HTC S740 Review

The HTC S740 is Microsoft's newest smart phone entry, and is an upgrade from last year's HTC S730. Although the S740 is an updated version of the S730 model, users will find the S740 has quite a different look and styling than its predecessor (the S730 was almost universally criticized for its utilitarian, clunky appearance) as well as many improved capabilities.

Keyboard Functionality

The exterior of the S740 is visually similar to Microsoft's HTC Touch Diamond, however the S740 does not include a touch screen. Users will instead find dual keyboards, including a concealed slide-out QWERTY keyboard for more typing intensive tasks like creating or editing documents. The hidden QWERTY keyboard features 4 rows of keys, and the standard numerical keypad on the S740's face is designed for ease with dialing and sending short messages.

Phone Size

Users will find the S740 to be more compact and sleek than the S730, with a long, slender profile. Although the measurements are not too large at 116.3 mm x 43.4 mm x 16.6 mm (4.58 in x 1.71 in x 0.65 in), the S740 boasts a little heft, weighing in at 140 grams (4.94 ounces) with battery.

Screen Size and Features

The S740 features a TFT-LCD screen with backlight LEDs and QVGA resolution on the phone face. A mere 2.4 inches, the S740s display measures up a bit small when compared with competing smartphone screen size offerings. Screen display rotates only when QWERTY keyboard slide has been opened, which may become an annoyance for some users.

System Features

Windows Mobile 6.1 Standard Edition operating system is included. Processor is Qualcomm? MSM7225T, 528MHz. The S740 trumps its predecessor, the S730 in RAM, boasting 256MB SDRAM, up from a scant 64MB. ROM (internal memory) remains the same as in the previous model at 256MB. Users will also find a microSDT memory card expansion slot (SD 2.0 compatible) on the S740.

Network Capabilities

Mobile Internet use is made possible with broadband-speed HSDPA (High-Speed Downlink Packet Access) or users may take advantage of available Wi-Fi Hot Spots (Wi-Fi: IEEE 802.11 b/g). The S740 is capable of up to 384 kbps up-link and 7.2 Mbps downlink speeds. As the S740 is released for the European/Asian market, U.S. users will need to use the slower EDGE (Quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE: 850/900/1800/1900 Mhz) or Wi-Fi for downloads and Internet browsing.

Battery Specifications

A rechargeable Lithium-ion polymer battery with a 1000 mAh capacity is included, with talk times reaching 350 minutes on GSM and 300 minutes on WCDMA. Users will find this to be a slight improvement over the S730, but a large improvement over many competing smartphones that offer less than 5 hours of talk time. Stand-by time varies greatly depending on whether GSM (260 hours) or WDCMA (400 hours) is used. The S740's AC adapter range/frequency specs are 100~240V AC, 50/60 Hz, and DC output is 5V and 1A.

Other Notable Features

The S740 is both GPS and aGPS (assisted GPS) ready. Bluetooth? 2.0 with Enhanced Data Rate and A2DP for stereo wireless headsets are included. The S740 also comes equipped with a speakerphone and FM radio.

Supported ringone formats include AAC, AAC+, eAAC+, AMR-NB, AMR-WB, QCP, MP3, WMA, and WAV as well as 40 polyphonic and standard MIDI format 0 and 1 (SMF)/SP MIDI. A 3.2 megapixel fixed focus color camera (takes video and still photos) also comes as a standard feature on the S740.

HTC S740 Pros

-Slide-out QWERTY screen offers more ease with typing and editing documents as it provides a typing experience more similar to that of using a notebook PC
-The S740's relatively slim and long measurements make it highly portable and easy to stow
-Substantial 256MB SDRAM and SD memory card expansion slot
-GPS and aGPS support, Bluetooth connectivity, and included 3.2 MP camera make the S740 feature-loaded
-HSDPA as well as Wi-Fi capabilities assure Internet speed as well as ready Internet access
-Battery talk time is very competitive

HTC S740 Cons

-Some users may find the dual keyboard feature redundant
-Screen size, at 2.4 inches, is small compared to phone body size
-While phone appearance mimics Microsoft's Touch Diamond, users may be disappointed with lack of touch screen capability

Overall

Microsoft smartphone users will find that the S740 contrasts somewhat both in appearance and features/functionality from Microsoft's previous non-touch-screen smartphone offerings. The S740 compares favorably to the S730 and S710, and is competitively feature-rich with its GPS, Bluetooth, and HSDPA capabilities as well as boasting substantial battery life and RAM.