GSM/GPRS/EDGE connectivity, says T-Mobile.

(Click here for a larger view of T-Mobile's MDA Basic)

HTC Touch Viva (Click image to enlarge)

T-Mobile has a long-standing relationship with HTC, so it comes as no surprise to learn that the MDA Basic is actually a renamed HTC device. In this case, the carrier has based its new phone on the previously released Touch Viva, pictured at right.

When the Touch Viva launched in September of last year, we speculated that carriers might be able to offer the device for as little as $100. (Little did we know.) The entry-level phone actually offers all of the features of HTC's original, ground-breaking Touch, including its TouchFLO user interface, and it has been upgraded to Windows Mobile 6.1. In addition, the device reportedly includes the finger-friendly Opera Mobile 9.5 web browser.

Like the original Touch, which was criticized by some for its sluggishness at running TouchFLO, the Touch Viva/MDA Basic makes do with a 201MHz TI OMAP850 processor. However, the device does come with 128MB of RAM, rather than the 64MB the Touch offered. The phone also has 256MB of flash storage, plus a microSD slot for up to 4GB of memory expansion, says T-Mobile.

In terms of cellular capabilities, the MDA Basic is not a 3G device, but it does offer "up to four times ISDN speed" via quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE. As a faster alternative, there's 802.11b/g wireless, while Bluetooth 2.0 also puts in an appearance, according to T-Mobile.

Features and specifications listed by T-Mobile for the MDA Basic include:

• Processor -- TI OMAP 850 clocked at 201MHz
  
• Memory -- 128MB of RAM and 256MB of flash storage
  
• Display -- 2.8-inch screen with QVGA resolution (320 x 240 pixels)
  
• Camera -- 2 megapixel
  
• Wireless:
  • WAN -- quad-band (850, 900, 1800, 1900MHz) GSM/GPRS/EDGE
  • LAN -- 802.11b/g wireless
    
  • PAN -- Bluetooth 2.0
    
• Other I/O:
  • HTC ExtUSB (combined Mini-USB and audio jack)
    
• Expansion -- microSD slot
  
• Battery type/life:
  • 1100 mAh lithium-ion battery
    
  • Talk time -- Up to 480 minutes
    
  • Standby time -- Up to 270 hours
• Dimensions -- 4.1 x 2.3 x 0.6 inches (104.5 x 59 x 15.7mm)
  
• Weight -- 3.88 ounces (110 grams) with battery

Further information

T-Mobile says the MDA Basic will cost five Euros (about $6.50), for new customers who enter into a 24-month contract. It's rumored that the device will also be offered on a "pay as you go basis" for approximately 200 Euros (about $261).

Sweetening the deal, the carrier throws in a pair of stereo headphones, capable of plugging directly into the MDA Basic's USB port. This is useful, since one reviewer complaint about the device has been its inability to accept headphones with a standard 2.5mm or 3.5mm jack.

The device will be available in Germany next month, though the carrier provided no word about when the MDA Basic will debut in other markets.

To read a review of the MDA Basic in its Touch Viva guise, see the Register Hardware website, here.

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