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T-Mobile's aging Dash smartphone finally gets an upgrade in the form of the attractive, speedy Dash 3G. This Windows Mobile smartphone boasts 3G support, built-in GPS, and some very good messaging features. But, at $170 when you sign a two-year contract with T-Mobile, the Dash 3G is simply too expensive for what you get in return.

Design

The Dash 3G is slim and light, with a pleasing black and red design.

The keyboard is big and roomy, though I found the keys a bit too slick for my taste. Still, the large keys mostly compensated for this minor flaw. I was less pleased with the 2.4-inch screen; it looks small on the roomy phone, and it feels tight when you're trying to view Web pages or Office documents.

Directly below the screen are six navigation buttons and a BlackBerry-like trackball. All of the buttons (which include send/end buttons, two soft keys, a home button, and a back button) make navigating the phone easy, and their rounded look fits in nicely with the overall design of the phone. I found the trackball a bit difficult to use before I adjusted its sensitivity, though.

Making Calls

Voice quality was generally good in my test calls. Callers sounded loud and clear on my end, and most said the same about me. The Dash 3G supports T-Mobile's myFaves service, which allows you to make unlimited calls to five people. Unfortunately, though, it does not support T-Mobile's Unlimited HotSpot Calling Service, which allows you to make voice calls over Wi-Fi wireless networks.

Since the Dash 3G lets you use Wi-Fi networks for data access, it would be nice if the voice feature was included here, too.

Software

The Dash 3G runs version 6.1 of the Windows Mobile operating system. That means you get the familiar Windows-like environment, as well as a host of productivity apps, including the mobile version of Microsoft Office. While this Office suite is handy to have, using it on the Dash 3G can be a challenge, given the phone's relatively small screen.

Another drawback is the lack of any on-board applications store, like you get on the iPhone, Palm Pre, Google Android phones, and newer BlackBerrys. Microsoft reportedly is working on its application marketplace for Windows Mobile phones, but it's not available yet. Still, you will find plenty of third-party software available for the Dash 3G; you just have to go out and find it on your own.

Browsing the Web

As its name implies, the Dash 3G supports T-Mobile's speedy HSDPA 3G network, as well as Wi-Fi wireless networks so you have plenty of options for high-speed Web browsing.

The bad news is that the on-board browser, Internet Explorer Mobile, remains a mixed bag. Some pages looked very good, but others were mangled enough to be unreadable.

Messaging

The Dash's e-mail handling is excellent. Adding e-mail accounts is a breeze, and the included e-mail client keeps different accounts nicely organized. It supports POP3 and IMAP e-mail accounts, and will sync with desktop Outlook account. T-Mobile's included setup wizard makes adding most of the popular e-mail accounts, like Gmail and AOL, a breeze.

The Dash 3G also comes with AOL, Google Talk, Windows Live, MySapce IM, and Yahoo Messenger instant messaging clients installed.

Camera, GPS, and More

The Dash includes a 2-megapixel camera that's an upgrade over the camera on the earlier Dash, but this one is nothing spectacular. My pictures looked decent, with bright colors, but were noticeably pixilated. The phone also captures video clips, though you have to access video recording separately from the still camera -- and both have to be accessed by digging through the phone's menus. I'd rather see a dedicated camera button that offers easy access to both the still and video camera.

The Dash 3G includes built-in GPS and comes with both Google Maps and TeleNav software pre-loaded. TeleNav delivers turn-by-turn driving directions to your phone for an additional fee.

The only on-board music player is Windows Media Player mobile, which is adequate, but not stellar. T-Mobile does not offer a mobile music service, so you'll have to supply your own tunes and transfer them to the phone yourself. And the Dash 3G does not include a standard headset jack, so you'll have to use the included adapter to connect your headphones. Alternatively, you can pair the phone with a stereo Bluetooth headset.

The T-Mobile Dash 3G offers a decent mix of features for both work and play, but it doesn't offer enough to make it stand out for either use. And its $170 price tag makes it even more difficult to recommend.

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