Less than a year ago, Cingular’s 8125 (in stores November 16th) impressed us with its processing power, slide-out keyboard, and built-in Wi-Fi. But we preferred the Sprint and Verizon versions of this HTC-made device because they supported faster cellular data services. The Cingular 8525 Pocket PC answers the call for more speed by being the first smart phone in North America to support HSDPA, Cingular’s mobile broadband network, and the first 3G-enabled PDA in the U.S. to have international 3G capabilities. Add in a couple of other welcome refinements and you have one of the most versatile Windows Mobile devices money can buy.
Because it’s the same weight and size as the 8125, the 8525 is rather chunky, but the device benefits from a more usable design. In fact, the elegant cluster of call and navigation keys makes the 8125’s layout look scattered in comparison. The slide-out QWERTY keyboard has large flat keys that are easy to hit with your thumbs, even if they don’t provide the best tactile feedback. Also, the backlighting is uneven, which can make it hard to find special characters (like “@”) in a dimly lit room.
In addition to the upgrade to HSDPA, the 8525 has several new features. A faster 400-MHz Samsung processor adds speed to Windows Mobile apps. More notable is the BlackBerry-style trackwheel, located on the left-hand side. The placement means the wheel is accessible when the handset is opened to reveal the keyboard, but we assume most 8525 owners will use the five-way navigation pad in this mode.
Just under the trackwheel is a push-to-talk key, which, while not currently supported, will be implemented in a service upgrade in 2007. And the 8125’s MiniSD slot has been replaced by a microSD Card slot, located low on the handset’s left side, to augment the 64MB of RAM.
Over a couple weeks of testing, the 8525 averaged very good throughput of 872 Kbps using the HSDPA connection. When we were within HSDPA coverage, most Web pages loaded within 10 to 15 seconds. But that wait more than tripled when we were out of HSDPA range and the device fell back to Cingular’s pokey EDGE network. This happened just 30 minutes south of Manhattan.
Cingular claims HSDPA is now available within 134 markets with populations of 100,000 or more, but the carrier’s 3G footprint isn’t nearly as large as the EV-DO networks offered by Sprint (220 markets) and Verizon Wireless (212 markets). On the other hand, there are 72 commercial HSDPA deployments worldwide, which makes the 8525 a better choice for world travelers.
Until HSDPA is more widespread stateside, you can lean on the integrated Wi-Fi for fast downloads in EDGE areas. The Wi-Fi connection yielded a very good average data rate of 1.5 Mbps. As with other HTC smart phones, you can easily toggle all of the wireless radios on and off from one screen via a button on the device’s right side.
There’s no cost to upgrade to the HSDPA service if you’re already with Cingular; PDA Connect plans run $44.99 per month with unlimited data and a $5 voice plan discount, while PDA Connect with MS Direct Push is slightly more expensive, at $49.99 per month.
Because the 8525 supports Bluetooth 2.0, we were able to connect the 8525 to a MacBook for use as a modem. In this mode, HSDPA speeds averaged between 250 and 500 Kbps; this isn’t blazing, but it’s good enough to check e-mail and surf the Web. A2DP and Audio/Video Remote Control Profiles are onboard, and music played through WMP 10 Mobile sounded good through a set of Sony Ericsson Bluetooth earphones.
Setting up our POP e-mail account through Cingular Xpress Mail took seconds, and the e-mail experience was excellent, as it was on the 8125. The screen presents text well, and the Xpress Mail service kept messages formatted properly. The 8525 supports simultaneous data and voice connections as well, making for a more seamless experience. Microsoft DirectPush and Good Mobile Messaging are also supported, as is Pocket MSN.
The 8525 comes complete with a robust Office suite to view, edit, and create Word, Excel, and PowerPoint documents. As with reading e-mail, the generous screen real estate makes editing Word docs more pleasant than on smaller phones, while the landscape orientation is excellent for spreadsheets. ZIP files and PDFs are handled through optional apps, and you can add MobiTV ($9.99 per month) for watching 30 live video channels.
The 2-megapixel camera took very good photos in our tests, delivering accurate color and sharp detail. Sharing shots is simple; just click or tap on the envelope icon and you can send images via e-mail or MMS. The 8525 can also capture videos at up to 352 x 288 pixels, which we viewed using WMP 10 Mobile. At full-screen we could see some artifacts, but the results are certainly good enough for grabbing quick footage.
Call quality has also been improved noticeably, with increased clarity and less static. The battery’s five-hour talk time is on a par with similar devices, as is the 220-hour standby time. In practice, we found the battery to perform close to these rated figures, though significant Wi-Fi and HSDPA data use dropped our talk time down to 3.5 to 4 hours.
At $399, the 8525 is considerably more expensive than other Cingular smart phones, such as the Nokia E62 ($149 with rebate) and the Treo 600 or 8125 (both $249). Still, the faster HSDPA connection—when you’re within coverage—large keyboard and display, flexible Bluetooth profiles, and more robust software make the 8525 a top-flight PDA phone.
Because it’s the same weight and size as the 8125, the 8525 is rather chunky, but the device benefits from a more usable design. In fact, the elegant cluster of call and navigation keys makes the 8125’s layout look scattered in comparison. The slide-out QWERTY keyboard has large flat keys that are easy to hit with your thumbs, even if they don’t provide the best tactile feedback. Also, the backlighting is uneven, which can make it hard to find special characters (like “@”) in a dimly lit room.
In addition to the upgrade to HSDPA, the 8525 has several new features. A faster 400-MHz Samsung processor adds speed to Windows Mobile apps. More notable is the BlackBerry-style trackwheel, located on the left-hand side. The placement means the wheel is accessible when the handset is opened to reveal the keyboard, but we assume most 8525 owners will use the five-way navigation pad in this mode.
Just under the trackwheel is a push-to-talk key, which, while not currently supported, will be implemented in a service upgrade in 2007. And the 8125’s MiniSD slot has been replaced by a microSD Card slot, located low on the handset’s left side, to augment the 64MB of RAM.
Over a couple weeks of testing, the 8525 averaged very good throughput of 872 Kbps using the HSDPA connection. When we were within HSDPA coverage, most Web pages loaded within 10 to 15 seconds. But that wait more than tripled when we were out of HSDPA range and the device fell back to Cingular’s pokey EDGE network. This happened just 30 minutes south of Manhattan.
Cingular claims HSDPA is now available within 134 markets with populations of 100,000 or more, but the carrier’s 3G footprint isn’t nearly as large as the EV-DO networks offered by Sprint (220 markets) and Verizon Wireless (212 markets). On the other hand, there are 72 commercial HSDPA deployments worldwide, which makes the 8525 a better choice for world travelers.
Until HSDPA is more widespread stateside, you can lean on the integrated Wi-Fi for fast downloads in EDGE areas. The Wi-Fi connection yielded a very good average data rate of 1.5 Mbps. As with other HTC smart phones, you can easily toggle all of the wireless radios on and off from one screen via a button on the device’s right side.
There’s no cost to upgrade to the HSDPA service if you’re already with Cingular; PDA Connect plans run $44.99 per month with unlimited data and a $5 voice plan discount, while PDA Connect with MS Direct Push is slightly more expensive, at $49.99 per month.
Because the 8525 supports Bluetooth 2.0, we were able to connect the 8525 to a MacBook for use as a modem. In this mode, HSDPA speeds averaged between 250 and 500 Kbps; this isn’t blazing, but it’s good enough to check e-mail and surf the Web. A2DP and Audio/Video Remote Control Profiles are onboard, and music played through WMP 10 Mobile sounded good through a set of Sony Ericsson Bluetooth earphones.
Setting up our POP e-mail account through Cingular Xpress Mail took seconds, and the e-mail experience was excellent, as it was on the 8125. The screen presents text well, and the Xpress Mail service kept messages formatted properly. The 8525 supports simultaneous data and voice connections as well, making for a more seamless experience. Microsoft DirectPush and Good Mobile Messaging are also supported, as is Pocket MSN.
The 8525 comes complete with a robust Office suite to view, edit, and create Word, Excel, and PowerPoint documents. As with reading e-mail, the generous screen real estate makes editing Word docs more pleasant than on smaller phones, while the landscape orientation is excellent for spreadsheets. ZIP files and PDFs are handled through optional apps, and you can add MobiTV ($9.99 per month) for watching 30 live video channels.
The 2-megapixel camera took very good photos in our tests, delivering accurate color and sharp detail. Sharing shots is simple; just click or tap on the envelope icon and you can send images via e-mail or MMS. The 8525 can also capture videos at up to 352 x 288 pixels, which we viewed using WMP 10 Mobile. At full-screen we could see some artifacts, but the results are certainly good enough for grabbing quick footage.
Call quality has also been improved noticeably, with increased clarity and less static. The battery’s five-hour talk time is on a par with similar devices, as is the 220-hour standby time. In practice, we found the battery to perform close to these rated figures, though significant Wi-Fi and HSDPA data use dropped our talk time down to 3.5 to 4 hours.
At $399, the 8525 is considerably more expensive than other Cingular smart phones, such as the Nokia E62 ($149 with rebate) and the Treo 600 or 8125 (both $249). Still, the faster HSDPA connection—when you’re within coverage—large keyboard and display, flexible Bluetooth profiles, and more robust software make the 8525 a top-flight PDA phone.
