Windows Phone Thoughts - Daily News, Views, Rants and Raves

"Just in time to the EURO 2008, Vodafone Germany and Giga-Byte introduced the GSmart t600 (we've previously photoviewed), a Windows Mobile 6 Professional 2.5G smartphone. While the GSmart t600 design is over one year old already (the t600 was unveiled during last year's Mobile World Congress in Barcelona) it's still quite stylish, if you like white "iPodish" mobile devices. Powered by a Marvell PXA270 CPU at 520 MHz, the GSmart t600 is a quadband GSM and GPRS device, also featuring WiFi b/g and Bluetooth 2.0. Nevertheless, neither EDGE nor W-CDMA in terms of UMTS or HSDPA are supported which might makes the device less attractive to online-savvies. But that's not the focus of the t600 anyway but the main reason for this smartphone is the fact that it supports DVB-T broadcast which allows users to watch digital terrestrial TV on the go."



Though the industry is pressing on towards 3G, there are still some second generation Windows Mobile smartphones worth considering. Arne Hess runs the Gigabyte GSmart t600 through it's paces. As Arne notes, one of the unique things about the t600 is it's inclusion of Digital Video Broadcasting - Terrestrial, or DVB-T support. While North and South American markets are using different standards, DVB-T is available in Europe, India, Australia, and selected African countries and generally does not require a subscription fee. The t600 also comes in a DVB-H version. Check out the full review, including a detailed look at the DVB capabilities, at the::unwired.

"Not knowing an awful lot about GSmart and knowing even less about the two models presented for review, I was intrigued to get my hands on them and see what they are all about. Will the impressive looking specifications live up to expectations? After a couple of weeks use, here is my opinion of the devices. As the devices are so similar, almost identical in fact, I've have decided to review them together, highlighting the differences in the specification section."



In earlier video posts, Tracy and Matt's Blog have unboxed both the Gigabyte GSmart MW700 and the MS800. Now, they take a closer look to compare the two. One of the most significant differences is that the MS800 is a 3G/HSDPA device. Is there anything that might lead you to choose the MW700 instead? Read Tracy and Matt's take here.

"A few weeks ago I was able to get my hands on the new GSmart MW700 and although I was only able to use the demo unit briefly I was reasonably impressed with it. This week I had another package arrive from Taiwan, this time containing the retail version of the MW700 and it's 'bigger brother' the MS800. Although I say bigger brother, the two devices are almost identical, they have the same RAM, ROM and CPU and both include a SiRF Star III GPS chipset. Where they do differ though is that the MS800 is a 3G/HSDPA version where the MW700 is GPRS and EDGE. The MS800 also has a built in radio."





If you've been thinking about moving to a WM6 GSM phone, take a look at the 3G-capable MS800. Tracy and Matt's Blog unbox it in this video and towards the end, include a short hardware comparison to the nearly-identical MW700.

"The MW700 is a fairly typical Windows Mobile 6 Professional device, perhaps a little lighter and thinner than other devices available at the moment but does have the added benefit of built in SiRF Star III GPS, fast CPU and 256MB Rom although, frustratingly, only 64MB of RAM which does mean the unit struggles from time to time."



The 64MB RAM and EDGE pegs this as a low to mid-range device, though the other specs aren't too shabby for that level - 520MHz processor, 256MB ROM, 2.0MP camera, WiFi, BT2.0, and MicroSD slot. First shown off at the Mobile World Congress in February, the MW700 is a sister model to the MS800, which will feature HSDPA, and is supposedly pretty thin for a GPS phone. If you're looking for an entry level, GPS-enabled phone, this ain't too bad. Check out the link for more details.