I have previously owned a Nokia 8210, Sony Ericsson T610, Motorola Razr V3 and from the PDA point of a view, a Palm Tungsten E which obviously runs on the Palm operating system.

In this review, I will not go into ALL the features in the phone. You can obtain such information by visiting the following sites to get an idea of what the phone can do and what it looks or feels like. Search for "HTC Wizard" at Geek.com, "Kjam" at The-Gadgeteer.com and look for "PDA" under the menu, then "HTC" and "HTC Wizard" at Mobile-Review.com, click English on top first. (I'd link straight to them for your benefit but obviously, this is not allowed!! So some effort required on your behalf, not much though.)

I intend tell you about this phone from the “real world” point of view instead of just going through all the features. I want to tell you about the little things that may not be covered in the other reviews which you only pick up after a few months of usage (I’ve used mine for about 4 months).

My first and foremost word of advice: Think carefully before buying this phone about what you intend to use it for. Don’t be fooled by the sliding keyboard or the gimmick/gadget factor. BE SURE YOU NEED AND WILL USE A PDA otherwise it will end up collecting dust when you revert back to your old single purpose phone. Best if you already own a PDA and want to integrate it with a phone. If all you need is a bog standard phone, get something smaller and better. Also, you need PATIENCE learn to use AND to use this smartphone.

Windows Mobile 5 is the OS. This was my first time using Windows PDA OS having come across from a Palm PDA. If this also applies to you, the bit I said about PATIENCE is even more relevant! First, the processor on this thing is SLOWER than I would like and is probably the biggest let down. This is also the general complaint most reviewers have about the unit and I agree that it is a little slow. It takes on average 1-2 seconds for applications to load. Do not expect Palm OS responses. You also have to go through more menus to do what you want to do. But all these are what you would expect of a Windows Mobile OS compared to Palm so that is fair enough. Essentially, it does everything I would expect a PDA to do adequately.

I had no problems synching with my computer. I have had to soft reset the unit on a few occasions due to the unit “hanging” after installation of new software but in general, everything works smoothly. I recommend you install other 3rd party programmes e.g. Battery Pack to get the most out of the unit and make it more user friendly. On the subject of battery, light usage (few calls, PDA tasks, no MP3 playing, no camera shenanigans) means I have to recharge my phone about every 2 days but heavy usage would mean charging every other day at least.

There are many shortcuts to perform certain tasks but you must spend the time finding out about these things yourself because it is not covered in the manual (at least not in the manual with my O2 package). I would tell you about some of these shortcuts but it is beyond the scope of this write up.

Now a bit of nitty-gritty:

I like:

1.) Built-in keyboard:
Note that the keyboard is only really useful for writing emails, minor word processing or if you intend to type lots. If it’s just for SMS/texting, buying a regular phone with a phone keypad and predictive text is more or just as effective. The keyBOARD works well, but it will not speed up text messaging. It is just more convenient if you intend to do more typing. If you have big fingers, it will take practice to be accurate. The sliding mechanism does not seem to have got any more loose which is what I was worried about.. I was surprised that the writing recognition/letter recogniser was excellent. While we are on the subject of texting, I find it near IMPOSSIBLE to use this phone “one handed” to send a text because the “virtual” phone pad is rubbish and texting interface too much of a pain. I prefer to use the slide out keyboard which means 2 hands unfortunately.

2.) WiFi, infra red and Bluetooth
What more could you ask for? WiFi is an especially pleasant self explanatory bonus which has worked flawlessly where available..

3.) Possible Sat-Nav capability:
Loading a Sat-Nav application onto the PDA and buying a Bluetooth GPS receiver means you will be able to use it as a Sat-Nav unit which can be highly portable (although you will need to carry the receiver with you in your bag/handbag/rucksack/coat pocket).

4.) No fear of data loss:
I have used it till the batteries were dead but have not lost any data. This is obviously provided you were not in the middle of an application (e.g. word processing) when the battery died. Synch with your computer often anyway.

Some things I wish were different:

1.) Faster processor:
Mentioned this above already.

2.) Stylus:
Disapppointingly poor quality considering the rest of the phone is robustly made and of good construct. The telescopic stylus fits poorly into the unit! It will not extend when you pull it out (which I think it should have been designed to do) so you have to pull it out AND THEN extend it manually which is a pain. A word of warning, I have 2 friends who have similar units who have complained that their styli have become so loose and poor fitting, they actually fall out of the unit by themselves and have gotten lost. This does not surprise me looking at the quality and the fit of the stylus

3.) Camera:
The 1.3 megapixel camera is not bad but I really wish it was at least 2 megapixel (heyho, you cannot have everything). In my opinion, the camera lens is not adequately protected or recessed enough within the phone, as a result, I already have a scratch over the plastic covering overlying the lens especially since the camera lens is on the back of the phone which is the surface you will rest it on all of the time. All this is if you’re even bothered about the camera in the first place…

4.) MINI-SD card:
I wish it was a standard SD but I suppose Mini SDs have adapters which allow you to use them as standard sized SDs anyway. You WILL need a storage card for sure. I recommend AT LEAST 500Mb but just go for 1 Gb.

5.) Ear phone jack is not “standard sized” i.e. 3.5mm
This means you cannot use your standard music ear phones (without needing an adapter) if you so decide to use the phone as the occasional MP3 player (OK sound quality but I’d stick with your Creative/Ipod). This is also the jack you will have to use (NOT the mini USB e.g. V3 Razr) for your hands free if you do not have a Bluetooth headset.

6.) Fiddly phone control:
I cannot quickly set the phone to vibrate AND ring at the same time without going through a few menus first. This can usually be set on a “one-touch” basis on most phones i.e. press one button then decide on vibrate, ring, ring & vibrate or silent. You can quickly set it to vibrate or ring or silent at a touch though. Sounds MUST be in .Wav file format to be used as text message alerts although ring tones can be in MP3 format. You have to “lock” the phone to prevent accidental activation of any of the many buttons on the phone when you fumble in your pocket to answer it when it rings i.e. the PDA “comes alive” when the phone rings so pressing any of the other buttons apart from the “answer” button will run a programme unless you “lock” the phone in which case only the “phone” buttons work.

All in all, it is an OK PDA and an OK phone but not GREAT at either. But you should expect this in such hybrid units. As a combined PDA/phone, it is good enough because of the compact size, functionality and features. The minor annoyances I mentioned above are generally exactly what they are, minor annoyances. It has, for me anyway, meant that I am happy to no longer carry my PDA and my phone separately with me which I suppose is the whole purpose of purchasing a combined device. I strongly recommend you pop down to your local shop to have a play first. Don’t just take my word for it.