HTC Snap S511 Review
Oh 'Snap'- The new Windows Mobile Standard Phone for Sprint is here!
Sprint has recently acquired the new HTC Snap S511. It is a Windows Mobile Standard phone which sports the 6.1 edition but has a custom home screen to have slots made for your phone calls, texts, emails, music, photos, and more. I have owned this phone for a week now and I can say, coming from Palm OS, this phone is great. Like a lot of users, I was scared to venture to WinMo in fear of lag and having my phone freeze. This phone is the perfect phone for first time users. You will quickly adjust to it and learn the functions with ease. A couple of things I don't like are the finger prints that are constantly appearing on the phone and having to wipe them off, which can easily be fixed by buying a case. Let's get to the review.
Design
The Snap is a candy-bar phone that has a half-glossy, half-matted finish on the back. The glossy areas on the back are finger print magnets, as well as the front, so I would advise readers to buy a skin or a case for the phone so you won't wipe off fingerprints all day.
The keyboard, I'll admit, took some time to adjust to. Granted it is set up as a regular computer keyboard as far as the layout goes, the CAPS button is not normally placed by the A on QWERTY keyboards. When first using it, I've found myself repeatedly hitting caps instead of A. Now, after a week of owning it, I have adjusted to it. Also, some might have a problem with the keyboard not being backlit constantly. Easy fix would be moving the directional pad, and the keyboard appears again. You'll only really have this "problem" (if you want to call it that) at night or in dark areas. Again, it shouldn't be a problem especially after you've learned the keyboard after awhile. Also, having shortcuts on the phone provides great convenience. The Camera button and messaging button sit next to the space bar, and on the right side of it the internet browser and the new Inner Circle button are placed there. There is also a volume rocker on the left side of the phone.
The screen resolution is great and slowly dims after the phone has not been in use. Below the screen lies the D-Pad and two tab buttons. Below the tab buttons are a home key and back key with End and Send buttons for phone calls. On the bottom of the phone there is a USB slot for the charger and jack to plug in your headphones or other accessories (No there isn't a built in 3.5 mm jack, but there is an adapter in the box).
Features
When you hear the words “Windows Mobile,” those who've read the rumors will have alarms go off in their heads. Not to worry with the Snap. It is by far one of the fastest Windows Mobile devices out there. I've jumped from the internet to my texts to my emails without any slow down. If you are a beginning Windows Mobile user like I am, this is the perfect phone to get without having to install a lot of apps to get it working properly
The phone comes pre-loaded with Windows 6.1 and includes Flash support on the Internet Explorer browser, which surprisingly is faster than most IE mobile explorers. The home screen can be changed to your preferences and lets you customized to fit your lifestyle. Also loaded on the phone are apps such as Sprint Nav, Sprint TV, Audio Booster (for turning up the volume more with headphone usage), YouTube (very nice application to save time from having to go to the website to view it), MP3 Trimmer for custom ringtones, Inner Circle (which is HTC's new program for Email Filtering), and a lot more. A lot of people will save time from having to search the web for applications and can enjoy right out of the box.
Oh, and Google Maps is great on this phone. With a lot of locations, there is an option as well to look at an address in Street View, which I haven't seen on a lot of phones. This feature is very nice. There is a Google folder in your menu that gives you links to download various Google Apps instead of having to search for it
Performance
This phone is not called the "Snap" for no reason. Again, I have stressed this point a lot of times so far, this phone is zippy!! This is a great starting phone for a beginning Windows Mobile user.
The Internet Explorer browser is pre-loaded with Flash so viewing Flash content is now possible. One gripe I do have is that the font and screens on the net can be small for some sites and forums, even when zooming in at the closest range. This might be a problem for those that aren't really able to read smaller text. Other than that, I haven't found a lot of problems with it. The call quality is great and my best friend has told me that this phone puts my voice to the front and the background noise doesn't take over. Another standout quality would have to be the camera. Yes it is 2.0 but in natural light, the camera is VERY crisp. There are different views such as video, panorama, and even little fun borders to put around your friends' pictures. There is also a zoom function to play with.
Overall, this phone is one of the best phones I've owned. Great features and functions and has turned me into a Windows Mobile user. The only problems are with the placement of the keys on the keyboard (which you CAN adjust to) and texts on certain websites. I plan on keeping this phone as my main phone for years to come and hopefully you guys found my review helpful.
Overall the HTC Snap does live up to it's name. The device is very zippy and comes pre-loaded with great apps out the box. I recommend this phone to all first time WinMo phone users
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