Say Hi to the T-Mobile MDA! [Archive]

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Vincent M Ferrari

03-22-2006, 05:00 PM

<img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/media/users/6508/Ferrari_MDA_0.jpg" /> Product Category: Pocket PC Phone Manufacturer: Made for T-Mobile by HTC Where to Buy: <a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/redirect?link_code=ur2&tag=thoughtsmedia-20&camp=1789&creative=9325&path=tg%2Fdetail%2F-%2FB000EM8REU%2F">Amazon</a> [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:<li>Small and relatively lightweight; <li>Bright and readable screen; <li>WiFi and EDGE data; <li>QWERTY keyboard; <li>Uses a standard USB connector.Cons:<li>Non-VGA screen; <li>Stylus is too small; <li>Average battery life; <li>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!<!> <PAGEBREAK> 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? <li> MDA handheld; <li> Standard battery; <li> USB sync / charge cable; <li> Travel charger; <li> Stereo headset with mic; <li> 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. <PAGEBREAK> 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. <img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/media/users/6508/ferrari_mda_1.jpg" /> 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. <PAGEBREAK> Finally, the part you've all been waiting for: the keyboard. <img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/media/users/6508/ferrari_mda_2.jpg" /> 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.

Tony Rylow

03-22-2006, 05:14 PM

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.

JonnoB

03-22-2006, 05:36 PM

Non-VGA screen;
Stylus is too small;
Average battery life;
No cradle.

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.

Vincent M Ferrari

03-22-2006, 05:51 PM

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 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.

Tony Rylow

03-22-2006, 06:17 PM

I am running the 2.17 ROM and the latest radio... perhaps the reviewer is using an older ROM (pre AKU2?).

Where did you get this 2.17 ROM from?

Horus

03-22-2006, 06:23 PM

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.

Balsky

03-22-2006, 06:26 PM

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*.

JonnoB

03-22-2006, 06:30 PM

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*.

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.

JonnoB

03-22-2006, 06:31 PM

Where did you get this 2.17 ROM from?

Go here (http://forum.xda-developers.com/viewforum.php?f=40)

Balsky

03-22-2006, 06:50 PM

Vincent M Ferrari

03-22-2006, 06:55 PM

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.

Old topic or not, it's still a con in my opinion, because it's what ultimately led me to give the device back. It would make text more readable, icons clearer, and so on. Whether or not it "makes sense" is a matter of personal opinion.

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.

It's nowhere near long enough to be comfortable, and whether or not other styluses are worse has no effect on the quality of this one. Considering the length of the device, they could've done better. For comparison purposes, check out the stylus on the VX6700. Full sized.

3.) Battery life is fine, I've been using the device for months now

It's "fine" but it's not great. "Average" is exactly the word for it. You used fine, I used average. 6 of one, half a dozen of the other.

4.) Which small PDA Phone does have a cradle nowadays? I think that the time of cradles is long gone.

Again, it's a matter of personal opinion. I like the idea of dropping my device in a cradle that sits on my desk in the same place. I believe that to be a con for the device. There's a thread on this very site in the PPC Phone Edition section that says basically the same thing, so I'm not alone in thinking so.

If there's a con then it's probably Windows Mobile 5 whith all the bugs and reboots and incompatibilities.

I experienced no such thing. Of all the minor annoyances, the device was stable as all get out while I was using it.

Also, lack of speed. This device is *slow*.

Actually, the performance within applications is fine. Load times could be better, but considering the processor inside, I'd say the performance was adequate for the device.

tedder

03-22-2006, 07:05 PM

My wife and I have had the MDAs since they were released in the US. We have the heavy aluminum case on them, which certainly makes it more durable.

squeeze

03-22-2006, 07:55 PM

Horus

03-22-2006, 08:34 PM

Regarding cradles...
Are people really still syncing these devices to their PC all that much?
I probably only connect my device once a week or less. And then only if I need to install a program or pull a fill off the device (and even then I usually just mail it to myself).

My work day is largely centered on the device itself, not my PC or laptop.

Vincent M Ferrari

03-22-2006, 08:43 PM

JonnoB

03-22-2006, 08:48 PM

I sync contacts (as well as email, tasks, and calendar) via my Exchange Server. I wish it also synced notes, but it is less important. As such, I do not need to sync directly with my desktop other than to install an application or two. I suspect with AKU2.x available, many more will do the same as I and depend less and less on local sync. It seems to be the way of the future.

I still would like a cradle for the ease of drop-in-and-go charging... but I don't mind paying a bit more for it if it brings the cost down on the device overall.

Most likely, it is not the cost of the materials to include it, but the cost in the increased packaging size and shelf-storage as a result that would be realized.

rmasinag

03-22-2006, 08:56 PM

I bought the iMate JAM (Don't trust WM5 yet) from mad monkeyboy too for $339 USD 3 weeks ago and I say the screen is small but functional on these devices. But the immediate tradeoff is portability. Moving from my beloved IPAQ 2210, I find it hard to type on the softkey which I became profecient after 5 yrs using it on IPAQS. I solve the cradle problem by synching with BT.

I'm loving the JAM's size and there's less of a geek factor (except for my "Captain we are being hailed" ringtone) from normal peeps.

I have to admit the JAM's 400 something mhz seems slower than my IPAQ 2210. I still have 20 megs left for running programs so I assume it shouldn't be a problem because my 2210 ran zippy even with only 10 megs allocated for program runs.

I think the biggest letdown on my JAM is and PPC generaly is Skype doesn't work as advertised, porbably not until 1 ghz processors come on board.

Slightly OT. Can you guys reccomend a phone utility to make WM2003SE PPCPE's more "one handed" friendly??

JonnoB

03-22-2006, 08:59 PM

Slightly OT. Can you guys reccomend a phone utility to make WM2003SE PPCPE's more "one handed" friendly??

Umm, upgrade to WM5?

Actually, I find WM5 more stable with the caveat that you only install apps designed specifically for WM5. At leas this is true for me. I also came from an HP 2215.

alese

03-22-2006, 09:09 PM

Maybe it's because of my previous phone (HTC Himalaya), but I find the battery life on Wizard excelent. I go typically for two days on one charge and that includes BT always on with BT Syncing on top of normal phone usage, occasional GPRS and PDA/PIM usage.

However I do agree with the sylus comment, not only it's short and uncomfortable, but I'm afraid that if I'll use it a lot, taking it in and out of the silo will result in stylus falling out.
And, did I mention that I think putting stylus silo on the bottom of the device is not that smart.

adamz

03-22-2006, 10:24 PM

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.

Are you kidding? Did you not see the Instant Messenger program (http://pocketnow.com/index.php?a=portal_detail&t=news&id=3505) that does AIM, ICQ, and Yahoo? Or the very powerful filter-capable push email system (http://www.pocketnow.com/index.php?a=portal_detail&t=news&id=3507)?

The T-Mobile MyEmail thing on the MDA can download your email settings from the server, and then set up email triggers that automatically trigger a send-recieve based on certain criteria that you can specifiy in the MyEmail web page. That means push email for only emails from the people that you like! Granted it uses SMS for the send/recieve trigger, but still... Exchange can't do filtered push triggering!

The Instant Messenger program also uses SMS for each message sent/recieved, but there are advantages to that as well. Such as staying logged in without a constant data stream.

The automatic HotSpot login is pretty nice too.

tedder

03-22-2006, 10:27 PM

The SMS IM thing is stupid. You have to pay $30 for the data plan and then an additional $10 for SMS messages? Bah!

JonnoB

03-22-2006, 10:37 PM

The SMS IM thing is stupid. You have to pay $30 for the data plan and then an additional $10 for SMS messages? Bah!

$10 on an unlimited family plan. Four in my family, so it is $2.50 for unlimited.

Vincent M Ferrari

03-23-2006, 12:00 AM

Are you kidding? Did you not see the Instant Messenger program (http://pocketnow.com/index.php?a=portal_detail&t=news&id=3505) that does AIM, ICQ, and Yahoo? Or the very powerful filter-capable push email system (http://www.pocketnow.com/index.php?a=portal_detail&t=news&id=3507)?

The T-Mobile MyEmail thing on the MDA can download your email settings from the server, and then set up email triggers that automatically trigger a send-recieve based on certain criteria that you can specifiy in the MyEmail web page. That means push email for only emails from the people that you like! Granted it uses SMS for the send/recieve trigger, but still... Exchange can't do filtered push triggering!

The "push e-mail" on the MDA does not work if you have more than one account. What do I mean? Well, specifically, if you have multiple Inbox accounts set up, and your phone receives the SMS to trigger a Send Receive, guess what? Only the active account (the one that was last used when Inbox was run) gets new messages. That, for anyone using more than one POP3 account is utterly and totally useless (as I found it to be).

The Instant Messenger program also uses SMS for each message sent/recieved, but there are advantages to that as well. Such as staying logged in without a constant data stream.

Not so sure about this one, only because every time I logged in to AOL or Yahoo! with this, it launched my GPRS connection. Either way, the IM client is nothing spectacular, and can only work with one medium at a time (a major pitfall if you have multiple IM accounts).

The automatic HotSpot login is pretty nice too.

I do believe I mentioned that, and it is indeed quite sweet. I stand by my statement that the included bundle is no-frills, and power users will end up bringing their own apps.

adamz

03-23-2006, 12:58 AM

The "push e-mail" on the MDA does not work if you have more than one account. What do I mean? Well, specifically, if you have multiple Inbox accounts set up, and your phone receives the SMS to trigger a Send Receive, guess what? Only the active account (the one that was last used when Inbox was run) gets new messages. That, for anyone using more than one POP3 account is utterly and totally useless (as I found it to be).

That's not true on my two MDAs. If an email trigger is recieved for a specific account set up in T-Mobile's MyEmail, it will download the email for that account. I have one IMAP, an Exchange account, and two POP3 accounts set up in my Messaging program. The two POP3 accounts are set up with My Email Triggers. If a trigger is sent based on an Alert set up for a specific account, then the Messaging application will open to specified account and download the email even if my last used account was Exchange. I just watched it happen two seconds ago.
The feature was also available on the iPAQ H6300 from T-Mobile, but the MDA version is much better. Furthermore, this kind of email push filtering isn't available on any other provider.

Are you sure you set it up correctly? If you made one alert set to "All email address when new mail arrives" then that's probably what you did wrong. You can't expect it to trigger 3 email accounts with one SMS. Mine are set based on each account. So if I get a message from So-and-So on my POP account #1, that account is triggered to send/receive when the alert is activated. If I set account #2 to have an alert whenever any new mail arrives, then account #2 is triggered to send/receive when the alert is activated.

Seriously, check it out. It's spectacular! :)

Not so sure about this one, only because every time I logged in to AOL or Yahoo! with this, it launched my GPRS connection. Either way, the IM client is nothing spectacular, and can only work with one medium at a time (a major pitfall if you have multiple IM accounts).

Yeah, it uses the GPRS connection for updates, but each message, and login/log-out command uses an SMS. You can be logged into AIM, ICQ, and Yahoo all at the same time. Is that what you're talking about not being able to do? I do it all the time. Or are you talking about having 3 AOL IM accounts logged in at the same time? Of course you can't do that.
Anyway, it's sure better than nothing... which is what you'll get in regards to Windows Mobile 5 support from AOL, ICQ, or Yahoo IM.

Vincent M Ferrari

03-23-2006, 01:54 AM

That's not true on my two MDAs. If an email trigger is recieved for a specific account set up in T-Mobile's MyEmail, it will download the email for that account. I have one IMAP, an Exchange account, and two POP3 accounts set up in my Messaging program.

I'll have to take your word for it and assume I set something up incorrectly... I was practically pulling my hair out over it. At least it wasn't the "dealbreaker" for me... :lol:

As for the IM thing, I was talking about logging into Yahoo and AOL simultaneously... But how do you get back to the medium choices without exiting? I just don't remember, and want to pass the info along to the guy I gave my MDA to ;-)

One thing I will say, though, is that they do need to make it clearer that it's using SMS even though it makes a GPRS connection right at the beginning of a session. Thanks for that tip ;-)

altden2002

03-23-2006, 02:26 AM

The T-Mobile MyEmail thing on the MDA can download your email settings from the server, and then set up email triggers that automatically trigger a send-recieve based on certain criteria that you can specifiy in the MyEmail web page. That means push email for only emails from the people that you like! Granted it uses SMS for the send/recieve trigger, but still... Exchange can't do filtered push triggering!

Actually, it can. What I do is I have exchange server-side rule that leaves in inbox only important emails and moves all otehr emails to subfolders. Then only Inbox and one more folder (little less important emails) gets synchronized to the device.
It works for me because set of emails i want in my inbox is same set of email that i want on my device. May not work for others though.

lukas44a

03-27-2006, 07:34 PM

4.) Which small PDA Phone does have a cradle nowadays? I think that the time of cradles is long gone.

I had the Verizon XV6700 (HTC Apache) and it comes with a cradle. Not really necessary - the cradle looked like it took $2.00 to manufacture. You can probably almost rig one up given all the extra Mini-USB cables everone has.

Sorry 2 here that...
I have the sprint PPC6700 cradle, and it looks very well made , with separate LEDs for charging and USB connect...
I alsot has extra battery slot for charging and accommodating even the larger extended batteries... 8)

squeeze

03-27-2006, 07:35 PM

Kacey Green

03-27-2006, 07:56 PM

I'm not giving up my MDA its quite capable and does all I ask it to. I too had upgraded to the 2.17 ROM, don't forget it is unofficial but runs, in my opinion, more smoothly.

lukas44a

03-27-2006, 08:28 PM

I think putting stylus silo on the bottom of the device is not that smart.

I am right-handed and when I use the device in landscape mode it is perfectly placed for quick use. Also the top two quick buttons (mail/IE) are handy as well when in landscape mode.

Good point , but in portrait mode these buttons are WAY on top, and not accessible with your thumb when doing one handed operations.
The sprint/Verizon/apache models have all these buttons within reach, on same side.

The following is some advice to potential buyers, so sorry before hand, as I am not trying to flame or put this unit down...

I tried and wanted this machine (MDA, K-jam, q-tec) for months (waiting since December) but was dismayed at both the performance, Keyboard look and ultimately the service(T-mo)...

T-mobile said the $20 data plan is no more and I must purchase the $30plan.
Then they didnt want to sell it to me at all because I am already a T-mo customer and thier MDA was for new customers!

So I wandered into the Sprint store and found the PPC6700 wich looks/feels more professional(no chiklet keyboard), faster PDA, and has a much faster data service (EVDO), and is cheaper!- $15data!
Then they throw in an SD card and bluetooth earpiece along with $50 discount! I even got a standard leather case.. 8)

I know the MDA's dual-core processor can now be overclocked to near 400mhz, but the 6700 single core can be overclocked to 625 no prob... AND Sprint's new ROM (last week)makes this machine even faster with it's data speed now more faster than ever!

I last half a day minimum with standard battery, but ordered a 2400mAh extended batt thru www.seidioonline.com for only $54...
Now In my area to work(bklyn to Qns, NY) I no longer get dropped calls, so I feel that Sprint is better in my area.

Cingular and T-mobile both use a slower data technology than Verizon/Sprint, so consider that in your purchase...
Also Verizon costs more for data, and does not have a ROM upgrade yet.

tekchic

03-28-2006, 05:40 PM

I'm loving my MDA, but I've only had it since this past weekend. I live in Phoenix metro area. Does anyone know ANYTHING about the EDGE network?

I know the MDA's are EDGE capable, but I've never to my knowledge connected via EDGE, it's always been GPRS. Anyone ever seen an EDGE coverage map?

I'm dying to find out more about how to connect via EDGE, and was told it's "deployed in 90% of the coverage area", so I'm surprised I haven't connected via EDGE yet.

JonnoB

03-28-2006, 05:52 PM

I'm dying to find out more about how to connect via EDGE, and was told it's "deployed in 90% of the coverage area", so I'm surprised I haven't connected via EDGE yet.
You probably are connected via EDGE. It is seamless... meaning that your GPRS connection will be EDGE when possible. If you upgrade your ROM to AKU2 and enable the different indicators for EDGE/GPRS, your 'G' will change to an 'E' on the notification icon.

Jason Lee

03-28-2006, 06:49 PM

Kacey Green

04-01-2006, 02:56 PM

is there an official rom upgrade yet?

fshields

09-01-2006, 11:05 PM

is there an official rom upgrade yet?

For the T-Mobile MDA (USA version) the latest ROM version can be found here:
http://www.t-mobile.com/wmupgrade/

fshields

09-01-2006, 11:24 PM

is there an official rom upgrade yet?

The latest ROM versions are:

United States
T-Mobile MDA: 2.26.10.2 WWE @ http://www.t-mobile.com/wmupgrade/
Cingular 8125: 2.25.11.1 WWE @ http://www.america.htc.com/support/cingular_8125_downloads.html

Other Countries
Unknown