PALM Treo 750v
SPECIFICATION
Size
Length 111mm
Width 58mm
Depth 22mm
Weight
154g
Main display
TFT touchscreen, 64K colours, 240x240 pixels, 50x37mm
Camera
1.3mp, 1280x1024 pixels, video
Connectivity
3G, quadband GSM, Bluetooth 1.2, IR, USB
Memory
64MB user memory plus miniSD memory card slot
Battery
Standby 240 hours
Talk time 4.5 hours
Look and Feel:
Mix of Treo 650 and BlackBerry, with rounded edges and businesslike silver and matt dark blue colour scheme. Feels bulky and heavy but that can translate as ‘solid’. Rubbery non-slip blue coating engenders confidence.
8/10
Externals:
QWERTY keyboard, dedicated Windows ‘today’ and ‘ok’ keys; generously sized touchscreen display with stylus; volume controls and programmable ‘side button’ (starts WIndows Media Player by default) on left side, IR and miniSD card slot on right; camera and speaker on back.
8/10
Keyboard:
Brilliant. Tiny buttons are good for thumbing (and not touch-typing). Navigation and selection keys are large and easy to us, the two Windows keys less so.
8/10
Display:
Resolution is 240x240, not as high as previous Treos but Windows still looks fine. Brightness is good, even in reduced-backlight power-save mode.
7/10
Memory:
128MB for the system and 64MB for the user on board, and that seems perfectly adequate. Slot for miniSD card.
8/10
Connectivity:
Quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE plus 3G (but not HDSPA). Bluetooth 1.2 with A2DP stereo audio (but not file transfer). No WiFi.
5/10
Email:
Outlook for POP3 and Microsoft Exchange Server with push email support, plus Vodafone’s own push email service.
9/10
Business Apps:
Pocket Word and Pocket Excel – but also Picsel’s document viewers for looking at (but not editing) most common file formats that might be received as attachments.
8/10
In Use:
Excellent signal reception and calls, good 3G performance (fast, minimum-error web downloads, for instance).
9/10
Extras:
Chat-style threaded messaging layout among many Palm-inspired extras. Very average 2mp camera with 2x zoom.
8/10
WE LIKE:
• Hand appeal – especially the rubberised coating
• Class-leading keyboard
• Palm’s adaptation of the standard Windows UI
WE DON’T LIKE:
• Vodafone-imposed restrictions (eg file transfer only via email or MMS)
• No HSDPA and no WiFi (so no VoIP)
• No front-mounted video call camera
Overall:
Palm’s participation makes for an excellent smartphone, Vodafone’s constraints make it less capable than it could be.
78%
HTC S620
SPECIFICATION
Size
Length 111.5mm
Width 62.5mm
Depth 12.8mm
Weight
130g
Main display
TFT touchscreen, 64K colours, 240x320 pixels, 50x37mm
Camera
1.3mp, 1280x1024 pixels, video
Connectivity
Quadband GSM, WiFi, Bluetooth 2.0, USB 2.0
Memory
64MB user memory plus microSD memory card slot
Battery
Standby 216 hours
Talk time 5 hours
Look and Feel:
Black rubberised plastic plus silver bezel and curved lines aren’t to everyone’s taste. Feels ok in the hand, though.
8/10
Externals:
Camera lens on rear. Sides are uncluttered – only powers witch on left (no record button,or camera shutter) and touch-sensitive JOGGR scrollwheel-like control pad with (variable speed, drag and hold) on right. Single mini-USB port on bottom for charging, synchronisation and stereo headset:
8/10
Keyboard:
Excellent. Small but well-differentiated keys with good tactile feedback. Dedicated keys for Internet Explorer and Pocket Outlook (by space bar) and WIndows Today (with navigation).
9/10
Display:
Big (240x320 pixels, 50x37mm) and bright.
8/10
Memory:
Windows standard: 128MB for the system, 64MB for the user. Slot for microSD card if you need more.
8/10
Connectivity:
Quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE plus WiFi. Bluetooth 2.0 with stereo support. No 3G, no IrDA.
8/10
Email:
Windows Mobile 5.0 with Exchange Server push email support. Also instant messaging tools for AOL, Yahoo! and MSN.
8/10
Business Apps:
Document viewers for Word, Excel, PowerPoint, PDF attachments. No Microsoft Office apps on board.
8/10
In Use:
Lighter (130g) and thinner (12.8mm) than most competitors, so easier to use as a handheld phone. Smartphone features are fast and responsive, too. JOGGR control pad takes some getting used to but then becomes second nature.
9/10
Extras:
Unimpressive 1.3mp camera.
5/10
WE LIKE:
• Uncluttered edges
• WiFi (yes, we did get VoIP to work)
• Phone-like size, shape, weight
WE DON’T LIKE:
• JOGGR works ok for top-level selections, less useful in sub-menus
• No 3G (so no front-mounted video camera)
• No network support in UK (yet)
Overall:
One of the most likeable Windows Smartphones we have used. Needs 3G and HSDPA to justify the network-free price though.