Motorola Dext

Google’s forthcoming Nexus One smartphone might be grabbing the headlines, but if you are looking for something similar today there are several options.

Motorola’s Dext runs a slightly older version of Google’s Android operating system, but it costs as little as £20 a month on a contract.

The Dext runs version 1.5 of the Android operating system, which lacks a few of the features found in the Nexus One but covers all the basics. It integrates neatly with Google’s email and calendar services, includes a decent browser for surfing the web and can download new programs from the Android Market.

It also includes software provided by Motorola designed to allow easy access to social networking sites. This Motoblur software works quite well and we liked the neat way it integrated messages sent through either Twitter or email.

We also liked the way the Dext can be controlled either using its touch-sensitive screen or a full keyboard that slides out from the side. The keypad includes a handy four-way control that sits neatly under the user’s left thumb and the touch-screen worked well, although it doesn’t support multi-touch like some Android phones and the iPhone.

Sadly, though, there are a few limitations. For one, the Dext felt rather slow in use: it’s certainly not as responsive as the latest iPhone, for example. The lack of multi-touch control is also a slight limitation. More annoyingly, the phone’s built-in satellite navigation sensor was not very good: it failed to pick up a signal in several areas where a far older Nokia phone was able to provide an exact location.

Overall, the Dext is a mixed bag.

If you want a cheap Android smartphone and prefer to type on keys rather than the screen, it’s decent value, but those who want to use their smartphone heavily, running lots of applications and using navigation, should look elsewhere.