T-Mobile Dash Cell Phone Review
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Alfredo Padilla Published on March 22, 2007 Comment on this |
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The T-Mobile Dash is the latest in a new generation of slim, thin smart phones, following the lead of the Motorola Q. Sporting a slim design and full QWERTY keyboard with a landscape screen, the Dash is definitely targeting the messaging market. With it’s slim good looks it will appeal to chatty teenagers that want to be able to tap out there SMS messages quickly or prosumers looking for an all in one device. And it may also appeal to business users that want easy integration with Microsoft’s Exchange server, although the messaging services are nowhere near as comprehensive as a Blackberry device. But the Dash shines on other ways. The small form factor of devices like the Dash often has a price in battery life, like it did with the Q. However, the Dash had no such issues: it had excellent battery life in all of our tests, with the longest talk time of all the phones we have tested so far, despite the small form factor and small battery. There are limitations, though: the Windows Mobile OS lacks many of the features of its more fully featured Pocket PC cousin, and the audio quality was strictly average. But the Dash is a very portable, well designed device that handles the tasks it is built for with style and finesse.
We reviewed the T-Mobile Dash on T-Mobile’s network. It is not currently available from any other major carrier in the U.S., but you can purchase an unlocked version called the HTC S620 from some online retailers, which would work with GSM networks.
[page title="Tour & Design"]
Front Closed
Left
Top
Bottom
Right
Back
Battery Out
In the Box (4.5)
The Dash comes with a charger, a headset, usb cable, a basic manual and a CD containing Microsoft’s ActiveSync software.
Handling (7.5)
The T-Mobile Dash sits comfortably in the palm of your hand. The soft touch paint found on the phone gives you a good grip and makes it unlikely that it will be easily dropped. The phone controls are placed beneath the screen in a comfortable position for your thumb to access them. The Dash is relatively small and light for a smart phone and won’t weight you down as much as a Treo or the Cingular 8525. We found it slightly easier to handle than the Motorola Q because of the soft touch paint.
Portability (8.0)
The T-Mobile Dash measures 4.4” x 2.5” x 0.5” and weighs in at 4.2 ounces. This is similar in terms of height and width to the Treo 750, but is significantly thinner and lighter. The Dash will slip easily into most pockets or hand bags and only weighs a little more than a small cell phone like the Motorola v3m. One of the benefits of the new slimmer design of smart phones like the Motorola Q, Samsung Blackjack and the Dash is improved portability and we were not disappointed by the Dash in this department.
Aesthetic (7.0)
From an aesthetic point of view the Dash is a mixed bag. The black soft touch paint and slim profile make for a good looking handset, but the silver accents on the front of the device are a little strange. Overall we found the Dash to be a very professional looking handset that you won’t be embarrassed to carry around, but it’s no Dolce & Gabbana Razr.
Durability (8.0)
The T-Mobile Dash feels like a very durable handset. It gave off no creaks during use and we like the fact that there are no moving parts. We also like the soft touch paint which doesn’t scratch easily. Our only concern is that the battery casing did not seem to lock in completely, leaving a small gap at the top. With no latch it could wear out easier than one with a latch. As with any device with a large screen we recommend you get a screen protector to keep it from being scratched. Overall we found the Dash to be well constructed; it wasn't quite as solid as the Blackberry, but it is a well built phone that should stand up to use.
[page title="Audio Quality"]
The T Mobile Dash is a small, thin cell phone that had fair audio performance: we found a few quirks that might impact the quality of the calls you make and receive, but the sound quality is generally good. We test the audio quality of cell phones using a combination of a HATS (Head And Torso Simulator) device and a professional electro-acoustic analysis program from Listen, inc called Soundcheck. This combination allows us to analyze the performance of the phones in extreme detail. While other sites might just call a friend and ask them how the call sounds, we use the same sophisticated, scientific analysis that the cell phone companies themselves use. For more details, see our how we test page.
Sound Receive Frequency Response (7.09)
T Mobile Dash on T Mobile: Receive Frequency Response
This test measures the frequency response of the phone for sound that it receives, such as someone talking to you over the phone. The Dash does a reasonably good job here: the frequency response of the phone (shown by the blue line) is mostly inside the limits, which are defined in the international TIA 810-B standard. But it is not perfect; the two humps indicate that it exaggerates frequencies at the bottom and top of the frequency range of human speech, which would make frequencies in the middle seem quieter. This could make some speech less easy to interpret, as the mid-range frequencies are important in helping you understand what people are saying.
Sound Send Frequency Response (7.59)
T Mobile Dash on T Mobile: Receive Frequency Response
The sent sound (such as you whispering sweet nothings into the phone, and through the phone network, your beloved’s ear) also had a few issues, with the response to lower frequencies (shown by the part of the blue line between the red lines on the left) going outside the limits. Phones really shouldn’t do this; the limits we use were set by a group of audio experts and define how they think digital phones should respond. The fact that the left side of the graph is outside of the limits shows that the Dash responds more to lower frequencies than it should, which could make voices seem bassier and boomier than they really are.
Handset Side Tone (9.77)
T Mobile Dash on T Mobile: Side Tone
The Dash was spot on for side tone, though. This is the measure of how much of your own voice the phone feeds back to you through the speaker, and the standards call for this to be around -18 decibels. The dash is right on the money, providing a touch over -18 decibels of side tone. The frequency graph is a bit messy, though: although we expect side tone measurements to produce graphs that look more like stock market prices than smooth curves, the rapid jumps of the Dash do indicate that it passes through some frequencies more than others.
[page title="Imaging"]Resolution (1.22)
To test the resolution of the images captured by the T-Mobile Dash’s camera we took several pictures of an industry standard resolution chart and then ran it through our Imatest software. This measures how many black and white lines the camera could discern before they started to blur together (a measure Imatest calls line widths per picture height, or lw/ph).
The T-Mobile Dash scored 541.5 lw/ph of horizontal resolution and 586.2 lw/ph of horizontal resolution. This is a poor score for a phone, putting the Dash in the same class as the Motorola Q and Razr V3m. By comparison a phone like the Treo 750 was able to resolve over 50% more lines, even though both phones have a 1.3 megapixel camera.
Compared to an entry level digital camera the Dash fares even worse; the Pentax Optio M20, for example, received scores of 1682 LW/PH horizontally and 1620 LW/PH vertically. We score resolution slightly differently to our sister site digticalcamerainfo.com, so the Dash earned a resolution score of 1.22. If we were to score resolution the same as digitialcamerainfo.com, it would have earned a score of 0.37. That should underline how poor the camera on the Dash is, and how much worse cell phone cameras are in general than dedicated still cameras.
Color (5.41)
To test colors on the T-Mobile Dash we took pictures of the industry standard GretagMacbeth color chart, which displays 24 different colors. We then ran the photos through the Imatest software, which compares the camera’s produced colors to the chart’s colors.
Imatest produces this chart that shows the original colors in the small vertical rectangle, the adjusted colors in the middle rectangle and the original captures colors in the outer square. Further analysis is provided by the color analysis chart that Imatest produces. On this chart, the circles represent the colors that the camera captured, while the squares represent where the images should be on this color gamut chart. The longer the lines between them, the more inaccurate the colors are.
The T-Mobile Dash did a good job of reproducing colors, roughly equivalent to the Sanyo M1 2 megapixel phone. As you can see from the charts above the Dash had the most trouble reproducing yellows. There was some movement from the ideal in almost all colors. The Dash did not do as well as the Treo 700p, which was very good at reproducing colors.
Noise (1.26)
We test noise by shooting a variety of images in light conditions ranging from 3000 lux (a bright, sunny day) to 60 lux (about what you would get in a darkened room with a single light), then running the captured images through imatest, which analyzes areas of the image for noise.
The Dash did very well in our Noise test; with only the Treo 750 amongst phones we have tested posting a better score. The Dash was helped by a relatively low noise score at 60 lux.
Live Preview (7.5)
The live preview of the camera image on the Dash is good: it uses the full resolution of the screen, with a series of icons around the edge of the screen indicating the various features (such as exposure compensation, white balance mode, etc). It looks more like a dedicated digital camera than a cell phone, and that’s a good thing: it provides the information a photographer needs and gives a good preview of the image at the same time. The preview image is a little jittery, though: if you pan the cell phone rapidly, the image breaks up somewhat.
Unlocked Standby to First Shot (4.0)
For this test, we look at how long it takes to snap an image with the camera turned off, simulating a situation where you see a celebrity walking down the street naked, and want to snap a picture to sell to the tabloids. We found that the dash took an average of 5 seconds to go from standby to pressing the shutter using the dedicated camera button on the bottom right of the keyboard. That’s not too bad, but it is a little slower than both the Razr and the Q, which both took 4 seconds. That extra second could mean the difference between a shot of a celebrities’ face or their unrecognizable pimply backside.
Shot to Shot Time (9.38)
The burst mode of the Dash is activated by putting the camera into sports mode, where you can set the camera to capture three or five images with a single press of the shutter at any of three speeds: fast, medium or slow. The fast mode captured five images in 1.6 seconds, a pretty fast capture rate for a cell phone of 3.125 frames a second; enough to capture a sports pass, and about the same size as most of the other cell phones we’ve looked at (such as the Q and the Treo 700p). However, this mode does restrict the image size to 640 by 480 pixels, so don’t expect the images to look that good when you capture them.
Shutter to Shot Time (6.67)
We measured the shutter to shot speed (the time difference between pressing the shutter and the image being captured) by taking a photo of a stopwatch and measuring the time difference between when we pressed the button and the captured time. For the Dash, we measured this at 0.3 seconds: a little slow, but about average for a cell phone.
Interface (6.0)
Photo Album Software Internal (2.0)
The photo album software in the Dash is extremely basic: although T-Mobile has customized some of the software on the device, the photo album is the standard Windows Mobile program. This only provides the barebones features: you can play slideshows of images, but you can’t otherwise organize them.
Manual Control (2.0)
There are no true manual controls on the Dash camera: you can’t set the shutter speed or aperture directly, and controls such as the white balance setting restrict you to pre-defined presets. This is a bit of a pity; with the camera presenting you with a lot of information in the camera setting sin the preview screen, it would have been nice to be able to jump in and take more control.
Zoom (1.0)
The only zoom on the Dash is a 2x digital zoom that is controlled with the up and down buttons on the directional pad. This has a big hit on image quality, and it is also rather slow to respond, taking about half a second to respond to a button press.
Focus (0.0)
The small lens of the Dash is a fixed-focus model, with a focus range of 60 cm out to infinity. No macro mode is present, so anything closer than a couple of feet won’t be in focus.
Flash (0.0)
No flash is present on the Dash: if you need more light, you have to add it yourself. Other similar cell phones (such as the Q) at least provide a basic LED light flash, which can be useful if you find yourself taking photos in dark places.
Metering (2.0)
There are no options for metering beyond the basic averaging mode that the Dash uses by default. This means that there is no way to adjust how the camera measures the light coming into the camera, so pictures taken against a bright background (such as a sunny sky) probably won’t come out correctly.
White Balance (0.0)
The Dash camera provides five choices for white balance: an auto mode and four presets (Daylight, Night, Incandescent, Florescent). That’s enough for most situations (and most users probably won’t ever take it off Auto), but we would have liked to see an evaluative white balance mode, which can judge the right white balance for a particular lighting situation.
Image Handling (4.0)
The T-Mobile Dash allows you to edit images using the Picture & Videos software on the device. You can crop images, rotate them and apply a general auto-correct. Although none of these options is exceptionally advanced, they are more than most phones offer.
Video
Overall Video Score (2.0)
The T-Mobile Dash is capable of recording video at two resolutions, 128 x 96 and 176 x 144. We captured a video at the higher resolution and compared it to video taken by other phones. As you would expect we were not impressed by the videos taken by the Dash. Viewed full screen on a computer monitor it was very fuzzy and did not compare well with videos taken on other phones at 352 x 288.
Video Resolution (2.04)
Only two options for the size of the captured videos are offered: 128 x 96 and 176 x 144. We tested the resolution of the captured video by capturing a sequence of our video resolution chart, then saving still frames from this and running them through ImaTest. This produces the same lw/ph measure that it does for still images, and with the Dash capturing low resolution video, it was not surprising that the video didn’t have much in the way of resolution: just 144 lw/ph vertical and 141.8 lw/ph horizontal.
Video Compression (6.0)
Three options for the video capture format are available: MPEG-4, Motion JPEG and H.263. That’s a good selection: many cell phones only offer one or two, and the MPEG-4 format provides good image quality in small video files.
Interface (6.0)
The interface of the video capture program looks much the same as the still image capture: information on the current camera settings are shown around the screen edge, while the preview is in the center. The preview is significantly smaller than the still image capture, though, reflecting the lower resolution of the captured images against their still cousins.
Manual Control (0.0)
The video mode has the same lack of manual controls as the still image mode: you can’t directly set shutter speed, aperture or other settings.
Zoom (2.0)
The same 2x digital zoom that we found in the still imaging mode is present in the video mode, but this can’t be used while recording. And only two settings are available: 1x and 2x. You can’t use the imbetween settings like you can with the still imaging
Editing (0.0)
Videos can’t be edited on the dash: all you can do is play them back and delete them if they are too embarrassing.
Modes (2.0)
There are only two video modes: normal video shooting and a video messaging mode that is designed for sending video messages as MMS messages.
[page title="Making/Receiving Calls"]
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.
[page title="Messaging"]
Supported Email Services (8.0)
The Dash uses the pocket version of Microsoft Outlook for messaging, and this supports a reasonable range of email services, including standard protocols such as POP3 and IMAP. When we tried it with popular services such as Yahoo mail and Gmail, it was able to set up these account without us needing to enter specific details for the servers, which we count as a success. It did not work, however, with our AOL account. The Dash also comes with Pocket MSN, which allows you to log into your Hotmail account and will set it up your Hotmail inbox automatically in Pocket Outlook.
Push Email (3.0)
The T-Mobile Dash supports push email via Microsoft Exchange server. The Dash does not support any other push email services out of the box, however you can add some additional services with third party software.
Multiple Email Accounts (10.0)
The T-Mobile Dash supports up to 6 email accounts, including the Outlook account, which synchronizes with either your desktop inbox or an Exchange Server. As a messaging focused device we are glad to see support for multiple email accounts, although the Blackberry 8703e supports more with up to 10.
HTML and Attachments (4.0)
The T-Mobile Dash does not support HTML email. It does support viewing of attachments via the pre-installed ClearVue document suite. ClearVue allows you to view, but not edit Word, Excel, Powerpoint and PDF documents. The more advanced Pocket PC version of Windows Mobile 5 as found on devices like the Treo 750 supports document editing.
Email Customization (2.0)
The T-Mobile Dash running Windows Mobile 5 Smartphone Edition has few email customization options. You can choose to show the date and time in the message list, as well as sort messages by date, subject, sender or message type. You cannot change the font, views or add colors to your email. You can however create signatures for outgoing emails.
Time to a New Email Message (7.91)
To test how easy it is to send email messages, we time how long it takes to go from standby to a new message window. We repeat this test 5 times and take the average time for our score. The T-Mobile Dash took an average of 2.53 seconds to complete this procedure. This is a very fast score, faster than the Blackberry 8793e’s 3.04 second average but a little slower than the Treo 750’s 2.23 seconds. The T-Mobile Dash is helped by the fact that it has a dedicated messaging button on the bottom left of the keyboard.
Email Usability (5.0)
Messages in Outlook Mobile on the Dash are organized into a simple chronological list by default. Each item shows the email address and name of the sender and the subject. You can choose to sort messages by date, subject, sender or message type and can also add the time and date to the message in the list. You move up and down simply by using the directional pad, while left or right switches between accounts. When you are in a new message dialogue you can move up and down to move between fields. The Cc and Bcc fields are located above the To field. Overall the email program on the Dash is easy to move around, but not as quick or intuitive as the Blackberry’s interface.
Supported IM Services (2.0)
The T-Mobile Dash ships with an instant messaging client that provides access to AOL, ICQ and Yahoo instant messaging services. In addition Pocket MSN allows you to access MSN’s instant messaging service. We appreciated the support for multiple instant messaging services on the Dash, however the T-Mobile client uses an SMS gateway, charging you for a text message for each IM sent or received. We do not award points for services that use SMS gateways, however we will award points for the MSN IM client.
MMS Support (9.0)
The MMS client on the T-Mobile Dash is integrated into Outlook Mobile, allowing you to take care of MMS, SMS and Email all from the same application, which we love. Creating an MMS on the Dash is simple, with visual fields for entering a picture/video, text and sounds. You can also send an MMS message directly from the camera and picture & video applications. We were very pleased with MMS integration and usability on the Dash.
SMS Smiley Face Interpretation (2.0)
To test smiley face interpretation we send 4 test smileys to the phone and see if they are appropriately interpreted in graphical format. We were disappointed to find that the T-Mobile Dash did not recognize any of the test smileys. The Dash also does however allow you to insert smileys automatically as they several are listed in the symbols menu.
SMS/MMS Ease of Use (5.0)
The SMS and MMS interfaces on the T-Mobile Dash are built into Outlook Mobile, providing a consistent user interface across all messaging applications. You are able to move up and down a simple list by using the up/down buttons on the directional pad, while left and right moves you between your different messaging accounts. When creating a message you can navigate the fields using the directional pad, the left soft key is mapped to send, while the right soft key gives you access to all of the menu functions. We found the interface to be straightforward and easy to use.
Time to New SMS Message (4.72)
To test how easy it is to create a new SMS message, we time how long it takes to go from standby to a new SMS message dialogue. The T-Mobile dash took an average of 2.12 seconds to get to a new SMS message dialogue. As with getting to a new email dialogue, this test is helped greatly by the dedicated messaging key located on the Dash’s keyboard. 2.12 seconds is a good score, faster than the Treo 750’s 2.36 second average and much faster than the Motorola Q’s 5.1 seconds. It is not as fast as the Treo 700p’s 1.4 seconds though.
[page title="Organizer"]
Synchronization (6.0)
Synchronizing with a PC using the T-Mobile Dash is a fairly straightforward affair. Install ActiveSync from the included CD as well as Outlook if you don’t already have it. Then, simply connect the device using the included USB cable, ActiveSync will automatically detect the Dash and walk you through the process of deciding what will be synchronized. There are a couple of caveats though, if you have a firewall you may need to open some ports so that ActiveSync will work properly. If you have upgraded to Windows Vista, you will need to download the newer Windows Mobile Device Center from Microsoft.
The T-Mobile Dash supports synchronization with your computer both over USB and Bluetooth. We were also happy to see that the Dash can use a standard Mini USB cable and supports Bluetooth 2.0. Contact photos are synchronized with Outlook, plus it supports calendar appointments and task synchronization. We were disappointed that there was no support for notes synchronization, but there is third party software that add this in. The T-Mobile Dash will only synchronize with Outlook on your PC. There is no support for Eudora or Macs. You can purchase third party software to synchronize with your Mac, check out Mark/Space’s excellent The Missing Sync for Windows Mobile.
Alerts (8.0)
Alerts on the T-Mobile Dash can be set for calendar appointments. When an alert goes off the sound that you have assigned to alerts in the current profile goes off. You can also assign vibrate to go off in your profiles, you cannot however choose a unique sound and add vibration when creating the appointment. The full screen is taken up by the alert, with information available about the title, times and notes of the appointment. You can choose to snooze the event, and are able to choose from several preset lengths of time. When you miss an alert the next time you check your phone the alert will be on the screen waiting for you to deal with it.. Overall we found a good range of functionality with alerts on the T-Mobile Dash using Windows Mobile 5, it compares well to other smart phones.
Over the Air PIM Sync (2.0)
With the T-Mobile Dash you can synchronize your tasks, contacts, calendar appointments and email over the air with an Exchange server. Simply enter your exchange account information into Activesync on the device. The Dash does not support over the air synchronization using any other services, although you may be to add third party software to do this.
Address Book
Adding Contacts (7.44)
To test how easy it is to add contacts we time how long it takes to add 5 different contact names and their phone numbers from the home screen. We take the average as our score. The T-Mobile Dash took an average of 13.44 seconds to add a contact. This is a very good score for a smart phone, faster than the Motorola Q’s 17 seconds or the Treo 700p’s 17.7 seconds. The Dash is helped by the fact that the left soft key on the home screen is mapped to the contacts application.
Sorting/Search (5.5)
You can view your contacts by last name or company. You can also view them by category. You can simply search through your contacts by typing a first or last name in the name view, or typing a company in the company view. The Dash does not provide as many options for sorting and searching as the Treo 700p or the Blackberry 8703e provides.
Fields (11.0)
The T-Mobile Dash has 55 different contacts fields for your to enter almost any piece of information, including things like birthdays and anniversaries, which are automatically added to your calendar. You also have a notes field where you can enter any miscellaneous information, but you don’t have the ability to create a custom field. We were very pleased with the range of information that you can enter for a contact.
Speed Dial/Voice tags/Voice command (4.67)
You can add a contact to one of 99 speed dial spots, the number 1 is locked to voice mail. You can also add a voice tags to contacts, however there is no voice command software available. Voice command software is becoming a standard feature on mid to high end phones and we were disappointed to see its lack, especially as the Motorola Q, one of the Dash’s closes competitors, did have it.
Calendar
Adding Calendar Items (13.55)
To test how easy it is to add calendar items we time how long it takes to add a simple lunch appointment from the home screen. We do this 5 times and take the average for our score. The T-Mobile Dash took an average of 7.38 seconds to add our test appointment. This is an excellent time, better than the Blackberry 8703e’s 11.1 seconds and much better than the Motorola Q’s 19.1 seconds. The Dash was helped by the fact that the 15 minute reminder we add to our test appointment is added by the default settings.
Calendar Views (3.2)
The T-Mobile Dash has 3 calendar views. The Agenda view is a simple list of of upcoming appointments. All day events are at grouped at the top of the list. Other appointments show title and time, but no indicators for things like recurrence and reminders. The week view shows a 5 day work week by default, you can change this in the options. The week is shows in a grid, with days along the top and hours on the left. Appointments are indicated by blue blocks, no information about the appointment is included. Clicking on any hour block or appointment will take you to that day.
The month view shows 6 weeks at a time. The current day’s date number is highlighted in black. You use the directional pad to move among the days, with your selection highlighted in blue. Days on which you have appointments is indicated with a small triangle, while all day events are indicated by a small box around the triangle. You cannot filter your views by category. We found the agenda view to be the most useful, with the month view not very useful and the week view almost completely useless.
Fields (8.0)
The T-Mobile Dash has 12 calendar fields, including recurrence, reminders and the ability to add notes. You can also set sensitivity and status for each appointment; however you cannot set appointment categories, which disappointed us. The fields available are not as exhaustive as those found on the Blackberry 8703e, which allows you to set time zones amongst other things. They are also not as good as the Treo 750, which runs the Pocket PC version of Windows Mobile 5.
To Do/Tasks
Adding ToDo/Task (0.0)
To test how difficult it is to add a task to a phone we time how long it takes to go from the home screen and add a simple task. We repeat this test 5 times and take the average for our score. The Smartphone Edition of Windows Mobile 5 that the T-Mobile Dash runs is unfortunately unable to handle even our most basic appointments. You can only add a task title and mark tasks as complete or not complete. Because the Dash couldn’t handle our test it receives a zero in this section. You can add more powerful task functionality through third party software, check out Papyrus from SBSH.
ToDo/Task Sorting and Prioritizing (3.5)
You can sort tasks by status, priority, subject, start or due date. You can also filter your views by category. We were pleased to see support for these features, however you might be wondering why they are present given that you can’t edit them when on your device. The answer is that it is because the T-Mobile Dash and Windows Mobile Smartphone Edition are meant to be used in conjunction with Outlook, where you can set these items. Despite that, the sorting and prioritizing options on the Dash are of limited utility, and as such we only awarded half points in this section.
Fields (2.0)
As mentioned above the T-Mobile Dash only has fields for an appointment tile and complete/not-complete. This is a poor set of options for a smart phone, and again points out the limitations of the Windows Mobile Smartphone platform.
Notes
Adding Notes (0.0)
The Smartphone Edition of Windows Mobile 5 that the T-Mobile Dash runs does not include a notes program. This is an unfortunate omission as almost all smart phones and even many regular phones allow you to create simple text notes. You can add this functionality with third part software, however we review phone based on their capabilities out of the box, as such the Dash will receive zeros in many of these sections.
Note Interface (0.0)
No text notes application.
Note Formatting (0.0)
No text notes application.
Voice Memo (3.0)
The T-Mobile Dash includes two voice memos program, a standard one that is found standard on handsets manufactured by HTC and another that has been installed by T-Mobile. Both of these handsets offer only basic recording functions. Apart from that the only thing that distinguishes them is that the HTC application allows you to set recordings as ringtones, while the T-Mobile application allows you to send voice notes via MMS. We find it a little ridiculous that there are two voice note applications while no text note application was included. Multimedia (22 Scores)
[page title="Multimedia"]
Accessing Music Software (4.42)
To test how easy it is to access music we time how long it takes to go from the home screen to a song playing. As with all Windows Mobile devices the T-Mobile dash uses Windows Media Player Mobile to handle music. The Dash took an average of 4.53 seconds to get a song playing. This is an average score; slightly faster than the LG Chocolate at 4.72 seconds. Our average time includes the time it takes to enter the menu system to launch media player. If you use the application a great deal you will find it in the shortcuts at the top of the home screen, which makes it even faster to access your music.
Dedicated Music Controls (0.0)
The T-Mobile Dash has no dedicated music controls. Because the touch sensitive volume strip is only active when in a call by default, you don’t even get volume controls.
Music Software Functionality and Organization (4.4)
Windows Media Player Mobile on the T-Mobile Dash supports playlists that are synchronized over from Windows Media Player, however it did not recognize our standard .pls file. It did recognize the idv3 tags of our mp3 files, and also recognized the tags on our test WMA file. It did not however recognize the tags from an AAC file encoded in iTunes.
You can sort through your music by title, artist, album and genre. You cannot sort by rating, nor can you search through your music. It did not display album art from our test files, nor are their visualizations available. You can automatically update your library to find all of the media files on the phone or memory card. You can also set ratings and play music in the background. There is no equalizer available.
Overall we found the options on Windows Media Player Mobile to be good. We would have liked to see album art support, better handling of playlists and an equalizer, but its more than adequate to be your mobile music player.
Online Song Downloading (0.0)
The T-Mobile Dash does not support any music download services.
Streaming (2.0)
The T-Mobile Dash using Windows Media Player Mobile supports streaming windows media audio. It did not support streaming mp3 or AAC audio. Streaming windows media can be found on many website, however we would have liked to see support for more formats.
Podcast Support (0.0)
The T-Mobile Dash does not include any podcast management software. You may be able to add this support in with third party software.
Music Sync with PC (7.0)
Because the T-Mobile Dash is a Windows Mobile device you can synchronize your music via ActiveSync with Windows Media Player on the desktop. This is a very nice feature; however it does lock you into Windows Media Player as your desktop management system. The Dash will not synchronize files with iTunes or any other desktop media player.
Music Formats and DRM (5.0)
The T-Mobile Dash using Windows Media Player supports Mp3, AAC and WMA music files. You can also play wav files on the device. The Dash supports Microsofts PlaysForSure DRM, meaning that you can purchase music from any number of compatible online stores and play it on your device. It does not support Apple’s Fairplay DRM or Real’s Rhapsody DNA.
Music Interruption (4.0)
Windows Media Player Mobile on the T-Mobile Dash mutes your music when you take an incoming call, however it does not pause it. This means that when the call ends the music will have moved forward an equivalent amount of time. This is a poor implementation of the music interruption feature.
Video
Video Software Access (4.14)
To test how easy it is to get a video playing on your phone we time how long it takes to get a video playing starting at your home screen. The T-Mobile Dash took an average of 4.83 seconds to accomplish this task. This is slightly faster than the Palm Treo 700p, which took 5 seconds and significantly faster than the Motorola Q’s score of 8.6 seconds. As with music access you can get to the program faster if you use it a lot and it is listed in the recently used applications list at the top of your home screen.
Video Controls (9.0)
When playing videos on the T-Mobile Dash, Windows Media Player Mobile gives you a good selection of controls. The center key on the D-Pad is a play/pause button. Left and right take you to the next and previous track, or act as a fast forward and rewind when held down. Up and down control volume, the # key mutes sound and zero takes a video to full screen. In addition you can reassign these controls in the options, an option that we were very pleased to see as most cell phones don’t offer it.
Video Software & Organization (6.0)
As with music the T-Mobile Dash uses Windows Media Player Mobile to manage your videos. This software provides a good range of functionality, allowing you to update your library automatically, rate your videos and watch them in full screen. Unfortunately, as with the music side, you cannot create or edit playlists on the device; however you can use playlists that are imported from Windows Media Player on the
desktop.
Windows Media Player on the T-Mobile Dash can organize your videos by title or genre. You can also view all videos that are designated as TV shows. Playlists are supported, but only those that have been synced over from Windows Media Player on the desktop; you cannot create or edit playlists on your device. We were also happy to see that you can play video in the background, allowing you to listen to the audio if you need to go to another application for a bit.
Video Sync with PC (7.0)
The T-Mobile Dash can synchronize videos with Window Media Player on your desktop using ActiveSync. This provides an easy way to create a list of videos you want on your device and automatically have them moved over when you sync. As would be expected the Dash does not synchronize with iTunes, so if you want easy synchronization you are locked into Microsoft’s software.
Video Formats (4.0)
Windows Media Player on the T-Mobile Dash was able to play back all 3 of our test 3GP files, encoded with different video and audio codecs. It was also able to play back our test WMV file. It played back audio for our MP4 file, but was unable to play back the video. It did not recognize our test flash, quicktime or real media file. We were happy to see support for 3GP, as it is a standard for mobile video, and of course we expected the WMV support, however we were disappointed that our test MP4 files did not play back. This is especially true since the Treo 750 and Motorola Q, two other Windows Mobile devices, were able to handle it without trouble.
Video DRM (5.0)
The T-Mobile Dash can play back video that is protected by Microsoft’s Windows Media DRM. This is used by online stores such as Amazon’s Unboxed service. Not surprisingly it does not support videos protected by Apple’s or Real’s DRM. Most phones do not support any video DRM, so we were happy to see support for anything on the Dash.
Video Playback Smoothness (10.0)
To test how smoothly a phone can play back video we test 5 different 3GP files encoded at different bit rates, ranging from 48k to 768k. We were pleased to see that the T-Mobile Dash had not problems playing back our high bandwith files, even in full screen. The Treo 700p by contrast had some jerkiness in the high bandwith files when played in full screen.
Online Video Downloading (0.0)
The T-Mobile Dash does not support any video download services.
Video Streaming (unscored)
Because there is no standardization of streaming video we do not score this section. We do however test a couple of sites to see if the phone is able to handle them. We were unable to stream a test 3GP file; however the Dash was able to handle streaming WMA video. Most phones can’t handle most types of streaming video, so don’t expect to watch youtube on your device any time soon.
[page title="Software"]
OS (8.0)
The T-Mobile Dash runs Windows Mobile 5 Smartphone Edition. This version of Windows Mobile 5 is different from that found on devices like the Treo 750 or Cingular 8525 in that it does not have a touch screen and has slightly scaled back functionality. It does however still provide a powerful operating system for a smart phone, including the ability to install third party programs that can extend the functionality extensively.
Windows Mobile 5 is a big step up from previous versions of Windows Mobile and provides much more stability. Getting around is fairly straightforward, with a Start menu that lists all of your programs, as well as shortcuts to your most recently used applications at the top of the home screen. Windows Mobile 5 is also a mult-tasking operating system, allowing you to run several programs at the same time just as you would on your desktop PC. We award a standard score for the more advanced smart phone operating systems.
Home Screen Score (5.0)
The home screen of Windows Mobile devices like the T-Mobile Dash is called the Today screen. The default screen displays a bar with shortcuts to recently used applications on top, with a shortcut to control Wi-Fi and other wireless services below it. The time, date and network are listed next to this. Below you will find a list of your upcoming appointments from the calendar, and below this a shortcut to set up your email. At the bottom you will find a bar that displays your current profile, and that allows you to change your profile when activated.
The Today screen on Windows Mobile Smartphone Edition devices is not as customizable as that on Pocket PC devices. There is no simple interface to turn plugins on or off. You can edit the screen if you know XML coding by changing the appropriate text file. The Dash does however ship with 10 different home screens that you can change in your settings. These home screens provide differing functionality and organization for your screen. You can also install third party applications that can add functionality to your Today screen, check out Papyrus from SBSH software for an example.
Overall we found that the home screen on the Dash provided much more functionality than regular phones, but is not as customizable as some other smart phones.
Extensibility (7.0)
As a smart phone running Windows Mobile 5 the T-Mobile Dash is extremely extensible. There are literally thousands of native third party applications that you can install. There is also a midlet manager installed on the Dash that allows you to install java programs such as Opera Mini, this is something that the Motorola Q and the Treo 750 are both missing. Overall we were very happy with the Dash’s extensibility; it lives up to what we expect from a smart phone.
Customizability (3.0)
The T-Mobile Dash offers only limited customization options. You can change your Today screen to one of the presets, change the color screen and choose between two different font sizes. You an also customize the device by adding speed dials for programs that you use often and adding a custom photo as the background for your Today screen. These options are not much better, and in some cases worse, than the options you would get from a regular cell phone. We expect more from a smart device.
OS Responsivness (6.0)
Windows Mobile 5 on the T-Mobile Dash is very responsive, noticeable more so than the Motorola Q. We did notice some lag at times, especially when running many applications or doing processor intensive tasks. The operating system was not as responsive as the Blackberry OS on the 8703e or Palm OS on the Treo 700p.
Gaming (5.3)
The T-Mobile Dash ships with two simple games that are standard on most Windows Mobile devices, Bubble Breaker and Solitaire. Although both of these games can certainly be fun for awhile, neither is very impressive.
As a Windows Mobile device there are hundreds of native games available for purchase and download, but be sure you are purchasing for the Smartphone version, not the Pocket PC version. Because the Dash also comes with a java midlet engine it can also play some java based games, of which there are many. We tested a simple bricks game and the midlet manager handled it just fine.
The controls on the Dash, although not designed for gaming, are comfortable and easy to use. We liked the room D-Pad and easy to access soft keys. We did find that it was a little too easy to hit the back key on accident.
Overall we were pleased with the Dash’s gaming capabilities. It’s not going to replace a PSP, but it will certainly do for light gamers who want a range of options.
Browser Features (7.0)
Internet Explorer Mobile on the T-Mobile Dash is a fairly fully feature mobile web browser. It can render both WAP and HTML pages, shows pictures and handles encryption and cookies. It does not handle more advanced features such as javasript, RSS feeds or flash. Compared to the basic browser found on most phones Internet Explorer Mobile is a step up, but compared to the very advanced browser found on Series 60 phones it has a long way to go.
Browsing Interface (6.0)
Internet Explorer Mobile on the T-Mobile Dash provides three view options, single column, default and desktop. You move around the page using the D-Pad which moves link to link. You can also scroll up and down using the 2 and 8 keys. You can increase the size of the font used on the screen using the zoom option.
The browser history is a simple chronological list of the urls you have visited. History is saved between sessions. Favorites can be organized into folders. You can edit the favorites and change their folder location, as well as create new folders.
The left soft key on the browser gives you access to the menu where you can access browser functions. The left soft key is assigned to bookmarks, while the back key takes you back to the previous page. The options are limited, allowing you to manage your cache, history and cookies, and set options such as accepting cookies or playing sounds on web pages.
No advanced features like tabbed browsing or full page viewing and zooming as found on Series 60 browsers is available. We found the browser to be more fully featured than on most regular cell phones, but only middling for a smart phone.
Browser Access Speed (6.67)
To test how easy it is to access a browser we count the number of steps it takes to go from the home page to our own website. We use steps in this situation instead of a timing test to account for network issues; some phones require you to go to their captive home page before you can enter a URL. Entering the url is counted as a single step. The T-Mobile Dash took 6 steps to get to our website. The Dash was helped by the fact that when you enter the Start menu it is one of the first programs and can be launched by hitting the “S” key. As with all applications on the Dash you can launch it more quickly if it is listed in the recently used programs list at the top of your home screen.
Calculator (4.0)
The calculator on the T-Mobile Dash is very simple, allowing you to do addition, subtraction, multiplication and division. When in the calculator you can use the number keys to enter digits while the period, *, /, + and – keys insert their related function. No advanced functions are available. The Dash was not able to handle our more advanced test formulas which require things like taking the square root of a number. If you want a more advanced calculator you can purchase one such as HiCalc from PPC.
Alarm (2.0)
We were quite disappointed at the alarm program on the T-Mobile Dash. Unlike the excellent program found on Pocket PC devices, the alarm on the Dash only lets you set a single alarm that goes off daily at a set time. Again you can upgrade with third part software, but you shouldn’t have to.
Document Software (4.0)
Unlike the Pocket PC Edition of Windows Mobile the Smartphone Edition found on the Dash does not include document editors. Thankfully the T-Mobile Dash does comes with the ClearVue Document Suite installed. This third party software allows you to view Word, Excel, Powerpoint and PDF documents. You cannot edit any of these documents. If you need editing capabilities you can wait to purchase a Windows Mobile 6 device, which adds this functionality or you can purchase Documents To Go from DataViz software.
Additional Software (3.0)
In addition to the software we’ve discussed already the T-Mobile Dash comes with several other pieces of software, both standard to Windows Mobile and added by the manufacturer or carrier. These include managers for T-Mobile hotspots to use with your Wi-Fi, a manager for your SIM contacts and a program to reset the device to factory settings. There are three pieces of software we considered to be worth additional points, the built in file manager, comm manager and the task manager. File managers are not often found on cell phones, but especially on smart phones they come in extremely handy, allowing you to rename, move and copy files. We appreciate that there is a file manager installed on the Dash, as we missed on the Treo 700p for example. A task manager is an important feature for power users, it allows you to quickly switch between tasks, shut them down or shut them all down. It also helps you keep track of the amount of RAM you are using. These are all important features that are not included in Windows Mobile Smartphone Edition by default. The comm manager is also not included in Windows Mobile by default, but its presence is important as it allows you to manage all of your various wireless radios, including the voice, data, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth.
[page title="Battery Life"]
Call Time (10.0)
To test how long a phone’s battery lasts while making a call we use Skype to call the phone and play an audio book over the connection to simulate a conversation. We time how long the phone lasts from the beginning of the call until the either the battery dies or the phone hangs up due to a low battery. The T-Mobile Dash posted an impressive 8 hour and 20 minutes of call time in our test. This is significantly longer than T-Mobile’s stated talk time of 5 hours. The Dash blows the Motorola Q (3 hours 45 minutes) out of the water, this despite the fact that the Q has a larger capacity battery (1130 mAh) than the Dash (960 mAh). The Dash also did significantly better than the Blackberry 8703e’s 5 hour and 23 minute time. This is a big factor in the Dash's favor: although your battery life will vary (with things like the network signal strength having a significant impact on battery life), but HTC are obviously doing soemthing right to extend the battery life.
Music Playback (5.33)
To test music playback we set the device to play a looped album at maximum volume with all settings at their default. We time how long it takes for the phone to run out of battery power. The T-Mobile Dash lasted 7 hours and 23 minutes in our music playback test. This is not a impressive a score as the Dash’s talk time test, but is still good. The Dash will give you about the same battery life when playing music as phones like the Treo 700p (8 hours 8 minutes) or the LG Chocolate (7 hours 37 minutes). It again did much better than the Motorola Q, which was only able to manage 5 hours and 25 minutes.
Web Browsing (6.5)
To test web browsing we point the phone’s browser to a custom page that is set to refresh every 10 seconds. We then set the device’s backlight to never go off and hit a key every minute to simulate real web browsing. The T-Mobile Dash continued its solid battery performance lasting 5 hours and 25 minutes in our browsing test. Again, the Motorola Q got blown out of the water with the Dash lasting twice as long as the Q’s 2 hours and 42 minutes. The Dash also lasted longer than the Treo 700p (4 hours 3 minutes), Blackberry 8703e (4 hours 35 minutes) and Treo 750 (3 hours 3 minutes). Overall we have been extremely satisfied with the Dash’s battery performance in all situations.
Idle Time (unscored)
T-Mobile’s stated standby time is 9 days (216 hours). We weren't able to test this.
[page title="Connectivity"]
Cellular Bands (8.0)
The T-Mobile Dash is a quad-band (850/900/1800/1900) GSM phone, which means it will work on any GSM network worldwide. GSM phones are not compatible with the CDMA networks used by Verizon and Sprint in the United States. Our cellular bands score is standardized based on the number and type of bands supported.
Data Support Score (3.0)
The T-Mobile Dash does not have 3G data on board, sticking with the older and more widely deployed EDGE data standard. Edge should allow you to reach speeds up to 250 kbps in good coverage areas. While we would have liked to see 3G data, it’s understandable that it’s missing from the Dash, as T-Mobile’s network has still not implemented 3G. Our data support score is standardized based on the type of data supported.
Bluetooth (7.0)
The T-Mobile Dash supports Bluetooth 2.0, although not the enhanced data variety. The Dash supports A2DP, AVRCP, headset profile, hands free profile, and personal area networking profile. Partnering with a Bluetooth headset was quick and easy.
WiFi (5.0)
We were pleased to see that the T-Mobile Dash supports Wi-Fi. The Motorola Q and both the 700p and 750 versions of the Treo lacked Wi-Fi. The Dash supports both the 802.11 b and g wilreless LAN standards. There is no support for the newer n variety, nor for UPNP, which allows you to connect and interact automatically with other UPNP devices. The options available for Wi-Fi allow you to set different power management levels, connect via LEAP and enter new access points. When you turn on Wi-Fi it will auto detect available networks and ask you if you want to see a list to choose which to connect to.
Infrared (0.0)
The T-Mobile Dash does not support infrared.
[page title="Hardware"]
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.
[page title="Other Features"]
Tethered Modem (6.0)
The T-Mobile Dash works as both a USB and Bluetooth modem. Setup for both is straightforward and explained clearly in the users manual. We are pleased to see this option available as sometimes carriers can cripple modem support. You should check with your carrier to make sure that your data plan supports use of the device as a modem.
[page title="Value & Comparisons"]
Value (6.0)
The T-Mobile Dash is available from T-Mobile for $199.99 with a 2 year contract. You can buy it without a contract for $349.99. This is the same price with a 2-year contract as the Samsung Blackjack from AT&T but more expensive than the silver Motorola Q from Verizon, which can be had for $79.99 with a 2-year contract and mail in rebate. Sprint sells the Q for $99.99 with a 2-year contract. The Dash comes in a little expensive compared to its immediate competitors, but at the lower end of the scale for a smart phone.
Comparisons
Motorola Q – The Motorola Q set the standard for a new generation of slim QWERTY equipped smartphones. The Q and the Dash both run Windows Mobile Smartphone Edition, and the difference is additional software are small. We do like that the Q support 3G data, but the Dash makes up for this with its support for Wi-Fi. We also found that the Dash blew the Q away in terms of battery life. Really it’s going to come down to which carrier your on, the Q if available on Verizon and Sprint while the Dash is only available on T-Mobile.
Blacbkerry 8703e – Compared to the Blackberry 8703e the T-Mobile Dash is a much more fully featured smart phone. It has a camera, expansion slot and is a competent multimedia device, all things the 8703e lack. The Dash is also a very capable messaging and business device, but in this area we must admit that the Blackberry device does the better job overall. The simplicity and ease of use that the Blackberry OS brings also beats out the steeper learning curve that come with the Dash. If you are tied to a Blackberry server the 8703e is probably the better choice, but you should consider the Dash if you are plugged into an Exchange Server solution.
Treo 750 – The Treo 750 is a larger more bulky handset that adds significant functionality with the Pocket PC version of Windows Mobile and Palm enhancements. This includes the ability to edit Word and Excel documents and the addition of a touch screen. The Dash however is a much more svelte and good looking device, fits easier into your pocket and won’t weigh you down as much. The screen on the Dash is also higher resolution than the 750’s screen, key if you want to use either device for video. If you don’t need the functionality of 750 we think the Dash is an excellent alternative, giving you a lot at a much lower price point.
[page title="Conclusion"]
Who’s It For
Business user
With Windows Mobile, integration with Exchange Server and excellent messaging capabilities the Dash is a good choice for a business user that wants more functionality than a Blackberry can offer.
Budget callers
The Dash may be a good choice for someone looking for a smart phone but who doesn’t want to shell out $400+ dollars. Still, at $199.99 it’s not cheap, and those who don’t want to spend much period can find a free or nearly free handset from their carrier.
Chatty teenager
The Dash can be a good choice for a chatty teenager that loves SMS messaging. It’s not a bad looking handset and teenagers may be attracted to the small and slim design when compared to other smart phones. If all you care about though is getting the sexiest handset on the market, the Dash is probably not for you.
Media maven
The T-Mobile Dash makes a good choice for media mavens who want to carry around their music and video. With solid battery life, a large screen for watching video and the ability to add up to 2GB of storage via MicroSD the Dash can definitely be your mobile media center for short trops. Add in easy synchronization with Windows Media Player and you can quickly move the media you want onto the device.
Conclusion
The T-Mobile Dash sits in the same spot on the market as the Motorola Q; it's a smart phone sporting solid functionality with a fully QWERTY keyboard, large screen and a slim design. And the Dash had the edge on the Q in many ways; it has superior battery life to the Q and is slimmer, and in many ways, better looking.
But the Dash is slower at accessing the internet: it is limited to Edge speeds (a maximum of 230kbps), while the Q uses the much faster EVDO standard (which can peak at up to 2.4mbps). While it is debatable if you'll notice the difference that much while browsing the web, the Q will be significantly faster downloading files or working with streaming media.
We also didn’t like the limitations imposed by Windows Mobile Smartphone Edition when compared to Pocket PC devices like the Treo 750. You can address most of these limitations with third party software, but this would be an additional investment. Still, at $199.99 the price is right when compared to more fully feature smart phones and the Dash fulfills its core roles as a solid messaging and multimedia device very well.
[page title="Ratings & Specs"]
| Dimension | |
| Height | 4.40 |
| Carrier | T-Mobile |
| Type | Traditional QWERTY |
| Low Price | 199.99 |
| Width | 2.50 |
| Depth | 0.50 |
| Weight (including battery) | 4.60 |
| Physical | |
| Number of Screens | 1 |
| Main Screen Dimensions | 2.4 inches |
| Main Screen Resolution | 320 x 240 |
| Main Screen Colors | 65000 |
| Main Screen Type | TFT LCD |
| Secondary Screen Dimensions | |
| Secondary Screen Resolution | |
| Secondary Screen Colors | 0 |
| Secondary Screen Type | |
| Keys | |
| Number Keys Type | Physical |
| QWERTY |  |
| QWERTY Keyboard Type | |
| Other Control Keys | |
| Internal Components | |
| Processor | 200 Mhz OMAP 850 |
| RAM Memory | 64 |
| Flash ROM Memory | 128 |
| Memory Card Slot | Micro SD |
| Jacks & Ports | |
| Microphone Jack |  |
| Headphone/Mic Jack | Yes |
| USB Port | |
| Dock Port | |
| Radios | |
| Bands | Quad-band |
| Bluetooth 1.2 | |
| 802.11 b wifi | |
| GSM 850 | |
| GSM 900 | |
| GSM 1800 | |
| GSM 1900 | |
| CDMA 800 | |
| CDMA 1900 | |
| Bluetooth 1.1 | |
| Bluetooth 2.0 | |
| 802.11g WiFi | |
| External Antenna Port | |
| SAR at Ear | 0 |
| SAR on Body | 0 |
| Flight Mode | |
| Data Standards | |
| GPRS | |
| EDGE | |
| 1XRTT | |
| EVDO | |
| EVDO Rev A | |
| HSDPA | |
| UMTS | |
| Battery | |
| Standard Battery Type | Polymer |
| Standard Battery Capacity | 0.00 |
| Standard Battery Model | |
| Vendor Quoted Standby Time | 216.00 |
| Vendor Quoted Talk Time | 5.00 |
| Camera | |
| Maximum Native Still Resolution | 1.3 |
| Image Sensor Type | |
| Megapixels | 1.30 |
| Optical Zoom | 2x/4x/8x |
| Digital Zoom | |
| Built-In Flash | |
| Focus Type | |
| Aperture Range | |
| Shutter Speed Range | |
| Focus Range | |
| Exposure Modes | |
| Exposure Compensation | |
| White Balance Modes | |
| Scene Modes | |
| Video Capture | |
| Video Resolution | |
| Video Frame Rate | 0 |
| Video Format | |
| Maximum Video Clip Length | |
| Audio with Movies | |
| Audio Format | |
| Software | |
| OS | Windows Mobile 5.0 |
| PIM Software | Outlook Mobile |
| Max Number of Address Book Entries | 0 |
| Max Number of Appointments | 0 |
| Included Business Software | Office Mobile |
| Included Leisure Software | Windows Media Player Mobile |
| Included Syncing Software | ActiveSync |
| Other Software of Note | |
| Calling Features | |
| Address Book Type | |
| Address Book Photos | |
| Alternative Ring Types | mp3, aac |
| Speakerphone | |
| Can work as PC Modem? | |
| Customization | |
| Ring Tone Formats | Monophonic, Polyphonic, MegaTones, HiFi Ringers |
| Individual Caller Ring Tones | |
| Skins for Look & Feel | |