T-Mobile Wing Review
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Alfredo Padilla Published on June 05, 2007 Comment on this |
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The T-Mobile Wing is the successor to the discontinued T-Mobile MDA, bringing the slide out keyboard form factor back to T-Mobile's lineup. The Wing is based on HTC's Herald/Atlas reference design and brings several upgrades, including Windows Mobile 6 and a new slimmer form factor The Wing is compatible with T-Mobile's myFaves service, with a handy Today plugin that allows you to quickly dial your five faves. The battery life of the Wing was outstanding: we measured the call time at an incredible 14 hours and 15 minutes. But this is tempered by the slow operation of the device and poor camera quality. Screens take seconds to be updated, and it is generally sluggish. The Wing's 2 megapixel camera scored poorly in almost all of our standardized tests. This is a problem that makes us reticient to recommend the Wing; while the design, battery life and call quality are great, the Wing is something of a pain to use.On the hardware side, the Wing adds dedicated buttons for the Start menu and OK, which improves one handed usability. The form factor is also slightly slimmer, and there have been improvements to the keyboard with LEDs to indicate caps and alt functions. We found that our biggest issue with the Wing was an interface that can be slower than molasses. The issues with lag mar what could otherwise have been a solid device.
[page title="Tour & Design"]
Front Closed
Front Open
Left
Top
Bottom
Right
Back
Battery Out
In the Box (6.5)
Handling (5.0)
The T-Mobile Wing is a large phone, and it's also heavy at 6 ounces. However, it does have a slimmer form factor than its predecessor, the T-Mobile MDA or its cousin the AT&T 8525. The soft touch paint that covers the phone helps the phone stay in your hand without slipping. We found that the controls are located rather low on the device for comfortable use as most of the weight of the phone sits above them. Using the roomy QWERTY keyboard when it's open is much more comfortable, although of course you will need to use two hands in this position. Because of its weight the Wing may be uncomfortable to hold up to your head for long phone calls, you may want to use the included headset if you are going to be on a long call.
Portability (5.0)
Because of its slimmer form factor the T-Mobile Wing will fit more comfortably into a pants pocket than the older T-Mobile MDA. If you like wearing tight pants though, you may want to consider using the included belt case. It should also fit comfortably into most bags; however it will weigh you down quite a bit no matter where you carry it.
Aesthetics (5.5)
We like the T-Mobile Wing's looks better than the older T-Mobile MDA, especially the blue soft touch paint and the thinner form factor. Still, it isn't a fashion phone by any means, and those looking for slim and sexy should look at sleeker, sexier phones like the Razr or the Krzr.
Durability (6.0)
The T-Mobile Wing feels solid and well constructed. We did not notices any creaks or loose bits. We are always concerned about phones that have moving parts however, and the Wing's slide out QWERTY keyboard is no exception. Unlike the T-Mobile MDA, the Wing's sliding mechanism is spring mounted. This may make it easier to open and close it, but it also means more parts that can break. When holding it, we found that the top part of the slider moved slightly whenever pressed, which may put more pressure on the mechanism. Other than this issue, the Wing seems very well constructed.
[page title="Audio Quality"]
The T-Mobile Dash has a wide range of features, but the most important feature is making calls. To test the quality of the calls that it makes, we use the same professional testing equipment that many of the manufacturers themselves use; a HATS (Head and Torso Simulator) that simulates the human head and ear and an electro-acoustic analysis program called SoundCheck. This combination allows us to analyze the performance of the phones in depth, analyzing the quality of the sound that the phones send and receive. For more details on how we test the performance of cell phones, see this article on how we test.
Sound Receive Frequency Response (6.14)
Sound Send Frequency Response (8.06)
Handset Side Tone (7.02)
[page title="Imaging"]
Resolution (1.26)
To test resolution, we take photos of an industry standard resolution chart and then run the photos through the Imatest software. Imatest measures how many alternating white and black lines can be resolved before they start blurring together, a measure called line widths per picture height (lw/ph).
The T-Mobile Wing scored poorly in our test, scoring 533.3 LW/PH horizontal and 422 LW/PH vertical. This is significantlly worse than the Sanyo M1, another 2-megapixel camera phone, which scored 859.9 LW/PH horizontal and 773.4 LW/PH vertical. This poor score means that in terms of resolution, the Wing is no better than the 1.3-megapixel cameras found on the Motorola Q or T-Mobile Dash. In fact, it might be a bit worse. For example, the Q scored slightly better on our resolution test than the Wing since it was able to discern 569 LW/PH horizontal and 515.2 LW/PH vertical. Unfortunately, the Wing's poor performance on resolution is just the first disappointment we saw from this camera.
Color (3.35)
To measure how well a phone's camera reproduces color, we take photos of the industry standard GretagMacbeth color chart that displays 24 different colors. We run these photos through Imatest, which compares the colors produced by the phone's camera to the chart's colors.
Imatest produces the chart above that shows the original colors in the small vertical rectangle, the adjusted colors in the middle rectangle and the captured colors in the outer square. It also produces the chart below on which circles represent the colors captures while squares represent where the colors should be.
As you can tell by the number of long lines on this chart, the T-Mobile Wing does a terrible job of reproducing colors correctly. All colors show some significant drift, with reds showing the most. You can also see that white is all over the place, this indicates that the white balance on the Wing does a very poor job of identifying true white. The Wing did significantly worse in our color test than T-Mobile Dash, Helio Ocean, and Treo 750. Its score is similar to the very bad cameras found on the Razr V3m and or Motorola Q.
Noise (1.1)
To measure noise produced by the camera, we take a series of photos at different light levels. We then run these photos through Imatest to measure noise and combine them to produce an overall score. As in our other tests, the T-Mobile Wing's camera did not perform particularly well in our noise test, with image becoming very noisy at even moderate lighting levels.
Live Preview (8.0)
The large 2.6" QVGA screen on the T-Mobile Wing does a good job of providing a live preview for photos. Color reproduction is accurate, and we noticed very little pixelation or noise. We were impressed by how good the live preview was given how large the screen is. It compares well with phones like the Nokia N95 or Sanyo M1. Unlocked Standby to First Shot (6.73)
To test how quickly you can take a photo if you are not in the camera application, we time how long it takes to go from the home screen unlocked until we have captured a new photo. The Wing took 2.97 seconds to complete this process. This is an excellent time for a smart phone, beating out the T-Mobile Dash's 5 second time and the Treo 700p's 4.5 seconds. It is much faster than the Nokia N95, which took 6.5 seconds, but it should be noted that the N95 has an auto focus lens, which the Wing lacks. We found that the camera application came up very quickly after we hit the camera button and that image processing was similarly quick.
Shot to Shot Time (6.9)
To measure shot to shot time, we time how long it takes to capture a series of photos. We use burst mode to capture the photos if it is available. The T-Mobile took 2.58 seconds to capture a series of 6 photos using burst mode, this works out to 2.3 frames per second. This is an excellent score; however, you should note that shots taken in burst mode come in at a much lower 640 x 480 resolution, as opposed to the 1600 x 1200 pixel resolution that the camera on the phone is capable of. If you want to take a series of shots at this higher resolution, your shot to shot time will be much higher as you will need to take each photo manually. Using the burst mode, you can take up to 30 shots in a row.
Shutter to Shot Time (4.65)
Shutter to shot time is the length of time it takes to capture a photo after you have depressed the shutter button. The T-Mobile Wing took 0.43 seconds from shutter to shot. This is a good but not great score. It's slower than the T-Mobile Wings .3 seconds but faster than the Treo 750's .88 seconds.
Interface (6.0)
The T-Mobile Wing's interface is good, providing the full screen as the viewfinder with indicators and controls superimposed on this in white. Along the top, there are indicators for camera mode, photo size, storage location and number of shots that can be taken. At the bottom are shortcuts for settings, album, brightness, metering, white balance and self timer. Most controls can be toggled through the options simply by hitting the icon. Your D-Pad switches between modes by using left/right when held horizontally and controls zoom by using up/down.
Photo Album Software Internal (7.0)
The T-Mobile Wing uses the Windows Mobile Pictures & Video application to manage photos. This shows thumbnails of both your videos and photos. The first thumbnail is a shortcut that takes you to the camera. The left soft key is assigned to view, which opens the selected item. You can accomplish the same by hitting the center select button on the D-Pad. The right soft key opens a menu where you can launch a slideshow, set the selected photo as your today background, save the photo to a contact or send it via MMS or email. You can also send the photo to your "space" provided by Windows Live. When a photo is being viewed, the left soft key is assigned to send while the right opens a menu. This menu offers many of the same options as the menu on the thumbnail view. From either view, you can choose to edit the photo. As with other Windows Mobile devices, we found the album software to be straightforward and easy to use. Manual Control (1.0)
We were disappointed by the lack of manual modes available on the T-Mobile Wing. There was no manual white balance as found on some phones, nor are there scene modes except for a sports mode. Other phones can offer several different scene modes. As with most camera phones, advanced manual controls like shutter priority and aperture priority are missing.
Zoom (0.5)
The T-Mobile Wing has a 2x digital zoom; however, it is not available at the maximum 2-megapixel resolution. For this reason, we only awarded half the points we normally would for a digital zoom, which isn't very useful anyways.
Focus (0.0)
The T-Mobile Dash has a fixed focus lens, which means what you see is what you get. We were a little disappointed since some camera phones, such as the Sanyo M1 or Nokia N73, are starting to ship with auto focus lens. At the T-Mobile Dash's price point, we feel like an auto focus lens could have been included.
Flash (0.0)
The T-Mobile Dash also lacks any kind of flash. Although, the LED flashes that often accompany camera phones are of limited utility, they can make a difference at short ranges.
Metering (6.0)
We were very impressed that the T-Mobile Dash includes two metering settings. Metering controls how light is judged in your photo, and the Wing gives you the option between average metering and center weighted metering. We have not seen this sort of metering control on any other camera phone we have reviewed, even advanced ones like the Nokia N95. In addition to these two metering options, the Wing also includes manual brightness settings. We were very pleased with the metering options compared to other camera phones but compared to regular cameras they are still sub standard.
White Balance (2.0)
As with many phones, the T-Mobile Wing has presets for white balance, including daylight, night, incandescent, and fluorescent. It does not have an evaluative white balance mode which uses a white card to calibrate white balance. However, this is not surprising as this is not a feature that we have seen on any camera phone yet.
Image Handling (6.0)
Video
Overall Video Score (3.0)
The T-Mobile Wing captures video at a low 176 x 144 resolution. Given the low resolution we found the video produced by the Wing to be not too shabby. Color reproduction was a little off, but tearing was less than we've seen from other low resolution video produced by phones and artifacts were minimal. Still, the video is only sufficient to send via MMS, you won't be able to display this on a TV or computer screen as it will become extremely blocky when you bview it on a screen bigger than the one built into the Wing. Video Resolution (1.16)
To measure video resolution, we take a video of the same industry standard resolution chart we use for still photos. We then run frames from this video through Imatest to produces the same line widths per pixel height (LW/PH) score we produced for still videos. As you would expect from the Wing's previous performance and the low resolution video it captures, the T-Mobile Wing did poorly in our test. It was able to distinguish 82.39 LW/PH horizontal and 141.3 LW/PH vertical. Only the LG Shine and Sprint Upstage did worse in our video resolution test than the Wing of phones we have tested to date. Our disappointment with the Wing's camera continues.
Video Compression (6.0)
The T-Mobile Wing can capture video in Mpeg-4, motion JPEG and H263 formats. We were pleased with the choice of formats, but frankly, no one but advanced users will probably choose anything but the vanilla Mpeg-4 format.
Interface (6.0)
The interface for the video camera on the T-Mobile Wing is very similar to the stills camera interface. One difference is that instead of using the entire screen as a viewfinder, only a small box in the center of the screen is used. As with the stills camera, there are icons along the top, bottom and left side of the screen to access various features. When you hit the settings icon, you are taken to a menu system with icons along the bottom and associated options listed above them. You can navigate this menu using the directional pad, but just like the stills camera, you will need to use the touch screen to manage the on screen controls when actually taking video. Manual Control (0.0)
As with most camera phones, the T-Mobile Wing's video camera does not provide you with any manual controls like manual white balance and manual gain.
Zoom (1.0)
As with the stills camera, the T-Mobile Wing provides a 2x digital zoom. Unlike the stills camera, this zoom is available at both resolutions, although given the small size of the video captured the digital zoom is more useless than usual.
Editing (0.0)
The T-Mobile Wing does not provide any editing options for video captured on the device.
Modes (4.0)
The video camera on the T-Mobile Wing does not have any scene modes available; however, it does provide a separate mode for MMS video as well as the same metering options available on the stills camera. We are again happy to see metering options available as we have not seen this on any other phone but were disappointed by the lack of scene modes.
[page title="Making/Receiving Calls"]
Dialing Speed (3.66)
Talk and End Buttons (6.0)
The talk and end buttons are located to the left and right of the D-Pad near the bottom of the phone. Both keys are surrounded by two buttons, but they are raised above these, which makes them easier to find by feel. They are also made of a slightly different material, a hard and smooth plastic rather than the soft touch finish that covers most of the phone. When pressed, they provide good tactile feedback, and we had no problem telling when they had been pressed. We were pleased with the quality and differentiation of the talk and end buttons on the Wing. Call Management (7.5)
The call history on the T-Mobile Wing is the standard Windows Mobile call history. There is a chronological list of both incoming and outgoing calls. You can filter this list by missed, outgoing, or incoming calls. Each item in the list has an indicator showing what type of call it is, as well as the number, and time of the call. When you select an item, you are taken to a list of all calls to or from that number as well as information about the duration of each call. You can save any phone number in the call history to your contacts, delete them individually, or delete all of them, all via the right soft key menu. Unfortunately, there are not total call timer or data trackers. The call history is only limited by the available memory.
Startup to Call (1.59)
To test how quickly the phone can start up and make a call, we time this process for each of five different test phone numbers. We take the average for our score. The T-Mobile Wing took 62.86 seconds to complete this process. This is a poor score, much longer than the Treo 750's 42.26 seconds, but less the Blackberry 8800's 65 seconds. Still, to be fair, it's not the only Windows Mobile phone to put up a poor score in this test as the T-Mobile Dash took 76 seconds and the Motorola Q took just as long.
Ring Volume (8.53)
To test ring volume, we find the loudest ringtone on the device and turn the volume up to full. We then use a sound pressure meter to measure how loud the ring gets. The T-Mobile Wing measured 85.3 decibels in our test. This is about average for phones, a little louder than the Treo 750's 83.2 decibels and the T-Mobile Dash's 84.5 decibels. The ring should be loud enough for most people to hear it easily even when in a pocket.
Ringtone Customizibility (6.0)
As with other Windows Mobile devices, the T-Mobile Wing does allow you to use music files are ringtones simply by placing them in the My Ringtones folder. The device is able to use Mp3, AAC, and WMA files as ringtones. We were pleased to see this functionality as it means that you don't have to go out and pay a lot of money to buy the ringtones from your wireless carrier if you already own the song. The Wing does not include software to create or edit ringtones on the device.
Non Audio Alerts (6.0)
The T-Mobile Wing has a vibrate alert that is a little weaker than we would like. We were able to feel it in our pants pocket but are worried that in a jacket pocket or a bag you will not notice it. In addition to the vibration, there is also an on screen alert that shows you what number is calling.
[page title="Messaging"]
Supported Email Services (8.0)
As a Windows Mobile device, the T-Mobile Wing has support for both POP3 and IMAP4 email. There is also a Windows Live application that allows you to easily get your Hotmail email on the device in the same Outlook Mobile that is used for other messaging services. This application does attempt to automatically get connection settings for email addresses. Unlike the Treo 750, the Wing was able to automatically set up our Gmail, AOL, and Yahoo accounts. We were pleased with the support provided by the messaging client on the Wing and especially pleased to see that it can automatically configure popular email services.
Push Email (3.0)
The T-Mobile Wing supports push email using a Microsoft Exchange Server. You can set this service up by using Activesync on your device, but note, that you will need to have the appropriate server settings and passwords for the server. Although, the phone does not ship with any other push email services you can add support for services like Blackberry, Good, and others by installing their specific client.
Multiple Email Accounts (10.0)
HTML and Attachments (12.0)
Email Customizations (2.0)
We were disappointed that the upgrade to Windows Mobile 6 did not bring any upgrades to email customization options. You can create signatures to be included with different accounts, and you can even control whether they are included with replies or forwards. There is no support for formatting text however, nor can you change the default height of emails in your inbox or the viewing font size. Although, you can change the viewing font size globally.
Time to a New Message (2.68)
Email Usability (10.5)
The email interface on the T-Mobile Wing is straightforward and will be familiar to anyone who has used Windows Mobile devices. Messages are organized in a simple list by date received but can be resorted by message type, from or subject as well. You can move up and down the list by using up/down on the directional pad, or using the up/down arrows on the keyboard. Left/right will switch between accounts, including the sms/mms messaging account. Unlike previous versions of Windows mobile where the left soft key was assigned to a new message, Windows Mobile 6 devices like the Wing assign the left soft key to the delete function. The right soft key opens a menu where you can access various options and functions. Each account has a set of folders associated with it, you can create new folders to organize your messages if you like.
When you are in a new message dialogue, there are fields for Bcc, Cc, From, To and Subject, as well as a space to write the body of the message. You can move between the fields by using up/down. The left soft key is assigned to the send command, while the right soft key opens a menu where you can access items like inserting attachments and a spell check, amongst others. We found Outlook mobile to be simple to use, with understandable commands and easy to navigate.
Supported IM Services (2.0)
The T-Mobile Wing includes an instant messaging client that allows you to access AOL, ICQ and Yahoo instant messaging services; however you can only be logged into a single messaging service at a time. As a Windows Mobile device, the Wing also allows you to access, Microsoft's Live messaging service using the Windows Live client. If you want a unified messenger that allows you to be logged into multiple services at the same time you will need to purchase one like Agile Messenger. Unfortunately T-Mobile will charge you at the same rate as text messages for instant messages sent or received on their messaging client. We do not award points for pre-installed instant messaging clients that use an SMS gateway. We feel that customers already pay for the data to access internet services like this and cellular companies should not charge you again simply because they can. The Wing does get points for the Windows Live messenger, which does not use SMS messages.
MMS Support (8.0)
MMS is integrated into Outlook Mobile on Windows Mobile devices like the T-Mobile Wing. Both MMS and SMS messages come into a single inbox. Unfortunately, you cannot turn an SMS message into an MMS message, instead you must choose the type of message you want to create. MMS is well integrated into both the camera and album applications, you can create a new MMS from either of these. When creating a new MMS message, you are presented with a template with clear fields where you can insert a video/picture, audio and text. Other than that, it looks just like any other type of message you create on the Wing. We were generally happy with the MMS integration on the Wing, but we wish that you could easily turn a SMS into a MMS like on the Treo 750 with its excellent Palm messaging client. SMS Smiley Face Interpretation (0.0)
To test whether the messaging client can correctly interpret smiley faces as icons rather than text we send a text message to the phone with four popular smiley faces. Unfortunately, the Wing only displayed the smileys in text format. There is also no option to insert smileys automatically, instead you have to type them out.
SMS/MMS Ease of Use (7.0)
The SMS/MMS interface is fully integrated into Outlook Mobile on the T-Mobile Wing. This means the interface is very similar to the email interface, with messages organized by date but able to be resorted by type, subject, or from. You move up and down the list using up/down on the D-Pad, and left/right moves you to other accounts. We already discussed the new MMS message interface above, with new SMS messages you have fields for To and the body, with a counter showing you how many characters you have used. If you go over the 160 characters, the Wing will automatically split your message up into multiple ones. As with email, we found the interface straightforward and easy to use. However, we would have liked to see things like threaded messaging as found on the Treo 750's excellent messaging application.
Time to a New SMS Message (1.41)
[page title="Organizer"]
Synchronization (6.33)
As with all Windows Mobile devices, the T-Mobile Wing easily synchronizes with your Windows PC using either Activesync on XP machines or Windows Mobile Device Manager or Vista computers. Setting up a synchronization is as easy as installing the software from Microsoft's website or the included CD and then connecting your device via USB. You can also set up a Bluetooth partnership to synchronize the device wirelesslly. Both Windows Mobile Device Manager and Activesync easily allow you to choose the items you want to synchronize, with additional controls such as how many emails should be synchronized. We were very pleased with the ease of synchronization offered by the T-Mobile Wing.
Synchronization with your computer is supported via USB and Bluetooth. You can synchronize all of the pertinent PIM information, including tasks, calendar, contacts and notes. Your contacts also synchronize contact photos, which is a nice feature. In addition to the PIM information you can synchronize items like bookmarks and files, plus there are third party programs like Avantgo, which adds additional synchronization plugins. Of course, you can also move media back and forth, but we will cover that in the multimedia section. Overall, we were pleased with the synchronization options available for the T-Mobile Wing.
Activesync and Windows Mobile Device Manager synchronizes your information with Outlook on Windows PC's. There is no support out of the box for synchronization with other applications such as Eudora. There is also no support for synchronization with Macs, you will need to purchase third party software such as The Missing Sync in order to synchronize with your mac.
Alerts (8.0)
You can set alerts on the T-Mobile Wing for calendar appointments and tasks. All such alerts are managed in the sounds and notifications settings by choosing the reminders option from the drop down list. Here you can choose what sound goes off when alerts sound, as well as control whether a message is shown on screen, the screen flashes or the phone vibrates. We would have liked to see the ability to choose a sound for each specific alert, but unfortunately, that is not supported. When an alert does sound, you hear/see the alerts you selected. You can choose to dismiss the alert, open it or snooze it for any one of several preset periods, including five minutes before the appointment. We were pleased with the array of snooze options available, as even smart phones like the Blackberry 8800 don't offer the range of snooze options that Windows Mobile devices like the Wing does. If you miss the alert, you will see an indicator at the top of the screen and note that the left soft key on the home screen has been reassigned to reminder, which will allow you to access the alert. We were generally pleased with the alert options available on the T-Mobile Wing, but we would have liked to have more specific controls for each appointment or even to differentiate between tasks and calendar appointments.
Over the Air PIM Sync (2.0)
As with all modern Windows Mobile devices, the T-Mobile Dash allows you to synchronize your contacts, email, calendar and tasks with a Microsoft Exchange server over the air in real time. This sort of over the air integration is one of the most important features of Windows Mobile smart phones such as the Wing for those working in an Exchange environment.
Address Book
Adding Contacts (6.23)
Looking/Sorting/Search (5.5)
Fields (8.2)
Speed Dial/Voice tags/Voice command (3.0)
The T-Mobile Wing allows you to assign any contact to one of up to 99 different speed dials. Speed dials can be accessed by entering and holding down the appropriate number on the soft keypad. There is no support for voice tags, however, you can use the built in voice command to dial contacts. Unfortunately, we found the voice command to be almost completely useless as it only recognized one of our test contact names. We were able to get the current time and date using voice command, and open the calendar program, but at best it's a crap shoot and most of the time it didn't register our command at all.
Calendar
Adding Calendar Items (9.09)
To test how easy it is to add a calendar appointment, we timed how long it took to add a simple lunch appointment for the following day with a reminder 15 minutes before. We repeated this five times and took the average for our score. The T-Mobile Wing took an average of 11 seconds to add our test appointment. This is a poor time for a smart phone, the Treo 750 took only 6.76 seconds to complete the same process, while the Blackberry 8800 took 6.92 seconds. The Wing was again hurt by significant lag in launching the application and switching orientation so we could enter text using the QWERTY keyboard. The Wing's time was even more disappointing when you consider that the calendar application is assigned to the left soft key on the home screen and that the reminder was added automatically. Still, when compared to non-smartphones like the Helio Ocean, which took 24.2 seconds to add a calendar appointment, the Wing doesn't come off too bad.
Calendar Views (7.13)
Fields (12.0)
ToDo/Tasks
Adding ToDo/Task (5.27)
To test how easy it is to add a task to the T-Mobile Wing, we timed how long it takes to go from the home screen until we have added a new task reminding us to get groceries. We repeat this test five times and take the average for our score. The T-Mobile Wing took an average of 18.96 seconds to add our test task. This is slightly slower than the Treo 750's 16.9 second average and about the same as the Blackberry 8800's 18.8 seconds. It is significantly slower than the Treo 700p, which took only 12.9 seconds on average. As with other operations on the Wing, we found that there was significant lag when launching applications and switching the screen orientation, which slowed us down. ToDo/Task Sorting and Prioritizing (7.0)
The tasks application included in Windows Mobile provides you with good sorting and prioritizing options. Your task list is sorted by priority by default, but this can be changed to sorting by status, subject, start date or due date. You can also filter your task list by category. You can set one of three priorities for each task, normal, low and high. We were very pleased with the options available on the T-Mobile Wing to sort and prioritize your tasks.
Fields (10.0)
Notes
Adding Notes (3.24)
The T-Mobile Wing ships with the standard notes application found on all Windows Mobile Professional devices. To test how easy it is to create a note using this application, we time how long it takes to go from the home screen until we have created a simple note reminding us about a lunch appointment the next day. We repeat this test five times and take the average for our score. The T-Mobile Wing took an average of 15.42 seconds to enter our test note. This is a slow time, slower than the Treo 750's 11.65 second average or the Blackberry 8800's 13.12 second average. We were again slowed down by lag but were also slowed down by the fact that there is no shortcut to the notes application, forcing us to go into the programs menu to launch it. We did find ourself using the auto complete feature when typing our note in to speed things up a bit.
Note Interface (1.0)
As we mentioned, the notes application on the Wing is the same as that found on any Windows Mobile Professional (formerly Pocket PC) device. Notes are organized into a simple list alphabetically by title. The title is the first line of the note you enter. The left soft key opens a new note dialogue, while the right soft key opens the menu. Unfortunately there are no options to categorize, sort or search through your notes. The interface is simple and straightforward, but we would have liked to see search capabilities as found on the BlackBerries.
Note Formatting (2.0)
The notes program on the T-Mobile Wing does not provide you with any font formatting options, you can, however, change the zoom level of your view to increase or decrease the font size. You can also add hand drawn items to your notes, a nice plus of having a touch screen. For more fully featured formatting options, you should use Word Mobile on the Wing.
Voice Memo (5.0)
[page title="Multimedia"]
Accessing Music Software (3.64)
To test how easy it is to access music on the T-Mobile Wing, we time how long it takes to go from the home screen until we get a song playing. We repeat this test five times and take the average for our score. The T-Mobile Wing took an average of 5.5 seconds to get a song playing. This is a little slow for a smart phone, the Treo 750 took 4.36 seconds while the T-Mobile Dash took 4.53 seconds. This score is a little more disappointing when you consider that one of the updates that come along with Windows Mobile 6 is a plugin on your home screen that allows you to control your music playback. This means that we were able to get a song playing simply by tapping the plugin, obviating the need for the multiple steps other handsets take to launch Windows Media Player. This means that almost all of the 5.5 seconds the Wing took to get songs playing is the time it took to launch Windows Media Player. This is another example of the unfortunate lag that effects this device. Dedicated Music Controls (1.0)
Although the T-Mobile Wing does not have any dedicated hardware buttons for music control, it does have the plugin on the home screen that we mentioned above. Because this plugin allows you to play/pause music as well as move between tracks we decided to award a point for it.
Music Software Functionality and Organization (6.2)
The T-Mobile Wing uses Windows Media Player for music playback, and despite an update to the skin, it retains roughly the same functionality as Windows Mobile 5 devices. Windows Media Player did not recognize our .pls playlist, however, it does recognize playlists from Windows Media Player on the desktop. One nice upgrade is that you can now save playlists on your device, as well as easily adding, removing, and reordering songs, a much needed upgrade from Windows Mobile 5. Tags for our test Mp3 and WMA files were recognized, however, our test AAC file's tags were not recognized.
The library allows you to view your music by title, artist, album, and genre, however, it does not allow you to search through your music as the player on Series 60 phones like the N95 does. You can rate your music, and these ratings are synchronized back to Windows Media Player on the desktop. Album art is supported and it will search your device for music and automatically add new files to your library. As a multi-tasking device you can play music in the background of course. Unfortunately, Windows Media Player Mobile is still missing an equalizer. We found the software to be generally usable and fully featured. We especially liked the added support for playlist creating and editing, but wish they had added an equalizer as well.
Online Song Downloading (0.0)
The T-Mobile Wing does not support any online song download services.
Streaming (2.0)
As you would expect as a Windows Mobile device, the T-Mobile Dash supports streaming Windows Audio. It does not support streaming Mp3 or Real formats.
Podcast Support (0.0)
The T-Mobile Wing does not have any dedicated software for downloading and organizing podcasts. There are third party options available such as the free FeederReader.
Music Sync with PC (7.0)
As a Windows Mobile device, the T-Mobile Dash can synchronize your music with Windows Media Player on your PC. Playlists and ratings are synchronized across, and you can set up an automatic synchronization list or do it manually. It does not support iTunes on a PC (duh) and Mac users will need to purchase The Missing Sync or something similar in order to synchronize music with iTunes on a Mac.
Music Formats and DRM (4.0)
Windows Media Player Mobile on the Wing is capable of playing AAC, Mp3 and WMA files. The only DRM supported is Microsoft's Plays For Sure, which is used by a wide variety of online stores like Napster or Yahoo Music.
Music Interruption (8.0)
The T-Mobile Wing playing back music with Windows Media Player Mobile handles incoming call interruptions passably well. The music is immediately paused; however, we noticed that when the call ended we missed a couple of seconds of playback before we started hearing audio again. This may be due to the lag that plagues the Wing in so many places.
Video
Video Software Access (2.3)
To test how easy it is to get a video playing on the T-Mobile Wing, we time how long it takes to go from the home screen until we have a video playing in Windows Media Player. We repeat this test five times and then take the average for our score. The Wing took an average of 8.7 seconds to get a video playing. This is a slow time, slower than the Treo 750's 6.88 seconds or the Helio Ocean's 5.5 seconds. We were slowed down by the fact that we could not use the plugin on the today screen to play video, so we needed to go into the programs screen and launch Windows Media Player from there. We then had to navigate the library to select a video. Of course, on top of all this we also experienced the same sort of lag that we've seen in other places. Video Controls (7.0)
When playing video in Windows Media Player Mobile, you have access to a good selection of controls. The directional pad controls play/pause with the center select button. Left/right is used to switch to the next or previous video or fast forward and rewind if you hold them down, while up/down controls volume. All of these controls are also available on screen, along with a couple of other buttons, including a full screen toggle and a link to windowsmedia.com. The left soft key takes you to the current playlist, while the right soft key opens a menu where you can acces more advanced features like properties, your library and options.We were generally pleased with the controls in Windows Media Player Mobile, most of the important functions are in easy reach.
Video Software & Organization (6.5)
As with music playback, the T-Mobile Wing uses Windows Media Player Mobile for video playback. This software provides a solid libarary to organize your videos, with automatic updating and ratings support. You can view video in full screen and landscape to take advantage of the Wing's large display. We found it very usable and simple to use.
Videos in Windows Media Player Mobile can be viewed by sorted by title or genre. There is no search feature, however you can both synchronize playlists over from your desktop and create and edit them on the Wing itself. This is an update that comes with Windows Mobile 6, and one we are very happy to see.
Video Sync with PC (7.0)
As with music, you can use Windows Media Player on your desktop to synchronize video across to the Wing. This is managed either automatically or you can move playlists over manually. There is no support for synchronization with other programs like iTunes.
Video Formats (4.5)
Windows Media Player on the T-Mobile Wing was able to handle all three of our test 3GP files, which are encoded with different video and audio codecs. It was able to play audio for our test MP4 file, but not the video, probably because it was encoded in H263. Of course, it supports Windows Media Video files; however, there is no support for flash, quictime, or real video. We were generally happy with the range of support, but wish that H263 encoded MP4 files were supported as they provide better quality at the same bitrate.
Video DRM (5.0)
The T-Mobile Wing supports Windows Media DRM, which is used by online stores like Amazon's Unboxed. It does not support Apple's DRM protected video or Real's DRM.
Video Playback Smoothness (10.0)
To test how well the Wing can handle playing back video we attempted to play five 3GP videos at increasing bitrates. The Wing was able to play back all of our test videos without problems, all the way up to 768 kbps.
Online Video Downloading (0.0)
The T-Mobile Wing does not support any online video download services that provide premium content like TV shows and major movies.
Video Streaming unscored
Because online video is not standardized, we do not score this section, we do however test the phone with a couple of sites. The Wing was easily able to play streaming windows media video from windowsmedia.com. Unfortunately, we were unable to play streaming 3GP video from www.zoovision.com.
[page title="Software"]
OS (8.5)
Home Screen Score (9.0)
The T-Mobile Wing uses the standard Windows Mobile Today screen as its home screen. This is a dynamic home screen with various plugins that allow you to quickly access information and services at a glance. The Wing's home screen has plugins for wireless connectivity, myFaves, music, email, calendar and tasks by default. Any of these can be turned off and others are available to be turned on in the device settings. You can also easily change the background picture on the today screen if you prefer to use another graphic or a picture. The Today screen is one of the great benefits of the Windows Mobile platform due to its versatility. Many third party software titles also include plugins for the today screen so you can more easily access them.
Extensibility (9.0)
As a smart phone operating system Windows Mobile allows you to install a wide variety of native third party programs. These programs number in the thousands and range from freeware applications made by hobbyists to fully featured and extensive applications that are sold by software companies. In addition to native applications you can also install java applications such as Opera Mini on the T-Mobile Wing. Unlike Series 60 devices support for Java isn't included natively in the operating system, instead you will need to use the Java applications manager in the programs menu to install and launch Java apps. We very much appreciate having the ability to extend the capabilities of the Wing with third party software, as this makes the device much more customizable and can significantly improve its capabilities.
Customizability (8.0)
Windows Mobile Professional on the T-Mobile Wing provides you with a solid array of options to customize the look and feel of the interface. Themes are supported, which change the default colors and wallpapers used by the device, four themes are available by default but many more can be downloaded from the internet. You can also use your own images as a background for the home screen, as we mentioned above, and you can change the size of the text displayed to one of five different sizes. The programs displayed on the Start Menu can also be changed and there is very good control over what sounds are played for events on the phone. Compared to regular phones the wealth of customization options on the Wing is much appreciated.
OS Responsiveness (2.0)
As we've mentioned again and again in this review the T-Mobile Wing is not a very responsive device. We encountered significant lag using almost any operation on the phone. Applications are slow to launch and the shift from portrait to landscape orientation when you open the keyboard. Although Windows Mobile does have a reputation for being laggy, no Windows Mobile device we have reviewed before this has been as slow to respond as the Wing. We noticed that the free RAM, memory used for running program, on the T-Mobile Wing is much lower than on other Windows Mobile devices. The processor on the Wing is also only clocked at 200 Mhz, however other devices have used this same processor without exhibiting the serious lag we experience in this case.
Gaming (6.33)
Browser Features (8.0)
The T-Mobile Wing uses the standard Internet Explorer Mobile browser that is included with Windows Mobile. This is a solid mobile browser, much better than the browsers found on regular phones. It supports HTML and WAP pages, as well as javascript, images, frames, encryption and cookies. It does not support Java and flash, although you can download a flash plugin from Adobe. We were generally pleased with the features of Internet Explorer Mobile, but would have liked to see support for things like RSS feeds and password management. Browsing Interface (6.5)
Windows Mobile 6 brought a small upgrade to the browser interface on Internet Explorer Mobile in the form of a new home page. This page includes a search box for Windows Live searches as well as drop down boxes for easy access to your favorites and history. We like the new home screen, but for those who prefer to use a different portal you can easily change it in the settings. Web pages on the browser can be displayed in one of three ways, one column, fit to screen or desktop. You can change the text size to one of five different sizes, and the screen can be easily rotated by opening the keyboard on the device, with the landscape browsing providing a better viewing experience.
As we mentioned you can access your top five favorites and the last five entries in your history from the home screen. Access to full bookmarks and history is available from the left soft key menu. The history is saved between sessions and you can set how far back it goes and clear it in the settings. Favorites can be organized into folders and the name and link can be edited after you create them. One issue is that for some reason you cannot move a bookmark to a new folder once its been created. This is curious oversight given that you can do this on the standard edition of Windows Mobile.
Browser Access (8.0)
To test how easy it is to get to a web page on the browser we count the number of steps from the home screen until we have navigated to our web page. We use steps instead of a timed test in this case to take network issues out of the equation. Entering the web address is counted as a single step. We found that the easiest way to get the browser launched is to first open the keyboard. This is useful because you will need it to enter the web address, but it also allows you to use the shortcut of hitting the "I" key in the start menu to launch the browser. Using this method it took only five steps to get to our website on the T-Mobile Wing. This is the same as the Treo 750 and faster than the BlackBerry 8800, which took 8 steps. We should note however that as always we experience lag both switching the orientation of the screen and launching the application.
Calculator (6.0)
The calculator on the T-Mobile Wing is the same calendar that has been on Windows Mobile for awhile now. It provides access to some advanced features like 1/x, percentages and square roots, but falls far short of a full scientific calculator. We were happy to see support for storing numbers in memory. The calculator is more than sufficient for simple calculations, but those looking for more advanced features should find a third party solution.
Alarm (8.0)
Alarms on the Wing is very good, as with all Windows Mobile Professional devices. You can set up to three different alarms, each one can be set to go off any any particular day or combination of days of the week and you can choose the tone, vibration and screen settings for each alarm individually. We are very pleased with these features, especially compared with the very limited alarms found on other smartphones like the BlackBerry 8800 or Nokia N95.
Document Software (6.0)
As a Windows Mobile Professional device the T-Mobile Wing comes with a viewer for Powerpoint files and editors for Word and Excel files. There is also a PDF viewer installed on the device. The ability to view office documents and even edit Word and Excel files is an excellent value add for the Windows Mobile platform. The ability to edit documents is missing from the Blackberry 8800 for example.
Other Software (4.0)
In addition to the software discussed above there are also several other useful pieces of software on the T-Mobile Dash. Live Search is a Windows Live application that allows you to view maps, do local searches and even view satellite images. It is very similar in functionality to Google Maps, and we found that it was just as good. The Windows Live application is further proof of how Microsoft is integrating Windows Mobile devices with its online services. It allows you to synchronize contacts with your Windows Live email account, do a Windows Live search and get your email in real time. It also places a handy plugin on the home screen to access these services.
[page title="Battery Life"]
Call Time (17.10)
To test call time we make a Skype phone call to the handset and play an audio book over the connection to simulate conversation. We then time how long it takes for the battery to go from full to zero. The T-Mobile Wing lasted a very impressive 14 hours and 15 minutes. The Blackberry 8800 and T-Mobile Dash both lasted over 8 hours in our test, the Wing's time is more than 50% better than either of these phones. We did run into some problems when running the call time test on the Wing, the phone hung up the call after 3 or 4 hours, forcing us to reconnect. However, if anything this makes our results a little conservative. We were extremely impressed with the battery life on the Wing, this is not a phone that's going to crap out on you because of battery life.
Music Playback (7.51)
To test battery performance when playing back music we set an album to play continuously with the volume turned up to maximum and time how long it takes for the battery to run out. The T-Mobile Wing gain demonstrated excellent battery life by lasting 10 hours and 26 minutes in our music playback test. Compared to other phones this is not as impressive as its talk time test, but is still very good. For comparison the Treo 700p lasted 8 hours 8 minutes and the BlackBerry 8800 9 hours and 47 minutes. It is not as good as the Treo 750's 15 hours and 23 minutes however.
Web Browsing (11.84)
To test battery performance when browsing the web we point the phone's web browser at a site that is set to refresh every 10 seconds. We then make sure the back light stays on and periodically hit a button to simulate real browsing. The T-Mobile Wing continued its excellent battery performance by lasting 9 hours and 52 minutes in our web browsing test. This is slightly better than our previous best the Blackberry 8800, which lasted 9 hours and 3 minutes and is better than three times as long as the Treo 750's 3 hour and 3 minute time.
It should be noted that the Wing uses the much less power intensive EDGE network, while phones like the Treo 750 have access to much faster and more power intensive 3G networks. Still, EDGE is more than sufficient for email and browsing mobile sites. We should also note that browsing using the phone's built in Wi-Fi will drain the battery much more quickly as the Wi-Fi radio uses much more power.
Idle Time unscored
In order to ensure that we deliver reviews in a timely fashion we do not test idle time. T-Mobile's stated standby time for the T-Mobile Wing is up to 6 days.
[page title="Connectivity"]
Cellular Bands (8.0)
The T-Mobile Wing is a quad band (850/900/1800/1900) GSM Phone that will work on any GSM network world wide. This is an important feature for world travellers who may need to use the phone overseas. Our score for cellular bands is standardized based on the number of bands supported.
Data Support Score (3.0)
One place where the T-Mobile Wing falls behind similar phones like the AT&T 8525 is in its lack of 3G. Of course T-Mobile doesn't currently have a 3G network, so the quad band GPRS and EDGE support you get from the Wing is as good as any other T-Mobile phone. In areas where you get EDGE coverage, which is almost universal nowadays, you can get download speeds up to 230 kbps. Our score for data support is standardized based on the type of data and the bands supported.
Bluetooth (7.0)
The T-Mobile Dash includes Bluetooth 2.0, which allows it to manage multiple simultaneous bluetooth connections. We were easily able to pair the Wing with a test headset. The Dash supports the following Bluetooth profiles: service discover, network access point, AVRCP, A2DP, Active Sync, voice gateway, FTP and OBEX object push. This is a solid selection of profiles, although we miss the dial up networking profile. This profile has been replaced with the network access point profile, however this is not compatible with all bluetooth devices.
Wi-Fi (5.0)
The T-Mobile Wing support 802.11 b/g Wi-Fi, allowing you to get fast internet access if you are in range of a Wi-Fi access point. The device will automatically discover access points and supports both WEP and WPA password protected networks. We very much appreciate having Wi-Fi on a mobile device, especially one that lacks high speed data access via 3G. It can be useful for browsing full web sites, downloading files (like podcasts) and using VOIP services like Skype.
Infrared (7.0)
The T-Mobile Wing supports short range data transfer via Infrared. Although not in much use on modern devices, it is often the only way to wirelessly transfer data to older devices that lack Bluetooth.
[page title="Hardware"]
Keypad
Text Words Per Minute (8.0)
To test how easy it is to type on the T-Mobile Wing's keyboard we time how long it takes to enter a sentence using two hands. We repeat this test five times and then take the average for our score. The Wing took an average of 23.94 seconds to enter our sample sentence, which works out to 40.1 words per minute (WPM), a solid score for a phone with a QWERTY keyboard. The Treo 750 scored 43.8 WPM, while the Blackberry 8800 managed 39.3 WPM. Of course the Helio Ocean blows them all away with a score of 53 WPM. We found that the Wing's keyboard was very roomy, however given our testers slightly smaller than average hands it may have been a little too roomy as we found ourselves stretching to reach keys near the center of the keyboard. Feedback when keys were pressed was good, with an audible click, but play could have been better. T9 and Auto Complete (5.0)
The T-Mobile Wing does not support T9 due to the absence of a standard keypad, it does however support auto completion of words, with suggestions popping up as you type. This is an excellent feature that can significantly speed up your typing and we are very glad to see it. Other smart phones like the Blackberry 8800 lack this feature.
One Hand Usability (2.94)
For those who like to type one handed we also do our words per minute (WPM) test using only a single hand. We found that this was almost impossible to do on the Wing due to the form factor. Holding the phone with a single hand while typing actually led to us almost dropping the device and we managed a paltry 14.7 words per minute. QWERTY phones are notoriously poor for one handed typing, however the Wing was particularly poor due to the form factor and size of the keyboard. We do not recommend trying to type one handed on the Wing.
Keypad Backlighting (4.0)
We found the keyboard backlight on the Wing to be generally good, with all the letters and symbols clearly illuminated. One place where it didn't do as well is with the soft keys at the top of the keyboard, which were only barely illuminated. The backlight turns itself off after 30 seconds with no use, and unfortunately you cannot change this setting without hacking the registry. You also cannot control how bright the backlight is.
Controls
D-Pad/Joystick (8.0)
The directional pad on the T-Mobile Wing is round with the edges raised significantly and a center select button that is also raised by not so much that you have mistaken presses. We found the D-Pad to be very usable and accurate. Our only concern may be that the buttons do take a bit more force than average to activate, however this may change with wear and we did not consider it a major problem. Touch Screen (5.0)
As with all Windows Mobile Professional devices the T-Mobile Wing has a touch screen interface. The touch screen had some issues with responsiveness, probably related to the overall lag found on the device. We found the accuracy of the touch screen to be sufficient when using the included stylus, but much less so when trying to use a finger. Many of the buttons are too small to be used accurately with your fingers. Having a touch screen interface is very useful in some situations, for example it allows you to easily access clipboard functions like highlighting text, copying and pasting it. You can also move files around more easily than on devices that lack a touch screen like Symbian Series 60 phones.
Jog Dial (0.0)
The T-Mobile Wing does not have a jog dial. This is an unfortunate omission as similar devices like the AT&T 8525 (HTC Hermes design) do include a scroll wheel.
Soft Buttons (6.0)
The soft buttons on the Wing are located on the top inner edge of a grouping of buttons that flank the directional pad. The buttons were very convenient to the D-Pad, however we found that they were a little small. We also found that their positioning was a little lower than we would have liked, in fact it would have been nice for all the controls to have been moved a quarter inch or so closer to the screen as holding the device so close to the bottom unbalances it a bit. The soft key provide an audible click and good feedback when pressed, however they do not have much play.
Volume Control (6.0)
The volume control is a slide switch located on the left side of the phone. It sits in the center position and can be slid up or down to switch the volume. The positioning of the button is such that you won't be hitting it by accident much while the device is in use and it did a solid if unremarkable job of fulfilling its function.
Power and Standby (8.0)
The power button on the T-Mobile Wing sits on the top of the device offset towards the left. Its a hard plastic button that sits flush with the surrounding plastic and provides good feedback when pressed. We did not find that it got pressed by accident much, which is an important feature of a power button. A single press of the button will turn standby mode on/off, which turns off the screen and all of the inputs. A long press will shut the device down completely.
Other Buttons (11.0)
In addition to the buttons discussed above the T-Mobile Wing has several other function keys. Below the soft keys are a Start key that opens the start menu and an OK button that minimizes programs and dismisses dialogues. On the right side of the phone are two additional buttons. The top one launches voice command with a short press or starts recording a voice note with a long press. The one below it launches the messaging application. On the left side of the phone near the top is a camera button that launches the camera application and acts as a shutter key. All of these buttons can be reassigned in settings, a feature that we commend HTC for including as not everyone will find the defaults to their taste.
Display
Primary Screen Gross Resolution (8.0)
The T-Mobile Wing has a QVGA (240 x 320 pixel) resolution screen. QVGA is the standard for mid to high end phones nowadays and is the same resolution found on the BlackBerry 8800 or the Helio Ocean. We can't help wishing for VGA displays to start appearing on devices however. Our score for screen resolution is standardized based on the total number of pixels.
Primary Screen Pixels per Inch (7.11)
Pixels per inch is a measure of pixel density. Phone's with higher pixel densities have richer colors and display less pixelation. The T-Mobile Wing has a pixel density of 142.2 pixels per inch (PPI). This is similar to the Treo 750's 141.7 PPI, but is lower than the BlackBerry 8800's 165.3 PPI. The lower pixel density means that we didn't get colors as rich as we would have seen on the Blackberry, or the T-Mobile Dash, which has a pixel density similar to the 8800. The lower pixel density of the Wing is a result of having the same resolution as the 8800, but a larger screen. Our score for pixel density is standardized based on the phone's PPI score.
Screen Physical Size (7.0)
The T-Mobile Wing's display is 2.8 inches diagonal. This is an impressively large display for a phone, larger than the 2.4" display found on the BlackBerry 8800, Treo 750, Helio Ocean and T-Mobile Dash. The larger display makes for a luxurious interface and allows you to choose a smaller font size, for example, while still remaining very readable. It also comes in very handy for web browsing where you can fit more of the page on the screen than a phone with a smaller display. Our score for screen size is standardized based on, well, screen size screen size.
Screen Brightness (7.6)
To measure screen brightness we set the screen brightness to maximum and point the web browser to a blank white page. We then measure the brightness from two inches away using a lux meter. The T-Mobile Wing measured an impressive 112 lux in our test. This is one of the brightest screens we've seen. It's brighter than the Nokia N73's 95 lux or the BlackBerry 8800's 90 lux. It is almost twice as bright as the Treo 750, which scored only 60 lux. The T-Mobile Wing has 4 brightness settings available and you can set this separately for when its on battery power or using external power. Unfortunately the Wing does not have a sensor to automatically adjust the brightness of the screen.
Screen Bright Light Performance (2.0)
To test how the screen performs in bright light conditions we shine 3000 lux of white light on the screen, equivalent to a bright sunny day, and judge how legible the screen is. We set the screen brightness to maximum during the test. We found that the T-Mobile Wing's screen did not do well under bright light conditions, with almost nothing legible on the screen. This is often the result with touch screen displays, and we've seen similar results with the Treo 750.
Color Depth (6.0)
Color depth is a measure of how many colors the display can handle. The T-Mobile Wing displays 65,000 colors, which is the maximum supported by Windows Mobile and is fairly standard for phones nowadays. Not that we wouldn't like to see a 16 million color display like the on the Nokia N95, but 65,000 should be sufficient for everyday use. Our score for color depth is standardized based on how many colors are supported.
Ports & Storage
Power & Data Ports (9.0)
The T-Mobile Wing uses a standard Mini USB port for both data and power. We were extremely happy to see this, although to be fair we're not surprised as HTC has been using Mini USB on its products for awhile now. We were also happy to see support for USB charging. Headphone & Jack Compatibility (4.0)
The T-Mobile Wing also uses the Mini USB port as a headphone jack as well. Although we appreciate the elegance of having a single port on a device, we would have preferred a 2.5mm or even better 3.5mm jack on the device so we could use our own headphones instead. Having a single port also means that if you want to charge/sync your device at the same time that you listen to music you will need to use the rather ungainly splitter that is included with the phone, although we do appreciate that it is included. For those who disdain wires the Wing also supports the A2DP and AVRCP profiles for wireless stereo bluetooth headphones.
Internal Storage (1.0)
The T-Mobile Wing comes with 128 MB of built in storage, of which about 40MB are available for use by the user. This is plenty for PIM information and a few hundred emails and small documents, but if you want to store large attachments or multimedia files you'll want to p