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Slider smartphone well-suited to world travelers
- Inexpensive with a contract
- Can operate in most places in the world
- Excellent battery life
- Wi-Fi calling
- No document-creation ability
- No QWERTY keyboard
- No high-speed 3G network
- Outdated web browser
- General sluggishness
The T-Mobile Shadow (by HTC) is a quad-band (world) smartphone with a slideout alphanumeric keypad and Wi-Fi but no quick 3G network capability. Reviews say the 2009 update has some improvements: a better interface, the newer Windows Mobile 6.1 software, and a faster processor. (The Shadow was launched in late 2007, originally.) But reviews indicate there are still shortcomings, including an outdated Pocket Internet Explorer, general sluggishness, unimpressive 2-megapixel camera/camcorder results and mixed reviews for call quality. PC World rates the T-Mobile Shadow as the eighth-best smartphone but says it's overpriced. PCMag.com says you're better off with one of T-Mobile's BlackBerry offerings, and InfoSync specifies the BlackBerry Curve 8900 (*est. $100) as the wiser choice. InfoSync's Philip Berne does note, however, that the Wi-Fi "unlimited HotSpot calling is a great feature that will save most customers some money on minutes."
One review calls the T-Mobile Shadow a "starter" smartphone. Business users should note that while you can read and edit Microsoft Word and Excel files, you can't create them. The T-Mobile Shadow also can display PDFs and PowerPoint documents, and there is support for various instant messaging and email functions. There is a music player, stereo Bluetooth, a microSD memory card slot (up to 8 GB), and a 2.2-inch screen with decent resolution (240 pixels by 320 pixels). Talk-time battery life is promised at seven hours, but two independent tests clocked it at about 90 minutes more, and another got 10 hours. Some reviews like the color choices on the body: white/mint or black/burgundy.
We found the best reviews at the usual test-heavy sources: PCMag.com, PC World, CNET, InfoSync and MobileBurn.com. ConsumerReports.org covers several T-Mobile smartphones, but not the T-Mobile Shadow. At this writing, we found few owner reviews at CNET and nearly 20 at Amazon.com, split between two product listings.
Our Sources
1. PCMag.com
Although the new T-Mobile Shadow earns a good rating and is said to be better than the original, reviewer Jamie Lendino says "it's tough to recommend this device given the talented BlackBerrys in the carrier's lineup." Video recording and playback get panned, as does the web browsing.
Review: T-Mobile Shadow (2009), Jamie Lendino, Feb. 12, 2009
2. PC World
The T-Mobile Shadow ranks eighth in this top-10 roundup, in which the BlackBerry Pearl 8120 places first. There is a link to Melissa J. Perenson's January 2009 review and a full lab report. The gist is that the T-Mobile Shadow is overpriced, with iffy call quality.
Review: Top 10 Cell Phones, Ginny Mies, Mar. 6, 2009
3. CNET
Be careful on CNET, because reviews of the older T-Mobile Shadow still exist -- this is the 2009 version. The new model earns a good rating, with a handful of owner reviews scoring it higher. Reviewer Bonnie Cha says the faster processor is still "sluggish."
Review: T-Mobile Shadow (White), Bonnie Cha, Jan. 28, 2009
Reviewer Philip Berne says the T-Mobile Shadow is a bit slow without 3G and calls the BlackBerry Curve 8900 the better phone, but "unlimited HotSpot calling is a great feature that will save most customers some money on minutes."
Review: T-Mobile Shadow 2 Review (T-Mobile), Philip Berne, Feb. 26, 2009
In a long, thorough review, Ricky Cadden concludes that the T-Mobile Shadow is a "good basic smartphone," although the Pocket Internet Explorer is a relic, the 2-megapixel camera "barely gets the job done." And overall, the Shadow just isn't as "fun" as T-Mobile claims.
Review: Review of T-Mobile's New 2009 Shadow Smartphone, Ricky Cadden, Feb. 26, 2009
Lisa Gade says the new Shadow is still a bit sluggish. She writes: "The Shadow 2 has clean lines and seems sturdy, but frankly looks a bit too plasticky to incite even a smidgen of gadget lust."
Review: T-Mobile Shadow 2, Lisa Gade, Feb. 11, 2009
7. Amazon.com
About 10 users review the T-Mobile Shadow (Sage), with most rating it only one star out of five. Most of the reviews date before the phone was updated in 2009, though. The copper Shadow also gets a handful of reviews.
Review: T-Mobile Shadow Phone, Sage (T-Mobile), Contributors to Amazon.com
