Cingular 8525

Also known as the HTC Hermes, the Cingular 8525 is my latest phone.

I made the plunge into Windows Mobile once before with Motorola’s MPX200 in 2004, and I was extremely unhappy with it. I was enamored with the idea of PDA functionality built into my phone, but that particular device wasn’t very good. It lacked the processing power needed to perform simple PDA-related tasks, and only having access to AT&T Wireless’ 1900Mhz GSM band made it a poor phone.

I didn’t want a “normal phone” again, since I’ve already had three of those since 2001 (Nokia 8260, Motorola V60, and Motorola RAZR V3). The Nokia was an excellent phone that was built to last, proven by the fact that it sat in my pocket as I tumbled down a hill and only had a small crack on the screen, but it did get awful hot during converstaion. The other two… well, I could spend pages discussing what I hate about those phones. I’ll say this about them though: they both survived being dropped on concrete and getting punted a few feet.

The 8525 is shaping up to best phone of the lot. I’ve only had it for a few days now, so I’m still learning how to use it to its fullest. Later this week I’ll talk about the apps I’ve found for it and how I use it day-to-day.