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>> Hi I'm Bonnie Todd Senior Editor at cnet.com and today I've got your first look at the Tmobile-3G. This Smart Phone is long overdue for the carrier and takes over for the T-Mobile- which has been available since October 2006 so it's definitely showing its age. Basically the Dash 3G is T-Mobile's version of HTC Snap, which was also released by Sprint, but I definitely like this model better for a number of reasons. First, the design of the phone is superior to the Sprint Snap, just a bit slimmer so it will fit easier in a pants pocket. It's also got a soft touch finish on the back so the Dash has more of a high quality build-in feel to it whereas the Sprint model feels more like a toy with its slick plastic case. The navigation controls and full-corded keyboard are also better, instead of a directional key bed you get a track ball navigator here which makes it easier to scroll through pages and longer lists. The keyboard is impressive and sometimes with these slim corded devices the keyboards can be cramped because of the phones smaller size but it's not the case with the Dash 3G. I also like that the letter and number keys are easy to read with the bold lettering and red markings here. My only really complaint about the Dash 3G?s design is the screen, it's a little bit on the smaller side so you can't see as much information at a glance so if you're reading a long email or web page there's a lot of scrolling involved. Also it's not quite as sharp as the Blackberry Curve 8900?s where everything looks smoother but otherwise I think HTC did a nice job and I really like the form factor of this phone. With the full quick keyboard of course messaging is going to be a key feature and the Dash 3G offers Microsoft Exchange support as well as pop3, IMAC email and T-Mobile includes a handy wizard that'll easily set up some of the more popular email services for you such as Gmail, yahoo and Windows Live. It also comes preloaded with instant messaging clients for those services as well. I was disappointed though that T-Mobile Dash 3G didn't have inner circle email feature. I really like this function when I use it on the Sprint Snap since it helped me manage and prioritize my work email. I don't really understand why it wasn't included in this version. There are other things like about the Dash 3G though including added 3G support, T-Mobile's only other 3G enabled Smart Phone is the T-Mobile Side Kick LX and I can bet it's more for a younger group so this was really needed since the Blackberry Curve 8900 didn't offer it. Smart Phone also now has GPS and a better 2-megapixel camera; it offers good call quality and snappy performance. The T-Mobile Dash 3G will be available starting July 8th for $169.99 with a 2 year contract, it seems a little high when you compare it to the competitions such as AT&T?s Nokia E71X which goes for $100 and Verizon's upcoming version of the Snap which will go for $50 but overall I would say it's a really nice upgrade for current Dash owners or any T-Mobile customers looking for a fast messaging Smart Phone. I'm Bonnie Todd this has been your first look at the T-Mobile Dash 3G.
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