T-Mobile Dash

[Passacaglia]

I'm looking at cell phones, and am thinking about getting a T-Mobile Dash. Does anyone have one?

[Galaril]

Not the dash but got a Blackberry curve and sorry I don't know about the device the dash but as far there customer service the best. And when I say the best the best in any industry really excellent.

[Neuqua]

I have one, and think it is a solid phone.

It does freeze up on me a little more often than I'd like however.

[stevew]

If you're switching carriers, Amazon has some great deals on cell phones. Only stipulation is that you can't change your plan for the first 181 days, or you have to pay a penalty. I think the dash is a penny.

[Galaril]

Originally Posted by stevew

If you're switching carriers, Amazon has some great deals on cell phones. Only stipulation is that you can't change your plan for the first 181 days, or you have to pay a penalty. I think the dash is a penny.

Yup, I was going to mention this as well. My wife and I just got a new blackberry for me, a new rizr phone for her and a router for wireless all for $0 with a couple $50 rebates.

[Passacaglia]

Thanks! I just checked the amazon page, and you're right -- one penny. Most of the reviews of it seem good, but there was one that totally ripped into it. Neuqua or anyone else, can you guys comment on it? I'll post the excerpts that I cared about.

- When a call is on call waiting the phone fails to give an option to the user to select which call to take and which call to put on hold or drop/ignore. On the occasions this problem has occurred with me the call that is dropped/kept appears random with a preference to switch to the incoming call no matter what is depressed. The other call is dropped and not put on hold.

- One of the most annoying aspects of this device is the alarm clock. The user interface looks like it was written in 10 minutes and was clearly not verified for correctness. The digital watch I had in 1982 had the same degree of sophistication but with a more intuitive use model and was more thoroughly debugged. First of all, the user only gets to select a time and if the alarm is on or off. From the interface you would assume you could only set a single alarm....if only it were that obvious. The best way to explain this buggy piece of software is with an example: I set the alarm for 6am; the next day the alarm goes off at 6am. That day I set the alarm for 7am - the following day the alarm goes off at 6am and 7am. The next day I set the alarm for 7:30am and you guessed it, the alarm now goes off three times. The best that I've been able to deduce (of course, this type of behavior is not documented in the user manual that comes with the device) is that the user has to actively select "off" for the current setting before setting "on" for the new time. But there is no indication of what alarms are set, so after a while or a particularly busy week you can loose track of what's set and what isn't....the only way to clear all of the alarms that have been set is a hard re-boot.


- The use of alarms or reminders is ambiguous - to put the device in "Silent" mode, but leave alarms on because you want to sleep and only want your alarm to wake you up, for example, does not work. Calendar reminders will be active as they are assigned the alarm property instead of their own or the notification property. The only way around this is to cancel reminders for all day events....otherwise you get an alarm at midnight.

- ActiveSync: This is the most annoying piece of software in that it just does not work. Worse still, when it does not work it gives a cryptic error message stating that an error has occurred and some data will be lost next time you perform synchronization. It does not provide you with a fix, a hint or a path so that you don't lose data. It does not even tell you the data that was lost. So, I'm using a Microsoft Mobile OS with Microsoft XP and Microsoft Outlook and they can't get that right? (OK, it maybe serves me right for signing up to so much Microsoft, but come on.) This was another primary purchasing driver for me. I am very busy and want to have my schedule up to date between my PC and PDA - all the time. It's the only way to keep organized. I thought that with the same provider of all the software I'd be OK. Also, as this feature has been around for over a decade from Palm and perfected by Blackberry....how hard can it be?

[Router Help]

I work in IT and we have to deal with all the different smart phones. Most of what is described above is the same on any windows mobile device and not solely the dash.

Windows Mobile 6.1 fixed a lot of the alarm/clock issues that are described in that particular review so I would see what version of Windows Mobile the phone you are buying comes with.

We usually end up flashing most of our T-Mobiles with a plain load of Windows instead of all their T-Mobile load, but some people like it. I guess play with it in the store and see what you think.

[stevew]

I was going to get a dash, but the reviews on the Pearl were a little bit better. Plus there was a 100 dollar rebate on the phone, bringing the cost of it to -99.99 when i eventually get the rebates back. They will probably take all summer to process, but some afternoon I'll be pleasantly suprised.

I think the MyFaves thing is pretty sweet, especially if you only do call 4-5 people for the majority of your talk time.

[Passacaglia]

Originally Posted by Router Help

I work in IT and we have to deal with all the different smart phones. Most of what is described above is the same on any windows mobile device and not solely the dash.

Windows Mobile 6.1 fixed a lot of the alarm/clock issues that are described in that particular review so I would see what version of Windows Mobile the phone you are buying comes with.

We usually end up flashing most of our T-Mobiles with a plain load of Windows instead of all their T-Mobile load, but some people like it. I guess play with it in the store and see what you think.

What's flashing?

[Passacaglia]

Originally Posted by stevew

I was going to get a dash, but the reviews on the Pearl were a little bit better. Plus there was a 100 dollar rebate on the phone, bringing the cost of it to -99.99 when i eventually get the rebates back. They will probably take all summer to process, but some afternoon I'll be pleasantly suprised.

I think the MyFaves thing is pretty sweet, especially if you only do call 4-5 people for the majority of your talk time.

Does the Pearl sync to Outlook?

[stevew]

Originally Posted by Passacaglia

Does the Pearl sync to Outlook?

no idea. I just bought it cause it was cool, and eventually I might use more of its features. I know i get my email directly on the phone, which is nice. I've never used outlook at all.

[Passacaglia]

Originally Posted by stevew

no idea. I just bought it cause it was cool, and eventually I might use more of its features. I know i get my email directly on the phone, which is nice. I've never used outlook at all.

Sounds like me, sorta. When I tell people I want a smartphone that doesn't require a data plan along with it, I get a lot of weird looks. I just want something with a QWERTY keyboard that I can sync to outlook to keep my calendar and tasks organized.

[Galaril]

Originally Posted by stevew

I was going to get a dash, but the reviews on the Pearl were a little bit better. Plus there was a 100 dollar rebate on the phone, bringing the cost of it to -99.99 when i eventually get the rebates back. They will probably take all summer to process, but some afternoon I'll be pleasantly suprised.

I think the MyFaves thing is pretty sweet, especially if you only do call 4-5 people for the majority of your talk time.

My faves is awesome and if you need more try out the grandcentral station free service that gives you one number for all in coming calls.

[Yellow5]

I work for T-Mobile and the Dash is a solid device but it's been around for a long time and I hear it will be replaced with something better later this year. Windows Mobile 6 is the cause for most of the lockup issues.

I used one for a week but couldn't stand Windows Mobile, so ended up with a Blackberry Curve which I really love.

Glad to hear that Galaril likes our service.

[Passacaglia]

Originally Posted by Yellow5

I work for T-Mobile and the Dash is a solid device but it's been around for a long time and I hear it will be replaced with something better later this year. Windows Mobile 6 is the cause for most of the lockup issues.

I used one for a week but couldn't stand Windows Mobile, so ended up with a Blackberry Curve which I really love.

Glad to hear that Galaril likes our service.

Is the lockup from people who have downloaded Windows Mobile 6? I just read that the Dash will come with Windows Mobile 6 already on it starting in June. Will that take care of lockups?

Also, I assume that whatever they get to replace the Dash with will be more expensive? I'm not looking for world-class features here -- just something that I can talk in, sync to outlook, and not get irritated by.

[Yellow5]

The Dash replacement would be more expensive up front because it'll be new.

I've head of lockups with both WM 5 and 6 users. The 6 users could be from their own install/flash of the OS though. I'll take a look around internally and see what the lockup ratio is on the Dash and if there are any widespread issues with it.

I'm pretty sure the Blackberry will sync with Outlook (to answer your earlier question) but it's not something I do personally. I'll see if I can find a definite answer on that for you.

[Klinglerware]

Originally Posted by Yellow5

I work for T-Mobile and the Dash is a solid device but it's been around for a long time and I hear it will be replaced with something better later this year. Windows Mobile 6 is the cause for most of the lockup issues.

I used one for a week but couldn't stand Windows Mobile, so ended up with a Blackberry Curve which I really love.

Glad to hear that Galaril likes our service.

So, when are the WCDMA phones coming out? Looking forward to the continued 3G rollout...

[Yellow5]

Our Android based phone should be out towards the end of the year. That's the one I am drooling over right now. No idea what the hardware will be, there are lots of rumors on that, but the OS looks pretty slick and I'd guess that will be the phone everyone's been waiting for.

[CleBrownsfan]

I'm signing a 2 year extension with my T-Mobile account I'm getting a much needed new phone... any suggestions? I was looking at the Samsung Behold...

hxxps://my.t-mobile.com/cihu/Phones/Default.aspx

The Behold will be $159 after rebate and discount...

[Passacaglia]

As an update, I'm happy with my Dash. There are some minor problems involving the alarms and speed dial, but other than that, it does everything I want.

[Klinglerware]

Originally Posted by CleBrownsfan

I'm signing a 2 year extension with my T-Mobile account I'm getting a much needed new phone... any suggestions? I was looking at the Samsung Behold...

hxxps://my.t-mobile.com/cihu/Phones/Default.aspx

The Behold will be $159 after rebate and discount...

I guess it will depend on how you use your phone.

It's a good looking phone. People have had to do a little hacking to do things like full html browsing, google maps, etc. You can't tether it to your laptop via bluetooth (and take advantage of 3g when you are on the road) yet, but I'm sure that either T-mo will update the firmware or someone will hack it eventually. You will also need a full-fledged data plan if you want unrestricted internet browsing (though that's par for the course).

But, it is a 3g phone with a 5mp camera that you can use internationally--it's great that T-mobile is finally subsidizing a couple of highish-end all-in-one devices. I'm trying to avoid subsidized phones, but I might consider getting it myself if some of the usability issues are worked out (I think it's great as a regular phone, but I do tether a lot so the Behold is a no go so far).