T-Mobile Shadow Cell Phone Review - Intro
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Alfredo Padilla Published on November 21, 2007 Comment on this |
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The T-Mobile Shadow is the latest smart phone from T-Mobile. Running the non-touchscreen version of Windows Mobile the Shadow is an attractive device with a custom home screen that makes accessing various functions easier than on most Windows Mobile devices. The Shadow has a large 2.4 inch display and a slide out SureType keyboard similar to that found on the BlackBerry Pearl. It also sports a rotating D-Pad for easily scrolling through lists. Windows Mobile Standard is a fairly powerful operating system but has a couple of annoying limitations that aren't found on the Professional version of Windows Mobile like the inability to create new office documents. We found the Shadow had some problems with audio quality during calls, however it does support MyFaves for T-Mobile. The 2 megapixel camera was only average and has some annoying interface issues. Battery life on the Shadow was also sub-par, not surprising given its small 920 mAh battery. On the connectivity side the Shadow supports Bluetooth 2.0 with support for wireless stereo headphones and we liked that Wi-Fi was supported as well, although T-Mobile's Hotspot at Home service was not. T-Mobile hasn't rolled out its 3G network though so you'll be limited to the slower EDGE speeds when browsing on the cellular network. Overall the Shadow has a lot to recommend it and we especially liked it's slick looks. The Shadow is available for $149.99 from T-Mobile with a two-year contract.
Below is a guide to the review. Clicking on a section title will skip to that section.
Tour & Design - The T-Mobile Shadow is a small and slick looking device with solid construction.
Audio Quality - The Shadow didn't do very well in our audio tests, with sub par scores across the board.
Imaging - The T-Mobile Shadow's two megapixel camera is about average, and thankfully it doesn't have the serious white balance issues we've seen on other HTC cameras.
Making/Receiving Calls - The Shadow is easy to make calls on and Windows Mobile Standard provides solid call features.
Messaging - Windows Mobile Standard is a very good messaging platform and we found the T-Mobile Shadow's SureType keyboard easy to use.
Organizer - With all the basic Windows Mobile Standard PIM applications on board the Shadow is a fully featured PDA.
Multimedia - Windows Media Player Mobile provides solid music and video playback support.
Software - The T-Mobile Shadow runs Windows Mobile Standard, which lacks a touch screen and a few other features from it's Windows Mobile Professional cousins, but it is much snappier than other Windows Mobile phones we've seen recently.
Battery Life - The Shadow did not perform particularly well in our battery tests, we recommend you get an extra battery or keep a charger handy.
Connectivity - The T-Mobile Shadow lacks 3G connectivity as T-Mobile hasn't rolled out their network yet, but makes up for it with Wi-Fi support.
Hardware - The Shadow's SureType keyboard isn't as easy to type on as a full QWERTY but it's close, and we love the largish 2.4 inch screen.
Other Features - The Shadow can be used as a modem for your computer but lacks GPS functionality.
Value & Comparisons - At $149.99 with a two-year contract the Shadow is good deal.
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