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T-Mobile Shadow Cell Phone Review - Tour & Design

Alfredo Padilla Published on November 21, 2007 Comment on this

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Intro Making/Receiving Calls Software Other Features

Tour & Design Messaging Battery Life Value & Comparisons

Audio Quality Organizer Connectivity Conclusion

Imaging Multimedia Hardware Ratings & Specs

Front Closed
When you look at the front of the T-Mobile Shadow you immediately notice the smooth black plastic that covers most of the front. The screen sits in the upper two thirds of the phone and near the bottom are controls.

Front Open
When you slide the front of the phone up you reveal a SureType QWERTY hybrid keyboard with two letters on each button. The buttons are large and comfortable and there's also a delete key, something that some Windows Mobile Standard phones lack as the back button also fulfills this function when entering text.

Left
The left side of the phone holds the volume rocker key near the top of the phone and a covered Mini-USB port just below it. Near the bottom is the slot for Micro SD cards, which is also protected by a cover.

Top
The top of the T-Mobile Shadow doesn't have any buttons or features.

Bottom
The bottom of the Shadow has a small pin hold for the phone microphone and on the right you see the loop for a lanyard.

Right
The right side of the phone has two buttons. Near the top is a user customizable shortcut key while at the bottom is a dedicated camera button.

Back
The back of the T-Mobile Shadow is fairly clean. The bottom half can be removed to reveal the battery while the top half houses the camera lens and loud speaker.

Battery Out
When you remove the battery cover on the Shadow you reveal a 920 mAh battery. Below the battery is a slot for your SIM card.

In the Box (6.0)
The Shadow ships with a decent selection of accessories. In addition to a software CD and manuals you get a USB cable, charger, stereo headset and case. You also get an adaptor that allows you to have both headphones and charging/sync cable plugged into the phone at the same time. We would have liked to see an adaptor for 3.5mm heaphones and a Micro SD card included as well, but I guess you can't have everything.

Handling (6.0)
The T-Mobile Shadow feels very comfortable in your hand. Although the handset is blocky the back edges are slightly rounded so it sits well in your palm and it's small and light enough that you won't have trouble holding it up to your head for long calls. We did find that the all plastic construction was a little slick, we would have liked to see some soft touch paint on the back like on the T-Mobile Dash. We also didn't like that there's nothing to hold onto when opening or closing the slide, meaning you'll end up leaving finger prints all over the smooth black plastic in front, so be ready to do some cleaning.

Portability (8.0)
At 2.05 x 4.06 x 0.59 inches and weighing in at 5.29 ounces the T-Mobile Shadow isn't the smallest phone you've ever seen, but it is pretty small for a smart phone. It's only slightly wider and taller than a Razr2, but a bit thicker as well. Still, it should fit comfortably into most pants pockets, unless you're into really tight jeans, and will fit comfortably into any bag or purse. It's nowhere near as big as smart phones like the BlackBerry 8800 or AT&T Tilt.

Aesthetics (7.0)
We have to admit we're pretty smitten with the Shadow. You're mileage will of course vary but we got the "sage" version of the phone and our reviewer happens to like earth tones so the subtle green coloring made him swoon. The Shadow is also available in a "copper" color. Compared to some of the slicker phones out there like the Razr2 or iPhone the Shadow isn't as pretty, but it's much nicer to look at than some of the less attractive smart phones we've reviewed like the Palm Centro or Nokia N95. We like to describe the Shadow as having understated good looks.

Durability (5.0)
The Shadow feels pretty well put together, but we do have some concerns. First of all any phone with moving parts like the Shadow's slide automatically brings up a red flag. With enough use any moving part is going to give out eventually. The Shadow's slide is spring loaded, but we did notice a rasping sound when the handset was opened or closed. The all plastic construction also gives us pause as we feel it might be prone to nicks and scrapes. That being said we feel like the Shadow will hold up pretty well under moderate use, but if you're one of those people who abuse their phones you may want to consider a BlackBerry instead.

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