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I guess I can say something now that they are real phones and have a launch date. I tested out the T-Mobile MDA (aka HTC Wizard)for about 2 months. It’s almost a perfect phone, but has some major flaws.

Features: Windows Mobile 5.0, Bluetooth, WiFi, 1.3megapixel camera, and EDGE!

The first thing I did when I got my hands on this phone was test out the EDGE service. It is awesome. I’m used to my T-Mobile Sidekick II’s slow ass internet thru GPRS, and this thing rocks. The ultimate test was to stream radio over EDGE, and it worked flawlessly. I was able to listen to any internet radio station, and drive all over town with this thing. It REALLY works!

 

Also it comes with stereo headphones that work as a way to listen to music (mp3, wma, or streaming), as well as take phone calls with.

 

The size is smaller than you would think, yet it’s full of features. The bluetooth and wifi worked very well. I was even able to make a Skype call over the wifi with it. The speed of the processor is only like 200mhz, so that isn’t the best for Skype, but it managed to work.

The Bad: Every phone I use, I compare to what I want and need out of a phone. Mainly aim, qwerty keyboard, internet, oh and it should make phone calls too. This doesn’t do all of that.

AIM: DID NOT WORK AT ALL. The included IM software (Aim, Yahoo, ICQ) did not work over AIM at all. I had to go get a british version of AIM for PocketPC for it to work. That was a very well known problem, and hopefully they fixed it.

 

Keyboard: I am used to the nice contoured keyboard of my SKII, and this thing is FLAT. There is no user design that went into the keyboard, it’s just flat. I HATED IT. It honestly was one of the worst parts of the phone. Also, there is no numbers. You have to hit shift and the alpha key you want for a number to work.

Using as a phone: Ehh, not that great either. The numbers on screen were nearly impossibly small to type while driving or even standing still, unless you use the stylus. MAYBE if you had fingernails you could do it, but fingers aren’t that great. Voice dialing is about as great as every other phone….sucky.

Cost: No one knows what this phone will cost, but if you import the UK equivalent, it is going for about $500-$700. Yikes.

Overall: I really liked the phone and the concept of it. I was 100% sure that I was going to buy one before I had tested it. Now, ehh not so much. I really got bored of the phone and having to go thru soo many menu’s just to make a call or send a txt message.

The EDGE service is really nice, and bluetooth wasn’t locked down at the time (not sure about now), so you can use it as an EDGE modem for your laptop. I’m sure they will bundle T-Mobile Hotspots into your monthly rate plan, so be prepared to pay a bundle a month for this phone.

In all honestly, I really like the Sidekick II, and I got a RAZR on my 2nd line just to have a small phone that was easy to use. I might consider the SDA that they are offering, since it has all the same features, yet has a number pad for easy dialing. It’s a bit bulky if you ask me though.  I wouldn’t use it for text messaging, as evident from my last post.

I would recommend this phone for a business professional. It works really well with all the Word, Excel, Powerpoint, etc and the high speed EDGE is amazing. This just isn’t the Sidekick Killer that I thought it would be.

Check out the details on T-mobile’s site here, and you can sign up to be notified about it’s launch as well.

P.S. T-Mobile / Danger, please come out with the Sidekick 3 with EDGE and bluetooth at least!

Also, I am going to try to post a review a day this week, so stay tuned for other great products I’ve used and worked with that will be sure to get higher marks than this phone.

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