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I have been a satisfied T-Mobile (and before that, VoiceStream) user for many years. It has been a love-hate relationship, but for the most part I have been satisfied. But my contract expired recently, so I did what every other bargain hunting American would do – I went shopping for a better deal. Like the Captain and Tennille, I shopped around, but decided to stick with T-Mobile. That left me with trying to decided what kind of phone I wanted to upgrade to. I work as a field service engineer so having a good communication device with a lot of information at my disposal it pretty important. I have used a series of PDAs, both Palm- and Pocket PC-based, as well as phones that provide more than just a calling platform. But carrying two devices can be quite cumbersome, as well as expensive. So I looked at options that would merge these two devices. Since I decided to stick with T-Mobile, that left my options somewhat limited. But the ones that remained were pretty impressive.

T-Mobile has two phones that fit what I was looking for in terms of both data and communication. One is called the MDA (Mobile Data Assistant), and the other is the SDA (Smart Digital Assistant). Both are manufactured by the same company, HTC, who also manufacture these same phones for other carriers. But the scope of this review is limited to T-Mobile and their features.

I tried the MDA phone first. This phone is a combination Pocket PC and cell phone. It runs Windows Mobile 5.0 and has touch sensitive screen, similar to other PDAs running the same OS. It has a screen resolution of 240×320 pixels, but utilizing the WM5 feature, the screen can be rotated to a 320×240 resolution. This device has both PDA and cell phone functions.

First, the PDA side. It is, as I stated before, running Windows Mobile 5.0. For the technically inclined, it is running a 200mhz TI OMAP 850 microprocessor. It has 64mb of RAM and 128mb of ROM. The display is a 2.8" QVGA TFT LCD touchscreen. Here is a picture of some size comparisons of the Treo 650, SDA, and MDA.

The MDA syncs with a PC via an included USB cable, and also has an IrDA port for infrared functionality. But included with this device is integrated WiFi and Bluetooth. This makes it a perfect trifecta for not only remote syncing with your PC, but never being out of touch with the Internet. It is possible to set up the WiFi to act as a sniffer, so that when you are in range of a new network, it will notify you with an alarm and offer to setup a relationship. Syncing to my PC via Bluetooth took only a minute to setup, the pairing was seamless and effortless on my part.

The best part of the PDA side was the hidden and integrated QWERTY keyboard. When you rotate the device to the 320×240 orientation, you can slide it open, and there it is, the keyboard. It is easy to use for quick messages, updates to data sheets, any thing that you would use a keyboard for. But don’t plan on writing your next novel using it. It is a great convenience to have but long term use will drive you insane. The keys are somewhat flush with the keyboard, but are raised enough that touch typing is not a problem, and the tactile feedback is well within the acceptable range.

Since this is a full fledged WM 5 PDA, it goes without saying that is supports and runs any WM 5 compatible software. I have tried several eBook readers (MS Reader, MobiPocket, and Palm Digital Medai eReader) and found all worked. I played several games, and found that Warfare, Inc. ran flawlessly (let’s face it, I’m addicted to it). I imported several Excel and Word documents from both Office XP and Office 2003, and they were opened and displayed, and then saved back to my desktop.

There is also a 1.3megapixel camera integrated into the device. You can store pictures either on the device or on the removable storeage device, in this case a miniSD card. It was tested using a Sandisk card, and as  you can see from the results, it is not the best camera to have and rely  on. This picture is from the August 22nd, 2006 New York Yankees – Seatlle Mariners game a Safeco Field in Seattle, WA. All I can say about the camera is it is better to have one and not need it, than to need it and not have it. It is really not a good camera.

One feature that I did find on the MDA, and is not, to the best of my knowledge, on any other WM5 device is the ability to do a complete out-of-the-box cold reset, including the programs in memory that are protected from battery loss.  If you go to Start – Settings-System, there is a program "Clear Storage Memory". Utilizing that command will wipe out all data on the device for good, as in forever. I have not seen this on any other WM 5 device, but it is a nice feature to have, since  doing a cold reset will not get rid of everything.

Now how does it act as a phone? I was impressed with the reception of the main signal in the area that I live. There were a few dead spots, but I have experienced those with other T-Mobile phones that I have used. (I also have friends with other providers that experience drop out in the same locations, so it must be the mysterious area we live in).  The sound quality was very good, it was easy to hear incoming calls, as well as speaking into the phone.  T-Mobile has a variety of phone plans that are very cost competitive with other providers.

One of my main reasons for looking for a PDA based phone was a need to be able to access my home POP3 email from Comcast. I looked at other providers plans, and the cost was astronomical for what I really needed. T-Mobile has a nice plan they call T-Mobile Internet (formerly known as T-Zones) that is only $5.99 a month. This gives me unlimited access to my Comcast email account anytime of the day or night. This was a major factor in my deciding to stay with T-Mobile. They also offer a fully fledged unlimited Internet access plan, but that is $29.99 a month and is way more than what I need.

The thickness of the phone makes it an easy fit in my hand, but the case is so slick that I was afraid of dropping it. Spending this much for a phone, that is the last thing I wanted to do.  There are several aftermarket cases available for this phone. I selected a Sena flip case with a clip. This allows protection of the screen while allowing access to all of the phone and PDA functions via stylus or finger. I added the Box Wave anti-glare screen protector for added protection.  The case flips over the top, and after a few days of use, the leather softens up and it stays out of the way while using it. The case is available in a variety of colors. The case can also be used with other models as well.

 Overall, I am very impressed with this phone as a user. To me it is a PDA first, a cell phone second. The major drawback I see with it is the accessing the phone via the touchscreen. I would recommend setting up the voice dialing feature. On the plus side, it is nice to have a fully functional Windows-based PDA with integrated WiFi and Bluetooth and a QWERTY keyboard. If you are road warrior who needs a lot of power in the palm of you hand, you would have to hunt for a phone that gives you as much as this one does.

NOTE: This review (and the following one on the SDA) have been a long time coming and I want to apologize to the readers and the other Mobility Site staff. I have been recovering from reconstructive hand surgery and am just now able to take the brace off for awhile. With it on, it would hit the space bar about every three or four keystrokes, which made my typing totally unreadable. But I am able to leave it off for a few hours a day, and soon off for good. So stay tuned for the T-Mobile SDA review shortly.

Richard Cunningham (82 Posts) - Website | Twitter | Facebook