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Genius G-Note 7100

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The best doodles you ever draw are the ones while you're on the phone or in the middle of a meeting.

Inevitably you had to quickly screw up that bit of paper, but with the Genius G-Note series you can instantly store all your doodles, and boring stuff like minutes of meetings, digitally through this A4 notepad.

Steep price

The problem, though, is that at £80 it's massively more expensive than translating your notes from pad to PC. Despite the multiple functionality, it's difficult trying to get past the price.

It can double as a tablet when attached to your PC and comes bundled with handwriting recognition software that can translate your notes fairly accurately.

Should you spend a lot of time in meetings, taking copious notes, then this could be a worthy buy.

The G-Note does what it does in an impressively capable fashion, but the high price is what's stopping us from being able to truly recommend it.

Blackberry Curve 8310

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RIM's (Research In Motion) BlackBerry has changed the way corporate users interact with their phones, with more and more people using them for email and office tasks, rather than for their phone functionality. The latest device, the Curve 8310 (free on contract) is an evolution of the handset, offering a few more features, a subtly different style and the same usability as previous BlackBerrys.

Finished in grey and black, the edges of the 8310 are made from a rubber-like plastic. In addition to adding style, we also found it tactile, easier to grip and robust.

As with previous models, the wide display is ideal for reading documents and webpages. It measures 2.5-inches, and features an ambient light sensor, dimming it in darker conditions to save on battery life. Under regular use, we found the Curve lasted for a couple of days between charges.

Ease of use

Under the screen, you'll find similar navigation buttons to the BlackBerry Pearl, with an easy-to-use and accurate roller-ball, flanked by menu and back buttons. The QWERTY keypad offers well-spaced keys that move with a reassuring click sound, letting you know your actions have registered. Secondary buttons are highlighted in black, and are easily activated by pressing the function key.

As with all BlackBerrys, the Curve excels when it comes to email, being one of the easiest devices to set up. It's possible to configure up to ten email accounts.

Web browsing isn't as fast as on some rivals, as the 8310 doesn't use 3G/HSDPA. There's also no Wi-Fi. However, with support for EDGE (Enhanced Data Rates for GSM Evolution), we still found pages loaded relatively quickly.

Features

This device is crammed with features, making it a viable replacement for your regular phone. Despite the small size, there's an integrated GPS chip, so you'll be able to use it as a satellite navigation tool.

Google Maps are pre-installed, and our Vodafone-based handset also offered Telmap navigation software.

There's also a 2-megapixel camera in place, with an integrated flash. We found quality was reasonable, and there's a dedicated shutter button on the side of the body. There's also an easy-to-control music and video application, letting you use the 8310 as a portable media player. To this end, the built-in 64MB of Flash memory may appear slightly restrictive, but there's also a Micro-SD card reader, letting you add a further 2GB of storage.

Aside from the lack of 3G and Wi-Fi, there's little to criticise here. The BlackBerry Curve 8310 is compact, stylish and offers plenty of features.

T-Mobile Ameo

tech.co.uk staff — 1188514800

Following the launch of the UMPC (Ultra Mobile PC) last year, we've seen a variety of portable products that attempt to offer better usability in a portable package.

T-Mobile's Ameo (£80 inc. VAT) sits between the UMPC and Pocket PC, combining 3G connectivity, a 5-inch touchscreen display and a removable QWERTY keyboard.

It comes bound in a leather case and looks like a small diary when closed. It can be used with or without the keyboard and navigation can be done with a joystick or via the display.

The screen is one of the best we've seen on a device this small, offering bright, vibrant and sharp images. There's plenty of space onscreen for viewing webpages, documents or even movies. A VGA adapter also lets you plug in an external monitor.

The keyboard holds the Ameo at an angle so you can see the screen when typing. Strong magnets keep it in place, and when not in use it can be clipped across the display, offering protection.

Surprisingly fast typing speeds can be achieved once you get used to the keyboard. The keys are well spaced, but still slightly too small for touch-typing. They also lack travel, so it's difficult to know if you've pressed hard enough.

Perhaps the most impressive thing about this product is the range of features included - from a SiRF Star III GPS chip to Bluetooth. It also has a 3-megapixel camera on the rear, and a VGA camera on the front for video calls.

Bulky dimensions

Although you can use it to call people, it's too large to use as a mobile phone, weighing in at 375g, but with a microphone and loudspeakers in place, it's easy to talk with the device sat on your desk.

A wireless adapter is also built in, so you'll be able to connect to networks and take advantage of cheap VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) calls.

The Ameo runs Windows Mobile 5.0 instead of the resource-intensive Windows Vista or XP and can be updated to Mobile 6.0 if necessary. With a 624MHz Intel Xscale processor in place, performance is far more usable than you'll find on its UMPC rivals. There's little lag, and you can be working within seconds of turning it on.

There's also plenty of storage space on offer, with an 8GB hard drive in place. If you need more space, a SDHC (Secure Digital High Capacity) compatible card reader is fitted.

The Ameo's keyboard would benefit vastly from a longer travel to the keys, and we'd like to see Windows Mobile 6.0 installed. However, it's a step in the right direction, and we could imagine using it for long stints.

Just Mobile Roky 2

tech.co.uk staff — 1178838000

The Roky 2 (£70 inc. VAT) is a full Qwerty keyboard that is fully compatible with all PDA operating systems, but just happens to be made of 100 per cent fabric. All but the Bluetooth receiver attached to one end that is. There is even a separate stand for you to slip your PDA into.

You'll need to install the drivers on your PDA and, being Bluetooth, you'll need to pair it with your device. We found this a bit tricky at first, but once you've got them talking, the keyboard works smoothly enough. Being fabric you simply have to touch the key to respond and at first we found it a little strange.

The Roky 2 would feel more natural if there was actually a little weight to the keys - a thicker tab inside, for instance. Other than this, it's a great device that takes up less space than a conventional stowaway keyboard.

Vodafone Blackberry 7100v

tech.co.uk staff — 1175209200

Even now, email remains the internet's killer application. So wouldn't it be rather compelling if you could receive it as soon as it's sent, just as quickly as you'd get an email at work or on broadband? We're email junkies ourselves. A few hours away from our mail results in nervousness about what we might have been sent. It's an addiction. One we need to feed.

Of course, business people with this addiction have long been able to get a fix of email on the go. The original Blackberry was conceived as a portable email machine with a miniature keyboard. However, it was nothing like a mobile phone - apart from the fact that it connected to a mobile network to send and receive data, of course.

But now Blackberry has realised that it can combine the compelling immediacy of its older products together inside a conventional mobile phone shell. The first result of this - at least for the UK market - is the 7100. This particular model is the 7100v and, in the obviously likely event you were wondering what the 'v' means, it stands for Vodafone. The 't' model will also be available by the time you read this and, rather unsurprisingly, that will be connected to T-Mobile.

Blackberry is undoubtedly the new cool; Palm, Symbian and Nokia have all said they will support Blackberry tech in future. Defying our early impression, the 7100v is an impressive smartphone - it looks and handles like a conventional mobile.

We had early reservations simply because we're great fans of the established smartphones such as the recently reviewed Sony-Ericsson P910i and the Microsoft Windows Mobile powered Orange SPV C500.

These players have learnt an awful lot since they first launched into the smartphone market and, while the 7100v is controlled by a easy-to-get-used-to selection button and jog wheel on the side of the device, it's true to say that we didn't get on with it quite as well as we did with Sony Ericsson's Symbian system or Windows Smartphone 2003. As you'd expect, the OS on the 7100v has also been skinned to look smart in Vodafone Live!-style livery.

One aspect of the phone that's not quite as intuitive is the keyboard. Yep, you're looking at it right, instead of a conventional phone keypad, the 7100v has a QWERTY keyboard by putting two-letters on a key.

Blackberry has obviously been beavering away on a new buzzword for this; SureType, which basically means that the company has thought at great length about where the keys should go. And, of course what to do if you need a ! or a £. Essentially only you know if you'd get on with it. But, it has to be said that it's typical of the innovation that Blackberry brings to a phone.

Feature-wise, the 7100v is a treat. Bluetooth is included, though Wi-Fi is lacking. The email function is brilliant. Business types can use fancy Exchange servers, but you can also set up a conventional email account. Simply choose an email address and it's associated with your handset in a minute or two via its IMEI number. No configuration is necessary and you can send and receive emails immediately. And, since it's permanently connected to your mail, you'll receive your mail in your pocket as soon as it's sent to you.

The handset price is dependent on tariff, in conventional mobile style, and includes a certain amount of email bandwidth.

Nokia 770 Internet Tablet with Navicore

tech.co.uk staff — 1171843200

The increasing popularity of smartphones and Pocket PCs has more people than ever browsing the internet on their mobile devices. For those who find the displays on such devices too small, Nokia's 770 Internet Tablet could be the answer. Not only does it offer a decent-sized display for web browsing, in the form of a 4.1-inch touchscreen, it's also available with a GPS bundle, turning it into a satellite navigation device.

As a telephone manufacturer, you may expect Nokia's 770 to be 3G-compatible. It's not, and the Internet Tablet relies on either 802.11b/g wireless or Bluetooth to connect to the internet. This is slightly inconvenient, but we did find it incredibly simple to set up connections. Everything about the 770 is intuitive; the menus are easy to navigate, while a series of hardware buttons give it one-click functionality.

Web addresses and information can be entered using either an onscreen Qwerty keyboard or handwriting recognition software. We found the latter difficult and time-consuming to use, with the system frequently misreading characters entered. The 770 is capable of internet radio and RSS feeds, and you'll find email software included.

There's support for Google messenger, along with VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol). Once connected to the internet, you'll be able to use the 770's microphone and speaker to chat to your friends for free, as long as they are on the same ISP account. Unfortunately, the 770 lacks calendar and office functions. It will play media files, and if you run out of space, an RS-MMC (Reduced-Sized Multimedia Card) card reader enables expandability.

The compatible Navicore GPS kit allows you to make full use of the 770's excellent screen. The kit includes everything you need to turn the Nokia into a sat-nav device - including attachments to fix it to your car's windscreen and an in-car charger. You'll also find an external Bluetooth GPS SiRF Star III Module.

Installing and running the software for the first time is not intuitive, although the quickstart guide suggests it to be a simple process. You'll find mapping for Europe provided by Tele Atlas, which includes points of interest, traffic congestion warnings and re-routing options. The maps are bright and clear, although full postcode entry is not supported.

The Nokia 770 is a useful device, and the addition of a sat-nav kit broadens its appeal. However, the lack of SIM card means you'll have to carry your mobile or stay in range of a wireless network, taking the edge off its practicality.

BE-EZ LA Robe

tech.co.uk staff — 1169164800

Laptop protection is big business and this designer sleeve for your laptop is made from Low Resistance Polyurethane (LRPu), which means it will take the impact of any accidental drop or crush and then will expand back into its original shape.

As most sleeves tend to be made of neo-prene, the same material used for diving wetsuits, this has a far more sophisticated look and feel to it. Available in three colours, you can have one to match your luggage or your mood.

Be-ez suggests its cases are for MacBook laptops but will suit any machine, with a range of sizes available. Our sample was suitable for a 13-inch machine.

Befitting a sleeve, it's a snug fit and while we initially felt it was too much style and not enough function, the LA Robe certainly lived up to expectations.

HP iPaq rw6815 Personal Messenger

tech.co.uk staff — 1169164800

HP's iPaq has always offered a good range of features, and excellent usability, but has long been lacking in style. The iPaq rw6815 Personal Messenger (£365 inc. VAT) attempts to address this.

Finished in silver, with splashes of chrome, it looks more like a smartphone than Pocket PC. It's a connected device, and features a 2.7-inch touchscreen with a 240 x 320-pixel resolution.

Images are sharp, and colours vibrant. We found the display responsive, although too small to write comfortably on. When it comes to using the device as a phone, call quality is excellent, but dialling using the onscreen buttons is awkward, as it can't be done without looking at the display.

The Windows Mobile 5.0 Phone Edition software can be navigated using hardware buttons below the screen. Processing power comes from a 412MHz Intel chip, and we found it to be proficient for most tasks. With a total 192MB of memory, there's enough space for plenty of data. If you want to store large video or music files, you'll find a mini-SD card reader built-in.

The standard array of Windows Mobile applications are included. EDGE technology enables fast connections to the internet via Internet Explorer Mobile.

Wireless connectivity is excellent, with an 802.11b Wi-Fi adapter for connecting to networks, and both infrared and Bluetooth for transferring files to other devices.

There's a 2-megapixel camera on the back of the handset that takes photographs of reasonable quality.

We found the latest iPaq to be genuinely useful. Its small size allows you to use it both as a phone and Pocket PC, although the change to a smaller form factor has compromised usability slightly.

HP iPaq hw6915

tech.co.uk staff — 1164931200

You'll find a great collection of features in HP's new iPaq hw6915.

How does this list sound? GPS with navigation software, 1.3-megapixel camera, quadband GSM phone, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, all built into a Windows Mobile device with a physical keyboard and a 76mm colour screen. Pretty much all of the current gadgetry, but the test of HP's iPaq hw6915 is not what it's got, but how all the bits integrate in one device.

Phone facilities are good, and you can use the device as a regular mobile, holding it up your ear, or with a Bluetooth headset. Bluetooth connection is almost effortless and the iPaq paired with various headsets without issue. It also picked up our wireless network and was onto the Internet immediately once we told it could use the link.

The camera is built into the back of the device and is easy to use - you simply press a button on the left-hand side, which doubles as a power button and shutter release. You frame your pictures with the iPaq held sideways and results are up to the quality of most camera phones.

Messaging comes down to how easily you can use the QWERTY keypad positioned underneath the display. We found it tricky to get at individual keys, and had to use thumbnails rather than thumbs, but perhaps we're just ham-fisted. You still have the on-screen keyboard and stylus as an alternative.

TomTom navigation software comes pre-installed on the device, with a map of primary routes covering the whole country at motoring navigation scale. You also get one detailed map to download into the iPaq; select the city you're interested in and the map covers an area of about 50 miles around it.

The GPS receiver is internal and there's no aerial to flip up or backpack to clip on. Under test, it appeared sensitive and pinpointed our position on the detailed map, even when switched on in a deeply rural area. Only 192MB of memory is provided, so you may need to add a Mini SD card if you use a lot of maps.

The design of the HP iPaq hw6915 is sound and most aspects work well. We're still unsure about the ergonomics of the button keyboard, but it's no worse than others of its breed. Otherwise, though, this PDA does well at integrating virtually all of the facilities you could want in a handheld device. Simon Williams

Sony Ericsson M600i

tech.co.uk staff — 1154386800

When you ask a user what they want most from a smartphone, the answer is likely to involve it looking and feeling more like a mobile phone. The M600i satisfies both these requirements.

It has a large colour screen with a hybrid keyboard underneath. Data entry is performed either by pressing the keys to the right or left, or through handwriting recognition on the screen.

The keyboard actually works better than you might imagine at first glance, with a powerful predictive text engine, though it favours those with dainty fingers. The same goes for working with the 2.6-inch screen. If you have large handwriting, then you won't get many words on the screen.

Synchronising with your PC before you leave the office, and then using it for reference and quick messages, is the best way to make the most of the device.

That said, the implementation of the Symbian operating system on the device is very well done, with most features available in one or two clicks. The use of Sony's Jog-Dial makes working through menus very fast, so finding the details you want to look at can easily be accomplished with one hand.

Less of a multimedia device than other Sony Ericsson phones, the M600i doesn't have a camera, though in true Sony style it does have players for music and videos and can cope with most email attachments.

Speaking of which, email is very well implemented allowing for POP3 and BlackBerry emails through either GPRS or UMTS. The phone has 80MB of built-in storage and a 64MB Mini-Memory Stick to allow a large number of emails, or a small number of multimedia files, to travel with you.

If size is a priority, then you'll certainly be drawn to the M600i. We were impressed with how well it handled and it bodes well for the future.