Hands on with the HTC S740

[Rocco Augusto]

<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://www.phonescoop.com/articles/article.php?a=219&p=1528&g=1851&h=17701' target='_blank'>http://www.phonescoop.com/articles/...&g=1851&h=17701</a><br /><br /></div><p><em>"We sat down with HTC for a bit and talked about the new models for Sprint. They also showed us their latest kit for overseas, the most interesting of which was the S740, a messaging slider with unusual proportions. Unlike the other new messaging phones we saw this week that are unusually wide, the S740 takes the opposite approach and is freakishly skinny... We wish a US carrier would pick it up, but so far we're hearing there's no interest from them. It seems everyone is so obsessed with competing with the iPhone that non-touchscreen Windows Mobile Standard devices are being ignored. That's a shame. Not everyone is ready to abandon the familiar d-pad for a touch screen."</em></p><p><img src="http://images.thoughtsmedia.com/resizer/thumbs/size/600/zt/auto/1221505927.usr8.jpg" /></p><p>Phone Scoop poses a very interesting question. With the release of the Apple iPhone, HTC Touch Diamond and soon the Google Android run devices, is the day of the non-touchscreen Smartphone slowly coming to an end? Personally I hope not. In most cases I prefer a non-touchscreen device though I have to admit lately I have been using my device less and less as I get more frustrated with the lack of more screen resolution to work with. Let's face it; you can't be terribly productive with less than 320x240 pixels of screen real estate to work with. In most cases if I have to reply to an email or look something up on the Interweb, I just wait until I get near my laptop instead of using my handset. Hopefully with the next version of Windows Mobile, Microsoft will realize the importance of giving both platforms the same maximum resolution. I would love to have a Smartphone with a screen resolution of 800x400 pixels.</p>

[omikr0n]

The more I see and read about S740, the more I am convinced that it is going to be my new phone. It seems to be just absolutely perfect for me.

[Rocco Augusto]

This is a sleek looking device, I wish they would just a North American version that you could buy unlocked somewhere. To bad HTC doesn't have their own HTC stores. Though could make a killing. They could also sell contracts to all major carriers here in the US and sell their own branded handsets with the contracts so we didn't suffer from sticker shock

[Jason Dunn]

Yeah, it's a really interesting challenge to provide bigger, higher-resolution screens yet still be thin and small-ish like a phone. I don't really want to put something as big as an iPhone in my pocket...

[Pony99CA]

Phone Scoop poses a very interesting question. With the release of the Apple iPhone, HTC Touch Diamond and soon the Google Android run devices, is the day of the non-touchscreen Smartphone slowly coming to an end? Personally I hope not. In most cases I prefer a non-touchscreen device though I have to admit lately I have been using my device less and less as I get more frustrated with the lack of more screen resolution to work with.
While I love my Motorola Q9m, a touchscreen has several advantages -- easy copy/paste, tap-and-hold context menus, faster scrolling (scrolling in a long Web page on the Q9m is very annoying), drawing/inking support (at least without seeming like an Etch-A-Sketch), etc.

Add that to the fact that the Smartphone platform isn't quite as capable as the Pocket PC platform (missing fields in PIM applications, inability to create Office files without a hack, all-text Settings, etc.) and there's a reason that most new devices seem to have touchscreens (well, other than the iPhone :D).

Let's face it; you can't be terribly productive with less than 320x240 pixels of screen real estate to work with.
Are you still using a 176x220 phone? :eek:

In most cases if I have to reply to an email or look something up on the Interweb, I just wait until I get near my laptop instead of using my handset.
I like checking E-mail on my Q9m, but unless it's really urgent, I wait to reply until I'm on my laptop. However, I think that has more to do with the harder typing and editing than with the resolution.

Web browsing, however, is all about resolution. Plus, even with the largest text size, I can't read most Web pages without a magnifier. :mad: I found a registry hack to increase the text size, but it didn't work very well.

Steve

[Rocco Augusto]

Are you still using a 176x220 phone? :eek:

Thankfully no but when you take into account that you have the icon notification bar at the top of the screen and the left and right softkey bar on the bottom of the screen you are actually getting like 20-30px shy of that 240px vertical real estate.

I would probably give up as a Smartphone user if the WM Standard still have 176x220 screens. :D

[Jason Dunn]

While I love my Motorola Q9m, a touchscreen has several advantages -- easy copy/paste, tap-and-hold context menus, faster scrolling (scrolling in a long Web page on the Q9m is very annoying), drawing/inking support (at least without seeming like an Etch-A-Sketch), etc.

But on the flip side, you have the disadvantages of touch-screen devices: they're thicker, usually heavier, have worse battery life, bigger overall, have no or poor keyboards (I'll take a front-facing QWERTY keyboard over a Tilt-style slid-out keyboard any day of the week), and because of the touch screen, they tend to need to be protected by a case, which makes them ill-suited for carrying in the front pocket of a pair of jeans for instance.

The HTC Touch Diamond is the first touch-screen phone I've seen that's small enough to nullify some of those concerns above, if you don't keep it in a case. But without a keyboard, I found it very hard to be productive with it. Touch-screen phones are better at Web browsing, and have more functionality in general, but I still prefer the work-horse nature of my Windows Mobile Standard smartphones...I can just get more done with them.

[Pony99CA]

But on the flip side, you have the disadvantages of touch-screen devices: they're thicker, usually heavier, have worse battery life, bigger overall, have no or poor keyboards (I'll take a front-facing QWERTY keyboard over a Tilt-style slid-out keyboard any day of the week), and because of the touch screen, they tend to need to be protected by a case, which makes them ill-suited for carrying in the front pocket of a pair of jeans for instance.
Regarding keyboards, some Pocket PC Phones are QWERTYbars (notably the Palm Treos and HP 69xx line), but you generally get a square screen with those. Now that Palm is using a 320x320 screen, though, you're actually gaining over the standard QVGA display.

I agree with the need for screen protection, but that doesn't necessarily need to be a case. For example, my iPAQ hx2795 came with a flip cover, so you could probably carry it in your pants (my case broke, so I occasionally do carry it in my ScottEVest Hidden Cargo Pants). Of course, the 2795 isn't a phone, either, but I would almost never carry my phone in my pockets because I like it to be more accessible (I use an iPAQ belt case for my Q9m).

Another related downside is that you should probably use a screen protector, too. Damaging the screen while using the device is too easy, so a good screen protector is a worthwhile, if troublesome, expense.

But I really don't see many reasons why some OEM couldn't build something like the Motorola Q series that uses WM Professional instead of WM Standard. Yes, it might be a little thicker due to the touchscreen and larger battery, but even if you added 1/8" to the thickness, I think it would still be quite usable.

Steve

[networkguy]

Is the screen size (or lack of it) really such a deal breaker?

Sure I would not want to spend an hour composing an email or word document on a 2.4" display with a thumb keyboard.

BUT

I would not want to spend an hour composing an email or word document on a 2.8" or 3" display with a thumb keyboard such as the Touch Pro or Experia and I would certainly not want to use a screen keyboard (e.g. iPhone) to do the task.

So I accept the reasoning for not wanting to do this on the S740 but is this not the case on all small pocket size devices?

[Jason Dunn]

But I really don't see many reasons why some OEM couldn't build something like the Motorola Q series that uses WM Professional instead of WM Standard. Yes, it might be a little thicker due to the touchscreen and larger battery, but even if you added 1/8" to the thickness, I think it would still be quite usable.

Looks like you got your wish with the Samsung Epix. :)

[Pony99CA]

Looks like you got your wish with the Samsung Epix. :)
Except that's on AT&T, and I have Verizon. ;) However, I saw Verizon was coming out with a similar-looking phone called the Saga (the SCH-i770).

Steve

[Pony99CA]

Is the screen size (or lack of it) really such a deal breaker?

Sure I would not want to spend an hour composing an email or word document on a 2.4" display with a thumb keyboard.

BUT

I would not want to spend an hour composing an email or word document on a 2.8" or 3" display with a thumb keyboard such as the Touch Pro or Experia and I would certainly not want to use a screen keyboard (e.g. iPhone) to do the task.

So I accept the reasoning for not wanting to do this on the S740 but is this not the case on all small pocket size devices?
True, but maybe a Celio Redfly (or even just a Bluetooth keyboard) would make it easier if you don't mind carrying something extra.

Steve

[tregnier]

With all this talk about screen keyboards, I never see alternatives like Fitaly mentioned. Does anyone use this on phones? I use it on my Dell Axim, and it's much easier for me than a screen keyboard.

[Jason Dunn]

With all this talk about screen keyboards, I never see alternatives like Fitaly mentioned. Does anyone use this on phones? I use it on my Dell Axim, and it's much easier for me than a screen keyboard.

Speaking for myself, I just don't want to train myself to use a new input method, which is I think why I always prefer QWERTY keyboards...

[tregnier]

Speaking for myself, I just don't want to train myself to use a new input method, which is I think why I always prefer QWERTY keyboards...

I need all the new synapses I can get! Fitaly is as fast for me as a Qwerty screen keyboard. Will it work on a smartphone?

[Jason Dunn]

I need all the new synapses I can get! Fitaly is as fast for me as a Qwerty screen keyboard. Will it work on a smartphone?

It you mean a smartphone with a touch screen, yes. If you mean a smartphone without a touch screen, then obviously no. ;)