DailyTech - T-Mobile Shows Off Its New "Dash" Smartphone

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Gadgets T-Mobile Shows Off Its New "Dash" Smartphone
Brandon Hill (Blog) - October 11, 2006 8:57 AM

8 comment(s) - last by noxipoo.. on Oct 11 at 12:27 PM

The Q killer has arrived

T-Mobile has unveiled its new "Dash" Smartphone which will no doubt be compared to the popular Motorola Q. The Windows Mobile-based device is dressed to impress and some sites, including CNET and MSNBC, are calling it the new Q killer.

The device is quite stylish (in this editor's eyes) with its rounded shape and black/silver color scheme. Dimensions are a svelte 4.4" x 2.5" x 0.5" and it weighs in at 4.2 ounces (compared to 4.06 ounces for the Q). The Dash features a 2.4" TFT display, quad-band GSM/SPRS/EDGE, 802.11g, Bluetooth 2.0+EDR, 128MB/64 MB flash memory/RAM, 1.3MP camera and a microSD slot. The battery is rated at 960 mAh compared to 1130 mAh for the Q -- a rather interesting deficiency for the Dash given the Q's similar dimensions and lighter weight.

The ever-resourceful fellas over at Engadget were able to give a hands-on review of the device and had plenty to say about this newcomer:

We know what you're burning to ask, though: how does it stack up against the Q? Well, when it comes down to it they're actually two very different devices. Radios excepted, we find the Dash preferable; though it's only got a 200MHz OMAP processor compared to the Q's 312MHz XScale, but it comes equipped with an additional 64MB flash memory. The Dash only has a 960mAh battery compared to the Q's 1130mAh power pack, but under normal usage the Dash held up quite well. So those specs are kind of tit for tat, but the Dash is just so much less utilitarian looking and clunky feeling. It's the slim Smartphone perfected.

The Dash will have a list price of $349, but can be had for $249 with a one-year contract and $199 with a two-year contract.

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this is soo cool ( laughing )

By mforce on 10/11/2006 10:36:18 AM , Rating: 2

Em , excuse me but I think somebody smoked something or else I've got no way of explaining all this raving about this "device". So it's got a smaller battery , it doesn't have a better CPU than the Motorola but it's supposed to beat it and it's the greatest thing yet because .... ?
Of course I'd really love to get it for the same reason MSNBC loves it , it runs Windows and I'm a big fan , can't really live without that small Windows logo on the start button. Seriously now there are better smartphones than this IMO , like the Nokia ones ( E 70 , 9300i ) and there's plenty more .
Personally I'd get the Sidekick as I heard that's what Paris Hilton has ( or had ) and I'm a big fan of her home made videos :) .

RE: this is soo cool ( laughing )

By Anh Huynh on 10/11/2006 11:24:28 AM , Rating: 2

Technically the Dash has a superior processor. Although its clocked 112 MHz lower, the OMAP has an integrated DSP to handle phone, audio and multimedia functions. This is also in addition to the ALU unit used for regular processing. The XScale has a higher clock speed but everything is processed by the CPU.

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RE: this is soo cool ( laughing )

By mforce on 10/11/2006 12:17:59 PM , Rating: 2

I agree but I think overall they're about the same and you can't really call the OMAP superior . I knew the author made a mistake calling the OMAP inferior due to its clock speed but I don't think it's that much better , it just achieves things differently . While it might be better at multimedia let's not forget some apps like let's say a web browser require pure CPU speed and have no use for a DSP .

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Q-Killer?

By DukeN on 10/11/06, Rating: 0

RE: Q-Killer?

By retrospooty on 10/11/2006 12:05:01 PM , Rating: 2

What is so bad about the Q? I am not flaming, just curious to what the issues are... I actually have a Treo 700p and love it.

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RE: Q-Killer?

By Myrandex on 10/11/2006 12:15:43 PM , Rating: 2

I didn't think the Q was going to be that bad, but when I found out that Verizon locked it in for a while, I didn't think twice about it. Verizon locks people out of features in phones all of the time. I heard a rumo rwhen the Q is made for GSM models, it will have 802.11g in it (which I hear in its current form it doesn't have, so that you can pay Verizon money to use the internet through their network). I have a cingular 8125 (by HTC) and I am pretty happy with it. I think the perfect design physically for a smartphone was the Motorola MPX300 though.

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