In many ways, the “evolution” of Windows Mobile devices are a reverting back to what has been available in the past. Having been involved in the Windows Mobile community for 8 years now, I’ve seen the clamshell, keyboard laden Handheld PCs of the past come full circle to the latest line of Windows Mobile devices with QWERTY keyboards. It has been exciting to see and the quality and performance of these devices have exponentially grown over time. 

One such device is the QTEK 9100 Windows Mobile Pocket PC Phone. The 9100 is one of several versions of the same device made by HTC in Taiwan. HTC is the OEM of the majority of Windows Mobile Pocket PCs and Smartphones on the market today and this version is codenamed the “Wizard”. Regardless, the QTEK 9100 is an outstanding device with excellent performance, features and voice quality and is well worth the investment. 

The 9100 is a nicely sized Windows Mobile device with dimensions of 109 (L) x 58 (W) x 24 (D) mm and weighs in at 160g. Those dimension change however when the built-in QWERTY keyboard is slid out, which is why the device is somewhat deeper and heavier than other Windows Mobile devices on the market. The front of the device is mostly occupied by the QVGA display with the traditional Send and End phone buttons. In addition to this, the 9100 has four additional buttons which can control the Windows Mobile 5.0 softkeys (the keys just above the Send and End buttons) as well as open Messaging and Pocket Internet Explorer (the keys above the display). By adding these additional keys, the 9100 can be used with minimal stylus input, something that is very handy while traveling or in a hurry. The back of the 9100 is textured for more grip while holding the device with a locking battery and SIM card door as well as a 1.3 megapixel digital camera. Finally, when bluetooth and WiFi are enabled, an blue and green indicator LED blinks next to the earpiece of the phone.

As with all Windows Mobile 5.0 devices, the 9100 has a built-in complement of applications. These applications include Word Mobile, Excel Mobile, PowerPoint Mobile and Pocket MSN. The Mobile office applications in Windows Mobile 5.0 have greatly improved over previous versions of the applications and function closer to their desktop counterparts than ever before. For a complete list of the features and functions of the standard applications in Windows Mobile 5.0, visit the Microsoft Windows Mobile site at http://www.windowsmobile.com.  

Beyond the core application, QTEK has also included several other applications within the devices ROM. One of these applications is the Communications Manager. The Comm Manager can be accessed by pressing the Comm Manager button on the side of the device; by tapping the icon just above the Soft Keys or by going to Start>Programs>Comm Manager. This simple but effective application allows you to turn off the WiFi, Bluetooth, “push mail” and audio of the 9100 as well as ActiveSync.