With all the recent hype around newly released PDA’s, the T-Mobile Dash, also known as the HTC Excalibur and HTC S620, stands out from the crowd.
At first glance, the screen is enormous. At 320×240, the 16-bit resolution is amazing. Coming from a device such as the Motorola MPx220, you’ll really enjoy the extra screen real estate.
The Dash sports Windows Mobile 5, and includes the sought after Windows Media Player 10. With WMP10, you can watch movies, play MP3’s, and generally kill time whenever you need to.
The speakerphone is the loudest I’ve heard on a PDA phone, and watching movies even amidst background noise, is surprisingly clear and audible.
With the help of programs like PocketDivxEncoder, full-length movies can be converted from 800MB to around 150. Smaller clips, such as half-hour shows, can come down to as little as 10MB and still be quite watchable. They all play nicely on The Core Pocket Media Player (TCPMP).
The main selling point with the T-Mobile Dash is the built-in WiFi. Wireless networks are automatically detected, and you’re on in no time at all. While the speed doesn’t rival traditional cable and dsl, it works well for mostly text based sites, especially when you don’t feel like being tied to the computer.
Many reviewers complain about the quality of pictures taken on cell phones. I wholeheartedly disagree with that when it comes to the Dash. At 1.2MP, the pictures are clear and the camera doesn’t require the steadiest of hands for excellent pictures. The entire screen becomes the viewfinder when the camera is activated, and is a sight to make even the most tech-savy among us drool.
Battery life is slightly better than the average Smartphone, as you can survive a busy day at the office with power to spare.
The only downfall with this phone has been the volume touch strip, which can be accidentaly touched while on the phone, or watching a movie. Registry hacks are easy to peform, and can turn the touch strip into a jog dial, which T-Mobile decided to disable.
Overall, you can’t go wrong with the Dash. Out of 5 stars, I give it an easy 4. Had the keys been slightly larger (which would ruin the small form-factor) and the touch strip in a different location, this would easily be a 5 star device.
