Camera Phone Reviews

T-Mobile Shadow

“We’re calling the new line of devices ‘Shadow’ because they’re designed to help people stay effortlessly connected with those who are closest to them – the people you would choose to have with you all the time if possible – the people you love checking in with during a hectic day or to share special news,” said Robert Dotson, president and CEO, T-Mobile USA. “Shadow finally makes staying connected to people simple, fun and easy – and all without the hassle of using a complicated device. This is not a productivity tool. This phone is designed for people who have lives beyond work.”

For years, T-Mobile has been pioneering new products and services designed to reduce the complexity of staying connected to important people. This effort began years ago with the introduction of the T-Mobile Sidekick® family of devices, designed to make calling, texting and instant messaging much easier just as young adults were beginning to embrace these new forms of communication. In 2006, T-Mobile continued this work with the introduction of myFaves®, a service that offers unlimited nationwide calling and one-click communications access to the people who are most important to you.(1) The myFaves service was introduced simultaneously with the introduction of T-Mobile’s new “stick together®” brand promise, a commitment by the company to focus laser-like on making it much easier and richer to stay connected with the people who matter most.

The T-Mobile Shadow helps people effortlessly connect through the phone’s innovative design and screamingly simple user interface. T-Mobile teamed with HTC, the designer and manufacturer, to eloquently integrate the phone’s form and function. This focused effort resulted in an unmatched communications experience that strips out the complexity of traditional multi-function phones – so people don’t have to wrestle with technology – and makes it more intuitive for customers to explore and try new ways to communicate.

“We partnered exclusively with T-Mobile to help them deliver a deep communications experience that is built around the customer,” said Peter Chou, president and CEO, HTC. “In both form and function, the T-Mobile Shadow delivers an unmistakable commitment to enhancing personal relationships.”

Highlighting the phone’s distinct features and its complete ease of use, the T-Mobile Shadow offers:(1)

* An enhanced myFaves functionality that allows even more flexibility and ways to communicate and connect. Through this experience customers can now call, send an e-mail, text or instant message, and share a picture, video or voice note, all with a push of the button right from the myFaves home screen.
* An enhanced user-interface integrated with the Microsoft Windows Mobile 6 platform.
* A sleek, slider design, and a spin navigation wheel that make it a breeze to scroll through the polished user interface, myFaves icons, and other core phone features.
* One of the largest, most-radiant screens on any T-Mobile phone. When combined with its high-quality, 2.0-megapixel digital camera with video capture, it enables customers to record and share those special moments in vibrant ways. Plus, a multimedia player provides a convenient way to listen to and share favorite music and video.
* An array of lights and sounds that differentiate one function from another, whether you’re receiving an e-mail, picture message or calendar appointment notification.
* Wi-Fi and EDGE-enabled high-speed Internet access to power Web surfing so that connecting to your favorite social networking site is quick and easy.
* A reminder feature, so customers need never forget another friend’s or family member’s birthday or anniversary with the ability to set reminders for these important days in the lives of their ‘fave five.’
* T-Mobile Address Book that lets customers easily import contact information from Yahoo!®, Gmail™, Microsoft Outlook® and other e-mail services onto their phone using my.t-mobile.com, and automatically back up their phone’s address book online.

The T-Mobile Shadow will be available in two fashionable tones – copper and sage. It will be available exclusively to T-Mobile customers beginning Oct. 31 at T-Mobile retail stores and online at www.t-mobile.com. Customers can learn more about the T-Mobile Shadow, including in-depth features information, at www.t-mobile.com/shadow.

(1) myFaves allows unlimited nationwide calling to any five U.S. numbers (restrictions and exclusions apply). Use of certain features of a myFaves-enabled device requires purchase of a T-Mobile myFaves rate plan, and separate charges apply for some services and features, including email, text, picture and other messages, and Internet usage. See www.t-mobile.com for information about charges, rate plans, terms and conditions, and restrictions.

Note:

For video content and images about the T-Mobile Shadow, please log onto www.thenewsmarket.com/t-mobile to preview and request broadcast-standard video digitally or by tape. Registration and video is free to the media.

T-Mobile Shadow Reviews

Laptop Mag reviews the T-Mobile Shadow and writes, "The rest of the design is very much in line with the Shadow's minimalist approach. There are six subtle buttons that flank either side of the nav wheel, including the two soft menu keys, Home and Back keys, and Send and End keys. The left side of the Shadow houses the volume buttons, USB/headset jack, and microSD slot; a shortcut key lines the right side, along with a launch key/shutter button for the relatively crisp but slow-on-the-draw two-megapixel camera. Some of these buttons are a bit too recessed, but we got used to them within a couple days."

PC Mag reviews the T-Mobile Shadow and writes, "To get good photos with the Shadow, you have to stand still; the flashless 2-megapixel camera has a 0.9-second shutter delay and a problem with blurring in low light, but when I held perfectly still I was rewarded with sharp, dramatic indoor shots. On outdoor shots, bright areas were overexposed. The Shadow's video mode is nearly useless: It takes jerky, grainy 176-by-144 videos that aren't compatible with either QuickTime or Windows Media Player for playback. I had to use VLC, a relatively obscure open-source player, to watch the videos properly."

CNET reviews the T-Mobile Shadow and writes, "...the Shadow is equipped with a 2-megapixel camera with a number of shooting modes, such as camcorder, sports, and contacts picture. In camera mode, you have your choice of five resolutions and four quality settings. You can adjust the picture with white balance and brightness options and various effects and frames...Picture quality was mediocre. Photos looked clear, but colors were washed out and looked slightly gray. Still, it's fine for quick snapshots or multimedia messages. Videos were a tad grainy but watchable in short spurts. We should also note that adjusting the settings of the camera is a bit awkward since the screen orientation automatically switches from portrait to landscape mode, and this makes it confusing to know what navigation controls correspond with what menu item."

SlashGear reviews that T-Mobile Shadow and writes, "The phone has a MicroSD I/O slot so you can store your music, videos, and pictures. Speaking of pictures – the 2.0 megapixel camera was nothing short of impressive. It has many different shooting modes, including a video capture option."

MobileTechReview has a review of the T-Mobile Shadow and writes, "The Shadow's 2 megapixel camera sounds state of the art by US standards, but the images were sub-par. The camera's maximum resolution is 1600 x 1200 with with 4 lower resolutions available and 4 quality settings. There are plenty of other settings and effects including brightness, white balance, timer, metering mode 4 effects. The entire screen becomes the viewfinder and you can easily switch between modes (photo, caller ID photo, video, MMS video sports and framed photo). Image sharpness is decent but the colors tend to be washed out with incorrect white balance and resulting skewed colors."

InfoSync reviews the T-Mobile Shadow and writes, "The camera on the T-Mobile Shadow is average for a camera phone, a judgment that means disappointing and barely usable in non-phone speak. Colors were a bit saturated in our sample shots, and images were alternately grainy and blurry, depending on the amound of available light. Passable, perhaps, but not very good."

PC World reviews the T-Mobile Shadow and writes, "...I didn't like the camera's operation. It took reasonably good-looking pictures for a 2.0-megapixel device, but I found the shutter lag frustratingly slow. When taking a picture on a city street, I'd press the dedicated camera-shutter button to initiate a shot, and by the time I'd see the image on screen, a car would appear smack in the middle of the frame. Saving pictures between shots was slow, too."