Spending a week or two at my mother's can be a bit hard for a net-addict like me, especially as I start feeling guilty over using her pay-as-you-go internet. But, T-Mobile's "web 'n' walk" unlimited data plan (a £7.50 add-on) thingy means I can happily chat away on MSN into the wee hours using the mini keyboard, with only a tiny risk of RSI.
I've had this T-Mobile MDA Vario (a.k.a. HTC Wizard, iMate K-Jam, O2 XDA Mini S, and more) for just about two weeks now. No, no, it's not a horrendously huge mobile phone. It's a very very small pig.
As you can probably guess, this (plus the other devices offered by T-Mob for these plans) is less a mobile phone, and more a PDA -with- a phone. Plus text, MMS, email, MSN, Internet Explorer, Bluetooth, GPRS, wireless - and that's only the pre-installed stuff! Almost anything you can put on a pocket PC, you can load onto this and the other offerings from HTC, which runs Windows Mobile 5.
Soon I understand they're going to launch a new clutch of handsets with similarly whizzy features and the Vario II will no doubt be out fairly soon - but I daresay they'll come after the current 25%-off promotion, typical, eh.
I must admit, that while occasionally I have hit the wrong button and nearly thrown the thing out the window, I am absolutely in love with my Vario. It's not big enough to look daft when you put it to your ear, but it's definitely big enough to happily use it as a full-blown PDA. Absent-mindedly I've managed to set it to collect email while I'm on the London Underground. More than once. Definitely good for non-driving commuters and anyone who finds themselves bored every now and then. I even read my geek-tastic fantasy novels on it, and try and look cool and cosmopolitan at Starbucks while 5 people are trying to talk to me over MSN at once. Fab. [Sara Wallen]
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My experience of T-Mobile’s web and walk has been very disappointing. I live on the south east edge of Oxford which is shown on T-Mobiles coverage map as good as it gets. My post code was cleared as having good reception giving over 3gig download but the reality is between 30kb and 100kb with periods of not being able to connect at all. I have constantly complained and have run through diagnostics with technical assistance and the last resort offered to me is to post in the USB modem for testing which will mean being without a connection for two weeks. Although the company has offered to reimburse the two weeks charge they are not prepared to supply a new modem to enable me to see if my modem is indeed at fault without having to be without service for two weeks. The staff are courteous enough, however I would advise anyone thinking of entering a T-Mobile web and walk contract to thoroughly research the reception in their area first before committing to T-Mobile or, for that matter, any other company offering this service.