Cingular 8525 Review

[patrickj]

That doesn't sound right. I am just switching from review unit to purchased unit. On first boot it shows 16mb of program memory in use - 49mb available.

Did I read right that the 8525 has only 29 MB of RAM available after a fresh reboot? That would not be good.

Joe

 

[jpasint#WP]

That doesn't sound right. I am just switching from review unit to purchased unit. On first boot it shows 16mb of program memory in use - 49mb available.

That sounds more like it! The WX had like 57 MB free so they are going backwards again.....


Joe

 

[waynew73#WP]

This is what MVT said: "SMS's are held in a drafts folder and do not send until your data connection is restored."

That's what I'm trying to clarify for myself. Is it data connection or just data availability? It sounds like he's saying the SMS will not work if there's no data connection, which I hope isn't true. I hope he meant availability.

I also think that voice signal should be enough to send an SMS.

Phone Diva, I'm sure that it's just that the phone needs voice only. I can't believe Cingular would require that data be on. I'm on T-Mo and use both mda and tytn and it's only required that voice be on. It may have been the case for him that voice wasn't available as well as data and that's why it couldn't send. It is annoying that it doesn't go to outbox like the treo does, but I've learned to live with it as another "less than" piece of SMS on the htc devices.

By the way, I just realized that you are the once and future queen known as Lady Treo...very glad to see that you're around. I thought you had just dissappeared.

 

[Pearl_Diva]

Thank you!

I will probably never completely leave unless something drastic happens, LOL!

 

[trjons]

I haven't seen that issue come up since, but I'll try it again at the SC/ND game Saturday...

 

[berdinkerdickle]

l am very impressed with the reception and call quality on the 8525. Here at my home (amongst fir trees) I was always disappointed with my 650. And over at a friends house, my treo would lose reception.
Not so with the 8525 - Great Reception. (and I'm not talking about bars)

The casing seems to be a little softer than the Treo's. I've dropped my treo many times, and was always amazed at how well it took it. I dropped the 8525 today - Big Gouge.

I'm still not sure if the bigger screen on the 8525 makes up for not having the always available, easy to use, pleasantly spaced keys that I loved about the treo's keyboard.

I understand there will be a learning curv, but my 650 was a breeze to use right out of the box.

I'll post more in the coming days.

Berd

 

[Pearl_Diva]

Are you going to try the 750 too? If you prefer the build quality of Palm, that may be the one for you. I'm surprised that the TyTN isn't a bit tougher though.

 

[waynew73#WP]

it took me awhile to get used to the mda after leaving the 650, but I really do love the widescreen of these devices. and now after being on the tytn and having the clickwheel I'm in love with it. I would tell anyone using the 8525/tytn, they should also get AEButton Plus. I used it on the mda too, but now on the tytn, it was really great to map the voice-recorder button on the left of the device and the comm manager button on the right of the device in order to create left and right keys in addition to the scroll wheel. now I rarely have to move my hands beyond how I hold the device while scrolling. AEButton Plus allows you to assign up to 4 assignments (not just applications) to each button.

 

[berdinkerdickle]

Here's a prretty cool onscreen keyboard:
http://www.pdamedia.biz/index.php3?page=showinc&inc=kbd20.html

 

[berdinkerdickle]

Are you going to try the 750 too? If you prefer the build quality of Palm, that may be the one for you. I'm surprised that the TyTN isn't a bit tougher though.

I will most Absolutely try the 750.
But this 8525 is sure making the wait easier.

 

[waynew73#WP]

Here's a prretty cool onscreen keyboard:
http://www.pdamedia.biz/index.php3?page=showinc&inc=kbd20.html

SPB also makes a keyboard as well.

 

[trjons]

I am liking the spb keyboard better because of the portrait mode...and since I hold the phone that way.

 

[berdinkerdickle]

I guess I will have to give the SPB another try, I didn't try if very long.

The one I linked above does have a portrait mode.

 

[Molekoi]

I've had my 8525 since Wednesday and I’m disappointed to say...it's going back. I was so pleased that Sacramento finally got 3g service and the phones to support it but sadly it wasn't enough. I’ve been a palm user since the Handspring 180 (subsequently the 600 and 650) but wanted give a WM5 device a try. It was so cumbersome to do my normal routine daily tasks (text messaging, polling several inbox at once, looking up contacts, make a call, surf, etc.). 3G was intermittent and the device seemed to hesitate whenever I tried to perform a task. Granted, I'm sure it was because it's a different approach to what I'm use to but as some users mentioned, outta the box my treo worked. The keyboard seem almost too big and my fingers were reaching more, couldn’t do most task effectively with just one hand, the text size (even after adjusting) was still too small, the web browser viewable space seemed smaller even with the bigger screen—mostly due to ineffective use of placing browser icons with so much wasted space, and the device cost more. I spent a good two days (while eating turkey) trying to setup everything on my 8525. Still haven't finished so I finally decided enough was enough. I called Cingular and arranged a trade for the 680. I’m sure it would be a great device if you were use to using WM5 and lived in a city and area were 3G connections were consistent. I’m aware of the smaller battery, lack of wi-fi and no “high speed” internet on the 680 (which is what drew me to the 8525) but even with all that, I love my Palm so I’m going back. Palm needs to improve their devices with wi-fi as well as other program/software changes, otherwise devoted users like me will stray once again. Good luck.

 

[chenling]

I feel the same way Molekoi.

I picked up the 8525 the first day it came out, and have been playing with it since. Although it is WAY better than Symbian Nokia E61, and overall is a GREAT phone, I just have gotten too use to the simplicity and speed of my Treo 650.

I really like everything about the 8525, I was getting 900 kb for data in Vegas, and it came with great apps, not to mention Wifi, but I don't know why, I just cannot move on.

For people who are not STUCK on Palm OS, I think 8525 is a WONDERFUL phone, probably the best you can get. It's fast (not as fast as Palm OS), and it has great apps, and it is pretty user friendly (not as user friendly as Palm OS), and 900 kb is sweeeeeeeeet.

I soooooooooooooooooooooooooo hope Palm OS won't die, because it is seriously one GREAT OS.

Treo plus Palm OS = Great user experience and speed. It gets the job done, no BS.

 

[chenling]

Most importantly, 8525's email also does not display embedded links like e61's email. Even Versamail does. There's no way to click on any links???????? That's just crazy?

 

[Pearl_Diva]

Which in my case is fine. I don't need to open up links on my phone. All I need to do is read and respond to important email. If links are embedded in my case, it usually means someone is trying to sell me something. So I'll get to that later on my computer.

 

[Pearl_Diva]

Those who are returning the phone due to dislike of WM5, IMO you didn't give yourself enough time. I wasn't that happy with WM5 the first week either, then I realized it was actually more advanced than the Palm OS.

I do have to say though that the form factor of the 750 is better IMO. I handled the 8525 and didn't know if I could deal with constantly sliding out the keyboard. I would have to use the onscreen keyboard options.

 

[trjons]

Berd,

Do yourself a favor and load the Palm Messaging Threaded SMS application from the PPCGeeks.com board.

Its fabulous.

 

[txschafers]

I will most Absolutely try the 750.
But this 8525 is sure making the wait easier.

I am planning on giving the 750 a test drive as well. However I am so impressd with the 8525 that I may end up keeping it in the end. This is really an amayzing device.