Just half a year younger than its cousin, the C720W, Dopod's C730 has some major updates under its hood.
The C730 has a faster processor, the latest Windows Mobile 6 Standard operating system, support for 3.5G HSDPA (High Speed Download Packet Access) - a faster wireless standard and an improved 2-megapixel camera.
Its faster processor comes in the form of Samsung's 400MHz chip, compared to its cousin's TI OMAP 850 chip.
The speedy 400MHz processor provides enough power for all the functions of the device, especially for multimedia.
To offset the higher battery usage for these intensive tasks, the smartphone's battery is rated at 1,050mAh, which is higher than the 960mAh of the c720W.
In my test usage of a mix of light Wi-Fi usage, Bluetooth connections, music playback and phone calls, the batteries lasted about two days before requiring a recharge.
Running on the latest Windows Mobile 6 Standard, the 130g device gains from the enhancements to Windows Mobile 5.
Most notably, Windows Mobile 6 now comes standard with Office Mobile suite, so that you can view and edit Microsoft Word and Excel files, and view PowerPoint files that are transferred from your PC without needing additional third-party software.
Windows Live support in Windows Mobile 6 also makes it much easier to manage the tons of e-mail messages, contacts and information that come your way.
Instant messaging contacts, Hotmail and Windows Live mail can all be automatically updated, synchronised and accessed quickly on the C730. Windows Mobile 5 did not have this integration.
For business users who must be contactable all the time no matter where they are, the C730 is a great choice with its full complement of wireless connectivity options.
With support for quadband GSM, triband 3G, Bluetooth, 802.11g Wi-Fi and 3.5G, and Microsoft Direct Push and BlackBerry Connect for pushmail, the C730 has practically all the bases covered.
Setting up the device is also a breeze with the pre-configured network provider settings for most Asia-Pacific countries. Just select the country and the service provider and you are good to go.
A downside is that there's only a camera at the back of the two-tone matt grey unit, so you cannot use the C730 to make video calls. The camera takes decent pictures, and has the function to stitch multiple shots together to create a larger panoramic picture.
Although limited to stitching just three pictures, the resulting wide-view image is pretty good for a handheld device. For those who also intend to use the C730 as their audio player, note that there is no 3.5mm jack for your favourite pair of earphones.
You need to use the supplied earphones that plug into the enhanced mini USB port that also acts as the charging and synchronisation port.
FINAL SAY
Anyone looking for a have-it-all converged device for messaging and communications that's also slim and light would not go wrong at all with the Dopod C730.
