Pocket PC Thoughts: Say Hi to the T-Mobile MDA!

At Last, The Wait is Over
For many long-suffering T-Mobile customers, the wait for a solid data device has been torture. T-Mobile Europe has seen the arrival of the MDA in various forms, and many people have taken to using the iMate handhelds on T-Mobile's network rather than waiting for T-Mobile USA to release a device in the States. The US version of the MDA is, effectively, the same handheld as iMate's KJAM, but because the device is subsidized by T-Mobile, the price tag is a lot more tolerable (the K-Jam is roughly $700 whereas the MDA is half that price). The idea is obviously to put this device in as many interested hands as possible and do it by keeping the price under control.

What's in The Box?

• MDA handheld;
  
• Standard battery;
  
• USB sync / charge cable;
  
• Travel charger;
  
• Stereo headset with mic;
  
• Horizontal pouch with belt clip.

Get More Connection
The highlight for the device, as T-Mobile puts it on their site and on the box, is that the "MDA keeps you connected everywhere." To that end, they've included EDGE GPRS (theoretical maximum speed of 256k) and 802.11b WiFi. EDGE data rates are acceptable, but not as fast as the MDA's sister device, the VX6700 (from Sprint and Verizon) which use EVDO. T-Mobile also includes a HotSpot Login utility that eliminates the need to open Pocket IE to connect to T-Mobile HotSpots. With it, you can store your login and password and when a HotSpot is detected, the phone will automatically connect you.

Unlike the VX6700, the MDA does not limit you from having the WiFi connection running while the phone radio is running, meaning you can still make and receive calls while the WiFi radio is enabled without hacking your registry.

Rounding out the connectivity options is the Bluetooth connectivity, which allows the connection of a Bluetooth headset and enables the MDA to be used as a Bluetooth modem. The MDA also has the ability to work as an EDGE modem through the included USB cable.

What About The Software?
T-Mobile didn't exactly break the bank including bundles of software. There are a few interesting extras installed, but nothing spectacular. They include a zipping and unzipping utility called Zip, and a free copy of Clearvue PDF, a PDF viewer. As far as software goes, the MDA is about as no-frills as it gets, and you'll end up bringing your own applications. The standard Windows Mobile 5 apps are all included, as well as Windows Media Player 10.