While the iPhone 3G, operating on the AT&T network, was only capable of doing an average of about 545kbps in John's tests, the TM506 with T-Mobile pulled down a "crazy average" of 5037kbps. That's faster than a lot of people's DSL connections at home! The test was being run in New York City! Unfortunately, the Sony Ericsson TM506 doesn't really take advantage of all that speed, because the phone only ships with the t-zones browser, which is barely better than WAP. Toss in Opera Mini and some Google apps, however, and you could have a seriously solid 3G handset for the masses.

And here's the kicker-at the moment, this thing is lightning fast. I tested it in several locations in NYC, one of T-Mobile's first 3G cities, and we're talking near Wi-Fi speeds on T-Mobile's 1700/2100 MHz HSDPA network. I got a crazy average of 5037kbps using DSL Reports' smartphone speed test, where the iPhone 3G, in the same location at the same time, managed an average of 545kbps. Now before you get too excited, keep in mind that T-Mobile's 3G network is practically empty at the moment-when more 3G subscribers start piling on, speeds will certainly come down to the 600-1000kbps range that T-Mobile says will be the norm. But for now, 3G T-Mobilers will be living the sweet life. Pages load almost instantly with Opera Mini-it's awesome. And when you tether to your laptop (which T-Mobile is fine with)-it's still blazing, which is a great bonus.

Rounding out the rest of the package is everything you'd expect on a mid-range Sony Ericsson piece-A-GPS, 2MP camera with video recording, Bluetooth 2.0, Memory Stick Micro slot, a barebones media player, and all the rest in a light but solid feeling flip form factor (but I could do without the green). In the end, it's not for smartphone people, or worth leaving another network for, but if you're already on T-Mobile and it's time for an upgrade, you could do a lot worse for your money.