH Facade layout. Left and right guide you through the Messaging, Appointments, WMP, Alarms and Call History menus, with up and down selecting the options. I found this home screen to be a refreshing change to the basic but functional default design by Microsoft, let down only by the slightly fiddly scroll wheel (which can be used for the left/right action).
  
  

  
  
  
  
  

  
  Next: the Start Menu. Here we see a tidy set of icons, with the eight options covering all the device content (other apps you install will be added underneath, obviously). Most icons will be familiar to anyone who has used a Windows Mobile device before and are pretty self explanatory, Samsung have added three folders: Entertainment, Internet Services and Applications, and a My Files explorer-type application.
  
  

  

  
  The Entertainment folder offers nothing too exciting, the standard set of WinMo apps and the Java midlet manager. Personally I am as yet to have found need to use a java applet over a native WinMo version, so didn’t try it out. Moving swiftly on, the Internet Services folder offers a few nice options – all preinstalled in-ROM. Opera Mobile is a nice touch and obviously offers an excellent alternative to PocketIE. There is also a Podcast manager and RSS reader, clearly Samsung is targeting the data-intensive user (that’s me!) with this HSDPA-enabled device. It’s also good to see this OEM device retains WLM!
  
  

  
  
  

  
  The Applications folder also looks to offer nothing too interesting until we drill down a little further. Firstly there is a File Manager, which is a little odd as there is a similar, but different, file manager application in the root of the Start menu. The File Manager here seems to add a little extra functionality but I don’t personally see the need for both. A nice touch in the My Files app is the animated zoom preview when picture files are selected. The Accessories folder provides a significant suite of options, notably Flash Lite, a unit converter app and a Stopwatch. OK, so these aren’t the most exciting apps in the world, but notably absent from the basic WinMo build where they’ve been a staple on dumbphones feature sets for years. The Document Viewer provides the excellent full Clearvue suite.
  
  

  
  
  
  
  

  
  In Use
  
  I used the i620 as my primary device for two or three weeks, and in that time I had no issues with reliability, signal calls or any other of the basics, so well done Samsung for getting that right :) The keyboard did take some getting used to, and while I personally found it a little uncomfortable it was perfectly useable. I did feel like the handset felt a little unstable when typing though, it never came close to escaping my grip, but did seem to be teetering a bit.
  
  The reasonable specs allowed the device to perform with no hitches, web browsing was fantastically fast over HSDPA as you’d expect, and the 416MHz PXA270 CPU from Intel happily kept up with my switch to and fro between applications and functions. The battery was slightly odd, the device was not new, however it did require a number of charge cycles to get the best battery performance. On forced-2G the handset managed a couple of days including 30-60mins of calls, a number of SMS, 14 hours of push email and the odd bit of web browsing. On 3G/HSDPA the battery gave up after around a day. Not fantastic unfortunately, but passable.
  
  Finally here are a few screenshots of the camera app. The images were acceptable in daylight, and okish in low-light, much like we’re used to in the WinMo world, but the camera app itself was feature-packed and easy to use.
  
  

  

  
  Final Thoughts
  
  The i620 is a great WinMo slider from Samsung, but only great in the same way as the i600/Blackjack was great. It’s let down is only in small things such as the smaller 2.2” screen and slightly fiddly d-pad and touch-sensitive buttons. Whether these are an issue to you or not is likely to be more due to personal preference rather than a functionality deficiency.
  
  The application suite included in-ROM is fantastic though, and while they do eat into the available memory (there’s only 34MB available), they’re actually useful. I don’t think I’d remove any of them (other than maybe the Podcast manager...) if given the choice.
  
  The i620 is just on par with its competitors in terms of features, however the lack of a defining feature such as Wifi, GPS or a decent camera means on the face of it, it struggles to stand out from the crowd of highly modern devices such as the Blackjack II or Moto Q9h.
  
  Pros

  • Fantastic software suite available out of the box
  • Sexy slider design
    

  Cons
  

  [*] Fiddly touch-sensitive buttons [*]Smallish screen [*] No WiFi/GPS/decent camera

  
  

  Many thanks to Expansys for providing the review unit

Introduction

There's no denying that HTC's candybar Mobile Phone offerings of late have been few and far between. Since the very well respected Tornado platform release (which includes the i-mate SP5, QTek 8310, T-Mobile MDA, SPV C600 etc), the only candybar Smartphones release has been the HTC Breeze design - which spawned the HTC MTeoR, i-mate JASJAM and the ne'er to be released SPV C700 - and the low volume selling HTC Monet - aka the Virgin Mobile Lobster 700TV. The Breeze platform was almost universally slated for poor design, poor specs, awful battery life and unstable software build. The Monet on the other hand felt my wrath due to an awful keyboard design. Bearing in mind that the SPV C600 was launched back in October 2005 and the HTC MTeoR was launched in June 2006, the wait for a new candybar Smartphone has been considerable.

Enter the HTC Vox reference platform, aka the HTC S710 (and soon to be the Orange SPV E650).

Buying the S710

At Expansys, the S710 is currently showing a SIM FREE price of £289.95, which is not expected to change significantly before launch in April. Compared to it's peers (all prices from Expansys)...

Samsung i600: £389.95

Toshiba G500: £349.95

HTC S710: £289.95

HTC MTeoR: £289.95

HTC S620: £264.95

i-mate SPL: £223.59

As you can see, the device sits at the middle to top price range for Smartphones (particularly 2G Smartphones), but still remains cheaper than most Pocket PCs. It is comparable to it's predecessor in price, the i-mate SP5.

Hardware - Overview

It's easy for the uninformed to dismiss the S710 at first glance as 'just another Smartphone'. Let's look at the specs...

• Windows Mobile 6 Standard (formerly known as Smartphone)
  
• TI OMAP 850 Processor @ 201MHz
  
• 128MB ROM
  
• 64MB RAM
  
• 2.4" QVGA TFT display
  
• Quad band GPRS + EDGE
  
• 802.11b/g WiFi
  
• Bluetooth 2.0
  
• 2 Megapixel Camera
  
• 1050mAh battery
  
• 50mm x 101.5mm x 17.7mm
  
• 140g
  
• Slide out QWERTY keyboard
  
  
  When the device hits the market, it will likely be the first to feature Windows Mobile 6 Standard, the latest iteration of our favourite Operating System :) The S710 boosts the 2.2" screen found on previous HTC Smartphones to 2.4", which actually makes a considerable difference in use. Finally, of course, there's the keyboard!
  
  The S710 inherits the spring assisted slide out keyboard found on the HTC P4350 (Herald), which has received much acclaim from reviewers, myself included. On the flipside, the keyboard mechanism does add to the weight, hence why the S710 is tipping the scales at 140g.
  
  
  
  Let me give you a tour of the device.
  
  Hardware - Around the device
  
  Let's start with the front.
  
  At the top, we find the speaker, which is flanked by notification LEDs on either side for WiFi, Bluetooth and GSM activity. The speaker has a polished centre in contrast to the matte finished surround to the screen. This preproduction unit has no branding, but expect to see HTC branding to the left of the speaker in production, and Orange / E650 branding alongside the speaker for the Orange variant. Below the speaker sits the screen itself, which as previously mentioned is a 2.4" QVGA item. There's no two ways about it, the screen is gorgeous. It's bright, sharp and noticeably more pleasant in use than it's Tornado based 2.2" counterparts. Expect the S710 screen to become the new Smartphone benchmark. The screen is not recessed for protection.
  
  Immediately below the screen you'll find the directional pad. Made of black rubber with a polished centre action button to match the speaker, the directional pad feels good in use, at least in the left, up and right axis. On this particular unit, the down action is less decisive than the others and is hampered a little by the pads closeness to the '2' key. I am hopeful that this will be improved in production units. On a more positive note, the S710 FINALLY marks the return of 8 way support to Smartphone keypads... yes, it supports diagonals! :) To the left and right of the pad are soft keys, and the keypad sits below this group. I'm pleased to report that the keypad feels nothing short of excellent, and i've been bashing out messages using the new xT9 implementation at great speed, with no complaints. The keypad is light years ahead of HTC last Smartphone effort, the Virgin Mobile 'Monet'... thank goodness! On the bottom left hand side of the front sit the 'Home' and 'Green' keys, complemented on the right by the 'Back' and 'Red' keys. Again, all of these are well placed and feel great in use. On this unit they are in polished silver to match the action key and the speaker, however I anticipate that prior to mass production these may gain a matte finish. A light sensor sits below the '0' key, to allow the keypad to be illuminated only when required, for power saving reasons.
  
  
  
  To the back of the device. On the black rubberised back you'll find the 2 MegaPixel camera with portrait mirror (no flash here), the speaker, an external antenna socket, and 2 small raised feet. The battery cover (with HTC branding on this unit) takes up the majority of the back.
  
  The left of the device features volume up / down buttons, a voice dial button and a lanyard loop. You'll also notice the SIM holder is visible... the SIM can be changed without removing the battery when the keyboard is slid open. Opening the SIM holder will power off the device.
  
  The right of the device features a camera button and a microSD slot, protected by a rubber cover. It is no longer necessary to remove the battery to change the microSD!
  
  The top of the device is home to the power button, which has a good press action, unlike some previous HTC Smartphones.
  
  
  
  The bottom of the device is home to the microphone, and the extUSB port. The port is protected by an (annoying) rubber flap, and is used for conventional miniUSB charging, as well as for a headset connection, as seen on previous HTC devices. There is no conventional 2.5mm / 3.5mm headphone connector on this device.
  
  Finally, we come to the S710's party piece, it's slide out keyboard! Holding the device with the keypad at the left, the front of the device slides upwards with a convincing spring-assisted 'snap'. The operating system automatically wakes up the device, and switches the orientation to landscape (a feature made possible in Windows Mobile 6). At the top of the keyboard sit Caps and FN indicator LEDs, and 2 soft keys. The QWERTY keyboard itself features the letter keys as you'd expect, Shift and FN keys (which can be locked), a smaller than normal space bar, a dedicated full stop key, arrow keys, a backspace key and an enter key. Symbols / Numbers are entered by pressing FN and then the appropriate key. The keys are plastic with a good firm clicking action, commendable tactile feedback given the form factor. The keyboard slides closed with the same satisfying sound, and the device immediately switches back to Portrait.
  
  
  
  Software
  
  Due to the fact this is a preproduction device, I don't plan to do a full overview of the software, as this is the one aspect that is certain to change prior to launch.
  
  With Windows Mobile 6, the incremental improvements in the Smartphone Operating System continue. Changes and improvements include a better looking UI, the previously mentioned landscape switching support, Windows Live services, HTML mail support, Office Mobile and many many other minor changes. One of my favourites is the ability to smart-filter message sender / subject in inbox in the same way you do contacts. It's slick and works great (see my S710 preview video linked at the bottom of this article for more details). The S710 also features the latest Smartphone incarnation of T9 from Tegic, named xT9, as seen on the T-Mobile Dash. It's a little bit quicker and slicker in use than previous versions, although it STILL doesn't let you go back and edit already entered words :)
  
  In summary, even on this test device, i've found the software build to be slick, stable and exciting with noticeable improvements over previous Windows Mobile 5 devices.
  
  
  
  In Use
  
  What's good?
  
  At barely bigger than a C600, for me the dimensions of the S710 are spot on. It's easily pocketable, looks good and feels well built. At 140g it's no lightweight, but it's still infinitely more pocketable than many 'Pocket PC's, and I can easily slip it in any pocket without noticing it's there. All of the design details work well, save for my slight gripe with the keypad 'down' action. The large screen is a joy, the keypad is excellent, the keyboard is genuinely useful, and it's great to have external access to the microSD again... well done HTC. The software build (even on this preproduction unit) is stable and the resolution switching when opening out the QWERTY keyboard is infallible. I've found the vast majority of applications I have tried work with the portrait / landscape form factor. Battery life is comparable to previous Smartphones, despite the bigger screen. The 1050mAh unit is the staple Smartphone battery we have seen many times before. Most of all, the S710 has the 'wow :) factor' that has been missing from Smartphones for so long... it's the envy of everyone you show it too (right Monolithix (MVP)? :) ).
  
  What's not so good?
  
  I'll ignore those who claim 140g is too heavy (it's not in my experience), and concentrate on what I found to be genuine issues. To be honest, there aren't many! The 2 MegaPixel camera is predictably poor, and it's about time HTC moved to better quality autofocus shooters like that found in the HTC Athena. The extUSB connector continues to be a pain, and it's compounded by the annoying rubber flap as found on the Excalibur devices (I actually just pulled it off on my HTC S620). In truth though, that's about as fast as I can go with the 'Not so Good' category. Specs wise the lack of 3G connectivity may be an issue for some people... for that we will have to wait for the 'HTC Wings', the successor to this device coming later in 2007. In truth however, that doesn't affect usability on this device as much as it might a device running the Pocket PC operating system, where more intensive browsing etc. would be more likely.
  
  Conclusion
  
  I can't remember the last time I was as excited about a device as I have been about the S710. It's fair to say that of late I have 'strayed from the Smartphone path', and become more of a Pocket PC users, primarily due to the fact that Pocket PCs have raced ahead with innovation while Smartphones have been caught in something of a rut. Well, that's just changed.
  
  In a nutshell, the S710 is a brilliant device that is going to sell by the truckload, particularly through the operator channels. Lack of 3G aside, all the vital ingredients are right. The S710 combines an anticipated competitive price point with good looks, the ' :) factor' and the latest and greatest Operating System. I think Smartphone fans finally have something to be smiling about.
  
  ;) :D
  
  Pros and Cons Overview
  
  Pros:
  • Windows Mobile 6
    
  • Size
    
  • Design
    
  • 2.4" screen
    
  • 8 way directional pad
    
  • Keypad is nice to use
    
  • QWERTY keyboard
    
  • WiFi
    
  • :) factor
    

  Cons:

  [*]Down action on directional pad (preproduction issue?)

  [*]No 3G

  [*]extUSB

  [*]Naff Camera

  www.MoDaCo.TV content

  High quality DivX Download: Click Here

  Windows Media Player Mobile direct link: http://soapbox.msn.com/StreamingUrl.aspx?v...26-b10ab9539650

  Soapbox link: Click Here

  Soapbox embedded:

  See also

  HTC S710 / Toshiba G500 Camera Faceoff

  MoDaCo.TV HTC S710 / Toshiba G500 Preview

Few handset introductions cause as much of a stir as when the HTC Wizard was launched to an unsuspecting public in late 2005. The Wizard was shipped in Europe by T-Mobile as the MDA Vario, in some Orange territories (with the UK a notable exception) as the SPV M3000 and in the USA as simply the MDA (as well as being offered by iMate, Qtek and Dopod SIM free). The Wizard reference design built on the success of the Magician, adding a sliding keyboard to the small-screen Pocket PC form factor, albeit at the expense of size, with the Wizard packing a noticeable depth increase.

Fast forward to summer 2006, and the long awaited successor to the Wizard is finally here. Christened the Hermes internally by manufacturers HTC, the new device builds on the design of the Wizard, still sporting the same small screen form factor and landscape keyboard, while also offering up a considerable specification boost on it's ageing predecessor.

Out goes the 200MHz TI OMAP processor, a battery life star but often criticised for being underpowered, and in comes a 400MHz Samsung processor. Early experiences with the device show it as being a very capable replacement. The quad band radio in the Wizard is supplemented with 3G support, a very significant improvement, together with readiness for the new HSDPA networks that will provide even faster data speeds. The 1.3MP camera with flash of the Wizard is replaced with a 2MP unit, again with flash, but also with a Macro mode. A secondary camera is included for video calling. The keyboard is improved, there are new hardware buttons, a jog wheel and so it continues... but we'll cover all these in detail later in the review ;)

In the box

The M3100 comes in a fairly small box, and is rather thin on content. In the box you'll find:

- Orange 'getting started with your SPV M3100'

- Generic user manual

- Companion CD (Activesync 4 and Outlook 2002)

- Carry case (quite nice!)

- Headset

- Charger

- USB cable

- Spare stylus

Note no memory card included!

Hardware - overview

If you've held a Wizard previously, you'll notice that although the M3100 is actually no smaller or lighter, it feels better shaped in the hand. At 176g, it's no lightweight (packing an extra 7g compared to the Wizard), but it leads to a feeling of solid construction. At 58mm x 112.5mm x 21mm the M3100 is fractionally taller and slightly thinner than the Wizard.

The SPV M3100 specs at a glance:

- OS: Windows Mobile 5.0 for Pocket PC Phone Edition AKU 2.3

- CPU: Samsung S3C2442 @ 400MHz

- RAM: 64MB

- ROM: 128MB

- Interfaces: microSD, IrDA (SIR), Bluetooth 2.0, MiniUSB, Wi-Fi 802.11b/g (inc WPA)

- Radio: Tri-Band UMTS, Quad-Band EDGE

- Screen: TFT 2.8" (43 x 57 mm) 240x320 pixels QVGA, 65K colours

- Camera: 2.0MP with flash / macro + QCIF forward facing

- Battery: 1350mAh LiIon

- Dimensions: 58 x 112.5 x 21.95 millimetres

- Weight: 176g

It's a specification that is unmatched amongst it's peers. Even the considerably larger HTC Universal doesn't offer such a rich feature set (although it does include a VGA screen), so to pack all of the above in the M3100 form factor is a considerable achievement.

Windows Mobile 5 in AKU 2.3 guise is virtually identical to the AKU 2 build found on the current crop of Pocket PCs. A few small fixes are all that is evident, but we'll come to that later in the 'Software' section.

The M3100 is the first device from HTC to feature the Samsung S3C2442, a departure from the Intel XScale processors used in the past (in devices such as the Universal) and TI OMAP processors (used in a ton of devices, including the Wizard). The power / performance tradeoff is a never ending battle - some argue that the TI OMAP processor tipped the scale too far in favour of low power consumption at the expense of performance... the upgrade to the Samsung processor looks to address such criticisms.

As you can see from the above specs, the M3100 features microSD. Gone is the full size SD found on the Prophet, gone is the miniSD found on the Wizard, and along comes yet another memory card format for you to invest in :D Available at time of writing in capacities of up to 2GB, microSD cards really are tiny, about the size of your fingernail, and as well as being physically smaller, they use less power than their predecessors.

The M3100 packs a veritable feast of supported technologies / bands! As well as quad band GSM and tri band UMTS support, the M3100 serves up GPRS, EDGE AND HSDPA for all your data consumption needs. Although the status of Orange's HSDPA network is somewhat unclear, the fact that you are ready to use it should they (likely) roll it out is a definite plus.

The screen on the M3100 has excellent brightness and minimal yellowing. When using an Orange m600 previously, I noticed poor screen brightness and viewing angle when compared to my JAMin. No such problem on the M3100, it is excellent, with a very broad viewing angle. Top marks!

The 2MP camera is of reasonable quality, with a flash and macro mode - see the sample photos later in this review!

So let's starting working our way around the device!

Hardware - around the device

Let's start with the overall construction of the device. The device is styled primarily in black plastic, with a grey band around the side, grey buttons on the front, grey camera surround on the back, and a silver piece stretching from the top of the device down to the video call button on the front. There's no debate, this is a great looking device. Along with the Dopod 838 Pro (which is virtually identical bar branding), it's the pick of the pack in the current Hermes handsets.

The Hermes design itself is actually split into two variants, the HERM100 (which we have here) - the true HTC Hermes, and the HERM200 (devices such as the TyTN, Vodafone v1605, Dopod CHT 90000) - known internally as the HTC Mercury. The only differences between the two are cosmetic - you can identify a variant by seeing if it has an oval directional pad (HERM100) or a square directional pad (HERM200). For me, the HERM100 is the looker, although the more spread out button layout of the HERM200 does provide fractionally superior usability.

So to the device itself.

Looking at the front from top to bottom, firstly you'll note the 2 hardware buttons for Messaging and Internet Explorer. A nod to the wizard design, these are very useful quick access keys. Below these buttons sit the LEDs and the speaker. Yes, the LEDs are pretty huge and very bright. Flashing LEDs on devices are my pet hate, so I best gloss over these :D Note that the speaker itself only uses 50% of the hole you see there, however in call sound quality is still excellent. To the left is the Orange logo, to the right is the 'video cam' - i.e. the forward facing camera for video calling. Next comes the lovely 2.8" screen, to the right of which the silver strip flows down in a nice design touch. After the 'SPV' and 'M3100' branding, the silver strip ends in a button that is used to answer / place video calls. Very nice indeed. The M3100 addresses one of my main criticisms of the Wizard device. The Wizard did not include hardware Start / OK buttons, and was the poorer for it... this itself made the HTC Prophet (SPV M600) my device of choice - so i'm very pleased to see the Start / OK buttons present on the M3100. Hardware keys that map to the soft keys on the device are also present, to try and make 1 handed device usage as effective as possible. Red / Green call Place / End keys are of course present, together with the 5 way directional pad. All in all, the front of the device looks very nice IMHO, although as mentioned previously, the buttons themselves are rather cramped compared to the HERM200 cousin (e.g. HTC TyTN), which makes their use a bit fiddly - although I have quickly become familiar with their positions. Chubby-fingered users beware however :P

The top of the device has nothing on it :)

The bottom of the device is home to the IR port, reset hole, microphone, battery removal latch and miniUSB port. I say miniUSB port, it's not your normal miniUSB port. You'll notice the shape is slightly different. While it can use regular miniUSB connectors, it is also designed to accomodate the headset. That's right, there is no longer a dedicated 2.5mm connector on this device, it is a proprietary connector. Although adaptors will be available shortly, it is a shame :( On the bottom of the device you will also find the lanyard loop and the stylus silo - which is rather stiff, at least when new (probably a good thing as it's on the bottom). The stylus is identical to that on the Wizard, i.e. it is telescopic. I personally prefer full size styli (?) such as those found on the Universal or Prophet, although again I am getting used to this one quickly :D

The right hand side of the device contains the camera button (which becomes the top when using the camera), a dedicated button for 'Comm Manager' and the power button.

The left hand side of the device contains the microSD slot, a dedicated 'voice memo' button, and a jog wheel / OK button! That's right, the SPV M3100 is the first device from HTC to feature a wheel! It's a true wheel, with a lovely positive rolling action - and it is clickable. Perfect for browsing through emails. The button next to it is an 'OK' button, again, perfectly suited to scrolling through emails. Interestingly, the implementation of the button is such that if there isn't an OK / close button on screen, it becomes a button to fire up the Start Menu. A very neat touch.

The back of the device features an external antenna connector (for car kits etc.), a mirror, the camera itself, a macro mode switch, and a flash. The macro mode works very well, and the flash is reasonably effective (see sample shots). Above the camera is the branding '2.0Mega Pixels Camera'. The fact there is no space between 2.0 and Mega bugs the hell out of me, but then i'm a bit strange like that :D

Software

The M3100 runs Windows Mobile 5 for Pocket PC Phone version AKU 2.3. This means that you get all the benefits of AKU2 (push email etc.) but with the latest tweaks and fixes. AKU2.3 brings A2DP stereo headset support, but no other major changes. The one change I DO really like in AKU 2.3 is you can get rid of the horrible little battery bar at the top, and restore the clock, thereby restoring the homescreen plugin to 1 line also - see attached CAB if you want to do this to your device!

A tap of the power button to bring the device into life, and the first thing you'll notice if you've used Windows Mobile devices before is the boot time. I've just timed the boot on my device and it boots in 25 seconds, pretty decent for a device of this type, and it feels a lot quicker than the Prophet I have been using.

The first thing that greets you is the surely-now-familiar Orange homscreen. Created for Orange by Abaxia, the Orange homescreen brings the common Orange look and feel across all their devices, and the Pocket PC is no different. I have to confess i'm not a big fan - it's a bit of a waste of real estate on PPC / Smartphone and pointless when the device itself has such a rich home screen by default, but at least it can be turned off :(

After using either the stylus, the windows hardware button or even the button next to the jog wheel to load the programs menu, you'll notice that the Orange branding continues. Icons have been revisited to give them the 'Orange look and feel', and grouping of applications is slightly different.

On the device you'll find the following applications

- Contacts - View contacts you have stored on your device. These may be synced with Desktop Outlook, Exchange or created locally on your device

- Calendar - View the calendar stored on your device. Again, this may be synced with Desktop Outlook, Exchange or created locally on your device

- Camera - Fire up the camera application. This is a new improved Camera application from previous generations of device, and works well

- Internet Explorer - Pocket Internet Explorer - browse the web!

- Messaging - Messaging allows you to manage SMS, MMS and email, synced with Desktop Outlook, Exchange or synced directly onto the device

- Phone - Make video or voice phone calls

- Pictures and Videos - View pictures and videos stored on your device

- Accessories -> Download Agent - You won't use this :D

- Accessories -> Help - Exactly what it says on the tin

- Accessories -> Orange Plus - This is the SIM Toolkit application, for enhanced Orange services

- Accessories -> SIM Manager - This application allows you to copy contacts from your SIM

- Accessories -> Terminal Services Client - Connect to and manage remote Terminal Servers

- Accessories -> Wireless Modem - Use your phone as a Wireless Modem via BlueTooth, IR or USB (I know, that isn't wireless is it!)

- Games -> Bubble Breaker - Previously known as Jawbreaker, group and pop bubbles of the same colour

- Games -> Solitaire - The old Windows favourite!

- ActiveSync - This is where you manage sync connections to PCs and Exchange servers

- Calculator - A simple calculator

- Clearvue PDF - PDF Viewer

- Excel Mobile - View / Edit Excel spreadsheets

- File Explorer - Explore the files on your device

- Java - Run Java midlets from here

- Notes - View Notes you have stored on your device. These may be synced with Desktop Outlook or created locally on your device

- PowerPoint Mobile - View Powerpoint Presentations

- PV Player - Video player

- Search - Search your device

- Tasks - View Tasks you have stored on your device. These may be synced with Desktop Outlook, Exchange or created locally on your device

- Voice Speed Dial - Use voice recognition to make a call

- Windows Media - Windows Media Player 10 Mobile

- Word Mobile - View / Edit Word documents

So what's missing?

As with the M600, Pocket MSN is no longer on the device. This means no MSN Messenger and no HoTMaiL sync. Orange are apparently rolling their own IM solution at some point in the future, but when is anyone's guess. Worth bearing in mind is that the Windows Live Mobile client for Pocket PC is well into beta now, and is an excellent piece of software... so there will be a Microsoft solution to this soon.

More concerning for me in the M3100 is the lack of 'Phone Pad'. If you've used a HTC Pocket PC in the past, you may have come across Phone Pad - it's the application that gives you an input method that looks just like a phone's T9 keypad. Put simply, it's a brilliant piece of software, is vital for a number of users who migrated to PPC from 'normal phones', and has been a real reason to choose HTC devices over other brands up until now. Sadly, HTC, in their wisdom, seem to have removed it from all Hermes ROMs. My sources tell me it's due to high licencing cost for T9 from Tegic / AOL and the impact this has on the device cost, but either way, it's a real shame, and a great loss.

In use

I have only had the device a couple of days (unfortunately Orange were unable to get me a device before they were shipping to retail), so I will be updating this section as I get more time with the device. My experience to date though has been very positive! The device is within my limits of acceptability from a size perspective, which is good - it somehow feels smaller than a Wizard, although it isn't really, and is much nicer to hold. It's definitely a looker, with a real 'wow' factor. The device is fast in use, noticeably quicker than the TI OMAP based devices. Signal reception seems very good, handoffs between 2G / 3G seem to work very well. The keyboard is a revelation, far better in use than I expected, i'm finding myself using it a fair bit, whereas on the Wizard I rarely bothered. I'm getting used to the button layout and the jog dial, I think over time i'll find the jog dial a 'must have'.

I've yet to purchase a microSD (i'm going to splash out on a 2GB for about 50 quid I think), so I can't comment on that, but I expect no problems.

It's too early to talk about battery life (as i've had it plugged in a lot).

One strange thing I have noticed is that the device gets warm, even when not being used. When driving home last night with the device in my pocket, I could feel warmth from it, even though it wasn't really doing anything and certainly wasn't plugged in (well, it was maintaining a data connection for push mail). Very peculiar, but not a huge issue.

In conclusion

As stated above, it is early days for me and this device, but I think it's definitely going to be a keeper.

It's jam packed with features, thoughtfully designed, bang up to the minute in almost every way, and there is very little to say against it. It isn't the smallest or lightest handset in the world, so if size is an issue for you, you might like to check one out in person. If you are a heavy T9 / Phone Pad user, bear in mind that it is missing, and can't [legally] be restored.

Thanks for reading my review, please reply and let me know if you've found it useful (or not), and i'll leave you with 'Paul's SPV M3100 Pro's and Cons'!

Paul's SPV M3100 Pro's and Cons

Pros:

- Feature packed - bang up to date

- Improved processor

- Best looking of the Hermes variants

- Lots of useful hardware buttons

- Surprisingly good keyboard

- Jog wheel

Cons:

- Proprietary headphone connector

- Not the smallest / lightest device in the world (altho performance per pound = good!)

- No Phone Pad (T9)!

- Slightly fiddly stylus

- Slightly cramped directional pad / button layout

Update 1: M3100 and friends

Here's the M3100 with some of his friends, Mr M600 and Mr MoDaCo C600, heh!

Update 2: Paul's must have FREE Hermes software

See here - http://www.modaco.com/Pauland39s-must-have...re-t243906.html

Including:

Restore clock on top bar, thereby reducing date / time homescreen plugin to 1 line

- before

- after

Restore wireless status homescreen plugin

Unlock Extended ROM

and much more!

Introduction

If you've not been following Windows Mobile for as long as I have, you might be forgiven for thinking that the recently announced Toshiba G500 and G900 handsets are Toshiba's first foray into the Windows Mobile market. In fact, Toshiba have a long history with Pocket PC, having produced a number of well received devices worldwide, but particularly in Japan. What is new for Toshiba however is their venture into phone enabled devices, and in particular the upcoming release of their first Windows Powered Smartphone, the G500. Announced at 3GSM this year, the G500 has come from announcement to market in a very short space of time, and is due to hit the streets - SIM free - any day now.

In the light of a pretty stagnant Smartphone market of late, any new devices are very welcome, and particularly devices that look as interesting and innovative as the G500. Welcome to my (P)Review!

Buying the G500

At Expansys, the G500 is currently showing a SIM FREE price of £349.95, which is not expected to change significantly before launch in April. Compared to it's peers (all prices from Expansys)...

Samsung i600: £389.95

Toshiba G500: £349.95

HTC S710: £289.95

HTC MTeoR: £289.95

HTC S620: £264.95

i-mate SPL: £223.59

As you can see, the G500 sits at the top end of the scale when it comes to Smartphone prices, although only the i600 also features 3G, which is £40 more expensive (and also yet to go on sale).

Hardware - Overview

The G500 might not be cheap, but you do get a lot for your money. The specs are as follows...

• Windows Mobile 5 Smartphone AKU 3.2
  
• Intel XScale PXA270 @ 312MHz
  
• 64MB ROM
  
• 64MB RAM
  
• 2.3" QVGA TFT display
  
• UMTS / HSDPA / GPRS / EDGE
  
• 802.11b/g WiFi
  
• 2 Megapixel Camera with flash + VGA Secondary Camera
  
• Fingerprint Reader
  
• miniSD expansion
  
• 1100mAh battery
  
• 49mm x 96mm x 22.9mm
  
• 135g
  
  
  Hardware - Around the device
  
  
  
  Let's start with the front.
  
  The majority of the G500 is finished in titanium coloured plastic, with the exception of the front which has a glossy black finish. At the top of the device sits a small notification LED on the left, the speaker in the middle, and the forward facing camera on the right. Remember this device has video calling! Below the speaker sits the branding. My device is branded "Satellite" as a preproduction model, however the final branding on shipping devices will be "Portege". Next comes the 2.3" screen. The screen is bright and sharp, and sits a few mm inside the device from the screen cover itself. The screen pales somewhat next to the superior screen in the HTC S710 I have been using, yet is perfectly acceptable. Below the screen is the 'Toshiba' branding. A round directional pad dominates the base of the front, and has excellent feel. The pad also supports diagonals! On the left of the pad sits the left soft key, the 'Home' key and the 'Green' key, while on the right sit the right soft key, the 'Back' key, and the 'Red' key. All of the keys have a satisfying click and feel well made.
  
  The whole back of the device serves as the battery cover. Again in Titanium coloured plastic, the back is designed to look like a regular digital camera. Held sideways, the back features Toshiba branding, 2 MegaPixels branding and the camera itself, complete with flash. The speaker sits above the camera. There's no portrait mirror on the camera, but remember you have a forward facing camera on the unit ;) Removing the battery cover reveals the battery, SIM slot and the miniSD (yes, miniSD) slot. This can be accessed without turning the device off. A happy medium between safeguarding your card and having it under the battery?
  
  
  
  The top of the device is home to the power button, release button for the battery cover and the lanyard hole.
  
  A plastic flap covers the miniUSB port on the bottom of the device. Unlike HTC devices, this is used for only charging and syncing.
  
  The left of the device also has a plastic flap, under which lives the 2.5mm headphone socket.
  
  The right of the device is home to the volume control and the camera button.
  
  Sliding the front of the device upwards (using the excellent spring-assisted mechanism) opens the device with a reassuring 'click', and reveals the keypad. The keypad has a rubbery finish, and feels good to use. The keys have a good feel to them. Flipping the device over reveals the G500's party piece... it's fingerprint sensor. Yes, the fingerprint sensor is only exposed when the device is open.
  
  
  
  Software
  
  Due to the fact this is a preproduction device, I don't plan to do a full overview of the software, as this is the one aspect that is certain to change prior to launch.
  
  Toshiba has made a number of additions to the base Windows Mobile 5 for Smartphone OS. These include their own camera client - which is good but has a tendency to forget it's settings on this prerelease build, Toshiba's TIPtalk VOIP client, Opera 8.65, Picsel Office Document Viewer, Software for linking the device to your Toshiba laptop (I was unable to test this) and a suite of software for use with the fingerprint reader. The software allows you to unlock the device with your finger, navigate the menus with your finger, and even launch different applications using different fingers!
  
  The software build in general seems very stable with 2 exceptions, the first being the oddities in the Camera client, and the second being peculiarities around T9 - both of which I am attributing to the preproduction nature of the device.
  
  In use
  
  
  
  What's good?
  
  So what do I like about the G500? I like the look and feel of the device as a whole, in that it looks and feels well made. The slider mechanism feels rock solid, which is encouraging. The screen is good, and the actual tactile feedback from all of the keys is excellent. The fingerprint reader, easy to dismiss as a gimmick perhaps, works well. While I don't envisage I would use it regularly to navigate the menus or launch applications, it is convenient to be able to slide open the device and unlock it quickly using only a swipe of the finger... more secure and likely quicker than entering a long PIN.
  
  The G500 definitely blazes a trail as the first HSDPA equipped Smartphone (assuming it arrives for sale before the Samsung i600). Speedy data connectivity and video calling are something many Smartphone users have been crying out for for a while, and when you take these features into account, the asking price appears good value.
  
  The Camera is noticeably better quality than the camera found on HTC devices, and the flash is impressively effective.
  
  What's not so good?
  
  
  
  Given the fact that the G500 has come to market so quickly following the launch of Windows Mobile 6, it's difficult to criticise Toshiba for launching with the older Operating System, but there is a danger this will put off prospective 'enthusiast' customers. I'd love to see an upgrade path for G500 buyers, but only time will tell. The 64MB ROM is restrictive compared to the 128MB ROM that is more popular on devices now, but on the plus side the amount left available after the standard build seems favourable compared to other devices.
  
  The software build in general is excellent... I expect the few niggles with the Camera application to be ironed out before launch. On my preproduction unit I have also had problems with the predictive text input (the latest xT9 engine from Tegic) being unable to 'keep up' with my keypresses, so I hope this too is resolved on production units. I plan to get hold of a production device as soon as possible to clarify this.
  
  Conclusion
  
  The G500 is a great device. It feels well built, looks good and has a great specification, in particular it's 3G connectivity. If you are looking for a Smartphone with a high speed connection, then you should seriously give this device some consideration. Even regardless of that, the fingerprint sensor, WiFi, good keypad and fairly decent camera means that it easily holds it's own amongst it's peers.
  
  I very much look forward to testing a full retail unit, and strongly suspect Toshiba could have a winner on their hands!
  
  Pros and Cons overview
  
  Pros:
  
  • 3G / HSDPA
    
  • Video calling
    
  • Build quality
    
  • Design
    
  • 2.3" screen
    
  • 8 way directional pad
    
  • Keypad is nice to use
    
    
    
  • Fingerprint Reader
    
  • WiFi
    
  • Camera
    
  • miniSD
    

  Cons:

  [*]Windows Mobile 5 as opposed to 6

  [*]A little 'chunky' due to slider

  [*]T9 problems (preproduction issue?)

  [*]Top end of Smartphone price scale

  www.MoDaCo.TV content

  Topic: Toshiba G500 Preview

  Notes: Toshiba G500 is a preproduction unit.

  High quality DivX Download: Click Here

  Windows Media Player Mobile direct link: http://soapbox.msn.com/StreamingUrl.aspx?v...2e-9c13a7075441

  Soapbox link: Click Here

  Soapbox embedded:

  See also

  HTC S710 / Toshiba G500 Camera Faceoff

  MoDaCo.TV HTC S710 / Toshiba G500 Preview

The first time I saw the SPV F600 was at the MoDaCo Summer Event, when it was on display with all of the other upcoming SPV phones.

The device under the Orange branding exclusive to orange Netherlands, and sadly will not be available sadly to other Orange territories.

Originally planned for release in August in Holland, the SPV F600 shipments have been delayed along with all the other SPVs both old and new... but now it is finally here... better late than never!

If you like clamshell devices then this phone may appeal to you.

The phone - which has the Motorola RAZR feel is made by HTC (codenamed StrTrk) - is available under the QTek and i-mate branding as well as from Orange.

The phone itself is very thin but is quite wide compared to other clamshell phones. The size of the phone is 98.5mm (l) x 51.4mm (w) x 15.8 (16.3-13.6) mm (t) and it weighs in at 99g with the battery.

It comes with the now standard lcd 2.2” QVGA (240 x 320) internal screen and a 1.2” 128 x 128 external screen.

Upon starting up the phone you will see 2 Orange logos, one on the main screen (which is the normal orange boot up screen) and one on the outer screen which is an simple Orange logo.

You are then greeted by the now familiar Orange home screen, which some people love it and some people hate. You can turn this off if you wish :rolleyes:

Software wise the spv f600 comes with...

• Internet Explorer
  
• Tasks
  
• Windows Media
  
• Calendar
  
• Messaging
  
• Contacts
  
• ActiveSync
  
• Call History
  
• Settings
  
• Games -> Bubble Breaker
  
• Games -> Solitaire
  
• Voice Notes
  
• Pictures & Videos
  
• Accessories -> Calculator
  
• Accessories -> Download Agent
  
• Accessories ->Task manager
  
• Accessories -> Wireless modem
  
• Internet Sharing
  
• Camera
  
• File Explorer
  
• Java
  
• Pocket MSN
  
• SIM Manager
  
• Speed Dial
  

A new version of the file manager called 'File Explorer' seems to be included, however it is quite poor - it works OK to simply browse your phone but is useless if you want to make a shortcut to a file for example, as that option is missing.

One nice feature on the phone is the Camera - not in quality as it sadly is it is a a 1.3 megapixel sensor - but the fact that there is an option to take a photo when the phone is closed. Upon doing so, the outer screen becomes the 'viewfiner'. Of course it is only a 128 x 128 image, but it works quite well.

When the phone is open in normal mode you get a small Orange logo displayed on the outer screen which changes to the clock when closed.

Playing MP3s is very easy on this phone with the dedicated media buttons on the front of the device. The external screen displays the song name, artist name and time counter. The sound from the phone is somewhat tinny, with music playback displaying too much treble and not enough bass.

There does not seem to be an application lock on the phone but there is a SIM lock (which can be removed by imei-check of course!) :)

So what do you get in the box.

In the box you'll find the phone, a mains charger, a miniUSB cable, a usb adapter, a 256MB microSD card, a headset, the manuals and the usual ActiveSync / Outlook software cd. No carry case is included ;)

Below are some photos of the SPV F600 alongside some other smartphones including the MPX200 - here you can see the difference in size compared to the most popular Smartphone clamshell to date.

Conclusions

The phone seems to work well after you get used to the flat keypad, which can be troublesome if you try to play games as the dpad is also flat and not easy to use in that situation.

The battery life seems to be good - after 24 hours use with a few phone calls and playing MP3s there remains 72%, compared to 60% remaining on a SPV C600 undergoing the same usage.

The one thing that is missing from the phone is WIFI, which on PDA phones is needed, but is less important on Smartphones. While less important for surfing the internet due to the small screen on the device, WiFi is useful for updating applications such as Fizz Traveller and the Resco applications. Should you want to stream music, then this device may also not be for you, due to the lack of WiFi or 3G.

Overall the phone is better than I expected and seems to hold the signal slightly better than the C600, which for me personally is a plus as O normally have to stand outdoors to make a phone call. :(

The SPV F600 is free with a 2 year contract for 25 Euros per month and can be bought also without a contract.

For the past month or so I've had the chance to use the Orange SPV E600, based on the HTC Excalibur and their first attempt at, and my first experience with, a QWERTY Smartphone. With the popularity of RIMs Blackberry’s and Microsoft’s clear aim of taking on their success with Windows Mobile, in particular with services such as Push E-mail, a device such as this is a big step forward. As such it is clear HTC have had this in mind when designing the E600, giving it a good looking design and stylish finish.

Hopefully this review will help with a purchase desicion for those currently sitting on the fence over getting a standard Blackberry, or taking the plunge and going all out for the more versatile Windows Mobile device. This is made more interesting by Orange including Blackberry Connect software, allowing for the E600 to connect and synchronise with Blackberry services. Coupled with the power of Windows Mobile does this make the E600 a killer messaging device?

Price Comparison

Orange SPV E600 - from £free (subject to contract)

HTC S620 Smartphone - £249.95

HTC S710 Smartphone - £294.95

Samsung i320 - £209.95

Samsung SGH-i600 - £324.95

If you're in the market for a new Excalibur-based Smartphone, due for an upgrade or even looking for a new contract, taking an E600 on Orange is clearly the cheapest option. Looking at HTCs version though, the S620, the Excalibur is priced fairly competitively in between the S710 "Vox" and Samsung i320. For a fairly reasonable £250 the S620 is a decent device and sports a larger screen than the cheaper i320.

Hardware Overview

• Windows Mobile 5 Smartphone AKU 3.5
  
• Quadband with EDGE
  
• TI OMAP 850 @ 200MHz
  
• RAM/ROM 64/128MB
  
• 2.4" 320x240 TFT (landscape)
  
• QWERTY Keypad
  
• JOGGR touch-strip
  
• SDIO MicroSD (transflash) slot
  
• USB 1.1
  
• Bluetooth 2.0
  
• Wifi 802.11b/g
  
• 1.3MPix Camera
  
• 960mAh Battery
  
• 62.5mm x 111.5mm x 12.8mm
  
• 119g
  

Certainly nothing ground breaking hardware-wise, the key points are highlighted though. The 128MB of ROM is useful with a good-sized 63MB available to the user at first boot, another nice touch is the inclusion of full 54Mbps WiFi, a first (just) for Windows Mobile Smartphone’s on Orange. It does of course sport the traditional Blackberry-esque format with a landscape screen and (37-key) QWERTY keyboard.

Finally its definitely worth noting the addition of HTCs new "JOGGR", a touch sensitive strip along the right hand side of the E600 allowing for easy access to Pocket Outlook and a back action, and a scrolling action.

Around the Device

So here's a whistle-stop tour of what to expect on a SPV E600.

The front...

Let’s start with the screen. It's a good sized 2.4" landscape job, with bright and vibrant colour and, unlike other devices I've used in the past (PocketPC's in particular), in my experience performs well in direct sunlight. Moving down we come to the standard Smartphone soft keys, start and end call, home and back keys, and in this case a D-pad.

Next we have the QWERTY keyboard. The traditional 0-9/*/# keypad is incorporated into the left hand side of the keyboard and is highlighted in silver, rather than the standard black. The numbers and special characters are accessed using a Fn key, and there are also Caps (shift), tab, symbol, camera, Internet Explorer and Messaging keys arranged to either side of the spacebar. Interestingly this is it for hardware buttons (other than power), with the sides of the device left untouched.

The screen and keyboard are have a rather nice looking brushed-aluminium surround and chrome edging around the outside edge and earpiece, giving a classy overall finish.

The Back...

On the back we find the minimalistic style continues, with the 1.3MPix camera lens and self portrait mirror tucked discretely into the top left corner - note that this device does not have a flash - and a rubberised finish to the entire back of the casing. This lets you grip the device comfortably and securely, so as not to feel like it will slip out of your hands as you type away.

The Sides...

As I mentioned above, while the majority of mobile phone handsets nowadays are adorned with a plethora of additional buttons around the sides, the E600 has only the standard HTC mini-USB (with squared-off corner) and rubber flappy bit on the bottom and on the left hand side a power button...oh yeah, and the JOGGR! It’s a touch-sensitive strip, the same kind of thing you'd find on any modern laptop touchpad or the clickwheel/menu strip on iPods and some Creative PMPs. On the E600 it's positioned along the right hand side of the screen and is split into three sections, two smaller areas at the top and bottom for Back and Messaging respectively, and a third larger area in the middle for scrolling.

Software

Obviously the E600 includes the standard Orange homescreen we’ve come to love (or hate!). Personally I quite like it, although I admit I miss the MRU when I am using it. It is a newer version to the last one I saw on a Smartphone, the C600, and has a slick smooth scrolling action when a menu item is selected.

The Start Menu includes all the usual apps, albeit in Orange’s frankly awful looking blocky grey and orange icons. Interestingly the device comes pre-installed with Blackberry Connect software allowing a user with access to a Blackberry Enterprise Server or Blackberry Internet Service account to sync their e-mail and calendar. As I don’t have access to any Blackberry service servers I did not try this out (and why would I want to, with my e-mail, calendar and contacts managed via Exchange!), however it gives an interesting alternative to a user who’s company’s, or personal, e-mail solution uses the Blackberry service, yet wants to keep the versatility of Windows Mobile. Note that this is not installed in-ROM, when I hard reset the device it was no longer available on the Start Menu and no option to reinstall from the CD (although admittedly I only had a brief root around on the CD). - Update - I noticed earlier that there is a link to download Blackberry Connect again stored in the device favourites, just a shame the Orange webserver isn't configured to allow .cab downloads so all you get is a page of garbled text!

Again, Orange has decided to remove Pocket MSN from the device, so unless you have a third party IM solution or access to the WLM Mobile beta, IM is not available on the E600. The camera app is the newer version from HTC, providing a full-screen viewfinder. Overall this gives a good experience when taking pictures, with all the useful camera info overlaid on-screen. Finally there is a PDF and the ClearVue suite for .doc, .ppt and .xls files installed in-ROM to allow viewing of Office and PDF documents. This is a fairly clear indicator for Orange’s target market and is a nice extra touch.

In Use

So with a device so clearly aimed at the messaging-lover, be it e-mail or text (or IM!), the keyboard has to live up to the task. While obviously the keyboard is small, and personally I have quite chunky fingers, I have to say overall I was relatively pleased with the keyboard's performance. Vertically the keys are a few millimetres apart, which is fine, however to make up for their close horizontal proximity the keys have slightly smaller tips, providing a suitable gap in-between each key. I certainly didn’t struggle to type with it, although I admit that their size does require a relatively good aim! They have a nice and soft, yet clicky response and generally do not need excessive pressure to respond. The question of usability of QWERTY over the traditional t9 is a tricky one, personally I found it’s probably no faster, however for a person used to QWERTY and unfamiliar with t9 it's a great substitute. I’d imagine it would also be a more comfortable solution in the long run for someone who uses messaging a lot. Overall it’s a nice keyboard and I had no issues with it in day to day use.

The E600 also includes the new “xt9” predictive text system. Presumably this is standard in the Windows Mobile Smartphone build used here but clearly it is fairly useless in the case of the E600. It’s on by default and, to be honest, makes input using the keyboard annoying. Standard multi-tap input mode does not interfere with the keyboard input, however switching to this mode isn't particularly obvious. The number pad is also intelligent enough to determine when numeric entry is required, for example when dialling a phone number or entering a device-lock PIN, and automatically switches to numeric entry. This is something I have not experienced on PocketPCs with hardware keyboards, which require symbolic mode to be selected whenever numeric entry is required, and makes the device usability a lot smoother and intuitive.

The screen is a generous 2.4” affair and the qVGA resolution gives a crisp and clear display. This is the first landscape Smartphone device I’ve used and while in some cases the lack of vertical resolution makes applications feel a little cramped, for example WLM Mobile or the file explorer, it does come into its own with the devices key functionality - e-mail and web browsing. The “widescreen” format feels a lot more natural when reading and writing e-mails or longer text messages. When browsing the web the wider format, on a screen that has a height a fraction of a PCs display resolution (even on portrait devices) again feels more natural. PocketIE'ss performance is particularly responsive, however unfortunately the device is only GSM compatible so there is no nippy 3G connectivity. EDGE is included which is a reasonable in-between (although I don’t have EDGE coverage where I live so I was unable to test it). When connected via WiFi the browsing experience is a real treat, with fast page loads and the ability to quickly switch between sites. The connection speed provided is used to its fullest potential and PocketIE really uses the extra bandwidth well!

The battery life was another area I was pleasantly surprised in. When I first set the device up as part of my normal setup routine with a new device, turned on BT and left it. This got me about 2 days standby which, to be honest, is pretty much what I expected. However after disabling BT I was pleased to find that battery life doubled, giving me almost a full 4 days standby! My daily usage is somthing in the region of maybe 10-20 minutes of talking, 5-10 text messages, push e-mail and the odd bit of browsing and chat. It’s still nothing like the 7 days claimed by Orange but it’s the best battery life I’ve had on a Windows Mobile device for a while.

Finally - the JOGGR. I really, really want to like this feature. In normal use this works in the same way as Up/Down on the D-pad, in-call it adjusts the in-call volume. Now here's the thing, maybe I'm missing something but with a lack of standard volume keys I can find no way to adjust the system volume when out of a call. Also it's positioning is all wrong, if you're right handed, your ear will more than likely knock the volume up and down as you talk away. For us lefties, its nigh-on unreachable. Don't get me wrong, when it works, it’s great, but it's not quite right. Maybe others will have better experience with it, if you do, please let me know below!

Final Thoughts

When I first saw the E600 I was dubious about the size, it is fairly wide in the hand. However the slimness of its design, a mere 13mm, really does make up for this. As far as Windows Mobile Smartphone’s looks go it certainly ranks high up on my list!

But I’m sure that’s probably not why you’re reading this review. Performance-wise I was pleasantly surprised. HTC have employed their trusty TI OMAP 850 again and while it isn’t the newest of processors, it’s stable and reliable. The phone is responsive in day-to-day use and web browsing really is great, especially on WiFi. In fact, I'm going to be really disapointed when this goes back to Orange, as I'll have to switch back to my C600.

Lack of 3G is a shame but at least there’s still EDGE, if you have coverage. If you do a lot of texting or e-mails on your phone and are in the market for a new device, this phone really should be high on your list. The keyboard, while a little small, I found was useable and battery life was a really nice surprise.

On the downside, again lack of 3G really is a pain nowadays. The camera is HTCs usual job and its performance isn’t really worth mentioning, it does have a nice application if you do use it a lot though. Another really annoying point is Orange again removing Pocket MSN, one of the key reasons why I enjoy using Windows Mobile handsets.

Overall, a great messaging device, with the added benefit of Blackberry compatibility, slim form-factor and impressive battery life.

Pros

Sexy looking!

Great for Internet browsing

Good screen, even in direct sunlight

WiFi

Usable keyboard

Decent battery life

Blackberry Connect

JOGGR

Cons

Mediocre camera

No 3G

Only Windows Mobile 5

Blackberry Connect not in-ROM, and not available on the CD(?)

JOGGR!

When HTC introduced the Magician (marketed as the iMate JAM, SPV M500, MDA Compact etc), it was something of a revelation. The first device from HTC to ship with a 2.8" screen, it was extremely well received and set a precedent for future devices. It's close relative, the HTC Wizard (i-mate KJAM, T-Mobile MDA Vario, O2 XDA Mini S) was also popular, as the first HTC device with a QWERTY keyboard, and arguably the first device to really make the most of the landscape support built into the Windows Mobile OS.

A while has passed now since the Wizard hit the streets (over a year), and HTC has now released the HTC Herald, to be sold under their consumer brand as the P4350.

Now, the waters have been muddied a little by the release of the HTC Hermes, particularly the fact that it has been released by T-Mobile as the MDA Vario II. You could argue that the Hermes is in fact the successor to the Wizard, offering a very similar form factor and a hugely improved specification... and you'd probably be right. So is there room for the Herald? What is it exactly?

Think of the Herald in one of two ways. It's either a slimmed down and slightly tweaked Wizard, or it's a Prophet (i-mate JAMin, SPV M600) with a slide out keyboard without gaining any additional size.

The question is, is there room in the market now for another keyboarded device with a relatively slow processor and no 3G / HSDPA connectivity? Does the reduced size compared to it's Hermes brethren make up for such limitations? This is the question I aim to answer in this review... so read on :D

Buying the P4350

The P4350 is shipping NOW, priced at £379.95 inc from Expansys. Let's look at how it compares with it's likely competitors...

HTC TyTN - £494.95

Fujitsu Siemens Loox T830 - £494.95

HTC P3600 - £449.95

HTC P3300 (Base Pack) - £439.95

HP iPaq 6915 - £379.95

HTC P4350 - £379.95

UBiQUiO 501 - £299.95

As you can see, it's at the low end of (admittedly pretty hefty) scale. Only the UBiQUiO pips it on SIM free price... so you could effectively think of the P4350 as HTC's 'budget Pocket PC now' (if you could call 380 quid 'budget'!)

Let's talk about what you get for your money :D

Unboxing the P4350

For this review I am covering the full retail P4350, that I purchased from Expansys. I have been using a Marketing Sample for a few weeks, but have now replaced it with the real deal :D

The HTC P4350 arrives in a new box design for HTC devices... more square than before, and generally a nicer unboxing experience :D

The box contains the following items:

• a HTC P4350 device
  
• a leather case
  
• a spare stylus
  
• a USB sync cable
  
• a stereo headset with a USB connection to the device
  
• a mains charger
  
• an ActiveSync / Outlook CD
  
• a CD containing Sprite Backup / SPB GPRS Monitor
  
• a user manual and quick start guide
  
  
  Hardware - overview
  
  
  
  
  
  I'll be honest, there's not much 'new and exciting' technology wise when it comes to the P4350. Let's run through the specifications...
  • Windows Mobile 5 for Pocket PC AKU 3
    
  • Quad Band GPRS / EDGE
    
  • 802.11b/g WiFi
    
  • TI OMAP 850 @ 200MHz
    
  • 128MB ROM
    
  • 64MB RAM
    
  • 2.8" QVGA 65K colour screen
    
  • externally accessible microSD expansion
    
  • 2.0MP camera
    
  • Bluetooth 2.0
    
  • miniUSB connector for sync / charge / headphones
    
  • 1130mAh battery
    
  • 59mm x 109mm x 17 mm
    
  • 160g (actually tips our scales at 174g - 32g battery)
    
    
  • Unique 'sprung' sliding keyboard
    

  The positives

  Let's talk about the positives first!

  

  The size. It can't be denied that size is the biggest selling point of this device. At 59mm x 109mm x 17 mm compared to the HTC Prophet's 58mm x 102mm x 18.2mm, you'll see that it's small. Compared it to the HTC Hermes' 58mm x 112.5mm x 21.95mm bulk, and the difference is remarkable.

  The device has a full size stylus, a welcome inclusion in the current trend of telescopic stylii!

  As you'll note, the device packs the 'old faithful' TI OMAP 850 200MHz processor. Oft criticised for it's lacklustre performance on intensive applications such as Skype, the processor does however bring a bonus of impressive battery life... and the P4350 is no exception on that front. Of course, you can also overclock the processor should you desire (a 240MHz OMAPclock setting seems to work well... should you really feel the need to).

  The microSD port is externally accessible, behind a rubber flap.

  

  The keyboard. The keyboard slide out action is fantastic. Sliding out from the right hand side of the device as opposed to left on the Wizard / Hermes etc., the keyboard 'springs' out with a satisfying snap... a vast improvement on the previous mechanisms on other devices. As an added bonus, opening the keyboard also powers the device on. Lovely! The keyboard itself is very similar to that on the Hermes with square keys, however they have a rubberised feel on this device. A bit strange at first, but fine once you get used to it :) The hardware buttons that correspond to the on screen soft keys have moved on the P4350 so that they are now below the appropriate buttons on the screen. Suprisingly I don't find this a preferable arrangement compared to the Hermes, but i'll come to that later.

  The reason for moving the left soft key is to make way for the Caps / FN lock lights, another first. The blue LEDs illuminate as appropriate when Caps or FN lock is engaged, a nice addition!

  The negatives

  Well it's not all good news is it... would you expect anything less?

  

  The first point worthy of note is the weight! At a hefty 174g on our scales (14g more than the quoted weight), it's substantial. Small it may be, but light it ain't ;) By comparison, the Prophet tips the scales at 148g, the Wizard a closer 169g. It's the heavy weight compared with the diminuitive size that is so strange... one can only assume the solid keyboard mechanism is to blame.

  The aforementioned OMAP 850 processor may be seen as a handicap to some power-hungry users, and the inclusion of only 2G radio may be a deal-breaker if you're a heavy data user and (unlike me) live in an area of good 3G coverage.

  There's no scroll wheel on the P4350, which was a bit strange at first having switched to this device from my Hermes.

  The P4350 features the now ubiquitous HTC 'extUSB' connector that combines miniUSB and headphones into one port. Boo... Hiss... (it is nearly Panto season after all right? ;)) Bluetooth is of the 2.0 variety, and IR is not included on this device... and won't feature on any HTC devices going forward.

  My final criticism is around the look of the device. It feels a little too plain, almost budget. It's hard to draw the line between simple good looks and the impression of well built ruggedness and a design that just lacks that certain something. A device such as the MDA Vario II for example has style in buckets (IMHO), and the P4350 does not. On first looks alone, this is not a 'wow' device. It will be interesting to see what customisations carriers make to the design when (if) they take the Herald.

  Hardware - around the device

  

  The front of the device is primarily consumed by the gloriously bright 2.8" screen. The screen has a glossy finish, as opposed to the 'anti glare' finish that I commented on in my P3300 review... which is a thumbs up from me! The screen (well, the software really) has the same odd feature that I noticed on the P3300... 'Backlight Off' isn't ACTUALLY off. The screen is still very dimly illuminated in this mode... strange, but useful for some applications (e.g. CamerAware at night!). The screen is recessed for protection.

  Above the screen sites the speaker, with a very thin silver surround, and the 2 notification LEDs.

  Below the screen sits the HTC logo, and below that is the keypad.

  The keypad features all the important buttons - Green, Red, Start, OK, the directional pad and the hardware buttons for the soft keys. All of the buttons are silver with a white backlight and an absolute joy to use! Using the keypad on the P4350 reminds me why I personally dislike the P3300 (Artemis) so much. Even better, this is an 8 way pad - diagonal support FINALLY returns! :D

  The device has a matt black finish that feels very durable, but as mentioned before, feels very 'plain'.

  The back of the device is REALLY plain. It's a one piece back that removes in it's entirety for access to the innards. At the top right is the speaker, at the top left is the external antenna socket. Below this sits the '2.0 MEGA PIXELS' branding, and the camera with a portrait mirror. The rest of the back is bare with the exception of the HTC logo at the base.

  The top of the device holds the power button, the left of the device the camera button, volume slider, reset pin and microSD slot. The right of the device has comm manager, voice dial buttons and the stylus silo, while the base plays host to the mic, the extUSB port, a switch for releasing the back cover and the lanyard loop.

  Sliding open the keyboard reveals the QWERTY keyboard, which as mentioned previously has slightly rubberised keys. As also mentioned above, Caps / FN lock indicator lights are present, as are buttons that correspond to the on screen soft keys. The keyboard layout is good, with a good selection of symbols as keyboard alternates, and a numeric keypad area. Start and OK buttons as present, as is a tab key and cursor keys. The space bar is a double width key, and interestingly seems to have a microswitch for each half... which makes for some odd tactile feedback in use... but more on this later! All in all, the keyboard is quite good in use... although it lags slightly behind the Hermes for me, primarily due to the changed placement of the left soft key.

  Software

  When you first spark up the P4350, you're greeted by the HTC logo, before the device launches into the AKU3 setup wizard. Traditionally the bane of Pocket PC owner's lives, the wizard has been improved slightly for AKU3. Most importantly, the annoying 'tap and hold' tutorial can now be skipped! Hurrah! In addition, email accounts can be configured during this first setup phase.

  

  After the initial setup has been completed, and the device has performed it's Extended ROM customisations (followed by a reboot), the user is greeted by the Today screen. Presented in the now-familiar HTC ultra-green, the layout is very simple. The HTC 'Shortcut Bar' is displayed below a very simple standard layout.. You'll notice the default configuration has shortcuts for power status, screen rotation, comm manager and backlight settings.

  Application wise, all of the standard applications you'd expect from a Pocket PC are there. I won't go through them in detail, rather i'll talk about what's new and different on the P4350 :)

  [*]The P4350, courtesy of AKU3, includes an updated Bluetooth stack with some new features. More protocols are now support, and a Bluetooth Explorer / Bluetooth FTP application is now also in ROM.

  [*]A new application is included called 'Audio Manager'. This functions in a very similar way to the Windows Media Player library, but adds functionality for building custom playlists.

  [*]The Camera application on the device is the usual excellent HTC Camera client.

  [*]Abode Reader LE is installed in ROM, now adopted across HTC devices instead of the previously licenced ClearVue PDF.

  [*]Internet Sharing is a new application for AKU3. It makes the process of using your device as a modem for your computer a lot easier. You choose the connection method, choose the connection on your device to use, and off you go. Piece of cake... and with Windows Vista in particular (that i'm using), the process is amazing.

  So far as specific applications are concerned, that's a run down of everything that is new or interesting on the P4350 :) - it is very much a base build.

  As mentioned above, Sprite Backup and SPB GPRS Monitor are included free of charge on the CD, which is a nice bonus.

  In use

  I've been using the P4350 as my main device for a couple of weeks now, and am now using a proper retail device, so i'm comfortable giving a good assessment of it in use. I'll confess that I was very excited about getting the P4350. Living in a non-3G coverage area, I figured it could be the perfect device for me! So let's see how it fared!

  

  

  

  

  The device form factor is great, there is no doubt about that. It's pocketably small if a little heavy... when I used to carry my Vario II around, I would always be aware of a bulge in my pocket (ooh matron!), however after starting to use the P4350, I found myself periodically checking it was still there. That's definitely a good thing!

  The screen is excellent. It's bright, clear, usable in direct sunlight, and at night you can switch the backlight 'off' for an ultra low brightness mode. It makes my Vario II screen look positively dull by comparison.

  I mentioned previously how impressed I was with the keypad on the P4350, and i'd just like to reiterate that. Aside from the 8 way support that is useful for gamers, the buttons are so well placed and feel so perfect in use, I don't want a device with any other layout ever again. Forget your RollRs and JoggRs HTC... this is what people want. Add to this the full size stylus (although it comes out from the bottom rather than the top), and you have a great usage experience when the device is closed.

  Open the device and the experience continues to be very good, but not quite perfect. The device opens with a very satisfying 'snap', the keyboard is great, and the Caps / FN indicators are useful. My criticism would be that they keys have very very slightly less feel than on the Hermes, but most annoyingly for me, the fact that the left soft key button has moved to make room for the indicator lights means it is uncomfortable / unnatural to press with your left thumb. It should have stayed in it's rightful place, and the indicator lights should have gone in the middle. The space bar is also a little odd, with a microswitch serving each side of the bar, if you hit it square in the middle it can feel like you've accidentally hit two keys, which is a little disconcerting.

  I guess the fact that I am griping about the position of 1 key and the microswitches under another are testament to the excellent usability of the device from a hardware perspective. There is very little to fault it, and in this respect the device has definitely lived up to my expectations.

  Let's talk about other aspects of the device in use.

  I'll touch on the Camera. It's typical HTC fare (once again) in that it's decidedly average, and isn't going to scare the Sony-Ericssons of this world with it's picture quality. Once again the HTC Camera Application is excellent... and somewhat wasted ;)

  AKU3 is, in my opinion, and excellent operating system. Once again on the P4350 it shows itself as a great companion to the TI OMAP 850 processor, and never feels slow or underpowered in general use. The subtle tweaks by Microsoft (such as WPA2 support, improved Bluetooth etc.) are great, as are the HTC additions. Once again, the removal of the 'Phone Pad' T9 application is a shame... but I think I'm going to have to give up on beating that drum now!

  WiFi performs well, and the phone performance from a signal perspective has lived up to my expectations.

  Finally, let me talk about battery life. While I don't do any 'scientific' assessments of battery life in my reviews, I can provide you with a comparison compared to my other devices. For example, on my HTC Hermes (MDA Vario II), the battery will last a day of my normal use - Push Mail, some SMS, a call or two, lots of internet access. By comparison, the P4350 lasts at least two days, often more... testament to the less power hungry processor and 2G radio.

  Conclusion

  

  As mentioned above, I had high hopes for this handset... and on the whole i've not been disappointed. It's blend of compact size, great keypad, great keyboard, great screen and WiFi make it the perfect device for me, taking into account the fact I spend 99% of my life out of 3G coverage. This device is so perfect for me, i've bought one to use as my main device :)

  Of course, if you are a 3G / HSDPA user who is willing to have a larger device with poorer battery life in return for faster data, then the HTC Hermes may be a better bet.

  I will be very interested to see if operators pick up the device and improve the look at all, it does look rather bland, and I would be interested to see what the likes of T-Mobile could do with the exterior... but we'll have to wait and see on that one (note that Dopod, the only company to have confirmed they are offering the device, are shipping with the same exterior, just branded 'dopod' of course).

  There's no denying that £380 is a lot of money, but amongst it's peers, the P4350 offers decent value, and I think prospective purchasers who have read this review are unlikely to be disappointed.

  Thanks for reading... and have your say at http://Herald.MoDaCo.com :)

Regular readers of MoDaCo may know that, prior to working full time on MoDaCo, I worked as a technical lead for a large UK company on a huge Telematics project. For this reason, my interest, nay enthusiasm, nay OBSESSION with GPS goes back a fair few years.

I remember how we discussed GPS and how, in a few years time, it would become a true consumer technology with commoditised hardware.

Well, I think you'll agree that time is now here. With the rise and rise of PND (Portable Navigation Devices), the huge availability of Bluetooth GPS units and the trend towards integration of GPS into mobile devices (which we are just starting to see), GPS will become more and more a part of people's everyday lives.

Selecting a GPS solution to partner your mobile device isn't the easiest task in the world, simply due to the huge amount of devices available with a wide range of prices. Today, i'm reviewing the BT-Q810 GPS from a new player in the market, Q-Starz... and I will be following this review over the coming weeks and months with similar evaluations of hardware from other suppliers.

Buying the Q-Starz BT-Q810

In the UK, the appointed reseller for the device is TechGlobe, however the device is yet to be listed on their site.

In the USA, the Q-Starz BT-Q810 is resold by Semsonsas the i-Blue 737, retailing at $89.99 at time of writing including a free vent mount - more details. Semsons ship worldwide, and come highly recommended.

Unboxing the Q-Starz BT-Q810

The GPS unit ships in a smart, compact box proudly displaying the device through a clear window, and emblazoned with the various features of the unit :)

Included in the box you will find...

• the GPS unit itself
  
• a wall charger
  
• a car charger
  
• a 1000mAh lithium ion battery
  
• a warranty card
  
• a quick installation guide sheet (PDF version)
  
  
  Although no software is included in the box, PC and Pocket PC test applications are available from the Q-Starz download page.
  
  Hardware
  
  Let's talk about the exterior of the device first.
  
  The device has a predominantly grey exterior finish, with the exception of the black branded panel on the top. The device is made from a smooth almost metallic looking plastic, and feels extremely light. Even with the battery in place, our tests showed the device weighed in at a paltry 66g.
  
  
  
  
  
  Below the black panel on the top of the GPS sit 3 LEDs. The top LED is coloured Orange, and is used to indicate the current fix status. The left LED indicates bluetooth status, and the right LED indicates charging / battery status. Sadly, the LEDs are somewhat bright and flash when in use - not great when using the device in a car at night for example - i'd love to see a way to disable the LEDs altogether, or at the very least stop them from flashing!
  
  The left of the device holds the power switch, and the right of the device the miniUSB socket. Owners of Pocket PCs / Smartphones that also use miniUSB should take particular note here - the BT-Q810 charges just fine from my Pocket PC charger and my sync and charge cable, effectively negating the need for additional cables. In fact, i've just left the wall / car chargers for the GPS in the box. Excellent!
  
  The bottom of the device has an anti-slip pad, which is perfect for putting the GPS on your dashboard. There's nothing worse than seeing your GPS fly out the window as you round a corner with the windows down :D
  
  The base is also home to the battery cover, behind which sits the 1000mAh battery - an impressive capacity, that no doubt contributes to the (claimed) 25 hour battery life. We'll find out if that's a reasonable figure later!
  
  The brief specifications of the device are as follows, you can read the full details at the Q-Starz Site:
  • MTK chipset with high sensitivity (to -158dBm)
    
  • Up to 25hrs operating time for GPS navigation
    
  • 32-Channel all-in-view tracking for fast acquisition and reacquisition
    
  • Fast Position Fix - Cold start 39s, Warm start 37s, Hot start
  • WAAS / EGNOS compatability
    
  • Smart power control - Auto On-Off function
    
  • Bluetooth SPP compatible with 10m range
    
  • 1000mAh Lithium Ion battery
    
  • 72.2mm (L) X 46.5mm (W) X 20mm (H)
    
    
    Which leads us on nicely to the 'in use' section.
    
    In use
    
    For my test of the unit, I first of all gave it a thorough charge, and then powered it up and placed it on the office window sill. At this point I expected it to take a while to get a fix (as is customary in a 'cold start' scenario), but immediately, the BT-Q810 started to shine. The device actually found a good quality fix before my SiRF III unit had, which astounded me - I was up and running in around 30 seconds.
    
    Pairing the GPS with my device was painless, as you would expect - just search for bluetooth devices, select the 'iBT-GPS' device, and enter the '0000' PIN. I seleceted the 'Serial Port' service, and I was done.
    
    For the general testing, I used MoDaCo CamerAware, TomTom and iGo. All three applications ran just fine with the unit. Over a couple of days testing, I found the BT-Q810 to have excellent sensitivity, at least on par and sometimes better than that of my SiRF III GPS - a very unexpected result!
    
    I then conducted a number of 'torture tests' to determine how long the battery would last, and whether it could hit the claimed 25 hours. In honesty, in each of my tests the low battery LED would illuminate at around 15 hours, with it then lasting a further 3 hours at best before expiring. A fair way off the claimed 25 hour battery life, but impressive nonetheless. 18 hours of continuous GPS is not to be sniffed at.
    
    There's one more feature that i'd like to tell you about that also contributes to prolonging the battery life, and that's the 'Auto on-off'. Basically, the BT-Q810 will only power up the GPS chipset when it detects an active connection via Bluetooth. At all other times, it will only keep the Bluetooth side of the device running, waiting for connections. This is a great idea as GPS is the major power drain on the device. I have owned a GPS with this feature before, and it was invaluable for times when I would leave the GPS somewhere and forget to turn it off :D
    
    Conclusion
    
    In conclusion, I found the BT-Q810 to be a very impressive and very capable GPS receiver. Something of a dark horse, performing much better than I expected, particularly given the very reasonable $89.99 price point.
    
    If you are in the market for a GPS receiver, then it comes highly recommended... and i'll leave you with my positives and negatives! :(
    
    The positives

    • Excellent sensitivity
      
    • Competitive price
      
    • Great battery life
      
    • Auto power on / off of GPS element
      
    • Good looking
      
    • Anti slip base
      
    • Wall and car chargers included
      

    The negatives

    [*]Flashing LEDs

for Pocket PC 2002/Windows Mobile 2003/Windows Mobile 5 Pocket PCs

One of Astraware's recent releases, Hammer Heads, is a conversion of the popular 'whack a mole' arcade machine. You may know it? A game where the player has to whack as many moles, or similar, as quickly as possible. I must say that this particular arcade game concept never appealed to me, but having reviewed a few of Astraware's titles over the years and found all of them very polished, professional and, indeed, enjoyable I decided to give the game a chance. And am I glad I did! I found Hammer Heads to be one of the most fun and addictive Pocket PC games I've ever played! Why? Read on to find out... ;)

The first thing to strike you on running Hammer Heads is the polished presentation. Indeed, even the initial loading screen features crisp and colourful graphics. Once loaded a quick look at the available options shows the usual settings such as being able to turn up or down the sound and or music volume. No surprises there.

To introduce you to how to play the game there is a short and simple tutorial. Hit the gnomes as they pop up to break them, if you miss any of them then you lose a life. In case the tutorial wasn't enough the Classic version of the game eases you in softly by explaining the game as it goes along, making it possible to begin playing straight away.

Hammer Heads offers two gameplay modes. The Marathon mode is a test to see how long you last in continuous play while the Classic mode features 25 levels of increasing difficulty through an increasing variety of gnomes popping up at an increasing rate until you take on the Gnome King at the end. Each gnome has different characteristics. For example there is a booby trapped gnome that will explode taking some of your life with it if you hammer it. Ignore this gnome, you won't lose any life if you do and there are plenty of others to occupy your attentions! Other gnomes feature their own behaviour such as one which dons a hard hat if you don't hit it straight away and another that is invincible unless you upgrade your hammer.

Both game modes are surprisingly addictive and the attention to detail through the variety of different gnomes ensures it won't get old any time soon (I've been playing on and off for weeks!). But the real beauty of the game comes in the extra features Astraware have thought to include. The first gameplay tweak has the player accumulating coins as they progress with which they can purchase hammer upgrades along with extra lifes, faster hammer action(!) and more. There are also bonus levels in which you have to whack as many coins as possible, so helping you to store up enough to upgrade in the aforementioned shop. Finally, and in my opinion the feature that will keep the player coming back for more, there is the trophy room where the player can keep track of achievements accumulated as they progress. As it is possible to create profiles it becomes possible for more then one player to keep track of how they've been doing in the game. Another of the many features which gives the game its longevity and addictiveness.

As you've probably gathered by now this game well and truly won me over after initial doubts about the concept. I can conclude the review by stating that this is an incredibly enjoyable game where the fun graphics, sound and music little features will keep you coming back. Whether you like to spend the occasional ten minutes or an hour at a time this is a worthy addition to your software collection.

Available from www.astraware.co.uk

Cost is $19.95 (note: this excludes VAT payable by UK customers)

There's no doubt about it, 'thin is in'! A craze for super thin phones kicked off by the Motorola RAZR shows no sign of slowing, and with Samsung now blazing the thin-device trail too, the boundaries really are being pushed - at least in the feature phone market.

That's not to say that the Windows Mobile market has been completely left out! Motorola have shipped the Q on CDMA networks in the USA, Samsung have shipped the i320 / i320N in Europe / Asia and there is a 3G variant of the same device waiting in the wings on major European and American networks - the i60x. If you believe the rumour-mill, a show-stopping 3G Q will hit the streets in Q1 2007 too.

While all of the above devices feature QWERTY thumboards, HTC have also got in on the act with their Clamshell StrTrk design, an unsubtle nod to the diminuitive dimensions of the RAZR. Strangely, the StrTrk hasn't been picked up generally by networks in Europe, and it remains something of a rarity. In the US, it has recently launched on Cingular.

What about fans of regular candybar devices?

Up until now, fans (such as myself) of regular candybar devices have missed out on 'the thin thing'. Once again, Motorola released a device in the feature phone space, the SLVR, with an impressive 11.5mm thickness (or is it thinness?), but Windows Mobile fans were left wanting. Until now... enter i-mate!

i-mate have a long history (well, long in the Windows Mobile timeline anyway!) as effectively a 'HTC box shifter'. i-mate would generally take on the latest HTC devices, brand them i-mate, give them a weird name :D, bundle a suite of i-mate software and services, and ship them out SIM free. And they were doing very well at it too! Too well, some might say... as since the turn of the year, HTC have gradually made clearer their own ambitions to capture a piece of the market that i-mate largely dominated, and so the HTC brand itself has moved from being OEM to consumer. As this happened, so the relationships with current players in those markets began to sour.

To i-mate's credit, they did not just sit around and watch HTC erode their market, they took a new line, by looking to procure Windows Mobile devices from sources other than HTC. No mean feat you might argue, with HTC undoubtedly the leading Windows Mobile device manufacturer.

What you see before you is one of the first devices to emerge from a non HTC i-mate relationship, the i-mate SPL, which has been designed and built for i-mate by Techfaith Wireless.

Motorola Q - 11.5mm thick. Samsung i320/N - 11.5mm thick. Samsung i60x - 11.8mm thick. HTC StrTrk 15.8mm thick. i-mate SPL - 12mm thick - thin is finally in for Windows Mobile!

Buying the i-mate SPL

In line with previous i-mate products, the SPL will be sold SIM free. As i-mate shift their strategy and move away from HTC products to i-mate exclusive devices I imagine this will change, but for now at least, if you want an i-mate device, you're going to have to splash the cash independently from your network operator.

So how much?

Using Expansys as a price guide (prices correct at time of writing)...

i-mate SPL - £249.95

And by comparison...

HTC S310 - £199.95

QTek 8500 - £229.95

i-mate SP5 - £289.95

Samsung i320 - £349.95

As you can see, the i-mate SPL is fairly competitively priced amongst it's peers. However, this doesn't tell the whole story. The market segment that the SPL is aimed at is that of the HTC S310, the low end. Our sources tell us that the i-mate SPL was originally slated to be a HTC Oxygen based device (like the S310), but as the HTC relationship went sour, this was then changed to the Techfaith Wireless Puma you see here. i-mate SPL = i-mate SP 'Lite' = low end Smartphone...

I anticipate that, as with other devices such as the SP5, the price will fall after the initial launch demand, probably closer to the £200 pricepoint, which makes it a very interesting proposition indeed!

Unboxing the i-mate SPL

The SPL comes in the standard issue i-mate blue box. Inside you'll find...

- a leather pouch (nice enough, it's nice to get any case in with a device IMHO)

- an Outlook 2002 / ActiveSync CD (why still Outlook 2002 not 2003?)

- a very good Quick Start guide

- an excellent manual

- a headset (mini USB plug!)

- a miniUSB cable

- a mains charger

Oh and the SPL itself :rolleyes:

In a nutshell, the box contains everything you would expect and nothing more - of note is that although extra software is installed on the device (until you hard reset!), it isn't to be found on the companion CD.

Hardware - overview

In a case that's only 12mm thick, it's probably reasonable to expect some compromises around the specifications. However, they're not necessarily where you might expect! Let me give you a rundown of the specs...

- Windows Mobile 5 for Smartphone AKU 3

- Triband 850/1800/1900 or 900/1800/1900 (2 versions available) GPRS no EDGE

- TI OMAP 730 @ 200MHz

- 128MB ROM

- 64MB RAM

- 2.2" QVGA 65K colour screen

- miniSD expansion behind battery cover

- 2.0MP camera

- miniUSB connector for sync / charge / headphones

- 1100mAh battery

- 4 hours talktime

- 150 hour standby

- 114.5mm x 49mm x 12mm

- 102g

The positives...

The SPL is one of the first devices to ship with AKU3. This means the device ships with the very latest revision of the Windows Mobile 5 operating system, with a number of fixes and enhancements, and the .net Compact Framework 2 in ROM (yay!).

The SPL contains a generous 128MB of ROM and incredibly, manages to cram a miniSD (yes miniSD) slot into it's slim frame! Hats off to i-mate / TFW for that inclusion.

If you've used any of the Samsung thin-devices, you can be forgiven for thinking thin = poor battery life... but the SPL packs a 1100mAh battery (for reference, the C500 had a 1050mAh battery, the C600 a 1150mAh battery).

The expansion is miniUSB, which is welcome, as opposed to the proprietary connectors so often found on thin devices (*cough* StrTrk *cough*) :(

The not so positives...

The SPL packs tri-band radio rather than the more capable quad band seen in many devices, and offers no EDGE or 3G connection. To ensure that the US market is catered for, the SPL is offered in 2 variants, a 900/1800/1900 model for Europe, and a 850/1800/1900 model for the USA. If you're in the UK and particularly if you're on Vodafone / O2, make sure you get the European version or you'll be in trouble!

You'll notice the processor is a 200MHz OMAP 730 processor, which is the same processor found in the Typhoon (C500) devices! Remember though, speed isn't everything :)

Finally, like the Hermes Pocket PC, the SPL headset plugs in to the miniUSB port. This is almost certainly a space saving measure, but it does make purchasing replacement headsets more difficult.

There is no IR connectivity.

Hardware - around the device

I've had positive feedback to my 'around the device' approach (and everyone else seems to be doing it now too), so I shall do the same with the SPL ;)

Let's start with the front.

The front of the device at first glance is very 'Motorola SLVR' (motorola product page). The whole front is almost completely flat, and is bordered by very shiny black plastic. The plastic that forms the keypad and screen surround is slightly lighter in colour, but still exceptionally shiny. Fingerprints ahoy!

At the top left of the device you'll see an LED. This is a multi functional blue / green / red LED that serves as bluetooth / power / event notification - i.e. it flashes red when you have unread notifications. On the right hand side at the top is the front facing speaker. Below these sits the subtle 'i-mate SPL' branding. The blue-on-black type looks good.

Below this sits the 2.2" QVGA screen. The screen is very sharp / crisp with 3 levels of adjustable brightness, and is very impressive - as good as I have seen on any other Smartphone. Interestingly although the screen is set slightly back into the case, the perspex on the front is not protected in any way, probably to maintain the ultrasmooth look of the front. Bear in mind if you purchase an SPL that you'd be ill advised to place it on a surface face down!

Underneath the screen are two soft keys, between which sits a dedicated Internet Explorer button. Below this is the 5 way directional pad, surrounded by a home key, a back key and the red / green call keys. As seen on a number of other devices of late, pressing and holding the red key serves as the power button on the device. For this reason, you need to hold the 'Home' key in order to activate the key lock. The directional pad is quite small. It has a 'rippled' metal finish so feels good to touch, but in use the size and positioning will take some getting used to. More on this later ;) The action button itself is flush with the other buttons.

The number keys at the base of the device are well spaced and have a suprisingly good feel. As you'll notice, the RAZR / SLVR'esque keypad dictates that the middle column sit slightly higher than the left / right columns, which isn't a problem in general typing, although it does bring the '2' key dangerously close to the directional pad. Again, more on this later :P

All in all, the front of the device looks great. It has a blue illumination at night (see picture), and is probably the first Smartphones that genuinely screams 'i'm sexy' rather than 'I can do lots of useful stuff' :D

Flipping over to the back of the device, you'll find the 2 megapixel camera in the top left, with a tiny mirror below it for self portraits. Below this sits the speaker, which is quite loud. Above the camera is a tiny port for an external antenna.

To the right of the camera you'll see the '2.0 MEGA PIXEL' branding and the 'Designed for Windows Mobile' branding, both of which don't look quite straight to my (admittedly somewhat obsessive) eyes. A small raised part above the logos ensures the device sits flat on a surface (the camera / speaker is slightly raised too).

The bulk of the back of the device is taken up by the battery cover. Bizarrely, the battery cover has a slightly different look to the rest of the device. The main device is a very shiny black finish that is almost 'enamel' (that's the only way I can think of to describe it). It gives the impression of being very thick and very tough. The battery cover however is 'black metal', and has a slightly different appearance. Not unpleasantly so however, although it is even more susceptible to fingerprints if that is possible :D

The left of the device is home to a volume up button, a volume down button and a 'media button' that sits between the two. A long press on the volume up button launches the profiles list. A long press on the volume down button launches the voice notes application. A long press on the media button (bizarrely) set the backlight to full brightness!

On the right side of the device you'll find the camera button. Further down sits the miniUSB port (yes, it's on the side of the device rather than the bottom). The port is covered by a small rubber cover, that is somewhat fiddly to open. It does however maintain the sleek look of the device when in place. At the bottom of the right hand side is the ever-present lanyard loop :)

The bottom of the device contains just the microphone hole, and the top of the device is unspoilt :)

Software

As mentioned previously, the i-mate SPL includes Windows Mobile 5 for Smartphone AKU3. When you put the battery in the device and fire it up for the first time, the first change you notice is the smart green Windows Mobile screen. You are then greeted with a wizard - something that is familiar to Pocket PC users, but new to Smartphone. The wizard prompts you to set the device time, setup your email accounts and set a device password if you wish.

Next you find yourself at the i-mate branded home screen. I'll give you a quick run through of what's installed on the device as standard (in the order it's placed on the Start Menu)...

- Internet Explorer

- Tasks

- Windows Media

- Calendar

- Messaging

- Contacts

- ActiveSync

- Call History

- Settings

- Games -> Bubble Breaker

- Games -> Solitaire

- Voice Notes

- Pictures & Videos

- Accessories -> Calculator

- Accessories -> Download Agent

- Internet Sharing

- Camera

- File Explorer

- Interactive (SIM Toolkit)

- Java (by esmertec)

- Pocket MSN

- SIM Manager

- Speed Dial

Rather than go through each application in detail when you have probably used most of them, i'll talk about ones that are of note on this device.

Something worth mentioning is that when my SPL first arrived, it contained a host of extra games, such as i-mate 3D Bowling, an i-mate branded Sudoku client and more. It also had i-mate Backup and an i-mate Suite trial. Unfortunately, after doing a hard reset to prepare the device for this review, those applications disappeared... and I can't find them on the included CD. DOH! I only hope that i-mate make them available in the (yet to be launched) SPL owners area on club i-mate.

So, the applications...

The first application of note is a new addition to AKU3, and it's called 'Internet Sharing'. Internet Sharing, as the name suggests, allows you to simply configure a USB or Bluetooth connection to your PC, and to allow that PC to access the internet via a GPRS connection of your choice.

Upon using the SPL's camera application for the first time (much as when you use the Treo 750v camera for the first time), you realise how spoilt you have been with HTC's version! The SPL uses the standard Windows camera application, which is somewhat basic in appearance. In it's defence, it does provide a number of modes (Photo, Video, Portrait, Self Shutter, Burst, Photoframe) and a number of exposure settings, so you shouldn't be left wanting from a feature perspective... it's just not very pretty! ;)

Esmertec's Java client is a new one to me, with Smartphone devices from the HTC stable usually favouring Tao Group's 'intent' client. I have to confess i'm not a Java user, so haven't tested the esmertec client on the SPL.

That's about it on the SPL software wise... everything you would expect, and not much more. It's good to see Pocket MSN is included (as you would expect), and if I could only get the (very nice) additional games / applications back that were on the device originally, I could tell you about those ;)

But as it is, let's get on to the most important part of the review... what the device is like in use!

In use

So you know the device specs, you've had a tour of the hardware, and i've told you what software is on board... now i'm going to talk to you about my experience of using the device.

First and foremost, the device feels great. In the hand it feels thin (of course) and high quality / well made. At a touch over 100g, I suspect the weight combined with the slim form factor contributes to this, but I think the main reason it feels so high quality is the finish, as mentioned before it's almost 'enamel like' in it's depth and shine.If you're in the market for the ultimate Smartphone for just slipping into your pocket on a night out, then the SPL is as good as you're going to get this side of a clamshell. The device exudes style, and is finally a Smartphone that you can show off to your mates without having to tell them about all the cool stuff it does :D

The screen is great. As I mentioned previously, it has 3 levels of brightness, and is very clear. I have no complaints in this area whatsoever.

So we come to the keypad.

As regular readers will know, i'm something of a stickler for a well thought out and easy to use keypad on my devices. Be it a Smartphone or a Pocket PC, I don't want to have a poor keypad compromising my use.

The keypad on the SPL isn't the worst I have ever used, but it isn't the best either - let me explain why.

Firstly, the SLVR-esque layout of the numbers means that there is a small amount of familiarisation required to adjust to the fact the centre column of keys is slightly higher on the device than the others. It's not a huge problem though, and I've found myself quickly getting used to it. What is more of a nuisance though is that, for the same reason as mentioned above, the '2' key is a little bit too close to the directional pad. This, combined with the fact that the directional pad itself is both quite small and flush with the device case, means that you will find yourself frequently hitting the '2' key when you mean to be pressing 'down'. It's somewhat frustrating. The same occurs, albeit to a lesser extent in my experience, with the 'Internet' key and the 'up' key.

The directional pad itself feels a little strange to use initially. You'll find yourself fumbling around a little to ensure your thumb is in the centre - on the action button, but over time I have got more used to this, and i'm no longer finding it a problem.

There is one other complaint I have with the keypad, which will be of interest to those of you that are multi-tappers more than T9'ers! I've found that when I hit a key three times in quick succession, e.g. '6' to get an 'o', only 2 of the presses are registered. I will say that this only happens when I press them in REALLY quick succession, but if - like me - you're a bit of a demon texter, then it is a problem.

In general use, I've had no problems at all with the OS build on the device itself. AKU3 is great, .net CF 2 in ROM is a godsend, and Techfaith Wireless and i-mate seem to have done a good job in putting it all together and getting it working well. I did initially have a problem with the 'AutoConfig' application causing an error on startup, but since this too disappeared after the hard reset, that's no longer an issue ;)

You'll recall when I spoke about the hardware specifications above, I mentioned that the processor is a 200MHz OMAP 730, the same as was used in the now aging SPV C500. A number of members have expressed concern at this, and have asked whether it is a problem on the SPL. The honest answer is yes and no. Or, no and yes... ;)

In my experience, the SPL feels broadly snappy in use. There are no real moments when you are left waiting for the device to do things, other than when you would on other devices too - such as loading the Messaging app for the first time after a reboot (although admittedly, I do have a huge mailbox on the device). With the generous amount of RAM on the device, I suspect helps disguise the slow processor speed.

Where the processor speed will become more of a problem is when you are doing processor intensive tasks on the device, such as playing video. I've yet to try TCPMP on the device (although I will), but in some of my own applications I am noticing tasks taking longer than they do on other devices. Once again though, I will reiterate that I haven't found speed to be a problem in my usage.

This leads us on nicely to battery life :D

Battery life is always difficult to 'review' as it were, because everyone's usage case is so difficult. Some people make calls all day, some people text all day, some people listen to music etc. etc. - let me tell you about my first couple of days with the SPL.

On the first day of getting it, I put it all together, played with it (of course), and then when I went to bed, I plugged it into the mains charger. I took it off charge the following morning. I then proceeded to do non-stop push mail (including off peak and overnight), about 30 minutes of CamerAware (Bluetooth ON, connected to GPS, Backlight On), a couple of calls, a couple of SMS, and a bit of web browsing. Much to my surprise, the battery lasted straight through until around 11pm on the second day, when it was complaining about low battery. To me, that felt impressive. My Hermes for example would not run with that kind of punishment for that period of time.

I attribute the good battery performance to the processor, and the impressive 1100mAh battery that i-mate / TFW have managed to cram in the case. The battery life completely blows away my other skinny-smartphone, the Samsung i320, which would probably last half the duration of the SPL. (Incidentally, note the width of the SPL compared to the i320 in this picture).

Conclusion

And so, on to the conclusion.

I have to confess, I didn't have high hopes for the SPL. Being the first i-mate device not from HTC, so thin in size, with what appeared to be an old processor, I was ready to be disappointed. After recently reviewing the Virgin Mobile Lobster 700TV, I knew what it was like to have high hopes and then have my heart broken ;)

In fact, my experience with the SPL was completely opposite to that of the Lobster - it far exceeded my expectations.

I hadn't realised it included miniSD, which meant I could just pop in my (now unused) 2GB miniSD - fantastic. It includes AKU3, brilliant, as Compact Framework 2 applications become more numerous (including my own). Everyone who's seen the device has been impressed by it's styling, and the more than acceptable battery life (in my usage scenario) is the icing on the cake.

As I mentioned above, I have reservations about the keypad, but as the days have passed, I have become more familiar with the layout, and I'm finding that i'm missing the key I was aiming for much-much less, to the point that I am now feeling happy to be using the SPL as my everyday device. Of course, if I was a multi-tapper rather than a T9'er, I might not be so happy.

I'm interested to see, when the device appears on club i-mate, whether I will be able to download the great additional applications (such as the bowling and Sudoku games), that disappeared after the hard reset. If so (and it seems reasonable that I should), then it's an added bonus.

When you factor all of the above into an already appealing £249.95 price point, you have a device that is a very impressive effort from i-mate. In the current climate where candybar Smartphones are very few in numbers, i'm very pleased to see the arrival of the SPL, and would happily recommend it, so long as you don't require 3G / EDGE high speed data.

I take my hat off to both i-mate and Techfaith Wireless... and look forward to the post-HTC era at i-mate with some excitement! :D

P

PS I know everyone always loves to see sample pics from phone cameras, so here's a few random ones taken with the SPL. Click for full size versions!

Update: i-mate's Norwegian support team have been in contact and have furnished me with the install files for the additional software... screenshots below!

for QVGA Windows Mobile 2003/Windows Mobile 5 Smartphones

(also available for Pocket PC)

From developer Tetraedge comes an epic adventure game that seems to combine so many of the things Smartphone users have been crying out for. On first run the user is greeted by superb graphics (including an impressive 3D animated intro sequence), atmospheric music, voiceover narration and an intriguing storyline

Do you remember where you were the day Palm announced they were making a Windows Mobile device? ;)

OK, so maybe on a global scale it wasn't THAT important, but i'm pretty sure that it shocked a lot of people in the industry when Palm annouced that they would be releasing the Treo 700w, their first Windows Powered Treo in the USA. It sure shocked me!

Although the announcement of the unholy Palm - Microsoft alliance, made possible by the sale of Palm's software arm - Palmsource - to Japanese firm Access happened in September 2005, it is only now that the first device is becoming available in Europe - the Treo 750v from Vodafone.

I've been running a 750v on Vodafone for a while now, and below you will find my review. I'd like to point out that I wanted to run the device for a good few weeks in this case to ensure that so far as possible I was giving the 750v a fair roll of the dice. It's very easy to look at the device, look at the specs and dismiss it out of hand, or even to go the other way and say it's great 'because it's a Treo'. I didn't want to do either, so I hope you find my review unbiased and informative.

For this reason my review has been a while coming and arrives a bit later than i'd hoped, please forgive me :)

Buying the Treo 750v

Using Expansys as a price guide...

The Treo 750v device is sold with a new connection, at prices ranging from £25 to £150 on a Vodafone Anytime connection, and from £25 to £175 on a Vodafone Small Business connection.

The device is only sold with a contract and is SIM locked, however imei-check do offer a SIM unlocking service, priced at £20.

Unboxing the 750v

The device comes packaged in a small - predominantly red (obviously) - box. Inside the box you'll find...

- the device itself

- a getting started CD

- a manual

- a screen protector

- a USB cable

- a charger with international adaptors

- headphones (2.5mm plug)

The getting started CD includes ActiveSync, Outlook 2002, Sprite Backup and Dynomite.

Hardware - overview

Chances are, as a MoDaCo reader, you'll know that the Treo 750v specs are, for the most part, 'OK' rather than 'Outstanding'. The specs are as follows:

- Windows Mobile 5 Pocket PC Phone Edition AKU 2.3

- Quad band GSM / Tri Band UMTS + HSDPA upgradeable

- Samsung S3C2442 @ 300MHz

- 128MB ROM

- 64MB RAM

- 2.6" 240x240 65K colour screen

- miniSD expansion

- 1.3MP camera

- Proprietary sync / charge connectors, 2.5mm headphone

- 1200mAh battery

- 10 days standby

- 58.4mm x 111.8mm x 22.9mm

- 154g

For the tech enthusiast, the specs don't make the most exciting reading. ;)

The 300MHz processor loses 100MHz to the same processor in the HTC Hermes, the square screen is a lower resolution than the QVGA screen normally seen on Pocket PC devices, the 1.3MP camera (sans flash) is low end, and the properietary sync / charge connectors are certain to be unpopular. Finally, it's not exactly slim or compact ;)

Of course, specs aren't everything... read on to find out if the Treo is more than just the sum of it's parts!

Hardware - around the device

Let's work our way around the device in the customary 'Paul Reviews' fashion :D

The top two thirds of the device is a matt silver finish, which looks very smart indeed. The whole of the rest of the device is a metallic blue colour. It's very hard to describe, but looks very nice in person!

At the top of the device sits a small LED. Only one LED on this device for all of the functions! To the right of this is the speaker, below this you'll see the Palm and Vodafone logos - the Palm logo in shiny silver, the Vodafone logo in grey.

Below this sits the screen. A 240x240 2.6" unit - the screen has excellent brightness and clarity. This really only becomes apparent when you use the device alongside other similar Pocket PCs - when held next to the Fujitsu Loox T830 for example, the Treo screen is considerably 'whiter' (which is a good thing!)

Below the screen sit the two hardware buttons that map to the on screen soft keys. Below the left button sit the 'green' key and the 'Windows' key, and below the right button sit the 'OK' key and the 'red' key. Between these sits the directional pad.

Next we come to what has come to define a Treo nowadays, the thumboard (or is it a thumbboard?). The thumboard is below the silver panel on the front, taking up just under one third of the front of the device. The keys are mainly black, except for the keys that double up as a number pad, which are silver. In addition to the letter keys, the Treo 750 has 2 shift keys, an 'Option' key, backspace and carriage return keys, an alt key, a dedicated full stop key, and a space bar approximately 2.5 times the length of a regular key.

Flipping over to the back of the device, at the top left you'll see the stylus silo. The stylus is a full size stylus (hurrah), that feels pretty good in use, although it is a little light for my taste. The top right is home to the external antenna connection, hidden behind a subtle black rubber flap.

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Below these sits the camera mirror for self portraits, the 1.3 megapixel camera, and the loudspeaker. The remainder of the back of the device is taken up by the battery cover, which includes a smart looking Vodafone logo and Vodafone branding.

The top of the phone is home to a unique Treo feature - a hardware switch that puts the device in silent mode. Like many of the features found on the device, this is a hang up from the Palm days, and an attempt to bring the familiar Treo experience across to Windows Mobile - and proves to be a nice addition.

On the bottom of the device we have the connectors for charging, sync, headset etc. - and this is where our first major disappointment comes in. Palm have opted to use their own proprietary connector for sync / charge. While this does provide backward compatability, in these times of miniUSB on everything, it is a let down for me personally, meaning I have to carry a specific sync cable and charger for this device and purchase another car charger should I want one. Don't think you can get away with charging it over USB either... but more on that later! The headphone socket is a standard 2.5mm socket.

The left hand side of the device is home to the up / down volume buttons and a press-hold button for the camera.

On the right hand side of the device you'll find the infrared port and the miniSD socket, behind a plastic flap. The same flap also hides the reset button. Clearly Palm don't think you'll be needing that very often ;)

Underneath the battery cover sits the 1200mAh Lithium Ion battery and the SIM holder. With external miniSD, there's no need to go snooping under here for your Storage Card. Hurrah! :D

Software

As well as the additional software mentioned above on the included CD, you'll find the following on the Treo 750v:

• Contacts - View / edit contacts either created on your device, synced from your desktop or synced via Exchange
  
• Calendar - View / edit your calendar either created on your device, synced from your desktop or synced via Exchange
  
• Inbox - View your mail synced via your desktop or over the air. This does NOT hold your SMS / MMS
  
• Internet Explorer - Pocket Internet Explorer for viewing web pages
  
• Messaging - This is the palm threaded SMS app / MMS composer - more on this below
  
• Pictures & Videos - You will find pictures and videos you have recorded here
  
• Bubble Breaker - Coloured ball popping game
  
• Solitaire - The old favourite!
  
• ActiveSync - You configure your synchronisation options in here
  
• Calculator- Simple calculator
  
• Camera - Simple camera application
  
• Download Agent - A waste of an icon
  
• Email Setup - A link to configure Vodafone email online
  
• Excel Mobile - A mobile version of Excel
  
• File Explorer - A simple File Explorer
  
• Modem Link - An application to allow you to use your device as a modem
  
• Notes - View / edit notes either created on your device or synced via a desktop PC
  
• PDF Viewer - A PDF viewer by Picsel
  
• PowerPoint Mobile - A mobile version of PowerPoint
  
• Quick Tour - A quick tour of the device
  
• Search - Search your device
  
• SIM Manager - Manage your SIM contacts
  
• Sounds - Configure your sounds
  
• Tasks - View / edit tasks either created on your device, synced from a desktop PC or synced via Exchange
  
• Terminal Services - Terminal Services / Remote Desktop control client
  
• Vodafone (SIM Toolkit) - View the Vodafone provided services on your SIM
  
• Windows Media - Windows Media Player 10 Mobile
  
• Word Mobile - A mobile version of Word
  
  
  As you'll see from the list above, I have pointed out that the Inbox does not handle SMS / MMS, unlike on other Windows Mobile devices. This is because Palm have included their own messaging application. At last, the famed 'threaded-SMS' experience so loved by Palm users in the past makes it's way to Windows Mobile!
  
  A few screenshots for you...
  
  
  

  
  
  In a nutshell, the messaging app is absolutely brilliant, and by far one of my favourite things about the 750v. Aside from the threading (which is awesome), the emoticon support is good, it supports queuing SMS when out of service that are then sent later, starting an SMS then turning it into an MMS... the list of features is impressive. I now find when I go to another device I miss it... and there's not many device customisations where I can say that (I think HTC's now-extinct 'Phone Pad' T9 is the only other one).
  
  The Camera application on the Treo 750v is the standard Windows Mobile 5 fare. It's 'adequate' rather than good, and cements the opinion that this really is a business device, and there hasn't been a lot of focus on the camera (no pun intended).
  

  
  
  The provided Picsel PDF viewer seems to view PDFs very well indeed, far better than Clearvue PDF found on most other devices.
  
  The quick tour application is an extension of the tour that is presented after a hard reset of the device. It is split down into Using Your Smartphone, Phone Basics, Email Messaging & Web, Office On The Go, Personalizing Your Device, Multimedia & More and Try It. The 'Try It' is an interactive guided tutorial, that works particularly well! The tour as a whole is informative, very well presented and an excellent addition to the device for Windows Mobile newbies, or even those just hoping to get the most from the Treo customisations :P
  
  The 'Sounds' application takes you to the 'Sounds & Notifications' applet in 'Settings', which - you guessed it - has been customised by Palm! As the last application on the list above worthy of note, now is a good time to talk about this and then the other custom 'Settings' applets.
  
  The Settings Applets
  
  The 'Sounds & Notifications' applet on the Treo has an additional tab when compared to the standard Windows Mobile devices. This tab allows you to add new sounds from files, record new sounds, beam / send sounds, and delete sounds that you are not using. What is particularly interesting, as you'll note in the screenshots, is the format support.
  
  
  
  On the Treo 750v, MID is a supported format for notifications! This is a great enhancement by Palm, I have to say. MID files are small, easy to find, and very well suited to mobile devices. An excellent assortment is included and again, when I switched away from using the Treo, I really missed this functionality. The MIDI playback itself is very good, with a good instrument set, so it all hangs together perfectly.
  
  When you view the 'Buttons' applet, you'll notice that you can assign applications to a press of the 'Option' key on the keyboard when pressed with a selection of other keys. For example, pressing 'Option' and 'OK' opens up the list of running programs. Very useful.
  
  Palm have implemented their own keyguard application on the 750v. When the device is off (incidentally, you turn it off by tapping the red button), only the red button will turn it back on again. In addition to pressing the red button, you need to follow the on screen instruction to 'Press Center button to unlock'. It works well. Again, kudos to Palm. You can also disable the touchscreen when in a call, useful if you have an ear that is particularly fond of pressing buttons in call I guess :D
  
  Finally in our whistle-stop tour of Settings, Palm have included Microsoft Voice Command 1.5 in ROM. This application is streets ahead of the Cyberon Voice Commander favoured by so many OEMs, and it's great to see it in there.
  
  Today Screen
  
  So that's settings done... let's move on to the Today screen! The Today screen, and more specifically Palm's enhancements to it, are absolutely key to the user experience on the Treo, and the differentiation between the 750v and it's competitors. Let's start by looking at what plugins are enabled as standard on the Today screen.
  
  
  
  To the right, you'll see the Today screen as it comes out of the box.
  
  At the top is a custom plugin that shows the currently Operator status, and Bluetooth status. It can be tapped to enable / disable Bluetooth. Also, when in call, the status is displayed on this line.
  
  Below this you will notice a 'Type a name or number' box. This box has focus on the Today screen by default, and it means that for the first time (that I remember anyhow), you can have a user experience similar to Smartphone on a Pocket PC. If you start typing a name or a number on the keyboard, it will filter on the fly in this box. When the contact you have is in view, just hit 'green' to dial. It works very well indeed... and this plugin married with the thumboard ensures making calls is a breeze.
  
  Next comes the speed dial plugin. You'll notice that the only entry in this screenshot is 'Voicemail', however this is fully customisable. As well as adding simple speed dials like the one shown, photo speed dials can also be added. Another worthwhile addition.
  
  The following plugins will be more familiar. The first is the unread e-mail plugin, and the next is the unread plugin for the new Messaging app - this displays unread MMS / SMS. It's a shame that 2 lines are now needed for unread messages - Palm should have integrated the two into one plugin. The Calendar appointments plugin follows.
  
  The next plugin with the picture of a globe and a magnifying glass is a Web Search plugin. My moving focus to this box, entering some text and hitting the center button, you can initiate a Google search in Pocket IE. Quite useful!
  
  A simple 'Picture' plugin is also included (but not enabled by default), that allows you to display a picture of your choice on the today screen.
  
  
  
  You'll notice that the right soft key is labelled 'menu'. Pressing it brings up a, er, menu, as shown in this screenshot. You can carry out a whole host of useful functions from here, completing what is, without doubt, a very fully featured and usable Today Screen.
  
  Finally, when you press the 'Green' key while at the Today screen, you get a Palm-enhanced list of previously dialled calls, allowing you to easily select the person you wish to call again from a cascading menu. You can also bring up the dial pad, or access the traditional Windows Mobile Call Log.
  
  Custom startup
  
  There is one final software customisation that I would like to talk to you about, and that is the initial configuration / post hard reset configuration (aka the 'out of box experience').
  
  Let me take you through the process on the 750v.
  

  
  
  

  
  When you first turn your device on after a hard reset (and my advice is you should always hard reset a brand new device too), you're greeted by the traditional Pocket PC start up wizard. After calibrating the screen, you begin to see the first Palm specific tweaks. Firstly, the Treo 750v includes the often requested feature that allows the device to automatically adjust it's time using information from the current mobile network. A useful feature for international travellers... you step off the plane in Spain, and the clock automatically adjusts itself.
  
  After choosing whether you would like this feature enabled, you are presented with another customised screen, the 'Regional Settings' screen. As you pick your region, you are shown the number / currency / time / date formats for that location. Neat.
  
  Next you would expect to see the mind number tutorial on how to click and hold on a dentists appointment right? Wrong ;) At this point you are told to put down your stylus, and learn how to use your device with one hand... :D A short tutorial follows, after which you'll find yourself at the Today screen.
  
  In use
  
  Right... so you and I both know that the Treo 750v is going to live or die by it's 'In Use' evaluation right? So here we go.
  
  When I first read about the Treo 750v, I have to confess, I wasn't excited. I was pleased, in a way that I knew the device would be important in the corporate space, but I wasn't excited for me personally. When I looked at the size, shape and the specs, it didn't do much for me. I have to say that when the device arrived on the doorstep, my feelings were the same. I unboxed it, fired it up, and thought 'Kinda cool, but that's about it'. However, something told me that with this device, perhaps more than any other, I needed to use it for a good length of time, and as my main device (although I do that with all devices I review). As mentioned above, that's why this review has been so long in the making :(
  
  As time went by, my appreciation for the Treo 750 grew, and I realised that I was almost 'missing the point' in my initial assessment.
  
  Here's what I liked about my time with the Treo, and what I didn't.
  
  The positives
  • My top positive, unsurpisingly, is the software customisations. The Messaging application is genius, and the today screen enhancements are brilliant. The focus on making the Treo 750v a viable one-handed device is obvious. I can honestly say that I have never had a Pocket PC that has felt so 'usable' from the start. Moreover, virtually all the customisations would be removable if you didn't like them (maybe with a bit of hacking in some cases).
    
  • I like the fit and finish of the device. Regardless of the size / weight, the Treo exudes quality. In the same way that my Hermes feels a feature packed but mass-produced-built-to-last-6-months device, the soft touch finish on the Treo, the colour and the general build makes it feel like it will last a decade. And it probably will!
    
  • I quite like the thumboard. With the exception of the fact that there is no colon accessible without bringing up the alternate-symbol list, it's as good as any I have used. It's not as good a keyboard as the Hermes, but then it's a different proposition - it's a thumboard, not a keyboard. I also like the fact that, like every Windows Mobile device SHOULD have, the Treo has the full complement of hardware buttons (in particular the Windows / OK keys).
    
  • I like the miniSD expansion, and the fact it's external.
    
  • I like the performance of the device, both from a speed point of view (the 300MHz Samsung processor makes light work of running the device), and the fact that in my experience, battery life is very good.
    
  • I like the fact that the device is (supposedly) HSDPA upgradeable in a future software release.
    

  The negatives

  [*]Whichever way you look at it, the device is a bit chunky. Palm have clearly set out to make this device look like the previous Treos - fair enough - but I can only imagine what a hit it would have been if it were, say, 15mm thick instead of 23mm thick. Were that the case, then the compromises on specifications might be easier to overlook.

  [*]I'm still not a fan of the 240x240 square screens. Although the majority of applications work fine on 240x240 (especially now the Treo range is running Windows Mobile), I still find it restrictive.

  [*]The lack of WiFi is a real blow. Many will argue that it's not needed in the world of high speed 3G connections, and for some people that's right. But for a good deal of people, particularly in the corporate space, WiFi is important, and it's a shame that Palm didn't include it.

  [*]The inbuilt camera is poor. I acknowledge that in the target market this is probably of less important, but for me personally, a better camera would have been nice.

  [*]Video calling would have been nice to have on the device, taking into account the fact that it is 3G.

  [*]Here's the worst sin of all for me... PROPRIETARY CONNECTIONS! I'm absolutely and completely in the miniUSB world now. All of my other gadgets have miniUSB sync cables and miniUSB mains chargers. To find that the 750v is a proprietary connection is a let down. Couple this with the fact that the 750v doesn't charge over USB, and this is almost a killler blow in my relationship with the device.

  Conclusion

  And so to the conclusion.

  Whether the Treo 750v is the device for you depends massively on what you want from a device. If you want the latest specifications including a high quality camera, WiFi, video calling etc. etc., then the Treo 750v is probably not for you.

  If you need a device that is as thin as possible, then the Treo may not be for you... but be really sure that size is the most important thing to you before dismissing it! It may be a little on the large side, but compared to devices such as the Fujitsu T830 it's not, and it is still very pocketable.

  If you need a workhorse device with a good thumboard, great one handed use cusomisations and build quality that means it should be able to take the strain like no other, then the Treo 750v could be what you need. Make sure that the proprietary connectors and lack of charging over USB aren't going to cause you a problem, then make your choice :)

  The Treo 750v is a good first effort in Europe for Palm, hats off to them for making a device that in the end I am rather fond of, despite my reservations.

  I'd like to close the review with a plea to Palm.... PLEASE recognise that you can still make great devices without making them look EXACTLY like the last Treo :)

  P

  Mobile Shopping: For more news on the latest smartphones as they're released, check out dialaphone.co.uk.

  Extra pic: The Treo 750v and friends...

  

Software

The Lobster 700 runs Windows Mobile 5 Smartphone AKU 2.6.

If you've used any Windows Mobile Smartphones before, everything will be very familiar :D AKU 2.6 includes all the standard AKU2 features such as push e-mail, and is very much a standard-HTC-build, virtually indistinguishable in operation from a C600, i-mate SP5 etc., with the exception of course of the TV application.

The device ships with a simple Virgin Mobile homescreen that shows a MRU (Most Recently Used) list, Operator + time / date, Appointments, Profile, Messages and the current TV status.

I'll give you a quick run through of what's installed on the device as standard (in the order it's placed on the Start Menu)...

So, to the TV / Radio aspect of the device! :D

Let me talk about how it works, step by step.

The Lobster 700 receives both Radio and TV using the DAB (Digital Audio Broadcasting) Spectrum, and has nationwide coverage. By using effectively conventional broadcast techniques, the device takes a different approach to most Mobile TV services, which rely on streaming the TV via a 3G connection. Taking this approach theoretically allows BT to provide better coverage.

A side effect of this is - as with conventional FM radio equipped handsets - an antenna is required to pick up the signal, and this is the headset. Therefore whether you are listening through the headphones or using the loudspeaker, the headset must always be plugged in. It also remains to be seen what impact this will have on using 3rd party headsets. Finally, it means A2DP Bluetooth headsets will never be ideal for this application.

So how do you launch the TV / Radio application on the device? In one of 3 ways! You can hit the dedicated 'TV' button on the right hand side 'bulge', Click on the TV homescreen plugin, or select the 'TV & Radio' option in the Start Menu.

When you do so, the application is launched with a short DAB / Movio splash screen, before you are introduced to the first-use configuration. At this point, the device will scan for TV and Radio channels. A large number of Radio Channels are available (the exact availability depends on your location), TV currently consists of BBC1, C4 Short Cuts, E4 and ITV1.

How much you'll pay for TV depends on how you buy your device. On Virgin Mobile Pre-Pay you'll be paying nothing for 90 days then �5 per month... if you are on a Contract tariff of �25 per month or more, you will get TV for free.

I don't claim to be an expert in the technology, but it appears that when you first view TV, the client fires up Pocket Internet Explorer and redirects you to a Virgin Mobile page in order to 'acquire a licence'. Very much like a Windows Media DRM licence, you are taking through a few steps to confirm you wish to pay for the service (if appropriate), and then the licence is downloaded and installed on the device. After this is done, you can immediately begin watching TV. Interesting to note is that a licence also seems to be required BBC1, which is provided for free, and you can continue to watch without paying Virgin Mobile (hurrah for the licence fee!).

After you have completed the initial setup, launching the TV & Radio application in the future will present you with the TV Guide. This lists the 4 channels, and what is currently showing. A nice touch. The bar at the bottom of the screen displays the time slot you are currently viewing (a 7 day guide is available), and a signal strength meter.

Clicking on a channel name starts that channel.

Now here's the interesting part. When you start TV playback, you'll see the channel logo at the top of the screen, the TV in the middle, and a small area of white space underneath. The current time and the signal meter are still visible. Your first instinct, if you're anything like me, will be to switch to landscape full screen mode. D'oh, you can't! The option isn't there! This to me seems like a glaring omission, and something I really hope will be fixed in a future update, but I don't know if this is either possible or likely. The TV & Radio application does have an online update feature, so cross your fingers ;)

When watching TV, you can view information about the start / end time of the current program, mute the sound, or switch the sound to loudspeaker. This would be a lot better if the speaker on the device wasn't quite so poor. Sound is very tinny, so you are probably going to want to keep your headset on!

TV quality seems very variable indeed. Even when you are in full coverage, it seems you should not expect the kind of quality that you would normally associated with a broadcasted TV service. My testing to date has shown that the quality is more akin to an average internet TV stream (which probably makes sense since it's IP based), the downside being that the stream is suspectible to the famiiar MPEG artefacts, sound breakup and very occasional 'buffering'.

Use of the TV in buildings proves to be very patchy, as does use on the move. The signal meter seems to peak / drop off quickly, affecting TV reception as you would imagine.

From the TV guide page, a simple tap of the soft key brings up the Radio Guide, which looks very similar. It lists all of the available Digital Radio stations (25 where I live), together with information about what is currently playing if it is available. Again, a quick click of the pad launches the selected station.

When listening to the radio, there are some nice features, such as radio stations broadcasting the track title / artist and other information that are then in turn displayed on the device screen.

Unfortunately, the reception / quality story is much the same as with TV. When you have a good strong signal, the sound quality is good, it's true stereo, and a pleasant experience. However, moving in building or travelling seem to break up the signal all too easy, leading to the robotic-sounding signal breakup common to digital services.

The only other thing to mention about the TV & Radio service is the use of the 'Red Button'. The TV button doubles as an 'Interactive' button (similar to the red button found on Satellite or Digital Terrestrial TV), which then launches Pocket IE to browse to that content. I'm assuming the fact that the service is so new is the reason I haven't actually managed to find any interactive content yet.

Network / Pricing

Of course, the Lobster 700 is only available on the Virgin Mobile network. The Virgin Mobile network is backboned by T-Mobile as Virgin is just a MVNO ('Virtual Operator'), so coverage is exactly the same as you would find on T-Mobile.

I have found the performance of the Lobster 700 to be on par with, if not slightly better than my other devices when it comes to strength of phone signal, which is encouraging.

Virgin Mobile's tariffs are interesting, particularly the pre-pay proposition where the Windows Mobile market is limited, and the device is competitvely priced, particularly taking into account the free airtime and vouchers offered.

Of course, if you are a Virgin Mobile customer, then this is your ONLY option for a Windows Mobile device, and that needs to be taken into consideration.

The Lobster 700 IS SIM locked to Virgin Mobile SIM cards.

Conclusion

So, to the conclusion... and this is a really hard one to write. As I mentioned previously, I have been really excited about the Lobster 700 for a while (as I know many people have), and I headed out as soon as I heard it was available and picked up a unit.

I'm disappointed.

I'm disappointed because the TV and Radio reception in my experience at least is not as good as I had hoped, and for me that is the main appeal of the device. I'm also disappointed by the keypad which is causing me issues personally, although I accept other people may not have problems with it, and it is something that you may be able to adjust to.

However, I also appreciated that for some people, the TV and Radio will be a secondary function to the fact that this is the first Windows Mobile device available on the Virgin Mobile network.

So... my conclusion is this...

"The Virgin Mobile Lobster 700 is an extremely well priced, not unattractive Smartphone that is a welcome introduction of Windows Mobile to the Virgin Mobile network. The device itself has a generous memory quota, a good, bang up to date software build, and plenty of room for expansion. The screen is bright and crisp, and the device feels good in the hand.

I have reservations about the keypad, although I will keep persevering with it and post back how I get on, and the camera is also poor.

TV & Radio reception for me at least have been disappointing, but of course there is no guarantee that everyone will have the same problems with their usage pattern.

Virgin Mobile do offer an excellent 28 day return on the device, so you can buy it, decide if it is for you, and if not, return it within 28 days for a full refund."

Thanks for reading my review, and of course, your comments and feedback are welcome. You might also like to check out The official Virgin Mobile Lobster 700 'Ask Paul' thread! that complements this review.

P

*MVNO = Mobile Virtual Network Operator - Virgin Mobile runs on the T-Mobile infrastructure.

Edit: Additional Images

Lobster 700 and i-mate SP5:

It's 3 years now since Orange proudly launched Microsoft Smartphone to the world, with their ‘SPV Classic', based on the HTC Canary reference design. The SPV E100 and E200 - HTC Tanager and Voyager respectively – followed, updates that slowly addressed the many issues raised against the first offering.

Then, without warning, Orange launched the SPV C500, based on the HTC Typhoon platform, developed closely between HTC and Microsoft. Prior to the launch of the device, a member of Orange staff (who shall remain nameless) told me that Orange wanted the C500 to become ‘the new Nokia 6310', that is the new ubiquitous business phone. A bold statement, and one I probably dismissed at the time… but then the C500 arrived, and promptly blew everyone away.

The Typhoon design moved the Smartphone on in leaps and bounds. A much improved form factor, stunning improvement in battery life, a clean and well-liked design… at last Smartphone was a serious contender in the phone market.

A while has passed now since the C500 hit the streets, and aside from the launch of the consumer-focused SPV C550, which added media buttons, a 1.3 mega-pixel camera and a QVGA screen to the C500s repertoire, all has been quiet.

Until, that is, the HTC Tornado platform broke cover.

The Tornado takes all the good things about Typhoon, and adds some more. The radio steps up from Tri to Quad Band, the processor, while retaining the same clock speed, is boosted to the new generation TI OMAP 850. Rounding off the hardware improvements, the Tornado reference design accommodates an optional WiFi component.

From a software point of view, the Tornado brings the much anticipated Windows Mobile 5 into market, the next step on Microsofts refinement and improvement of the Operating System.

So, enough of the history lesson, let's talk about the C600… :)

Hardware

As I mentioned above, the C600 is an obvious relation to the C500. The form factor remains virtually unchanged. The unit still feels light and comfortable to hold, and maintains a feeling that it is solidly built. The finish is a mixure of a grey powdered coating and silver details, there's no denying it looks great!

Undoubtedly the most controversial feature on the C500 was the ‘bar'. In lieu of the more common joystick, the novel navigation method employed on the C500 seemed to be loved and hated in equal measure (I must confess I quite liked it personally, although it was no use for games for the most part, it was quite reliable). The C600 dispenses with this, and returns to a more conventional joystick. The joystick is still 5 way and so limiting for gaming, but for those who disliked the ‘bar', the switch back will prove popular. Let's hope the reliability of the joystick proves better than some recent HTC Smartphones of late!

The front of the device is dominated by the 2.2” QVGA screen. The screen is quite simply stunning – big, bright and sharp, if you're coming to the device from a C500, you won't believe it. I'm pleased to say the screen itself is set nice and close to the cover (unlike on the C550).

The keypad itself is well designed and comfortable to use. Since this is a business focused device, the media buttons as seen on the C550 are not present, allowing Orange to space and balance the keypad more evenly, resulting in a far more pleasant experience than on devices where the media buttons are included. The home and back keys retain their traditional positions, and are a good size.

2 LEDs are incorporated into the speaker surround on the front, and the microphone is now moved to the front, alongside the light sensor first seen on the C500, which allows the phone to not illuminate the keypad in light environments (a great battery saving technique).

Flipping over to the back of the device, and minimalism is the word here. A small C600 logo, the 1.3 Mega Pixel camera (no flash) with the usual mirror for self portraits, a connector for an external antenna and an embossed ‘Designed for Windows Mobile' logo all sit towards the top of the device, while the expanse of the battery cover remains blank.

The bottom of the device holds the customary 2.5mm headphone jack, a loop for connecting a lanyard (I'm surprised actually that lanyard-mounting phones around the neck hasn't become fashionable here… yet…) and of course our friend the miniUSB port. Applause all round for miniUSB :D

On the left hand side we have the volume buttons and a key that takes you into Pocket IE, while the right hand side houses the camera button. A typically-awkard-to-press power button and the infrared eye adorn the top of the device.

Removing the snugly fitting battery cover reveals the 1150mAh battery (the same unit as found in the C500/C550, although I believe the capacity was boosted between the C500/C550 from 1050mAh to 1150mAh), and removing the battery reveals a standard issue SIM holder and the miniSD slot. Yes, the miniSD slot remains under the battery. Less of a sin on this kind of device than on a music phone for sure!

HTC devices and their codenames are mighty confusing nowadays. Tornado is the platform as a whole, but under that there are a number of derivatives that vary only slightly. For example, iMate sell the SP5 (WiFi enabled) and SP5m (WiFi + media buttons) variants, which are themselves different from the C600. So… to the first negative on the C600. Contrary to the iMate devices, the C600 – based on the HTC Faraday variant – dispenses with WiFi.

Having owned both an SP5 and a C600, there are some tradeoffs that make the C600 – sans WiFi – attractive. To begin with, the C600 feels more svelte than the SP5. Whether this is due to not needing to include the WiFi hardware is unknown (and yes, there really isn't any WiFi hardware in there), but if you hold one in each hand, you can feel the difference. Secondly, perhaps as hinted at with the ‘Faraday' name, the C600 has excellent battery life. WiFi in a phone undoubtedly impacts battery life when used, so this could have been a consideration by Orange. Finally, there is the question of cost. Once again, Orange are pitching the C600 at a bargain price, and there is no doubt that inclusion of WiFi hardware would have impacted the cost in some way, and probably wouldn't have been used by the majority of purchasers.

It's a difficult one, I know, but my personal opinion is that perhaps the time is a little too soon for WiFi on Smartphone to really be ready for the mainstream, and in the future when more applications can take advantage of it, and WiFi networks are more commonly established, Orange will bring a device to market featuring it. I'm interested to hear what YOU think though!

Software

An unconvincing press of the traditionally poor power button sparks the device into life. Despite the new OS, bootup time remains poor (although in the ‘smart phone' market including Series 60, this seems par for the course), which isn't an issue for me personally (I never turn it off!), but I know it concerns some users.

When the phone has finished booting, the user is presented with the now familiar Orange homescreen, which offers all of the phones core functions from the homescreen, but at the expense of at-a-glance display of upcoming appointments etc.

After pressing ‘Start', the first significant UI change of Windows Mobile 5 is evident… the list format of the start menu is replaced with a grid view – prettier to look at, and I assume more accessible for first time Smartphone users. The left hand soft key now serves to move to the next page.

Before we talk about the software that IS on the device, let's talk about what's not there. The first omission is the never-used Orange Update application. To be honest, although a nice idea in principle, the potential of the application was never exploited, and I find it hard to imagine anyone mourning it's passing. However, it's not the only thing missing. Further inspection reveals that all of the components previously licenced from Action Engine are not installed. That means that Orange Update, Orange Backup and the Action Lock features are missing.

Orange Backup will be the most missed application, as users migrating from a C500 / C550 will not be able to easily and instantly migrate their data, however Orange do tell me that a bigger-and-better solution is under development (which is nice), it's just a shame that it wasn't ready for launch.

Action Lock was an application that you probably never saw. Do you remember Action Register? That formed part of it. The purpose of Action Lock and it's associated components was to allow you to application unlock your phone over the air. Now you're with me right! Yes, that is missing, which means, at time of writing, there is no official way to application unlock your C600 via Orange. In the finest tradition of ‘nature finds a way', more shady solutions have emerged in the community to accomplish the same end.

I'm not going to attempt to cover every change in Windows Mobile 5 in detail, rather talk about the differences on the C600 that you might find significant. Indeed, a great deal of what is changed in Windows Mobile 5 is ‘under the skin' – migration to the newer version of the Windows CE core, vastly improved developer libraries, standard camera API etc.

If you are a corporate user, or indeed a consumer using a hosted Exchange solution such as 1and1, you can experience immediate benefits. Provided your Exchange server is up to date with Service Pack 2, Windows Mobile 5 adds the ability to server sync Tasks – a function of huge benefit if you use them! Over the Air Outlook Notes sync is still missing, but the inclusion of Tasks is definitely a step in the right direction. Syncing of Contact Pictures is also included thanks to Exchange SP2. The messaging application in general, as with many of the built in applications, has had some general tweaking and polishing to make it more efficient.

Sadly, the task editing on Smartphone is still sorely lacking, thank goodness Papyrus is updated and compatible (and indeed still free for MoDaCo Plus members!)

Pocket IE is one of the few applications that has had a revamp under Windows Mobile 5. While still poor at displaying sites that aren't optimised for Mobile Devices, it does perform better, has a progress bar (see above), and is more pleasant to use (except for the fact the cache fills up the phone's internal memory... see here for details!)

Working our way through the Start Menu, it's clear that the majority of applications haven't undergone a significant revamp in Windows Mobile 5. Minor tweaks appear in the 'Settings Menu', including the function to enable a clock that is displayed while unlocking the phone (bizarre, and the unlock combination has now changed too - annoying).

The Camera application is standard HTC fare, basic but adequate. This is no longer supplemented by the HTC acquired 'IA Album', rather the phone uses the Windows Mobile 5 core 'Pictures and Videos'. Basic Crop / Rotate functionality is provided, and you probably don't want to be doing serious picture editing on your phone! Pictures can of course be sent by Email, MMS, IR or Bluetooth.

For MMS, the C600 retains the adequate rather than outstanding ArcSoft MMS composer. The T9 engine for text input across the phone remains largely unchanged, with the much-requested ability to go back and edit already entered words in T9 mode still absent.

Java is included on the SPV C600, virtually identical as on previous SPVs. Not being a Java user, I can't confess to know enough to review this application :)

Windows Media Player on the phone is version 10, and performs quite well.

It's a phone

One of the criticisms that has been raised with previous iterations of Smartphone, and one that has been quite valid, is that it has some times felt that the core phone functionality of the phone has been compromised with the inclusion of the 'Smartness'.

By this, I don't mean that the experience of dialling a number and placing a call isn't a good experience, in fact I think that on Smartphone (not Pocket PC however!) it is second to none. What I mean is that on previous versions, when you have hit the green button, or the red button, there has been a delay that you would not expect to experience.

I'm glad to say that this is much, much improved on the C600. I think there have been some improvements on Windows Mobile 5 in this area, and the new CPU probably helps too, but thumbs up to Orange, HTC, MS et al!

Conclusion

So you've read all that (or you've more likely skipped straight to here, hehe), and you want to know my conclusion.

The C600 is a fantastic phone. There, I said it. It's as close to perfect as any device has got for me to date.

It looks great, it performs well in general use, and Windows Mobile 5 for Smartphone – more so than Pocket PC – is a well sorted OS. One handed use is a dream, and the keypad feels great.

It doesn't have WiFi, it doesn't have 3G, the camera has no flash and is distinctly average, but to me, these things don't matter. What matters to me is that the things the phone DOES, it does well. Of course, if those things DO matter to you, you may think differently :D

The Messaging and Security Feature Pack (also known as AKU2) is on the way, and although there is no word from Orange as to whether it will be released for the C600, should it arrive, it will add push email, A2DP Bluetooth Headset support and a number of other fixes.

In conclusion, I heartily recommend this phone, and am excited to call it the first, truly MoDaCo Approved! device :D

Do you agree? Disasgree? Share your opinions with me and the rest of the community!

Do you have a question about the C600 that hasn't been answered here? Ask away!

Comments on the review? Feedback appreciated :D

The T-Mobile MDA Compact II has been out for approaching a month now and is presently the only incarnation of this device (the HTC Charmer) on general release. As a followup to the extremely popular MDA Compact (HTC Magician) the device has alot to live upto.

The Compact II delivers what many Magician owners have most been craving, the latest version of the Windows Mobile operating system version 5.0. Added to which was an upgrade to Quad Band and the inclusion of EDGE. While the extra band can prove most useful to the modern world traveller, given the rollout of EDGE in the UK is far from certain the inclusion of this in the device could be seen as incidental.

Many people have been questioning whether the Texas Instruments OMAP 850 processor included in the Compact II running at 195MHz is able to match the performance of the original Compact's Intel Bulverde processor that runs at 416 MHz. They have also asked whether the upgrade to Windows Mobile 5.0 is really worthwhile.

What do I think after a month using the device? Read on to find out...

Appearance & Form Factor

So, this is my MDA Compact II in the Graphite Grey flesh. The device is currently available in Baby Pink as well in case that tickles your fancy(!). There have also been suggestions in literature and from T-Mobile that it will be available in Blue but not at the time of writing.

As owners of the previous, near identical, MDA Compact model (and other HTC Magician derivatives) will know, the device is nicely compact and easy to carry, indeed unusually so for a Pocket PC Phone. This can be a mixed blessing if you are coming from a large screen Pocket PC as I am as the screen too has been shrunk. How much of a problem this is will depend on the software in question, usually it's not an issue. Where it could be a problem is for those who use the transcribe function (where you write reams of text with the stylus) alot but I personally only use it occasionally and haven't found it a problem.

The device uses a traditional SD slot rather then the Mini-SD featured in the MDA Vario so you'll either need an SD card or a convertor if you intend using a Mini-SD.

What's in the box

The MDA Compact II from T-Mobile presently comes with a screen protector but NO storage card. There is no cradle either (an omission the original Compact also suffered). As with other Windows Mobile devices, software CDs are supplied including a full version of Outlook and Activesync 4.0. T-Mobile also throw in a GPRS Monitor although most will get the device on Web N Walk and so should have plenty of data to play with. A UK power supply is included along with the now compulsory mini-usb cable to connect directly to a usb port on your desktop for syncing. Finally a spare stylus and stereo handsfree kit are included.

Windows Mobile 5

The MDA Compact II offers the latest version of the Windows Mobile 5 operating system I have seen (newer then that in the XDA Exec or the MDA Vario). The operating system can certainly be suggested to be more polished then the last version of Windows Mobile 2003SE I have used. There is a polished look to it and, although this release was more about evolution then revolution, the introduction of persistant storage into Pocket PC devices is a real plus. No more fear of losing all should you be caught without your charger. Instead you can now turn off the device simply by holding down the power button and choosing yes when asked if you wish to turn the device off.

Another neat feature included in Windows Mobile 5 for Pocket PC is the inclusion of softkeys such as those enjoyed in the Smartphone version for years. A handy way of controlling the OS, T-Mobile further improve on the functionality by including a program in settings to assign whatever functions you like to the softkeys from the Today screen. I personally elected to keep Internet on the right softkey but change the left to File Explorer.

For now Windows Mobile 5 presents some problems due to the lack of compatible software available. This will obviously become less of a problem with time but for now you need to be aware that much of you software library (assuming you are upgrading from an older Windows Mobile version Pocket PC) may no longer be compatible. The good news is popular software choices such as Pocket Scumm, TCMP Player, Pocket TV and TomTom Navigator have all received updates to ensure the software functions on the latest Windows Mobile OS.

There is one real concern I have about this new version of Windows Mobile. In Windows Mobile 2003SE I could safely run several programs and the Pocket PC would manage things by shutting down programs to free resources as needed. For some reason this isn't immediately happening in Windows Mobile 5 and as a result the device can slow significantly if you don't pay attention to what programs you leave open. Whether this is related to the new memory specification of 64meg ram (slightly lower then the 128meg ram I was previously used to using) or simply due to the Windows Mobile 5 memory management not yet being upto speed yet I cannot say but having spoken to other Windows Mobile 5 Pocket PC users with HTC Wizards or HTC Universals it seems the OS not closing down programs is a common issue at the moment. Hopefully one that will be addressed in future releases. In the meantime, of course, closing programs in Memory Manager ensures against device slowdown.

Hardware & Performance

As mentioned above, the new HTC Charmer brings a new memory arrangement and improves upon the HTC Magician's 64meg rom upto 128meg. The ram however remains at 64meg. This seems a shame given later versions of the Magician were boasting 128meg ram, could this newer device not have received the same? Maybe it would have gone some way to ensuring against device slowdown as the list of running programs gets longer and longer...

The other concern with this device is the change to the TI OMAP 850 processor at 195MHz. Having come from a 400MHz Intel processored HTC Blue Angel I DID notice some slowdown in comparison. Whether this really is because the OMAP 850 is slower in practice or whether it is because Windows Mobile 5.0 is more power hungry I cannot say. The difference was small however and the device performs excellently when used for playing music or running TomTom Navigator. Videos too play without problems although there is again doubt as to whether this device is able to outperform the previously Intel processored Pocket PCs.

The phone function of the phone is perfectly usable with touch screen being little problem even for those who don't want to use the stylus. The Phone Pad makes use of the device as a phone almost as easy as a Smartphone while the sound quality is excellent with far less reports of echoing (something experienced with my previous device the MDA III). I have experienced next to no dropped calls and no issues of being unable to hear or be heard by the other end, this despite being in a poor signal area.

Battery life from the device is about what you'd expect coming from the MDA Compact. Two days with use when NOT turning the device off at night will be about standard, stretching to three days if you rarely use the device and are in an area with good signal coverage. While this is about the same as the previous MDA Compact it is slightly disappointing however it should be remembered that were you to turn the device off each night you could possibly stretch the time between charges to upto a week.

It is possible that the battery takes more then a month to 'settle in' but I expect my experience is pretty representative. Many were expecting the change to the OMAP processor to deliver powersaving benefits. Fair to say, the battery life is good but there's still more to come from Pocket PC Phone devices in the future...

Camera

I personally have found the camera setup in the MDA Compact II (1.3mega pixel) to be by far the best in any Windows Mobile device and when it comes to taking still photos I consider it to be an outstanding camera phone. BUT when it comes to videos they can come out a little choppy (possibly a result of the slower processor?). Examples of photos follow:

Not a great example but this archived video (you'll need to extract it using WinRAR or similar) gives you an idea of how choppy the recording is and how distorted the sound recording:

Lisbon_Tree.rar

Windows Media Player

I've long been a fan of Windows Mobile Media Player 10 with it's album art and the MDA Compact II has offered me the best Windows Mobile based music player solution yet. Excellent quality sound from the headphones or from the internal speaker (situated in the back of the device). The only thing to be wary of is if you are a fan of multi-tasking and forget to close down unused programs the lack of memory may begin to affect the music playback in extreme cases.

The inclusion of a high quality (if a little plasticky) stereo handsfree kit with volume control is an added bonus and combined with a large (4meg anyone?) SD card the MDA Compact II is definately an excellent alternative to the iPod.

T-Mobile

As with most operators, T-Mobile have tweaked the rom on the MDA Compact II not just with the settings necessary to ensure the device is fully working straight out of the box but also with applications and features that they feel benefit the user. As with all devices this customisation happens immediately after turning on for the first time. I have to say that this customisation seemed to take a lot longer to process then my previous Pocket PC Phone device (possibly a sign of the slower processor?).

So what's included? A worthy addition in this case, as already mentioned, is the inclusion of the softkey program in settings allowing the user to assign whatever program they wish to the Today screen softkeys.

Clearvue PDF and a MIDlet Manager are also included, and, unlike the MDA Pro, Pocket MSN is included.

A rather more bemusing addition is EmailWiz from DAT Group PLC. It sets up your email account with the settings for many providers preprogrammed in. Now this would be a useful enough program but for the fact that Windows Mobile 5 actually already has this functionality built in. What's more, the WM5 email wizard is significantly better! Where EmailWiz couldn't help set up my Blueyonder email settings (apparently Blueyonder aren't big enough to qualify for the EmailWiz list!) the Pocket Outlook wizard could. Anyway, this duplication is almost certainly as a result of T-Mobile not realising an Email Wizard had been added into Pocket Outlook as this feature was missing from previous incarnations of Windows Mobile.

The MDA Compact II is partially application locked whereby the installation of any program without a trusted signature will produce the above screen. This is a new feature on the MDA range although doesn't cause too much inconvenience and may actually be a Windows Mobile 5 change.

Conclusion

The MDA Compact II is a capable enough device and for those who have been wanting to upgrade from the Smartphone platform to a full Pocket PC Phone it should prove the perfect choice. The form factor is as good as the Pocket PC Phone format provides at the moment as is the Phone side of things.

For those who have previously had Windows Mobile 2003SE Pocket PCs packing 400+MHz Intel processors the improvements are slightly less tangible. The device is still a solid solution and the change to Windows Mobile 5 is on the whole a positive one. I still occasionally miss the larger screen and possibly faster response times of my MDA III (HTC Blue Angel) but given T-Mobile's good record of providing updates to their MDA range it is a fair bet that the MDA Compact II and Windows Mobile 5 will improve with a subsequent update.

The price of the device is very reasonable when taking into account offers of half price rental with inclusive data but those seeking a little more from their device will want to look long and hard at the slightly more expensive MDA Vario which is similar specification but with wifi and hardware keyboard included.

To conclude, I would highly recommend this device to anyone whose main requirements revolve around the Phone, Music Player or Camera functions. Those requiring a more power packed Pocket PC however should try before they buy to ensure against disappointment.

Addendum 10/01/06

Well, I've managed to benchmark the MDA Compact II against the MDA III to find out how much processing power the new TI OMAP processor has compared with the traditional Intel Xscale processor. See the results here

for Windows Mobile for Pocket PC 2003, 2003 SE and 5.0 with QVGA, VGA and 240x240 resolutions

It is almost a month now since Astraware and Revolution Software announced the release of Broken Sword: Shadow of the Templars for devices running Windows Mobile for Pocket PC. The joint press release for which proudly declared that the game delivered stunning graphics, video cutscenes and text dialog along with full speech soundtrack and music. Sounds good doesn't it? Does the game live up to it in my opinion? Read on to find out...

[/teaser]

Before we get into the review itself let me first give you a little background on Broken Sword: The Shadow of the Templars. Originally available for PC, Playstation, Mac and Game Boy Advance, the game was probably Revolution Software's biggest selling adventure title to date. Its success on PC spawned two (soon to be three) further instalments of the Broken Sword series and a large following in the adventure gaming community. Now, having worked with Astraware to make the release of the Pocket PC version possible, Revolution Software declare themselves proud of the Windows Mobile translation. Astraware, having themselves a solid reputation for the development, publishing and distribution of games for mobile devices, seem equally proud of their work declaring it the complete PC game experience on a handheld device.

What does all this mean? Well, hopefully it means that those adventure game enthusiasts with Pocket PCs can now enjoy truly involving storyline and a fluid user interface, combined with excellent graphics and sound, while mobile. Of course, they'll need at least 130 meg free on their storage card to do so but that's a small price to pay. :D

So, onto initial impressions of the game which I am pleased to say are very good. From the moment you first run the game you are greeted with lilting, atmospheric music and a polished menu system. There is a full range of options, the most significant of which being language selection and orientation. Aside from English, the text dialog can be displayed in French, German, Italian or Spanish. Regarding screen orientation, although the screen will always display in landscape mode, orientation enables customisation for left or right handed use.

Start the game itself and you are treated to a spoken introduction before the rolling of the intro. This is the first of many impressive cut scenes that, during the course of the game, will tell the story of The Shadow of the Templars.

The story begins at the end of the last millennium with the main character George Stobbart, an American Tourist vacationing in Paris, narrowly missing an early death in an explosion at a caf

for Windows Mobile 2003 Pocket PC (QVGA)

A great simulator of motobike now on your PocketPC, with online ladder server for best records.

Features:

- Real physics simulation of motobike

- 2 paks with more that 100 levels (more to come)

- Additional level paks

- Support for levels made for Elastomania

- 2 graphics skins for levels (more to come)

- Save and view the replays

- Upload replays to ladder

- Online ladder for BestBikers

- Customizable controls for better game feeling

More information and online ladder can be found on game site at

http://motogear.mobirate.com

From developer Mobirate comes the Motorbike sim sideways scroller Motogear. You won't believe how addictive this game is! I never thought a game which is that tricky in later levels so as to cause me to lose within seconds could keep me coming back, but Motogear manages it.

Featuring neat graphics (if a little simple) and effective motorbike engine sound effects, the game is quite well presented. Surprisingly there's no music whatsoever but this can be forgiven and if like me you like to listen to your own music while playing then it just makes one less option to tweak! If anything the menu screen can seem a little too complex, almost enough to leave you wondering 'where do I start?'! But soon enough you'll cut through the different menu options to the nice straight forward game within.

The game itself is best played with exclusively with the direction pad although you can use the stylus for manuvering the bike. Most of you like me will give up on stylus control quickly enough in favour of the easy direction pad. The aim is to control the bike over rough and winding terrains. Each level features a start and finish and you have to get to the end as quickly as you can without crashing (not as easy as it sounds!). Although the game does start off fairly easy, with you soon showing off your deft control doing somersaults, the levels quickly become more difficult providing a stiff challenge. Expect to crash more then a few times when you get to the expert levels!

Admittedly from time to time the expert levels can seem that difficult you'll think there's no solution, but with practice you'll get past even the impossible looking levels.The killer level I'm STILL struggling to get past is the fiendishly difficult Ground Pocket. If you don't believe me at how tight and difficult this level is look at the pic below (and that's barely a second into the level!). After repeated attempts I'm now able to get three quarters of the way through this level but even this feels like an achievement!

In case you want a change of scenary during the life of the game (which should be quite long given how long I've been playing this!) there's an alternative Game Skin called 'Nuclear' which paints the levels and backgrounds in more moody shades. I actually found it more appealing so tend to use it whenever I play...

The game is controlled by the in-game physics engine which the developer mobirate actually tweaked in order to improve the gameplay in a recent update (version 1.1). This bodes well for further support. And supported this is given it is possible to upload level replays to the developers site and enter an online ladder for BestBikers. There is even the promise of tournaments with prizes! If that wasn't enough the developers promise additional level paks to come and the ability to create your own levels for the game. This should ensure that this purchase is a good purchase (and at a reasonable price too).

So all in all, and after an unsure start and initial reservations, I've become quite addicted to Motogear! The more I crashed trying to do the expert levels the more I just had to keep playing! I found myself picking it up intending just to have a quick play (5 minutes top!) and half an hour later would finally succeed in beating whichever level I'd been struggling with. What satisfaction! Still, those of you with a temper and a tendancy to throw your device across the room when frustrated may want to avoid this :) For the rest of us, at a good price (under £10!) this is a great addition to your gaming collection and especially good for those bus journeys to or from work.

Available from www.clickgamer.com

Cost is $9.95 | £5.74 | €8.44

for Windows Mobile 2003 Pocket PC (QVGA)

Medieval Heroes II is a game of empire building and turn-based battles set in the Middle Ages.

As one of the medieval lords, you will engage in combat with surrounding provinces in an attempt to unite Medieval Europe under your leadership.

Introduction

Released about a month ago (as announced on MoDaCo here) and available from Clickgamer, Medieval Heroes II aims to deliver a Risk style game with a difference. The features list is certainly impressive, the highlights of which include turn-based battles with field and siege combat (in a Heroes of Might & Magic style), RPG-style skills and experience points, secret operations (assasination, robbery, scouting, etc), and the ability to build castles and structures like banks or markets.

As for scope, the game features multiple missions of varying map sizes (including "Medieval Europe" with more than 90 provinces), 4 difficulty levels, 10 types of combat unit, and upto 6 players to take part in the game. So, it's fair to say this game is feature rich. But does it translate into an addictive game? How well does it all hold together? And could it be accused of being TOO feature packed. Read on to find out...

Initial impressions? Very good, jolly music with the appropriate medieval flavour and good graphics using bright colours. This is accompanied by straightforward presentation ensuring you'll find your way around the menus easily enough.

Review

Ok, so for some reason I usually start my reviews by taking at look at game options, strange but true! What struck me about the options for Medieval Heroes II (MHII for short) was that it scored highly for tweakability in offering brightness and contrast controls along with great control of the screen orientation (choose from landscape or portraight with orientation from 0 degrees to 270 degrees). Unfortunately however it lacked the ability to turn off the music while keeping in game sounds on. Not often an issue but if, like me, you enjoy a little Evanesence while fighting for control of Medieval Europe you'll have to turn in game volume completely off to do it as the only way to turn off in game music.

On choosing which of the multiple missions, difficulty level and number of players you want (the five included missions as standard are Fight for the throne; Medieval France; Medieval Europe; Northern Lands and Muscovy) you will be asked to choose your Player and territory along with being given the option of customising your heroes skills. By splitting skill points between Battle, Building and Stealth you influence how well you will perform said actions in the game. This RPG type feature continues into the game as experience allows you to further add skill points later. Your choice of Player dictates not just the base skills but also the kind of military units you will have at your disposal (out of swordsmen, pikemen, axemen, archers, riders, knights, etc).

On beginning a game you will have a set number of forces (usually swordmen) in your campaign army (the forces you use offensively each turn), along with a number of forces guarding each of the territories (if any) that you begin with. It's then upto you to expand into unoccupied territories or even, heaven forbid, to attack territories occupied by your neighbours. Each territory on the map generates a certain number of resources (gold, iron and stone) so the more you expand the more income you get, the more income you get the more you can expand. Occasionally you will encounter opponent forces or your guardian forces will come under attack themselves at which point you have the choice of a quick battle (where the result is calculated according to forces) or actually directing your units in battle. While the ability to direct and control your forces in battle is a nice touch, many people will prefer going with probability and choose quick battle.

Once you've occupied a few territories you'll be wanting to garrison these territories to ensure firstly that they are protected from your neighbours and secondly that the population don't revolt (so removing the territory from your control). At the beginning of the game it's very difficult balancing keeping your campaign army up to strength while also trying to keep enough forces in your territories. This is where the trade feature in the game comes in. The key is ensuring that, if you are using too much of one resource (for example gold) but have another resource (lets say stone) in stock, you can trade one resource for another. A nice touch is that the trade prices do vary slightly as they would in the real world, so that one day you're getting 10 gold for 10 stone while another day you're only getting 6.

Right, so you've established a small presence on the map, you've built your campaign army up and you want to take an enemy province that has a castle. You need a seige engine! Good news is the game prompts you to build one, if you can afford, when you try and attack a province with a castle. It is battles like this where it's fun to turn off quick battle and actually direct your forces in their attempt to storm the castle. Fire the catapault, break down the wall or force their forces to lower the drawbridge (if you've taken out their archers). Then overcome all remaining forces to capture the castle (and, if it was a capital, all territories belonging to that enemy). All good medieval fun!

Another feature in the game itself is the ability to invest resources in order to produce even more in the future. These are improvements in the form of markets, banks and mines. Building of which will serve to add to the resources being generated by your territories. Should you decide a territory is strategically significant you can even elect to build a castle there to strengthen your chances should an enemy force attack.

The aim of each scenario is to defeat all opponents leaving yourself ruler. There are a number of ways to go about it and part of the fun is developing your own tactics and style of play. Do you directly attack a large army when you know it is there, or do you deliberately avoid it and plunder the lesser protected territories? Either way can work but it'll take time (and very enjoyable time spent it is too)! Once you've succesfully defeated your last opponent you will be presented with a breakdown of how well you did, forces defeated, forces lost, resources gathered, etc. And if you've scored highly enough you can enter the highscore table.

I've been playing Medieval Heroes II for weeks now, indeed one of its main strengths would have to be just how easy it is to pick it up and get engrossed. Not that this is a problem should you only have a short amount of time. Its so easy to quickly quit a game and come back to it given it autosaves on exiting the program. It's even possible to have several savegames in process although most will choose to complete a game before starting another.

The ability to play upto 5 other people in multiplayer is a nice bonus even if the turn-based nature of the game would make hotseat play disjointed (taking turns to use the PDA).

Conclusion

This is a quality release that most people will enjoy. The strategy is involving and addictive while the many extra features manage to add to the experience without over complicating matters. Indeed, if you so decide, you can progress through a satisfying and involving game without using many of the trade, espionage, or building options available to you. To me this variety of gameplay is the sign of a well designed game which scores most highly for its longevity. It'll keep you coming back and at the end of the day that usually means money well spent.

Available from www.clickgamer.com

Cost is $17.95 | £10.28 | €15.24