[Taikun]

The largest display seen so far which leaves behind even the Nokia 7710 (which is really good, you have to see the 7710s display and become awed before starting the comparison), along with the name "MDA" means that this one is going to be a major hit. The display deserves more than just a line of mention, since the MDA IV ( also knows as the XDA IV in case I lost you with the names) has a 640 x 480 pixel screen. This is something that you may be familiar with if you use Pocket PC devices (non - phone). The T-Mobile MDA IV will probably be the first windows based phone device to enjoy such a display.
The XDA IV will be powered by XScale 624 MHz processor much more powerful then its predecessors. Being 3G (UMTS) capable and having 2 cameras allows user to enjoy video calling. The phone has a large comfortable QWERTY keyboard and being based on the Windows OS means that it carries around with it software such as Pocket Word, Powerpoint, Excel in short the Office works.

The MDA IV has been completely loaded with features. I could begin with the USB and SD memory card support and go on to the much advanced 3G, Wifi and even wireless Internet (WLAN). At this point there is nothing in the market that comes close to offering all these at the same time. Top end models from Nokia, SonyEricsson, Motorola (yes even the MPX) loose out by one or more functions.

Detailed specifications are awaited beofre a verdict can be passed on the MDA 4. We can just hope that T-Mobile (and HTC which will probably do the manufacturing) dont do a repeat of what Motorola did to the MPX by giving it too less memory. In their favor though, giving so many features is going to ensure that the price will raise more then just a few eye-brows. There may be cost cutting to be done before the device can finally enter the market.

[Fireproof]

8700 wins! Because the MDA is not....well...a BlackBerry. ;)

[SlamMan]

I had an MDA and it took me about half an hour to figure out that I hated it. So I returned it. Unlike BB I found Win Mobile to be entirely unintuitive and clumsy. Navigation was horrible. I'm sure it does more stuff than the BB but that's why I have a lap top.

The 8700 is fast (faster than my 7105t) and does email and lite web browsing just fine and I find it easy to use. MDA's keyboard blows away the 8700 though but the 8700 is more pocketable.

Comes down to what your going to be using it for. Usually when you have a device that trys to do everything, it does nothing well.

[mgerbasio]

There are numerous threads comparing the pocketpc phone to the 8700c here and on www.howardforums.com. The one that is best is the one that fits your needs. These are very different devices, out of the box the PocketPC does much more, lots of inexpensive third party software, expandable memory, multimedia, bluetooth, wifi. The 8700c is a better phone, better secure push email, smaller, better battery life.

It would be a close call for me, but I'd probably pick the MDA IV if I had a choice. The only way to get work email is through the BB so that's what I use. With the 7290 I carried both a ipaq and 7290, now I just carry the 8700c. I miss some of the PPC features, but I'd rather carry one device. Now if Cingular would finally upgrade the BIS like T-Mobile....

Regards-Michael G.

[DuckWingDuck]

As have been said countless times in countless threads, everybody will have different needs for their devices.

[drgoodtymes]

Originally Posted by whatdafuhk

As have been said countless times in countless threads, everybody will have different needs for their devices.

I have to agree with you. Its almost like the difference on a MAC vs. a PC. Its all in what you need!

[DuckWingDuck]

Originally Posted by drgoodtymes

I have to agree with you. Its almost like the difference on a MAC vs. a PC. Its all in what you need!

Exactly! These types of conversations are pointless and only serves to make people more upset for no reason. What fits for Person A isn't going to work exactly for Person B. I had a O2 XDA IIs for six months and I loved it, before that, I had one of the original 5x series BB and I loved that. For different phases of my life, I have had different needs and different devices. I'm back onto a BB now because the most critical component is my availability to read emails.

[Hyper7PCR]

I hate MDA. I want T-Mobile USA Blackberry 8700 better.

[DuckWingDuck]

Heh, if you hate the MDA, wait for the BB from TMO at the end of the month!

[Mark Rejhon]

I have both a PocketPC and BlackBerry. The PocketPC serves different purposes, but I can't type 40-65 words per minute while standing up or walking on a PocketPC. The PocketPC is my video/photo player, and the BlackBerry is the device that gets business done, while still being able to do some games, photos, etc. BlackBerry can also multitask too (Alt+Esc keypress for switching between concurrently running applications)

If you need convenient wireless that does things done, very reliably and quickly, the BlackBerry would be the best bet. (A PocketPC user takes a couple of days to get used to BlackBerry, and then they realize that the BlackBerry user interface is often faster to navigate than a PocketPC) But if you want just an MP3/video player, with occasional telephone and Internet Explorer use, the MDA would fit the bill.

Check out the first 3 links of the BlackBerry FAQ ("Why BlackBerry", "BlackBerry myths", etc)

[DuckWingDuck]

Mark, agree with most of your points but a few quibbles. I type a bit faster on the BB but not all that much faster and if I didn't love push email so much, I would probably still be using the XDA.

[Hyper7PCR]

T-Mobile UsA will annouce new BB 8700 tomorrow.




Just Kidding!! but I wish.

[KingTermite]

Two reasons why I'll go for the BB 8700 over the MDA.

1. Where I work we can not have camera phones, so I'm limited by that.

(most importantly)

2. It seems MDA has Windows OS. I once previous had a PDA with Windows CE and it was the crappiest buggiest OS I'd ever worked with short of Windows ME.

[AlbertoM]

Not much awe there. Getting to the point that one might as well carry a notebook computer.

Always love this a versus b questions. Much like going on a BMW forum and asking whether they like the Lexus better.

And, considering everything else, there is always that pesky thing about push mail...

[takeshi]

People's needs definitely differ. What I'm always leery of is relying on the specs to compare products. Yes, they're hard numbers. However, they never really say anything about a product's reliability or ease of use which are two of the most important features to me. All the whistles and bells in the world don't mean a thing if the device is buggy or poorly designed (whether it's hardware or software).

[wibbly]

The MDA Pro (here in the UK on T-Mobile) is also also a LARGE device. Smacks of 'creeping featurism' to me. Also I'm unconvinced WM5 is 'quite there' yet. To me the BB brings what early Palms did in their time - really robust functionality, very high utility and good performance/battery life/etc. They don't do everything, but what they do they do exceeedingly well.

It's like BB's are designed to reflect the needs of real users - whereas the WM5 stable is more about winning the length of the features list, today at too much cost to the UI, stability, battery life, size (in the case of the MDA Pro), etc.

Just my 2c

W

[DuckWingDuck]

Originally Posted by KingTermite

2. It seems MDA has Windows OS. I once previous had a PDA with Windows CE and it was the crappiest buggiest OS I'd ever worked with short of Windows ME.

I used the O2 XDA IIs running Windows Mobile (the descendant of Windows CE) and I loved it. It served my needs at the time wonderfully. I'm back onto BB now but I look back to the XDA with fondness.

[joginder]

Also I am not big fan of thumb keyboard.

[Hyper7PCR]

Go MDA away now.

[wibbly]

Originally Posted by joginder

Also I am not big fan of thumb keyboard.

Neither am I. But I still find it better than having to deal with a stylus on a touch screen on a train or bus or as a passenger in a car...