[MDA, XDA, 1010 Software Upgrading] Tiburon:
T-Mobile WM 2003 PE Evaluation

Ok here is a quick evaluation of the -T-Mobile WM 2003 PE for any US -T-mobile users who haven’t yet installed the update

I have been putting WM 2003 PE V4.00.10 through the paces for a couple weeks now and have now upgraded to -T-mobile's leaked version and have been putting it through the paces as well.

*Note. All tests have been performed in simultaneous side by side comparisons to reduce the margin of error with identical -T-Mobile Pocket PC's.

Software:

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Phone 1: PPC 2002 PE Radio 6.14

Phone 2: WM 2003 PE Radio 6.24 (T-Mobile prerelease)

RADIO:

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PRO Improved Reception - I have tested the phone in locations were signal was marginal and both voice and data has been improved. Although this improvement has not been dramatic, it is better.

PRO Improved Data Rates - An average increase of 10-15k on average. During peak hours I get 60-70kbps vs. 35-45kbps.

PRO Always On Data - Once your GPRS connection is established it stays that way. Make a call, receive a call, turn off your PDA, turn it on and your still connected.. Pretty nice. T-Mobile obviously still has a few issues to work out though because it is not flawless in it's performance. Occasionally you may have a GPRS connection but not be able to use it. Simply turning the radio off then on and reconnecting rectifies the issue. After allot of time with Tier III techs at T-Mobile it appears to me to be a network issue.

CON Difficult reversal – Going back is not a simple task so keep that in mind before you upgrade.

OS:

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PRO Dual Volume Sliders - If you are new to WM 2003 PE one of the first things you'll notice are dual volume sliders, one for the PDA and one for the ringer volume. This is great if you are always missing calls due to your volume being inadvertently left down.

PRO Speed - WM 2003 PE definitely has been optimized we noticed an decent improvement from the first moment. Video ahs also been improved. We use PocketTV for movies on the devices. We use to need to make sure all other applications in memory were closed prior to watching a movie, now it's not that critical.

PRO Truly Functional E-mail - Thanks to the always on GPRS in the radio update you can truly get email on you phone.. Now when I say “truly” that is because I don't consider being required to have the PDA portion of the phone turned on and connecting to GPRS true wireless email. With the new radio and WM 2003 PE you can receive email while the unit is off. Yes off... Mind you not the radio the PDA. Plus the unit will audibly notify you when you have received and email. Way cool since that was what I had anticipated when I bought the darn things...

NEU -T-Mobile Integration - T-Mobile customers will appreciate the integrated applications that make use their service easier. When testing other versions of the OS we found that we actually missed those applications.

PRO Software - A couple of new applications have appeared in this new build.

---------- AIM - All of you AOL people can now shoot messages back and forth

--------- ClearVue PDF - A PDF viewer

--------- ClearVue Presentation - A Microsoft PowerPoint Viewer

--------- Jawbreaker - This is a Tetris/puzzle like game

CON Difficult reversal – Again going back is not a simple task so keep that in mind before you upgrade.

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CONCLUSION:

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Well the PROS out way the CONS. I frankly haven’t found any reasons to even want to go back. WM 2003 PE is really a needed update, but not an overhaul. There are few differences but many minor improvements.