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Let me name some of its features: a smartphone equipped with the latest version of Windows Mobile OS, Wi-Fi and EDGE support, fine display with a resolution of 240 × 320 pixels, size and weight comparable to the ones of standard mobile phones. This is all Qtek 8310 - one of the best smartphones on the current market. What''s more, it hits the market at an attractive price.

Key features
small dimensions and low weight
Wi-Fi
brilliant display
smooth synchronization
fast phonebook
good email client and internet browser
good price
Main disadvantages
no 3G
delayed reactions in some cases
memory card under the battery
no calls recording
relatively limited memory space
few visible innovations in the new OS version
low-quality camera application
Let me start this review in a way similar to the one I used in the review of the communicator Qtek 9100 several weeks ago. Today I am holding another device manufactured by the Taiwanese HTC - a company, whose products can be found under various names all over the world. Qtek 8310 is its main product as the manufacturer uses it as its own brand. The same device, yet with different outlook and under different name and brand, is being sold by many other companies too - i-mate SP5 and O2 XDA Orion to name a few. Among professionals this device is known as HTC Tornado, which is basically a manufacturing code indication.

What can be done with Qtek 8310?
Qtek 8310 is a smartphone or, in other words, a device based on a mobile phone, which features OS and the functions of a pocket computer. Qtek 8310 works with Windows Mobile version 5.0.

The device is meant exclusively for work. There is no objective reason to buy Qtek 8310 or similar types of smartphones, unless you need to organize your time or you have hundreds of contacts, or you have to have constant access to the internet. However, if you are interested in at least one of the latter options, then take Qtek 8310 into serious consideration.

Due to its functional equipment Qtek 8310 has climbed up to the very top of our chart, which uses a special comparative method and is organized from the best to the worse. Qtek 8310 has outrun more than 200 mobile phones. In this respect, it was a true surprise to find out that Qtek 8310 has hit the market at a price close to 400 euro.

Descent outlook
Qtek 8310 is a classic phone in terms of construction. Even though it is smart, its dimensions are comparable to those of common mobile phones. Due to its size (108 × 46 × 18 mm) and weight (106 g) the phone can be defined as small and medium-heavy phone. In fact, up to this moment there has never been such a small and light smartphone on the mobile market. Have a look at the size and weight of some popular models for comparison:

Nokia 6230i: 103 × 44 × 20 mm, 99 g
Sony Ericsson K750: 100 × 46 × 21 mm, 99 g
Nokia N70: 109 × 53 × 24 mm, 126 g
Sony Ericsson P910: 115 × 58 × 26 mm, 155 g
The design of the phone is descent; it lacks any trace of extravagancy. I would even dare label it as boring. The front dark panel is divided into two parts - the display on one hand, and the keypad on the other. The whole upper part of the front cover is black. Lighter margins are the only elements that liven up the overall outlook of the device. Both the display and the black area above it are quite glossy, in result of which every single fingerprint becomes immediately visible. The keypad is matt.

The device seems more interesting when looked at abeam or from the back. The edges on the back are rounded and thus allow for a very comfortable handhold. Although all covers are plastic, the back ones have a soft bronze metal outlook and are really pleasant to touch. To make the rear side of the device look less monotonous, the manufacturer has decorated it with a black panel, where the camera lens is located.

The phone has brilliant construction: it is solid and none of its parts give out creaky sounds. Even if some keys sounded creaky at the beginning, they worked in with the time.

One of the best displays ever
It is appreciable that mobile phones'' manufacturers have started to equip their top-class models with displays of QVGA resolution, i.e. 240 × 320 pixels. This high resolution has long been used in pocket computers only. Nowadays, it is implemented onto a much smaller surface, which results into the picture being extremely fine
Qtek 8310''s display is able to show only 65K colors. They may not seem enough, given the fact that competitive smartphones are able to show 262K colors, but in reality you will not tell the difference, even if you had both displays placed one next to another. The important factor here is the resolution. The display of Qtek 8310 is 34 × 55 mm big. It is active, of the TFT type.

The display is very good. It is bright and clearly visible from any point of view. Some energy could have been saved, if it was possible to adjust the brightness level, but it is not. Instead, you can set the time, in which the backlight is to go out or switch the display off completely.

The display is really high-class one and fits in plenty of information. If you switch back to a display of resolution of 176 × 220 pixels, once you have worked with the Qtek 8310''s display, the former looks rough and dull. High resolution does not slow down Qtek 8310''s application speed. A little bit further down we will be talking about certain delays, which are however caused by the OS, not by the display.

Keypad: you will get used to it
The keypad is divided into three parts. Just below the display you will see a narrow bar with four functional keys. It took me some time before I got used to their size, as they are quite tiny, but now I find them fine. These keys are glossy, just like the display and the black surface around it.

On the contrary, the functional section and the number keys are matt and a little bit brownish. I cannot help myself and share a particular feeling of mine with you - when I touch this type of material with my nails, I shiver all over. The sound is similar to the swish a felt-tip pen gives out when in touch with paper. Apart from this, the keys are brilliant; they are solid and precise, their reaction is soft, accompanied by a low sound.

Functional keys are to be found not only in the narrow bar below the display, but also around the joystick. The latter is surrounded by the red and the green receivers, and by two other keys for quick access to the phonebook and the message box. Unfortunately, their functions are not possible to change directly from the main menu. Instead, Windows Mobile provides various hacks to help you solve this problem. The phonebook itself does not need any helping tools as it works fast and smoothly.

The joystick is good too. Even though I would have appreciated a four-way navigating button instead, the joystick is precise and easy to manage. A press on the joystick confirms user''s choice. As for the number keys, they are comfortable enough.

The keypad backlighting is white and relatively even. A long press on the red button locks the keypad. When you press a random key when the keypad is locked, the display lights up showing a huge clock and the date. Comfortable, indeed.Once again
There are several slots above the display. The speaker is hidden under the outer indicating LEDs, behind the middle slots. The LEDs blink when the phone is connected to GSM, when it is in a Wi-Fi or Bluetooth mode, when it is being charged etc. The switch-off button is located on the top side. When you short-press it, the context menu with the relevant profiles appear on the display. In the context menu you will also find an option for locking the entire smartphone as well as an airplane mode. The infrared port is located next to the switch-off button.

The swing key that is to be found on the left side of the phone controls the volume of the earphones and turns down the ringtone. A short press on the button located above the swing key opens the Comm Manager program, which quickly switches on and off the transmitting units: the GSM module, Bluetooth and Wi-Fi. A long-press on the same button starts the voice recorder.

The button on the right side of the phone controls the camera application. Unfortunately, pictures taken in a landscape mode are displayed vertically. What''s worse, the location of the camera control button requires using your left hand and is therefore quite inconvenient.

Right next to the camera lens on the rear side of the phone there is a tiny mirror for making self-portraits. A bit further you will see a rubber cover, which protects the connector for the external antenna. The miniUSB system connector, through which you can also charge Qtek 8310 from the computer, is located on the bottom side of the device. Next to it is the 2.5mm jack for the earphones.

Qtek 8310 is powered by a Li-Ion battery of capacity of 1150 mAh. According to the official information provided by the manufacturer this smartphone has a stand-by of up to 250 hours and 5 hours of phone calls. As usual, do not expect me to give you precise battery life estimation, for it is a subjective matter, which depends fully on the way the phone is used (well: various users around the world speak about approximately three days). Qtek 8310 gets charged in about three hours.

The space under the battery is appropriated for the SIM card and (unfortunately) for the miniSD memory card. For this reason it is necessary to switch off the smartphone every time you need to exchange the memory card. What a pity, isn''t it... Besides, no memory card is included in the original package of the phone.

Not enough memory
During the installment process Qtek 8310 proudly reveals all its equipment strengths. This is how you get to know that it has a Texas Instruments OMAP850 processor, working at 195 MHz. The system of memory distribution took me a significant amount of time to puzzle out. The difficulty lies in the fact that memory in this smartphone is handled in a slightly different way than in Windows Mobile for PocketPC. In Qtek 8310 the memory for both programs and data is fixed in a proportion of 45 : 18 MB, i.e. a total of 64 MB. As you can see, memory assigned to data is much too little. This, of course, makes the purchase of an additional memory card inevitable. Although according to official sources the RAM memory also has 64 MB, in reality it is much less. When you close all programs, what you have left is no more than 24 MB. In other words, the OS itself uses up to 2/3 of the entire memory.

The difference between Windows Mobile 5.0 and its older version is not visible at first sight. The main display of the new version offers an active desktop with important information and options:

the icons of the last run programs for a quicker start
operator''s name; clock and date
missed calls
pending events from the calendar
active ringtone
number of emails in each email account
All elements are active. A press on the event section gets you into the calendar. An exception to the rule is the bar, where the clock and the operator''s name are displayed. It would have been handy if the alarm clock was also possible to open from here. The latter is still hidden far deep in the menu structure of the phone. Besides, the list of details on the main display quoted above is not definitive and is a subject to modifications. Windows Mobile has several preinstalled graphic themes, but it can also look in a completely different way, as its main screen is defined in a XML file.
In the bottom bar there are two soft buttons for the functions selected by the narrow keys below the display. In the very top part of the display there is a bar with the status icons.

Windows Mobile 5.0 comes with a new main menu. Once again, it is a several-page list, whose items are not possible to move (unless you want to play with the registry). Unlike the older version the list is not a text one, but a matrix of 3 × 3 icons. The keys can be for fast selection. What''s more, each icon can be assigned a key shortcut (up to 99 possibilities) as well as a voice label.

The list of items in the second level menu is a text one. Letters placed at the beginning of each line are listed in an alphabetic order. Yet, I did not manage to understand the sense of it for they cannot be used as shortcuts.The working speed of Qtek 8310 is not bad at all. In general, this smartphone reacts in a flash. Yet, each rule has its exceptions: the first one applies to the status after the device has been started. The start itself is relatively fast, but applications'' loading is extremely slow. The same problem occurs when programs are first started. The messaging application is especially problematic, for it takes long 6 seconds to get under way. From user''s point of view, however, all shortcomings mentioned above can be considered minor, because once programs have been loaded into the memory, they stay there. The pity is that from time to time the 5.0 version of Windows Mobile - similar to its forerunners - tends to unreasonably slow down.

I tried out various applications that were originally created for the older version of Windows Mobile in Qtek 8310 and they all worked smoothly. Yet, I cannot guarantee that all programs you decide to use in this smartphone will function without problems.

Communication and data
Qtek 8310 supports all four GSM frequencies. It offers GPRS and EDGE, both of which are Class 10. The phone lacks 3G support.

The smartphone is connected to a computer through a USB cable. Although this is the fastest connection method Qtek 8310 has to offer, the standard USB 1.1 has already been outdone. Wireless communication is backed up by the infrared port and Bluetooth. As a matter of fact, work with Bluetooth in the environment of Windows Mobile is still somewhat complicated in comparison with common mobile phones or those equipped with Symbian. After all, establishing an internet connection with Qtek 8310 through the USB cable or the infrared port is not a task for beginners either.

The Wi-Fi support of 802.11b standard is quite interesting for it is a true premiere in the world of mobile phones (left out the communicators).

So what does Wi-Fi in a mobile phone serve for? It provides access to the web and other internet functions. Every time Qtek 8310 detects a new Wi-Fi net, it asks you, whether you want to establish a connection (a feature that can be deactivated to user''s will). It supports all standard security methods.

Even if Wi-Fi is known to be quite energy-intensive, in this particular case it does not seem to have any great impact on the battery life of the phone, probably due to its system demand control. After a certain preset period of time the phone switches off by itself and does not start before a new request has been sent. The period of inactivity, after which the Wi-Fi is to switch off automatically, is also possible to adjust.

Wi-Fi support is extremely important for smart mobile phones and I definitely want it present in my next mobile phone.

And what about Skype - is it functional? For the moment, there is only a version for Pocket PC with touch screen. Transferring this function into a smartphone through a minor modification is not a problem, but once you have done so, the program asks you to tap on the display. In other words there were too many obstacles to overcome, so I finally decided that Skype was not worth all the efforts.

Data from the phone are synchronized with the PC with the help of an application called ActiveSync. Qtek 8310 synchronizes mainly with Microsoft Outlook, but favorite items and files can be transferred as well. The cable connection is fast enough, but still somewhat slower in comparison with the older version of ActiveSync, which deals with the system in a different way. Since Microsoft software communicates with Microsoft software during the synchronizing process, Qtek 8310 makes use of all detailed options of the bigger Outlook, which otherwise tend to be passed over by all phone manufacturers without exception. A typical example is the event status in the calendar.

Calls
The call sound is generally good, even though I myself find it a bit sharp. It becomes especially pleasant when the built-in handsfree is activated. During an ongoing call the relevant phone number and the call duration appear on the display. You can turn down the speaker, hold on the call, or access any application from the menu. Unfortunately, the phone does not permit you to make voice records as the relevant key is not active while a call is going on.

The call log is the same for all types of calls. Separate calls are displayed in a column and are labeled with an icon. In case of need you can activate the filter to be used within the group of missed calls only. Items do not cumulate, so all missed calls get displayed, even if they come from the same phone number.

All incoming calls get marked on the display by virtue of caller''s name and company, their phone number, the type of number (abbreviation like mobile, for example) and a small picture. Of course, all these details appear only if the information about the contact person has been entered into the phonebook. Outgoing calls work in a very similar way, with the graphic environment being the only difference. There is however one strange thing: when the opposite side ends the call, Qtek 8310 reacts with delay and for several seconds does as if the call is still going on. Luckily, this does not happen with incoming calls.

The best phonebook in a mobile phone
The phonebook of the Windows Mobile smartphones is exquisite. Searching is facilitated by a system, whose functions resemble the ones of T9. You have to simply start to write the name of the searched contact, pressing each button only once, not repeatedly. The phone starts to filter the phonebook immediately: it searches by first and last name; it even goes through the calls records. Searching is lightning fast and - as far as phonebook work is concerned - leaves all competitors of Windows Mobile OS far behind.

The phonebook capacity is shared. It is not limited by the number of saved names. Each contact can fit in up to 55 fields, including such details like birthday or assistant''s contact information. Each name can be assigned a separate ringing melody and a picture, which gets displayed as a tiny icon when a call is initiated (not in a full-screen mode, unfortunately). Name contacts can be sent through the infrared port or Bluetooth, but not by a SMS. Qtek 8310 supports voice dial.

The setting of Qtek 8310''s ringing is divided into profiles configuration and sound configuration. Within the former one you can select your preferred ringing type (for example, a combination of vibration and melody) and the desired volume level. Within the latter one you can select particular ringtones, which can have various formats, including MP3 (a tip: make sure you save them in the \Application Data\Sounds folder or in the My Documents folder on the memory card). The phone can set special sounds for the following items: alerts, emails, SMS, quick messages, alerts from the SIM Toolkit etc. Ringing profiles do not support call filtering.

Messaging
If the application, which covers all types of messages, is not loaded in the memory, it often requires several seconds to get started. Individual accounts are organized in a horizontal list: SMS, MMS, Outlook messages, email accounts for POP3/IMAP4 connection. The design of this section is all but attractive.

The SMS editor is very simple. First you enter the number of the recipient or you select it from the phonebook, then you start to write the SMS itself. The editor counts the signs written from the beginning and alerts you on how many extensive messages the entire SMS is divided into. Advice of delivery is setup either centrally, or individually, for each SMS. The editor also provides 9 samples of frequent answers.

Qtek 8310 uses T9. The T9 dictionary offers most frequently used words on first positions and learns new words in the writing process.

As far as the MMS application is concerned, it is evident, that Microsoft is not its direct creator. It uses another type of graphics, as well as a different menu style for picture and video selection. The MMS editor in Qtek 8310 works in a way similar to any other mobile phone and thus needs no further comment.

Email: three in one
Work with emails in Windows Mobile 5.0 can be divided into three sections. The first one covers automatic synchronization of emails and other databases (contacts, calendar) with the Microsoft Exchange server through GPRS/EDGE/Wi-Fi. This method is the most comfortable of all.

The second option available includes synchronizing emails with Outlook through the application ActiveSync. Standard synchronization includes only the folder with delivered mail, but you can also select particular subfolders (an option available directly from the smartphone). All folders, including sent and deleted post, are possible to synchronize too. You just need to select the number of the past days, the maximum size of the email that is to be synchronized and - if need be - attachments. If the message is bigger, only a part of it gets transferred into the phone. A download of an entire bigger document including the attachments is also permitted, but it requires a separate setup. New messages prepared in this email profile get sent during the following synchronization through ActiveSync. At the same time, all messages deleted in the phone are taken out from the server too.

The last option available is downloading emails saved on remote servers through POP3/IMPA4 protocols. Windows Mobile supports SSL connection as well as verification in the outgoing mail server. Once again, you can select whether all emails or only those from the last days (3, 5, 7, 30 days) should be downloaded as well as what their maximum size should be (headers only, an entire message, the first 500, 1000 or 5000 bytes etc.). Emails can be downloaded either manually, or by a regular check of your message box, for example once in 15 minutes, half an hour, an hour, every two or six hours, or once a day.

The message preview reveals the sender name and the email subject. Time and date are optional and can be set additionally. Further details and the text itself are displayed once the message has been opened. You can respond to the sender or to all contact people as well as forward your message.

Qtek 8310 and the Web
The built-in pocket Internet Explorer is good. It uses a relatively small font and is thus able to fit plenty of information, also thanks to the high resolution of the display. Qtek 8310 offers a full-screen mode too. There are five font sizes to choose from. Thanks to the ClearType technology letters are smoothed and easy-to-read.

Internet Explorer opens pages in three different modes. The Column mode fits in all information horizontally, so it is not necessary to move the page to the right or to the left. The Desktop mode works in the very opposite way: the page content is distributed in a way similar to the one on a PC screen. The last mode is called Home and fits in somewhere between the first two modes.

The browser is relatively fast, with its speed being dependent on the size and the structure of the page being opened. If you want to speed it up, deactivate pictures. This is not necessary, however, if connection is established through Wi-Fi. Explorer manages favorite items, which are consequently synchronized with the PC. It also features a list of all viewed pages. Simultaneous work with several windows is still not possible.

Time organizer: no changes
Alarm clock in Windows Mobile 5.0 is once again hidden deep down in the menu. It is located in Settings in the second-level menu. It does not permit assigning a special key shortcut. The alarm clock is simple. It allows for only one time to be setup and then activated or deactivated. The alarm is played every day. Attention: it does not sound when the phone is switched off. Obviously, this situation calls for a better application.

The calendar seems to be quite simple at first sight. Do not expect any graphic hellbender. The overview in the calendar is traditional. The month view is practically useless. As for the week view, it does nothing else but to give a quick orientation. The most useful view seems to be the Agenda, where all events under a certain date are displayed in a vertical list accompanied by a name, time and place (provided it has been entered).

Further details, like a text note, for example, appear after you click on the event. Within the editing options the following items are available: subject, date and time of the start and the end of the record, all-day event, place, alert, repeating, status (out of the office, for example), security and text note.
The task manager is even simpler. It only allows you to insert a note and then mark it off, once it has been done. No additional terms or alerts assigning is possible. All task details get transferred exclusively by synchronizing. And again, once transferred into Qtek 8310, they cannot be edited further on.
Camera and multimedia: poor results
The quality of the pictures taken with Qtek 8310 is very poor, even though the camera has a resolution of 1280 × 1024 pixels. I consider Qtek 8310 to be one of the worst megapixel photo mobiles ever. All pictures it makes - from common ones to landscapes and macro ones are extremely poor. Yet, I have to recognize the fact, that pictures look quite reasonable on the display. Video records'' quality is average too. The maximum format available here is 176 × 144 pixels.

See the sample video from Qtek 8310.

Pictures and video records are viewed through an application called Pictures and videos. They are previewed in a 3 × 3 matrix. Pictures can be additionally modified using the editor: you can cut them or turn them around, or you can apply auto enhancement.

Qtek 8310 music options, on the other hand, are significantly better. There is no radio, but the MP3 player offered within the Windows Media OS is efficient enough. The phone is delivered together with simple plug-in earphones. The connector jack is 2.5 mm and is atypically four-pole. On one hand, this solution is convenient for it supports the sliding volume controller located on the earphones and allows for the earphones to be used as a handsfree set. On the other hand, it excludes the option of plugging in an alternative type of earphones. The sound provided by the original earphones is quite bad. As expected, it lacks bass elements and its heights are much too accentuated.

The Windows Media application allows watching stream video, as well.

Office: nothing from Microsoft
Contrary to the Windows Mobile version for PDA, the Windows Mobile OS for smartphones does not have an application, which views (not to mention edit) office documents. Instead, Qtek 8310 is equipped with a set of applications called ClearVue delivered on a CD.

ClearVue Document: It opens documents created in Microsoft Word. Unfortunately, this browser is designed to show pages on the small display in the original layout, which makes the usage of the joystick inevitable. Viewing document''s content as a plain text would have definitely been more practical. ClearVue Worksheet: A useful application for viewing spreadsheets in Microsoft Excel. Its disadvantage is the lack of a full-screen viewing option as line and column headers eat up a lot of space.

ClearVue PDF: It is meant to open PDF files, but it fails to do so.

ClearVue PPT: This program opens presentations in PowerPoint.

ClearVue browsers are not fully reliable for they do not manage to open everything. They refuse to open documents in PDF format for example. Let''s hope that Microsoft will soon implement its own browsers into smartphones.

And more
Below I am offering you a list of applications from the main menu, which have not been mention so far.

Games: We know Solitaire and Bubble Breaker from older devices featuring Windows Mobile. As a matter of fact, I would expect Microsoft to present its platform options through more advanced titles.

Calculator: Still primitive and non user-friendly. Here the manufacturer could have made some innovations too.

Midlet Manager: Qtek 8310 supports Java and is very efficient due to its fast processor. In this application you will find a list of all installed midlets.
Pocket MSN: This is a pocket version of the PC MSN application, which allows for instant messaging through MSN service.
Task Manager: Windows Mobile closes applications only when it requires more memory space than is currently available. The Task Manager helps switch from one application to another and closes applications individually or in bulk.

SIM Toolkit: Its icon is named after the SIM card you have placed in the phone. Items are non-traditionally distributed into two columns.

Excellent quality for reasonable price
As a matter of fact, I have not seen a phone that would not have any defects or minuses so far. In this sense, Qtek 8310 is no exception to the rule. It features plenty of cons we could complain about as well as applications that could have been thought out in a more appropriate way. However, if we sum up all pros and cons, it comes out that, at least on paper, Qtek 8310, a basically non-brand product, is currently the best mobile phone on the market.

Of course, everyone has different expectations, so do not take my best phone ever statement point-blank. There are people who do not like smartphones as well as such, who do not feel comfortable using the rigorous environment of Windows Mobile. Then again, there are users, who prefer to join the big Symbian S60 community. Anyway, if you are looking for a top-class phone and you mean to work with it, Qtek 8310 should be present on your decision list. Another fact in favor of this phone is its price of approximately 410 euro.

Package content
phone
battery
charger
USB cable
earphones (handsfree)
2 × CD
documentation



File Manager: It needs no comment, except for one detail - this application is smarter than the applications usually installed in the smartphones.

Windows Mobile only offers a simple voice recorder, but it is inappropriate for serious work. When voice notes are played, the sound is not possible to pause or play forward. The good news is that voice records can be used as ringtones.