HTC, the manufacturer of T-Mobile’s new Wing smartphone, are like great session players. They blend into the background, laying down syncopation, a few horns, some cowbell, while the carriers — the Otis Reddings of this little analogy — take the spotlight. Don’t cry for HTC, though. They’re making good money by making other people shine.
Take the Wing, for example. An update to the Cingular 8525 and the T-Mobile MDA, the Wing has a slide out keyboard and runs Windows Mobile 6. Considerably slimmer than its predecessors, the Wing feels much more mass market than similar smartphones in its category and is aimed squarely at the casual e-mail user. This is not a road warrior’s phone, although said warrior might use it on weekends.
Clad in no-slip rubber — called “soft touch” — the Wing takes design cues from the Dash, another casual QWERTY device. Because it runs Windows Mobile 6, the UI is quite clean and user friendly. T-Mobile and HTC teamed up to add a few very nice features including one-step e-mail setup for many carriers — Gmail POP is notably absent, but accessible through advanced configuration menus — and a task manager that shows exactly what’s running at all times, ensuring you don’t have two instances of the Calendar app hogging up precious resources.
T-Mobile also includes an IM client with AIM, Yahoo, and MSN support. Finally, it has all of the apps that make Windows Mobile 6 a more acceptable OS including improved HTML e-mail rendering, improved desktop sync, and a better browser. It has Bluetooth, a 2-megapixel camera, and myFaves support.
In a nod to its target market — casual e-mailers and texters — the device has an MP3 player on the home screen. It can also record video.
There’s not much 3G about the Wing. It is a quad-band phone with GPRS/EDGE compatibility but it does have Wi-Fi for speedier connectivity. The Wi-Fi system, when enabled, automatically scans for hotspots and hops on when needed.
One interesting addition is a “slider” on the left side of the phone in lieu of the Dash’s weird touch slider thingy. This one just bounces up and down, allowing you to move through lists with easy.
Over the past few weeks, I fell in and out of love with the Wing. As a former MDA user, I understood the draw of a fold out QWERTY keyboard — one of the things that also drew me to the Helio Ocean. The phone weighs 6 ounces and feels heavier than it looks. It is quite comfortable to type on although the IM client didn’t let me send messages with the Enter key, a foible that might have been caused by a misconfiguration somewhere along the line. Like most of HTC’s dvices, the Wing has a USB port for syncing and charging. Mac users take note: Missing Sync for WinMo doesn’t work with Windows Mobile 6.
Using the Wing is like using any other smartphone. Windows Live Search, an addition to WinMo 6’s arsenal, was fairly useless but the Exchange and Outlook connectivity will definitely be popular with Windows users. WinMo 6 is sufficiently open-ended that it can be made to do anything and, fortunately, T-Mobile was kind enough to add a good complement of connectivity software to the package out of the box, something that many WinMo implementations lacked.
I liked the Wing. I liked it better than the Ocean, for example, simply because of its size. The Ocean offers media and fun while the Wing offers the potential for media and fun, a difficult concept sure, but think about it for a bit.
On the whole, the Wing is a good addition to an already powerful collection of “casual” smartphones. At $299 with 2-year contract it’s inexpensive enough to lure folks who might be put off by the Blackberry and the size definitely makes it more pocketable than a Treo. It hits a sweet spot — a blue note, if you will — that HTC seems to always be able to reach, even when stuck behind the star.
I think its a little underpowered for something thats basically a pocket PC first. With new improved battery technology I don’t see why they couldn’t squeeze in a 400mhz processor like the XV6800 (titan). That keyboard looks a little cramped how is it?
keyboard is alright. it’s very usable.
it will be alright if i can get my keyboard light up
I like the keyboard too, plus at $299, you can’t beat the price
i bought one yesterday and i love it. It is very fast.
I checked this out at the T-Mobile store today. The Wing is great but T-Mobile’s network is still inadequate. Using http://www.dslreports.com/mspeed, I ran speed tests on the Wing. Latency times ranged from 1.25 to 1.75 seconds. The download speeds ranged from 100 Kbits per second to 170 Kbits per second.
I don’t mind the slow speed but the latency is noticable and annoying. I ran this test in Washington, DC and know that their network is faster elsewhere. It was much faster in Idaho, Montana, & Washington state.
Loyal upgrade customers don’t get the best price. I would have to shell out $350 for the Wing. It’s worth it but T-Mobile’s network really isn’t. When they improve the network, I’ll buy one. If they don’t, I’ll have to switch the family to Verizon.
I love the wing over the mda in a software stand point. lacks the dual speakers of the mda but that is okay. it also has a directional atnenna inside the top to reduce the so so called cancer issue with phone. inproved web browser but it does not allow popups like opera 8.65b for winmo 6. popups are needed for callertunes to be changed and configured. third party software needed.
opera 8.65b
winmobole fusion
irc client
ftp client
tcpmp player for all A/V
otherwise wonderful improvement.
just needs a big hard drive more than 2 gb microsSD ram
peace
clark
Man whoever mad the buttons on the left side is an idiot. It is ahuuuuge flaw for right handed users.
I’m still tryna get a feel of this phone. If I dont like some things about it and am almost optiing back to a sidekick3… I still got a nother week to see if I’m gonna stay with this phone for the long haul. But it has a lot of things I dont like about it… This battery pisses me off, going dead so quick! I might as well carry my charger around all day..
Live Search useless??
In contrast to most MS products, I find this app to be one of the most well thought out, intuitive and useful pieces of software.
I use it as my yellow pages, getting directions, and checking traffic. Especially cool when travelling to other cities.
hey i have a question can you download p2p music programs like limewire on the wing? and if not what are your options for downloading music directly to the phone?
i love my wing
The Wing is a GREAT phone but i have one question can work with a 4GB sandisk micro SD memory?…….And dose HTC has a support number?
sandisk micro sd memory, i spoke to tmobile, thats what they was told me before. support up to 4gb so far i know, and hey does it aim is work really good? so like fast way to communicate each other *fast respond* or *slow respond* please get back to me thanks.
So it does take the 4GB microSD ? thats a good question can it perform p2p sharing on the wing if so how?
the aim is slow on the wing
do you people perfer the SIDEKICK 3 over the wing or vice versa??? I had sidekicks for a long time and my sidekick 3 just got stolen.. I want to try something new.. what do you think??
I have had my wing for two weeks, it crashes two to three time a day and runs low on internal memory late in the day. When it drops below a level that will operate the camera and other devices it freezes. You have to shut down and restart the wing. Why they didnt put more internal memory and a larger prossesor in it, who knows.
This phone rocks. It could use a bump in the cpu but it works. The Live Search works great. And if you have a gps bluetooth the Live Search Maps works great! When I’m on the road the gps with edge and live search maps makes life great.
I am a kid i am only 12 years old i love this phone especially since its like a sidekick all the kids in our time text so it is good that this phone could text and also it is touch screen that is also very good!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
could someone tell me if the wings aim is fast??????????
could someone plz tell me if the wings aim is fast or slow plz reply!!!!!!!!
I have been using the Wing for about a week now and it is a disappointment. With only a 200mhz processor and 64 mb RAM, it seems often runs out of available memory and applications hang. If you are looking for a PDA, then this falls short of it’s potential.
Hey Everyone. As a former holder of the iPhone and other Verizon phones… the WING is a great phone. Be it a TMOBILE phone I believe its the best deal out there. TMOBILE offers you an insurance on the phone for a nominal monthly fee, unlike the Cingular 8525 and other high end phone, they do not offer insurance on the phones. So if anything happens to my little WING it will surely be replaced.
iPhone is totally a HS kid phone. An iPod with extra features, thats where it stands but it is not capable for the working professional or the college student, as I am. The WING by far is the best deal out there at the moment. It can be a little slow… but that is why i am gonna find out for sure that I can use a 4g micro card to store in the card instead of the phone.
Battery Life is great!! No dropped calls!! Emails are awesome!
The wing is a great phone aim is good and just go to radio shack and get a 2g for 35 bucks thats all you need.And if you have the phone go to your programs and download handango its a download to get better stuff for your phone check it out by the time you buy all that you need the phone will be great.Just like the ps3 it hasent even started with the good games yet so give it a chance..and relax
I love the T-mobile wing, its very fast for me. In fact the Wifi connnects faster than my own laptop. I actually dont have to pay for t-zones anylonger. I switched from the Razr V3r.
I only paid $49 for my T-Mobile Wing since the Rebate was $50. They also carried numerous other expensive phones such as the Sidekick 3 and Blackberry 8800 for cheap or free after rebates, but you had to have a new line of service or new activation.
If you interested in where I got it from I used promotional code “CELLME1″ http://www.UshopWireless.com/AF-CELLME1
Place an order through your website
or call the toll free number of 1-877-373-7100
How is the general phone usage? I’ve been using a Nokia 6600 and really don’t care (right now) about the PDA features so much vs the large screen size and how it performs as a phone.
I assume that you have to have a data plan to use the wifi functionality of it?
Does it have a key lock/screen lock so that you don’t hit a button while it’s in your pocket?
In response to the note about Missing Sync; it is now supported, so Mac users can sync Wing to desktop. Yes, it is sluggish at times and while I am still trying to get used to the differing keyboard, I prefer this by miles to my SideKick 3. I really wish I could install Skype on it :(
I am considering a Wing, however I would like to know if “Active X Controls” can be downloaded to the O/S (I need it to access my home security cameras) Also, does anyone know of the program that adds the “Slide Bar” to the operation of this phone. I have been led to beleive that by downloading and installing this program, it will convert the WING to an IPhone screen IE: Icons on the screen rather than the List.
Thanks for any replys
Sandman
i am in the processs of upgrading my phone and i am confused on getting the wing or blackberry dash. which phone is better in all senses?
there is a way to put aim on the wing so that it can be like aim on a computer.. and a sk3 i fond a way for them aim heads
evie wats ur way?? n does ur way werk for the t obile dash as well???
tmobile*
630 709 7364
I just ordered this phone off of let’stalk.com and t costs me $100 with a new plan. I was very skeptical about let’s talk but they have the best prices. Before I ordered it I went into aTMobile and they wanted $300…Since I will be a new customer I figured I might as well go with letstalk…so anyway it took 2 days for me to get my phone. One more thing my Wing from let’s talk is not refurbished. They do sell refurbished phones though but so does every company. I like the phone so far.
u can beat the price of $299 actually i got mine for $50
I just got a t mobile wings for work. I want to sync with my Mac to upload my itunes. Can someone tell me how to do this?
Thanks
ummm… i really want this phone, but i just wanted to know if i can use the music i download from limewire and sync it into the wing??? plz comment back!
Does Anyone Know where I can find this phone at a cery cheap price still new.Please let me know
You can find the phone for Free(w/ rebates) at Letstalk.com..I just ordered mine and made $50.
Does Anyone Know where I can find this phone at a cery cheap price still new?Please let me know
Is th tmobile wing better than a sidekick?? I mean i like them both but don’t know which one to choose ???
can anyone tell me a website i can go to that will sync my phone to my mac o/s ?
does anyone know if i can use the itunes for the t mobile wing as a ringtone ?
The wing is disappointing after only 90 days my touch screen does not work properly the phone locks itself and takes hours to unlockl
Tmobile has been very unhelpful-after being a loyal customer since 1995 and they will not help me telling me that I need to pay 445.00 for a new phone.
Don’t buy this phone it is expensive and without support.
The wing is disappointing after only 90 days my touch screen does not work properly the phone locks itself and takes hours to unlockl
Tmobile has been very unhelpful-after being a loyal customer since 1995 and they will not help me telling me that I need to pay 445.00 for a new phone.
Don’t buy this phone it is expensive and without support.
i don’t hate a lot of things but my t mobile wing is one of the things that i despise. it freezes all the time. it lags constantly. sometimes the programs won’t open. alarms i set a week ago still go off even after i’ve changed them. OH. and a button fell off a month after i got it…and T mobile wouldn’t help me replace it because they said it was physical damage that I DIDN’T CAUSE.
it shuts down by itself and i can’t see the screen at times – even when someone is calling…it really has a mind of its own..and i like phones that i can control.
as soon as i can, im switching to a blackberry and i’d even go so far as to say i’d go for an iPhone over this piece of crap. this is the worst investment i have ever made.
i brought the t mobile wing and a week later i droped it and the LCD srceen broke and nobody could give me a answer on how to fix it dont get me wrong i love the phone but the least they could of done was help with the tech support for people like me can always get there phone fixed……….email me if anyone could help jfleuri88@yahoo.com
I am a owner of a wing phone that my wife bought for me .Has had it for 3 months now and the phone has been problems !.First off is the pop out keyboard .Seems the springs have lost a little stiffness .The only reason for the keyboard is for teens to type back to there fellow teens .I am one for the touch screen .Well the only reason why i am stating this is that i don’t have time to use the keyboard .My wife liked to use it .And she used it a few times and now it seems to be loose .Ok now besides all that mess there is a issue of a button fell out of its place .How is it that a person that uses a phone for only 3 months have a button fall off .I am not a hard presser for pushing buttons .But as i can see it the button was never on there good enough to begin with .Ok besides that 2nd issue there is a 3rd issue with the phone .Seems the phone likes to dial numbers on its own without even pushing anything on it .Yes the phone looks good .Yes it does things that your computer at home can do .Yes i like the features in it .The processer can be better of course .T mobile will not replace my phone due to a button that fell off while receiving a call .Besides the calls being made by there selfs they credit us back the dropped calls .Other then them not wanting to replace it for nothing even though the extended warranty is on the phone they still refuse to replace without sending the phone back .I got a little pissed on this due to the fact that i am in a job that requres a phone 24/7 .I don’t have another to replace it with .Nor do i have the time to get this done so i guess they stuck me with a defaulty phone and a button that is off and state that it breaks the warranty on the phone .So buyers beware if you have a issue with this phone .Don’t bother trying to get it replaced for any time soon .And if you buy into the phone ur stuck with headaches with t Mobile .Meanwhile i am taking them to court over 400 dollars and a 50 dollar rebate that they never sent along with the phone .Also the phone is faulty built and dials on its own .
please tell me if this phone is worth buying, thank you very much
Hey darrin k tmobile does not replace the phone unless you send it back to them so they dont get scammed i broke my old phone and had to send it back for replacement if you go into the store you can get a loaner phone. Anyways every problem i have heard of people having with this phone seems to be minor, like it calling people..DUH its a touch screen and in your pocket that means when the screen is bumped from your jeans its gonna do things just like if you were touching it, Put it on screenlock.
Ok well got the new replacement lets see how long it outlasts the other…Watch out for t mobile they seem to be very sneeky sending refurb replacements