For several weeks, Oliver Thylmann has been calling the T-Mobile MDA his main mobile phone as well as his main PDA. Read on to find out what he liked - and didn't like at all.
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As far as Pocket PC Phone Edition devices go, there aren't many of them on the market. T-Mobile's MDA is built on the same reference design as the O2 XDA, and is available for GSM 900/1800 Mhz networks in Europe, as well as in a 900/1900 MHz version for the U.S. Both devices have in common being targeted at the business market, however there are some slighy differences in appearance; as a hybrid between phone and PDA, it's regardless sure to draw mixed feelings.
 | The T-Mobile MDA looks slightly different from the O2 XDA, but provides more or less the same features
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The exterior of the MDA is minimalistic, and contains only a few hardware application shortcut buttons. On the left side of the device, a volume control button is placed that either adjusts the volume of alerts and notifications or in-call audio volume; on the bottom of the device, the non-SDIO capable SD Card expansion slot and the connector of the device are both placed centered, joined by a reset hole to the left and a battery connect/disconnect switch on the right side. In the lower right corner, there's a standard 2.5 mm handsfree set jack. The right side of the device contains the SIM card slot, while on top the Infrared port is placed to the far left and the power on/off button just to the right of it.
On the front of the device, hardware shortcut buttons for the Calendar and Contacts applications are placed above the excellent - yet lacking in color depth - 12-bit display, with the speaker of the device placed centered between them. On the lower part of the device, a centered four-way navipad and back-lit buttons to its left and right that perform functions relating respectively to placing and ending calls are placed. The back of the device offers no functionality, except the option to add an external battery after removing yet another rubber dongle - the internal battery of the XDA cannot be replaced except by a service centre, which is obviously a minus for avid callers.
The stylus of the MDA is actually placed inside its antenna, which is in the upper right corner of the device; it's surprisingly comfortable to hold, and hidden nicely so that it doesn't interfere with the design of the device. Unscrew the stylus, and you'll also find that it holds a reset pin to use in case a hard reset of the device through a battery disconnect/reconnect is necessary (a soft reset can be performed using the ordinary stylus tip). Just below the antenna to the left is the notification LED of the device, with 6 different modes of which blinking green every 3 seconds notifies the user that he or she is connected to a network.
All buttons provide good tactile feedback, and the device itself has a more plastic-like texture feel to it than the O2 XDA - and some people might even say its slightly different looks are better than those of the XDA. Also, while you can use the supplied T-Mobile branded holster, you do not need to. The device sits well in the hand and does not seem to slip. The four-way navipad requires a bit of time getting used to, especially when using the MDA in its supplied case, but after a short period of adjustment it worked just fine.
Soft to the touch
The main part of what separates the T-Mobile MDA from other Pocket PC 2002 devices is that it runs Pocket PC Phone Edition, which in essence is the PPC 2002 operating system with added integration for cellular connectivity capabilities. This includes adding options to easily make calls from Pocket Contacts, and to choose which one of several numbers stored in an entry to call, integrating SMS support into Pocket Inbox and a nifty note function that, when activated whilst in a call, will place information about the caller readily in a note for you to more easily remember what call the note was made in conjunction with.
The integration isn't taken to such an extreme level as hyperlinking phone numbers and e-mail addresses everywhere the way Microsoft's Smartphone 2002 platform does, but it's still sufficient - which also can be said about the new Phone application and its settings dialog.
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