HTC ChaCha
HTC's texter has a slick build, with a reassuring weight and charming aesthetics thanks to its rubberised plastic and brushed aluminium build. A 40-key keyboard props up a sharp 2.6in touchscreen at 480 x 320 pixels, which may be a tad small for watching long bursts of video, but isn't too bad if you're keen. The speaker sounds impressive too.
The Android 2.3 Gingerbread is spruced up with HTC Sense and the 800MHz CPU showed no noticeable lag or hitches. With a simple well-spaced layout and reassuring clicks for each press of the nicely raised keys, the HTC ChaCha keyboard is certainly among my favourites. To top it off, for social networkers there's a dedicated button which allows you to instantly share whatever it is you're doing with your Facecrack buddies. Just think of the time you'll save...
Motorola Pro+
This business orientated Android is well built, with a comfortable rubberised back and a comfortable weight. The 3.1in, 640 x 480 capacitive touchscreen is crisp to look at, although its sensitivity is questionable at times – a good job there are keys to fall back on. Its 1GHz processor with 512MB of RAM could also be a bit hesitant when launching apps. It's a Gingerbread phone with Motoblur slapped on for good measure – the company's social networking hub.
The 35 keys are sculpted BlackBerry-style, which makes it easier to type on, although the Motorola Pro+ doesn't quite match the Bold for ergonomics. Over time I found my thumbs tiring sooner than on the Bold 9790. The keys are also a bit plasticky too. Still, there aren't a lot of Android options out there for Qwerty fans and this is among the best available at this price.
Next page: Nokia Asha 302
COMMENTS
Re: Never
Why stop there?
You shouldn't use share a computer keyboard or mouse.
Don't take the lift, those buttons will be filthy. But be careful of the hand rail as you take the stairs.
Don't flush the toilet, you know where those hands have been. You can't be sure the last person washed their hands properly before turning off that tap either. Watch out for that door handle on your way out too! In fact, any door handle.
In fact just put on your paper suit and stay out of public places altogether, Mr Hughes.
Or on phones owned by adults who like to text using proper English and not kiddy's abbreviations.
Err.... you seem to have forgotten Nokia. E5? Or the really rather powerful E6?
Can't believe how fast the media has closed ranks against Nokia.... Very sad.
So sliders are off-topic?
Nokia E7 is still ruling that part of the jungle. It is everything the E-Series is about – I am not aware of anything out there that can touch it in terms of build quality, hardware features and overall design. I would love to see this form factor run MeeGo – I shake my fist at Nokia for not releasing the N950 to the general public. Not that Belle wouldn't do. In fact it does quite fine. Especially since it does the little things you simply expect a phone to do but apparently are no longer to be taken for granted.
I nearly keeled over laughing the other day when an aggressively anti-Nokia mate of mine (some people act like Nokia at some point pissed in their pint and made them drink it) sporting both an iPhone and some Android complained that "these days, you cannot turn phones off overnight anymore and still have the alert work in the morning."
I could not resist to ask him "You mean like a Nokia does, right?"
Priceless face, absolutely priceless.
Sliders
Does noone want qwery sliding phones anymore, or is it more of a case of the phone companies and manufacturers not wanting them for some reason.
I have a Nokia N900 and the missus an E7, both great form factors. I would love something like the E7, or slightly bigger with a decent grown up OS - think Maemo meets EPOC32.
There does seem to be Android sliders about, but not in the UK (Samsung Captivate, or Motorola Droid).
And no toys like the ones in the roundup dont count. I have a BB (for work), and absolutley hate the form factor as well as the phone in general, & every other chav around here has one.
