HTC S710 review

HTC S710 Review

Reviewed by: Frank Lewis

Reviewed on: 27 March 2007

Windows Mobile 6 also now supports editing as well as viewing Office documents via the Mobile Office software, but unfortunately this hasn't been included on the S710. Instead you're stuck with the ClearVue software, which only lets you view Word, Excel and Powerpoint files.

For storing files the S710 has 64MB of memory onboard, but you can add extra storage space using microSD cards. The card slot is situated on the right-hand edge of the handset -- a better arrangement than some smart phones that require you to remove the battery before inserting a memory card.

Performance
The S710 screen takes up over half the front of the phone, and although the display's resolution is a pretty standard 320x240 pixels, text and pictures look very crisp and colours are impressively vivid.

On the connectivity side, the phone has most of the bases covered. It supports both Bluetooth and Wi-Fi, and it's quad band so you'll be able to use it in most countries around the world. There is one fatal flaw, though: it doesn't work on 3G networks. Instead, when you're out of range of a Wi-Fi hotpsot, you're stuck with the slow data speeds supplied by GPRS. On a phone that initially seems so well-equipped for high-speed Web surfing, it's a major downer.

Smart phones can sometimes suffer from dodgy call quality, but there are no such worries here as voice calls sound impressively crisp and loud. The speakerphone also works well and is loud enough to be useful in average-sized rooms.

On the rear of the handset is a 2-megapixel camera that produces reasonably sharp pictures

For taking pictures, the handset is equipped with a 2-megapixel camera. The jerky updates when using the screen as a viewfinder don't help when framing shots, but pictures are reasonably sharp. The colours, however, look slightly washed out, and it lacks an LED flash so it's not really suitable for taking pictures in low light.

For the most part the S710, which is driven by a 201MHz Omap processor, feels nippy, but there are times when it seems to struggle to keep pace with Windows Mobile 6. For example, it often takes two or three seconds to change the orientation of the screen from portrait to landscape view when you flick open the keyboard.

That said, the battery life was impressive. Making pretty heavy usage of all its features, including battery draining Wi-Fi, we got just over three days out of it before it needed to be topped up with juice. That's not too shabby for such a feature-laden smart phone.

Conclusion
There's plenty to like with the S710. It has a stylish and compact design, yet it manages to include a full Qwerty keyboard that's excellent for tapping out text messages or emails. The large display makes it ideal for surfing the Web while on the move and the battery life is impressive.

The lack of 3G support is a major disappointment, though, and the phone can feel a little sluggish at times. Nevertheless, we still think this is a seriously impressive Windows smart phone that's ideal for those who need to stay connected while out and about.

Edited by Jason Jenkins
Additional editing by Kate Macefield