Also known by I-mate Jasjar, T-Mobile MDA PRO, Orange SPV M5000, QTEK 9000, O2 XDA Exec, Dopod 900 or Vodafone v1640.  This PDA phone was built as HTC's flagship.  If a geek were building a PDA, it would be this one.  It has the fastest processor available on a PDA as of this writing (520Mhz).  The only 640 x 480 VGA screen available to date.  Add a full QWERTY keyboard and Windows Mobile 5.0, and a 1.3 Megapixel camera, and there's nothing like it anywhere on the market.  HTC has come out with a new line of phones, but none have all these features on one device.

Of course, with all those bells and whistles, there will be some heft.  This phone is quite a brick.  It's not uncomfortable clipped to my belt, but you definitely know it's there.  The phone sound quality is great, but the speakerphone is a little tinny.  I use it with a bluetooth Visor handsfree in my car, and the Voice Dial works like a charm.

USB and WiFi connectivity allows me to connect to the internet at home or at work without paying a cent.  But here in Europe, the cost of 3G data connections are finally coming down, and I use it when I need it on the road.  It syncs well with up to two PCs.  The MS Office apps are there, but limited in their usefulness.  I can't open passworded MS Word files, but the basic functionality is there.  I shoved a 4GB SD card in mine and now my wife has it all day playing video games. 

This phone will work on GSM networks in the USA.  It works great in Europe.  But it's a Tri-Band phone (versus Quad).  It will have spotty coverage in some places where GSM is still filling in, or where Sprint owns most of the towers. 

Most of the phones for sale here on Ebay are unlocked.  Phones that are locked to a specific provider can be unlocked fairly easily.  There are dozens of auctions that sell you the instructions to unlock the phone for a couple of bucks.  HTC had published the info for free at one time, but I can't include a link in this guide (sorry-Ebay's rules).  Google "HTC Universal" and you'll find most of this info scattered about.

There are a hundred of these phones for sale daily on Ebay.  Most of them are honest joes reselling their used or nearly new phones.  But a significant number of them are scammers.  If a listing is only scheduled to run a day or two, or they offer a discount if you buy more than one, it's probably a scam.  If they insist you contact them outside Ebay, or ask that you pay with Western Union for any reason, report the item to Ebay security thru the link at the bottom of the auction. 

Here's hoping you get one in good condition, with no "hidden" problems--if it's been dropped and acts flakey, you'll have your hands full.  Of course, there are many BIN auctions that are charging more than the item costs new.  I followed the auctions for a month, and even bid on a few that seemed like real bargains.  Eventually, I paid $769 retail with a one-year manufacturer'sl warranty and I bought a lifetime (you break it, we fix it) warranty from ImportGSM for just a bit more.  I've seen bidders in straight auctions pay more than that for a used one.

So good luck and happy bidding.  Here's a search I wrote that will return nearly all the phones, and weed out most of the accessories (batteries, screen protectors, styluses, unlock software, etc.).  Copy and paste it into your advanced search box. 

("i-mate jasjar","mda pro","qtek 9000","xda exec","dopod 900","htc universal",m5000,v1640)-(cable, charger, stylus, battery, protector, protectors, cradle, case, unlocker, car, dongle, adapter, holder, unlock, housing, memory, antenna, cover)