Cingular Mobile Voice and Data for PDA's
Written: Jun 30 '06
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Pros: Nationwide free roaming, long distance and rollover. International roaming with voice and data coverage.
Cons: Device stability, SPAM SMS messages, Very low volume without Volumecare add-on software.
The Bottom Line: Cingular is behind on Advanced PDA functionality. Verizon has a better overall deal. Go with Cingular only if you really need international roaming.
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| mhoner's Full Review: Cingular Mobile Phone Service in San Francisco/San... |
After using my Cingular Treo for three months I wish that I had gone with Verizon Wireless. I switched jobs this year and had to purchase my own PDA/Smartphone (I was on Blackberries for the past five years). I decided to stick with Cingular because their GSM service allows users to roam internationally with voice and data coverage.
So far I am satisfied with the Cingular coverage but extremely disappointed with the Stability of the Treo 650. The major problem with Treo's overall is that the out of box software just doesn’t do everything that you need it to do. Case in point, without an add-on piece of software called Volume Care you will barely be able to hear the built in earphone in the Treo.
In order to get robust functionality from your Treo you should expect to spend anywhere from $150 to $250 more on add on software. The quality of third party software for the Treo varies greatly so you should really demo each piece of software before you commit to purchasing it (I'll bet you didn't think that Treo care and feeding was a full time job when you bought the device, did you?) My Treo reboots on average about 3 to 4 times a week without any third party software loaded, but ironically does not seem to reboot more frequently with some carefully chosen packages (Volume Care, Splash Data, and Call Filter).
The Xpressmail client provided by Cingular only synchronizes your email and calendar, it will not synchronize contacts, tasks, todo list or any other data (Verizon Wireless provides a free version of Intellisync which handles all standard PDA functionality.) In order to use Xpressmail with a corporate email account you need to have a PC up and running at all times (Same with Verizon Wireless's Intellisynch client).
NOTE: Expressmail and Versamail will both work with a Yahoo, Gmail or any other public email account without having a host PC running. One word of caution for email junkies, if you turn on email polling (even just once an hour) with a POP based email account your battery will barely last a day. The only real solution for Email addicts is to use a push based system like Goodlink, Activesync or Blackberry.
Another annoyance with Cingular is that I receive an average of ten Spam SMS messages per week. (None of my friends on Verizon Wireless have ever received spam SMS messages). Cingular will refund you for the SPAM SMS messages but only after you call and dispute each message.
The Cingular Treo comes preloaded with icons for Xpressmail and Goodlink. You will not be able to get rid of these icons. If you do not want to use Xpressmail or Goodlink your only option is to create another program category and stick the icons in that category.
For the same amount of money I think that the Verizon Wireless Treo is a better deal and has more out of the box capabilities. The only reason to go with Cingular over Verizon is for international travel.
Recommended:
No
Amount Paid (US$): 79.99
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Epinions.com ID:
mhoner
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Reviews written: 6
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