I would definitely recommend the MDA to anyone looking for a compact all-in-one communicator and PDA. It’s not a performance monster, but it does what it does very well and you’d be hard-pressed to find more bang for your buck out there.

It is one of the best put-together Pocket PC Phones so far. Unfortunately, despite T-Mobile’s best efforts, Pocket PC Phone Edition is still not a good choice for most users. The Windows Mobile 5 version is more user friendly than the last, but it is still not friendly enough.

I actually prefer the T-Mobile MDA a bit over the Cingular 8125, despite the fact that they have identical internal hardware. The design of the MDA is more rounded, and fits more comfortably into the hand, than does the more squared-off 8125. That said, the devices are almost exactly alike: solidly designed and built, data oriented, GSM handheld with very few frills.

But in my opinion, for a device to be truly practical as a phone, it must be usable with one hand most of the time. This is where the MDA falls short. Microsoft’s Windows Media 5.0 OS requires more buttons for one-handed use than are available on the MDA. As such, for a very large percentage of operations on the device, one is required to use their finger or the included stylus on the touch screen – something that most always requires a second hand.

Hobbled by a poorly designed QWERTY keypad and sometimes sluggish performance, the Wi-Fi and EDGE-enabled T-Mobile MDA makes for an enticing but ultimately mediocre addition to T-Mobile’s smart-phone lineup.