T-Mobile Germany introduced a clamshell-based cellular-wireless Pocket PC, the MDA IV, a follow-up to the highly regarded MDA III and the latest model in what is likely the most popular Pocket PC Phone series ever.
Since T-Mobile's announcement a couple of other mobile operators in Europe announced they too would offer the new smartphone. Vodaphone calls its version of the MDA IV the VPA IV and Orange gives the handset the SPV 3G designation.
As with the previous generation MDA III, Taiwanese's original equipment manufacturer High Tech Computer (HTC) developed the device, calling it the Universal.
Since T-Mobile unveiled the Pocket PC Phone a more complete picture of MDA IV/Universal has come into view.
Here's what we know so far:
The new handset opens like a mini-laptop with a QWERTY thumb keyboard, but when you flip, twist, and turn its screen—as with Sony's now-defunct Clie handhelds—it enters traditional, for a Pocket PC, tablet mode.
Whereas earlier models in the series handled four GSM/GPRS bands, the (GSM 900/1800/1900 MHz) MDA IV/Universal loses a band in favor of UMTS support, which purports to perform at 400 to 700 Kb/s or up to three faster than EDGE—the data-exchange follow up standard to GPRS—a first for a Windows Mobile device. .
Apparently the smartphone will automatically switch between supported network standards (GSM/GPRS/UMTS and Wi-Fi) depending on which one is most optimal (and you would think cheaper) at a particular instant in time.
Although Cingular Wireless hasn't announced plans to carry the device in the United States, as the only mobile operator to say it would soon support UTMS, it is a likely candidate. Of course, that doesn't stop another carrier from offering the device with UTMS disabled or committing to the technology in the future.
Unique to the MDA IV/Universal is a VGA (480 x 640 pixel) resolution display, a first for a Pocket PC Phone. There are two cameras—one for still images and the other for video—plus Bluetooth and Wi-Fi wireless networking, a trend among high-end smartphones (e.g. Hewlett Packard h6315, Nokia 9500 & 9300 Communicators, Motorola MPx, etc...).
Closed Vodaphone Edition
The Pocket PC phone measures 5.2 x 3.2 x 0.85 inches (13.16 x 7.9 by 2.16 centimeters) closed and includes 128 MB of RAM plus a 520 MHz Intel XScale CPU. It is not known if the cellular-wireless handheld will run the upcoming new edition of Windows Mobile (codenamed Magneto) or Windows Mobile 2003 Second Edition.
