Cingular 2125 - Absolutely Raises The Bar!

By , posted Tuesday, Mar. 7th, 2006
Reader Comments: 13

Connection - Convenience - Comfortable

It seems as if Windows Mobile has always been a part of my life. I can’t imagine not having it and it is harder for me to believe that I would even consider using something else. I love my iPAQs because they have made my life more organized and for the most part simpler. Of course when I got my hands on my first Pocket PC that had a phone combined with it, I thought that life could never get better.

While attending the MVP Summit at Microsoft this past fall, I was amazed at the number of Microsoft folks using smartphones. I was expecting to see folks using the latest and greatest Pocket PC phones but rather, the use of a Smartphone appeared to be the device of choice. Why was that I wondered?

I had to ask myself what I wanted in a device and what I really needed a device to do. Was there a better solution for me out there or at least one that will enhance what I like and need to do at a significantly higher level? Initial considerations left me saying that I liked what I had and the way I was doing my work so I just put it off to the side. Of course I always would look at news items on Smartphone’s but none seemed to have any attraction to me until I saw that Cingular was introducing their Cingular 2125 Smartphone in the U.S. What initially intrigued me was that the Cingular 2125 was the first Smartphone-class handset in the U.S. to feature the new Microsoft Windows Mobile 5.0 operating system.

Clearly this device was affordable, offered converged high-speed access to the “net” and was built by HTC. That was enough for me to look closely at the release and post it on Mobility Today. This device had the appearance that it was going to provide us with outstanding connectivity, the ability to increase productivity, and of course the mobile advantage of Windows Mobile 5.0. It had Bluetooth support, quad-band international roaming and what really intrigued me was the ability to use the EDGE network.

So I decided to reach out to Cingular and see if they would let me try this device and if I liked it, write a review. So since you are now reading a review, you can surmise that I liked it and yes, I liked it a lot! Is it perfect? Absolutely not! There are a few things I don’t like about the device and a few things I don’t like about the Smartphone software but none of these things would prevent me from buying this device because it is so good!

This is my first experience with a Smartphone using Windows Mobile and I must say I was pretty impressed…actually, I was really impressed with the capabilities of the device. You don’t get Word, Excel or PowerPoint but then again, why would you want them on a device like this? You could get third party applications if it was that important for you to edit and create documents but I think that almost defeats the purpose of a Smartphone.

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Cingular's service is so poor, I cannot imagine using this phone for that reason alone.

Posted by tmorris, Wednesday, Apr. 5th, 2006

I'm back using my Motorola MPx220. It's got the updated firmware from Motorola and beats the daylights out of the 2125 & 8125. The built in Voicedial software is brilliant. The clamshell design is convenient. The HUGE buttons are wonderful when navigating.

I pray Motorola is bringing a new version out soon.

JIM

Posted by jhrain, Tuesday, Mar. 14th, 2006

Cingular 2125 - Absolutely horrible phone.
Quad band, for what purpose.....you cant even take it out of the country......
When you start using it you don't see it....but with cingulars reputation...these probably a sh*t load of software bugs after they've f*cked with the phone.
On top of that cingalur has the poorest customer service around...

Any the HTC FARADAY is an awesome phone.

Posted by shdwsclan, Saturday, Mar. 11th, 2006

This phone looks and sounds like a VERY close remake to the Audiovox SMT-5600. Since Cingular doesn't carry that model anymore, I'm assuming the 2125 is replacing it. The only differences I see in them is GPRS vs. EDGE, MS Mobile 5.0, and a couple of cosmetic differences. I love the Audiovox 5600-SMT...mostly for the seamless syncing with Outlook. It imports almost every field, which is huge for me. I have 200+ contacts, and alot of them are just random numbers to restaurants and other businesses that I call more than once, so the ability to sync the contact "category" is huge.

A feature that the 2125 probably shares that I thought was cool is that when you have an appointment set up, the phone automatically sets to "meeting" profile during the appointment time, if the "automatic" profile is selected. It uses the "Normal" mode outside of the appointment(s).

I need to be able to have PDA functions (Excel, Word, etc.) with me, but using a PDA phone isn't something I like, especially in the car (touchpad/tiny keyboard dialing isn't really the safest...). So I have learned to carry two devices...just one if I'm going out for the night, which makes the smartphone a great option. But this phone is the best one there is if you don't want a PDA/Blackberry.

Posted by Jeterdawg, Wednesday, Feb. 15th, 2006

Thank you for a timely and precise review of the new Cingular Smartphone. I just made the upgrade to Cingular's IPAQ hw 6515, from the mpx220 and a slew of IPAQ stand alones, and couldn't be happier.
Besides being able to carry one less piece of equipment on the road, the built in keyboard, camera,expadable memory,great phone reception(much better than the mpx220) and full IPAQ functionality make the extra money I spent worth
it.

Posted by coxey123, Wednesday, Feb. 15th, 2006

FOUND MOST OF THE ANSWERS TO MY QUESTIONS. GO TO THE HTC AMERICA WEBSITE TO DOWN LOAD THE 2125 FULL USER MANUAL ! WMP10 still is frustrating.

Posted by bradkap, Wednesday, Feb. 15th, 2006

Guys I picked up the T-Mobile SDA, which as you know is the identical smartphone as the 2125. The lack of a detaile user manual has made some exploration a little difficult. Tell me, once you establish a voice tag, how do you activate it ? I tried to down load MS Voice Command (it was promoted on the CD which came in the box). It did not work. Any comments or assistance. Also, where can I go to learn how to sync WM 10 ?

Posted by bradkap, Tuesday, Feb. 14th, 2006

I have to agree with Dave and Chris. I have the MPx220 it is a great device but if I want to truly be productive I use my PDA phone.

Posted by Steve Trotto, Tuesday, Feb. 14th, 2006

Great review guys. I have thought about getting a something like the 2125. Thanks for the great input!

Posted by dar18283, Tuesday, Feb. 14th, 2006

If you had to choose one phone to be your primary, would you choose the 2125 or the Nokia (the one you reviewed - forgot model #)?

Posted by JNGold, Tuesday, Feb. 14th, 2006

Chris I am in the same boat. I cant deal with the Smartphone OS...

Posted by David Ciccone, Tuesday, Feb. 14th, 2006

I reviewed the Motorola MPx220 on pocketnow.com; and I really didn't care for SmartPhone OS at all. I am definitely a PDA Phone user. I need a touch screen, and want more PDA than phone. I will agree, however, that if I wanted more phone than PDA, this would be a good choice.

Posted by CHSpera, Tuesday, Feb. 14th, 2006

Great review Guys!

Posted by bakerm16899, Tuesday, Feb. 14th, 2006

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