03-22-2006, 05:00 PM
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Sage
Join Date: Oct 2006
Posts: 797
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Say Hi to the T-Mobile MDA!
Product Category: Pocket PC Phone
Manufacturer: Made for T-Mobile by HTC
Where to Buy: Amazon [Affiliate]
Price: $349.99 USD (With contract and $50 mail-in rebate)
System Requirements: Activesync 4.1
Specifications: Size: 4.29 x 2.28 x 0.93 inches
Weight: 5.64 ounces
Battery Type: Lithium Ion
Talk-time (rated): Up to 5 hours
Standby-time (rated): Up to 10 days
Network Support: Quad Band (850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz)
Pros:- Small and relatively lightweight;
- Bright and readable screen;
- WiFi and EDGE data;
- QWERTY keyboard;
- Uses a standard USB connector.
Cons:- Non-VGA screen;
- Stylus is too small;
- Average battery life;
- No cradle.
Summary:
The MDA is T-Mobile's first Windows Mobile 5 PDA / Phone, and while there's nothing spectacularly impressive about it, there's a whole lot to like in this tiny do-it-all device.
Read on for the full review!
At Last, The Wait is Over
For many long-suffering T-Mobile customers, the wait for a solid data device has been torture. T-Mobile Europe has seen the arrival of the MDA in various forms, and many people have taken to using the iMate handhelds on T-Mobile's network rather than waiting for T-Mobile USA to release a device in the States. The US version of the MDA is, effectively, the same handheld as iMate's KJAM, but because the device is subsidized by T-Mobile, the price tag is a lot more tolerable (the K-Jam is roughly $700 whereas the MDA is half that price). The idea is obviously to put this device in as many interested hands as possible and do it by keeping the price under control.
What's in The Box?
- MDA handheld;
- Standard battery;
- USB sync / charge cable;
- Travel charger;
- Stereo headset with mic;
- Horizontal pouch with belt clip.
Get More Connection
The highlight for the device, as T-Mobile puts it on their site and on the box, is that the "MDA keeps you connected everywhere." To that end, they've included EDGE GPRS (theoretical maximum speed of 256k) and 802.11b WiFi. EDGE data rates are acceptable, but not as fast as the MDA's sister device, the VX6700 (from Sprint and Verizon) which use EVDO. T-Mobile also includes a HotSpot Login utility that eliminates the need to open Pocket IE to connect to T-Mobile HotSpots. With it, you can store your login and password and when a HotSpot is detected, the phone will automatically connect you.
Unlike the VX6700, the MDA does not limit you from having the WiFi connection running while the phone radio is running, meaning you can still make and receive calls while the WiFi radio is enabled without hacking your registry.
Rounding out the connectivity options is the Bluetooth connectivity, which allows the connection of a Bluetooth headset and enables the MDA to be used as a Bluetooth modem. The MDA also has the ability to work as an EDGE modem through the included USB cable.
What About The Software?
T-Mobile didn't exactly break the bank including bundles of software. There are a few interesting extras installed, but nothing spectacular. They include a zipping and unzipping utility called Zip, and a free copy of Clearvue PDF, a PDF viewer. As far as software goes, the MDA is about as no-frills as it gets, and you'll end up bringing your own applications. The standard Windows Mobile 5 apps are all included, as well as Windows Media Player 10.
How's The Hardware?
The most striking thing upon removing the MDA from its box for the first time is the size of it. Compared to what most people probably expect in a Pocket PC, it's downright tiny and almost gets lost in your hand. The screen size is equally small, and not being VGA, can be a bit grainy at times, but it is bright, contrasty, and acceptable overall.
Figure 1: The MDA in comparison to an Axim X51v and a 5th-Gen iPod.
Aside from the Send / End buttons, there are buttons on the face of the device for Pocket IE, Messaging, and two Windows Mobile 5 softkeys. On the left side of the device is the button that brings up Comm Manager (the program that lets you turn the various wireless functions on or off), and an up / down slide switch that controls the volume setting both for the operating system and for the phone when you're in a call. On the right side, we have a button for the voice activation, a reset hole, and a button to activate the built in 1.3 mp camera.
The camera isn't so great, but it is a phone camera, so there probably isn't much in the way of expectations there anyway. Images tend to be toward the dark side and somewhat grainy. It does support resolutions of 1280 x 1024 and can take videos, but like most cameras that are built in to phones, it's not something you'd want to take family photos with.
Rounding out the MDA, we have a miniSD slot on the top and a power switch, which effectively shuts down only the PDA functions (screen and WiFi) while leaving the phone's transmitter and Bluetooth active. If you hold the button down for 3 seconds, you'll be presented with a warning about shutting down the device entirely, so it is possible to completely power it down.
On the bottom, we find a battery cover release, standard cellular headset jack, and a mini USB connector for syncing and charging. While I do appreciate that the connector is a standard one, I was slightly annoyed that T-Mobile only includes a USB cable in the box. They also include a travel charger, which is good for throwing in your bag when you're not going to be near a PC, but a cradle would definitely have been better.
Performance-wise, you may be disappointed if you've been banging away at a 624 MHz Dell Axim for a few weeks. The included processor in the MDA tops off at 206 MHz, which is not the fastest in the world, but more than enough for web browsing, messaging, phone calls, and light gaming. Don't expect to multitask a lot of apps and play MP3s at the same time, but you'll be able to get through.
Finally, the part you've all been waiting for: the keyboard.
Figure 2: The MDA's keyboard, open.
The sliding mechanism feels a bit loose on mine after having played with it for almost a week. That is a bit alarming, because I tend to make extensive use of the messaging client on any Pocket PC. I'm taking a wait and see attitude on it. The keys themselves are well-spaced, and the F and J keys are slugged so you can find them without looking. One minor annoyance is the placement of some of the symbols. In an effort to make more space available for the keys themselves, HTC put symbols like the @ - and ! on top of other keys, requiring an alt keypress to activate them. I don't mind the idea of sacrificing those to make the letter keys bigger, however, it does get frustrating to have to press the alt key for almost every symbol.
They good part, though, is that the keyboard is very responsive, and has nice tactile feedback. It may take a bit to get used to it, but once you do, you'll be whizzing through words in no time. It really is that good. It's a slightly different design from the keyboards used on HTC's other devices (The JasJar, the Vx6700) but I think it's every bit as good, just different.
Overall, although it's a bit quirky as far as the layout of symbols, the keyboard is reliable and easy to use and makes up for a few shortcomings in other areas.
There's Always a "But"...
While most of the features implemented in the MDA can be described as pretty good or good, there are some areas that need improvement.
First, the signal reception is relatively unimpressive, and the MDA takes what seems like an eternity to re-acquire a signal if it's out of range for any length of time. The fix for this, as I've discovered the hard way, is to set the "Network Search" option to manual, and manually select T-Mobile as your network. This speeds up re-acquiring of a signal dramatically.
Secondly, T-Mobile disables the 802.11g and instead leaves the phone locked onto 802.11b. This is easily patched with a little bit of registry tweaking, but in reality it shouldn't be necessary if the phone can support it.
Finally, voice quality is somewhat hollow. My last phone was a Motorola V635, and it had the warm and full sound characteristic of most CDMA phones. The MDA's voice quality is good, but not as good as I was used to.
Conclusions
After using the MDA for about a week, I've decided that it's a keeper. It will be staying in my pocket for the near future because, despite it not being perfect, it does a few things really well. It's a stable phone and organizer with enough features and modes of connectivity to keep you in touch from pretty much anywhere. The inclusion of Bluetooth guarantees that you won't have the typical face "stuff" on the screen of the phone, and despite the battery life not being the greatest, you should be able to get through a day with it as long as you make sure to throw it on the charger each night.
I would definitely recommend the MDA to anyone looking for a compact all-in-one communicator and PDA. It's not a performance monster, but it does what it does very well and you'd be hard-pressed to find more bang for your buck out there.
Vincent Ferrari is a Systems Analyst for a Cellular Master Agent in New York City. He enjoys photography, music, and cycling, and is an avid early adopter.
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03-22-2006, 05:14 PM
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Editor Emeritus
Join Date: Dec 2005
Posts: 214
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If you are planning on ordering, and want the $50 rebate, there is a minimum plan condition. Your rate plan must be $34.99/mo or higher.
When I ordered my device a week ago, the rep did not advise me of this, and I signed up with the $29.99 plan. I then received the form along with my device and it had that condition on it.
After spending time speaking with both Sales and Customer Care, both said there is nothing they can do, other than to return my device and cancel service. I was given the phone number for a 'BackOffice' department who handles financial issues. After fighting with one person there for a bit, they agreed to pull up the call record and call me back.
They pulled the call, confirmed that I was not informed. I recieved a VM stating this, and I was refunded on my credit card account $50.
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03-22-2006, 05:36 PM
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Mystic
Join Date: Jul 2003
Posts: 1,768
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Quote:
Non-VGA screen;
Stylus is too small;
Average battery life;
No cradle.
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I have to agree that it would be nice to have a VGA screen, but on such a small device, it would be underutilized most likely. I personally would prefer it as my eyesite allows it, but I know others who already think that 240x320 on a 2.8" screen is almost too small to use.
The stylus is too small, but this is easily overcome with my fat multi-function Club Pocket PC pen. The phone is so small that a telescoping stylus is probably all that could have been done anyway.
The battery life comment however seems odd to me. Sure, compared to some phone-only devices, it is not as good, but for me, I get great battery life. I am running the 2.17 ROM and the latest radio... perhaps the reviewer is using an older ROM (pre AKU2?). With my current setup, I get 100-150 emails a day, browse the web for about an hour a day, and talk for about 100 minutes a day and get more than a days worth of service (I just charge at night when going to bed).
I also wish the device had a cradle. The USB charge/sync is ok, but I find myself now looking at third party alternatives. A review of Wizard docks would be worthwhile... in fact, if someone wants to send me a few, I will review/compare them for everyone.
My wife both have T-Mobile on the family plan. I purchased the QTek 9100 (same as this device) in October of last year from Mad Monkey Boy (recommended source for imported devices) and we have really enjoyed our devices. My two oldest children also have phones under the Family Plan. I recommend that if you have the Family Plan on T-Mobile, that you get the unlimited messaging for $9.99. Because we have four phones in our plan, that is equal to $2.50 per phone... and with two teen-age daughters on our plan, that is an enormous money-saver! I host my own Exchange Server so all of us get instant push email and with the unlimited text/mms messaging, we use email and text messaging without any concern for costs. I think I am now almost as proficient typing with my thumbs as I am typing on a keyboard... just not quite as fast.
__________________
Jonathan (JonnoB)
"All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing." -Edmund Burke
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03-22-2006, 05:51 PM
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Sage
Join Date: Oct 2006
Posts: 797
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Quote:
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The battery life comment however seems odd to me. Sure, compared to some phone-only devices, it is not as good, but for me, I get great battery life. I am running the 2.17 ROM and the latest radio... perhaps the reviewer is using an older ROM (pre AKU2?). With my current setup, I get 100-150 emails a day, browse the web for about an hour a day, and talk for about 100 minutes a day and get more than a days worth of service (I just charge at night when going to bed).
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I do spend a lot of time where there is no signal, so I'm sure the hunting has an effect on the radio, but I was usually down to around 35% of my battery after very little phone usage and heavy data (email / web) usage. If I turned the Bluetooth and WiFi radios off, it definitely helped, but I wasn't confident that if I left it off the charger overnight I'd get another day out of it.
I would agree that charging it at night is indeed the solution, but it does kinda suck if you want to use it at night before you go to bed. No falling asleep with the MDA in your hand! :lol:
Don't get me wrong, I liked this device, and kept it in my pocket even after the review was done, but I've since gone back to using my Axim. The VGA screen really is important for GotoMyPC / Terminal Services, and it became a dealbreaker for me.
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03-22-2006, 06:17 PM
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Editor Emeritus
Join Date: Dec 2005
Posts: 214
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Quote:
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Originally Posted by JonnoB
I am running the 2.17 ROM and the latest radio... perhaps the reviewer is using an older ROM (pre AKU2?).
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Where did you get this 2.17 ROM from?
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03-22-2006, 06:23 PM
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Pupil
Join Date: Jan 2004
Posts: 39
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I've had my MDA for about a month and I've been super pleased with it.
I've used several other PPC Phones and never really found them good enough to use as my main phone. The MDA has really filled that niche.
I find the voice quality to be excellent (over the mic and over bluetooth), the battery life very acceptable (about 2 days of hard use per charge). The physical quality of the device is much better than some of the earlier HTC devices. I've really had no stability or reliability issues.
The included case sucks and the stylus is stumpy, but I find I don't use the stylus all that much in my daily use. (I use the stylus more for games than anything else.) I do notice that compared to my LOOX 720 and laptop, the MDA doesn't pick up weak wifi signals in the corners of my house nearly as well.
I still use the Loox for in-car navigation (w/BT GPS) thanks to its VGA screen, and for web browsing around the house, but I find I don't carry it with me any more.
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03-22-2006, 06:26 PM
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Pupil
Join Date: Mar 2002
Posts: 12
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I'm afraid I can't agree with the cons.
1.) VGA on such a small device does not make sense, this is an old topic really.
2.) I've seen much worse styli on other devices. And nobody complained about those. The Stylus is telescopic, so it should be long enough really.
3.) Battery life is fine, I've been using the device for months now
4.) Which small PDA Phone does have a cradle nowadays? I think that the time of cradles is long gone.
If there's a con then it's probably Windows Mobile 5 whith all the bugs and reboots and incompatibilities. Also, lack of speed. This device is *slow*.
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03-22-2006, 06:30 PM
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Mystic
Join Date: Jul 2003
Posts: 1,768
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Quote:
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Originally Posted by Balsky
If there's a con then it's probably Windows Mobile 5 whith all the bugs and reboots and incompatibilities. Also, lack of speed. This device is *slow*.
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With AKU2 and ensuring all my apps are WM5 friendly (compiled with VS2005, supports softkeys, etc) then I have no stability problems at all. As for speed, I use smartskey to make better use of the softkeys and include the OmapClock tool to boost my CPU to 264mhz. Speed was ok before, but now it is blazingly fast. And surprisingly, it has not affected battery life much for me either.
__________________
Jonathan (JonnoB)
"All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing." -Edmund Burke
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03-22-2006, 06:31 PM
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Mystic
Join Date: Jul 2003
Posts: 1,768
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Quote:
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Originally Posted by TonyR
Where did you get this 2.17 ROM from?
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__________________
Jonathan (JonnoB)
"All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing." -Edmund Burke
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03-22-2006, 06:50 PM
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Pupil
Join Date: Mar 2002
Posts: 12
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Quote:
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Originally Posted by JonnoB
Quote:
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Originally Posted by Balsky
If there's a con then it's probably Windows Mobile 5 whith all the bugs and reboots and incompatibilities. Also, lack of speed. This device is *slow*.
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With AKU2 and ensuring all my apps are WM5 friendly (compiled with VS2005, supports softkeys, etc) then I have no stability problems at all. As for speed, I use smartskey to make better use of the softkeys and include the OmapClock tool to boost my CPU to 264mhz. Speed was ok before, but now it is blazingly fast. And surprisingly, it has not affected battery life much for me either. |
Good Idea, I'll try that today.
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