T-Mobile Dash Cell Phone Review - Hardware
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Alfredo Padilla Published on March 22, 2007 Comment on this |
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Keypad
Text Words Per Minute (9.08)
To test how good a keypad/keyboard is to type on we type out a sample piece of text and time how long it takes to complete it error free. We repeat this test 5 times and take the average for our score. The T-Mobile Dash took an average of 21.1 seconds to enter our sample text. This works out to 45.4 words per minute, an excellent score. This is better than the Motorola Q (39.6 WPM), Treo 700p (38.4 WPM), and Blackberry 8703e (41.9 WPM). We were extremely pleased with the Dash’s keyboard; although the keys are small and close together, it is possible to type speedily with some practice. .
T9 and Auto Complete (5.0)
The T-Mobile Dash support auto complete of words as you are typing, a nice feature that can significantly speed up your typing speed. We were pleased to see this feature as phones like the Treo 700p and the Blackberry 8703e are missing it.
Two Hand Usability (4.7)
To give you an idea of how easy it is to type with a single hand we repeat our words per minute test using only a single hand. The T-Mobile Dash took an average of 40.92 seconds to enter our sample piece of text. This works out to 23.4 words per minute, almost half the speed of two handed typing. This is not uncommon as we often see significant drop offs in typing speed between one and two hands for phones with QWERTY keyboards. The Dash was hurt in this test by the fact that they keyboard is very wide and the keys are very small and close together.
Keypad Backlighting (4.0)
The T-Mobile Dash’s keypad is backlit with a blue light. The backlight is even and all numbers, letters and symbols are lit up clearly. We did find the backlight a little dim compared to other handsets. The backlight stays on for 30 seconds after any key is hit. There is no way to control how long it stays on or how bright it is, nor is there a sensor which adjusts the backlight automatically.
Controls
D-Pad/Joystick (7.0)
The Directional Pad on the T-Mobile Dash is large and comfortable. The center select key is large and easy to find while the directional pad itself has raised edges that make it easy to move about by feel without accidentally hitting the center key. It is surrounded by the two soft keys, home and back keys. We found that these keys were a little too close to the D-Pad and were hit by accident on occasion. Overall we found the D-Pad on the Dash very easy to use.
Touch Screen (0.0)
The T-Mobile Dash doe not have a touch screen. Windows Mobile Smartphone Edition devices lack a touch screen, which is found on the more advanced Pocket PC devices.
Jog Dial (0.0)
The T-Mobile Dash doe not have a jog dial.
Soft Button (6.0)
The soft buttons for the T-Mobile Dash are two small black plastic buttons that flank the D-Pad. They are placed well to access easily while you are navigating the phone, and are easy to find by feel as they are distinct from the surrounding keys. We did find that they are a little too close to the D-Pad, making the occasional mistaken press an issue.
Volume Control (2.0)
The volume control on the T-Mobile Dash is taken care of by HTC’s unique JOGGR, a touch sensitive strip on the left side of the phone. On the unlocked version this JOGGR strip can be used to scroll up and down lists as well as activate certain program. On the Dash this strip is only used for volume control. By default the JOGGR only controls volume while in a call, but you can change it so you can use it all time in the options. We found that the JOGGR was difficult to use, if you leave it on all the time it is activated by accident all the time. Although we applaud HTC for the innovation that the JOGGR represents, we did not find it to be a good solution for volume control. We would have preferred to see distinct keys or a scroll wheel as found on the Blackberry 8703e or the Motorola Q.
Power and Standby (8.0)
The power and standby key on the T-Mobile Dash is located on the top right of the phone. It is a small silver key that is surrounded by plastic to keep accidental presses to a minimum. When pressed you access a menu that allows you to turn the phone off, lock it or change your profile. A long press will shut the device off. We found the key very usable, unlikely to be hit by accident but easy to press when you need it.
Other Buttons (4.5)
In addition to the controls mentioned above the T-Mobile Dash has several other keys. Below the two soft keys and flanking the D-Pad you will find the home and back keys that are standard on Windows Mobile Smartphone devices. Just like the soft keys these are easy to find by feel and well placed for their regular use. Also like the soft keys we found that they are placed a little too close to the D-Pad and slightly prone to accidental presses.
On the QWERTY keyboard you will find three other shortcut keys on the bottom right. A camera key is the secondary funtion of the symbol key, so you will need to hit the alt key first to access it. To the right of this is a key dedicated to t-zones, and next to that a dedicated messaging key, a good choice for a device with a QWERTY keyboard. We found these keys a little distant from the main controls, but were glad to have them anyways. Because the camera key is a secondary function we awarded half points for it.
Display
Primary Screen Gross Resolution (8.0)
The T-Mobile Dash sports a landscape QVGA (320 x 240 resolution) screen. This has become a standard for mid to high end devices and provides good resolution for clear viewing. We found the screen to be better than the Treo 750’s 240 x 240 resolution screen and equal to the Blackberry 8703e’s screen.
Primary Screen Pixels per Inch (8.1)
The T-Mobile Dash sports 162 pixels per inch, a good but not great pixel density. We saw better from the Sanyo M1 at 205 pixels per inch. The Dash has roughly the same pixel density as the Blackberry 8703e, Treo 700p and Motorola Q. 162 PPI is high enough that colors are rich and images are sharp. It should be satisfactory for most users.
Screen Physical Size (6.0)
The T-Mobile Dash sports a 2.4” diagonal screen. This is larger than the standard screen size of around 2”, and we appreciate the additional real estate, especially for watching video and browsing the web. This is the same size as the Motorola Q and Nokia N73.
Screen Brightness (2.65)
To test screen brightness we point the phone’s browser to an all white page and set the brightness to maximum. We then measure the brightness using a lux meter from 2 inches away. The T-Mobile Dash measured 53 lumens in our test. This slightly less bright than the Motorola Q and the Blackberry 8703e. You can control how long the backlight stays on with a number of presets in the options. There are separate settings for the backlight on AC or battery power as well as a setting for when the entire screen turns itself off. There is no sensor to automatically adjust the backlight nor can you manually adjust how bright it is.
Screen Bright Light Performance (2.0)
To test how well phones perform in bright light situations we shine 3000 lux on the screen, equivalent to a sunny day, and then judge how legible the screen is. The T-Mobile Dash performed poorly in our bright light test. The screen was almost completely illegible, both icons and text. Don’t expect to be able to read your screen in bright sunshine.
Color Depth (6.0)
The T-Mobile Dash displays 65,000 colors. This is fairly standard for mid to high end phones and is the same as the Blackberry 8703e, Motorola Q and Treo 700p. Some higher end phones are coming out with screens that display 262K or 1.6 million colors. We found the Dash to be able to reproduce colors well.
Ports & Storage
Power & Data Ports (9.0)
The T-Mobile Dash uses a modified Mini USB port for both data and power. Called ExtUSB by the device’s manufacturer (HTC), this port is also used for headsets. It can be, thankfully, be used with standard Mini USB cables. We were also pleased to see that USB charging is supported.
Headphone Jack and Compatibility (4.0)
As we mentioned above the T-Mobile Dash uses HTC’s ExtUSB port for headsets. The phone does come with an included stereo headset, however we would have much preferred to see a standard 2.5mm or 3.5mm jack so you could use a headset of your choice. We were pleased to see that the Dash supports wireless Bluetooth stereo headphones using the A2DP standard.
Internal Storage (1.0)
The T-Mobile Dash comes with 128MB of internal storage, of which 64MB is available for users. 128MB is not as impressive as the multiple gigabytes that some phones are beginning to ship with, however it is more than the previous generation Windows Mobile Smartphone’s, which shipped with only 64MB of storage. 128MB is enough to store all of your email, contacts, calendars etc. If you want to use the device’s multimedia capabilities we recommend you purchase a memory card to expand the storage available.
Expansion Slot and Format (5.5)
The T-Mobile Dash has an expansion slot for use with MicroSD/Transflash cards. This is one of the smallest formats available, so be careful as you can lose these things easily. The expansion slot is located under the battery cover, however you don’t have to remove the batter to access it. We were pleased to see that the slot is spring loaded so you can get cards in and out easily.
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