The T-Mobile Pulse smartphone runs the Google Android operating system and is similar in size to the iPhone. It has a clear and bright screen. The glossy black finish shows up a lot of finger marks so you will want to keep it in the supplied pouch.

Unlike the iPhone there are several buttons on the front. As well as the traditional phone controls, there is a menu button that doubles as a back and shortcut to the Canvas Home Page.

Set in the middle is a trackball for scrolling through pages. We prefer this to using swipe motions on the screen itself because it reduces the chances of selecting something by mistake. You can click the ball to select links and options.

There are three different main screens: one with contacts, a traditional looking list of icons and the Canvas Home Screen. The latter spreads out over six screens and offers a good way of organising icons and information like upcoming appointments.

This could get confusing but pressing the trackball shows a zoomed out preview. More apps can be found (and some bought) using the utility included on the phone. We were pleased to see that the Pulse warned us what information apps would have access to.

There is a sensor in the phone that will rotate the screen between portrait and landscape in supported apps along with GPS for finding your way about.

An onscreen keyboard is used for text entry and the qwerty version includes text prediction.

Typing on the Pulse was great and had none of the lag seen on other smartphones.

The camera is 3.2Megapixels with autofocus and can capture both still shots and video. Image quality was good but nothing special and it also lacks an optical zoom

Both the audio and combined data and power cable sockets can be found at the top of the Pulse. It’s a 2.5mm audio jack that can either be used with ordinary headphones or the supplied handsfree kit. An adapter is supplied to convert the socket to the more common 3.5mm size.

The quick setup covers the basics of the phone. It is is best when used with a Google account for emails but there is a standard email program.

New messages, whether text or emails, and other notifications appear at the top of the screen and more information can be revealed by tapping and dragging the top bar. Icons also appear showing connection status.

A 2GB microSD card is supplied ready fitted in the phone, although the memory is short if you are planning on using the phone for music.

The T-Mobile Pulse is available free with contracts from around £20 a month, which includes the Internet Plus option.