T-Mobile launches new MDA Compact V
Redesigns the Touch Diamond 2 in its own image
T-Mobile has today launched the MDA Compact V, the latest in its MDA range manufactured by HTC, with its customised set of widgets and Sat Nav thanks to a tie-in with CoPilot.
It houses a 5MP camera, a full 3.2-inch touchscreen and Windows Mobile 6.1, with the upgrade coming later this year to WinMo 6.5, via sideloading from the PC.
The screen is a WVGA offering with 800 x 480 resolution screen, which gives pin sharp video and internet viewing.
Widgets and TouchFlo
T-Mobile has added in a widget screen to the TouchFlo interface where users can put pre-defined widgets to the likes of BBC and eBay, or add their own links in too.
There's also a link to the TV portal which gives the chance to subscribe to the likes of Sky over a mobile internet connection (which comes in at a healthy 7.2mbps HSDPA speed).
The CoPilot offering, which comes with a seven day trial, will also be free for 18 months to the first 10,000 to sign up to the phone, but only those that do so from 1 June, with the people before that date sadly missing out.
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T-Mobile has also added in its own multi-platform IM client, so users can chat via the likes of G-Mail, AOL, Yahoo! Messenger or MSN Messenger if they so wish.
Essentially a Touch Diamond 2 with a T-Mobile makeover, it retains similar dimensions to the original device but dispenses with the metal shell and adds a curved bottom edge.
Shiny new bar
T-Mobile was also keen to show us that the back was now matt plastic rather than the fingerprint-toting shiny layer, and a 'stylish' metal bar inserted next to the camera.
Available from the 21May in the UK, the phone will be free on a £50 18-month contract and comes bundled with a 2GB card.
While T-Mobile has certainly added some value to the Touch Diamond 2, Orange offers the original phone (which has performed very well in recent tests) for only £40 a month, without having to pay for the handset, with more carriers coming online soon.
Gareth has been part of the consumer technology world in a career spanning three decades. He started life as a staff writer on the fledgling TechRadar, and has grew with the site (primarily as phones, tablets and wearables editor) until becoming Global Editor in Chief in 2018. Gareth has written over 4,000 articles for TechRadar, has contributed expert insight to a number of other publications, chaired panels on zeitgeist technologies, presented at the Gadget Show Live as well as representing the brand on TV and radio for multiple channels including Sky, BBC, ITV and Al-Jazeera. Passionate about fitness, he can bore anyone rigid about stress management, sleep tracking, heart rate variance as well as bemoaning something about the latest iPhone, Galaxy or OLED TV.