T-Mobile Wing Phone (T-Mobile)

There Are Several Better Devices Available June 6, 2007

Reviewer:  JL "J"  (Washington, not the DC) -

I just returned my T-Mobile wing after a week and a half of solid use. It had a lot of strong points but some major drawbacks ruined the deal. First, those shopping for a device like this are probably looking for a fairly quick data connection. I'm sad to say that T-mobile just isn't up to par with any other, major carrier when it comes to data speeds. It's not a trivial kinda of difference eitther. Verizon has speeds on their phones that are nearly as fast or faster than DSL. With this phone it's barely comparable to a dial-up modem. Forget about Skype, forget about streaming video. It just doesn't happen at those speeds.

From a business perspective this device is very solid. Windows Mobile 6.0 offers a few crucial changes over 5.0 but the applications are what won me over. It's nearly a fully functional desktop version of Excel in this bad boy. The version of Word is top of the line as well. Outlook functionality is stellar, and... it even browses Sharepoint sites (with some limitations).

As far as the physical device itself, I have some gripes. When using it horizontally with the keyboard slid open, the screen feels very fragile and the device feels fragile over all in your hands when using it this way. I could predict that the sliding functionality would break in the very near future.. .it didn't feel sturdy in that actiona t all.

The keyboard is virtually flat, which sucks if you are typing anything other than an extremely quick text. There is no 3.5mm audio jack, it's USB and Bluetooth only. That' sunfortunate because this thing is just about the right size to replace your iPod with, and with memory cards getting as big as they are it's not such a bad alternative. Plus the Win Media Player is very cool and very comprehensitve on this guy. It can be controlled from the home menu

The overall feel of the device is great. The case is not smooth and plasticy, it's textured and has a soft feel that would obviously show fewer nicks and dings than your standard PDA. Also, just in case you wondered, the color is not as bad as it appears online. It's a very deep, dark, bluish-purple with a metallic sheen.

I can see this device having serious merit for somebody with smaller hands since it isn't that much longer than a RAZR.

In the end I sent the device back because it's Wi-Fi module failed. Let me tell you this up front... T-Mobile, not very good at technical troubleshooting. Wouldn't recommend you even bother. I made it through 3 levels of Technical support for the guy to tell me that it must be my wireless setup, despite the fact that my friend was able to connect with his T-Mobile Dash, and the Wing wasn't able to connect to ANY wi-fi connection after the first day. That's T-mobile though, I doubt you'll have success troubleshooting with any carrier on that note. The real story here is that mine was prone to defects within 48 hours of standard use.

Overall, I'd recommend it. I'm sure they would have recalled the device by now if everybody was having the wi-fi issues so I guess that's a fairly safe bet. I wasn't able to find evidence of mass defect for wi-fi capabilities on the net.

Make sure that you are comfortable with the feel of this device when it's open and the keyboard is in use before you commit to it!

Not great but okay - some issues - but that is Windows Mobile for you ! May 30, 2007

Reviewer:  DKDC  (Washington, DC USA) -

updated 6/5/08

I have had this phone for more than a year, now.

The good
-----
+The keyboard is pretty good - it could have more height on the key domes but it works okay. Probably one of the best of the qwerty - or any phone keyboards.

+The Screen is nice - 2.8 inch diagonal

+The Device is small- smaller than the MDA which is almost the same

+The coating looks and feels good

+Some helpful programs

+My faves might save you some money

+Battery life is decent

+T-Mobile customer service is about as good as phone companies get. Usually tied with Verizon for the best (JD Power) or just barely behind Verizon (Checkbookdotorg).

+T-Mobile rates are cheaper than Verizon and ATT, and usually are as good if not better than Sprint.


The not so good
-----------------
-Edge - it is okay but T-Mobile does not have 3G or faster connection yet. Sprint, Cingular/ATT and Verizon all have comparable or better devices with 3G / Ev-Do speeds. (May 2008 3G on T-Mobile NYC and soon to spread)

-Memory - usable memory gets low pretty fast. You need to close programs before you open other programs usually and remember to restart it every other day. Also there is some lag time when turning on programs or waiting for the screen to change to horizontal when you open the keyboard. (UPDATE - go to howardforums to find free programs to speed up your Wing and a procedure to fix some of the memory issue. These fixes make it a four star phone I think).

-Phone buttons get pushed easily in the provided holster (even with lock screen enabled - the green and red phone buttons are still active and they stick out and so you will answer calls without meaning to, or hangup occasionally).

-Processor is a slow 201mhz by todays standards. While this makes for good battery life, it is disappointing to see Cingular with the 400mhz Hermes/8525 and Sprint with the 6700 and set to release the upgrade to the Hermes - the 6800 in October. (Verizon has the XV6800 now as well). All are faster machines with faster connections. And, of course, there is the iPhone with a 600+mhz processor.

-T-Mobile help just told me that the darn phone will not always sync recurring appointments correctly. This is of course not a T-Mo or an HTC problem but a WM6 problem. Apparently if you put a time limit on the recurring appointments it solves the problem. Say - this recurring appointment will end after 999 ocurrences.

=============
Bottom line (so far for me): if you have a Dash or MDA (ATT 8125) or something comparable that is still working - save your money and wait for the next ppc. Certainly the various 6800s are better than this.

If you want a qwerty ppc with touch screen - you might be pleased. It may be the best T-Mobile could do given their limited technology (no 3G in my city yet) and customer preferences (small phones are more popular).

A sidekick 2 user's take May 31, 2007

Reviewer:  A. Gornick "sproket"  (Pasadena, CA USA) -

After a few days of use:

Positives:
1) Fantastic case material (hard rubber case is fantastic)
2) Great screen with rich colors
3) Small form factor for a feature rich smartphone
4) Spring loaded keyboard snaps open nicely
5) Decent battery life
6) Rubberized keyboard
7) Great price for all the features you are getting

Negatives:
1) Slow. Slow. Slow. Synching was slow, apps are slow, wi-fi is slow, heck, nothing about this thing is snappy other than the standby toggle.

2) Keyboard is just too flat which makes for awkward typing. A shame as its a nice large keypad and rubberized to boot. I stil have yet to find a device that can compare to the Sidekick 2's rubberized keypad (wish they'd bring that back on their newer models, the SK3's plastic board is abysmal).

3) Windows Mobile Software. I hate to say it but, the hardware side of this phone is being held back by poor software. Windows Mobile is just not a great portable OS. It doesn't handle the things you need to do in the way that you need to do them. When will email and IMs be pushed? Windows Mobile needs to take another note from the Sidekick playbook. On a sidekick, you never miss a message. On this device all you are guaranteed is that the phone will ring. If you are in standby, you will not be getting any notification of your IMs. Unacceptable. This is supposed to be a total communications device. Right now it's just a phone, with some "outgoing" messaging features.

4) Too many key-clicks necessary. This is more about Windows Mobile really than the Wing. This OS is constantly throwing up dialogs asking you if you really want to delete this, or really want to do that. Toast style dialogs pop up that must be OK'd, when they should really auto-dismiss after a few seconds. On pass code entry it even makes you click "OK" instead of just unlocking when the right pass is entered. In short, it's too "desktop" oriented. Microsoft really needs to take a long hard look as what "portable" means in terms of UI design. App switching needs to be fast, UI needs to be light. Extra dialogs and nag screens need to be removed. When I use a sidekick I never have to click "OK". Everything auto saves, or just does what it needs to do.

5) Network hangs. I had to reboot wi-fi multiple times in the last few days to keep things working. Every other wi-fi device in my house has no issues. Just this one.

6) Wi-fi networking is poorly designed. There is no way to get it to ignore networks you don't want to connect to. So it will nag you about connecting to wi-fi networks you don't want when it looses connectivity to a network you do want. Very annoying (more un-necessary key clicks).

In short. The user experience of this device is good as long as you are holding it, or looking at it. The second you start using it, the illusion dissolves. I think HTC did a very nice hardware job however. If you are a Windows Mobile lover, this device is probably going to be a dream come true. It is feature rich and can do a lot more than a sidekick can do. However, if you want an extremely reliable phone/sms/email/IM device that is fast, and let's you *communicate* quickly and efficiently, this is not the device for you.

I would recommend this device to people who must have Windows Mobile for specific 3rd party applications. Other than that, try a blackberry, helio ocean, or sidekick.

Great features, mediocre hardware July 2, 2007

Reviewer:  Jane  (Ann Arbor, MI United States) -

I had this phone for two days before trading it in for a cheaper, sturdier phone. I was absolutely in love with the features but in the end the actual hardware convinced me to return it.

The good:

It comes with windows mobile 6, which includes windows explorer, word, excel and powerpoint (read and edit). It also has a sharp 2.0 megapixel camera and a decent video recorder. My favorite feature was the touch screen which responded well to my fingers as well as the included stylus. It has handwriting recognition and virtual keyboard for input. You can press the talk button to bring up a virtual keypad, and in general I found it quite easy to make phone calls. I only used the wifi card with the internet and found it to be pretty fast, although browsing the web tends to drain the battery. Even so, you can get a good two days use out of it if you remember to turn the wireless card off when not using it, otherwise it'll constantly be searching the area and will empty the battery in hours. Also, as others have said, the phone has a very nice soft rubbery feel to it. It's also a very pretty phone with rich colors.

The bad:

I almost never used the slide out keyboard because it's very flat and has a slippery plastic feel. Also there was a delay when you slid it out when the phone tries to reorient itself. In general the phone is a little slow, due to its 201 MHz processor, and you'll have to constantly close out programs in order to keep in running smoothly. When the keyboard is closed, it doesn't lock in, so that it's always wiggling around. This is especially annoying when you're on the phone for a while. It also comes with very little memory. With all the programs, you won't have enough room in the internal memory for even one song, so purchasing extra memory is a must. The phone is also quite bulky and fragile, so you'll be paranoid about dropping it.

In the end I was sad to return it because it's got some really amazing features, but I just couldn't justify the price with all the flaws.

The iPhone killer is here July 25, 2007

Reviewer:  William  (Florida) -

I bought the Wing after comparing it to other like phones and went with it because of WiFi. I can use the WiFi feature in my house, so I can look stuff up on the Web while watching TV.

My Jawbone Bluetooth headset paired with the Wing with no problems. The voice commands work with the Jawbone.

I get better phone reception in my house with T-Mobile than I did with at&t.

I also bought a 2G microSD for the Wing to store images.

I like the note-writing ability of the stylus; although, my handwriting sucks.

My hands are small enough that I can type Word documents on the Wing. I am so glad I did not pay $600 for iPhone plus the $60 a month fee.

I go between loving the wing and occassionally wanting to throw it out the window August 5, 2007

Reviewer:  Andrew  (Austin) -

With T-Mobile's unlimited internet, I'am able to skip outlook synching because I can access my workmail via webmail- I love that (i'm not sure why this feature turns me on!). The complete internet plan is much more affordable than what I had with Cingular. That said, T-Mobile's coverage and speed is not as good. But since this is a review on the Wing, I'll progress. Windows 6 is very user friendly. My previous phone that was 2 years old was lighter, but I had to consistenly pull out the owner's manual for info. With win6, if you can use windows on a PC, then you can use about 80% of this phone's features- gotta appreciate simplicity. So it's more user friendly. I love the MS office with adobe that comes pre-installed. I can really utilize docs, excell, pdfs very easily. The voice quality is neither better nor worst than before. I like the internet sharing, but if there's wifi, I will use my laptop instead of sharing. The tmobile GPRS/Edge is slower than my granny on her scooter, but at least it goes further. When using the camera, images show up awesome on this large screen, but click to take a picture and things show up yellowish-orange. My biggest gripe is the memory on the phone. I conistently get, not enough memory errors but there's no other program running. I've had to disable voice activation and many other features. It helps a bit, but not much. I added a 2gb storage card that's tiny. So if I can get 2gb of memory in a storage card for under $30, why couldn't they have increased the memory? There are too many features in this action packed phone, or pocket PC if you will, that are frustrating at times to use because of the low memory. The Windows Music player is a nice feature, altho I could do without the instant messaging (it's a phone, if I want to reach someone, I'll call). The battery life is adequate, but nothing to scream about. It looks like this phone is geared towards the young professional under 30 crowd. It's got lots of flash, but sometimes it doesn't shine too brightly. A co-worker has a Motorola Q with Verizon and is impressed with the Wing's features. So this phone is up there with the other big players. But, I just wish it had better internal memory. It's not worth the $449 list price. If you can get your hands on one for under $200, then the archaic processor might be a bit easier to deal with. But once again, if I had paid $449.00 for it, I would give it two stars. At the price I got it for, I have to give it 4! I got mine at myrateplandotcom for $49.00 with a two year contract. ***update*** I've had this phone for a few more months now and I actually am starting to like this little sucker quite a bit more. I find myself leaving my iPod at home and loading lots of music on here. I've started utilizing the note capability for everything from grocery lists to work to do lists. The calender and alarms have done wonders for helping me get more organized. I still find the processor to be annoying and T-Mobile's coverage is not the best. But all in all, I'm happy with it.

NOT SO BAD PEOPLE - JUST NEEDS A TWEAK! September 4, 2007

Reviewer:  CharNoble3000 

If you own this phone then you are not a luddite. With a few tweaks the phone is excellent. I highly recomend installing "BatteryStatus" and overclock the processor. The program is found here: [...]. I overclocked my wing to 299mhz and it makes a huge difference. Prior to overclock, I could not stream video from my orb server. After OC, no stuttering. The program lets you overclock dynamically (to save battery life) directly from the today screen. It also comes with additional tools that display mem usage, battery drain, etc. I have been running it for 2 weeks and checked all message boards before installing it. ITS SAFE - Just make sure you do not set the option to have it overclock on a soft reboot (if it causes an issue for you, it could reboot you into the same issue). The only problem I had was skype at 299mhz. I had to lower it to 247mhz to prevent the wing from freezing. After that I have skyped for hours without any freeze. Do your self a favor and give this a shot - you will be very impressed with what the wing can do.

Lastly, if you travel alot, try WorldMate, it runs perfect on the phone, costs less then 30 bucks, and provides everything a world traveler needs (weather, airline schedules, flight checker, currency converter, etc - most can be updated over wifi or edge).

Under-powered July 14, 2007

Reviewer:  Scott - TX "Scott"  (Austin, TX) -

I have been using the T-Mobile Wing for about a week now and it is a disappointment. With only a 200mhz processor and 64 mb RAM, it often runs out of available memory and applications hang. If you are looking for the full functionality of a PDA, then this falls short of it's potential.

My previous PDA was an Ipaq 4155 running Windows Mobile 2002, and needless to say, that PDA was faster than this device.

Extremely Happy with my Wing December 6, 2007

Reviewer:  Ryan Ellis  (Ft Lauderdale, FL) -

I'll keep this as simple as I can.

Windows Mobile is for users who enjoy configuring and playing with the OS, business users, etc. If you want something super simple to text message and what not, grab a Sidekick.

For me, I use my Wing with an exchange server and directpush to sync my outlook, emails, etc. It works like a champ. Another cool feature of this phone is it's ability to act as a modem for your laptop. It takes about 30 seconds of configuration (programs >> accessories >> internet sharing, set "usb" and "wmodem link") and plug it in, voila, unlimited internet on my laptop, no crazy charges, providing you have the dataplan, which you will most likely anyways.

I have overclocked my phone to 260mhz to speed things up using "Battery Status" and have no real performance issues, I use Opera Mini web browser and it's cool as hell. Another REALLY amazing app I suggest is S2U2 - it's a lock screen that allows you to slide2unlock much like iphones, plus it gives you visual prompts of missed calls, messages, etc... REALLY cool.

I also suggest grabbing the latest version of Live Search too. Plus the phone comes with Live Messenger on it, and it's full featured, you can send pictures via IM, voice clips, and obviously messages with ease, and it works great.

The phone's keyboard slides out nicely and works great, the camera is pretty good as well.

At the end of the day, with a little configuration and customization, you can really go a long ways with this phone. It's been a champ for me for the last 6 months of daily use, battery life is great too.

I'm just not sure what to really complain about here.

Very good phone...a bit overpriced..... September 10, 2007

Reviewer:  Brian  (Southern California) -

I just upgraded to the T-Mobile Wing by HTC. I am very happy with one exception. There is a defect in the camera. A white dot annoyingly appears on the screen when I open the camera application. It was a hassle to get the phone replaced, but T-Mobile finally agreed to send a new phone without me first having to send the old phone back. However, I did have to threaten cancellation of my service to get them to agree. Why should I be without a phone, after plucking down 300 big ones? Anyway, as far as the phone goes, again I am very happy minus the setback. After using the phone for a week I have not noticed any speed issues. I usually run one application at a time, as most people do, so speed is not an issue. I read several reviews where people were concerned with the 200mhz processor being too slow, but if it adds battery life I will take that trade off. The wi-fi is a breeze to setup, and a big plus. Everywhere I go I have wi-fi so I don't have the need for the 3G network. If you don't have wi-fi, and don't mind adding to your monthly bill for 3G, you might be more happy with another phone on another network. Windows Mobile 6 is a nice upgrade over previous versions I have owned, its a more streamlined experience. The phone is definitely one of the more attractive smart phones on the market, with its deep blue rubberized skin. I think the phone is $100 overpriced at $299, considering the iphone just dropped to $399, but as happy as I am I see using this phone for quite a while.