The MDA IV combines a Qwerty keyboard and VGA touch screen in a clamshell form factor that T-Mobile described the MDA IV as a mini-laptop, although mini-convertible Tablet PC might be a more apt description.
The VGA display can either be flipped open to be used in laptop mode or twisted around and back on itself for use as a conventional PDA
Following in the tradition of T-Mobile’s MDA III, the device features multi-radio capabilities, including tri-band (900/1800/1900MHz) GSM/GPRS, wireless LAN (WLAN) and Bluetooth, as well as UMTS 3G.
The device uses Windows Mobile Pocket PC Phone Edition, although T-Mobile has not stated explicitly which version. The support for VGA displays indicates 2003 Second Edition, however. The MDA IV is almost certainly built by Taiwanese ODM High Tech Computer Corp (HTC) and is likely therefore to spawn clone devices on other networks. However, confirmation could not be obtained before going to press.
T-Mobile will debut the MDA IV on its German network in summer 2005. The launch will support T-Mobile’s own-brand mobile push-email service, based on Microsoft Exchange Server 2003, which is also available for earlier MDA models and the SDA smart phones based on Windows Mobile Smartphone.
T-Mobile had reportedly sold over 100,000 of its MD devices communicators in Europe by the end of 2004. The operator claims over 40% of the market for cellular PDAs in Germany.
