AT&T Cingular 8525
The Cingular 8525 PDA smartphone is the successor to the 8125. This quad band GSM wireless phone sports a 400Mhz CPU, Bluetooth 2.0, WiFi 802.11b/g and has an excellent slide-out QWERTY keyboard. Its 2.0MP is the best we’ve seen on a Windows Mobile phone and the device is ready for serious business work and multimedia fun. The Cingular 8525 is sold by AT&T (Cingular) in the US and the HTC Hermes is sold unlocked for use with any international GSM carrier. The earlier model Cingular 8125 Pocket PC/Phone sold well through 2006 with many satisfied users.
With the 8525, you can surf the Web with the bundled Internet Explorer application, or use MSN messenger to stay in contact via instant messaging. Plus, the inclusion of Wi-Fi capability in the 8525 allows you to surf the Web or check your email at blazing speeds when you’re connected to a Wi-Fi network. No Wi-Fi network available? No worries; the 8525 is compatible with the latest generation of UMTS/HSDPA 3G data networks. With UMTS and HSDPA, you’ll be streaming and downloading at speeds comparable to the EV-DO data service from Verizon and Sprint. And lastly, robust SMS and MMS functionality is built into the Windows Mobile interface. GPS enabled with a Bluetooth receiver. The latest model 8525 has new music service features including a built-in XM satellite radio receiver. Software upgrades are available from AT&T (Cingular) for phones purchased prior to the upgrade.
The AT&T 8525 will also feature AT&T’s on-demand streaming video service, Cellular Video. Customers can watch a large selection of video clips of their favorite television shows, sports, news and weather, entertainment and premium content, including hit HBO programs. The 2.8″ screen size is bigger than most and very easy to see. In most apps you can flip between portrait and landscape mode.
With the 8525 you can create and edit Microsoft Word and Microsoft Excel documents. The slide out keyboard has the same reassuring resistance and snap into locking position as the 8125. The keys themselves are domed and provide tactile feedback. A sensor will automatically backlight the keyboard when it gets dark. Very useful.
You can do serious office work on this PDA smartphone. The built in WiFi means that you can connect to the net if you are at a hot spot outside the EDGE/GPRS network. The AT&T 8525 can be used to connect your laptop to the internet. Tethering the 8525 is done through Windows Dial-Up Networking or Internet Sharing. Tethering gives you a wireless internet laptop anyplace you can get Cingular service.
The processor speed is 400 MHz, double that of the 8125. Higher processor speeds means shorter battery life and that is true when comparing the 8525 to the 8125. However, reviewers did not seem concerned with battery life and many have reported 3 days of normal usage between charges. The higher processor speed is more suitable for video playback. If you are upgrading from the 8125 you will be pleased with the performance.
Think of the 8525 as a well-connected Pocket PC, maybe even a mini-laptop. MicroSD expansion creates all the room you need to download music, video, and Pocket PC applications or Java applications. The User Manual is a whopping 212 pages. Mobile phone reviews usually don’t talk about features like Terminal Services Client that allows you to use all the programs on a properly configured desktop computer from your mobile device, but it’s there in the 8525 if you need it. We especially like the Transcriber feature, a handwriting recognition program that lets you write in cursive, print, or a combination of both. Handy for editing Word Mobile documents while cooling your heels in the airport. If you don’t feel like writing then take voice notes.
The 8525 is a good performer on the phone side too. Like the 8125 it has voice dialing with Voice Speed Dial. The device is thicker than a clamshell mobile phone but still feels comfortable in your hand. The camera has built-in flash and with higher 2.0 MB resolution is a first-class wireless camera phone. You can also take CIF (352 x 288) videos. The Cingular 8500 is the same device without the camera.
AT&T announced the availability of a re-branded and upgraded version of its popular Cingular 8525 — the AT&T 8525 Pocket PC — boasting additional services that will appeal to business customers and consumers alike. Owners of the AT&T 8525 will be able to upgrade to Windows Mobile 6 to take advantage of these new features.
This smartphone is a workhorse and not a fashion accessory. Although a generation older the Cingular 8125 is a very capable PDA Smartphone. That this device is getting a little harder to find is a testament to its desireability.
Cingular 8500 / 8525 User Manual
Included Features
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Technical Specs
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