T-Mobile MDA

Hoping to appeal to more than just road warriors, the T-Mobile MDA is a Windows Mobile 5.0 phone designed for users who want to check e-mail, surf the Web, and have instant messaging chats anywhere they roam. With three connectivity options (Wi-Fi, EDGE, and Bluetooth), a 1.3-megapixel camera, and Windows Media Player Mobile, this device has everything you need for work and play. You'll definitely want to call your friends to brag about the device. That is, assuming you can get a signal.

 

The MDA is thicker than the Treo 650 but noticeably lighter (5.3 versus 6.3 ounces). The reward for that extra thickness is a larger keyboard, which you access by sliding the display up. When you do, the large 320 x 240-pixel display automatically changes its orientation from portrait to landscape. Two soft keys beneath the display control most functions, along with an OK key that closes applications.

 

Unfortunately, there's no OK key on the front of the device, unlike the UTStarcom PPC-6700 (Sprint) and XV6700 (Verizon Wireless), so you'll often be using the stylus or your fingernail to exit programs. Above the display in portrait mode are dedicated launch keys for the mobile versions of Outlook and Internet Explorer. On the left side of the device is a button for launching the Communication Manager utility, which toggles the wireless radios on and off. 

 

If you happen to find yourself at one of the more than 7,400 T-Mobile HotSpot locations, the MDA makes logging on extremely easy. The device will automatically alert you when you're within range and prompt you to sign in. We pulled up The New York Times homepage in less than ten seconds.

 

When you venture outside of Wi-Fi range, the MDA automatically switches over to T-Mobile's GPRS/EDGE network. We saw pretty good speeds of about 100 Kbps, but while downloading some e-mails on a bus ride from Manhattan to northern New Jersey, the send/receive operation in Mobile Outlook simply halted. The send/receive action started again automatically when the MDA reacquired a signal.

 

The voice quality when making calls was generally good, but in certain instances the MDA couldn't register a single bar, especially indoors. We strongly suggest you check T-Mobile's coverage maps before deciding to invest in this smart phone.

 

Unlike other devices in this class, the MDA includes support for four instant messaging clients: AIM, ICQ, MSN, and Yahoo. We tried Yahoo with poor results. In most cases logging on took over a minute, and it took so long for messages to arrive on our buddy's PC that he gave up on our conversation. The IM client does not work over Wi-Fi connections.

 

Other features worked better including a reasonably sharp 1.3-MP camera (as long as you have good lighting) and Windows Media Player 10 for listening to songs and watching videos stored on a miniSD Card. Because this device is powered by an efficient 200-MHz processor (compared with the 416-MHz CPU that both the PPC-6700 and XV6700 use), you should get noticeably more talk time and a lot more standby time than the competition.

 

If you're looking primarily for a data device for use at hotspots, the MDA is a decent choice. Whether this smart phone is reliable enough when you're out of Wi-Fi range will depend on T-Mobile's coverage in that area.