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116 of 122 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
There Are Several Better Devices Available, June 6, 2007
This review is from: T-Mobile Wing Phone (T-Mobile) (Wireless Phone)
I just returned my T-Mobile wing after a week and a half of solid use. It had a lot of strong points but some major drawbacks ruined the deal. First, those shopping for a device like this are probably looking for a fairly quick data connection. I'm sad to say that T-mobile just isn't up to par with any other, major carrier when it comes to data speeds. It's not a trivial kinda of difference eitther. Verizon has speeds on their phones that are nearly as fast or faster than DSL. With this phone it's barely comparable to a dial-up modem. Forget about Skype, forget about streaming video. It just doesn't happen at those speeds.
From a business perspective this device is very solid. Windows Mobile 6.0 offers a few crucial changes over 5.0 but the applications are what won me over. It's nearly a fully functional desktop version of Excel in this bad boy. The version of Word is top of the line as well. Outlook functionality is stellar, and... it even browses Sharepoint sites (with some limitations).
As far as the physical device itself, I have some gripes. When using it horizontally with the keyboard slid open, the screen feels very fragile and the device feels fragile over all in your hands when using it this way. I could predict that the sliding functionality would break in the very near future.. .it didn't feel sturdy in that actiona t all.
The keyboard is virtually flat, which sucks if you are typing anything other than an extremely quick text. There is no 3.5mm audio jack, it's USB and Bluetooth only. That' sunfortunate because this thing is just about the right size to replace your iPod with, and with memory cards getting as big as they are it's not such a bad alternative. Plus the Win Media Player is very cool and very comprehensitve on this guy. It can be controlled from the home menu
The overall feel of the device is great. The case is not smooth and plasticy, it's textured and has a soft feel that would obviously show fewer nicks and dings than your standard PDA. Also, just in case you wondered, the color is not as bad as it appears online. It's a very deep, dark, bluish-purple with a metallic sheen.
I can see this device having serious merit for somebody with smaller hands since it isn't that much longer than a RAZR.
In the end I sent the device back because it's Wi-Fi module failed. Let me tell you this up front... T-Mobile, not very good at technical troubleshooting. Wouldn't recommend you even bother. I made it through 3 levels of Technical support for the guy to tell me that it must be my wireless setup, despite the fact that my friend was able to connect with his T-Mobile Dash, and the Wing wasn't able to connect to ANY wi-fi connection after the first day. That's T-mobile though, I doubt you'll have success troubleshooting with any carrier on that note. The real story here is that mine was prone to defects within 48 hours of standard use.
Overall, I'd recommend it. I'm sure they would have recalled the device by now if everybody was having the wi-fi issues so I guess that's a fairly safe bet. I wasn't able to find evidence of mass defect for wi-fi capabilities on the net.
Make sure that you are comfortable with the feel of this device when it's open and the keyboard is in use before you commit to it!
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49 of 51 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Not great but okay - some issues - but that is Windows Mobile for you !, May 30, 2007
This review is from: T-Mobile Wing Phone (T-Mobile) (Wireless Phone)
updated 6/5/08
I have had this phone for more than a year, now.
The good
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+The keyboard is pretty good - it could have more height on the key domes but it works okay. Probably one of the best of the qwerty - or any phone keyboards.
+The Screen is nice - 2.8 inch diagonal
+The Device is small- smaller than the MDA which is almost the same
+The coating looks and feels good
+Some helpful programs
+My faves might save you some money
+Battery life is decent
+T-Mobile customer service is about as good as phone companies get. Usually tied with Verizon for the best (JD Power) or just barely behind Verizon (Checkbookdotorg).
+T-Mobile rates are cheaper than Verizon and ATT, and usually are as good if not better than Sprint.
The not so good
-----------------
-Edge - it is okay but T-Mobile does not have 3G or faster connection yet. Sprint, Cingular/ATT and Verizon all have comparable or better devices with 3G / Ev-Do speeds. (May 2008 3G on T-Mobile NYC and soon to spread)
-Memory - usable memory gets low pretty fast. You need to close programs before you open other programs usually and remember to restart it every other day. Also there is some lag time when turning on programs or waiting for the screen to change to horizontal when you open the keyboard. (UPDATE - go to howardforums to find free programs to speed up your Wing and a procedure to fix some of the memory issue. These fixes make it a four star phone I think).
-Phone buttons get pushed easily in the provided holster (even with lock screen enabled - the green and red phone buttons are still active and they stick out and so you will answer calls without meaning to, or hangup occasionally).
-Processor is a slow 201mhz by todays standards. While this makes for good battery life, it is disappointing to see Cingular with the 400mhz Hermes/8525 and Sprint with the 6700 and set to release the upgrade to the Hermes - the 6800 in October. (Verizon has the XV6800 now as well). All are faster machines with faster connections. And, of course, there is the iPhone with a 600+mhz processor.
-T-Mobile help just told me that the darn phone will not always sync recurring appointments correctly. This is of course not a T-Mo or an HTC problem but a WM6 problem. Apparently if you put a time limit on the recurring appointments it solves the problem. Say - this recurring appointment will end after 999 ocurrences.
=============
Bottom line (so far for me): if you have a Dash or MDA (ATT 8125) or something comparable that is still working - save your money and wait for the next ppc. Certainly the various 6800s are better than this.
If you want a qwerty ppc with touch screen - you might be pleased. It may be the best T-Mobile could do given their limited technology (no 3G in my city yet) and customer preferences (small phones are more popular).
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49 of 53 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
A sidekick 2 user's take, May 30, 2007
This review is from: T-Mobile Wing Phone (T-Mobile) (Wireless Phone)
After a few days of use:
Positives:
1) Fantastic case material (hard rubber case is fantastic)
2) Great screen with rich colors
3) Small form factor for a feature rich smartphone
4) Spring loaded keyboard snaps open nicely
5) Decent battery life
6) Rubberized keyboard
7) Great price for all the features you are getting
Negatives:
1) Slow. Slow. Slow. Synching was slow, apps are slow, wi-fi is slow, heck, nothing about this thing is snappy other than the standby toggle.
2) Keyboard is just too flat which makes for awkward typing. A shame as its a nice large keypad and rubberized to boot. I stil have yet to find a device that can compare to the Sidekick 2's rubberized keypad (wish they'd bring that back on their newer models, the SK3's plastic board is abysmal).
3) Windows Mobile Software. I hate to say it but, the hardware side of this phone is being held back by poor software. Windows Mobile is just not a great portable OS. It doesn't handle the things you need to do in the way that you need to do them. When will email and IMs be pushed? Windows Mobile needs to take another note from the Sidekick playbook. On a sidekick, you never miss a message. On this device all you are guaranteed is that the phone will ring. If you are in standby, you will not be getting any notification of your IMs. Unacceptable. This is supposed to be a total communications device. Right now it's just a phone, with some "outgoing" messaging features.
4) Too many key-clicks necessary. This is more about Windows Mobile really than the Wing. This OS is constantly throwing up dialogs asking you if you really want to delete this, or really want to do that. Toast style dialogs pop up that must be OK'd, when they should really auto-dismiss after a few seconds. On pass code entry it even makes you click "OK" instead of just unlocking when the right pass is entered. In short, it's too "desktop" oriented. Microsoft really needs to take a long hard look as what "portable" means in terms of UI design. App switching needs to be fast, UI needs to be light. Extra dialogs and nag screens need to be removed. When I use a sidekick I never have to click "OK". Everything auto saves, or just does what it needs to do.
5) Network hangs. I had to reboot wi-fi multiple times in the last few days to keep things working. Every other wi-fi device in my house has no issues. Just this one.
6) Wi-fi networking is poorly designed. There is no way to get it to ignore networks you don't want to connect to. So it will nag you about connecting to wi-fi networks you don't want when it looses connectivity to a network you do want. Very annoying (more un-necessary key clicks).
In short. The user experience of this device is good as long as you are holding it, or looking at it. The second you start using it, the illusion dissolves. I think HTC did a very nice hardware job however. If you are a Windows Mobile lover, this device is probably going to be a dream come true. It is feature rich and can do a lot more than a sidekick can do. However, if you want an extremely reliable phone/sms/email/IM device that is fast, and let's you *communicate* quickly and efficiently, this is not the device for you.
I would recommend this device to people who must have Windows Mobile for specific 3rd party applications. Other than that, try a blackberry, helio ocean, or sidekick.
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