Cingular 212

Cingular has announced the availability of its new 2125 Smartphone, a Windows Mobile 5.0 device compatible with Cingular's EDGE high speed data network. It's a compact and attractive phone with a bright screen and decent battery life. Let's take a closer look.

Small, easy-to-carry device

The Cingular 2125 is a small 3.74-ounce device that fits comfortably in your hand or pocket. It's a candy bar-style phone with an exposed keypad and screen. You'll need to lock the keypad and other buttons when you carry it in your pocket to avoid accidental key presses. (You can lock and unlock all but the on/off button by holding down the red call-end key.) You should also be careful carrying the phone in a pocket with loose change or other hard objects because you can scratch or damage the screen.

The 2125 includes a built-in 2.2-inch diagonal, 320x240 pixel color screen with a light sensor that activates backlighting in low-light conditions. This is a lager, higher resolution screen that those found on earlier Smartphones. It's bright, clear, and easy to read.

The device is powered by a 200 MHz TI OMAP 850 processor, which gives it reasonably fast performance. It has 64 MB of SDRAM for running applications and 64 MB of flash ROM to store the OS and built-in applications. About 21 MB of the flash ROM is available to the user for file storage. That should be sufficient for your phone list, calendar entries, notes, etc. If you want to store music and video files on the device, you'll probably need an optional storage card, which slips into a slot behind the battery. It accepts MiniSD storage cards, which are currently available in capacities of 64 MB (~$10) to 2 GB (~$60). You may also want to get a pair of stereo headphones to listen to music.

It also has integrated Bluetooth capability, which allows you to connect to headsets, GPS receivers, and other peripherals. It lacks built-in Wi-Fi, but that's not as much of a problem because you can access the Internet via the EDGE/GPRS-capable phone. You need a data access plan in addition to your voice plan to do this, but Cingular offers unlimited data access for a reasonable price. (The data access plan does not affect your voice minutes.)

The lack of Wi-Fi means that you can't connect to a local hotspot to access the Internet. This may be an inconvenience for those who already have a service agreement with Starbucks or another hotspot service provider. But if you only use hotspots occasionally, the Cingular data access plan is a better way to go. For example, if you use a Starbucks hotspot occasionally but don't have a monthly service contract, you have to pay each time you use it and go through a 10-20 minute registration process. Then you have to remain within the store (or darn close to it) to use the service. If you sign up for the Cingular data access plan, as long as you are within Cingular's coverage area, you can use it immediately, any time you want!

Speaking of power, the 2125 has a 1,150 mAh rechargeable battery that gives you up to 4 hours talk time and 6 days standby, according to Cingular. Numerous other reviewers have commented positively on the battery life.

Fig. 2: Photo of Editor Rich Hall taken with the built-in camera of the Cingular 2125 Smartphone.

The 2125 also features a built-in 1.3 mega pixel camera and a built-in camera application that allows you to take pictures and capture short videos. The quality of the pictures is less than those taken by the multi-mega pixel cameras produced by Canon and Casio, etc., but it is certainly reasonable for a camera phone (Fig. 2).

Cingular's new Smartphone ships with an AC/DC power adapter, a USB cable for connecting to your PC, a rather nice leather carrying case, a stereo headset, a software CD, and a user guide.

Cingular's EDGE high-speed data network