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t-mobile dash — not sleek and sexy, but smart

T-mobile Dash from Tech Crunch

Shopping for a new mobile device feels like a bad dating scene. Most are looking for ‘sleek, sexy and smart’ but generally don’t want to pay a steep price for perfection. If there was such a thing. For the general consumer, T-Mobile has done an excellent job of meeting the needs of the masses and rolling out consumer-grade smartphones that enable general audiences to text, IM and email on the go. Tech Crunch has posted a great article today on the T-Mobile Dash, which is a new smartphone-enabled device priced between $199 – $350 (depending on service plan) due on the streets October 25th.

(from the TechCrunch review) The Dash, manufactured by HTC for T-Mobile, is a Windows Mobile 5.0 smartphone that is about as thin as the Motorola Q and includes quite a few user friendly features… at first blush, the Dash doesn’t look like much. It has a bright color screen, full QWERTY keyboard, and a slim, rubberized body that fits right into a back pocket — not something we’d suggest, by the way, because the screen is large and could potentially crack. Note the size comparison to the SK3, which is much thicker than the Dash. Windows Mobile 5.0 is acceptable and familiar. It has full email features including custom POP3/IMAP mailbox set-up and AIM, Yahoo Messenger, and ICQ IM built-in. Not bad so far for a $199 phone with 2-year contract.

From an Reuters article on the release of the new device:

“We believe there is a real untapped need for consumers wishing to keep in touch with their personal e-mail while they are away from their computer,” Selman said. But one analyst said that while the price is low enough to attract cost-conscious consumers, it may not appeal to style aficionados who have other choices for keyboard phones. “I don’t think it’s fancy enough,” said Current Analysis analyst Avi Greengart — who believes that Motorola Inc.’s Q, or the Pearl from Research In Motion Ltd., which T-Mobile also sells — could be bigger hits among style-conscious users.

Meeting the needs of the cost-conservative U.S. market by offering a cost effectve wi-fi enabled Windows Mobile device is a smart move by T-Mobile. Although not the most sleek, sexy or stylish solution available – the ability to IM, email and type from this device is going to help jump-start the missing link between business users and general consumer smart phone adoption.

Posted on October 11th, 2006 in Thoughts
Tagged as , , , , ,
Written by Kelly Goto

9 Responses to “t-mobile dash — not sleek and sexy, but smart”

Comments

  1. Steve G. says:
    October 11th, 2006

    This may just be a legit alternative to higher-priced, over complicated smart phones on the market now. I have been looking for a good time to jump in like double-dutch, but price and equipment keep me at bay watching anxiously from the sidelines. This may be that hold your breath and go shot.

    Style-wise, every few years or so the style of phone switches. A few years back everything was flip, fold, twist and click. Now it looks as if the shift has gone face-value, as in make the face large, accessible and have everything in view and ready to tap.

    I’d like to get my hands on one of these and see what it might be like from a functions and softward standpoint. The only drawback is that Palm-version would be nice for Mac users interested in sync’ing with their computer.

    Steve G. out!

  2. Kelly Goto says:
    October 11th, 2006

    Steve - nice to hear from you! interested to get your take on one should you get your hands on the device. Would also like to get your take on the sidekick and the ‘younger generation’s’ take on the smartphone and advanced content and services market.

  3. Kelly Goto says:
    October 11th, 2006

    NOTE: I was wrong. I ended up watching a CNET video and realized the device was not as clunky as it looks in some of the images and ordered it for overnight delivery this week. I received it and am already having fits about how it look and feels in hand - and how seamless the Wi-Fi is. I cannot believe I did not have Wi-Fi enabled previously. I’m porting my data from the P910 to the HTC device (I got an unlocked version) this weekend and will have a full report next week after I have started using it.

  4. Steve G. says:
    October 11th, 2006

    Hey kid! Ahhhh, now that is the kind of thing that I like to hear KG! Sleek and surprising eh?

    So far what I can tell is that the young hustler generation (by that I mean post-collegiate thinkers and grinders, and pre-“I’m just working to get to 60” types) are loving the idea of havinga more functional smartphone that is both feature-rich and price-point sexy. The days of the gadgety, flippity flip, moving parts that invite breakage phones are done. Cute, but I think the over-exposure of the celebrity socialites using those phones created a stark dividing line in who used and search out such devices. A young pro needing to check ‘real’ emails and schedule meetings on the go demanded a little more that a party favor with ringtone. But even still the profile of this set of users includes that they are still young buy social-economic standards. So what does this say? It dictates that the usership is still very much style-conscious, working within a budget and is most likely a member of the Creative Class. While they need features, they are not so interested in the “heavy lifting” that the more robust big brother smart phones bring…

    And with that, my heart pounds in anticipation of the new Palm Treo 680, an obvious number sequence drop from the recent Treo 700, but still an upgrade from the Treo 650. To quote the Beastie Boys “You know it gets noice!”

    Kell… shall we see what we can dig up on the new Palm 680?

  5. Andrew says:
    October 11th, 2006

    I picked up the dash the day it came out (Oct. 25th), and, after wrangling with and eventually replacing the bundled email client, I love it.

    The one major setback (for me, at least, since my phone has become my primary point for email) was the horrible lack of full IMAP/POP compatibility with Pocket Outlook/Inbox. I suggest Profimail as an alternative (as an aside, my battery life about doubled using Profimail with the same poll interval).

  6. Monique says:
    October 11th, 2006

    The dash sounds like a great phone! The only question I have is can you share the phone’s internet with a Mac laptop via USB or is it only PC’s?

  7. mobiedave says:
    October 11th, 2006

    Looking for info on any handsets on the horizon which will allow simultaneous mobile and wifi connectivity. Any info appreciated

  8. Kelly Goto says:
    October 11th, 2006

    With bluetooth, you can connect your phone connection to a MAC or PC. It’s slightly complicated, but doable. This is generally how I connect when I’m on the road w/o a connection and need to download or send something out quickly. The HTC/DASH device has wifi, but it works when you have a wireless (mostly open) wifi connection. I have a new HELIO DRIFT I’m trying out - and will be experimenting today with the connection of 3G to my laptop. I’ll post the results.

  9. eastindyguy says:
    October 11th, 2006

    I don’t know what those analysts were thinking, I’ve had my Dash since late December of 2006 and I still have people comment on how incredible it looks, and how nice it feels to hold.

    My friend is a devoted Treo-head and if there were a CDMA version of the Dash available that he could use on Sprint’s network he would chuck his Treo out the nearest window and get a Dash.

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