Review: T-Mobile Dash / HTC S620

T-Mobile Dash

T-Mobile Dash

T-Mobile Dash

T-Mobile's Dash is the latest Windows Mobile 5.0 offering from the US Carrier. The handset is based on the HTC Excalibur reference design, and as such is functionally the same as the HTC branded S620 sold in Europe. It sports such highlights as WiFi, EDGE, and Bluetooth data, as well as a full QWERTY keyboard, in a very compact and slim design. In many regards, it can be fairly compared with Motorola's Q smartphone, but with the the Q's 3G support having been swapped out for WiFi connectivity on the Dash.

Physical Aspects

In terms of QWERTY equipped Windows Mobile 5 Smartphones, there are few devices that are more compact and pocketable than the T-Mobile Dash, which measures up at 112mm x 63mm x 14.5mm (4.4" x 2.5" x .57") and weighs 119.3g (with SIM). Samsung's SGH-i320 comes to mind, but that handset lacks the Dash's WiFi connectivity, and its alphabetic keys are less conventionally shaped than the square keys found on the Dash. The Dash's keyboard is quite usable, and while it is a bit more cramped feeling than the one found on the Q, the keys seem less stiff and more user friendly. The same can not be said about the blue backlighting, though, as it can be quite difficult to read at times.

There are few other controls to be found on the Dash when compared with the many dedicated music and camera keys found on today's handsets. This is not to say that the Dash lacks dedicated keys, but just that its dedicated messaging, camera, and web keys are located within the bounds of the QWERTY keyboard. Located around the d-pad, with its center select button, are the two softkeys, home and back keys, and the red and green call control keys. A power/quick-list key is located on the top left side of the Dash, and a horrendous touch sensitive volume control is located on the top of the right hand side. This volume control is very difficult to use, requiring separate taps to increase or decrease volume, and can easily be triggered by the user's ear or face. It can be disabled, but it simply should have been left out of the design and replaced with normal keys.

The T-Mobile Dash, like many of the new WM5 Smartphone based QWERTY phones, makes use of a landscape oriented QVGA display. In the case of the Dash, its display is capable of showing up to 65k different colors. My only complaint regarding the display is that the backlight's brightness level can not be adjusted. There are settings for how quickly the backlight and the display itself time out, but there is no brightness setting, which would certainly help extend battery life.

The rest of the physical design of the Dash is very straight forward, and solid. The cover has a almost rubber like coating to it that is both resistant to fingerprints and comfortable to hold. The rear cover can be removed to reveal the swappable battery and the microSD memory card slot that can be accessed without removing the battery. The camera's lens and self-portrait mirror can also be found on the back of the device. About the only thing left is the rubber cover that protects the miniUSB data/headset/power port that is located on the bottom of the Dash.

 

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