HTC Shadow (T-Mobile)

I've really come to like Windows Mobile phones, because they offer more flexibility and customization than say your normal cell phone or Blackberry. If you're a developer, you can even write your own programs.

I had a T-Mobile MDA that lasted about 2 1/2 years, and it still would have lasted, except for that the USB port broke, so when I needed a new phone, I knew i wanted Windows Mobile again.

This one was one of the cheaper versions, but it doesn't have an actual keyboard. It has a QWERTY like numeric pad (similar to the blackberry). Its okay for most things, but unlike the real QWERTY on the MDA, its difficult to type symbols with.

The resolution on the phone is really great - you can watch movies and play MP3s. The backlight on the screen cannot be adjusted, though. I found this to be a bit of a problem, since the phone always has to be on the charger.

EDGE speeds are okay - I can stream music at 64k and use the web without too much problem.

The camer a takes decent pics, but it doesn't have a LED flash like the MDA - not too big of a deal though, considering the MDA took horrible pictures anyway. The custom interface is awesome. Its easy to find what you need, but the you do lose the Home icon on the screen when MyFaves is enabled. I really would have liked that back.

Headphone quality is good - bass is alright, but could be better. I hate how the headphone port is on the left side of the phone - AND ITS A USB PLUB. the same plug is used to charge the phone also, so if you need to do both, you have to use the adapter.

Battery life on the phone sucks. Its got a 950 mAh battery that is supposedto have 6 days of standby time, but I cant' get it past 16 hours. The MDA had a better 1200mAh battery, and I was used to not having to charge my phone until the end of the week.

The phone does support a lot of email clients including Google's IMAP4 (which is really handy). I've gotten it to work with Google Apps (where you replace your email server with googles), and it works great.

The wifi is 802.11b/g - so connects at 54mbps instead of 11 like the MDA. Supports alot of WEP/WPA etc. and works nicely.

Overall, a good buy. Just would like a better keyboard and longer battery life, maybe GPS.