Picture courtesy of Andy Gorman.
| Value for Money | 8.8/10  |
|---|---|
| Overall rating | 8/10 |
Full review by
rarinrob
expert review 
on 4th Oct 2007
User Rating : 7
Respect :
0
Good Points: Number of features Large screen Keyboard
Bad Points: Magnetic pouch (see review) Slow processor Bulky
General comments: This is an update to the review I wrote last year (see further down). I've owned the T-Mobile MDA Vario mobile phone for around 18 months, so I wanted to share my experiences following my early impressions.
First things first: it still works! The phone never suffered a malfunction during its time with me, although the screen does occasionally go into 'zebra' mode (black and white stripes) without warning, so I suspect it was on its way out towards the end (I recently bought a K610i, so I now use that). Battery life was still good - I could go four or five days without recharging.
Now for the gremlins - and there aren't many. Actually, the first problem I encountered wasn't with the phone but the 'pouch' it came with. It's designed with a flap that's held in place with a couple of concealed magnets. Trouble is, those magnets are pretty strong and caused me all manner of hassles in car parks for the first few weeks of ownership, because they 'wipe' the information on tickets with a magnetic strip. It took me a while to put two and two together, but when I did I found myself having to be very careful to keep the phone in one hand and ticket in the other. Annoying to say the least, because every time the ticket was wiped I had to press the 'assistance' button on the car park payment machine. The magnets had no effect on my credit or debit cards.
The other annoyance was the speed of the processor in the MDA. I never updated the software on it because: a) I didn't want to lose any of the data on it, and b) I didn't really know what to do anyway - I've read that speed does improve if you update it. Anyway, it meant a short delay in everything you did with the MDA. Not hugely annoying, but a pain nonetheless.
A final gripe of mine was the MDA's size. Yes, I knew how large it was before I bought it, but as I'm not a woman and don't own a handbag, I had to carry it everywhere I went. Putting it in your pocket just isn't feasible. You can clip the pouch onto a back (or front) pocket, but it sticks out a mile and you feel a bit of a berk wearing it like that. I guess that's what you have to put up with when using a PDA.
These gripes aside, I still like the MDA, but I have gone back to 'candybar' phones for the time being. Thanks for reading.
rarinrob's review and ratings | 451 words
Review by
MHatton
on 3rd Aug 2007
User Rating : 7
Respect :
0
The MDA Vario is a very multi talented device which gives you many options but if you are looking for a device that is predominately used for making phone calls look elsewhere!
MHatton's full review | 69 words
Review by
pannywagon1
expert review
on 12th Jan 2007
User Rating : 9
Respect :
0
For the last few years, I've carried a mobile phone, laptop and PDA when out and about on business and this is both inconvenient and slightly embarrassing. Who wants to look like a mobile electrical store anyway? About a year ago, after a month of waiting, I managed to get an MDA Vario and it has really changed my life. (I mean that)
This phone is a wonder. A little box of tricks, that does so much more than you would think. I have it on a T-mobile account, which also includes Web N Walk. It ...
pannywagon1's full review | 899 words
Review by
Waggers
on 10th Jan 2007
User Rating : 10
Respect :
0
Great phone. PDA and Sat-Nav would recommend it to anyone
Waggers's full review | 74 words
Review by
rarinrob
expert review
on 22nd Aug 2006
User Rating : 7
Respect :
+4
This is my first PDA phone. I got the T-Mobile MDA Vario because I'd just switched to T-Mobile from Orange and they were offering it for free on an 18-month contract (Flext) where I pay around £30 a month. Needless to say I researched it for quite a while before ordering it, and overall I haven't been disappointed.
First things first. The screen is nice and large, and looked great before I put the (supplied) screen protector on it. It's essentially a piece of plastic film and while I wa ...
rarinrob's full review | 611 words
Review by
littlenick
on 9th May 2006
User Rating : 8
Respect :
+2
I am very happy with my T-Mobile MDA Vario mobile phone. It has a huge number of features, and they all appear easy to find and use.
The WiFi is useful sometimes, although I must admit I don't use it as much as I thought I would.
littlenick's full review | 109 words
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