T-Mobile MDA Vario pda
- Reviewer
- Stuart Miles
- Review Date
- 14 November 2005
- Manufacturer
- T-Mobile
- Price as reviewed
- £Price dependant on contract
- Latest price
- compare
Reader score
8/10
Reader review
User: Louise, Essex, UK
Date Posted: 7 October 2006
Review: Just got mine. One thing that I instantly don't like is the blue back-light for the keypad which under artificial light makes my eyes go funny. Dark and daylight situations are OK, but the low contrast and colour itself make it hard to focus on, under the kind of relatively weak artificial light we have at home. (i.e. not strip-lights). I'd love to be able to turn it off (can anyone help please??). Failing that, I'll have to use the on-screen keyboard or handwriting in the evenings!
Rating:
17 people have rated this review helpful
Reader review
User: Alan, Glasgow
Date Posted: 7 October 2006
Review: I'm looking forward to ordering my MDA at the end of the month. Seems a smart looking device, all I need it for is a phone and the WiFi but I like the design and the sliding keyboard. Hope mine is better than my crappy V3 razr that's not worked since day 1!
Rating:
12 people have rated this review helpful
Reader review
User: Branimir, Zagreb, Croatia
Date Posted: 6 October 2006
Review: I got it a week ago and so far so good. But it does lack that 3G that MDA pro has.
Rating:
12 people have rated this review helpful
Reader review
User: Punk Rokr, Doncaster, UK
Date Posted: 1 September 2006
Review: I'm looking forward to purchasing a MDA. The advice on this site is great. I have to agree I have always wanted a phone with a keybourd. Its a godsend for writing emails and texts.
Rating:
9 people have rated this review helpful
Reader review
User: Yama, London, UK
Date Posted: 28 July 2006
Review: Hi, I got my MDA a couple of weeks ago from T-Mobile and ever since it is freezing, and won't start. I contacted T-Mobile and was told to receive a new second-hand handset. Very funny, pay for the product and you don't receive what you should have.
Rating:
8 people have rated this review helpful
Reader review
User: Compo, Yeovil, England
Date Posted: 19 July 2006
Review: I've had this phone just over 2 months now and have had a few problems but after doing a firmware update and installing spb pocket plus the phone has been running great. I've not been able to sort the WiFi out yet but that is my tech knowledge not the phone. It's far more adaptable than my old A1000 and much faster. If you find yours is running slow check running programs in the memory utility maybe you have too much running in the background. Highly recommended.
Rating:
20 people have rated this review helpful
Reader review
User: Desperate User, London
Date Posted: 19 July 2006
Review: Help! I bought my MDA Vario today. I put in a password and do remember it. But the phone is not accepting it! Any help at all. I am desperate. I tried soft and hard reset-but no use. Please help!
Rating:
12 people have rated this review helpful
Reader review
User: ++Perox+, Birmingham, UK
Date Posted: 6 July 2006
Review: I got my MDA some time back. It's okay as an organiser and quite small(ish) in the pocket. It does bug me that it's really difficult to modify. For instance changing the skins. Home files is well hard! I have got the download home screen changer program thing as well, but it's still tough! I only wanted to make it pretty.
Rating:
12 people have rated this review helpful
Reader review
User: Satty, Slough, UK
Date Posted: 5 July 2006
Review: I've had the phone for a while and have had no problems until it had a funny little red code and turned off. Now I can't seem to get it on!
Rating:
11 people have rated this review helpful
Reader review
User: Yashmina, St. Louis, MO
Date Posted: 30 June 2006
Review: Hey since all of you have said in so many words that this phone is somewhat good I'll just wait for the new MDA to come out in 2007. I was going to get it but I think I will wait. I hope you all knew about the MDA IV, it's suppose to have the new MS Mobile version, have two cameras and a swivel face with many more features.
Rating:
13 people have rated this review helpful
Reader review
User: Jose, London
Date Posted: 30 June 2006
Review: Well I got this phone today and I like it so far but I can't see how to put my memory card on it, I mean it doesn't work it won't pick it up, it's annoying!
Rating:
14 people have rated this review helpful
Reader review
User: Martin, UK
Date Posted: 24 June 2006
Review: Mines on its way, hope there isn't any locking issues, as there was with my MDA 2 Compact.
Rating:
11 people have rated this review helpful
Reader review
User: Desmond, West Midlands
Date Posted: 19 June 2006
Review: I am now on my third Vario within the 28-day period. I am attracted to the technology but sadly feel it is let down by the reality of what the Vario is able to do. For example this morning the screen is freezing and operation is sluggish. I have not even yet used features like the camera or video. All I ask is that it does what it says on the tin - plug and play - I would not recommend this product due to its poor performance and unpredictable nature.
Rating:
11 people have rated this review helpful
Reader review
User: Rob, Guildford
Date Posted: 16 June 2006
Review: I purchased my Vario a few months ago. It's a good PDA but a useless phone. It's very difficult to dial numbers, it cuts out when it feels like it and crashes. This is the last MS PDA/Phone I ever purchase. I now use it to Run Tom Tom and sync with my work laptop. When will MS develop a stable OS????? Come on Apple, rise to the occasion!!!!
Rating:
8 people have rated this review helpful
Reader review
User: Rex, London
Date Posted: 13 June 2006
Review: I just got my MDA and oh my God, it is excellent. The only problem I'm having is that any time I want to go on the Internet even with my wireless system it takes me through the T-Mobile network. Can some one help?
Rating:
19 people have rated this review helpful
Reader review
User: Matt, Romford
Date Posted: 13 June 2006
Review: I've had the Vario for 2 weeks now. I love it :) So many features means I'm constantly playing with it. The only real downfall I can find with it is the battery life. When I use the phone as an mp3 player it drains the battery so fast. However don't be too put off if you're reading this as you can purchase longer life batteries on-line.
Rating:
10 people have rated this review helpful
Reader review
User: Csanad, Budapest
Date Posted: 11 June 2006
Review: Bought it fresh:) My only problem is that when I want to connect to my home wlan it connects, sees everything but cannot surf the net or use messenger. Gives me a message: The page cannot be found. Check the name and try again. Does anyone have any clues?
Rating:
12 people have rated this review helpful
Reader review
User: James, Brentford
Date Posted: 10 June 2006
Review: I've had the Vario for a couple of months now and it's definitely the most feature packed phone I have owned. I was pleased with it until yesterday, until it froze and had a funny code in red in the top left corner. It then switched off and I can't get it to switch on again. Does anyone know how to reset/reboot the thing? It's lifeless at the moment.
Rating:
12 people have rated this review helpful
Reader review
User: Yossi, Vancouver
Date Posted: 10 June 2006
Review: Great combination of PDA and phone. Works great.
Rating:
9 people have rated this review helpful
Reader review
User: Andy, Gloucester
Date Posted: 1 June 2006
Review: Just purchased the phone and I hope it is as reliable as my old P900. I have tried the Co-pilot and I love it. If this is anything to go by the rest should be just perfect. Customer service by the T Mobile members of staff is second to none.
Rating:
14 people have rated this review helpful
Reader review
User: James, London
Date Posted: 31 May 2006
Review: I find that the MDA Vario has loads of quality and potential for my business as its compact full of technology. It’s just I can’t get it to start :( I turn it on and it freezers with a weird message on the top left in red. I’ve used the trouble-shooter but it doesn’t work!
Rating:
10 people have rated this review helpful
Reader review
User: Nadim, London
Date Posted: 27 May 2006
Review: I originally had an MDa (1) and thought it was the best thing since sliced bread! Went for an upgrade with T-Mobile, sadly I just handed back the 4th (YES! 4th!) MDA2 as it seems to be rubbish. I have just got the phone I wanted, the Vario - lets hope it meets the good standards I have heard about. Anyone know the best place to get Mini SD cards, the MDA took MMC which I now need to transfer - any good deals around would be appreciated.
Rating:
12 people have rated this review helpful
Reader review
User: Luke, London, UK
Date Posted: 27 May 2006
Review: I've found my Vario vey easy to use, with so much on the one phone there's no need to even buy an mp3 player I can just get mini SD cards. The camera is good quality also so you do not need to carry a separate camera around anymore either.
Rating:
8 people have rated this review helpful
Reader review
User: Marcus, Bournemouth
Date Posted: 15 May 2006
Review: I think the new MDA Vario is great. I can surf the web easily; I have the co pilot that turns it into a hand held GPS, and it does nearly everything my PC does, however it fits in my back pocket. To solve the problem of running a little slow, there is a program to change the running speed up to 252Mhz (very helpful!)
Rating:
23 people have rated this review helpful
Reader review
User: Rob, Wolverhampton
Date Posted: 11 May 2006
Review: I’ve had my Vario now for 3 months and I have to say that it is a fantastic piece of kit. No more lugging around a phone and a PDA. It works very well with TOMTOM 5 but is not easy to install (I'm sure this is a problem with the software and not the phone). If you are looking for an all in one I would recommend this.
Rating:
12 people have rated this review helpful
Reader review
User: Dave, Plymouth, UK
Date Posted: 7 April 2006
Review: I got fed up lugging PDA phones and mp3 players and not to mention the small forest in scrap paper around in my pocket so I went for the Vario. Four weeks in and there is no going back, I would recommend it to any one who is looking to cut back on the life luggage, it’s an excellent well featured gadget. I recommend you use spb pocket plus as this will free up resources by closing down programs rather than minimising them. If you have problems with the back light{read Mad Zols post}remove the backlight indicator item from spb today plugin, push and hold the stylus on the main tab, select add items, uncheck the back light indicator and click ok - problem solved.
Rating:
15 people have rated this review helpful
Reader review
User: Mad Zol, London
Date Posted: 4 April 2006
Review: I’ve had this Vario for 2 weeks. This is a very powerful tool, and I am doing so many things on this.... connect to internet via GPRS and Wifi, store and listen to mp3s with the stereo speakers and headset, msn mobile, so that I can rcv and send my mails anywhere... The setbacks - the battery runs out too fast when you start using the applications, the system is easily confused when you instruct too many things (you have to be patient and everything will work out well), and I do have problems with the backlights - intermittently does not respond when I touch the screen or press any buttons. The only way around this is by turning on the camera...then the backlights comes back...anyone have any idea how to solve this backlight issue?
Rating:
6 people have rated this review helpful
Reader review
User: John Reynolds, Leicester, UK
Date Posted: 23 March 2006
Review: I’ve had the MDA for a couple of weeks, it's the first one I've used and first impressions are generally good. It's not too large to look daft when being used as a phone but it's a useable size when browsing or using the applications. A massive number of contact details can be stored - I use my desktop only half the time I previously did and my old diary has gone out of the window - Brilliant! I just synchronise once a day to backup just in case. Browsing using the wireless home/office LAN is brilliant - the pages auto-adjust to fit most of the time. Browsing with GPRS is very slow - back to dial-up speeds. Mobile e-mail works well but took a while to get the (slow) MMS up & running. The versions of Word & Excel are very cut-down but useable. Windows Mobile 5 is excellent especially as nothing is lost if you need to replace the battery or do a reset. Only a few gripes – the sound quality of calls is poor, in both directions; Contacts cannot be stored in folders - a pain if you have a big mixture of business & personal numbers, addresses etc.; Battery life is obviously limited when heavily used but it does recharge using USB when synchronising and a car charger is a useful addition to get; no cradle is included so it ends up lying on the desk.
Rating:
11 people have rated this review helpful
Reader review
User: Sean John, London
Date Posted: 21 March 2006
Review: I have just bought my MDA Vario and it is great, I love it and never leave home without it. The only problem is WHY DID THEY NOT MAKE ANOTHER ONE EARLIER!
Rating:
13 people have rated this review helpful
Reader review
User: Anugur Ali, Bedford
Date Posted: 14 March 2006
Review: I am thinking of getting this over the Nokia n70. Does anyone know for sure that the TomTom 5 application works on the system!
Rating:
13 people have rated this review helpful
Reader review
User: Has, London
Date Posted: 9 March 2006
Review: I’m all confused over it’s compatibility with TomTom and what software cannot be loaded! I read from above that it is not working but Steve from Liverpool says it does!!!
Rating:
8 people have rated this review helpful
Reader review
User: Bradfordian Yido, London, UK
Date Posted: 8 March 2006
Review: Hi All, I am thinking of getting this phone but my only worry is the 3 hours talk time that reviews give it. Do any owners of this phone have any problems with this lack of talk time? How often do you find yourself re-charging it? I was thinking also of maybe going to the MDA Compact instead due to it having 5 hours talk time. Please let me know your views on this.
Rating:
11 people have rated this review helpful
Reader review
User: Nick Smith, London, UK
Date Posted: 16 February 2006
Review: I've had my Vario for just over 2 months now and I’m pretty happy with it. The only drawbacks I have had are it feels a little too thick and the earpiece is a bit muffled. The rest of the package makes up for those little problems. It can run slow sometimes, but that's usually when you have too many applications minimised. I sorted this out by using Spb pocket plus and telling it to close (rather than minimise) all programs except messaging, calendar, etc. It's now a dream to use! Just in case you wonder how much data you use per month, I’ve only managed to use 12mb with it checking every 15 minutes and that includes browsing the internet often as well. The keyboard is alright, for its size I don't think it could be much better but it's obviously never going to be as easy to use as a proper keyboard! I do find typing numbers in a bit annoying, but once you get used to it, it's pretty good!
Rating:
12 people have rated this review helpful
Reader review
User: Dave, Aberdeen
Date Posted: 26 January 2006
Review: If you have upgraded from a PDA running PPC 2003 you are in for a few disappointments. Most of the software you purchased will not work on Windows Mobile 5. This includes Outlook 2003 with Business Contact Manager (which was perfect on PPC 2003), TomTom Navigator 5, PocketMirror, the list goes on and on. My advice, wait for six months until the developers have caught up and if you have spent hours loading business data into BCM then stick with PPC 2003. Microsoft have no plans to support BCM on Win Mob 5. Oh, and another thing - loading Skype causes my Vario to continuously soft reset itself without any help from me. Give the whole package a miss!!
Rating:
10 people have rated this review helpful
Reader review
User: Canuck, Holland
Date Posted: 20 January 2006
Review: I have just got the MDA Vario last week. In reading the reviews I noticed that Bri in Manchester mentioned that it had a habit of locking up. That’s the OS's fault. I recommend you close the programs running in the background because on PPC, when you close the application with the "X" in the corner, they ARE still running. Close them with - Start>Settings>SystemTab>Memory> RunningApplications>"Close All" - and you don't have to wait that 2 minutes, its memory is CLEAN again instantly. I am not sure about the translation of that path I just gave you but you will get my drift (my OS is Dutch). <br>Good Points 1/ 64 MB (shared adjustable) internal ram with an additional 128 mb flash. 2/ Windows Media Player 10 mobile. 3/ Windows 2005 is really an improvement on 2003. 4/ Super LCD screen-bright, hair-sharp. 5/ A good address book that can be voice activated for phoning. 6/ The OMAP850 CPU running at only 195mhz is a bit slower than my MIO 168 at 300mhz but the connectivity built into the chip: wlan (wifi), Bluetooth, GPRS(3G), USB, and IR (did I miss something? Oh yes, it's a phone too-GPS) makes up for that and more. It also has an AC97 audio controller on board, so full 44khz 16bit stereo. Dedicated 2D graphic chip. The 128mb internal flash ram helps all app's though! (yes 64MB main memory (DDR) AND 128 mb flash ram) 2. 1.3 mega pixel still camera with 2 power zoom. Video. Burst. MMS format <br>Bad Points – none, not that I’ve found in the 200 or so hours I’ve had it.
Rating:
9 people have rated this review helpful
Reader review
User: Umesh, London, UK
Date Posted: 19 January 2006
Review: As gadgets go, this is fastly becoming "The Gadget". I have had the MDA for just over two weeks now and am learning lots on it. Apart from the Pocket PC apps, there are other utilities such as Pocket Skype that you can install and maximise its use - Yep, we'll done T-Mobile and for those who have this handset - Don't leave home without it!
Rating:
12 people have rated this review helpful
Reader review
User: Bri Walmsley, Manchester, UK
Date Posted: 18 January 2006
Review: This is my first venture into Smartphones/PDA's, and I have had a little trouble with the speed of the unit and with it sometimes locking up, but a quick soft reset and 2 minutes later the memory is cleared (recommend that you keep tabs on deleted emails and txt messages). Again, it was Anna at the T-Mobile shop in the Trafford Centre, top marks, I'm just concerned that T-Mobile will bring out a better version, if they don't I'm more than happy with this unit. I would heartily recommend it to anybody.
Rating:
16 people have rated this review helpful
Reader review
User: Nimesh Patel, London, UK
Date Posted: 17 January 2006
Review: I am awaiting delivery for this phone. One note of caution will be to people wishing to buy this handset with co pilot, don’t! Buy the handset which will be a lot cheaper by itself and then purchase TomTom for Smartphones. Co pilot is no way as accurate as TomTom and very costly.
Rating:
10 people have rated this review helpful
Reader review
User: Paul, Cambridge
Date Posted: 8 January 2006
Review: I've been using the Vario for a few weeks now and I’m beginning to get everything to work as it’s supposed to. Syncing was a bit of challenge. Turns out I had to free up a few USB com ports on my laptop, as the Vario only likes ports under 20 for some reason. The headset is a bit flimsy and plasticity but otherwise this is a very sexy toy that does pretty much everything I want it to while still fitting in my jeans pocket. I like it!
Rating:
14 people have rated this review helpful
Reader review
User: Steve, Liverpool
Date Posted: 16 December 2005
Review: Top class phone much better than my previous mda3, it works great with my office and home WiFi network and also works great with my Bluetooth GPS receiver, the TomTom software works a treat, I would recommend it to anybody.
Rating:
19 people have rated this review helpful
Reader review
User: R.P. Jean-Baptiste, Yorkshire, England
Date Posted: 16 December 2005
Review: I’ve had the Vario just under a week now and I'm really beginning to like it. I've had 3 previous smartphones before this one and felt ready to take the next step up to a phone/PDA combo and I think this is definitely the best fusion there is. I had some difficulty getting it to sync at 1st but this was traced to a firewall problem, but once that was sorted it worked a charm. Couple this to a good Bluetooth headset and you will never be without all of your important info again. It is obviously no match for a half decent laptop, but when was the last time you saw a laptop you could fit in your jacket pocket.
Rating:
23 people have rated this review helpful
Reader review
User: Phil Symonds, United Kingdom
Date Posted: 5 December 2005
Review: I have just today bought this model. Previously, I had an 02 XDA. The MDA is exactly for me. All I need is the PC/organiser, text facility and phone. All these features are 1st class. The unit is nice and compact without being too small to use. Well done T-Mobile. And......Top marks too Anna, salesperson for T-Mobile at The Trafford Centre in Manchester, her product knowledge is superb.
Rating:
11 people have rated this review helpful
Reader review
User: Andy Jeffries, Nr London, UK
Date Posted: 2 December 2005
Review: I received my Vario last Friday and over the weekend fell in love with it! It may be slower than much larger PDA/phones but it’s certainly comparable (and I think a little faster) than my previous phone - a Nokia 6630. Email to the phone is a breeze with 4smartphone's Exchange accounts and T-Mobile's Web and Walk package. The keyboard is a little awkward (typing a capital A is very difficult) but overall it's an excellent little machine. I generally work at a PC all day so fast browsing through the phone is not essential and it's fast enough for me to be able to remotely administer Linux machines with Pocket Putty or using various web interfaces.
Rating:
13 people have rated this review helpful
Reader review
User: Phil, London, UK
Date Posted: 28 November 2005
Review: I've had the Vario for a few days now and am very happy with it. Wireless works a treat. Occasional performance problems, but this tends to be the case when you're experimenting with a new phone, testing lots of apps etc.
Rating:
11 people have rated this review helpful
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