T-Mobile will next month ship its MDA - better known in Europe as the MDA Vario - and SDA - aka the SDA II - smart phones in the US.

The MDA is based on HTC's PDA-style Wizard device and incorporates a slide-out QWERTY keypad. Based on Windows Mobile 5.0, the MDA offers GSM and GPRS/EDGE connectivity, along with Bluetooth and Wi-Fi support. T-Mobile is also touting the device's ability to work as an instant messaging client with AOL, MSN and Yahoo! IM services. There's a 1.3-megapixel camera on board too.

The SDA offers the same features in a more phone-line form-factor, and with the addition of dedicated music and video playback controls. The SDA also incorporates an antenna bulge at the top, a 'feature' missing from the European version. It may be unsightly, but the antenna makes sense in the US market where aerial stubs are held to indicate a better ability to latch onto a weak signal.

T-Mobile's European operations have offered HTC-made devices for some time, but February's MDA and SDA launch marks the first time the cellco has offered such own-brand smart phones in the US. To date, it has focused on the its tie-in with Danger to offer the Sidekick II handheld, and with Research in Motion (RIM) to provide a number of Blackberry devices.

T-Mobile didn't say how much it will charge for the new models when they ship in the US. ®

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