The Good: T-Mobile has long been known for pushing the boundaries of mobile technology and the SDA (Smart Digital Assistant) is no exception. Sporting the modern Windows Mobile 5 operating system, Bluetooth, WiFi and EDGE, a 1.3 megapixel camera with a variety of enhancement options and full media support including DRM, it has everything for the mobile traveller.
The Bad: Lacking a QWERTY keyboard and with a rather cramped keypad, typing longer messages may be difficult for those with longer digits. Adding additional memory is also a little cumbersome with the expansion slot resting underneath the battery. Also the limitation of being able to view but not edit Word; Excel and PDF documents may be problematic for business users.
The Bottom Line: All in all this is a great offering for the modern mobile user with an ideal balance of features for both productivity and entertainment. The long talk and standby times adds extra appeal as does the large 64MB internal ROM and RAM memory banks.
The Good: This phone has five-way wireless support (IrDA, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, CDMA 1xRTT, and EV-DO); a speaker phone; a comfortable slide-out QWERTY thumb keyboard; includes 2 batteries; and great third-party software support. The phone also holds allot of music and photos with the included 1GB SD card.
The Bad: Unfortunately there are several flaws with this mobile phone. First of all, there is no support for using the phone as a modem with a laptop. Second Wi-Fi and phone can’t work simultaneously and Wi-Fi is a real power hog. Third, the phone lacks a camera.
The Bottom Line: Small, light, and powerful, the Samsung SCH-i730’s high-speed data support and built-in Bluetooth and Wi-Fi make it an excellent choice for those who have to stay connected at all times.
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 Cingular 8100 series features a slide-out QWERTY keyboard, Windows Mobile 5, and four forms of wireless (Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, EDGE, and infrared). The phone is also quad-band (GSM 850/900/1800/1900) so users can make calls almost anywhere in the world.
The Bad: Unfortunately, the Cingular 8100 series is clunky and heavy, and it suffers from sub par call quality.
The Bottom Line: Although we weren’t terribly impressed by the call quality or the form factor, the Cingular 8100 series provides powerful tools to the mobile professional enabling them to get work done on the go.
