Dashing Faster: The T-Mobile Dash 3G Reviewed

Product Category: Windows Phone running Windows Mobile 6.1 Standard

Manufacturer: HTC / T-Mobile

Where to Buy: T-Mobile

Price: $349 (No Contract) / $199 (2 year Contract)

Requirements: Need to speak to others, desire to be connected to information.

Specifications: QUALCOMM 528 MHz, Quadband GSM, Dualband UMTS (Supports T-Mobile USA 3G), WiFi, Bluetooth 2.0, 2 MP Camera, GPS.

Pros:

• 3G Data Connection (In T-Mobile 3G Markets);
• GPS Capabilities;
• Speedier than the original!

Cons:

• Imprecise Trackball;
• Button arrangement will confuse Dash devotees;
• No real incentive to upgrade if you aren't in a 3G market or don't need GPS.

Summary: The original T-Mobile Dash was a great little device that only started to feel dated recently. With 3G rolling out farther, GPS being standard, and 1 MP being woefully bad for a camera phone, the Dash 3G sets out to update its older brother into 2009. But is it worth the price to upgrade?

A Bit On The Original Dash

I own an obscene number of Pocket PCs and Smartphones, and switch through them quite regularly. However, one that had probably seen the highest amount of use in the last 3 years was my T-Mobile Dash. I bought the Dash in October 2006, and have found it to be a trusty companion. It's rugged enough to slip into a pocket on weekend getaways, yet productive enough to be used all week. It also has a very usable (at least to me) keyboard and is fairly solid from an operating system stand point. In conversation with many of my fellow Windows Mobile enthusiasts, the Dash consistently received high marks. Even our own Executive Editor was known to profess his love of the Dash. So when HTC took a few years off from making a phone in the same style, it was a bit troubling. Thankfully they've returned (and so has T-Mobile) to this form factor with the Dash 3G. But seeing as the Dash 3G runs almost the same operating system as the original Dash and only really adds 3G, a trackball, GPS, and some fancier styling, I was anxious to see if it was worth the upgrade.

Figure 1: The Dash 3G packaging next to the larger packaging from the original Dash. The Dash 3G packaging is designed for the consumer to open (it flips open to display the device) while the original was utilitarian.

The Device

Physically the Dash 3G is nearly identical in dimensions as the orignal Dash. It's slightly thinner, and a bit longer, but still feels fairly compact and light in the hand. The buttons are slightly bigger and are rectangular as opposed to square. Oddly, this seems to have made it more difficult (at onset) for my big hands to use. I've had to train my hands over the last few days to hit the buttons a bit differently than when I used the Dash or any other square-button phone. The D-pad on the Dash was replaced with a trackball on the Dash 3G. While this initially seems like a good idea, it's woefully imprecise when attempting to scroll quickly through. I had to turn the sensitivity up to high just to get it to feel like it responded to my touch. While the trackball adds some nice new features (e.g. a mouse pointer in Internet Explorer), I really wish I had my old D-Pad back. Interestingly enough, Jason had quite the opposite opinion of the trackball - he was happy it didn't have an infinite scroll to it. I guess I just move faster than Jason, as I felt the trackball couldn't quite keep up!

Figure 2: Dash on the left, Dash 3G on the right. Notice the key layout on the 3G is slightly different than other versions of the HTC Maple.

The soft key button layout also differs, with the soft key and home buttons now side by side as opposed to top and button. The same is done on the right resulting in a more button-jamming appearance. Again I wish it was still top / bottom, however I'm slowly getting used to it. One feature from the original device that I do not miss is the Joggr bar. Now I know what you're saying "What Joggr?" - because any Dash user after day 1 pretty much abandoned that thing if all possible. HTC apparently listened and decided not to even try it again on the new version. Thank goodness.

Also gone from the device is a dedicated power button (it's now the red End key), which results in the red end key not locking the phone as it does on the original. The A / * key now locks the device. There is also a "Favorite" button at the bottom of the keyboard that can be mapped to whatever app you'd like (which is a nice improvement over the asinine t-zones button on the original Dash). Finally there is a volume button on the left, and charging port on the upper right as opposed to the bottom (similarly to what was done with the Pantech Matrix Pro; seriously, who demands the charging port be in the upper right?!?).

Device Features

A number of new or upgraded features are present in the device, so let's do a quick roundup:

• 3G Data: Yes, the Dash now supports 3G. I had the opportunity to test this out in the New York area and found it to be snappy, with quick page loads in Internet Explorer and fairly good connectivity even within buildings that normally might block data and voice.
• GPS: The device includes GPS and also has the option to enable A-GPS for faster lock times. The initial lock was a bit slow on the device but once it was dialed in, subsequent uses were fast to link up and report my location. T-Mobile has loaded Google Maps as well as Telenav on the device. As I already had an active Telenav subscription, I simply popped in my login information and was off and running. GPS was stable throughout my travels, and a welcome addition!
• Windows Mobile 6.1: The original Dash shipped with Windows Mobile 5 and received a 6 upgrade, but never quite made it to 6.1. The main difference between the two operating systems on the standard platform is the sliding glass interface on the home screen, which does make it much more enjoyable to use, although with the imprecise trackball, navigation can be limited. I was very happy to see some customizations on HTC's and T-Mobile's part on the base OS. Little tweaks here and there that make the device easier to use, such as an enhanced e-mail setup wizard, and weather plugin.
• 2 MP Camera: I took a few test shots between my Dash (Which had a 1 MP camera) and the Dash 3G and the Dash 3G does look better. That being said, 2 MP is still a bit small, however my understanding is that a 3 MP camera sensor (or higher) would add substantial bulk. As the Dash 3G is designed to be small and useful, I can see why HTC stopped at 2 MP.

Head to Head Comparisons

Figure 3: Dash 3G on the bottom, Dash on top. Tops and right sides aligned for comparison.

The Dash 3G is slightly bigger than its older brother, a bit longer and tiny bit wider, however it is slightly slimmer. In addition to the charging port moving, the battery door is also a bit different. Similar to the G1's battery door, the Dash 3G has 1 plastic piece that snaps onto the back of the device instead of a sliding door. This gets rid of the seam, and isn't too hard to remove.

The buttons in general are larger on the 3G, however as mentioned, they are more rectangular and less raised. This caused me ample frustration initially, however slowly my fingers adapted to the new button type. One last major difference between the two devices is how easy it seems to press a button by accident while putting the device in your pocket. I carry mine in my shirt pocket, and it seems to hit a button pretty much every time it's pulled out. The need to use the lock feature is clearly evident!

Figure 4: Dash 3G on bottom, Dash on top, bottoms and right sides aligned.

Is it worth it?

So after reading this review, you're probably asking yourself, is it worth the hassle to upgrade to this device? Well, here are my tips in that regard:

• If you live in a 3G area (and they are rolling out all over the place this year), and are a moderate to heavy data user, then you'll want to upgrade for the speed factor.
• If you are a heavy traveler and would like a small device with GPS to easily find things when in unfamiliar places, then you'll want to upgrade.
• If you want a multimedia powerhouse, you'll likely not want to ugprade. While the device is quite a bit faster than its predecessor, and can play music and shoot video, these are not the primary functions.
• If you still love your old Dash, live in a 2G area, rarely travel, and like small buttons and a D-Pad, stick with that baby until it dies. Then perhaps go for the 3G!
• If you're an Android user or iPhone-er, you'll complain that it doesn't make you part of the "in" crowd, doesn't have a touchpad, and can't be fun because it's Windows Mobile. While you're doing that, I'll have answered a few e-mails and gotten some work done on my Dash 3G

Conclusion

The Dash 3G is a capable, and even luxurious replacement for the older Dash or anyone who likes this form factor (even former Blackberry users moving to Windows Mobile (yes, this does happen!)). If you find yourself wishing you had 3G data or GPS, upgrading is a great opportunity. However if you're happy with your old Dash (Or Q, or Blackjack, etc...) and live in a 3G wasteland, either pass or wait!

Dr. Jon Westfall is a Microsoft MVP for Windows Mobile Devices, and a contributing editor at Pocket PC Thoughts since 2005. He is also a decision making researcher currently conducting research and developing online data collection techniques at the Center for the Decision Sciences in Columbia Business School.

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