14 DAY TRIAL // HTC has launched on the market at the beginning of September another combination of phone/PDA device - the P3600 or Trinity. There are few devices that can take up both roles as PDA's and mobile phones efficiently, and HTC's new P3600 is on the list. We had the privilege of getting one of these devices and managed to test it for a week.
The device we got was for ''Test only'' purposes, but it only showed minor software flaws. The device will probably have a huge success because of its cool design and its high class features. Further more, the device will also be available from Orange, but under a different name - SPV M600.
Design
The design of the phone will remind you of a pearl. Yes, that's no doubt about it, HTC has worked hard on its design, and it shows. The device we tested was white, but I heard that the Taiwanese manufacturer had also prepared a black version of the device, which looks even better. The glossy material from which it was made of gives Trinity more of an iPod look. It is small and light, measuring 108 mm x 58.2 mm x 18.4 mm and weighing about 150 grams with battery. It has a large TFT 240 x 320 touchscreen that supports 65k colors and which can be used in landscape mode. P3600 lacks a QWERTY keyboard, but it can be handled easily with only one hand. This can be a real drawback only for businessmen who need to take notes or write emails. The 2.1 megapixel camera on the back of the device can be used for taking photos and videos, and the secondary VGA front camera is meant for video calls. On the right side of the device we can find the power button, the voice command button, the miniSD slot, and the button which controls the camera. On the left side of the device, there's the 5-way navigation control jog-wheel, which can also be pressed just like the Enter key. The device also features an USB port and Infrared that are both placed on the bottom. Besides the jog-wheel, the device can also be controlled with a stylus which is located on the right bottom, near the photo camera button, or with the 4 buttons places on the face bottom of the device. Besides those, there are the 5-way navigational pad and 2 receiver buttons used for calls (green and red). Other than that, the device is nice to the touch with extremely well crafted finishes, fitting greatly in hand.
HTC's P3600 runs Windows Mobile 5.0 operating system, thus it needs a powerful processor and enough memory. For this purpose, HTC throws in a Samsung SC32442A 400 Mhz and 128 MB RAM and 64 MB SDRAM memory. Some might say that it has a too low memory and that many manufacturers are already launching devices with up to 256MB RAM. Still, the device runs pretty smooth even with multiple applications and music in background. More memory would've simply made it better than it is now, but a businessman can easily take advantage of all the applications he needs with no lags. The storage capacity can be upgraded up to 2GB through its miniSD slot.
Multimedia
The 2.1 megapixel camera included in the device doesn't have macro and no flash, but pictures taken with the device look slightly similar with those taken with the TyTN. Pictures can range between a maximum resolution of 1600 x 1200 pixels, and a minimum of 160 x 180 pixels resolution. You can also use the camera for shooting clips, which are looking good enough. Trinity features Polyphonic-40 voices sound, and includes support for running MP3 files. The TFT, 65K colors touchscreen with handwriting recognition, has the same size as the TyTN, 240 x 320 pixels, and it offers the same astonishing image quality.
HTC's P3600 is a 3G tri-band (850, 1900, 2100 Mhz) PDA phone that is also HSDPA compatible. It also features Infrared IrDA, Bluetooth 2.0, and Wi-Fi IEEE 802.11 b/g. If you want to synchronize your device with the PC, you can use the USB port which can also be used for the audio jack. Its quad-band (850, 900, 1800, 1900) compatibility makes him desirable in any place in the world. It also features the usual now, EDGE and GPRS technologies. Much like the TyTN, we are entitled to say that Trinity offers a complete communication solution, users being able to connect the device regardless of time or location.
The Good
Besides the design, communications is the strong point of this device. HTC transformed the TyTN into a lighter, smaller and slimmer version, and that's Trinity. Other than that, it has the same features as the TyTN, which puts it in front of its class.
The lack of a QWERTY keyboard makes the device hard to handle when writing long emails or taking notes. Minor software flaws were detected, which is understandable for a ''Test only'' device. I was disappointed by its battery, it's not bad, but compared with TyTN's battery, it's weaker.
Conclusion
I have no idea about its price but the device is simply a better looking version of the TyTN (with the exception of the keyboard of course). Its target besides business class people might be the trendy people who buy devices by their looks. All in all, Trinity can be your ''(black) pearl'' or just your communication device. It serves very well both ''positions'', so either to a businessman or simply to a person that likes good looking phones, this could be a good choice ... and a cheaper one, if we're thinking of TyTN's price. Thanks again to Omnisoft Company who gave us the opportunity of this ''hands on''. We hope that the device will be soon available here.
Here are some snapshots of the device:
Photo: Tudor Raiciu
