My mystery source steps up once again! This time, he delivered with a real live HTC Vox. And as a bonus, this was also the first time I got to experience Windows Mobile 6.

Microsoft's new mobile OS shares some similarities with its predecessor. You still have the Today screen, and the two softkeys below the screen. Yet there are many improvements, like a better-looking interface, and more sensible menu hierarchies. There were some slowdowns, but only because I was using a beta version, not ready for public release.

But enough about that. The HTC Vox as you may know looks like a typical smartphone, with a numeric keypad underneath the QVGA screen. But there's also a QWERTY keyboard that slides out from underneath, towards the right. When this happens, the screen automatically re-orients itself into landscape mode.

Size: The smartphone (it runs Windows Mobile 6 standard) is surprisingly small, slightly thicker than a Treo 680 or 750, but half it's width. Maybe next time I should bring a tape measure for more accurate measurements, but the Vox is easily the most compact Windows Mobile device I've used.

Responsiveness: Like I said, there were some slowdowns, but generally when you press a key, the gadget responds instantly. Menu navigation was literally a breeze.

Display: From what I saw, a very very bright QVGA screen that can be used as a flashlight in dark places.

Ergonomics: Perhaps the diminutive width works against this device, since it felt too narrow to use with one hand comfortably, even with the easy-to-use five-way navigator located just below the display. And two-hands are a must when the QWERTY keyboard is out. A bit hefty, but only because build-quality is great. The sliding keyboard in particular felt snug and snappy.

Audio: The Vox lives up to its name, featuring a very loud external speaker that plays music, audio, or the voice of your contacts in speakerphone mode. It still won't make an impression in noisy places though.

Connectivity: Windows Mobile staples like Bluetooth and Wi-Fi are here. And my source reports that he was actually able to Skype a friend in a hotspot. Unfortunately, people longing for HSDPA will have to look elsewhere.

Release Date: Unfortunately, my source had no clear info about this; expect updates as they become available.

Miscellaneous: It looks like DataViz's cash cow (Documents To Go) won't die, since Office Mobile is lacking in a few areas. Like the inability to create new documents from scratch. My source had to upload blank files, and just created copies from that when he had to make new stuff on the gadget.

Unfortunately, to protect my source I didn't take pictures. So I'll used one from the Boy Genius Report.