The Good: The Cingular 8525 is the first UMTS/HSDPA smart phone to be offered in the United States. It has integrated Bluetooth 2.0, Wi-Fi, and supports Cingular’s new location-based services. The Windows Mobile device also has push e-mail capabilities, a 2-megapixel camera, a spacious QWERTY keyboard, and good call quality.
The Bad: The Cingular 8525 is on the heavier side and the navigation array is a bit cramped. The smart phone is also quite pricey.
The Bottom Line: For the ultimate road warrior, the 3G-enabled Cingular 8525 provides the speed, the power, and the productivity tools to get your work done on the go.
The Good: The LG CG225 is a midrange handset which offers clear call quality, a simple VGA camera, and world roaming in a compact, unassuming design. The Black color scheme differentiates this model from other models of the LG family.
The Bad: The LG CG225’s volume level for regular and speakerphone calls is somewhat low, the inner display has a low resolution, and there’s no self-portrait mirror.
The Bottom Line: The LG CG225 is neither terrible nor remarkable, but better midrange handsets are in Cingular’s lineup.
The Good: The ultra-thin and light Motorola L2 slips easily into a coat or trouser pocket and the quad-band coverage makes it the globetrotters dream. Keep in touch with the phone’s strong messaging features and remain in reach with an impressive 14 day standby time.
The Bad: No memory expansion slot or support for corporate POP/IMAP email. Performance is sluggish at best, the display looks washed out. No 3G or EDGE support. Users with larger fingers will find it hard to use the keypad, and with only 10MB of RAM, you’ll be cramped for space. Unlike similar phones in the Motorola lineup, the L2 doesn’t include camera.
The Bottom Line: While this phone won’t turn any heads, it’s a good basic phone with a few strong points for frequent travelers. However, for a business-oriented phone, it’s surprisingly lacking some important features, like the ability to synchronize email and contacts with a remote server.
The Good: The Nokia E62 boasts a vibrant and sharp screen, a full QWERTY keyboard, and a full array of wireless options (Bluetooth, UMTS). This Symbian OS smart phone also has solid call quality, a speakerphone, the ability to view and edit office documents, and robust e-mail capabilities.
The Bad: No camera and a shallow keyboard which makes typing exhausting. The Nokia E62’s miniSD slot is located inconveniently behind the battery cover requiring you to turn off the phone to insert a card, and the device was sometimes sluggish when switching between apps.
The Bottom Line: The Nokia E62 certainly isn’t for everyone, but with its powerful productivity apps, connectivity options, and solid call quality, this smart phone will definitely make a good addition to a corporate user’s arsenal.
