T-Mobile MDA
Apr 29th, 2006 by Rick Mahn
Here you’ll find all the information that I’m aware of about the T-Mobile MDA (HTC Wizard) device. It will be updated as I find things, or have time to refine it.
Basic Information:
- HTC Wizard based device
- Windows Mobile 5.0
- WiFi (802.11b/g)
- Blutooth 1.2
- Quad-band GSM Phone
- GPRS and EDGE Data Service
- Slide-out QWERTY Keyboard
- 1.3MP Camera with flash
- 200MHz TI OMAP Processor
- 64MB RAM and 128MB ROM
- Can be upgraded to support Microsoft’s new “push” email solution (aka ‘AKU2′ update) though this is not available from T-Mobile USA as of April 2006
- Includes protective belt case, sync/charge cable and a replacement stylus
Some Community Resources:
- HTC Wizard Web - Great new community dedicated only to the HTC Wizard based devices (Kudos to Stanley for creating a great environment)
- Mail2Web Live - Free push-mail for Windows Mobile devices (does require the AKU2 update)
- HowardForums Pocket PC Forum
- HowardForums T-Mobile Forum
- Pocket PC Thoughts - The absolute best Pocket PC community site on the web. Covers all aspects of Pocket PC/Pocket PC Phone usage.
- Hacks, tips tricks & impressions (hosted at HowardForums)
- MS Voice Command via Bluetooth headset on HTC Wizard
Reviews:
- Review: T-Mobile MDA (PhoneScoop)
- One Month Review of the T-Mobile MDA (me)
- Say Hi to the T-Mobile MDA! (Pocket PC Thoughts)
- T-Mobile MDA Pocket PC Phone Review (Brighthand)
- T-Mobile MDA Review (infoSync World)
- T-Mobile MDA (PC Mag)
- T-Mobile MDA (ZDNet)
- T-Mobile MDA Vario Review (CoolSmartPhone)
- T-Mobile MDA (Mobile Tech Review)
- Review: T-Mobile’s HTC Wizard Based MDA (MobileBurn)
** Important Fixes **
While there is only one item listed here right now, I wanted to make sure that I had a section for people to find the most important fixes for their T-Mobile MDA. Below I haved linked to the articles/posts that address each issue. This first one is significant if you have updated your MDA to firmware (ROM) version 2.26 from T-Mobile. It also is seen on other 2.2x firmware from QTek, Cingular, HTC, and iMate.
Software I Use:
- SBSH PocketBreeze
- SBSH PocketWeather
- SBSH iLauncher
- Ilium Software eWallet
- Ilium Software NewsBreak
- Ilium Software ListPro
- BatteryStatus Today-Plugin (by Chi-Tai Dang) [Freeware]
- Emoze (3rd Party Push-Mail solution)
- Adobe Flash Player [Freeware]
- Opera Browser
- ThinkOutside Bluetooth Stowaway Travel Mouse
- ThinkOutside Bluetooth Stowaway Keyboard
- Total Commander [Freeware]
- Skype
- Pocket SharpMT (Offline Blogging Client) [Freeware]
Update! A Replacement?
July 8th, 2007
The HTC P4550 (aka HTC Kaiser) may be a replacement option for the MDA. The current T-Mobile Wing is great, but lacks 3G and some other nifty features that I’d like to have. Check out this Review of the P4550 by CoolSmartPhone.com.
Update II: Spontaneous Reboot
August 13th, 2007
About a week ago, my T-Mobile MDA has started to spontaneously reboot. Of course it’s at the most inconvenient times too! Not exactly sure what is causing it, but it’ll reboot in the middle of a call. Then during the reboot, it’ll enter into a recurring reboot that never stops.
Update III: Fix for Reboot Issue
November 13th, 2007
I figured this one out a few weeks ago, but waited to post until I was sure. My “spntaneous reboot” issue I mentioned above was directly due to the original standard battery. It was abnormally “thick” and while it looked like it was charged, or taking a charge, it must not have supplied a consistent power source for the MDA. After lamenting the problem for about two months, I finally thought of eBay. A quick $7 later and a new generic battery was on its way to me. I figured that for $7 ($.99 for the battery and $5.99 for shipping) was a worthwhile experiment to see if it was the battery. It was.
Update IV: Bluetooth Modem
November 13th, 2007
Two for the price of one today! A co-worker at the “Big Client” was trying to get his MDA connected to his new HP laptop (HP tx1320us - sweet by the way), and not having much luck. Since it’s been awhile for me to use Bluetooth to connect to the ‘net I thought I’d set mine up and try to help. As was my first experience with Bluetooth DUN a few years ago - it didn’t work. I did a quick search and found help at the following links for using a T-Mobile MDA to connect via Bluetooth to the Internet using T-Mobile Internet service (the $30/mo. plan). Simply make sure to have a partnership with the MDA showing up as a Bluetooth modem on the XP or Vista box (I’ve used both successfully). Then edit the Advanced settings for the Bluetooth modem in Device Manager so the command string contains: AT+CGDCONT=1,”IP”,”internet2.voicestream.com”. More information can be found at the following. Hope this helps!
Update V: Looking forward to 3G - maybe this phone?
Since T-Mobile is rumored to be launching their UMTS 3G service this first quarter of 2008 (I’ll believe it when I see it…), I thought I’d mention a phone that I think may be on my short list. The HTC Touch Cruise is turning out to be a nifty device that just might be what I’m looking for.
[...] T-Mobile MDA [...]
[...] T-Mobile MDA [...]
[...] T-Mobile MDA [...]
[...] T-Mobile MDA [...]
[...] T-Mobile MDA (mobile data via GPRS/EDGE services, Tunes via URGE [synced]) [...]
[...] T-Mobile MDA [...]
[...] I’ve had the worst problem with my T-Mobile MDA dropping calls about 4 minutes into a call. While the exact time of the drop varied (sometimes up to 10 minutes into a call) it was consistent to the point that everyone I talked to knew about when it would happen. [...]
[...] T-Mobile MDA [...]
Do you know if it’s possible to delete specific calls from the history log?
Chad,
I just tried this, and it appears that if you tap and hold on a Call History log entry, there is a delete option in the menu that appears.
So, yes is the answer - hope this helps!
~Rick
Hey Rick, cool site on the MDA. I have a couple of questions for you. My first is, how is Emoze working for you? I’ve read a lot of sketchy reviews on the software and just wanted to see your take on it. Second, I am interested in purchasing the Motorola S9 Bluetooth stereo headphones. I’ve noticed it is version 2.0 Bluetooth technology, will this fly with the MDA and latest upgrade? Thanks for your time.
Charly
Charly,
Emoze worked quite well for what it was designed to do - mail was delivered very quickly to the device. My only complaint about it was that it really drained the battery. It seemed that Emoze is in constant communication with its service on the Internet. I’ve since removed the software and really am quite happy with Mail2Web that I list above - it also is a free service and uses Exchange 2003 SP2 push technology that is built into Windows Mobile.
As far as the Motorola S9, I’ve not had first-hand experience with it, but I believe you should be able to use it with the MDA just fine. The MDA has Bluetooth 1.2, and v2 that is in modern headsets should be backwards compatible. I’ve not had trouble with Bluetooth on the MDA, it’s been really reliable.
Hope this helps!
~Rick
Thanks Rick. I tried Mail2web first but I grew frustrated in setting it up. Emoze seems to be working fine, but it has to stay connected to the internet service at all times it seems and sometimes doesn’t flow as smoothly as I’d like. You wouldn’t have a step by step for mail2web by chance? Appreciate any help.
PS. Have you heard about the T-mobile “Wing” coming out next week? It’s supposed to be replacing are trusty MDA. From what I’ve read so far it’s the same power and specs, which isn’t much of an upgrade in my opinion. It does run windows Mobile 6 though.
Charly,
Sorry to hear that you’ve had problems setting up Mail2Web. I would be happy to help in the config - I’ve been using it for over a year, and have reset my device about 4 times, requiring a reconfig each time. Let me know when you have about 30 minutes or so and we can IM back and forth during the setup - I’m on Google Talk (rickmahn@gmail.com) and Live Messenger (rickmahn@hotmail.com).
As for the Wing, I also was looking forward to at least some upgrades in HW specs. A 400MHz processor or so, and support for UMTS/HSDPA would be nice. It does have WM6 like you mentioned, and I believe a 2MP camera, Bluetooth 2.0 (EDR?) - so it still may be an option at the supposed $250 price point. I’ll have to think about that - however my MDA is starting to get a little beat up and the Wing may be a little thinner.
Anyway, let me know if/when you would like to run through Mail2Web config settings.
~Rick
Hey Rick,
Sorry I never got around to setting up that mail2web with you. I wa swondering How I would get my msn E-mail to qork with it. I’d probably have to forward it to the mail2web and then have mail2web send it to my phone right? Well did you take the plunge on the Wing yet? I went by the store and even with a partial upgrade discount the phone would still cost me $350! For the same sluggish processor power… no thanks! I’v heard that Windows Mobile 6 can be put on the MDA. Any truth to this do you know? Or just a myth?
Hi Charly - not a problem, I should just send you the config settings and maybe a screen shot or two - I’ll work on that over the weekend as I find a few minutes (it’s raining here). No, I’ve not picked up the Wing, though I still may… more thought required on it. You are right, it’s hard to drop $350 for a device that doesn’t provide better performance or faster data speeds. The keyboard looks better, and a 2MP Camera, but still…
Yep, I’ve heard the same rumors about WM6 on the MDA - supposedly, there was going to be a WM6 update coming from T-Mobile but I’m not sure I believe that.
As for other email addresses, I do have about 5 accounts forwarded to my mail2web account. The only bad part is that Pocket Outlook doesn’t let you select what account you can reply from, so if you get an email sent to a gmail account, you would reply from the mail2web account. I’ve found that FlexMail 2007 from Web IS does allow you to reply from a different account than an email was delivered to, but I’ve yet to drop $30 on the software yet.
I spoke to the T-Mobile PDA help desk..TWICE. THERE WILL BE NO WINDOWS MOBILE 6 UPDATE FOR THE MDA!
They suggest getting the Wing….for $399!
What a joke!
Unfortunately that is often the case. I’ve had three PDAs that did not get an OS upgrade when the new version came out. It’s up to the OEM (T-Mobile in this case) to release the upgrade. Since an OS upgrade would have the potential to keep many MDA customers from buying a new device, they have decided to not offer it.
The Wing, however, is no joke as it is a really nice device. Slimmer and with several updates to hardware and features. The real downside for me is the lack of 3G. While T-Mobile is still in the test & development phase for 3G, it would be nice to have a device that is capable ahead of time.
I share your frustration Eric, time and time again hardware vendors are not interested in offering the upgrades that customers want. Instead suggesting we spend hundreds more just to fill their pockets.
I have T-mobile MDA. Anyway to get mobile 6.0 on it?
Hi Steve,
Sorry I didn’t get back to you yesterday. There currently is no supported way to get Windows Mobile 6 installed on the MDA. There may be a WM6 ROM floating around the Internet, but again, it is not supported by T-Mobile so use at your own risk.
Wish there was one, I would install it in a heartbeat!
LMAO Seems we do have something in common besides twitter and random tv shows.
That’s my phone! I even wrote a review about it on Ciao!
I may have to email you for tweaks and the like at some point.
Vics,
I’d be happy to answer as much as I’m able to - my phone is starting it’s slide to a slow death at the moment, so I may have to do some of that from memory.
I’m off to read your review!
~Rick
Regarding upgrading MDA to Mobile 6, do any of the HTC Wizard upgrades work? There is now one out for the CIngular 8215; does anyone know if this also works for the MDA?
T-Mobile is dumping these at $79 each on their web site; no wonder they won’t offer an upgrade, but you would think someone would have hacked this by now, especially since it has been done for the Cingular equivalent.
Thanks in advance.
Larry,
Sure! The trick is that you need to unlock the device. The MDA can run any of the HTC Wizard ROMs that exist out there on the ‘net. I actually ran a Qtek ROM for awhile on my MDA for about half of 2006 and it worked well. Then T-Mobile released an upgraded ROM that included all the updates/tweaks that other networks had for a few months, so I upgraded to that.
XDA Developers has details on how to unlock and upgrade the ROM on all the HTC models of phones. I’d check there first (and their forums!) for the info.
The MDA is a great device, but keep in mind that it is 2.5yr old tech at this point. The 200MHz processor is S-L-O-W compared with the Wing and it only has EDGE. Rumor was that Tmo was going to roll out 3G UMTS service towards the end of this year or early next. There are newer models of the sliding keyboard HTC device that will take advantage of this network - though it probably won’t be out ’till spring if I had to guess (and that’s what I’m doing).
Hope this helps!
Hi, there!..a5610c9dd28bec6158ab025c319ff193
hey i have an MDA and was wondering if the msn and internet stuff was free or do i have to get a plan?
Hi Ryan, no you don’t need to get an MSN plan to use those features. All the MSN (now Windows Live) features like email, maps, search, spaces, etc… are free.
Now, with that said, to access those features you need to have a data plan to access the online services. That is not free - I believe T-Mobile’s lowest-price data plan is about $7(US) a month. This will allow pretty much full use of the features on the phone. If you need to tether a laptop or use the WiFi hotspots, you’ll need their “T-Mobile Internet Plan” that costs about $30(US) a month.
Over the years I’ve tried many flavors of their data plan and have ended up with the full-on Internet plan since I use it for business.
I’d also look close at Google’s freebie services - Google Reader for example is tailored for the mobile browser and makes for easy reading anywhere. GMail is pretty good as well.
Hope this answers your question!
Hi Rick,
Long time no post! I read you’re reply above and now I have a question. What $7.00 data plan are you talking about? Do you have to call up and ask for it, because I don’ see it on their website. Also, any word on the HTC Kaiser coming to the states via T-Mobile? Tha tphone was everything anyone would need in a mobile device. The Rom & Ram are rediculous. And the processor power is crazy! To me, the Wing is the same as an MDA, just with a different shell.
Charly,
Long time indeed - hope things are going well.
I was speaking from memory when I quoted $7 - there was one for that price when I looked several months ago. Of course it’s changed. Currently, they have a $10 phone-only plan and a $20 Internet & hotspot plan - both monthly charges. Interesting that they dropped the price from $30 for the ‘net/hotspot option. Read about them here.
As for the HTC Kaiser and future phones - I’ve not heard much. Mostly because I’ve gotten side-tracked with consulting work and haven’t kept up to date. It does look like a great phone, but I’m currently hoping for the HTC TyTn II - the one that AT&T markets as the “Tilt”.
Hopefully we’ll get some news on the Tmo 3G network this week or at least by the end of the year. I have no clue what pricing might be on that.
Rick, I have an MDA and tried to load the Free Adobe Flashplayer, I must be doing something wrong and would appreciate a bit of instructions. I downloaded the zip file to my PC, I then copied it to the Tools Directory on the MDA. I tried to double click on it from my PC, but noting happens. I tried to find the file in the MDA using the MDA search function, and the WinZip program, but cannot see the file. help, appreciated. 1/21/08
“Rick, I have an MDA and tried to load the Free Adobe Flashplayer, I must be doing something wrong and would appreciate a bit of instructions. I downloaded the zip file to my PC, I then copied it to the Tools Directory on the MDA. I tried to double click on it from my PC, but noting happens. I tried to find the file in the MDA using the MDA search function, and the WinZip program, but cannot see the file. help, appreciated. 1/21/08″
Glen, It should be in your My Documents folder in your MDA. THat’s where it automatically saves to. Once in there you just double click it with the stylus.
Hi Rick, You have to check out this new pocket pc web browser. It is the full web in the palm of your hand! Check out http://www.skyfire.com
I’m running the beta as we speak and the thing is amazing. Of course it is a lot more impressive on wifi then on Edge, but it is still pretty functional. My MDA is getting better all the time! TV, full web browsing, Skype, Mp3’s, Movies, oh yeah… and it makes calls!
Charly, I’ve not tried SkyFire yet, but I hear good things. I didn’t get in the private beta and hadn’t been back to check for a couple weeks. Speaking of new, there is an update to SPB Mobile Shell which has transformed the usability of my MDA recently.
I’m contently amazed at how new ideas come along and they end up extending the life of my venerable MDA!
Very happy about that!
Rick.. I did it. I finally left T-mobile. I got tired of Edge! I’m with AT&T now and pretty content with the tilt. I’ve wiped it clean of all its nonsense ATT apps and basically have me a clean slate HTC phone with a lot of space!!! HSDPA is rediculous! And Windows Live is amazing. I love how it syncs my contacts from my contacts list from my MSN account. You have to tweak the phone a little bit, but once that’s done the options are endless! Finally a powerful pocket pc phone with a good amount of memory and fast internet!! And I’m paying bascially what I was before T-mobile knocked off $10 off their data plan. Amazing I paid so much for Edge all these years.