The Duo is made mostly of grey, glossy plastic and is relatively thick. Still, its 2.2-inch, 320-by-240-pixel screen is bright and easy to read. Both keyboards feature recessed button. The larger ones on the numeric keypad are easy to use, but the QWERTY keyboard is cramped and uncomfortable.

A 416-MHz Xscale processor powers the Duo, giving Windows Mobile 6 the juice it needs to run at a reasonable clip. Over AT&T’s 3G HSDPA data network, browsing the Web felt speedy but slowed considerably when rolling back to EDGE. And there’s no Wi-Fi. Also noticeably absent in built-in GPS.

The Duo integrates an outdated 1.3-megapixel camera, which takes poor photos. And the device doesn’t do a great job with video. Clips viewed in Windows Media Player looked blurry and choppy, and often froze up.

I can see some buyers choosing the Duo on looks and speed alone. 3G support and a speedy processor are enough to make Windows Mobile 6 Standard feel responsive for basic functions like e-mail and Web browsing, but there are better do-it-all device out there.

Pantech Duo Short Review
Price range: $249 with 2-year contract

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