Look! Hardware that breaks – on purpose! Shattered warranties aside, the Z10’s apparent bendy kick-slide design skews towards the flashy end of the spectrum, but hey, we’re not shallow. We care about what’s on the inside, too. But in the case of the Z10, after we took a good honest look at the interior, it turns out an innovative design is about the only thing this phone has going for it.

Though it’s billed as a “pocket-sized mobile studio,” this 4-ounce, platinum-trimmed phone is certainly no substitute for even a mediocre mini-camcorder (Exhibit A: the Flip Mino). So why drop $500 on the Z10 when you can get a 5MP camphone (Exhibit B: the Nokia N82) that shoots crisper stills and comparable vids? Beats us. Maybe it's the intuitive editing suite: the Z10’s storyboard feature let us cut together a montage of clips and pics with cinematic fades, circle dissolves, music and title cards in less than 10 minutes. Unfortunately, the OS wasn’t nearly as user-friendly. We literally had to break out the instruction manual just to send a Bluetooth pic (no joke).

Had Motorola spent even half as much time making the software as innovative as its break-away hardware, the Z10 would have wowed us. But with its lacking OS and underwhelming camera, the phone didn’t feel ready for primetime.  —Steven Leckart

WIRED 30 fps vid clips don’t look too shabby. Quick, easy uploading to YouTube and Shozu. Storyboarding was a cinch. Camera shortcut button, plus auto-focus, great for snapping pics on the fly. Easy-to-access external microSD card slot is ready for 32GB.

TIRED 2.2-inch screen isn’t ideal for peeping videos. Only 3.2MP cam? (Tarantino wouldn’t settle for less than 5MP). Only a measly 1GB microSD included. Nav and Symbian UIQ more difficult to penetrate than Fort Knox. Curved slider makes lower keypad buttons harder to press.

$500 (unlocked), motorola.com

(Photos by Jon Snyder/ Wired.com)

The Price: Still not official, but T-Mobile says it will be less than $100 with contract when it drops in early September.

The Verdict: Solid, everyman 3G for the masses.

If you didn't know it going in, you might not even realize the TM506 was 3G-capable. There's no big "3G" connection icon like on the iPhone, and nary a mention in the phone's settings. And most surprisingly, the phone ships only with T-Mo and Sony Eric's shitty t-zones browser—which is only a few steps past WAP.

So the first thing anyone with this phone should do is grab Opera Mini—and after doing so, all of the Google apps for Maps and Gmail (the built-in email client is equally miserable). It's smart in many ways to downplay the phone's HSDPA capabilities, since T-Mobile's rollout is still in progress. But the lack of a solid browser built-in is puzzling.

And here's the kicker—at the moment, this thing is lightning fast. I tested it in several locations in NYC, one of T-Mobile's first 3G cities, and we're talking near Wi-Fi speeds on T-Mobile's 1700/2100 MHz HSDPA network. I got a crazy average of 5037kbps using DSL Reports' smartphone speed test, where the iPhone 3G, in the same location at the same time, managed an average of 545kbps. Now before you get too excited, keep in mind that T-Mobile's 3G network is practically empty at the moment—when more 3G subscribers start piling on, speeds will certainly come down to the 600-1000kbps range that T-Mobile says will be the norm. But for now, 3G T-Mobilers will be living the sweet life. Pages load almost instantly with Opera Mini—it's awesome. And when you tether to your laptop (which T-Mobile is fine with)—it's still blazing, which is a great bonus.

Rounding out the rest of the package is everything you'd expect on a mid-range Sony Ericsson piece—A-GPS, 2MP camera with video recording, Bluetooth 2.0, Memory Stick Micro slot, a barebones media player, and all the rest in a light but solid feeling flip form factor (but I could do without the green). In the end, it's not for smartphone people, or worth leaving another network for, but if you're already on T-Mobile and it's time for an upgrade, you could do a lot worse for your money.

And until the network starts to fill up, you'll be putting your iPhone-toting friends to shame.

While the HTC Touch Diamond was devoid of a keyboard to compete with similar touchscreen handsets, this one’s got one keyboard too many. The recently announced HTC S740 is a new handset by the company that’s equipped with both alphanumeric and slide-out QWERTY keyboards.

The HTC S740 is an improved version of the older S730 with a few changes and improvements. The newer phone has a shorter width, with its QWERTY keyboard sliding out to the right instead of to the left. Also, unlike the S730, the HTC S740 has less rounded edges, making it look more like the newer Touch Diamond. The phone will be equipped with a 3.2MP camera with fixed focus lens, a-GPS, 256MB RAM, and a Qualcomm MSM7225 528MHz processor.

via CNET AU

HTC today announced a new smartphone - S740. The new device packs everything the Touch Diamond has except for the touch — Windows Mobile 6.1 Standard rather than Professional edition is used. It also dumps VGA screen for QVGA, but adds 12-key numeric keypad on top of the slide-out QWERTY Keyboard.

The HTC S740 specifications:

• Networks: WCDMA/HSDPA: 900/2100 MHz for EU and Asia
• Chipset: Qualcomm MSM7225, 528 MHz
• GSM/GPRS/EDGE: 850/900/1800/1900 MHz
• Maximum speed: upload = 384 kbps; download = 3.6/7.2 Mbps
• Camera: 3.2MP, with the second VGA camera for video calling
• Operating system: Windows Mobile 6.1 Standard
• Display: 2.4-inch QVGA screen
• Camera: 3.2 megapixel with fixed focus
• Internal memory: 256 MB flash; 256 MB RAM
• Memory card: microSD
• Bluetooth: 2.0 with EDR
• WLAN: 802.11b/g
• GPS: GPS/AGPS
• Interface: HTC ExtUSB (mini-USB and audio jack in one; USB 2.0 High-Speed)
• Battery: 1000 mAh
• Talk time: WCDMA: Up to 320 minutes / GSM: Up to 380 minutes
• Standby time: WCDMA: Up to 400 hours / GSM: Up to 280 hours
• Special features: Sliding QWERTY keyboard, FM radio, Google Maps, RSS Hub
• Size: 116.3×43.4×16.3 mm
• Weight: 140g with battery

The HTC S740 will be available across Europe from September 2008.

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Related Articles at IntoMobile:

• HTC Touch Diamond goes toe to toe with Apple iPhone
• HTC releases HTC Touch Diamond 1.93 ROM
• HTC shipping newer HTC Touch Diamond handsets with updated TouchFLO 3D
• HTC upgrades shipment projections for HTC Touch Diamond handset
• HTC Touch Diamond heads to India, forgets 3G radio

Until Palm unleashes the JesusTreo (rumored to descend in 2009), this re-worked, dolled-up device is as good as it gets for the once-mighty smartphone company.

We recently had the displeasure of testing the upcoming 800w. Yuck. This disappointing misfire is essentially a chintzy blue brick with minimal added functionality (aside from Wi-Fi). Then the Pro showed up with its shiny, rounded, tuxedo-black exterior and a handful of practical OS “shortcuts." Aside from the industrial iPhone-like design lines, those shortcuts are enough to make even the most diehard Machead grin and bear Windows Mobile (almost). Top of our shortcut list were the dedicated Wi-Fi button on the right side and customizable button on the left (ours was set for camera). Circumventing the main menu and tiresome nav made the phone a joy to use. The touchscreen, on the other hand, was far from blissful. Laggy and unresponsive, we found ourselves double and sometimes triple tapping — even with the stylus.

Palm is definitely flexing its once mighty muscle and trying to say it can build a stylish multimedia device with a touchscreen. Despite the fact that this very screen isn't exactly as smooth as ones found on similar devices, it's still a step in the right direction. But for $550, a touch interface should have more precision than this. We can only hope Palm continues to finetune the screen and ditch that archaic stylus permanently. Jesus Treo, can you hear us? It's the Gadget Lab calling.  —Steven Leckart

WIRED Trim, light, and pocketable. Shortcuts prove beyond useful. Decent 2MP pics. MicroUSB! Battery lasts almost two full days. 3.5mm headphone jack. PPT/Excel/Word and PDF-reading, of course. Google Maps AND TeleNav GPS, which offers turn-by-turn directions plus target searches; eg. gas stations by price. Ships unlocked.

TIRED Menu scrolling is about as fluid as a piece of dolomite. Slippery “obsidian” plastic casing retains more fingerprints than the NSA. Noticeable screen glare. Curved design comprised by bottomside USB/headphone jack that should be recessed more. Bluetooth not included in image send options. Only way to access microSD? Remove battery cover.

$550, palm.com

(Photo by Jon Snyder/ Wired.com)

HTC just announced a new smartphone, S740 based on Touch Diamond/Pro design. HTC wants to tap in the smartphone market and thus dishes out a rather tried and tested sleek, slender design of Touch Diamond. The S740 has a conventional number keypad on the front with the QWERTY hidden beneath it. The phone has a 2.4-inch QVGA screen, Windows Mobile 6.1 onboard and a fast 528MHz processor. 7.2Mbps HSDPA, EDGE and 802.11 b/g handle the internet department.

Specifications:

• Size: 116.3 x 43.4 x 16.3 mm
  Weight: 140g with battery
  Networks: WCDMA/HSDPA: 900/2100 MHz for EU and Asia
  GSM/GPRS/EDGE: 850/900/1800/1900 MHz
  Maximum speed: UL = 384 kbps; DL = 3.6/7.2 Mbps**
  Camera: 3.2MP, with the second VGA camera for video calling
  Operating system: Windows Mobile® 6.1 Standard
  Display: 2.4-inch QVGA screen
  Camera: 3.2 megapixel with fixed focus
  Internal memory: 256 MB flash; 256 MB RAM
  Memory card: microSD™
  LAN: 802.11b/g
  Bluetooth®: 2.0 with EDR
  GPS: GPS/AGPS
  Interface: HTC ExtUSB™ (mini-USB and audio jack in one; USB 2.0 High-Speed)
  Battery: 1000 mAh
  Talk time: WCDMA: Up to 320 minutes*** / GSM: Up to 380 minutes***
  tandby time: WCDMA: Up to 400 hours*** / GSM: Up to 280 hours***
  Special features: Sliding QWERTY keyboard, FM radio, Google Maps, RSS Hub
  Chipset: Qualcomm® MSM7225, 528 MHz

Press Release

Advertisement: Samsung Hub - Tracking minute steps of the Korean Giant

Are you still remember the Sony Ericsson W980 Phone picture gallery that we posted several months ago? Now we have a hands-on video of the phone. As a reminder, the SE W980 is a Music-focused phone that features an 8GB of internal memory, 3.2MP camera with 3.2 digital zoom, and an FM transmitter. The W980 is a must-have phone for music lovers. Watch the video after the jump. [JustAMP via Upcoming Cell Phones]

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