T-Mobile MDA Compact Review

T-Mobile’s MDA Compact is a connected Pocket PC that’s very similar to the popular i-mate JAM, which we reviewed towards the end of 2004. Both the MDA Compact and the SDA, a Windows-based smartphone, are available either on their own or as a bundle with ALK’s CoPilot navigation software.

There is now a variety of connected Pocket PCs available through UK-based operators. O2, for example, has a range including the xda II, xda IIi and xda IIs. What makes the MDA Compact stand out is that only its near-twin the i-mate JAM shares is its very small size.

At just 5.8cm wide by 10.6cm deep by 1.8cm high, the MDA Compact is about two thirds the size of the average Pocket PC, and although at 170g it’s a bit on the heavy side, it fits almost as neatly in the pocket as a mobile phone does. Indeed, seated next to the T-Mobile SDA and the latter is actually slightly taller.

The ergonomics of the MDA Compact are very similar to those of any other Pocket PC. Navigation and shortcut buttons sit beneath the screen. The left edge provides a slider for controlling both call and system volume, a button for the built-in voice notes software and another for the built-in camera. The upper edge houses an SD card slot.

On the bottom edge there’s a 2.5mm headphone jack and the charge/synchronisation connector, which is a mini-USB type. The back is home to the camera lens and a comparatively large self-portrait mirror. The stylus, which is rather too lightweight for our liking, lives in a slot on the right edge of the device, adjacent to the power switch, and there’s an infrared port on the bottom right edge.

Review By Reviewcentre

The concept of this phone is simple - its Pocket PC PDA phone which has been shrunk to the size of a regular Smartphone, whilst retaining key functions of a PDA. It has a reasonably big screen yet it doesn’t look like you’re holding a brick to your ear when you’re making a phone call.

Spec-wise MDA Compact has what you’d expect of a Smartphone - built-in camera, GPRS, tri-band reception, media player, Outlook plus pocket versions of Word and Excel on top. Notable omissions include Wi-Fi, slide-out keyboard large internal memory but it does have an SDIO port so Wi-Fi and flash memory can be added (at extra cost).

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Review By Digit-life

Pocket PC communicators have been always considered devices of much controversy, despite the considerable advantages and progressive nature of this platform. It initially implied fixed display resolution and proportions. Previous generation technologies allowed to manufacture rather large (3.5” and larger) TFT displays of a standard resolution (320×240 pixels), which resulted in the increased width of the devices. As a result, large communicators were very discomfortable to use. Mandatory hands-free usage didn’t and won’t do for most users. So these dimensions and display proportions limited the improvement of Pocket PC communicator ergonomics.

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Review By Pcw

If you’re looking for a mobile handset that’s capable of more than just making calls and text messaging, T-mobile’s MDA Compact is worth serious consideration.

It’s one of the latest smartphones designed around Microsoft’s Windows Mobile 2003 SE Phone Edition.The first thing that strikes you about this handset is its size - the Compact looks minute alongside a standard Windows-based PDA.

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Review By Infosyncworld

For someone who’s used a Windows Mobile device or two, the T-Mobile MDA will appear almost impossibly small at 108 x 58 x 24 mm and 160 g - the exact footprint of the German T-Mobile MDA Compact, only slightly thicker to accomodate the stealthy slide-out thumbboard which occupies the rear half of the device. The front, meanwhile, plays host to a 2.8-inch QVGA display which, despite sub-par ClearType performance, is both bright and crisp as well as sufficiently large.

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