T-Mobile's Dash: Powerful, Slim, and QWERTY [Archive]

View Full Version : T-Mobile's Dash: Powerful, Slim, and QWERTY

Janak Parekh

10-13-2006, 02:00 PM

<a href="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/parekh/features/dash/Dash_hires.jpg"><img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/parekh/features/dash/Dash_hiress.jpg" alt="User submitted image" title="User submitted image"/></a> Product Category: Smartphone Manufacturer: <a href="http://www.htc.com.tw/">HTC</a> Where to Buy: <a href="http://www.t-mobileregistration.com/dash/productinfo.asp">T-Mobile</a> (after October 25; notification email sign-up site linked) Price: $199.99-$299.99 USD, depending on contract; $29.99/month gives you unlimited GPRS/EDGE/T-Mobile HotSpot WiFi data on top of a voice plan System Requirements: Windows 2000 or Windows XP; USB port Specifications: 2.5" W x 4.4" H x 0.51" D; 4.2 oz; proprietary HTC AC/headphone/sync plug; 201MHz OMAP processor; 320x240, 16-bit screen; 64MB RAM (23MB free on startup), 128MB ROM; microSD slot; QWERTY thumbboard; 1.3MP digital camera; quadband GSM/GPRS/EDGE; Bluetooth 2.0; WiFi 802.11g; Windows Mobile 5 AKU3 Pros: Full QWERTY keyboard; Compact, slim device; Integrated WiFi; Excellent display.Cons: Jog strip limited only to volume control; T-Mobile exclusive; No 3G support; Proprietary HTC extUSB connector.Summary: T-Mobile and HTC are attempting to make the notion of a QWERTY Smartphone go mainstream, and have partnered to sell the HTC Excalibur as the T-Mobile Dash. The unit is loaded with features and sports an attractive form factor. Is it a winner? Read on for more details!<!> <PAGEBREAK>A "Mini-Review"? For better or for worse, I'm known for my voluminous reviews on Pocket PC Thoughts, including my reviews on the <a href="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/articles.php?action=expand,20748">Samsung i700</a> and the <a href="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/articles.php?action=expand,47663">Treo 700w</a>. This review is going to differ for a number of reasons. First, I only got the device yesterday, so I won't be able to comment on long-term usability, battery life, etc., and the pictures aren't quite at the quality I'd like them to be. Second, I'm not a T-Mobile subscriber, so I can't do extended tests on data or coverage. Nevertheless, as a veteran Smartphone user (I used the Samsung i600 for about a year on Verizon) I sat down with the phone and put it through the paces. Note that this review is primarily geared towards existing Smartphone users, as it glosses over Smartphone OS use and focuses on differences with other Smartphones. If you have questions about how the Smartphone operates, feel free to post it as a comment, and I'll do the best I can to answer it. On to the review! Box Contents and First Looks <a href="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/parekh/features/dash/1.jpg"><img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/parekh/features/dash/1s.jpg" alt="User submitted image" title="User submitted image"/></a> Figure 1: The T-Mobile Dash packaging. The Dash comes packed in a T-Mobile-designed cover, and it's clear that a significant branding effort was done throughout the product. The unit comes with the standard fare, including manuals and a CD, a belt-clip carrying case, the Dash itself, a US charger, USB sync cable, a headset, and the battery packed separately. <a href="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/parekh/features/dash/2.jpg"><img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/parekh/features/dash/2s.jpg" alt="User submitted image" title="User submitted image"/></a> Figure 2: The unit as shipped. Upon removing the unit from its plastic contents, it's clear how T-Mobile is consumerizing the device -- there's helpful shortcuts on the screen protector sticker, including the basics like figuring out one's phone number. (I presume that's particularly important for people who order the unit online.) <a href="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/parekh/features/dash/3.jpg"><img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/parekh/features/dash/3s.jpg" alt="User submitted image" title="User submitted image"/></a> Figure 3: Sticker removed. Removing the sticker yields a very glossy, 320x240 landscape display. Unfortunately, the days I've tested it have been cloudy outside, so I haven't managed to do an outdoors test yet. The styling, which looked a bit "toy-like" in some early pictures, actually manages to look reasonably classy. There is one dedicated T-Mobile button, which is used for their T-Zones WAP service. <a href="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/parekh/features/dash/4.jpg"><img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/parekh/features/dash/4s.jpg" alt="User submitted image" title="User submitted image"/></a> Figure 4: Holding the Dash. The Dash is extremely comfortable to hold in the hand. My first impression was, "hey! They took the iPAQ 4150 form factor and used that as inspiration for a Smartphone" -- it literally feels that svelte and comfortable. The back of the unit is slightly rubberized, giving a great grip. The device feels well-engineered overall; there are no creaks and the device doesn't flex anywhere. It's remarkable how far we've come since the first HTC Windows Mobile unit, the iPAQ 3650 (HTC Macaw, if I remember correctly). <a href="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/parekh/features/dash/5.jpg"><img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/parekh/features/dash/5s.jpg" alt="User submitted image" title="User submitted image"/></a> Figure 5: Rear of the device. The back of the device is simply arranged; there's the 1.3MP camera, a mirror, what looks like a speaker grille, and the battery cover. The battery cover doesn't have a fancy latch; to open it, you press it down slightly at the top middle and slide it down. While it doesn't lock in with a satisfying click, there's plenty of friction, and it does feel like it'll stay firmly in place. <a href="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/parekh/features/dash/6.jpg"><img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/parekh/features/dash/6s.jpg" alt="User submitted image" title="User submitted image"/></a> Figure 6: Under the battery cover. The battery, SIM, and microSD slots are all located under the battery cover. The SIM is actually at the top left, right above the word "HOW"; the SIM sits recessed. The microSD slot is on the right side, and is not obstructed by the battery, which is a good thing, although you still need to remove the cover to switch microSDs. Not perfect, but better than having to turn the device off. <a href="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/parekh/features/dash/13.jpg"><img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/parekh/features/dash/13s.jpg" alt="User submitted image" title="User submitted image"/></a> Figure 7: The famous touch strip. But wait, what's that volume icon? Figure 7 shows a quick shot of the touch strip on the side of the device. However, if you compare this to the <a href="http://www.theunwired.net/?itemid=3327">pictures of the touch strip on other versions</a> of the HTC Excalibur, you'll notice the two buttons are missing and a volume icon has been added in the middle. I'll talk about this later in the review, but it appears that T-Mobile has removed the scrolling ability of the touch strip, opting to make it strictly a volume control now. 8O <a href="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/parekh/features/dash/24.jpg"><img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/parekh/features/dash/24s.jpg" alt="User submitted image" title="User submitted image"/></a> Figure 8: The charging LED, illuminated. The WiFi/BT led is on the bottom of that little earpiece oval. I tried to photograph it, but gave up trying to guess the time interval between blinks. Two LEDs are cleverly concealed on the top of the Dash, at the top and bottom of the earpiece, representing the power/phone (orange/green solid when plugged in, and blinking when there's signal) and the WiFi/BT indicator (green for WiFi, blue for BT). Oh, by the way, the WiFi seems to be 802.11g; when I connected to my work network, it said that the receive rate was 54mbps. I doubt the unit can actually stream web content at that speed, but it's good to see the use of a "G" chipset. Figures 9 and 10 show the bundled carrying case, which is designed to be worn on the belt. It's simply designed, and while it looks classy, in my opinion the Dash's value proposition is that it should fit in a pants or a jeans pocket without any noticeable bulge. In any case, the case uses a magnetic front flap, and has a simple belt clip on the back. The material is a nice (faux?) leather. <a href="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/parekh/features/dash/14.jpg"><img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/parekh/features/dash/14s.jpg" alt="User submitted image" title="User submitted image"/></a> Figure 9: Front view of the Dash carrying case with the Dash inserted. <a href="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/parekh/features/dash/15.jpg"><img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/parekh/features/dash/15s.jpg" alt="User submitted image" title="User submitted image"/></a> Figure 10: Side view of the Dash carrying case with the Dash inserted. Up next: a few comparison shots, and pictures of the Dash turned on. 8) <PAGEBREAK>Comparison Pictures As I arranged this review hastily, I didn't have many devices to compare against -- only a Palm Treo 700w and an iPAQ 4150. This happens to be pretty appropriate, though, since the 700w closely resembles the Dash form factor-wise and the 4150 resembles the Dash's size. Note that the Treo 700w has a screen protector applied, so the screen will appear a little less glossy. (I suspect the Dash could use a screen protector to enhance outdoors usage and protect the display, although I haven't tried one.) <a href="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/parekh/features/dash/7.jpg"><img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/parekh/features/dash/7s.jpg" alt="User submitted image" title="User submitted image"/></a> Figure 11: The 700w and the Dash, side-by-side. The 700w and the Dash look fairly similar in design, and I'm not sure that's a surprise -- this form factor, with the square or landscape screen and a full thumbboard right on the front of the device, i.e. the "Blackberry look", is all the rage nowadays. Another device that shares this form factor, of course, is the Q... however, I didn't have one to take shots against. <a href="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/parekh/features/dash/8.jpg"><img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/parekh/features/dash/8s.jpg" alt="User submitted image" title="User submitted image"/></a> Figure 12: The 700w and the Dash height comparison. This is where it becomes more apparent how thin the Dash is. I never realized my 700w was that huge until I saw this picture. 8O As the image shows, the bottom connector on the device is HTC's extUSB, also present on the Star Trek and several other new units. As I mentioned previously, the unit comes with a power adapter, a USB cable, and a headset; none of them plug in simultaneously. The device does charge over USB, though, as with other HTC devices. It's also worth mentioning that the USB cable looks very much like a miniUSB connector, although I haven't tried and would be reluctant to actually try a standard miniUSB cable. <a href="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/parekh/features/dash/20.jpg"><img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/parekh/features/dash/20s.jpg" alt="User submitted image" title="User submitted image"/></a> Figure 13: The iPAQ 4150 and the Dash, compared. As I mentioned earlier, the Dash's form factor feels like the iPAQ 19xx/41xx -- and here's proof. The two units are almost the exact same size -- the Dash is ever-so-slightly thicker and ever-so-slightly narrower. <a href="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/parekh/features/dash/21.jpg"><img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/parekh/features/dash/21s.jpg" alt="User submitted image" title="User submitted image"/></a> Figure 14: The iPAQ 4150 and the Dash height comparison. <a href="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/parekh/features/dash/22.jpg"><img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/parekh/features/dash/22s.jpg" alt="User submitted image" title="User submitted image"/></a> Figure 15: The iPAQ 4150 and the Dash, rear. Do they look similar or what? ;) Okay, time for a screen-on comparison. <a href="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/parekh/features/dash/10.jpg"><img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/parekh/features/dash/10s.jpg" alt="User submitted image" title="User submitted image"/></a> Figure 16: The 700w and the Dash, on, with SPT's homepage. <a href="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/parekh/features/dash/23.jpg"><img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/parekh/features/dash/23s.jpg" alt="User submitted image" title="User submitted image"/></a> Figure 17: The iPAQ 4150 and the Dash screens, compared. The iPAQ's is larger, but is far poorer in brightness and quality. These pictures don't quite capture the striking difference of the units' displays, although I think you'll get a feel for it. The 700w and the iPAQ are at maximum brightness; the Dash doesn't have a brightness control, although it will dim when idle to save power. While it's worth pointing out the 700w's screen protector might be reducing the contrast on its screen, the Dash is still noticeably sharper, brighter, and better saturated overall. The screen is also higher-resolution, at 320x240; the text is extremely crisp and clear, and ClearType looks great. It's an absolutely top-notch screen, and you can't go wrong with it. (And, by the way, it's remarkable how similar WM5 Pocket PC Phone Edition and Smartphone look when you have two similarly-shaped devices next to each other.) <a href="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/parekh/features/dash/11.jpg"><img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/parekh/features/dash/11s.jpg" alt="User submitted image" title="User submitted image"/></a> Figure 18: Comparing the 700w and Dash's thumbboards. As you can see, the amount of real estate for each thumbboard is extremely similar, but the keys are arranged differently. The Dash keys are larger and have less space between them. As to which feels better, it's hard for me to say; I'm very used to the 700w's thumbboard by now, so it obviously feels a bit more natural to me, but I think the Dash's keyboard is pretty decent. The keys have excellent tactile feedback -- they have a "click" feel to them and no mushiness. The Dash's thumbboard lights blue when it's used. <a href="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/parekh/features/dash/12.jpg"><img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/parekh/features/dash/12s.jpg" alt="User submitted image" title="User submitted image"/></a> Figure 19: Close-up of the Dash's screen. Here's a closer shot of the Dash's screen. The picture isn't perfect -- my Canon SD550's optical capabilities are being stretched to the limit here -- but I hope this conveys how nice the screen is. I'll talk about some of the home screen components a bit later. Next up -- a few screenshots of the device in action! <PAGEBREAK>Using the Dash As I mentioned earlier, this review is geared towards Smartphone users, so I'm not going to show most of the regular WM5 Smartphone screens. Turning on the dash shows an extensively-animated T-Mobile logo, replete with sound. This was a little shock to me, because I was used to earlier static Pocket PC and Smartphone startup screens. I presume this is part of Microsoft's new efforts to enhance operator branding. Personally, I prefer static screens, but this is the way the industry seems to be going. <img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/parekh/features/dash/ScreenShot006.png" alt="User submitted image" title="User submitted image"/> Figure 20: The Dash's default home screen. Note that T-Mobile has added a "Set Up My Email" to the home screen. This launches an email configurator utility that, presumably, has preprogrammed settings for T-Mobile accounts, making it easier for the average user to configure their email account. I'm sure those of us that have our own third-party accounts can manage without it, and thankfully, they've added a "Hide Me" for that very reason. <img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/parekh/features/dash/ScreenShot002.png" alt="User submitted image" title="User submitted image"/> Figure 21: The E-mail Setup tool. I didn't go farther, as my account is on my own server and is unlikely to be helped by this tool. <img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/parekh/features/dash/ScreenShot007.png" alt="User submitted image" title="User submitted image"/> Figure 22: The Communication Manager. Launching the Communication Manager from Start or by clicking on the WiFi status on the home screen brings up the above-shown app. I've watched the evolution of these Managers from the earliest versions on the JasJar, and it's gratifying to see the level of control you now have over controlling what the unit will do. Switching functions off and on is a snap. <img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/parekh/features/dash/ScreenShot003.png" alt="User submitted image" title="User submitted image"/> Figure 23: The About screen. This is the first device I've used that has AKU3. Good to see that T-Mobile used the latest AKU! <img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/parekh/features/dash/ScreenShot013.png" alt="User submitted image" title="User submitted image"/> Figure 24: Among other improvements, here's AKU3's built-in Internet Sharing tool. About time this is standardized across devices, and the Dash is one of the first to have it. Please, Palm, please release AKU3 for my 700w. Please... <img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/parekh/features/dash/ScreenShot004.png" alt="User submitted image" title="User submitted image"/> Figure 25: System Information screen. For those of you who are curious about details about the unit itself, here's the System Information screen with all of the low-level detail. There's several other programs on the device beyond the standard WM5 fare, including a MyFaves tool to manipulate T-Mobile's new free calling feature for selected numbers (and which communicates your preferences over-the-air); T-Zones, which is T-Mobile's WAP portal, a T-Mobile HotSpot helper tool to enable you to easily connect to their service at Starbucks and many other locations, HTC's own (very decent) Task Manager, ClearVue file viewers, an extra Instant Messaging client, and a few miscellaneous tools. <img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/parekh/features/dash/ScreenShot001.png" alt="User submitted image" title="User submitted image"/> Figure 26: Oz's Instant Messaging client. T-Mobile bundled an IM client capable of AIM, ICQ, and Y! instant messaging. I think this is a great addition for those that don't use MSN Messenger. I've always perceived of T-Mobile as a "consumer-friendly" carrier, compared to the behemoths that are Verizon and Cingular, and this is a good example of just that. Gripes Overall, the experience of using the Dash is exactly what you'd expect a Smartphone to be. The unit is reasonably fast, the screen is gorgeous, the device is easy to use. However, there are two quirks, one minor, and one major. Let's start with the minor one. <img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/parekh/features/dash/ScreenShot011.png" alt="User submitted image" title="User submitted image"/> Figure 27: The annoyance known as xT9. The Dash includes a new predictive text input mechanism, xT9. This is an evolution from T9, and to be perfectly honest, it's actually quite a bit nicer than the T9 implementations in previous Smartphones. However, I don't need it when I have a full thumbboard! Essentially, given a full thumbboard, xT9 acts as an autocomplete. Most of the time, it's actually right -- you can then hit spacebar to finish the word and continue onto the next. But then there are cases like the one in figure 26, when it actually gets in your way. It's completing Jason's last name here, and exiting it without completing the word is actually very nonintuitive. In this case, I could just scroll to the left and hit Enter or Space. However, when there are no correct completions, I have no idea how to get out of it without completing. :? Worse, you cannot use arrows to scroll when xT9 is completing; it grabs the arrows' focus for navigating between the words listed at the bottom. This makes doing things like writing emails rather tedious for me, especially when I type a few letters and xT9 wants to helpfully, but wrongly, complete it. Fortunately, I have a simple solution: hit ALT-SPACE, and switch to ABC. Problem solved. ;) The only catch is that while the input method sticks, it appears specific to the app in question, so you may have to switch a few apps once before you have all of them in regular multitap (well, singletap on a QWERTY), unless a registry hack is available. Now, some of you may actually like xT9, but I find that the whole point of QWERTY is that I can type out all the words without thinking of completion. Now for the big gripe: as I mentioned earlier, the scrolling touch strip, aka the JOGGR from the generic HTC Excalibur, is gone. T-Mobile saw fit to replace it with a generic volume control. I guess this makes sense from a consumer standpoint, but I was really looking forward to being able to <a href="http://www.theunwired.net/?itemid=3327">scroll rapidly using the JOGGR</a>. <img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/parekh/features/dash/ScreenShot005.png" alt="User submitted image" title="User submitted image"/> Figure 28: The JOGGR/touch strip control panel has been replaced with a volume-only version. You can basically set the strip to change volume in-call only, change volume everywhere, or do nothing. I am very hopeful that someone can release an add-on to restore the original functionality, because I think that was one of the coolest aspects of the Excalibur, and a nice answer to the jog dial of the Blackberries. As to if it's even a real "scroller" hardwarewise, it's hard to say, since there's so few positions for volume. You can essentially use it as a pair of up/down volume keys. Not much else to do. :( Moving on... we're almost finished with the review. The next page talks about the Dash's phone quality and other last observations before concluding. What do I ultimately think of the Dash? Read on! <PAGEBREAK>The Dash as Phone, and Other Tests At the press event announcing the Dash, it was made clear that T-Mobile was looking for this to be not only a flexible Smartphone but also an exemplary phone. I was only briefly able to test the phone functionality, but the quality of both the earpiece and microphone were excellent. Reception seemed fine. I didn't get a chance to test in noisy/windy environments; hopefully one of the other SPTers will be able to carry it for a few weeks and give the device a full walkthrough. I also didn't test GPRS/EDGE, as the SIM I borrowed wasn't provisioned for data. I did test WiFi though, and found both reception and bandwidth were solid. I don't think Skype will run on this 200MHz processor, but any other WiFi application should work just fine on this device without any issues. Note that the Dash does not have 3G; T-Mobile doesn't have much of a 3G network at the moment, and the device is geared for their $29.99 all-data plan that offers unlimited GPRS, EDGE, and T-Mobile HotSpots. In my opinion, that's a pretty good tradeoff for casual use. Finally, this unit apparently has Bluetooth 2.0, but unfortunately I didn't have any stereo headphones to see how well that would work. We'll have to wait and see how others find the profile featureset to be. Speaking of the processor, the device is reasonably responsive. When I first set it up, it seemed slow, but that slowness disappeared shortly thereafter. HTC devices often do a "preinstall" in the background the first time the device is set up; that's the only guess I can make, as subsequent power cycles did not yield any slowness. I did not have a chance to test battery life, so I can't really comment on it. The camera on the phone is not revolutionary -- it's standard 1.3 megapixel fare -- but is decent even with indoor lighting. Click on figure 29 to see the original-resolution image. (This picture was taken with default settings.) <a href="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/parekh/features/dash/IMAGE_001.jpg"><img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/parekh/features/dash/IMAGE_001s.jpg" alt="User submitted image" title="User submitted image"/></a> Figure 29: Picture of the animals sitting on top of my Dell 20" LCD in my office, with standard fluorescent lighting. Note the reasonable sharpness of the background features. Can anyone identify: a) the product in the poster on the very left; b) the source of the images on the posters in the middle; c) the teams pictured on the calendar? And no, I don't normally buy stuffed animals... these were gifts accumulated over the years. ;) Conclusions My two gripes aside, I really, really like this device. If I was living in good T-Mobile coverage, I'd be sorely tempted to switch. It's not necessarily the flashiest or most insanely powerful Windows Mobile device on the market, but it matches an excellent feature set with a fantastic form factor. The unit fits so comfortably in your hand, the screen is to die for, the thumbboard is solid, the unit's WiFi works seamlessly, and the device just feels well-executed from start to finish. Alas, I'm going back to my brick of a 700w and its correspondingly expensive Verizon service. I'd never have called it a brick before now, but that just goes to show you what a svelte little Smartphone the Dash is. If you walk past a T-Mobile store starting on October 25, do me a favor -- walk in, hold it in your hand for a few seconds, and let me know what you think. I think you'll have the exact same response I did. Janak Parekh is finishing up his Ph.D. in Computer Science at Columbia University in the City of New York. When not frantically performing last-minute research experiments or writing device reviews, he can be found catching a baseball game or hanging out in New York City with his friends... or, most likely, catching up on sleep.

Mike Temporale

10-13-2006, 03:15 PM

Great review Janak! I love the 4150 comparison pictures. I still got one of those around here someplace. 8)

I think the Dash's keyboard is pretty decent. The keys have excellent tactile feedback -- they have a "click" feel to them and no mushiness. The Dash's thumbboard lights blue when it's used.

That's pretty interesting. Both of the Excalibur's I've played with have a soft and mushy keyboard. I wonder if this is something that T-Mobile changed or if the devices I saw were just very early prototypes and HTC has changed the overall keyboard experience.

I'm pretty shocked that T-Mo would break the Jogger strip. They must have found it very difficult to use. If i recall correctly, another operator has changed the Jogger strip to a rocker button. Perhaps there are a lot of issues with the Jogger technology. I would rather have a rocker button than a volume control. Does anyone ever change the volume settings on their Smartphones anyway? :?

WelcomeRain

10-13-2006, 03:59 PM

Janak Parekh

10-13-2006, 04:44 PM

God... could this thing be any uglier? Anybody remember the AMC Pacer? Functionality is on thing but how about spending a moment or two putting a skirt on this pig. It is kind of hard using a cell phone when you've got a bag over it.
You really have to see the device in person. For some inexplicable reason, it looks terrible in pictures, but I think it looks pretty decent in the hand. I'm not the only one who's noticed this; Engadget Mobile's mentioned this too (http://www.engadget.com/2006/10/11/t-mobile-dash-review/):

We've loved this thing ever since we laid hands on it -- don't let the pictures fool you, it's way smaller and sleeker than most photos let on. In all reality, the Dash is a fairly unphotogenic device -- which is why we had to make sure to take some bigger and better than usual photos of it.

--janak

Janak Parekh

10-13-2006, 04:46 PM

That's pretty interesting. Both of the Excalibur's I've played with have a soft and mushy keyboard.
Weird. :? The Dash is definitely not remotely mushy.

Does anyone ever change the volume settings on their Smartphones anyway? :?
I change phones' volume all the time in New York, because office volume and street volume differs drastically.

--janak

Mike Temporale

10-13-2006, 06:31 PM

I change phones' volume all the time in New York, because office volume and street volume differs drastically.

I just use profiles to switch between outdoor and normal. I don't actually change the volume setting on my phone. It's always at max.

Mark Kenepp

10-13-2006, 07:31 PM

Figure 29: Picture of the animals sitting on top of my Dell 20" LCD in my office, with standard fluorescent lighting. Note the reasonable sharpness of the background features. Can anyone identify: a) the product in the poster on the very left; b) the source of the images on the posters in the middle; c) the teams pictured on the calendar? And no, I don't normally buy stuffed animals... these were gifts accumulated over the years. ;)

I have seen the poster on the left before so I know what it is and since I know where you live, I will guess that the calendar is the Red Sox and Yankees. No idea about the middle posters.

My local bank was giving away little kangaroos that looked much like yours if you applied for a credit card. I had a look at the little joey in the pouch and it didn't have any legs! I decided not to get the credit card because of that. Who wants a joey without any legs?

Tim Williamson

10-13-2006, 07:35 PM

Figure 24: Among other improvements, here's AKU3's built-in Internet Sharing tool. About time this is standardized across devices, and the Dash is one of the first to have it.

Does this mean a PC or laptop could connect through to the phone via BT to share its net connection?

Good review, I can't wait to get my hands on one Monday!

P.S. Hopefully this will be able to replace my aging 4100... :)

eliteramen

10-13-2006, 09:24 PM

Does this device support A2DP?

Janak Parekh

10-13-2006, 10:06 PM

since I know where you live, I will guess that the calendar is the Red Sox and Yankees.
Very close. :) However, there aren't any Yankee uniforms there...

My local bank was giving away little kangaroos that looked much like yours if you applied for a credit card. I had a look at the little joey in the pouch and it didn't have any legs! I decided not to get the credit card because of that. Who wants a joey without any legs?
:lol: My joey also lacks any appendages whatsoever. However, this one came from Brisbane as a friend of mine was attending a conference there.

--janak

Janak Parekh

10-13-2006, 10:09 PM

Does this mean a PC or laptop could connect through to the phone via BT to share its net connection?
Yes, that's the idea. However, it's worth pointing out AKU3 doesn't use the DUN profile for its Internet Sharing, but rather the PAN (Personal Area Network) profile. If your laptop supports that (I don't remember if XP does, but I'd hope it would), you should be okay.

P.S. Hopefully this will be able to replace my aging 4100... :)
I think it will. :)

--janak

Janak Parekh

10-13-2006, 10:09 PM

Does this device support A2DP?
From what I have heard, the Excalibur supports both A2DP and AVRCP. I wasn't able to test whether T-Mobile kept both, but I'd hope so.

--janak

Mark Kenepp

10-13-2006, 10:42 PM

since I know where you live, I will guess that the calendar is the Red Sox and Yankees.
Very close. :) However, there aren't any Yankee uniforms there...

I wouldn't have expected that you would have anything that showed the 2004 World Series hanging on your wall. :)

jfreiman

10-13-2006, 10:51 PM

I know it's not a fare comparison, but has anyone seen any comparisons of size between the T-Moibile SDA vs the Dash?

Rocco Augusto

10-13-2006, 11:03 PM

in theory, couldn't you jsut reflash the dash with the excalibur rom and get the jog strip?

personally i think t-mobile removed the jog strip functions because i kept complaining that i was left handed... even though i doubt i would hold that much power EVER, its still fun to dream ;)

Janak Parekh

10-14-2006, 12:27 AM

I wouldn't have expected that you would have anything that showed the 2004 World Series hanging on your wall. :)
I wouldn't. But my officemate is a diehard Red Sox fan. Surprisingly, we don't try to kill each other every day. I'm enough of a "baseball fan" in general that I can have a meaningful conversation without sounding like a "ooo! Yanks r00l and Sox suck!" fanboy. In general, given all else, I want to see the Yankees win, of course. But I always like to see teams play well.

--janak

Janak Parekh

10-14-2006, 12:29 AM

I know it's not a fare comparison, but has anyone seen any comparisons of size between the T-Moibile SDA vs the Dash?
I've held the SDA, and in fact a colleague on my floor has one, but it's late on Friday so I think everyone's gone. The SDA is narrower -- it's basically the size of a regular candybar phone -- but a bit thicker.

Why do you ask, out of curiosity?

--janak

Janak Parekh

10-14-2006, 12:30 AM

in theory, couldn't you jsut reflash the dash with the excalibur rom and get the jog strip?
Well, that's my question. Since the design has actually changed (e.g., no buttons on the top and bottom) it's possible it's not even a jog, but rather just a pair of buttons, right?

personally i think t-mobile removed the jog strip functions because i kept complaining that i was left handed... even though i doubt i would hold that much power EVER, its still fun to dream ;)
Hey, I'm lefthanded, and I'd very much rather have the jog strip. Why can't you hold the device in your right hand when scrolling? ;) In addition, the regular Excalibur ROM lets you turn off the scrolling features if desired.

--janak

Tim Williamson

10-14-2006, 12:34 AM

There must be some other reason they got rid of the jogstrip. I would have preferred this or a scroll wheel to the volume strip. Since it's touch-sensitive, have you ever accidentally bumped the volume up or down when on a call?

Janak Parekh

10-14-2006, 12:37 AM

There must be some other reason they got rid of the jogstrip. I would have preferred this or a scroll wheel to the volume strip. Since it's touch-sensitive, have you ever accidently bumped the volume up or down when on a call?
Well, there are sensitivity settings (as in, how long must you hold it down, how fast does it activate, etc.). Given the default, it actually does take a bit of pressure to trigger it, and you can tweak it to suit your needs... or can turn it off.

--janak

Tim Williamson

10-14-2006, 12:55 AM

Janak Parekh

10-14-2006, 07:08 PM

That's good to hear. I'm sure some genius out there will figure out a way to make it back into a jogstrip.
Possibly, assuming the hardware hasn't changed. :)

--janak

Jerry Raia

10-15-2006, 01:05 AM

Could some Rogue Pocket PC Thoughts Editor be having second thoughts about where he should be rogue? :D

Janak Parekh

10-15-2006, 04:29 PM

Could some Rogue Pocket PC Thoughts Editor be having second thoughts about where he should be rogue? :D
Hey, I had an i600 for a year. I guess I should be rogue at both places, since I switched away both from Pocket PC Phones and Smartphones. :lol:

--janak

Jerry Raia

10-15-2006, 04:37 PM

I think you are in a crisis. Let us help you. No need to live on the dark side anymore. :way to go:

Tim Williamson

10-16-2006, 12:23 AM

Just called a T-Mobile store and they verified that the release date was pushed back to the 25th... :( I wonder why this would be? Let's hope they're fixing the jogstrip! :D

Mike Temporale

10-16-2006, 01:37 AM

Just called a T-Mobile store and they verified that the release date was pushed back to the 25th... :( I wonder why this would be? Let's hope they're fixing the jogstrip! :D

don't get your hopes up. ;) If that's the case, I would have expected some mention of it during the press release / announcement. Especially since they handed out some devices to the media. You wouldn't want to give them a old version for review just 2 weeks from release.

Tim Williamson

10-16-2006, 01:51 AM

Any idea what caused the delay?

Janak Parekh

10-16-2006, 07:25 PM

Just called a T-Mobile store and they verified that the release date was pushed back to the 25th... :( I wonder why this would be? Let's hope they're fixing the jogstrip! :D
They represented the 25th as the official release date in the announcement last week, so I don't know how one could envision that date as a "push back"... in fact, the date at the beginning of my post clearly says October 25. A push back against rumors? Sure, but they've not delayed it...

As for the jog strip: I'm 100% certain they're not changing it any further. The Dash I have here and in my review is final, retail product.

--janak

Tim Williamson

10-16-2006, 07:40 PM

Janak Parekh

10-16-2006, 08:00 PM

I was going by the release date stated in this article (http://www.engadgetmobile.com/2006/09/27/t-mobile-leaks-dash-docs-october-16-confirmed/), which I thought was more than a rumor since the reps I talked to in-store also expected it the 16th.
Ah, got your point. Still, until the company officially announces it, it's still a rumor -- even if it comes from the employees. It's possible, for instance, that they needed a week to fill inventory...

--janak

zilla31

10-16-2006, 08:05 PM

regardless the dash seems to be getting rave reviews... i'll have to swing by the 'ole t-mo store on the 25th and check it out... i'm in love w/ my audiovox SMT5600 but i can always be convinced ;)

Tim Williamson

10-22-2006, 07:28 AM

What button combination locks/unlocks the keypad?

Janak Parekh

10-22-2006, 06:22 PM

What button combination locks/unlocks the keypad?
I never tried to found the lock combo in my brief use with the unit, but I do know if you hit the power button briefly, you'll get the power/profiles menu and there's a Lock option there. I think unlock is accomplished by pressing the Unlock soft-key followed by the asterisk.

--janak

jfreiman

10-24-2006, 04:03 AM

Well, I was all excited about the Dash from T-Mobile.

I went to a local store in San Francisco, held the phone and fell in love.

Then I went to work and bragged to EVERYONE that I would have one come Wednesday.

Today I looked at the coverage zone for my apartment -- The map prediceted only 1 bar!!! -- And I live in San Francisco's North Beach district! :(

I went over to T-Mobile, talked with the sales rep about getting a pre-pay SIM so I could try out the service on my unlocked Cingular 2125 -- they offered me a free SIM card for a few days with only a copy of my drivers license -- now that's service.

Well, as their site predicted I get only 1 bar -- sometimes it goes as high as 3 for a minute or two, but then it also looses the carrier -- this is all by the window.

So for me, the Dash is only a dream and until they improve the service in my neighborhood I'm stuck with Cingular and my 2125 -- which now sucks for texting.

-PS. I can't find any unlocked S620's or Dashes for less than $450 or $500.

Jerry Raia

10-24-2006, 04:18 AM

Isn't 1 bar usable?

jfreiman

10-24-2006, 04:30 AM

Isn't 1 bar usable?

Well, yea. It's usable, but with minimal bars the call quality is sounding terrible. :(

I'm also concerned about people not getting through and going to voice mail. I used to live in a terrible zone for Cingular and friends would call me and go straight to voice mail. I'd get the notice that I got a message, but the phone would never ring.

I sooo don't want to go through that again. :evil: (that was the only time I ever yelled at a customer service rep over the phone -- looking back that was a very sad moment)

I don't have a home phone number or home/landline service for a phone so it's do or die.

I've still got the SIM installed and I'm going to see if I get any dropped calls over the next 18-20 hours, but I don't think I want to take the chance.

Once you're in a contract, you're in a contract. My life is crazy enough as it is already. ;-)

Kris Kumar

10-25-2006, 01:41 AM

I went over to T-Mobile, talked with the sales rep about getting a pre-pay SIM so I could try out the service on my unlocked Cingular 2125 -- they offered me a free SIM card for a few days with only a copy of my drivers license -- now that's service.

Now, that is service.

BTW I would not use Cingular 2125 as the benchmark for signal test. It is very bad in low/poor signal areas. The signal strength bars jump between 0 and 3 bars. Does not drop a call once you answer it. But calls do end up going to voice mail directly.

I would recommend trying out the Dash itself. Doesn't T-Mobile have a 15 day trial?

jfreiman

10-25-2006, 05:38 PM

I know about the 2125's antenna issues, I lived with them before I moved.

However, I feel that both the 2125 and the Dash use the same engineers and therefore may use the same designs.

It would be one thing if I just had 2 bars at home, but during the nearly 2 days of testing the T-Mobile SIM card in my phone once it lost the carrier it would take it several (actually 5+) minutes before it could again find the carrier.

My best bet is to wait and buy the S620 when it gets a little cheaper -- more reasonalbe in price.

jfreiman

10-25-2006, 05:40 PM

Tim Williamson

10-25-2006, 05:49 PM

I would recommend trying out the Dash itself. Doesn't T-Mobile have a 15 day trial?

They according to the sales associate -- have a 20 day trial.

Believe me, I am so tempted! However, I just am not looking forward to transfering over my phone # from Cingular and then going back again -- if it doesn't work out.

Sign up at T-Mobile with a new number, then transfer your Cingular number if you decide to stay with T-Mobile. Just make sure you don't cancel Cingular until your number is transferred to T-Mobile; if you cancel your service then the number goes back to the provider.

Kris Kumar

10-26-2006, 01:30 AM

...my phone once it lost the carrier it would take it several (actually 5+) minutes before it could again find the carrier.

That is the problem I find annoying about the 2125. It is the 2125 that takes a long time to re-connect. :evil: I hope that the HTC engineers have fixed this problem in the newer models.

Jerry Raia

10-26-2006, 01:35 AM

The 3125 doesn't seem to have this issue. :mrgreen:

Tim Williamson

10-26-2006, 01:46 AM

I've been playing the the Dash a lot today and REALLY like it. It's skinnier than my slider phone, although the footprint is bigger, and I think it'll fit better in pants pockets than my HP 4100 or Samsung slider phone.

I also got the Motorola H700 BT headset and it works great also. So far I'm very impressed! :)

To answer my earlier question, the keypad can be locked by either holding the red End button, or holding the Z key.

One thing I haven't been able to find yet is a backlight adjustment, is there any way to adjust this?

jfreiman

10-26-2006, 01:57 AM

I too picked one up today...

I was mentioning that the signal strengh on T-Mobile with my 2125 was pretty bad at home and I confirm that the Dash has the same reception difficulties as the 2125 did. I really love the phones design so I'm going to see if I can live with it for the next 20 days. If I can, I'm keeping it.

Also, I did get the phone for $99 with a 1 year contract at the store. The sales rep said that they had already sold 10 units by 1pm! :-)

My data service should be active begining tomorrow -- let's hope because I use the internet all the time! :-)

A Bug?
I have a couple other friends who also picked up this phone today and are switching from their current carriers and transferring their numbers.

While that's in progress they have a new, seperate, number as do I. Neither of us could use the QWERTY keypad to "Add a Number" to their existing contact info. We each had to scroll through our database to the name.

Does anyone with the Dash know how to get around this issue?

Tim Williamson

10-26-2006, 02:04 AM

Also, I did get the phone for $99 with a 1 year contract at the store. The sales rep said that they had already sold 10 units by 1pm! :-)

How'd you get the $99 deal in-store???????????? :?

jfreiman

10-26-2006, 02:10 AM

Also, I did get the phone for $99 with a 1 year contract at the store. The sales rep said that they had already sold 10 units by 1pm! :-)

How'd you get the $99 deal in-store???????????? :?

I told the sales person that I could get the $99 price over the phone. He said that's no problem -- it seemed as if I wasn't the only one who got that price that day.

My friends in San Jose and Sunnyvale each got the $99 price too.

Mike Temporale

10-26-2006, 02:38 AM

My friends in San Jose and Sunnyvale each got the $99 price too.

Be sure to tell them about Smartphone Thoughts. ;)

So guys, tell me your thoughts on the keyboard, size, voice quality, etc..

jfreiman

10-26-2006, 03:17 AM

My friends in San Jose and Sunnyvale each got the $99 price too.

Be sure to tell them about Smartphone Thoughts. ;)

So guys, tell me your thoughts on the keyboard, size, voice quality, etc..

Believe me, they know about Smartphone Thoughts... :D as do most of my friends.

The keyboard is a little small. I don't have any other thumboard to compare it to so I really can't judge -- yet.

The screen is georgeous! Really nice. One thing I don't like is how some programs look on the landscape display. Papyrus really doesn't seem to use the wide screen as well as it could. I don't know how it could be better, but I'm sure with some good thinkers it could.

The voice quality is good overall. I have not had any dropped calls and could make ingoing and outgoing calls without any problem.

The vibrate really vibrates -- unlike the 3125 which was kind of just a wiggle. This one has the same or similar umph that the 2125 has.

Vista Mobile Device Center
Strange, but my 2125 is seen by the Mobile Device Center (seperate download) but the Dash isn't!!! -- that's a shame because I really want to transfer television to it!! :D (without resorting to 3rd party software).

My internet service isn't activated yet. They said that could take 24 hours -- ho humm...

The signal strength in my neighborhood for T-Mobile is inferior to Cingular -- too bad. However, I'm giving the device and service a shot for the next 20 days. If I don't drop any calls while at home and the sound quality remains good, I'll keep it.

This is one nice device.

Tim Williamson

10-26-2006, 07:56 AM

How'd you get the $99 deal in-store???????????? :?

I told the sales person that I could get the $99 price over the phone. He said that's no problem -- it seemed as if I wasn't the only one who got that price that day.

My friends in San Jose and Sunnyvale each got the $99 price too.

I wonder if I could go back and get the $99 deal now that I've already bought one? :? I don't know why I didn't think of even asking about it...dummy me... :oops: Guess I'll print out the page and bring it in this weekend to see what they say.

redbutt

10-26-2006, 05:46 PM

I just returned the amazingly poorly thought out TMobile MDA, and picked up the Dash yesterday. So, far I'm more than happy. It's a kick ass device, and it does look WAY better when you hold it than it does in the pictures. Also...something not mentioned in the review. The thing has a full Java JRE on it. So, things like Google Maps Mobile work (took 45 seconds total to install over an EDGE connection).

I am disapointed at the touch bar though. There was a real good opportunity there to make good use of some cool capacitive sense technology, but I can live with it. The only thing I wish I could do better is have more options for changing the layout of the items on the home screen. The default TMobile works fine, but I'd like more control.

Janak Parekh

10-27-2006, 04:52 AM

Isn't 1 bar usable?
No, T-Mobile usually advertises outdoor coverage. I have 1 bar in my area, that's why I don't have T-Mobile service. I can't live by staying in the 3 spots in the house where it works. :|

This is particularly why T-Mobile has good service about this issue -- their map is extremely hi-res and accurate, and they understand their network is still spottier than others and, as long as you work by their rules, they're more than willing to be informative about it. Chalk one up for T-Mo. :D

--janak

Janak Parekh

10-27-2006, 04:52 AM

One thing I haven't been able to find yet is a backlight adjustment, is there any way to adjust this?
As I mentioned in my review, I didn't see one either. 8O

--janak

Janak Parekh

10-27-2006, 04:55 AM

The keyboard is a little small. I don't have any other thumboard to compare it to so I really can't judge -- yet.
As my pictures suggest, the overall size is comparable to the Treo. Thumbboards this size take a little getting used to, but once you're comfortable with it I think you'll surprise yourself how accurate and fast you can be.

The vibrate really vibrates -- unlike the 3125 which was kind of just a wiggle. This one has the same or similar umph that the 2125 has.
Ah, didn't test that, good feedback.

Strange, but my 2125 is seen by the Mobile Device Center (seperate download) but the Dash isn't!!! -- that's a shame because I really want to transfer television to it!! :D (without resorting to 3rd party software).
You bring up an interesting point. I went to plug in the Dash into my AS 4.1-enabled PC and it didn't detect it -- I had to upgrade to AS 4.2, and after that, I had to force the driver to reinstall using Device Manager. Therefore, I'm guessing it needs a newer USB driver (or, at least, the new device IDs loaded in). Maybe the version of WMDC you're using hasn't been updated yet...

--janak

eliteramen

10-27-2006, 10:11 AM

One thing I haven't been able to find yet is a backlight adjustment, is there any way to adjust this?
As I mentioned in my review, I didn't see one either. 8O

--janak

Same prob with the SDA. The one third-party app that I've found that even remotely resembles a backlight adjustment is Tornado Low Light, discussed and downloadable here at Modaco forums (http://www.modaco.com/Tornado-Low-Light-t237202.html). It simply puts your WM5 device (maybe only HTC phones?) into a low light setting until you exit the app. So this gives you at least one setting you can toggle to. I'm sure some adventurous tinkerer can bind keys to starting and stopping Tornado Low Light so you can do this on-the-fly.

Perhaps it'll work for the Dash?

[eR]

PS It may require you to application unlock your phone.

nutzareus

10-28-2006, 05:30 PM

I just noticed an important feature disabled/removed in the Dash....

THE ABILITY TO USE THE PHONE AS USB OR BLUETOOTH MODEM!!!!!!!!

What the heck?!?! I used this all the time in my MDA and SDA to tether my laptop while travelling! :roll:

Jerry Raia

10-28-2006, 05:33 PM

They had done the same thing with the Q when it first came out. It was put in with the last ROM upgrade. Guess they came to their senses.

Kris Kumar

10-28-2006, 05:52 PM

I just noticed an important feature disabled/removed in the Dash....

THE ABILITY TO USE THE PHONE AS USB OR BLUETOOTH MODEM!!!!!!!!

I thought in the new version of the WM5.0 AKU3 they have improved it and there is a new application to provide this functionality. Dont remember what the name is.

Tim Williamson

10-28-2006, 06:41 PM

There's an application called "Internet Sharing" that shows:

Status
Disconnected

PC Connection:
USB or Bluetooth PAN (dropdown box)

Network Connection:
T-Mobile Data or T-Mobile MMS (dropdown box)

Here's all I had to do, plug my Dash into USB, set the PC Connection to USB and tap connect. Windows XP automatically disconnects from ActiveSync and reconnects it as an internet sharing device and installs a new network connection called "Local Area Connection 3" with a Device Name of "Windows-Mobile based internet sharing device".

When I disable my LAN connection my internet still works fine (albeit a little slower). And surprisingly my torrents continue to run hovering around 3-5 kB/s upload (not downloading anything at the moment). :)

syaskin

10-30-2006, 02:20 AM

Do you know how to select multiple emails at once and delete them without going into MENU+1 combination? I want to use the delete key to delete several emails at once. Any suggestions would be very appreciated!

Tim Williamson

10-30-2006, 02:22 AM

I'd like to know too...but so far haven't heard of a way to do that. I just use two fingers and press "Menu" then "1" really fast. :)

Jerry Raia

10-30-2006, 03:42 AM

I need to make a list of all these little things that you can't do on a Smartphone. This is another one that makes me crazy! :crazyeyes:

lightsped

10-30-2006, 04:57 AM

Jerry Raia

10-30-2006, 05:03 AM

Welcome to the site!

1. 2 PC's only.

2. Yes

3. Yes if the Flight Attendants can be convinced its not in phone mode.

4. I would think so.

5. It there is a limit it's bigger than the current cards are now.

6. Only one I have no idea about :)

Tim Williamson

10-30-2006, 05:06 AM

I'm very interested in getting the Dash and am hoping someone can answer my questions. Please bear with me as I'm new to the whole smartphone world.

1. Can I sync it between 2 or 3 PC's? For example, sync work Outlook and Outlook on a home PC.

2. Can it support pulling email from multiple sources? For example, my work provides the ability to pull their email (via Active Sync??). Can I have a separate profile setup to access personal email via POP3?

3. I fly alot. Can I turn off the radio transmitting functionality to use it as a media player on an airplane?

4. How is the media player? Good enough to put a 1 GB microsd card with MP3s?

5. Any size limitations on micro SD cards?

6. What's the battery life leaving it connected all day via GPRS/EDGE, 30 minutes of calls per day, 30 minutes of email/IM?

Thanks in advance!

1. Not sure.

2. Yes, there's a unified messaging application and within that you can setup multiple accounts.

3. Yes, there's a communications manager that allows you to turn on or off the phone radio, bluetooth, wifi, directpush, data connection, vibrate/ringer, activesync, and beam separately.

4. I haven't tried playing any music yet, but I think it's similar to Media Player on the Pocket PC.

One thing to note, the Dash doesn't have a standard headphone connector, I'm not sure if there's an adapter you can get or what. But one option is to get bluetooth headphones then there are a couple apps that let you redirect all audio to the bluetooth headphones/headset.
http://www.modaco.com/index.php?showtopic=203212
http://www.pdaphonehome.com/forums/showthread.php?threadid=54951&perpage=20&pagenumber=1

5. Not that I know of.

6. The other day I used internet for about 1 hour, texted for maybe 30 mins, and talked on the phone for maybe 10 minutes with bluetooth on all day, and it was down to 60% or so by the end of the day.

Hope this helps! :)

Jerry Raia

10-30-2006, 05:09 AM

We were pretty close on those :lol:

Tim Williamson

10-30-2006, 05:11 AM

We were pretty close on those :lol:

LOL yeah. 8)

Kris Kumar

10-30-2006, 05:11 AM

1. Can I sync it between 2 or 3 PC's? For example, sync work Outlook and Outlook on a home PC.

Yes, upto two PCs.

2. Can it support pulling email from multiple sources? For example, my work provides the ability to pull their email (via Active Sync??). Can I have a separate profile setup to access personal email via POP3?

Yes. I have Exchange for work. A POP3, An IMAP and Hotmail.

3. I fly alot. Can I turn off the radio transmitting functionality to use it as a media player on an airplane?

Yes. It has flight mode.

4. How is the media player? Good enough to put a 1 GB microsd card with MP3s?

I consider the WM5.0 AKU3 (I believe it has treble and bass control) media player pretty decent. Some people like to add good earphones. The other advantage with the Dash is that thanks to the landscape screen viewing videos is fun. ;-)

5. Any size limitations on micro SD cards?

I would say it is limited only by the currently available maximum size. 1GB microSD is available.

Welcome to Smartphone Thoughts. :)

Tim Williamson

10-30-2006, 05:13 AM

Anyone else have an answer? :lol:

Kris Kumar

10-30-2006, 05:13 AM

We were pretty close on those :lol:

LOL yeah. 8)

Man, there is a lot of competition. ;-)

Jerry Raia

10-30-2006, 05:18 AM

I think we got him so confused he went out and got a RAZR instead :lol:

Kris Kumar

10-30-2006, 05:35 AM

I think we got him so confused he went out and got a RAZR instead :lol:

Of all the people, Jerry, I would have expected you to be on top of the Moto product line. RAZR is so outdated. I believe he got the KRZR. :lol:

Jerry Raia

10-30-2006, 05:43 AM

Good point. OK he went for a tried and true Motorola phone :lol:

voodoo

10-30-2006, 06:17 PM

Mike Temporale

10-30-2006, 06:58 PM

Hi....
Does the Dash have an "Ignore" function when receiving calls? i.e., when someone calls and the phone rings, can one press a button to turn off the ringer for that call? The caller does not get sent immediately to voicemail....the call does not get terminated and rings normally until eventually going to voicemail, just that the phone ringer is silenced. Am I making sense....? Not all phones have this functionality....some Nokias do.

That's been a standard feature on the Smartphone for a while now. Not sure if it's been changed on the Dash, but typically you press the volume button when the call is ringing to mute the ringer.

Tim Williamson

10-30-2006, 09:07 PM

Tim Williamson

10-31-2006, 01:45 AM

Just did a test at work:

"Ignore" soft key = Voicemail
"End" button = Voicemail
Joggr = Silences phone but doesn't go straight to voicemail

This is with the Joggr scroll hack in place.

Mike Temporale

10-31-2006, 03:04 AM

Just did a test at work:

"Ignore" soft key = Voicemail
"End" button = Voicemail
Joggr = Silences phone but doesn't go straight to voicemail

This is with the Joggr scroll hack in place.

Cool. I wasn't sure how this would translate to the Dash. But that's how it's been for all past devices. 8)

lightsped

10-31-2006, 06:13 AM

Thanks for the fast and thorough replies to my questions. I checked one out at the store today and was fairly impressed. Now for some more questions...

1. Is there a Joggr hack now? How does it work?
2. I'm debating between this phone and the Pearl. One primary difference is that I can get the Pearl for -$20 from Amazon and the data plan is only $19.99. Thoughts? I know there are obvious differences, but both seem to suit my needs. Anyone know when Amazon will start carrying this phone at a discounted price?

That's it for now.. Thanks again everyone!

Mike Temporale

10-31-2006, 02:33 PM

1. Is there a Joggr hack now? How does it work?

Yup, we posted about it the day after the Dash was released. Some hacks just come that quickly. ;) http://www.smartphonethoughts.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=12693

2. I'm debating between this phone and the Pearl. One primary difference is that I can get the Pearl for -$20 from Amazon and the data plan is only $19.99. Thoughts? I know there are obvious differences, but both seem to suit my needs. Anyone know when Amazon will start carrying this phone at a discounted price?

Sorry, but I know nothing about the Pearl.

ggcespia

11-02-2006, 01:40 AM

We were frustrated with the way the xT9 stuff was implemented, so we wrote a utility to enable/disable the feature globally as well as allow you to set the slider volume control to be a jogbar (so you can launch apps from it and use it as a scroll control). The problem with using Alt+Space is that you have to do it all over the place and the device doesn't remember your setting very well. Also - the OS allows a programmer to set the input mode and the xT9 stuff ignores it - which we didn't like.

You can download the app at http://1800message.com/default.aspx and read what it does here: http://1800message.com/jogbar.htm

Tim Williamson

11-02-2006, 08:01 AM

I installed it and the JOGGR settings work great, but even after disabling XT9 and resetting, XT9 still comes up in Internet Explorer. :?

ggcespia

11-02-2006, 05:37 PM

We're looking into this. It looks like the first time any app is run (after disabling the xT9) the first text field has xT9 enabled. If you arrow down, then arrow up, it goes back to 'abc' mode. So, we suspect that the xT9 IME is a little flaky - even when we tell it to leave xT9 off. Once you tab off the first field, xT9 should stay off. We'll follow up

Tim Williamson

11-03-2006, 01:50 AM

Is there any way to permanently delete the "Setup my E-Mail" shortcut on the Start Menu??? It comes back after a soft reset. :?

mpebv

11-08-2006, 01:36 AM

Just to answer a previous question: I purchased a 2GB Sandisk Micro SD card immediately after purchasing the Dash on Ebay, brand new for only $83, and synced hundreds of songs to it right away. What is cool is that even the Album cover artwork shows when playing your songs, at least they did for me (after I synced thru my desktop WMP). The device has not had any problems handling the 2GB card at all, works perfectly. When doing this, I noticed a seeming shortcoming though, or perhaps I am ignorant - Is there any where to go where you can see the actual amount of space remaining on the storage card, or even the built in flash memory for that matter? I went under File Explorer, and even went under Explore option thru the ActiveSync window - they show the device and the folders, but under Properties, nowhere does it show amount Used or Remaining. I am thinking of purchasing a 3rd Party software which will show this readily.

Tim Williamson

11-08-2006, 02:33 AM

Is there any where to go where you can see the actual amount of space remaining on the storage card, or even the built in flash memory for that matter? I went under File Explorer, and even went under Explore option thru the ActiveSync window - they show the device and the folders, but under Properties, nowhere does it show amount Used or Remaining. I am thinking of purchasing a 3rd Party software which will show this readily.

Start -> Task Manager -> Menu -> System Info

Kris Kumar

11-08-2006, 04:35 AM

I went under File Explorer, and even went under Explore option thru the ActiveSync window - they show the device and the folders, but under Properties, nowhere does it show amount Used or Remaining. I am thinking of purchasing a 3rd Party software which will show this readily.

Vista Windows Mobile Device Center will fix this. ;-)

Tim Williamson

11-08-2006, 08:45 AM

BTW, I've been working on a Dash FAQ with staulkor here (http://www.howardforums.com/showthread.php?t=1029606&page=1&pp=15).

I still have a laundry list of things to add.

Kris Kumar

11-08-2006, 12:55 PM

BTW, I've been working on a Dash FAQ with staulkor here (http://www.howardforums.com/showthread.php?t=1029606&page=1&pp=15).

I still have a laundry list of things to add.

And we have one over here. (http://www.smartphonethoughts.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=12792) ;-) With a home screen that is 100% written for Dash instead of Q/Verizon.

Paul

11-09-2006, 08:32 PM

Does anyone have comparison photos between the Dash and the SDA? I want to see how they stack up against each other but haven't found any. :?:

Tim Williamson

11-10-2006, 04:26 PM

Tim Williamson

12-06-2006, 08:24 AM

bnycastro

12-20-2006, 08:50 AM

Hi all I was playing around with a HTC s620 the other day [the HTC version for the Dash] anyway I couldn't find the loop that you attach a neck/hand strap to. Are my eyes shot or there really isn't one on the device I swear I looked everywhere... Waiting for the dopod version [dopod c720w] to hit our shores before deciding on it.

Tim Williamson

12-20-2006, 03:50 PM

I've got the Dash and there isn't one as far as I can tell.

bnycastro

12-21-2006, 02:33 AM

hmmm i would think it was light enough to hang around my neck...

Tim Williamson

12-21-2006, 05:26 AM

It's slim enough to fit in jeans and pants pockets.

Schtuperman

01-02-2007, 04:18 PM

Nice review. My old Symbian Nokia 3650 finally bit the dust after four years of service (external speaker died so the phone still worked but it would no longer ring, no handsfree, or alarm clock). I picked up a Nokia 6133 and a Dash as replacements (couldn't decide so I got both and switch the SIM depending on my mood). It is amazing how much faster the new units are when accessing the internet as compared to my old 3650 (getting a movie listing often took 5+ minutes !). The Dash is really comfortable to use, except for the volume strip which is VERY annoying. Often I will grab the Dash to find that I have activated the volume control just by picking it up, but when I really WANT to activate the control, it takes multiple tries before it responds. I would prefer actual buttons or a rocker switch to the touchpads. This is really my only complaint about the Dash. Call quality is excellent, and the screen is really amazing.

Schtuperman

01-02-2007, 04:41 PM

[quote=T-Will]What button combination locks/unlocks the keypad?

If you hold in the hangup key it locks the phone. Unlocking you hit the left softkey then the asterisk.

Tim Williamson

01-02-2007, 07:51 PM

[quote=T-Will]What button combination locks/unlocks the keypad?

If you hold in the hangup key it locks the phone. Unlocking you hit the left softkey then the asterisk.

Thanks!

(I've had the Dash since October 25th so I figured this one out already. ;) )

John Cody

05-14-2007, 03:02 AM

Any news on the disabling XT9?????? Each day I become more and more frustrated with it........there must be a way to remove it. :evil: I noticed some XT9 registry keys but am not daring enough to delete them or mess around with them.

I just found this out myself...

1) Run some app that has a textbox and is waiting for you to type something in.
2) Hold down the "Alt" key and then press the space bar.
3) A little xT9 menu will pop-up. Just select "abc".

-John Cody

Tim Williamson

05-14-2007, 03:08 AM