HTC MOBILE: HTC Dash / Excalibur

HTC Dash / Excalibur

One point we want to make up front is that the Dash does not have a touch screen. Like the Q, the Dash runs Windows Mobile 5 Smartphone Edition, which doesn't support this functionality, so navigating the mobile's menus and registering commands are handled via the external controls. It's not difficult, but we also appreciate the convenience of a touch screen, and if you've previously owned a smart phone with this feature, using the Dash may take some acclimation--you may even find it doesn't suit you. All that said, the Dash has a brilliant, 2.4-inch TFT screen. It's just slightly smaller than the Q's 2.5-inch screen but displays the same 65,536 colors and 320x240-pixel resolution. As such, colors are vibrant and images and text are sharp--great for viewing Web pages and video. And more good news, the display is still readable in direct sunlight. You can customize the home screen with preinstalled or personal background images, change the backlight time, color theme, and font size. There are two status LEDs above the display that blink different colors for wireless connections, messages, and battery status.