January 6th, 2009
CES2009: HTC announces S743/Rose with U.S. 3G support
When I posted my HTC Rose/S740 review last month I had no idea that a US version of the device would be coming and was quite excited to get a press release announcing the HTC S743 with 850/1900 MHz HSDPA support. It is also a quad-band GSM phone so it will work with both T-Mobile and AT&T in the USA, with support for 3G only with AT&T. I do think HTC should have stuck with the HTC Rose name rather than using a number like S743 since these numbers just don’t seem to resonate with people as much as a slick name like the T-Mobile Shadow or HTC Fuze.
The S743 has a form factor just like the S740 I reviewed with a 12-key front keypad and slide-out QWERTY keyboard and a non-touch screen display. As I have stated many times recently, I want to see more of these non-touch screen devices that focus more on the phone functions than on the PDA functions. The S743 is 1.7 inches wide and has a 2.4 inch QVGA display. As I said in my review, it is long and slender and feels fantastic in your hand. This US 3G version will be available in the first quarter of 2009 from retail outlets like Dell.com and CDW.com. There was no pricing information provided.
HTC is all about consumer choices and I am encouraged to see them bring this device to the U.S. I look forward to going to my first CTIA in April when I am guessing we will see more HTC devices announced and maybe even more non-touch screen models.
Matthew Miller is an avid mobile device enthusiast who works during the day as a professional naval architect in Seattle. See his full profile and disclosure of his industry affiliations.
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