It has been a few years since I last posted to my technology blog. I am hoping to update this section at least once every 4-6 weeks, but we’ll have to see how that goes. Since my last post raved about my beloved Pocket PC device, it seems only logical that I should now post a review of my current device.

My current device is a phone/pda device: the Cingular 8525. The device is manufactured by HTC and is the successor to the Cingular 8125. I have used the phone for about four weeks. Four weeks is not enough time to learn about everything the device can do, but it is enough time to understand the good, the bad and the ugly about the device.

The Good

I have been extremely pleased with the way the device integrates the data connection with the operating system. While I am not excited about the $40 per month I pay for unlimited data, at least the implementation is smooth enough to make it worth the extra money. Any application that needs to access the Internet can do so with the phone automatically connecting using the fastest network available. I live in a rural area with poor cell service, but I have no problems accessing the Internet from my phone. The connection speed in poor coverage areas, though, is extremely slow and only suited for applications that send small amounts of data. On the other hand, the connection speed in the 3G areas is fantastic.

The device is a complete Pocket PC device so it runs all of the applications I have become accustomed to having. In my search I did not find many phones that offered the full Pocket PC; instead most phones include the Pocket PC Mobile Edition. I really needed the touch screen for several of my favorite applications so the Mobile Edition did not meet my needs. The device has a 400 Mhz processor and includes 56 MB of storage space along with 49 MB reserved for program memory. That would not be enough storage for my needs since I carry a lot of reading material around with me. In this case the MiniSD expansion slot solves the problem. At this point I am using only about 600 MB of my 2 GB expansion card.

The device also includes a 2 megapixel camera. I was not impressed by this at first since I have two very nice digital cameras that I prefer to use. What has impressed me, though, is the way the camera is integrated to the device. The camera has photo and video modes which allow me to save to the storage card. Using software such as ShoZu, I can snap photos and instantly post them to my Google Photo Album. Since I travel from time to time this has been a fun way to share my trip with my family back home. Google’s Blogger service also allows me to send MMS messages which will post to my blog with text and photo.

Before we venture into the bad aspects of the device, I should praise another of the features: the slide-out QWERTY keyboard. The slide-out keyboard is larger than those found on the front of most devices such as the BlackBerry, Motorola’s Q or Palm’s Treo. This is helpful for those with fat fingers like me. You will not find yourself wanting to type large documents using this keyboard, but I have found it suitable for use with Yahoo! Messenger and sending SMS messages. The keyboard is also backlit for those times that you wish to type something without much light.

The Bad

With any converged device there are trade-offs. For example, I wish the screen were larger when I am using the device as a Pocket PC. However, when I am holding it as a phone I am glad for its size. As a phone the device is a bit thick, but it is the lightest PDA I have ever owned. These types of issues could be addressed in this section, but unfortunately they depend upon individual preferences. For this section of the review I will focus on two aspects where I think the device could be improved: memory usage and battery life.

The problems I encounter with memory usage may be related to the software that I have installed, but they seem more related to the way the phone application behaves. Those who use Pocket PC are aware that the software needs frequent restarts in order to run properly. Additionally, users have to ensure that applications are closed instead of merely minimized which is the default action. I use spb Pocket Plus on my today screen so I do not have to worry as much about programs running in memory when I am finished with them. (Pocket Plus allows you to define the action you want for the close button.)

The situation that causes me problems is when I try to use Microsoft Reader with some of my larger books. I have been an e-book reader for many years now and I purchase all of my books in electronic format. When the problem occurs the system shows me a list of running applications and asks me which application it should close. Usually the list includes the “Phone” application at least three or four separate times. I usually end up needing to reboot and turning the phone to “flight mode” in order to solve the problem. Smaller books do not give me this problem. It is possible that the problem is being caused by the way MS Reader is handling memory, but I never encountered this problem on my other Pocket PC devices. The fact that “Phone” shows up in the list several times implies to me that it may not be clearing itself properly when I close the dial pad.

Battery life for the device is not as bad as I expected it to be. On average I can run the device all day on a single charge. If you do not read books or surf the web on the device I am sure you could get much more mileage out of the device. The main problem I have found with the memory is that the device does not disconnect from the Internet automatically. If I check my email and forget to disconnect, the device will stay connected for hours causing an additional drain on the battery. Battery life has not been a problem for me yet as I have always had a habit of charging my phone every night. For those with a need to go several days between charges, this may not be the phone for you.

The Ugly

In this section I cover the single worst aspect of the device. At first I was not sure what to include here. There is much to like about this device and I have been very pleased with it thus far. The charcoal grey exterior is attractive and simple. However, it did not take long for me to realize what was “ugly” about this device: the price. I am sure that prices vary from region to region, but the device lists for about $500. I didn’t pay quite that much for my device, but I certainly paid close to that. A part of me feels that I should not complain since I have paid $300 to $400 for all of the Pocket PC devices I have owned. In that regard the price is comparable. That is not enough to comfort my wallet, though. That is still a lot to pay for a device that can be easily lost or damaged. And in today’s environment of “free” phones it is an awful lot to pay for a phone.

Conclusion

You should be able to tell by now that I love this device. As I mentioned earlier there are trade-offs that must be made to converge a pda and a phone. My impression thus far is that these trade-offs have been optimized in this device. Since I use a Bluetooth headset most of the time anyway, holding the device is not an issue. The operating system works well. The phone has good sound quality. The operating system is upgradeable. (An update to Windows Mobile 6 is promised in the next few months.) If you are looking for a phone that can handle email and surf for news headlines, there are probably other devices that will do that faster, smoother and more cheaply. If you are looking for a device that will be a true Pocket PC and a good phone at the same time, the Cingular 8525 is worth a closer look.