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Low-end 3G love: Cingular rolls out LG's CU400
Folks that can live with a stub antenna (and without HSDPA data) might just find their Cingular soulmate in LG's new CU400, which at just $30 after contract and rebates, seems to be Cingular's way of saying, "Okay folks, our 3G network is now officially ready for the masses." It's pretty rare that we aren't gushing with superlative descriptions of a new 3G release, but honestly, there's not a lot to say here; besides the UMTS radio, you get quad-band GSM and EDGE, Bluetooth, Cingular Video support, and a lowly VGA cam -- though push-to-talk is a welcome inclusion. The Cingular Music button found on the also recently-released Samsung SYNC is curiously missing here, suggesting that Cingular might be focusing on phones with a little more horsepower under the hood to promote that feature. The CU400's already on sale, so if this budget clamshell has you frothing at the mouth, we suggest you have yourself promptly tested for rabies and head down to your Cingular shop (in that order, please).
Treo 680 review roundup
Featuring the same 312MHz Intel processor, 320 x 320 pixel display and EDGE modem as its 650 predecessor, the Treo 680 isn't by any means a revolutionary smartphone. Frustratingly for aficionados of Palm's software design, the 680 improvements are for the most part a consolidation of small tweaks that have been made to other models in the Treo line-up which have been coupled with a slight slimming down in dimensions and weight. Fortunately, the incremental improvements are numerous: usable memory has been increased to 66MB, version numbers of bundled-apps like DocumentsToGo and the Blazer web browser have been upped, and according to LaptopMag, the new dimensions and 0.7 ounce weight reduction results in a device that "feels a lot lighter than it looks." Unfortunately the lack of WiFi, the appalling VGA camera -- which Palm claims isn't much different than a 1 megapixel camera (right) -- and the staid design results in a device that PC Magazine says has "a strong whiff of 2004 about it." (Say, didn't we state just that a few days ago?) Ultimately it's up to you whether you think the relatively low price ($199 w/2 year Cingular contract), incremental updates, and the ever-brilliant Palm OS are good enough to distract you from the weak hardware and budget-price feature set.Read - LaptopMag, 4/5 "Priced for the masses but also designed for the masses"Read - PC Magazine, 3/5 "The masses will find it helps them get organized, but for early adopters, there's just not enough spice here"Read - CNET, 7.0/10 "...the Palm Treo 680 is a good smart phone for the first-time buyer"Read - MyTreo "It feels nicer in the hand than my Treo 700p with its external antenna"
TeleNav expands to Nokia E62, Treo 680
After initially announcing availability on a handful of devices last month, Cingular and TeleNav are expanding their partnership by bringing navigation to the recently-launched Nokia E62 (and, oh yeah, the Treo 680, too -- though there's no specific mention of Big Orange involvement on that one). The software package rings in at $6/month for 10 trips and $10/month for unlimited use, offering all the same navigational features that you'd find on TeleNav's previous Cingular offerings -- the 8125 / 8525, Treo 650, and HP hw6925 -- with a couple of added bonuses on the E62: the new "fuzzy search" feature, as the name implies, completes user entries based on predictive logic and previous searches, while 3D maps also make an appearance for the first time. Sorry, 680 users... maybe next version.[Via Slashgear]Read - Nokia E62Read - Treo 680
Cingular announces Blackberry Pearl, kind of
It's still no official announcement, but our Cingular customers in the house waiting patiently to get your hands on a Blackberry Pearl apparently will get theirs "soon." No price, no release date, just the Pearl all up in lights with an email form to send you out a mailer when your phone becomes available.
Palm Treo 680 launches on Cingular, $199
We got a Treo here, everybody, the 680 to be exact. It is, as we all well know by now, going to go for $200 after two year service agreement (with unlimited data plan), and will be available as of Black Friday. Wii for the kids, Treo 680 for yourself. Decisions can be difficult to make, wouldn't you say?P.S. -It's not without at least one review, either.Read - Laptop, 4/5, "does the best job of making it simple to juggle voice calls, messaging, the Web, and PIM functions"[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
Cingular debuts Sierra Wireless Aircard 875
If you're still rocking a PCMCIA slot, and haven't filled it yet with some other tantalizing 3G option, Cingular just busted out its first UMTS/HSDPA laptop card, the Sierra Wireless Aircard 875, which might strike your fancy. Built by Sierra Wireless, who has been quite busy on this front of late, the card has theoretical peaks of 3.6Mbps down and 384Kbps up, and Cingular rates the actual speeds at around 400-700 and 100-120 respectively. While there's not much point to the purchase if you don't have Cingular's 3G Broadband Connect service in your area, the card can serve up EDGE data in a pinch. Without contract the 875 will run you $349.99, but with $149.99 off for a 2-year service agreement, and an additional $100 rebate when you sign up for unlimited data service, you might emerge from your local Cingular store relatively unscathed.[Thanks, Josh M.]
Palm taking orders for Cingular-branded Treo 680
It's not entirely clear whether someone at Palm jumped the gun here, but a page on Palm's own online store now tempts us with a "Palm® Treo™ 680 Cingular, GSM" in exchange for 349 of our hard-earned dollars. While it's no secret that we expect the 680 to grace Cingular with its presence any minute now, Inventec's apparent failure to implement a little something called quality control seemed to put the handset's release date in doubt -- alas, Palm's page alleges that their new low-end Treo is in stock with shipment in 1-2 business days. Sadly, we're not seeing a place to select which of the 680's tasty colors we'd like in our pocket, suggesting that this might just be the drab gray one pictured here ("Graphite," as it's known). What, are Crimson, Copper, and Arctic not good enough for you, Cingular?[Via Reaper PC/PDA]
Up close with the LG CU400 for Cingular
Remember that CU400 on Cingular's latest rebate form? Well, turns out it's real -- and as the model number implies, it looks like it'll slot in right under the CU500 in Cingular and LG's 3G lineup. Granted, most of what we know about the clamshell is hearsay at this point, but we think it's safe to say that the monochrome external display and stub antenna foretell a lower-end 3G offering. As long as Bluetooth is in the box, we'll keep our complaints to a minimum. According to our sources, look for the CU400 to drop before the year's out (and possibly by the end of November) for $50 or less on contract. Click on for more pictures![Thanks, anonymous tipster]
Engadget Podcast 094 - 11.17.2006
Big, big week for gadget news (as we all well know). The Zune, the PS3, and the Wii, it's been pretty crazed around the hallowed halls of Engadget HQ. We're not going to spend a lot of time talking about the news surrounding the gadgets since something tells us a lot of you are wondering what they're like, and whether you should buy one. We also briefly touch on some other noteworthy announcements, including the Lenovo X60, Nikon D40, the Core 2 Duo MacBook, and those sweet new Cingular Windows Mobile devices. It's going to be a hell of a holiday season this year. Get the podcast [iTunes] Subscribe to the Podcast directly in iTunes (MP3). [RSS MP3] Add the Engadget Podcast feed (in MP3) to your RSS aggregator and have the show delivered automatically. [RSS AAC] Add the Engadget Podcast feed (in AAC) to your RSS aggregator. [RSS OGG] Add the Engadget Podcast feed (in OGG) to your RSS aggregator. Hosts: Peter Rojas and Ryan Block Producer: Trent Wolbe Music: Solvent - Instructograph (Ghostly International) Program: 0:01:25 - Zune review 0:20:37 - PS3 unboxing! 0:35:03 - Wii hands-on, unboxing! 0:43:03 - Xbox HD DVD hands-on 0:48:03 - Xbox Live Video hands-on 0:52:54 - Hon Hai cops to iPhone contract 0:56:02 - Apple's MacBook goes Core 2 Duo, too 0:56:16 - Cingular 8525, BlackJack now for sale 1:00:46 - Nikon D40 officially announced 1:03:40 - Hands-on with Lenovo's X60 Tablet PC LISTEN (MP3) LISTEN (AAC) LISTEN (OGG) Contact the podcast: 1-888-ENGADGET, Engadget (Gizmo Project) or podcast at engadget dawt com
Cingular readying mobile banking for '07
Cingular would like its customers to manage what little money they don't give their carrier every month with their phones. That's the latest coming out of Cingular's Atlanta HQ, announcing that it's in talks with several unnamed banks to allow customers to "view account balances, transfer funds and pay bills" on its handsets. The system will make use of a downloadable app under development by a third party; whether this all has anything to do with a Citibank-run trial in New York City to make payments using Cingular phones, we're not sure -- but either way, we figure carriers are looking for novel ways into your wallet here.[Thanks, Arun J.]Read - ReutersRead - Citibank trial
Cingular 8525, BlackJack now for sale
Hey you -- yeah, you. Cingular 8525, you know the one, right? Ok, and the BlackJack? The i607? Right, those two hype HSDPA WinMo handsets are now officially for sale, $400 and $200, respectively, after two year contract (with unlimited data) and rebates. Just save some for the kids, ok? They're tired of getting coal in their stockings because of your sick device addiction.[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
Cingular's Samsung BlackJack i607, announced and reviewed
We love the Dash and all, but if you're Stateside and have been waiting for a formidable Q competitor complete with 3G, you've probably had your eye on the i607 BlackJack. It's a little chunky, a little clunky, and the keys and keyboard are not exactly our favorite (think: i320 meets Q), but it's the only GSM phone on the block with EDGE / UMTS / HSDPA. Other notable features include a QVGA display, new Cingular Music support (as well as Cingular Video), Bluetooth 2.0, and a 1.3 megapixel camera. Like its other holiday 2006 QWERTY smartphone competitors (see: Treo 680, Dash, Q), it too will be priced at $200 with a two year contract (and unlimited data plan). And hey, lucky you, both Phone Scoop and LAPTOP have reviews of the device, both of which seem pretty positive about Cingular's latest (even despite that sad lack of WiFi).Read - Phone Scoop's reviewRead - LAPTOP's review
University of Florida students grumble over Cingular service
While Cingular has claimed that its GSM network integration with AT&T Wireless is complete (thus more reliable), and throws out a bajillion advertisements gloating about the "independent research" proving the company's lack of dropped calls, you'd probably have a hard time convincing the Florida Gators that those statements are entirely accurate. While we know that Engadget has been banned from Cingular's forums, there's no denying the bevy of complaints from UF students regarding the atrocious service around the Gainesville campus. Things got so bad that students rallied around the issue of Cingular improving its service, finally escalating it to the Student Senate, where unfortunately it was voted down after "fierce debate." The resolution called the carrier's service on campus "unacceptable," and cited problems ranging from consistently dropping calls to receiving error messages when trying to dial out. When local Cingular representatives were asked to comment on the outcry, they reportedly blamed the students "lack of reporting problems" as the culprit, curiously omitting the entire debacle that just went down. Nevertheless, we don't expect the members of the Swamp to take this subpar play laying down, but you may want to think twice about which provider to snap up if you're headed to UF next fall.[Thanks, Anthony]
Treo 750 passes FCC muster
We don't need to tell you what it means when the Treo 750 passes FCC muster, nor do we need to explain to you what carrier on which to expect it. All you need to know is that whenever you see that confidentiality agreement slide by and that FCC ID label plastered up, you know it won't be long until you'll be holding one in your hands -- if you love Treos, anyway.
Motorola RAZR V3r drops iTunes like a bad habit
When we first caught wind of Motorola's RAZR V3r for Cingular, we thought "whoop de-doo, a red V3i." Well, turns out we missed one critical detail: the V3r eschews iTunes support for a more traditional MP3 player. While that's good news for folks that aren't a big fan of the infamous 100-song cap, it might irk some iTunes junkies that are going to have a slightly more difficult time toting their locked music around with them. Then again, we're all about choice, and the V3i is still available. Look for the V3r for a reasonable $100 on contract after rebates -- and no, not a dime of that cash is going to RED this time around.[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
Cingular's latest rebate form hints at holiday releases
Cingular's rebate forms are about as accurate at predicting the carrier's releases as weathermen are at predicting blizzards, but nevertheless, there are several juicy tidbits in the latest form (dated November 5 to December 30, 2006) worth pointing out. First up, the Samsung ZX30 and LG CU400 make appearances, both presumably destined to bring yet more clamshell love to the HSDPA game, and it'll be interesting to see how the ZX30 slots in against its SYNC stablemate. Also showing up to the party is the CU500v -- a phone we know nothing about -- but we're guessing it represents some sort of incremental upgrade to the CU500 (video calling, perhaps?). Next up, the SGH-i607 seems to have been officially christened the "Blackjack" for Cingular's release of the slim, 3G, QWERTY smartphone. Finally, the Treo 680 and 750 get some rebate love with both models coming in camera and non-camera variants. Conspicuously missing from the form, though, is the hotly-anticipated Nokia N75, suggesting that American S60 fans might be waiting until early '07 to get some 3G action.[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]Update: Looking closer at the form, we find a couple other goodies in the mix -- the Motorola K1 KRZR (in its GSM flavor, of course), the V3r (basically a red V3i, we hear), and the Pearl, a phone we'd previously heard wouldn't drop until 2007. Oh, and if you look really close, the ZX30 actually reads "ZX20" (how boring!). [Thanks again, everyone]
Cingular 8525 released, reviewed
So, Cingular's finally announced their 8525 -- what a relief. As we suspected, it'll set you back $399 (with two year contract -- sorry, no price yet listed with 1 year or no contract) when it launches November 16th but LAPTOP has the first official review of the unit, which resulted in a 4/5 star rating. There isn't really much to tell here that one didn't already know (except that the ok key underneath the wheel is now a deactivated Push-to-Talk button), but just in case you hadn't been following the Hermes, it's generally regarded as a pretty slick piece of kit. Outside of the usual software package, you can, of course, hook up with MobiTV, Good, and any other supported services on Cingular's network. We definitely take issue with the five hour talk time, though, our Hermes is lucky to get a couple (and with data, forget about it). Still, for your $400 you're unlikely to find a hotter Pocket PC phone on the US market.Read - releaseRead - LAPTOP review
Hands-on with the Samsung SYNC
We're still at a stage where new 3G handsets on Cingular are a bit of a novelty, so we thought we'd take the opportunity to get a closer look today at the latest entry from Samsung. The SYNC (alias SGH-A707) replaces the rather homely ZX-20, and in doing so, ushers in a slew of new music-centric features on Cingular's network. At $50 after rebate, the phone seems like one heck of a value, too -- on paper, anyway. After all, you get a 2 megapixel camera (still strangely rare in the American market), A2DP, a QVGA display, touch-sensitive external controls, and microSD expansion. Does the real thing live up to the spec sheet? Read on for our quick take.
Samsung SGH-A707 "SYNC" launches on Cingular
In the midst of all the Cingular Music hoopla today the SGH-A707 (also known as "Samsung's way of apologizing for the ZX-20") got itself a quiet, dignified little launch, but not without getting slapped with a new name: "SYNC." As its name vaguely suggests, the SYNC is a heavily music-oriented device -- as many featurephones seem to be these days -- with a dedicated Cingular Music button chilling on the keypad. Features that make this Cingular's hottest 3G clamshell yet include touch-sensitive external music controls, Bluetooth 2.0 with A2DP, and a 2-megapixel camera, not to mention microSD expansion and solid support for garden-variety multimedia. Look for the SYNC to make an appearance in stores and on Cingular's site... well, real soon now at a $50 price point on contract with rebates.
Cingular launches "Cingular Music"
Well, it looks like that WSJ rumor we ran yesterday was pretty much spot on. Cingular is indeed launching a music service today, and we must say the scope of their undertaking is quite impressive: integration with three separate music stores, along with supplemental content aplenty. For starters, a Cingular Music phone can work with Napster to add subscription tracks from your computer with a $15 a month Napster To Go account, and you can also access the new Napster Mobile, which allows 30 second previews and song purchases, but it looks like the songs are only downloaded to your PC, and will be transferred to your phone later. The good news is that those tracks only cost $0.99, quite a bargain compared to most current mobile services, but of course you're not paying for those hefty data charges, and you're not getting the track right when you want it. The Yahoo! Music offering is quite similar to that of Napster, with $12 a month buying unlimited subscription track usage, but phone-based song purchases still being downloaded to the PC, for syncing with your phone later. There doesn't seem to be much of a mobile slant to eMusic's DRM-free MP3 offerings, just added integration with Cingular, and 50 free tracks with the purchase of a W810i or W300i. A free 60-day trail of Napster is also available to Cingular customers. Cingular says all of this music store integration is "allowing consumers to extend their existing music libraries not rebuild them," but the lack of mobile song purchasing straight to a handset seems to sort of miss the point. But wait, there's more! Cingular is also announcing 25 channels of XM radio for $9 a month, that MusicID song identification service we mentioned yesterday, Music Videos, and all sorts streaming music and music related content. Cingular music will be supported by the upcoming Cingular SYNC (Samsung A707), along with the LG CU500, Cingular 3125 and those two Sony Ericssons we already told you about. All this should be going down November 6-ish.
