Datawind Pocket Surfer 2 review

Datawind's Pocket Surfer 2 is a portable web browser.

Which, in principle, is a good idea. Getting online on the move can be tricky, and some mobile phone browsers struggle with complicated web pages. The Pocket Surfer 2 aims to be a simple and fast way to access the web anywhere. It has an integrated SIM card to download data over Orange's mobile data network, and the purchase price includes 20 hours' surfing per month.

When closed, the Pocket Surfer 2 looks slim and fairly stylish. It's when you open it that the problems begin. The hinge makes a horrible crackling sound, and the screen locks into place with a cheap-sounding click. The screen also wobbles when open. The bizarre keyboard is littered with so many icons that you'll need to read the manual carefully to work out what they do. There's basically a button for each one of the PocketSurfer's functions, instead of menu options.

Once the unit is turned on, it's easy to see its second major problem: the screen. It's dim, faded, and seems to have about 16 colours. The text on the home screen is hard to read, and navigation is made difficult by the fact that the mouse pointer doesn't change shape when you're over a link, so it's hard to know which part of a screen will respond when you click on it.

Even though the Pocket Surfer 2 only has GPRS rather than a fast 3G data connection, web pages load fairly quickly. The main reason for this is that images are so heavily compressed that it's often hard to tell what they are, and the display's low colour depth makes everything look like it's being seen on a computer from 20 years ago.

The browser seems to be able to display most web pages, but when you enter text into an online form it appears at the top of the screen, not where it should, making data entry a confusing chore.

The Pocket Surfer 2 may be fairly cheap, but it feels cheap too, and is pretty horrible to use. Better to spend your money on a smartphone.