ENTERTAINMENT AND NAVIGATION
Cingular stocked the 8525 with applications for everyone, including navigation tools and a wide range of entertainment options. Road trippers in unfamiliar territory can use a Bluetooth GPS to connect with TeleNav, a service that provides turn-by-turn driving directions. Passengers, meanwhile, can capture the scenery with the device's 2.0 megapixel digital camera. Its daylight pictures are better than those of most camera phones, but we found the flash lackluster. And security-conscious enterprises can nix that capability by purchasing the Cingular 8500 model, which is the same device minus the camera.
The microSD expansion slot provides storage capabilities that are handy when using the device as a digital music player; Windows Mobile will even pause your music for incoming phone calls. Unfortunately, the device lacks a standard headset jack, so headphone options are mini-USB and Bluetooth. And if you hate to leave home without the Discovery Channel, fear not--this device is MobiTV-compatible.
The Cingular 8525 will prove appealing to enterprise buyers looking for a full-featured mobile device with solid wireless connectivity options and enough horsepower to tackle their mobile application needs. The price tag may give cost-conscious organizations pause, but it's in line with PDA phones that are similarly outfitted. n
Dan Renfroe is an IT consultant with OST, Washington. Write to him at [email protected].
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