T-Mobile Dash Cell Phone Review - Making/Receiving Calls
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Alfredo Padilla Published on March 22, 2007 Comment on this |
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Dialing Speed (3.23)
For this test, we measure the amount of time it takes to dial several phone numbers. Even after some practice, we found it took an average of 6.2 seconds to enter the numbers. This rather slow speed is due to the cramped keyboard; with little space between the keys, it’s hard to navigate by touch.
Talk and End Button (7.5)
The talk and end buttons are the large keys on the side of the strip of control keys. Both are large and well located for finding by touch; we had no problem dialing or ending calls quickly and cleanly.
Call Management (7.5)
The Dash saves the numbers for both incoming and outgoing calls, and we weren’t able to reach the limits of this list. The list just shows the number, but you can also get the details of the call (such as duration, date and time) by scrolling down and using the select key. It’s also easy to redial that number by just hitting the center action button in the middle of the directional pad, and you can also send a text message or email from the menu accessed through the right soft key, as well as deleting numbers or saving them to contacts.
Startup to Call (1.3)
In this test, we measure the amount of time it takes to start the phone up from a completely off state and make a call, simulating as situation where you need to make a call but the phone is completely off. We found that the dash took a lengthy 76 seconds, much of which was spent looking at the t-mobile logo and waiting while the phone booted up. That’s a long time, but it’s not unusual for phones that run the Windows Mobile OS to take that long; the Q takes a similar amount of time. Still, that’s not much consolation if you are sitting there waiting for the thing to boot up when you are trying to make an urgent call.
Ring Volume (8.45)
We measure ring volume from 4 inches away with a professional decibel meter and the Dash managed an impressive 84.5 decibels, using one of the built-in ring tones. That’s almost loud enough to wake the dead, and the ring tone that generated that impressive volume level is definitely annoying enough to wake even the heaviest sleeper from their slumbers.
Ringtone Customizability (6.0)
The Dash supports a wide range of ring tone formats, including the ubiquitous MP3 files, MIDI, AAC and iMelody. Ring tones can be downloaded directly to the phone or from memory cards, so you can use your own music files or sound recordings, although you can’t use copy protected sound files.
Non Audio Alerts (4.0)
The vibrate alert of the Dash is pretty poor: you can barely feel the phone vibrate when it is in your hand, let alone in the pocket of a thick coat on a winter’s day. A better indicator of an incoming call is the slight buzzing noise the phone makes: if it sounds like there is an angry bee in your coat pocket, there’s a good chance that you’ve got a call coming in.
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