HTC gains market edge with multi-purpose cellphone

The K-Jam phones are also a music player, digital camera or internet device.

You have to give it to Taiwanese company HTC. They've taken the Windows Mobile operating system for cellphones and designed some great devices round it.

You won't see the HTC brand anywhere. The contract manufacturer markets its gadgets under the i-mate brand.

The availability for Vodafone customers of the Jasjar and K-Jam phone and handheld computer combos gives HTC a market edge. For Telecom subscribers, there is the HTC-built Apache, similar to the K-Jam.

If you're in the market for a phone that handles email, documents, music and web surfing, the sales pitch will begin with one of these HTC models.

Jasjar

It is the biggest phone on the market, but the Jasjar has just about everything you'll need in a phone and mobile computer.

When closed it's a 285g metallic notebook. Open, the screen reverses 180 degrees to landscape mode, revealing a stylish computer. It has a generous keyboard layout so using the Mobile versions of Word, Office and Powerpoint is realistic. You can be on the phone and reference documents, send email or surf the web as you speak. The 3G (third-generation) network on which the phone operates allows this.

A 3.6in screen with 65,000 colours displays the Windows Mobile 5.0 interface. The new Microsoft software is a fairly subtle update of the previous version, but the interface is much improved.

Versions of Outlook and Media Player work much as they always have done. There's now a setting for having email pushed to the phone arriving automatically, as with the Blackberry device.

The Jasjar has 64MB of memory for running functions, 128MB of flash storage and an SD slot for increasing storage. Applications load quickly and the comprehensive contacts and messaging suite syncs easily with your desktop copy of Outlook.

For connectivity, the phone has all bases covered: Bluetooth, infra-red, wi-fi, GPRS and 3G.

It's not convenient as a phone when shut because there's no external display. You can answer without reversing the screen but you won't know who is calling or be able to look at battery life or coverage strength.

Video calling is great and being able to lay the phone on a flat surface gives a steady picture. But the speaker phone option was disappointing.

I held a meeting huddled round the Jasjar talking to a colleague on the phone. The sound wasn't as good as with simpler handsets. It has a standard jack for adding a headset and a mini-USB connector for powering and syncing with the PC. A reasonable digital camera included can record video and still shots.

There is probably enough here to justify the Jasjar's $1999 price-tag, but that won't stop people baulking at paying that much. The idea is to wait for the good deals that will no doubt come. Once you own it, you will probably come to rely on it.

* Price: $1999
* Herald Rating: 8/10

K-Jam

This is a much lighter, smaller device that serves a better purpose as a phone, but is let down by the fact that it doesn't operate on the 3G, high-speed data network.

If you connect to the internet regularly or need email to download quickly, that's a shortcoming you'll want to carefully consider.

The K-Jam fits nicely in the hand and has a decent-sized screen which, like the Jasjar, switches to landscape mode when you slot out its hidden keyboard. Held with two hands, the K-Jam's keyboard becomes useful for sending quick texts and emails.

Windows Mobile 5.0 again offers a comprehensive phone and application software suite. Use the K-Jam as music player, digital camera or internet device. The inclusion of wi-fi networking means you can surf the web at wireless hotspots at speeds faster than the GPRS data service allows.

Bluetooth, infra-red and a mini-SD card slot make this a functional device and the calling quality is as good as any new phone I've used lately.

Worth considering when it dips below $1000.

* Price: $1599
* Herald Rating: 7/10