The Slim and Svelte Qtek 8500 Smartphone

The RAZR V3 series of cell phones created a sensation when Motorola introduced them in late 2004. It became trendy to be seen with one, and celebrities, moms, and teenagers rushed out to get the cool new RAZR. Other cell phone manufactures took notice and developed their own super-thin, RAZR-inspired devices. Among them was High Tech Computer Corporation (HTC), the largest manufacturer of Pocket PCs and Smartphones.

I was in seventh heaven when HTC announced the StrTrk, a thin and stylish Windows Mobile 5.0 Smartphone. Targeted toward trendy "smart device" buyers, the StrTrk is a worldwide GSM phone with built-in Bluetooth, an expansion card slot, and above all, incredible looks.

Until quite recently, HTC was only involved with designing and manufacturing Windows Mobile devices for other vendors. Its devices would be re-branded and marketed by the likes of Hewlett-Packard, Dell, Cingular, T-Mobile, i-mate, and other companies.

HTC owns the "Qtek" brand name, which is distributed by Brightpoint and Dangaard to online vendors around the world. The unit I tested was a Qtek-branded version of the Str—Trkthe Qtek 8500 Smartphone. In the industry, HTC products are considered "best of breed," and the 8500 provides further support for that opinion. (HTC recently announced that they will begin to market devices under their own name. Qtek models currently in production (including the 8500) will be fully supported by HTC.)

Feels like a real phone—not a small brick!

While not quite as slim and lightweight as the Razr, the Qtek 8500 comes darn close. I own a number of Pocket PC Phone Edition devices, and I'm constantly aware of their bulk when carrying them. The 8500 fits easily into my pocket and is so lightweight that at times I almost forget it's there. And unlike some candy bar-style phones or devices with slide-out keyboards, the 8500 is comfortable to hold in your hand for an extended period of time. With some of the brick-like devices I've used, the size and weight of the phone make long calls a chore. But half-hour phone calls on the 3.5 ounce 8500 were easy. The Qtek 8500 feels like a real phone—not a small brick.

I use Logitech's Mobile Stereo Headset

Works like a phone—yet powerful as a PDA!

Unparalleled voice clarity, easy-to-use menus, and a solid body are some of its main features, but the strengths of the 8500 go deeper than that. The phone technologies used in the device are quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE radios, This means that you'll be able to use the phone anywhere in the world, and access data at mid- to high-level data connection speeds. I haven't dropped a call yet, and call quality is crystal clear.

One of the complaints I constantly receive from clients is that the process of making a phone call on a Pocket PC Phone Edition device is far too complicated. They have to pull out the stylus, open Contacts, type in the first or last part of the contact's name, hold the stylus down on the name to pop-up a menu, and finally tap on the "Dial" function. The Pocket PC is great for a thousand different things, but the current Phone Edition devices aren't really optimized for the single most important function of a phone—making a phone call!

The Qtek 8500 and other Windows Mobile Smartphones are much better at this. All I need to do is key in a portion of the contact's name or phone number on the alphanumeric keypad and boom—I'm there, ready to hit the Call button. The Qtek 8500 is based on the Window Mobile 5.0 for Smartphone software, which was designed from the ground up to be user friendly. The Smartphone does not incorporate a touch screen or require the use of a stylus. Instead, it utilizes soft keys and the alphanumeric keypad with built-in T9 predictive text input technology to enter data, allowing one-handed control of the device.