T-Mobile MDA Smartphone

Lots of people make stupid complaints about this phone. Sorta like complaining about the cup holders in a Ferrari. Really, who cares if the camera isn't high res? In a pinch it's adequate for quick low-res photos that can easily be emailed. So it isn't as good or easy to use as a regular phone - hello - this is a PDA and is meant for a different market.

It's got a great keyboard, wifi, edge, quad band and it's GSM so I can swap out SIM cards when I take it overseas. I've put music and movies on a 2 gig mini-SD card and have had acceptable performance.

The complaints about the processor being slow are valid, but only matter if you insist on laptop-speed performance. This is still a phone, remember, and performance comes at a price. Even with the processor as it is, performance can be improved significantly by upgrading the ROM from T-Mobile's web site. I almost returned the device before I got on the message boards and found out about the tricks to making this thing sing. Now I'm glad I kept it. That said, most people rely on Tmobile service (or any phone company service) for answers for questions about devices like this. It must be frustrating for a techie neophyte these days. Therefore, any device like this is not for the tech-meek, but the tech-geek.

Not sure what one posters problem is with Activesync, just download the latest version and it should work fine. You need this to put programs on the phone and to sync with Outlook (which this phone does rather well, I might add). I cannot get Activesync to work with Linux, though, which is kind of a bummer.

The one physical aspect of the unit that could be better is the collapsible stylus, which sticks closed somewhat and must be extended using two hands. A full size stylus would have been better.

I love the speaker phone, and wind up using it nearly every time unless I'm wearing my bluetooth headset.

The slide out keyboard is great for text messages and I occasionally use the MDA for email, though it's obviously slower than a regular computer. The internet service through T-Mobile is kind of expensive ($30 bucks extra per month), so I cancelled it for now. Lo and behold, since it's also a wifi device, I turned this feature on and while walking around downtown, I still find unsecured routers. A message pops up on the screen asking if I want to connect. Hot damn, I can surf and send emails for free with this thing!