This phone is one of two impressive devices in this month’s Labs manufactured by HTC. Its secret lies not in its feature set, but in the way it combines portability with messaging capabilities. Note, however, that as we went to press availability became limited (and the price increased) in preference of the new 3G version, the ($700) S730. However, imported S710s cost $480 from www.expansys.com.

In this company, the S710’s candy bar form factor makes it look more a phone than a business email tool. It slips comfortably into all but the tightest of pockets and only its above-average thickness of 21mm gives away the presence of a keyboard that slides out from underneath the 2.4in screen.

Despite its diminutive dimensions, this earned it scores level with the much larger Toshiba G900 and HTC TyTN II in our tests. The keys have excellent feedback and are spaced just the right distance apart to allow for accurate and reasonably quick typing.

The E650 impresses in other areas, too. There’s a 2-megapixel camera plus Wi-Fi, and the highly phone-like form factor means that dialling is straightforward.

However, there’s no fast internet connection and the lack of touchscreen means you’re stuck with Windows Mobile 6 Standard. But at least the Microsoft connection means file compatibility is good out of the box; only the zip file failed to open in our suite of tests.

All in all, the S710 is a usable smartphone. For email, messaging and phone calls in a compact form factor, it’s a great choice.