Recently, I flogged my M500 (the Orange equivalent of the I-Mate Jam) and got myself a T-Mobile MDA Vario. The key differences, in brief, are that the Vario has a slide-out (qwerty) keyboard and runs Windows Mobile 5. I’ve had the device for a few weeks now, and I think the time has come to document what I think of it.
For starters, it’s slightly bigger than the Jam, M500 etc. (From now on, I’ll just say M500, and you can infer the other models). The sliding keyboard adds a little extra depth and the end result, especially when placed in its case, is that it’s a little bulky when carried in the trousers. The application of a decent screen protector, presence of mind to not place it in the same pocket as keys, and sufficient trouser capacity to carry it negates this problem. Typically I’m wearing a count with sufficiently voluminous pockets to not really notice a bulky phone.
The keyboard is an absolute joy. Texting on the m500 was a genuine pain in the arse. The stylus was required all the time in order to achieve any sort of accuracy, and made sending even the smallest messages a bit of a chore. On the Vario, you just slide out the keyboard (and the screen will handily shift through ninety degrees when you do) and type your message using the full QWERTY keyboard. Send text, close keyboard, put phone back in pocket.
Windows Mobile 5, whilst not without its quirks, is a massive leap up from Pocket PC Phone Edition. Whilst PPPE always felt like a phone application running on to of the Microsoft’s pocket OS, Mobile 5 feels much more like a complete phone solution. It’s been more intelligently designed so as to use context sensitive “left” and “right” buttons (as do many phones) to carry out the most common functions. Dismissing those pesky battery low, or message sent/received notifications is now possible without using the stylus, simply by using these context buttons. Upon viewing a contact, you’re presented with options to call them, send them a text, or email them, rather than simply viewing the contact a la Outlook on the PC. It all feels far, far more elegant than it did before.
T-Mobile’s signal strength in my area (Leicester and Coventry) is perfectly acceptable, and I’d much rather settle for a slightly above average signal everywhere, than achieving a perfect signal when I hang the phone off my television aerial using a complex system of pulleys.
The Vario also has Wi-Fi built in, which is particularly useful when checking your email in bed. I always find a laptop requires you to wake up a bit too much to remain suitable enslumbered, but having a quick check on the phone isn’t too bad. If I could configure gmail to push emails down to my phone (like text messages) I’d realise some sort of Utopia…
I haven’t tried TomTom yet, although I hear they’ve released a new version which supports 2005 correctly. Similarly, I’ve not installed any other apps - the m500 struggled with any today screen plugins (causing the keyboard not to display, a common problem with that generation of OS) and so I’ve been conditioned to not run anything. Who needs anything more than Jawbreaker anyway?
So I’m impressed with the Vario. I’ve seen the Universal type devices (o2 Exec, Jas Jar, etc) and while the screen and form factor is superb, they’re a little too heavy to slip into the trouser area without encountering the occasional gravity problem. They also, I’m told, have a couple of design flaws when used as a phone, but I’m sure Ashleigh will post on these at a later date. I can’t see me changing the Vario for some time - it does everything I can realistically expect a phone to do, and if I get sufficiently bored I can try writing some applications for it again!