HTC SDA (USA) / SP5m (Tornado)
Average Ratings
SDA-HTC Tornado - Good little phone
Traded up for it yesterday and so far:
PROS:
User friendly
Reception is great, 3-4 bars everywhere
Call clarity really good
Nice large screen
Form factor a huge plus - love the bar style
Looks, size & weight - perfect, no issues
Camera - good pix
Menu options relatively clear/easy
Battery-heard it's good, will wait and see
CONS:
Buttons are very small
What? No T-Zones without the data plan?
No downloads?
Mini SD card BEHIND battery
Have not hooked it up to computer yet, will alert to design bugs if any in the Forum.
Great Smartphone
This phone Rocks!! I love this phone! Ive had it for a month now and not one problem!
T-mobile has a rule if you are on a smart access plan you either get 300 mins and the internet or 3000 mins and no internet which really sucks!!! Ive got till November till I can actually put this phone to good use with the internet and everything, but as of now this phone is top notch!
Pros
GREAT Reception/ my zip is 48180, I live next door to a airport always having trouble getting good reception, except with this phone! No Dropped Calls!!!! I cant believe it!
Great features
Easy to use(if your familiar with windows xp)
Good Camera
Nice Screen/ Clear Screen
Good Size
Cons
Small number pad makes it hard to dial. Ive got small hands too!
Could be a touch screen, would be easyer to navigate!
other then that this phone is #1 in my books. Even if I cant use the net, this phone is by far the best ive had yet. HTC really knows how to make phones....A++
The SDA is a good phone but the data plan from Tmobile is questionable
Hi all,
I just got my SDA yesterday and was impress with the big screen and Microsoft smartphone OS and IE on the phone. It sync up all my Outlook information very easily.
The phone worked great on my home - wifi and browsing of websites was great.
Unfortunately, the authorize reseller mislead me to think Tzone will work with SDA and when I call Tmobile's Tech Support they told me the only plan allowing SDA to the internet is $29.99 inadditional to my $49.99 voice plan.
This is very important for user to consider when thinking about this phone.
chankj
Great Phone
Wow! Coming from a two year verizon contract my review of this phone might be bias towards the fact that i had a piece of crap phone for two years, but, i have to say that i am thouroughly impressed with this phone! it feels very sturdy, the screen is beautiful, the buttons, although tiny, are very solidly built (don't let the models inside the t-mobile stores fool you). I love the functionality, the mp3 player, sounds great, the wifi works wonderfully, the bluetooth, although i have yet to try it out is a great addition to the phone! The call quality is good, the only thing that i will warn against is, people with larger hands may have more problems than others (the buttons), and the speaker phone is sadly kinda quiet.
Despite the fact that i am not a huge MS fan, I do like the Windows Mobile on the phone, i have not had any lock ups or anything, and i have not had any issues with the memory as of yet, 6 days in with the phone.
Personally, i would recommend this phone to you if you'd like to try something new, or just something that works like it's supposed to. On top of that, it isn't just a phone for buisness, im 19 and i love it, it's prettier that evey other smart phone to date, and bundled with a 1-year T-mobile contract, you have yourself a deal!
PC Magazine Review
PC Magazine review is available at this web address:
http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,1759,1918655,00.asp
Fantastic Smartphone!
This is just a fantastic phone... the phone features are implemented very well, and the PDA functions make this such a useful device for me to carry around. I previously owned an Audiovox SMT-5600, and this new SDA has all the upgrades on my wish-list, plus more!
The ability to load new software and tweak settings is what keeps me so interested in smartphones... you think the phone is cool now, well just wait until better software comes out (case in point - built-in IE vs. Opera browswer - worlds better on WM2003).
PROs
- The screen brightness & resolution are very good... at 240x320, this screen can display just as much information as my larger iPaq 2215
- RF performance: best I've ever had (T-Mobile in New England)
- Speed with EDGE: upwards of 160-190 kbps, fastest GSM device I've ever seen
- Build/Materials quality: whatever materials HTC uses really stand the test of time. My SMT5600 still looks new. I expect the SDA will hold together very well
- Contact Management: Windows Mobile does it right. I can look up a contact by simply dialing letters on the keypad from the home screen. No menus, no searches, no scrolling by first letter only. I don't know why other manufacturers can't get this right (Motorola I'm looking squarely in your direction)
- Media Player seems to have better functionality than dedicated MP3 players (album art, etc)
- Wifi and BT work great: can browse internet wherever
- Form factor: this sized-phone just works for me, considering how many features are squeezed in
- Home screen customization. Don't like the way your screen looks? Just download a new homescreen (hundreds available, or make your own!)
- Battery life very good. Plus, the charging port is a mini USB port, so you can even use a computer to charge it
- Even comes with a really good case that has a magnetic clasp
CONS
- Speakerphone didn't get any louder compared to the SMT-5600, BUT the hand-set volume has been improved
This phone's a keeper!
I Love This SDA
I just received mine today and all I have to say is WOW!!!!!!, THIS IS THE BEST PHONE OR HANDSET I HAVE EVER OWNED. THE MP3 PLAYER IS AWESOME, THE WINDOWS MOBILE OS IS GREAT. THE SPEAKER PHONE IS A LITTLE WEEK I AGREE, BUT I CAN LIVE WITH IT. THE WI-FI IS A GREAT ADDITION TO USE AS WELL. IF YOU ARE LOOKING FOR A ITEM LIKE THIS I WOULD GREATLY SUGGEST GETTING THIS
Jack Of All Trades...
Wow, this phone really does it all. There are so many great features on the SDA, especially the built-in Wi-Fi. All phones should have this feature built-in. It also performs very well as a phone with its awesome RF performance, excellent call quality, and good battery life. I recently sold my Motorola MPx200 & MPx220 smartphones to get the SDA and I don't regret it one bit. This phone is a jack of all trades...
PROS:
-Excellent RF performance and superb call quality
-It's a smartphone (PIM functions, sync w/outlook, numerous available software, makes an excellent multimedia device - listen to mp3s or other music files, watch movies, play java games and run emulators)
-Wi-Fi, Wi-Fi, Wi-Fi!!! (Love this feature, all phones should have wi-fi...wi-fi enables you to use Skype and listen to satellite radio stations - need to use the proper software and hacks though)
-Strong feature set: Quadband, bluetooth, A2DP (must use an i-mate or Qtek rom to enable), EDGE, dedicated buttons for music/video playback, stereo output, voice dialing, 1.3 MP camera)
-Runs WM5
-Beautiful QVGA display
-Decent battery life considering it's a smartphone
-Uses mini USB connector
-Like the form factor (candy bar style, lightweight, and not too small)
CONS:
-Keypad is a little small for my tastes, and the soft key buttons are tiny and are too close in proximity to the media player buttons (accidental button presses will happen now and then)
-Not very fond of using the joystick
-Mini SD slot is located under the battery (can't hot swap and unable to add any expansion devices)
-Needs more memory
Pretty nice ...
I'd had the old phone ( E398 flashed to V398) for 6+ months, so it was time to look around. :) The SDA was just out and, after some internet research, I grabbed one.
In your hand, the SDA s a bit heavier than the 398, but in every-day use, there's really no difference.
The reception is pretty good. Probably a bit better than my previous Motos. The sound is louder, too, which I appreciate. The trade-off is that it is a bit harsher than I'd ideally like. Quite acceptable, though.
T-M can't make my internet work, which is frustrating, since that is one reason I bought from them (usually I buy third party phones). But it's new and I'll give them some time. I'm sure it will all work out. Service-wise, T-M has been very good to me.
The WiFi worked like a charm -- from the get-go -- at, e.g., Starbucks, but I'm told it will *only* work at T-M hot-spots. Is there a work-around?
The WinMobile OS is a great improvement since I last checked in (CE 2). I only have it sync up my Outlook calendar, but it's great.
The HTC s/w leaves something to be desired, though this could be me being used to other protocols. For example, to speed-dial on the Moto, you held down the (e.g., 2) key and that number was dialed. On the SDA, you hit 2, #; then you get a confirmation message, which you have to "OK". Hey, I'm old and don't like to learn new things. :) On top of that, the keys are kinda small ...
My gripes are really small beer, though. If you want a smartphone is a smaller package, the SDA has got to be on your short list.
an excellent all-around phone
I ordered through ebay
unlocked to use with Wataniya (Kuwait phone service)
the phone reception is good like expected, quad-band makes it work pretty well in Kuwait
pros:
almost complete audio/video playback with TCPMP
excellent reception
miniUSB connector (charge phone when tethered with laptop)
fast class10 EDGE (up to 225k real world dl)
a2dp support with addon
easliy unlocked (check spv-developers.com)
small QVGA display
cons:
pretty small buttons, you may need to keep fingernail in order to press
confusing WAP/MMS setup with other service
screen gets scratched easily
miniSD is not hot-swappable (requires battery removal)
subpar cam
PRETTY LIMITED user available ROM
tips:
you can use stereo 2.5mm male to 3.5mm female plug adaptor to plug with regular headphones
you may want to install TCPMP, WM5torage, a2dp addon to add more function
conclusion: this phone is one of the best T-Mobile phone so far
