Day #38 of the 81-day experiment, the T-Mobile MDA ready to roll

The T-Mobile MDA got charged today and is now ready to join the experiment. The MDA uses Windows Mobile 5 and includes a stylus and a touch screen. What is unique about the MDA is the sliding keyboard which opens up and gives you a full QWERTY keyboard.

When compared with the Treo 700p, 700w, and Motorola Q, this keyboard is something to write home about (it is probably not fair to compare it to the BlackBerry Pearl keypad because the two devices are very different in their design concept--this would be like comparing a Porsche to a minivan). If having a larger screen and having a comfortable keyboard are high on your priority list, the T-Mobile MDA may be the answer. In this case, you may also check out the XV6700 by Verizon, the PPC 6700 by Sprint, and the 8125 Pocket PC by Cingular. They all use Windows Mobile and include the sliding keyboard.

The T-Mobile MDA will be accompanying me to the U.K. next week, and then the BlackBerry 8700 will take over as I continue my trip East towards Germany. With T-Mobile and the GPRS/EDGE network, I will be able to stay connected, and report on how the devices are behaving thousands of miles away from home. For now, I still have some work to do in getting the MDA synchronized and fully connected. This will be tomorrow’s task.