Review: You could be forgive for thinking you had bought another HTC Touch Diamond as the Touch Pro looks almost identical to its cousin. The compact Touch Pro feels solid and its slide-out keyboard dispenses with a virtual keyboard in favour of proper keys. The bright and pin sharp 2.8 inch VGA screen creates an impression of a well-built and capable handset.

For business users Exchange is supported out-of-the-box. You also have the ability to place conference calls if your network provider supports this. Also on board are Windows Office Mobile and the ability to scan business cards directly into the phone. The interface can, however, be sluggish at time that could prove annoying for time sensitive business users.

Connectivity includes 3G HSDPA and GPS plus Wi-Fi support and GPRS/EDGE should you need it in patchy 3G coverage areas. The fast (7.2Mbps) HSDPA is a real boon if you often download large files from your office network. The 528MHz processor easily slices through Office applications, and if you're careful, you can get up to two days of work out of the phone before you need to recharge, a point that Apple would do well to take onboard as the iPhone has woeful battery life.

HTC have refined their smartphone range and now offer a handset for every type of user. If you're looking for a business phone, but want to move away from the world of Blackberry, this Touch Pro could be the perfect solution. With plenty of onboard memory and expansion via its microSDHC card, this is one of the best hardware platforms for Windows Mobile Professional currently on the market.

Review: Looking similar to the HTC Touch Pro and running the same Windows Mobile Professional 6.1 operating system, the Xperia X1's screen real estate and its customisable user interface is what will win it many admirers. However, on closer inspection, the slide-out keyboard could be a deal breaker for heavy email users. This is simply because it is not as well laid out or responsive as the HTC Touch Pro, or indeed the ubiquitous Blackberry range.

The operating system is cleverly designed with an additional interface that the X1 calls its X-Panel. This is how you choose the mode that your handset is used in. Whether you think this approach is a help or a hindrance will be a matter of personal choice, as an unencumbered and familiar Windows Mobile interface may be more efficient to business users.

Connectivity onboard includes quad band GSM/EDGE/GPRS, WCDMA and HSDPA that will be essential when using the Office Mobile applications that are installed as standard. Wi-Fi is also included as is a microSD card to supplement the 400MB of onboard memory.

From a business users perspective the X1 and the HTC Touch Pro present a difficult choice, as they are essentially the same handset. The X-Panel isn't generally implemented properly, and the slide-out keyboard is much better on the Touch Pro. However, the X1 is a more than capable Mobile Office platform that would support you as you work on the move.

Review: The Nokia E series of smartphones have rapidly developed to offer compact handset that sport world-class functionality that consumers and business users alike can enjoy. The E71 is startlingly thin when compared to other handsets sporting similar features such as the Blackberry 8820.

For Exchange users email is king, and this handset has to prove itself in a market dominated by the Blackberry range. Nokia have gone for a full QWERTY keyboard and not the multiple key route of the Blackberry range. The E71's keyboard is certainly compact, but practice makes perfect. Coupled with the bright 320x240 pixel screen, the package is instantly user friendly.

This Nokia offers you reliable real-time access to email, calendar, contacts and tasks, as well as download attachments like Word, Excel, Powerpoint or PDF documents. Business users will also appreciate the mobile VPN support that gives you complete access to your company intranet. Like the X1, the E71 can be set-up in different modes to reflect how you are using it.

With connectivity consisting of HDSPA support and Wi-Fi access for working in any hotpot, download times can be a respectable 3.6Mb/sec in ideal conditions. With its Symbian operating system and ARM processor, this handset has more than enough grunt power to offer you a complete mobile office. However, the lack of standard USB connections for data and power that Nokia still insist on using and the lack of Windows Mobile Office applications slightly taints this handset.