First 60 minutes with HTC S710 (Vox)

May 6, 2007 | Pavel Koza | format - First look | viewed - 121x
rating -

(79 votes) | category - Smartphones, Windows Mobile

First 60 minutes with HTC S710 (Vox)

There are quite a few Windows Mobile devices with an integrated keyboard but I know of none with two. With the exception of HTC S710, that is. This little beauty codename Vox is a smart phone with Windows Mobile 6 Standard as the operating system, intended for devices without a touch screen. It features a standard numeric pad on the front panel like any other mobile phone, as well as a slide-out keyboard resembling that of the HTC P4350 (Herald). I was lucky to get my hands on one of the first specimens to be imported to the country and could subject it to some tests. Read on to learn about an early user experience.

Please note: This is not a regular review. I have not subjected the device to regular tests in an effort to discover its strengths and weaknesses. Instead, I am presenting my - mostly positive - impressions from the first encounter. So, this is not an objective report but rather a subjective description of a completely new device, full of uncritical admiration and enthusiasm about its great features. If you don't like this type of article, please wait for a full-fledged review.

This being a preview, we shall focus mainly on cool new features. Upon the first touch, the Vox leaves no doubt that high-quality manufacture and good design is a priority for HTC. The only issue is of aesthetic nature – both the black rubber-coated surfaces and the silvery parts on the front are all too eager to catch your fingerprints. Changing your eating habits towards usage of cutlery may do the trick:) The Vox is reasonably sized; at 101.5 x 50 x 18.6 millimetres, it is smaller than the first really working Windows Mobile 5 smart phone known as Qtek 8310. The relatively heavy weight (140 g) is acceptable with regard to the features the device offers.

The main attraction, of course, is the duo of integrated keyboards. The first one is a phone-like numeric pad located on the front panel below the display. It comprises numeric keys in a 3 by 4 matrix, a cursor pad with a separate central push button, a pair of Windows Mobile 6 software keys, two phone keys, and two system keys for return to a higher menu level and jump to the Today screen, respectively. It took me some time to get used to the small size of the buttons. By contrast, I mastered the slide-out keyboard in an instant thanks to larger keys and their greater spacing. The keyboard slides out to the right. The slider system appears robust and looks the same as that in the Herald, i.e. with a spring mechanism that helps the keyboard move and holds it firmly in the extreme positions. What is unusual – but understandable given the size of the device – is the keyboard’s layout with only three rows of keys. It is fewer than in other keyboard-fitted devices but still better than no keyboard at all. If you are not going to use the Vox alongside another device with four rows of keys, you will quickly get used to the layout. The keyboard has blue backlight for more comfortable work in the dark. The backlight can either activate automatically or be constantly on. Besides that, there are two orange LED indicators shining from the keyboard – one for CAPS LOCK, the other for the function key. I typed several text messages and e-mails on the keyboard and was satisfied, even though user experience is proportionate to the small size. Nevertheless, I have never come to terms with the T9 system and for me, a hardware keyboard is a clear advantage in a device that lacks a touch screen.

HTC Vox is a mobile phone in the first place. I am happy to say that even though Windows Mobile 6 does not bring any major changes, there are numerous improvements and new nice little features in the system. What I really appreciated was native support for Central European accented characters in the system: this applies not only to text (including the T9 dictionary which boasts quite an extensive vocabulary) but also contacts (you no longer need to enter all contacts sans diacritics). Other welcomed changes include improved searching in the list of dialled numbers, much wider options in sound and ring tone settings (now you can even assign a special tone for a SIM Toolkit message), enhanced SIM Toolkit, and many, many more little things. A more comprehensive list will be part of the coming big review. Mobile Outlook, too, carries a huge number of innovations. Some of the new features require synchronisation with Exchange Server 2007 if you want to get the most of them, but some improvements work even without it, such as fast filtering of e-mail messages and contacts by typing a few characters, speed menu activated by a one-second press of a button (e.g. holding down 7 will delete a selected e-mail message, holding down 2 will create a reply to it etc.), to say nothing about support for HTML e-mails. Another novelty is incorporation of the mobile office in the system (Word Mobile, Excel Mobile, and PowerPoint Mobile), even though they are just viewers. Together with a PDF viewer, they constitute a strong set of tools for people on the go despite the lack of any editing capabilities.

Other parameters follow the lines of previous HTC smart phones. In the area of data communication, the Vox offers GPRS and EDGE but lacks support for 3G networks. It runs an OMAP processor with clock speed of 200 MHz, the memory provides a standard 128MB/64MB of space. The slow but power-efficient processor is perfectly sufficient thanks to yet better performance optimisation. The 240x320-pixel, 2.4-inch TFT screen lacks a touch layer. As a result, it sports a very sharp image and brilliant colours. The screen toggles between portrait and landscape automatically as you expand or close the keyboard; I did not find a way to change the view at will. Audio capabilities are standard, with good sound quality. Besides a USB connector on the bottom side of the device (it is HTC's proprietary extUSB connector where you can plug a standard miniUSB synchronisation cable as well as a stereo headset), the device can communicate over Bluetooth and WiFi (b/g). I tested both modules briefly and encountered no problems. If you find the built-in memory insufficient, you can throw in a few gigs using a standard microSD card. As far as the battery is concerned, I did not have time for tests but according to the manufacturer's website, the Vox should last 175 hours in standby and 7 hours of calling.

The device's 2-megapixel camera produces photos of decent quality. It lacks auto focus, so it is not very good at the close range but performs quite well in capturing medium- to long-distance scenes. Besides excellent responsiveness and fast saving, it boasts rich colours and perfect automatic exposure measurement. It can capture video, too, but more on that in the coming big review.

And that's all for now, there was no time for further examination. In the short time I had for testing, I did not discover any serious drawbacks or design flaws that should stop you from buying the device, if you cannot wait to get it. It simply worked fine. Or you can wait and learn more in a full-fledged big review coming soon. The Vox definitely deserves one.