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T-Mobile Launches First Windows Mobile 6 Smartphone In The U.S.

At the tony little Spanish restaurant Boqueria in Manhattan's Flatiron district, T-Mobile hosted a small gathering for tech industry press and analysts to show off its newest gadget. The Wing, which is available starting today for $299, is the first Windows Mobile 6 smartphone to hit store shelves in the United States. The informal launch party featured tapas, sangria, some tasteful Spanish-style music, and haughty high-tech talk.

For starters, T-Mobile knows how to party. It consistently throws good shindigs. Last night's affair was perhaps the most chilled-out version of a T-Mobile party possible. The best part about the evening is that I didn't go home deaf. The last T-Mobile party was so bombastically loud, most attendees suffered from ringing ears for days. Not so last night. Everything about the evening was elegant and refined, including the Wing (which I'll get to in a moment). The food and drinks flowed freely, as did the hobnobbing and schmoozing with industry people. T-Mobile is obviously very proud of its latest product.

The HTC Wing is the spiritual successor to the MDA smartphone. The biggest news about the Wing is that it runs the latest version of Microsoft Windows Mobile 6. WinMo6 provides a better experience than Windows Mobile 5 and includes some nice updates such as native Active Sync/Exchange wireless e-mail support.

The Wing is a combined PDA and phone and is a good choice for the enterprise worker who happens to have a predilection for Windows Mobile. For such a small device, the Wing packs in plenty of features, including a slide-out QWERTY keyboard, Wi-Fi for Internet access, a 2-megapixel camera, stereo Bluetooth, and a microSD slot for expanding the storage capacity.

I have to say, it's a good thing that the Wing includes Wi-Fi. T-Mobile must know that its 2.5G Edge data network doesn't compare to some of the other providers' 3G data networks. Having Wi-Fi for speedy Internet browsing on board offsets that a little bit. Of course, it also dovetails with T-Mobile's vast number of Wi-Fi hotspots and accompanying service.

By deeming the device worthy enough to have its own launch party, it's evident T-Mobile hopes the Wing takes flight. Let's see if it soars.

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