Symbol's Surprisingly Svelte MC35

The latest digital assistant from Motorola proves that rugged doesn't have to mean bulky

by Cliff Edwards

Editor's Rating:

The Good: Sleek 3G phone and PDA combo

The Bad: Not as sturdy as other models; weak standard battery life

The Bottom Line: A nicely priced device for mobile professionals

Reader Reviews

I have to admit to being impressed from the time I took Symbol's MC35 Enterprise Digital Assistant out of the box. I've reviewed several of the company's older models and, while they're very good devices, none stands out as a paragon of design.

The MC35 is no work of art, either. But it also busts the myth that rugged or semirugged devices—those designed for heavy use, often on the road—have to be bulky. In fact, measuring 5 inches long by 2.6 in. wide and 0.6 in. thick, the MC35 is downright petite compared with older models. Better yet, it weighs just 6 ounces even though it offers a wealth of features that are now essential to a good mobile computing device.

Symbol, a unit of Motorola (MOT), designed the MC35 to take the pain out of having to use a semirugged device to do your daily job—be it driving a FedEx (FDX) truck or calling on sales accounts. The $675 device is packed with goodies, including a 2-megapixel digital camera complete with software that lets you scan and process bar codes. What's more, the MC35 features a quad-band GSM phone, so it can be used across the globe, and it runs Microsoft's (MSFT) Windows Mobile 5.0 Premium Phone Edition operating system.

You won't need to ask for directions with the MC35's built-in GPS module. I had fun mapping coordinates with the compass function while walking around, but TeleNav mapping software delivers great voice-directed driving directions as well. The TeleNav Track tool provides location tracking for the home office as well as delivery of wireless time sheets and other forms. In what might seem like overkill, you also can access Google (GOOG) Maps via Wi-Fi.

Downsizing Oddly, Symbol scales back on some of the features found in its larger MC70, which boasted a roomy 3.5-in. color touch screen with a "soft" keypad for dialing. The MC35's screen is a slightly more cramped 2.8 in., though I still was able to tap the buttons accurately, even with my big fingers.

The MC35 sports a 416MHz XScale processor, down from 624MHz in the MC70. I could have used the extra processing power for surfing the Web or quickly opening files. There's plenty of memory, with 65MB of built-in SDRAM, and there's also an SD card slot for carrying additional media and files.

Battery life rates only as middling when all features are turned on; I had to recharge each day despite only average usage. To make the device more stylish, Symbol offers a slimmer battery than in previous models, though you can purchase a larger add-on. I also was annoyed by how quickly the device went into power-saving mode, which requires a couple of taps before you can resume use.

Because the MC35 uses Windows, it lets anyone who has Windows Server 2003 access most desktop applications, including messaging, calendar, or business software from companies such as Oracle (ORCL) or SAP (SAP), as well as e-mail that is "pushed" to the device.

Fun Features

The 36-key QWERTY thumb-type keyboard is nicely spaced and responsive enough that you don't have to press hard. In the middle, under the screen, there's also a five-way navigation joystick, with the phone answer button and Windows menu keys on the left and "O.K." and hang up on the right.

Available initially on AT&T (T), the MC35 comes with a neat "push-to-talk" feature that lets you know when others are available.

Only a hair larger and just a bit bulkier than Samsung's stylish BlackJack handheld, the MC35 does a good job of making work a little bit more fun—with good enough looks that you won't be embarrassed to put it up to your ear in a crowd.

Edwards is a correspondent in BusinessWeek's Silicon Valley bureau.