Loaded with Windows Mobile 6 and featuring a full QWERTY keyboard, the HTC SMT5800 Smartphone offers a lot of versatility in a small package. At first glance, the SMT5800 looks like a fairly standard cell phone, but as soon as you feel the urge to type out a message you can slide out the keyboard for speedy texting. In this mode, the 2.4-inch screen flips to landscape, offering a more natural viewing experience for web browsing and for video playback as well. The screen itself supports 65,000 colors, which is somewhat disappointing given the phone's price tag. Nonetheless, the images are reasonably vibrant and crisp.

Phones that allow you to type out email are often bricks to carry around, but the HTC SMT5800 weighs a mere 4.2 ounces. Because the compact size is a central feature of this phone, obviously the QWERTY keyboard will suffer a little. However, the buttons are still relatively well-spaced and typing is less cramped than you might expect. This won't be a phone you'll lay on your desk and think it's a laptop, but you can type out messages with your thumbs comfortably and quickly. The surprising thing, however, is that rather than at the keyboard, the place where size really affects performance is on the dial pad. The designers designated considerable acreage to the call engage and disengage buttons. These two large keys on the sides of the alphanumeric pad leave much less room for the number keys and, as a result, dialing takes some getting used to. Even after you're accustomed to the phone, placing calls still feel claustrophobic for your thumbs.

Aside from the aforementioned keys, buttons on this phone are kept to a relative minimum. There are a few soft keys alongside the keyboard and a camera activation button on the right side. The other side of the phone includes a volume rocker and a power button. Otherwise, there are a couple ports, one for a microSD card and another for mini USB.

One issue that you often have to deal with when using smartphones is system crashes, and the SMT5800 had very few during our tests. Only once did the phone momentarily freeze, but otherwise it handled multiple applications with ease. This is especially important for business users who wish to use the included Microsoft Office Mobile Suite. Pre-loaded onto the phone, this package lets you view and edit Word and Excel documents. For many, this feature cannot be underestimated in its value, allowing you to receive files after hours instead of waiting until the next morning (or returning to the office) to do small tweaks and send the documents back out. You can also view--but not edit--Acrobat and PowerPoint files.

But most people will come to this phone for its email capabilities. Various email account types can be used, including POP and IMAP, and push email is supported, so you have real time access to your messages. You can also view your other email accounts (i.e., Yahoo, Gmail, etc.) in their original HTML format. Meanwhile, your contacts and the calendar on your desktop computer can be automatically synched via Microsoft Exchange Server.

The music player functions on this phone are minimal, as the device uses Windows Media Player. The application is pre-loaded onto the phone for listening to songs that you download, but unfortunately, the SMT5800 is not setup to access Verizon's VCast service. You can watch videos, however, and whether you're streaming or downloading them, speeds are quite swift thanks to the EV-DO 3G network. Unfortunately, the phone also cannot access Wi-Fi, but it does have stereo Bluetooth for listening to your songs over high-quality wireless headphones.

Built-in to the rear of the phone is a 2-megapixel camera that offers unpredictable performance. During more extreme lighting conditions, the quality ranged from grainy to washed out. But in medium light, there seemed to be no problem in getting a crisp photo with relatively accurate colors. The SMT5800 has a digital zoom and a self-timer but, unfortunately, no flash. The video camera's output was a little more reliable in consistency, yet not exactly noteworthy in quality. For the most part, there seemed to be a problem with the camera's ability to read light conditions and adjust accordingly.

The SMT5800 has a wealth of basic features, including: voice-activated dialing, task manager, notepad, and alarm clock. The phonebook accommodates 1,000 entries, and you can link up the contacts with a distinctive ringer and/or a photo for quick identification of your caller.

The phone itself works quite well, with more than adequate call quality as well as rich incoming sound. The noise-canceling microphone was decent, though some callers reported they could hear a little ambient sound when calling from outdoors. When playing calls over the speakerphone, the bass seemed to work well while higher frequencies had a slight tinny quality to them. The battery, meanwhile, offered 3.5 hours of talk time and around a week of standby. Overall, the SMT5800 provides a solution for business users who want occasional email connectivity but don't want to be weighed down by a massive phone.

Pros: Microsoft Office Mobile Suite, QWERTY keyboard, EV-DO 3G network, Windows Mobile 6
Cons: Unpredictable photo quality

Warranty
1 year