Customer Reviews

T-Mobile Dash Phone (T-Mobile)

5 star:		(21)
4 star:		(15)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(17)
1 star:		(17)

 

 

Let me begin by saying that I have been a long time admirer of Apple, and have the five volumes of "Inside Macintosh" for developers to prove it. In fact, before they moved to OS/X, I used to develop printer drivers for the Mac.

So when the iPhone was announced, I looked at the release date, and when I would be looking for a new phone, and thought the timing was pretty good.

However, after reading the reviews (positive and negative), and doing my research, I picked up a T-mobile Dash instead.

Why?

First off, both phones use the EDGE network. So browsing speed wasn't going to be a difference. However the Dash uses Windows Mobile 6 (with the free update) that has a version of IE that is about as good as Safari. Not to mention that the Dash also supports the Mobile version of Opera. Like the iPhone, the Dash also supports WiFi browsing, and the phone plan (similar costs) includes free use of T-mobile's hotspots - which are much more numerous in my experience than the AT&T ones (Starbucks anyone?)

Then there's the cost. The Dash with a 1 gig MicroSD card is about $25 (Dash is free, the MicroSD card is what's expensive). The iPhone, of course, is several hundred more than that. I could have gotten my whole family Dashes for the price of one four gig iPhone. And of course the microSD card is removable and replaceable (as is the battery).

While the Dash does NOT have a touch screen, it DOES have a physical keyboard. My typing speed is already 30wpm, and I wouldn't be surprised if I get up to 50 or 60 (compared to my desktop speed of 80-90). The Dash has a somewhat smaller display, but it has the longer battery life to go with it.

Then there is the comparison of the voice plans. With T-Mobile you have the "MyFaves" plan that lets you setup five phone numbers on any network for free calls. With the iPhone, your AT&T folks are free, but everyone else starts burning minutes - and fast. For me, having those five numbers means that I'm pretty much covered. Not to mention that T-Mobile is consistently ranked higher for customer satisfaction and coverage compared to AT&T.

Oh, and unlike the iPhone, there's a version of Skype for the Dash, so I can make calls over WiFi to folks who aren't in "MyFaves" at no additional cost beyond the normal Skype out fee. I don't think there will be a Skype for iPhone anytime soon.

Finally, WindowsMobile, for all of it's Microsoft issues, does have a fair library of apps I can install, and support for a number of things that you will have to wait for on the iPhone. And there is an SDK out there for developing your own apps if you don't find what you need.

For me, and considering the above, the T-mobile Dash was the right answer. Something you might want to consider if you're looking for a new smartphone.

I was carrying a PDA and a Razr cell phone. When I got this phone I gave my PDA to my brother and my Razr to my daughter. I love the full contact list with addresses, all the phone numbers and notes that are in my Outlook are now in my Dash and it syncs with Outlook. The calendar is really nice and that too syncs with Outlook. I don't try to use it for browsing the internet, but I do use T-mobiles T-zones to collect all my email from all my various email address types. It took some learning to find the easiest way to get to everything, but it's there if you look. For example, called and received numbers log with one key press of the send button, extremely easy contact look up by just starting to spell the name of what you're looking for and everything else gets eliminated, and my favorite applications stay on the home screen at the top so that they are only a push away.

It has EVERYTHING that any cell phone has and works as well or better and easier. The speaker phone is great, clear and plenty loud enough; bluetooth syncs with my GPS without a hitch and one touch (or speed) dialing is great, you can even have two digit spead dialing by holding the second digit until it begins to dial. I can store hundreds of phone numbers in number locations I choose (like my brother's home is 5, cell is 15 and wifes cell is 25), then use the number of the location to make a call instead of looking up numbers.

All in all, I find that I have service across the country without much trouble and I drive rather than fly. If you have T-mobile cell service, their t-zones for email and many other internet based services is only $5 and T-Zones w/WiFi service is only $20 (monthly), can't beat that. The full keyboard makes text messaging and keeping notes MUCH easier and more fun. It's not a full PDA, but it does everything I did with my PDA, and with the updated firmware you can edit your word and excel documents.

It's way more than a phone, really small and thin, easy to carry, easy to lock and unlock the keyboard. It takes nice pictures for emergencies if I don't have a camera and it uses a mini SD card, which I have installed and use to store pictures and videos.

Personally, I can't think of a negative thing about it. It's not a laptop computer, but I think it's the best cell phone on the market. My cousin has the blackberry and he's jealous of me and my Dash.

In summary, Microsoft's software and T-Mobile's service have ruined a brilliant design (although with a couple of flaws) from HTC.

There are many pros and cons about this device and the service that it is shackled to. I will break it down to Hardware, Software and Cell Phone Service Provider.

Hardware Pro's:
A lot has been written about this aspect of the device, so I'll keep this to a minimum - The best form factor I've ever seen. This device provides you the power of a Blackberry without the bulky hardware so I can put it in my pocket comfortably and not have to look like a geek with the belt holster.
- A key selling point for me was the combined Bluetooth, Wi-Fi and quad-band connectivity that enabled me to connect a wireless headset, cruise web pages and have access to email when in the US or Europe.

- The phone quality is excellent.

- The keyboard layout is excellent and easy to use for medium sized emails.

- The battery life is great when Wi-Fi is not enabled and adequate when it is. (I've rarely struggled with a dying battery.) Stand-by power management appears to be excellent.

- Charging of the device is very quick.

- The display, while a little small, is crystal clear and surprisingly easy to use given its size.

- The camera is pretty good and it's been really great emailing photo's to people as I'm traveling around.

[After all of the cons that you'll read below you'll wonder why I ever bought the device and why I still use it. Well here it is:
1. T-Mobile locked me into a 2 year contract on a very expensive device.
2. It has great hardware that I can use in the US and Europe, I'm just hoping that Microsoft will finally get it right. ]

Hardware Con's

- The touch sensitive volume button is the most ill-conceived feature I've ever seen. Even after playing around with various settings it is still hard to quickly set the volume at the desired level. Even worse, when using the phone your ear or finger can inadvertently hit the control and randomly change the volume.

- The TI OMAP 850 at 201MHz is not beefy enough for the software that is loaded onto the device. However, the blame could well be laid at Microsoft's door for writing inefficient code and having poor scheduling software between tasks and applications. Either way, performance is very slow for some basic functions (see below) and I'm afraid some of the blame needs to be laid at the choice of processor.

Software Pro's
- Not many that really come to mind.

Software Con's
(I hope you're sitting comfortably)

- When a call is on call waiting the phone fails to give an option to the user to select which call to take and which call to put on hold or drop/ignore. On the occasions this problem has occurred with me the call that is dropped/kept appears random with a preference to switch to the incoming call no matter what is depressed. The other call is dropped and not put on hold.

- When a call is incoming and the keyboard is locked, if the user depresses the green phone key the call is dropped. This is extremely counter intuitive. If the user presses anything other than the "answer" key the call is dropped and sometimes the call has been dropped even when I have depressed the "answer" key.

- The contacts database is extremely rudimentary with a very limited number of views and filters that can be used. Even worse, upon selection, the contacts database takes between 5 and 8 seconds to open. Now, I have what some would call a large database of contacts, but considering that the Palm OS version responded immediately with a far more sophisticated use model this excuse does not wash. It's simply a poorly architected database.

- The user interface for entering a new contact is rudimentary (as are all dialog windows on this device.)

- One of the most annoying aspects of this device is the alarm clock. The user interface looks like it was written in 10 minutes and was clearly not verified for correctness. The digital watch I had in 1982 had the same degree of sophistication but with a more intuitive use model and was more thoroughly debugged. First of all, the user only gets to select a time and if the alarm is on or off. From the interface you would assume you could only set a single alarm....if only it were that obvious. The best way to explain this buggy piece of software is with an example: I set the alarm for 6am; the next day the alarm goes off at 6am. That day I set the alarm for 7am - the following day the alarm goes off at 6am and 7am. The next day I set the alarm for 7:30am and you guessed it, the alarm now goes off three times. The best that I've been able to deduce (of course, this type of behavior is not documented in the user manual that comes with the device) is that the user has to actively select "off" for the current setting before setting "on" for the new time. But there is no indication of what alarms are set, so after a while or a particularly busy week you can loose track of what's set and what isn't....the only way to clear all of the alarms that have been set is a hard re-boot.

- The calculator is a joke. If this took an engineer 10 minutes to write they should be fired. A calculator watch in the '80's had more sophisticated features. The user interface is so bad it's hard to describe it in words.

- Microsoft truly does not understand how a user would like to use the device and instead insists on using the same usage model that they've inflicted upon us since Windows 95. Most features or function have to be navigated through the Start menu button. Applications are nested and features are hidden behind several annoying menu selections. Some features are simply hard to find, but should it really take so many menu selections to find common tools or applications?

- The use of alarms or reminders is ambiguous - to put the device in "Silent" mode, but leave alarms on because you want to sleep and only want your alarm to wake you up, for example, does not work. Calendar reminders will be active as they are assigned the alarm property instead of their own or the notification property. The only way around this is to cancel reminders for all day events....otherwise you get an alarm at midnight.

- So, on my Nokia phone a thousand years ago, when I went to Europe my phone would have a simple selection for the new frequency I needed once landed. The phone would then automatically connect to the provider available. It wasn't completely automatic, but the user interaction was simple and intuitive. Not with the Dash. First of all T-Mobile doesn't help by keeping a radio button on your online account that you have to select to enable international roaming. The feature is free so why not add a selection anyway? All you know when you get to your destination is that your phone won't connect to the local network no matter what you do. Now, assuming that you worked this out, you are now faced with the challenge of actually connecting to the local provider's network. On my Blackberry this was automatic, but of course with Microsoft there are selections to make, searches to activate and various other contortions that need to be gone through before you connect to the provider of choice. Assuming that you get connected at all.

- ActiveSync: This is the most annoying piece of software in that it just does not work. Worse still, when it does not work it gives a cryptic error message stating that an error has occurred and some data will be lost next time you perform synchronization. It does not provide you with a fix, a hint or a path so that you don't lose data. It does not even tell you the data that was lost. So, I'm using a Microsoft Mobile OS with Microsoft XP and Microsoft Outlook and they can't get that right? (OK, it maybe serves me right for signing up to so much Microsoft, but come on.) This was another primary purchasing driver for me. I am very busy and want to have my schedule up to date between my PC and PDA - all the time. It's the only way to keep organized. I thought that with the same provider of all the software I'd be OK. Also, as this feature has been around for over a decade from Palm and perfected by Blackberry....how hard can it be?

There are probably annoying nits that I have with the software, but those are the major ones. And they are major.

Considering this is Windows Mobile 5.0 what on earth were they doing for 1.0, 2.0, etc.?

Service Provider Pro

- T-Mobile is useful to me for traveling in Europe. They have much better coverage over there than in the US (where I'm actually paying).

- Their package is competitive.

Service Provider Con:

- Coverage is not good enough. I'm in San Francisco and I have dead spots in my house.

- Their back-end connectivity with your email providers is terribly buggy. At random times you will get cryptic messages saying that you must have something wrong with your connection and emails can't be accessed. But you know there's nothing wrong with your connection because you've been on the browser. Also, there was a whole day that emails were not accessible. Because of the many issues that I'd had with email set up and maintaining a connection I went through various debug routines wondering what had failed. When I finally called technical support they told me that their service was down - no apology, no notification, no nothing. Certainly no minutes to make up for the inconvenience. (So, why didn't I call technical support earlier? read below...)

- Their technical support structure is terrible. I have collectively wasted over 12 hours of my life on their "help" line. I'm not going to go into details as it would just take too long. Bottom line, if you have a problem with your phone say "Dash" at the prompt and then ask for Tier Three Data support. Everything you get before that is a waste of your time as the technicians you'll encounter have inadequate training. If you are then put on hold and are given another number to dial - DO NOT DO IT - This cycles you back around to Tier Two Data Support and you have to go back to the back of the line for someone that understands the device.

So, should you buy it? Wait until Windows Mobile 6.0 comes out at least. Maybe another provider will pick up the device by that time. Then see what else is available.

I bought mine at a T-Mobile store, so I didnt' get the great deal that is being offered. But I was upgrading. I've been a customer since they came to America in 2002 (Voicestream).

The form factor is nice to the touch. I have not dropped the phone yet, and it has not slipped out of my hands. The buttons are easy to use and respond very well.

The software overall is good. What I have to do is resist the urge to compare it to my laptop. It is not a replacement for my laptop. One piece of software I purchased through Handango is called "Bankarama." I love this, because I can enter my ATM purchases on-the-go, instead of saving receipts for entry into the PC later. I can export my data into a CVS for use in Excel.

Back to the phone.

CALLS: I haven't had any problems with receiving calls or making calls. Haven't had a call dropped yet, and I end up driving through the mountains at times.

TEXT/EMAIL: Incoming and outgoing, it has been relatively fast and reliable, compared to my Verizon MotoQ.

WEB: Not bad, even though it's not 3G yet. Using the WIFI delivers the pages to the device really quickly.

BLUETOOTH: Haven't had any problems with the Bluetooth headset (H500). I also use the Bluetooth to sync the device (ActiveSync) with my laptop. Look ma, no wires!

EXTRA: It came with a 1gig memory chip. This thing is about the size of my pinky nail and comes with a converter so I can plug it into my computer and manage the files. The thing holds a ton of pictures and music as well. I have 7 music albums and 200 pictures on it right now.

WEB EXTRA: Since I have their data plan, it allows me access at any HotSpot. So when I take my laptop to Starbucks, it connects very easily and quickly. No extra charge. My data plan with T-Mobile is $30. Compared to the Verizon plan, which is $44 and does not give you any HotSpot access, it's a deal.

SYNC: The Dash and my Outlook are always in sync with each other.

BATTERY: I turn on the Bluetooth and WIFI whenever I need them. The battery holds up for a full 24 hours for me, but I'd not go 2 days without charging it. I charge mine up every night, just to be sure. I don't have a charger at work or in the car. At this point, I don't need them.

I've had my Dash for a few months and have been very happy with it.

I didn't get my Dash through amazon. I got the phone from letstalk.com "free" (need to pay activation though for the sim card and send rebate back of course) because amazon has the setup of the $30 data plan. Neither did I do the upgrade with t-mobile because it will cost $150 for a two-year upgrade. Instead, I signed up a two-year for the promotion plan (I fulfilled my old contract). I somehow stay with t-mobile for ever. Why t-mobile is the best: cheapest and best service in America. Who else can give you 1000 minutes any time and unlimited night and weekend for $39.99 (promotion for now)? Customer service is best and shortest in wait time, compared to Sprint (Filipinos service reps) and Cingular customer service go home at 9 pm. Cingular would not unlock a phone for you while t-mobile does it for you every 90 days.



As for the phone, I haven't used all the neat functions. But the initial impressions are good: good rubber touch, big and beautiful screen (better put protection on it to prevent from scratch, also wearing case is recommended as so many people complained about breaking screen), descent battery life, clear talk with strong signal which I couldn't achieve with my previous Samsung t809. The volume strip is not a big deal. If you tap instead of pressing on it, you can achieve the right volume more easily. Actually for me I thought the function was not working when I press hard to increase the volume. Speaker is loud and clear and the other party won't even feel that speaker phone is being used.



In summary, pros:

good battery life

clear talk for both handset and speaker phone

big and nice screen

nice rubber touch



cons:

I read that screen are fragile for this one. SO use screen protector and a case.

This is my first SmartPhone and I've had a lot of fun with it so far. For being so small, the keys are remarkably easy to use. I often connect it to my laptop via a USB cable. If you have Windows XP along with MS ActiveSync 4.2.0, your PC/laptop will recognize it as a network device. A little bonus app on the Dash lets you share the Internet connection (granted you have the data plan) at no extra cost.

If you get the add-on micro SD card (about $80), you'll have no need to buy an iPod. Windows Media Player (which comes standard) works just as well.

It has a built in 802.11b (or g?) card. When I'm in range of wi-fi, I can use Skype and save my minutes. I hope T-Mobile doesn't read this since they'll probably patch that loophole :)

A few of the cons:

-There is no scroll wheel like on the Blackberry.

-The battery charge doesn't last longer than a day or so if you've got data push to Outlook enabled. If I forget to charge it at night, I'm SOL.

-The volume strip on the righthand side drives me nuts. I'm constantly hitting it by mistake. When I do, an annoying popup interrupts whatever I'm doing. You can disable the volume strip, but it's kindof important for certain apps like Skype and Windows Media Player. A simple classic volume dial on the side would be a huge improvement. The strip never seems to work right when I really intend to adjust the volume.

-The keyboard is nice, but a touch screen would be better for certain apps. There's no way to cut-and-paste.

Our company recently switched from Blackberry to the Dash. The Dash is very nice and I like it better than the Blackberry. BUT you have to be quite tender with it so I can't rate it 5 stars. My screen broke after 2 weeks. It was on my belt under my seatbelt and it didn't survive a hard stop (no crash). A VP broke his the first couple days. As has my manager. Today another person on my team sat down at his desk, Dash fell about 18 inches onto the typically hard carpeted cubicle floor. Screen cracked in half. Of the many cell phones I've had over the years, all of them you could drop onto cement with no worries. Not the Dash. You best get one heck of a wty or replacement plan with this fragile smartphone.

Fantastic Phone. Ok, Fantastic SMARTPhone.

Tons of great easy to use features
Simple navigational menus with Windows Mobile 5.0
Huge brilliant screen
Built-in Wifi
QWERTY keyboard
Small Size
Comfortable to Hold
Easily turn on/off bluetooth, wifi, etc.

Best of all, it is a great PHONE.

Yes, great sound! Wow, a Cell/PDA that actually works as a great Phone. Unbelievable!

And maybe it's just T-Mo or the phone/T-Mo combo, but the Dash has great service. In my twelve years of cell phone usage and different local carriers (PrimeCo-Verizon, Sprint, AT&T-Cingular, this is my first time I will say I have GREAT cell service. I was so used to dropped calls with Cingular, it feels weird not having dropped calls anymore; sometimes those dropped calls came in handy when the conversations lagged, y'know?

I don't even have to go OUTSIDE to use it! Previously I didn't even have indoor usage in my home, unless I stood still in one area without moving and hanging on to that one remaining bar before it too would disappear. With the Dash - Indoor calls!

I also love the feel of the Dash because unlike all my other phones which slipped from my hand, this phone stays put and it doesn't have that slippery feel of hard plastic on the back but instead feels rubberized. It also helps that this is slightly wider than my older clamshell and candy bar phones as I would constantly fumble and drop them, but maybe I am just a clutz.

It also comes with a very nice case, but you have to remove the Dash from the case for usage (which I prefer to do anyway, as all cases tend to make these tiny devices bulky) but it's convenient to easily slide onto your belt and I just pop/slide it out from my case when needed. It also comes with all the necessary cables/equipment for synching to your computer and charging.

The only "con" I found is the Volume "strip"; I disabled the volume strip since I keep the volume at one level and I would hit the strip with my fingers too many times accidentally adjusting the volume up or down. Disabling it is the answer for me.

Connecting to my bluetooth motorola was quick, as is synching to my computer for transferring files to the device.

The Dash is an awesome device and is highly recommended.

This phone has functions beyond belief. I use it as my phone, organizer (which is perfect), and mp3 player. I haven't used it for email purposes yet, which I used to have on my work issued blackberry, but by just looking at this phone i doubt it would be as good. The windows mobile functions are easy to use and doesn't take much time to figure out. The phone overall looks great and I get a lot of compliments for it.

BUT!!!!! I had this phone for about a little over a month and never physically dropped it once. It slipped out of my hands one time since I've had it and dropped onto the floor (from about 3 feet from the ground). The screen cracked!!!! I brought it to a T-Mobile store and aparently since I didn't have the insurance (my fault because i failed to get it) T-Mobile and HTC, the company who makes the phone, would not cover it even though it was still under warranty. Luckily T-Mobile offered me a loaner phone, HTC wouldn't offer me one at all (in fact their customer service was terrible, i mean extremely terrible). I had to ship it to HTC myself. it took them 2 weeks to fix it and recieve it back, all together costing me $139 plus a $16 shipping cost.

I love this phone, but I wish this mishap never happened. now I've bought a silicon case for it and have gotten insurance for the phone just in case it were to happen again. I could go into detail about how much trouble I went through but I hope the summary explains how UPSETTING this was.

In conclusion: IF YOU BUY THIS PHONE, GET A CASE AND INSURANCE.

I have tried many many cell phones but this phone is unbelievable. I put a 1 gig memory card in it. Right now, I have a 140,000 word dictionary on it, the NIV bible, Star Wars, many videos of my son, about 100 wma songs, and a ton of pictures. It syncs up to MS Outlook like a charm so all of my contacts, appts, tasks, and emails are always up to date. It comes with bluetooth and works great with my logitech headset. It also has wifi which has been flawless with my wireless network and is very speedy. The screen is absolutely gorgeous. The camera takes decent pictures and video. One of the best features is the battery life. For all it does it lasts an incredibly long time. I have not found a smartphone that even comes close to these features especially for the price. I like it waaaay better than the treo, blackberries, Q, or any other qwerty device. It's glued to my hip and I use it all the time. I love it!!!