HTC 5800 / Fusion / S720 Specs, Features & Reviews

I woke up the other morning despising my mobile phone.

I'd been forced to spend some time without my HTC 5800 from Bell Mobility. In its stead I'd gone back to my old Palm Treo 650.

I only just picked up the HTC device last October, and I'd realized almost right away that I didn't like it. I suppose I got suckered into its fancy slide-out keyboard. Of course, it's far less bulkier than the Treo, and doesn't have an antennae, so I recall that being a bonus.

Over time, however, I've grown to absolutely despise this device. Here's why:

Windows Mobile. This is a most lame excuse for a mobile OS. Rather than ask, "How can we enable a positive mobile experience for users?", Microsoft seems more intent on replicating the Windows experience in one's hand, warts and all. This concept is highlighted when you consider how un-Mac-like the iPhone is, as it's more about a unique mobile user experience.

The dongle. Never again will I buy a device that has a dongle to enable a proprietary data port to interface with USB. If I ever lose this damned dongle (and I temporarily have, from time to time), I'm screwed, as it's essentially for charging and syncing the device. Words to live by: dongles are evil.

The battery. If I'm lucky, I'll get an hour or two of talk time out of this thing. Standby? Maybe 20 hours. And that's on the decrepit 1X network in the Horse. When I visit Vancouver and do a lot of data, the device needs to be charged twice daily.

The cute noises. In general, I can turn off most noises on this device. However, no matter what I do, I can't kill the cute little dingly noise the damn thing makes whenever I slide open the keyboard or shut it. And trust me, it's a lame noise.

Read more at:
http://www.badrobot.ca/robot-reverie/2008/4/16/a-device-to-loathe-bells-htc-5800-smartphone.html

SMT5800 – Verizon Wireless
I’ve had my phone for over a week. Before I get to my review I just want to say that it is not the exact phone in the pictures above but, it’s really close.
The keys on the front have been changed a little. The directional dial is wider but, looks to be about the same height.

Before this I had a Motorola Q which I had for almost 2 years, so that’s what I’m kind of comparing it to.

Pros:
+Processor – a lot faster than my Q was. +Switching between screen modes is fast.
+Keyboard – bigger and easier to use.
+Windows Mobile 6 – Word, excel, power point and PDF reader.
* You can edit Word, Excel documents, but can’t create new ones.
+2mp camera – You still need really good +light but, it takes decent photos. Better options, easier to change settings.
+USB connectors – Any mini usb cable/charger will work.
+Size – Feels more like a phone than a pda, until you slide out the keyboard.
+Up to an 8gig Micro SDHC card.
+Use any mp3/wav/wma as a ringtone or sound.
+Ringers are loud.
+Good Call quality

Cons:
-Battery door/back cover could fit better.
-Pouch that comes with it is just cheap.
-No headphone Jack, Has USB splitter cable for it, but who uses a wired headset anymore.
-Voice dialing – Doesn’t have voice recognition. You must train it for each name/number.

Notes:
I’ve heard complaints about battery life, but after a few days of use and some adjustments I get several days of use.
I cut the backlight brightness setting to 4 out of possible 10 and it’s still easy to read
I check my pop mail account every 30 minutes and also get push mail from my office exchange server.
I turn Bluetooth off when I’m not using it, as it’s easy to turn it on and off when needed.

I’ve heard complaints about lock ups. This only happened to me once but, I found opening and closing the keyboard fixed the issue. Never had to remove battery.

I’ve been very happy with this phone so far.

This phone is an excellent phone. As stated in reviews below it's more like a Phone with smart phone capabilities and not a PDA with the phone capabilities. The call quality on this version is great (VZW Albuquerque, NM). I have had a Motorola E815 (which is one of the highest rated phones) for the last 3 years so it was a very hard choice to make since I was replacing a very good phone.

Pros:
Great Call quality in my area (VZW Abq, NM)
very fast EVDO Speeds
Easy Navagation
Windows Mobile 6 outlook integration
Windows Media Player
Location if expandable memory is easy to get to
Good Camera (for a phone)
compact form factor
no touch screen (for me this is a pro)
ability to charge via Microusb

Cons:
Front buttons are a little small for large fingers (But I did get used to it)
battery does not hold a charge very long when doing a lot of Internet activity (but it can be recharged easily)

Overall I do give this phone a 4.5 out of 5 as it has kept me very happy over the last month of owning it and I have no intentions of returning it. The call quality is much better than I expected since I read some conflicting opinions. Excellent for someone who needs the PDA support that does not want something very large.

The phone itself is pretty darn good. An advancement for Qwest to carry this phone from previous selections. I have had the phone for a short amount of time and I am pleased with the performance.

Pros:
Slender mode
Battery seems good so far
I like the clarity that I get on a conversation
Easy navigation
Good mp3 player and bluetooth stereo/data transmission
Tons of applications for this phone,
http://www.handango.com/SoftwareCatalog.jsp?platformId=11&osId=1069&siteId=1&N=4294912140
No touch screen
I like the button lock feature

Cons:
T9, nuf said
No WiFi with this phone, though the outside of the box tells that it does. Did Qwest turn this function off?
No docking cradle for this phone like the PPC6700 or the new Mogul

Overall I give the phone a 4.5 of 5, because the phone offers almost all of what I like and has additional capacity for other needs. All in a small package.

VZW SMT5800 (CDMA Version)
After using it for over a week, I find it practical, functional & somewhat easy to use. I think I'll keep it for a while.
Pros:
1)Great reception: haven't dropped a call yet.
2)Good form Factor: small, light & yet functional. Its phone 1st and PDA 2nd.
3)Fairly large display for this size phone.
4)Full QWERTY keypad with easy spring loaded release.
5)2 MP camera with flash, auto–focus and video capture.
6)Expandable memory: microSDâ„¢ slot (up to 8GB)
7)Can view PPS & PDF & edit Word & Excel files
8)EV–DO, 1X RTT Capable; much faster than Edge network.
9)Fast processor; applications open fast & easy

Cons:
1)No Wifi
2)Battery life could be better - I found that if I dim the display light to 4, I get significantly better battery life.
3)keybad spacing both front & on the slider is a bit too close.
4)Data plan for smartphones is more expensive than for Blackberry on VZW but that's VZW for you.

Overall, I think this is a well-designed smartphone, which offers many features in a small and easy to carry package.

Love this phone it looks way bigger than it actually is it does everything that my old typhoon does and more I would recommend this phone to anyone who wants a smart phone on the cdma network!!!! much better than the Q

I'm not a high-maintenance phone user and this device still managed to fall well short of my already low expectations. I truly can't believe it gets positive reviews.

First, unless you have the finger size of a 9 year old girl the buttons are impossible to use. The button to select menu options and the buttons to dial a number are so small I have to use my fingernail and stab the buttons straight down. Makes even simple operations cumbersome.

The bluetooth will deactivate without reason or warning. You just all of a sudden can't make calls. And after you've used the bluetooth and try to just make a regular call, the phone locks up. I have to shut it down and walk out of bluetooth range of my car, then restart. Both of these conditions happen unacceptably often (several times a week).

I will never, ever use a phone with Windows Mobile again. It adds absolutely no benefit that I can tell, and makes even simple operations many menu clicks away.

The battery life is unacceptable. I can't have the phone on standby for more than a couple days (without making any calls). Make some calls, it's worse.

Today - on a full charge - the phone shut down after 5 hrs and would not restart. I had to remove the battery and replace it to get the phone working again.

I got this phone free with my Verizon upgrade. I can see why it was free. Even the Verizon techs I talked to say most folks hate this phone.

You are truly better off with two cans and a string.

I bought this phone because I was under the impression it was a decent phone. Now don't get me wrong heres the pros of this phone.

PRO's
-Slide out QWERTY keyboard.
-Use of your own ringers and themes.
-amazing paperweight heh

CON's
-freezes constantly
-sometimes dont ever receive calls.
-the screen slider is really sensitive.
-camera isn't the best.
-headphone jack ( charge port ) is in the worst place.
-Unable to upgrade to WM 6.1

Pros- Nice screen
Small size
full slide out keyboard
fits nicely in the hand
Nice Camera
Decent video camera(for a phone)

CONS - 1. Battery life barely lasts 10hrs
2. You need to dislocate your thumb to
press the end key if you dont have the
keyboard slid out.

3. Stupid HTC (lets give them a dongle)
approach to standard connection ports
that phones have had for YEARS.

4. Voice tagging, NOT voice dialing.
You must record your own voice tag to
voice dial anyone in your contacts.

5. Truly neutered smartphone OS on this phone
Not even as robust as WM on the Q9M.

I purchased this phone about two months ago because i didnt have a computer and was longing for some internet access. That made the fact the manual only came on disc a bit annoying to start with. then it started freezing up on me and shutting off by itself all the time. the battery life is terrible(that is when it is working properly) and now i just got a Macbook and cant get it to sync up at all without installing windows on my mac. the case it comes with is way too tight, really hard to take out when its ringing. the keys are so sensitive if left unlocked whitch doesnt help with the battery life issues. I think they could have added a zoom to the camera I got way better pic quality out of my little cheap flip phone i replaced with this one. I got sucked in to the purchace of this phone by the keyboard and nice display screen. both of whitch i still like. however given the cost and total pain in the neck its been its hardly been worth it. Qwest told me my problems are unusual and have sent me a replacment. considering other reviews ive read i have a hard time believing it. If in fact my replacment works great i will be sure to post again. wish i hadnt signed a new two year agreement with this purchase or had returned it right away.