T-Mobile Dash Can Take Smartphones to the Masses - First Take

Michael Gartenberg | October 11, 2006, 09:23 AM

I wrote in the past about the excellent form factor of the HTC Star Trek or the Cingular 3125 as it's called in the US. But some folks have different needs and want a QWERTY keyboard and for those folks, there is a new leader in That class of devices. Coming from T-Mobile is the Dash and it's a killer device. Based on HTC's Excaliber design (that i first saw six months ago) the Dash manages to make the Moto Q feel clunky in contrast. The Dash isn't just pocket size, it's shirt pocket size. The finish is a soft matte texture that gives it a great feeling of carresability.

I've been carrying a unit for a few months now and it's become my primary mobile email client. The keys have great tactile feel, the backlight and screen are top notch and there's a few goodies added like predictive text that works and wifi in addition to quad band edge support. T-Mobile also adds in their excellent hotspot connection utility, IM support for AIM, Yahoo and ICQ in addition to MSN mobile.

Battery life is superb, this is one of the only WM5 device that i can leave push email on and and last through a heavy day of use. Most folks will easily get through two normal days. Dash is also wicked fast and responsive. The rather excellent Windows Mobile software shines on this hardware and the slim form factor make it practical as a voice phone. Also, no oddball connectors, just a standard mini usb jack which supports charging and usb to 3.5 audio adapters.

Downside? A few. First, the slingbox mobile and mobitv clients don't work on it just yet and a few games flake out as well. I expect that be fixed soon though. It's also not 3g blazing fast although i find EDGE and WiFi are more than acceptable. Bottom line? This is a real breakthrough unit and it has the chance to really take WM 5 to the mass market if marketed. More than a few fellow travelers in recent weeks have tried to buy mine from me and the cool 20 something waiter in the coffee shop told me it was the coolest phone he'd ever seen. Highly recommended if you're looking for a QWERTY device with a lot of function in a killer form factor.