Another Smartphone Convert

I took a chance in ordering a T-Mobile Dash. My use of 20 or so Pocket PCs and Palms had gotten me so accustomed to touch-screen use that I doubted that I could adopt to a device without it. But, probably 90% of the professionals I know use a BlackBerry, which does not use touch-screen input, and they seem to get a long just fine with their BBs. So, I decided to give it a shot.

But I was very pleasantly surprised. The Smartphone interface is so easy to use that I really don’t miss having touch-screen input. Oh, I will keep my Pocket PCs, and my Palm, and will likely lament the fact that the market for such devices is declining to the point that they may no longer be offered at some point. (There are numerous reports of Dell getting out of the Pocket PC market, for example.) But, I like the Smartphone interface a lot and the Dash has become my principle device.

In what follows, bear in mind that I am not trying to sell you on the Dash, nor am I trying to sell you on Smartphones in general. The purpose of this mini-review is to let you know what a die-hard Pocket PC and Palm user has learned from using a Smartphone.

My Shock in Taking It Out of the Box

My jaw almost dropped when I took the Dash out of its box in that my immediate reaction was: How can I used a keyboard that is so small? I had owned Treo’s before (the 650 and the 700w) and it seemed to me that the keyboard on the Dash was smaller, although it has been months since I have held a Treo.

Well, it turns out, according to those who have compared Treo’s and Dash’s side-by-side, that there is really not a lot of difference in their keyboards. And, after using the keyboard for a while, it felt fine to me. I will never be the thumb-typer that some of my associates are, but I continue to become more at ease with the keyboard each day.

It’s worth noting that a stocky friend, who has much larger fingers than mine, breezes along in using the keyboard on his Dash. So, I’d say that unless your hands are really large, you would do fine with the Dash’s keyboard.

One neat thing about text input with the Dash is its xT9 predictive text system. While a lot of folks do not like having a predictive text capability (and it can get “too smart” at times), I have found it to be very helpful. The following shows the text it offers up when I enter the letters “th:”

For those who dislike such help, xT9 can be turned off (temporarily) by hitting ALT+Space. There are also utilities that supposedly permanently disable it, although I have had no interest in trying them and cannot speak from experience on it.

The only real downside I’ve found in the keyboard approach to text entry is that the Smartphone operating system apparently does not support the CTRL key. I have become very accustomed to using CTRL+C and CTRL+V for copying and pasting via Pocket PCs that I really miss having that capability with a Smartphone. I have not yet found a utility that will let me simulate a CTRL key input on the Dash. If anyone knows of such a utility, I’d love to hear from you.

The Screen

The Dash’s screen is one of the gorgeous and clear screens I have ever seen on a PDA. Its small size is not at all a problem in my view. For example, here is its Today screen:

Even my 58-year-old eyes find this screen easy to read. It’s bright and clear. While it is hard to read out in the sunlight, for me that has been of much concern.

Battery Life

The Dash battery life is very satisfactory for my usage pattern. While I do not make a lot of calls with it, I do have it set to check email every 30 minutes and do use browse the web regularly (checking gmail, for example), and I easily get two days out of it.

If you are a heavy user for making calls, your mileage is likely to be less. Also, my experience with Treo’s suggests that signal strength is a factor: areas of low signal strength tend to drain the battery faster. Since I live in an area where the signal strength is good, this has not been a factor for me.

I did get an extra battery for the Dash, not knowing that the battery would be as good as it is. It only cost $30, so you might consider if you are a heavy user who is considering getting the Dash.

Call Quality

I have had absolutely no issues with the call quality of the Dash: very good call quality. I did have to adjust the volume on the first couple of calls, as it was set low for my tastes. I set it using the rather annoying Volume Touch Strip, and then I went into the settings and disabled the touch strip:

The touch strip seems to be the one “feature” that many reviewers dislike. I agree with them. It is annoying, but at least it can be disabled.

What About Not Being Able to Edit Documents?

First off, let me point out that the Dash does come with the ClearVue document viewers, which let you view a number of document formats (Word, Excel, etc.). For many people, this ability to View such documents is probably sufficient. Frankly I could probably do OK without having document editing software.

But, fortunately, DataViz has come out with Documents to Go for Smartphones, which I have reviewed here. This gives you the best of both worlds: the convenience of a Smartphone with document editing capability (DTG is priced very sensibly, too).

One other thing, and I was surprised by this: the Smartphone interface does not allow editing of Tasks. This is not a concern for me directly as I use Agenda One (which I reviewed here) for viewing and editing tasks and appointments. I did feel I should point it out, though.

By the way, I do not make any money at all from referring you to Documents To Go or Agenda One. I mention them because I personally find them to be useful, high quality software products.

Customizing

The Dash has numerous customization settings. There are “four screens worth,” with a typical screen shown below:

I have had no difficulties at all navigating my way through the settings and on deciding how to customize the device to my liking.

Internet Access

The GPRS connection of the device is not lightning fast, that is for sure. But, I have found it to be entirely adequate for my surfing uses. The device uses the standard Microsoft browser, as shown below, but there are some alternatives available for those who like to experiment and who need a more full-featured browsing experience.

The Dash is one of the few Smartphones that actually has WiFi capability as well. I have used this once, just to ensure it worked, but I really haven’t run into a need for it. It sure is nice to have, though.

Wrap Up

In closing, I must say that the Dash is one of the best of the many devices I’ve had over the years. It is light and just the right size for me, has great call quality and battery life, and helps me manage my life as well as make calls and receive/send email.

And, I like the fact that T-Mobile has stated that they will provide a Windows Mobile 6 upgrade for the device. I may not jump on that upgrade immediately, but it is nice to have the ability to.

I did not expect to be as impressed with the Smartphone interface as I have been. I can understand why so many people are switching to the interface. While I do not intend to give up my Pocket PCs or Palm, I can envision them becoming collector’s items in the not-too-distant future.