T-Mobile Dash 3G – Fast Messaging Smart Phone
Sum and Substance:
Thumbs Up:
Upgrade over Dash, it has 3G, GPS and improved camera.
Thumbs Down:
HTC’s ‘Inner circle’ feature is absent, a bit expensive.
Inside the Trunk:
Technology: WCDMA (UMTS) / GSM
Band: WCDMA (UMTS) / GSM 850/900/1800/1900
Phone design: Candybar
Caller ID: Yes
Other features: GPRS, EDGE, camera, music player.
The Whiz Kid Speaks:
The display of the Dash 3G is 2.4 inch big, has a resolution of 320 x 480 pixels resolution. Supported audio formats are – AAC, MP3, WAV, MIDI, eAAC+, AAC +, AMR, QCP, WMA. For video only MPEG-4 format is supported. The phone has memory of 192 MB RAM / 256 MB ROM. For messaging the phone has SMTP/IMAP/POP3 connectivity. The phone book doesn’t have any limit for storing contacts.
The handset doesn’t come with a 3.5 mm jack but there is an adapter provided. 1500 mAh lithium polymer battery of the phone gives talk time of 510 minutes and 480 hours of standby time. The phone comes bundled with Microsoft Windows Mobile 6.1. For voice the phone has dialing, recording, commands, speaker phone. The dimensions of the phone are 4.59 x 2.42 x 0.47 inches.
Razzle Dazzle:
We are all aware what the T-Mobile Dash looks like, it is been here since second half of 2006 and this on too looks the same but there are some features added on the inside. Finish on the back of the phone is soft touch which is the main difference when you compare it with the 2006 version. It feels really good when you place it in the hand. Compared to this one, the HTC Snap looks more like a cheap plastic toy. Dash 3G is 4.5 inches tall. 0.4 inch thick, 2.4 inches wide and weighs about 4.3 ounces. It is not heavy but the width will get you if you try to shove it in tight jeans pants pocket.
Inside Dope:
T-Mobile Dash is a bit outdated we have been seeing it since 2006 and it is time that the phone was taken of the shelves now. T-Mobile thinks otherwise though and they are here with a revamped version of the device which looks promising owing to the superior finish on the outside.
The QVGA display of the Dash 3G is 2.4 inch big and has a resolution of 320X240, 65000 colors. The phone isn’t touch screen but there is not much to complain. With a screen as small as this, using touch screen interface would have been very hard. RIM Blackberry Curve 8900, which is in the same range, has a 480X320 pixel resolution and the superiority of the video and images is clearly seen. This handset has a smaller screen, so you will have to scroll loads while reading messages, e-mail or web browser.
Browsing is made easier with the trackball navigator which is extremely easy to use. Around the trackball there is end and talk buttons, 2 soft keys, back button and home button. These keys don’t seem cramped and hence comfortable to use. The easy to use trackball navigator provides some relief while scrolling through large pages.
Beneath these keys is the full sized QWERTY keyboard which is quite spacious and we think this is the reason behind the small screen. HTC has dedicated a lot of real estate to the keyboard, in fact it hogs the phone’s surface, but gives you really comfortable keyboard to type upon. We also liked the red and bold markings on the buttons of the phone which makes it easy to read.
On the sides of the phone is a volume rocker, head set jack, power connecter and miniUSB port. The head set jack isn’t 3.5 mm in size but HTC has provided an adapter with the phone. Adapter lets us plug in any set of headphones but then it is difficult to out the phone in the pocket along with the big adapter.
The phone comes along with AC adapter, audio adapter, USB cord, carrying case, software disc, reference manual and recycling envelope.
The main difference between the previous version and the current version of the phone is, as the name suggests, the inclusion of 3G which offers dual band support. (UMTS/HSDPA (AWS Band IV & Band I) The phone also has Wi-Fi so if you are ever out of 3G areas then you can use Wi-Fi.
Other features on the phone include speakerphone, quad band world roaming, smart dialing, dialing – voice activated, conference calling, speed dial and multimedia and text messaging. The phone doesn’t have any limit for storing contacts and a single entry can take multiple e-mail addresses, job title, phone numbers, home and work address, etc. You can attach a photo to a contact, give a custom ring tone to a contact and group your contact together.
When it comes to messaging, Dash 3G has Microsoft’s Direct Push Technology which gives you real time delivery of messages and automatic syncing with Outlook calendar, contacts and task through Exchange Server. It also has POP3 and IMAP connectivity and there are wizards for the most common clients such as Yahoo, Windows Live, AOL and Gmail.
Dash 3G doesn’t have HTC’s Inner Circle feature which lets us send e-mails to a pre selected group of people with a touch of a button. That feature was really good for managing and sending e-mails to the group and we don’t know why it is not included.
The phone has GPS and A-GPS so you can get it through cellular tower triangulation and GPS satellites. It also has QuickGPS which downloads latest map information through satellite and hence finds you locations faster. This feature is available for only 14 days on a trial basis after which you will have to pay a fee.
Previous version of Dash has 1.3 MP camera, this one has 2 MP. It would have been crime to put a 1.3 MP camera in these days and we are not happy with 2MP either. A 3.2 MP rated camera would have been better. Features on the camera include brightness controls, settings for white balance, flicker adjustment and best shot. Photo quality is good but you can’t expect much from a 2 MP camera. Video quality of the camera was mediocre. For storing videos and images you’d better get a microSD card because the phone has only 256 MB ROM and 192 MB RAM.
The phone comes bundled with Windows Mobile 6.1 Standard operating system even though there is 6.5 version available. We don’t know why this is done and T-Mobile said that they don’t have plans to offer upgrade as of now. On the OS you get basic tools of PIM, Internet Explorer Mobile, Windows Live integration and Microsoft Office Mobile Suite.
Call quality was excellent when we tested Dash 3G. There was no background noise or voice distortion at our end or our friends end. Voice was clear for both the parties. Speaker phone calls were good and we were glad to see that there was plenty of volume. You can always pair up the phone with Bluetooth wireless headsets if you want to.
Nitty Gritty:
Dash 3G is an upgrade over the previous phone, it has new design, 3G and GPS but we feel this phone is too old and will make you look old fashioned since it is been a while that this phone came out. This is a good messaging device but we would advice you to look elsewhere.
