Phones with Qwerty keypads

Round-up by: Andrew Lim

Last updated: 27 Oct 2006

If you're keen on keeping up to date with your emails then getting a phone with an email client, push email support and a Qwerty keypad could be a wise buy. Whether you're a business person or a university student, these phones give you the option to keep track of your electronic correspondence wherever you are.

Different handsets cater to different needs. Some are pure email devices, while others let you send and receive emails, take photos, listen to music or even use them as a sat-nav device. The other important feature to note is that most of these handsets are geared up to operate on your company's email server.

While the concept of a phone that gives you instant access to your emails sounds fantastic, setup isn't always quick or easy and usually involves talking to your IT administrator. If you're planning on using it at work, make sure that your office supports it.

If you just want to access your personal email, then some of these handsets support POP3 or IMAP4 email protocols. These protocols give you access to personal email accounts, so make sure that your email account supports one or both. If you're using a Web-based mail service such as Gmail or Hotmail, you may need to turn on POP or IMAP access before you can access your mail with your phone.

Another feature to consider is the Qwerty keypad itself. Some Qwerty keypads have two letters per key, whereas others give you a full set of individual keys. A full set of keys is easier to adapt to if you're a keyboard veteran, but the two-letters-per-key system can speed up your typing using predictive text.

You should also watch out for keys that are so small or so crammed together that they're uncomfortable to use. Finally, screen size is important. Make sure you can read your emails properly and that the screen is large enough to display a suitable amount of text without needing to scroll down too much.