This screen is brighter than average and manages the clever trick of taking up almost the whole of the device's area; few smartphones have bezels as slim. We also liked the rubberised rear, which prevents the Defy getting scratched or being easily knocked off the edge of a table.
The non-slip casing extends to the sides, and as a result the protective covers for the headphone jack and charger port stick out somewhat and aren't easily pushed back into place.
Another thoughtful inclusion is the Swype text-entry app. Compared to normal typing, this system lets you quickly pick up speed when composing messages and performing searches. When we first tried out the Defy we thought its interface was rather clunky and its cramped software keyboard a trial to use. We soon discovered that was because its default setting was expecting us to use Swype The trick is to glide your finger from character to character rather than stabbing at each one in turn. Once you're accustomed to the scheme it makes text entry much faster.
Unified messaging, and streamlining social network access has become an important area for handset makers, so it's no surprise to find that Motorola has introduced 'Motoblur'. Rather than competing with the social network updates within Android 2.1, this proprietary social user interface adds the ability to store and easily retrieve details of those precious contacts you maintain on Facebook, Twitter, MySpace and so on.
Surfing the internet is easy. You can type in the web addresses you want to visit and when you get to your chosen site you can scroll and page-flit with ease. Support for pinch-to-zoom and a relatively responsive touchscreen help.
With 3G, A2DP Bluetooth and Wi-Fi onboard, the Defy is all set for connecting to the internet almost anywhere, and you could certainly do worse than use it for streaming audio. A Connected Music Player lets you do just this, while the excellent DNLA app we liked so much on the Motorola Milestone 2 also makes an appearance. This lets you push music, photos and video around your wireless home network and enjoy tracks you've bought on the Defy on your home hi-fi.
IMPERFECT IMAGE
The camera isn't quite as good as its 5Mp billing suggests. You get an LED flash and the option of tagging pictures with location data, but actually taking pictures is rather an awkward business. You need to go into the onscreen menu, as there's no hardware button to take snapshots on the outside of the handset. Nor were the shots we took anything to be proud of. Video capture is limited to VGA resolution, though viewing on the Defy is rewarding thanks to the detailed screen.
Motorola largely lets Eclair's Google apps do the talking. Google Mail, Maps, Latitude, Talk, News and Weather are all pre-loaded. Anything else can be downloaded from the Android Market and stored on the Defy's 2GB internal memory or an inserted microSD card.
A feature of note to visually impaired users is that Motorola is continuing to offer support for T3 and other hearing aid technologies along with text telephony. The Android operating system supports voice commands.
VERDICT
The engineering feat that enables the Motorola Defy to cram in a 3.7in display within its 59xl07x 13mm frame means you get every bit as much screen space to view web pages as you do on a fully-featured handset such as the Samsung Galaxy S. Clearly aimed at the less dainty smartphone owner, the Defy is a small but solid powerhouse that isn't afraid to take on rivals.
Details
Price (SIM-free) £279 inc VAT
Further information www.motorola.com/defy
Specifications Google Android 2.1 (Eclair); 3.7in, 480x854-pixel screen; 1GHz Qualcomm processor; 5Mp camera; 2GB memory; 3G, HSDPA; 118g; 59x107x13mm
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