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Mobile service providers have always had a fair degree of input when determining the hardware and software features of the phones used on their networks, even when the devices are designed and built by independent vendors like Motorola or Nokia. Increasingly, however, providers are also turning to contract manufacturers like Taiwan's HTC to create advanced handsets that sport the carrier's own brand.

T-Mobile's new Dash smartphone is the latest example of this trend. The long-awaited Dash (previously known by it's code name, Excalibur) is widely seen as a challenger to Motorola's trendy and popular Q, a phone which is currently available only through Verizon Wireless. While it's not quite as stylish as the Q, after spending time with the Dash we found it to be a potent device that competes well with the Q in most other respects.

Like the Q, the Dash, which also runs Windows Mobile 5, packs a lot of punch into an extremely small package—though one that is a hair's breadth larger than the Q. The quad-band GSM Dash measures a diminutive 4.4 x 2.5 x .5 inches and weighs a scant 4.2 ounces with its battery installed. That battery is rated for up to 5 hours of talk time and 9 days on standby.

   

Powered by a 201 MHz ARM processor, the Dash has 64 MB of RAM and 128 MB of Flash ROM, though only about 20 MB is user-accessible. You can augment the storage capacity with a microSD slot that can be found inside the battery compartment, but thankfully you can access it without having to remove the battery. This gives you plenty of expansion potential, because even the Lilliputian microSD cards are available in gigabyte-plus capacities for less than $100.

With a relatively slow-running processor, we thought the Dash might be a bit lethargic when running applications, but the phone was actually quite responsive.

For data access over cellular, the Dash supports GPRS/EDGE, which is the best technology T-Mobile's network currently offers though significantly slower than 3G data technologies like the EV-DO available from Verizon and Sprint. Undoubtedly reflecting T-Mobile's interest in wireless hotspots, the Dash also includes built-in Wi-Fi, a feature that's absent on the Q. The Dash also supports Bluetooth 2.0 for wireless audio and synchronization, and you can use the phone as a modem by connecting it to your PC via either Bluetooth or USB.

One of the Dash's biggest gee-whiz components is its spacious 2.4-inch TFT display, which is bright and sharp and capable of 320 x 240 pixel resolution with 65,000 colors. The other is its full QWERTY keyboard, which will be of particular interest to those that make extensive use of e-mail or text messaging while on the road.

Although roughly the same size as those on a Q or Palm Treo the Dash's keys are much closer together than either of those phones, and we did experience numerous instances of inadvertently hitting the wrong key, though the situation improved with practice. The Dash lacks a stylus and in any event doesn't have a touch-sensitive screen, so the keyboard is the only means of input.

Aside from the standard cluster of navigation buttons (including the D-pad, send, end, and soft keys) above the keyboard, the only ancillary control on the Dash (aside from the side-mounted power button) is a volume adjustment strip that runs flush along the right side of the display—you can raise or lower volume by simply touching the appropriate part of the strip. While it's certainly a unique idea, it tended to be a bit finicky in practice. Tinkering with the strip's touch sensitivity settings helps, but it's still fairly easy to activate inadvertently while on a call or during normal handling of the phone. All in all, we would have preferred more conventional button controls or a multi-function jog dial instead.

On the back of the Dash you'll find a 1.3 megapixel camera and a self-portrait mirror (but no flash). The camera took surprisingly decent snapshots (it can record video as well) but we found the camera interface rather perplexing and difficult to navigate because the camera functions are labeled denoted by difficult to decipher icons instead of text. To figure out how to use the various options we had to consult the electronic manual, as the printed Welcome Guide only dealt with basic picture taking.


Camera Interface

We're also not crazy about the camera's lens placement. It's located in the extreme upper left corner of the phone, precisely where most people would tend to rest a finger while on a call. Indeed, we repeatedly found our camera lens fouled by fingerprints, though so far it hasn't seemed to have an adverse effect on the quality of our photos.

Aside from voice calls, the Dash offers lots of ways to communicate. T-Mobile includes clients for three instant messaging services—AIM, ICQ, and Yahoo! (and since the Dash is running a Microsoft operating system) MSN Messenger is also included. If you sign up for T-Mobile's My E-mail service, you can access personal POP/IMAP accounts from the phone, and the Dash also includes Microsoft's DirectPush feature, which can automatically download your corporate e-mail if your company is running Exchange 2003.

The Dash comes with a set of ClearVue applications you can use to view (but not edit) Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Adobe PDF files.

T-Mobile is currently the only domestic carrier offering the Dash, which is available for $199 with a two-year service plan (and after a $50 rebate). Unbranded versions of this phone (sold as the HTC S620) can also be had from various resellers, though if you go this route expect to pay upwards of $500.

When purchased through T-Mobile, the Dash comes with a leather carrying case with magnetic clasp plus an AC adapter, USB sync cable, and stereo earbuds, all of which connect through the same USB-style port on the bottom of the phone. (You can't use your own earphones though, because the Dash lacks a standard headphone jack.)


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We don't know if there will ever be a mobile phone that can be all things to all people (or if there ever will), but the Dash comes as close as any we've seen thus far. Those looking for a sleek yet powerful smartphone for personal or business use should definitely give the T-Mobile Dash a look.