T-Mobile Pocket PC
- By Carlos A. Soto
- Aug 07, 2003
T-Mobile Pocket PC
If you're looking for a personal digital assistant and a cell phone but are not looking forward to carrying both in your pocket, buy one that's married.
With a 32-bit, 206-MHz Intel StrongARM processor running the Microsoft Pocket PC operating system and a Global System for Mobile Communications chip for 900-GHz and 1,900-GHz networks, the T-Mobile phone from T-Mobile USA Inc. of Bellevue, Wash., is a clear choice for anyone who wants the best of both worlds.
It's not a space saver. At 5.1 by 2.8 by 0.7 inches and weighing 7.1 ounces, the T-Mobile phone feels awkward in your pocket.
But you can't beat being able to surf the Internet or retrieve your work e-mail anywhere you get a cellular signal. The T-Mobile also can access e-mail from Web servers using Post Office Protocol 3 accounts and synchronize with Microsoft Outlook. It comes loaded with Word, Excel, Media Player and MSN Messenger.
The T-Mobile has a color-reflective TFT LCD capable of 240- by 320-pixel resolution and can display up to 4,096 colors. That's better than most PDAs and much better than any cell phone available.
But the cost for having a nice screen is battery life. The T-Mobile has a lithium-ion polymer battery and claims 12 hours of battery life if using the PDA, four hours of talk-time and 100 hours of standby if using the cellular features.
We found the numbers to be about five hours if using the PDA, two hours talk-time and 48 hours standby.
But despite those drawbacks, the T-Mobile has ample benefits to warrant consideration.
Price: $499
Phone: 800-937-8997
Online@
www.tmobile.com