The Cingular 8525 is a Cingular exclusive. Among all its features, the 8525 has (obviously) a phone - with all the possible bells and whistles one could fit into a mobile phone package; speaker phone, bluetooth, wired handsfree, voice dialing, and of course the phonebook. A decent 2 Mega pixel camera is on the back that does still pictures and video as well. A small LED flash supplies some illumination for dark spaces, but it works best in natural light. Messaging (email as well as SMS text messages), a full HTML browser that , you know, supports most Javascript, WiFi support, InfraRed IR support, USB, Bluetooth of course, and can even work as a USB tethered or IR wireless modem for laptops. The 8525 even works as an MP3 player with the Windows Mobile Media Player built in. Internal speakers provide a mini-boom box, or use the included wired stereo headphones, or add-on bluetooth headsets for stereo listening. A micro SD memory storage card slot allows easy expansion of precious memory.

The Mobile Internet Explorer IE browser is a full HTML browser that can show virtually any webpage. Granted, one is limited by the screen resolution given the size of the screen, but scrollbars and a four-way keypad make it easy to get around the large web pages. Most simple javascript does work, but not crazy scripts or DHTML fancy shmancy pages. Images are scaled down to the screen size so viewing them takes some squinting, but it is an acceptable down side. The browser supports Desktop mode where it attempts to render the web page as-is; or a column mode where it attempts to fit things in compact columns (though sometimes it makes the webpage appear strange); and a default option that does a best guess arrangement which actually does work the best for most websites.

Why buy both a PDA and an iPod MP3 player? The Cingular 8525 does it all, the built in Windows Mobile Media Player allows you to play virtually any music file.

Transferring music files is easy, just plug in the USB cable (or use Infra Red IR if your computer supports that, or Bluetooth); install the drivers/client software on the desktop, and copy files directly over. The software (Microsoft Active Sync) also does syncronizations for data files and Outlook mail, if you require that feature.

As with any mobile device, the Cingular 8525 has two weaknesses - MEMORY and POWER. Unlike a regular computer, the pocket PC does not have a hard disk drive to dump files onto. It uses memory (RAM in computer terms). Although it is RAM the contents are non-volatile, that is, data is not lost when power goes out. The 8525 pocket PC uses the memory as its storage medium instead of a hard drive. Internal memory consists of read-only and read-write parts, the read-only part is the operating system - the read-write part is where programs and data files are stored.

The internal memory is only sufficient for basic usage - you absolutely NEED extra memory in the form of a micro SD memory storage card. A memory manager tool in the Windows Mobile operating system allows you to monitor the size and usage of the memory (both fixed memory as well as the add-on memory card).

Bluetooth is the biggest power hog, it drains the battery the most. Shutting off Bluetooth handsfree devices when not required is a good habit. This is a sad fact for all mobile devices, not just the Cingular 8525.

WiFi is another drain on the battery. In most areas Cingular offers the 3G or EDGE wireless data connection with unlimited usage plans - making WiFi redundant. However, if you keep "borrowing" your neighbor's unsecured WiFi feed, it will drink up your battery juice real fast.

The 3G/EDGE transmitter is also a big power drain. Excessive surfing or constant email checking will run down your battery. Its fine to check the news or sports scores or your email during boring meetings, or on the bus/train commute - but it is not designed for around the clock usage. Also, if your signal strength drops to below 2 bars (low signal), your phone has to shout louder which drains more power. You can disconnect the 3G connection by tapping the G icon, tap DISCONNECT - the phone transmitter will fall back to cellular (lower power consumption).

Overall, the Cingular 8525 scores an 11 out of 10 - yes, this little thing is incredible, and is resoundingly recommended!