Box Contents

Inside the sleek box you get a USB cable, manual, CD Rom with ActiveSync and an AC mains adaptor.

Specs

• Operating System: Microsoft Windows Mobile 6 Standard
• Processor: ARM1136 OMAP 2420 330MHz
• Network: Quad-band 850/900/1800/1900 MHz
• Memory: 256 MB ROM, 64 MB RAM
• Wireless Technologies: Bluetooth v2.0 with A2DP
• Display: 2.4” 320x240 dots resolution
• Expansion Slot: Micro SD
• Dimensions: 118 x 67 x 11.8 mm
• Weight: 134g
• Camera: 2MP

Design

Considering its business aura it does look similar in style to the consumer devices that Motorola produce. Especially with its keyboard that lights up in a blue neon fashion (Razr style) in low light conditions.

The device measures 118 x 67 x 11.8mm (H x W x D) which of course is a touch on the larger side and at 134g it could be lighter. Saying that we still found it comfortable to hold with one or both hands.

However you do get a great 2.4" screen which displayed text and images vibrantly and its handy front controls (joypad and shortcut keys to the home Screen, web browser, phone buttons) were comfortable to press and were similar in nature to the Motorola Z series devices.

To the sides of the phone you have a handily placed microSD card, USB port, volume controls and a camera shortcut button. The only snag with the USB port is it uses its own propriety connection, which means you will have to lug the cable around with you to charge or access the device via your PC.

At the base of the screen you have a Qwerty keyboard. The keys themselves are virtually touching each other but they were still surprisingly comfortable to use - even for prolonged use - with a nice responsive feel and fast action.

Software

The device is based on the Windows Mobile Standard operating system but there is no touch screen. Motorola have modified the standard applications though, with two choices of web browser available (IE and mini Opera) and the excellent Documents-To-Go (from Dataviz) which is an alternative to the Office Mobile viewers normally associated with this OS. You can view Powerpoint slides and create Word or Excel documents on the fly.

You also get the mobile version of Outlook and it can utilise push email services via an Exchange server.

Connectivity

The most appealing aspect of the phone is its 3G HSDPA support, which can handle the higher 3.6Mbps flavour. As a result web browsing was quick - as were collecting emails.

The downside to the device is the lack of Wi-Fi, so if this is a key factor in your purchasing decision you will have to look elsewhere.

Of course you still get Bluetooth 2.0 with A2DP support to add some wireless connectivity.

Performance

Though eXpansys quote the processor as 200Mhz, we did some digging around and it actually has an ARM1136 OMAP 2420 330MHz CPU. Performance was generally good, with applications running smoothly, videos playing back fine and out of the 256MB of storage there is 143mb free for adding your own content.

Its 2MP could take some reasonable shots and it does have a small emitting light to help with taking images in low light conditions. The front camera can also be used for video calls.

Battery life was not too bad with a claimed life of 6 and half hours of talk time and 385 hours of standby, but again the 3G usage tends to drain its life faster.

Call quality from the Quad-Band phone was good, with both parties hearing each other clearly during our test calls.