The software bundle includes more than just the usual barebones collection of Pocket PC applications - Microsoft ActiveSync for synching with a PC, personal information management (tasks, calendar, contacts) and note taking tools, Microsoft Media Player and Microsoft Reader. It also includes Office for Pocket PC - Word and Excel.

The voice recorder functions in my testing were mediocre. It's really only useful for making personal voice notes with the microphone held right up to your mouth. Even then, the audio quality is poor. If you hold the phone even a few feet away, recordings are almost inaudible.

On the other hand, you can record phone conversations by pressing and holding the hardware Record button while talking.

There were a couple of little things I didn't like about the i700.

The head phone jack is the micro size which has become the norm in phone devices, but wasn't originally for Pocket PCs. This means existing head phones with standard mini jacks won't work unless you get an adapter from Radio Shack.

And the head phones that come with the unit are really intended for hands-free phoning not music listening, even though they're stereo. They sound tinny and thin when listening to MP3s or WMAs with Microsoft Media Player - although that could also be the unit's audio circuitry.

Also, the protective leather holder, while solidly constructed, is inelegant and doesn't work as a belt clip. It has a purse-style hand loop.

Still, if you're looking for a Pocket PC smartphone, definitely add the i700 to your list. The core features and functions - especially the color LCD and radio/network performance - are good enough to warrant its inclusion. And the camera makes it a fun unit to carry.