The built-in FM radio features nine presets and will automatically scan for and save stations in range, which is a quick way of populating the preset menu. Afterwards, you can fine-tune your selections by saving manually to each preset. You can also switch between mono and stereo for the best sound from a particular station, and even though you'll need the earphones for use as an aerial, you can switch to the loudspeaker if you prefer.
More like a regular phone than the Touch Pro is
Earphones are the standard HTC variety: not very good, offering a closed-in sound and not much bass. Disappointingly, there's no 3.5mm socket or USB adaptor as per Sony Ericsson's headsets which would allow you to add your own.
Windows Office is pre-installed as it is on all Windows Mobile phones, but unlike the Touches, you can't create Word or Excel documents, just edit or view them. However, you can jot down your thoughts with OneNote.
The S740's battery stood up well to frequent use, giving us a good two-and-a-half days' runtime without a recharge, and that was with Wi-Fi switched on constantly. Call quality seemed just fine.
Verdict
The S740 isn't an attention-grabber like its Touch brethren. It looks and acts much like a normal phone, and not a very pretty one at that, albeit with some very fine hidden phone features such as Wi-Fi, A-GPS and an FM radio. And it has the most practical and least imposing hard Qwerty keyboard we've yet seen. If touchscreens don't do it for you, this is the best keyboard smartphone since Nokia's very fine E71. ®
Thanks to Expansys for the review sample
More Qwerty-keyboard Phone Reviews...
T-Mobile G1 |
LG KS360 |
HTC Touch Pro |
Asus M930 |
HTC S740 Qwerty keyboard smartphone
COMMENTS
Eh?
Is it me or are those 'photos' computer generated? The shine across the number keys and the general anti-aliasing just doesn't look right. Nor does it that the phone isn't turned on.
Not really good for the cred there reg. Fake photos? Whatever next?
Am I th only one who noticed..
There is not a single pic of this thing switched on and no pics of the interface?
I really wanted to see what it looks like, you know, in use.
Not as good a phone as claimed
I used this phone for a week and I took it back.
The Send/End keys are too small and hard to find, making it very hard to do its main function which is being a phone.
Like many sliders the top row of keys (in this case 2 soft keys) is way too close the the edge of the top half when opened. You end up using your nail half the time to hit these keys.
The only NAV buttons are on the top half of the slider in the middle of the top half. Try reading a web page and scrolling down. You having to awkwardly reach up from the QWERTY where you have to hold it when open anyway. Do this for about 10 web pages on 4-5 sites and you will want to scream. Add to that the way too small NAV ring and navigation on this device is just plain broken for ease of use.
Next the QWERTY keyboard is IMHO terrible. The keys feel mushy lacking a tactile snap and worst of all they lack sufficient "bumps" to find the difference between keys.
Finally the aggressive power management is insane when it comes to key backlighting. Try using this phone in the dark. On other phones like the Moto Q9 I am able to reactivate the key board backlight with a tap to the 4way nav keys. On this device that does not work for the QWERTY, you have to hit something on ITS keyboard which in this case is a letter or soft fn keys and like I said above given the lack of humps on the keys even if you about where a key is in the dark, you can't find it until you get the keyboard lit. I've tried to use the keyboard in a dark car while a friend was driving and I wanted to through it out the window.
It does have a nice feel and I coveted it when I saw someone with it, but one week of use and it went back and I dusted off my Moto Q9. I know keyboards are highly personal in preference but I really suggest you try navigating a web site and see how hard it is to get the keys to light up when u r in the store. I really wanted this phone to be "the one" but sadly it fails in basic usability unrelated to the software.
Re: David Evans
Sorry David, completely different. This uses Windows Mobile standard edition. As mentioned in the review, it has no touch screen and you cannot create or edit office documents (well, you can with third party software - but not as standard).
The Xperia is a Windows Mobile Professional device which means it has a touch screen, a full version of Office Mobile (you can create and edit office docs) and is also quite a lot larger ad heavier with a significantly larger/higher-res screen.
The XPeria is aimed at road-warriors, this is aimed at people who want a phone-sized device that is also good for email.
