Cingular Wireless To Introduce New Smartphone Monday
TORONTO -(Dow Jones)- Cingular Wireless will unveil the Cingular 8525 Pocket PC Monday, the carrier's latest offering in the burgeoning smartphone market.
The device is Cingular's first HSDPA-enabled smartphone. HSDPA (high speed downlink packet access) is a network standard that enables average data-transfer speeds of 400-700 kilobits per second. "This is our first 3G (smartphone) that we're going to be launching here," said Mike Woodward, executive director of mobile professional solutions at Cingular.
The device is made by Taiwan-based High Tech Computer Corp. It will run on Microsoft's Windows Mobile 5.0 operating system and include Microsoft's direct push technology. Direct push allows real-time access to email and is Microsoft's answer to Research In Motion's popular BlackBerry-push-email system.
The introduction of the 8525 is further evidence of the rising competition in the smartphone market. Consumers and corporations now have a plethora of devices to choose from that vary widely in price and functionality. For instance, Research In Motion's BlackBerry Pearl, which comes with an MP3 player and camera, is available for $199.00 through T-Mobile USA. Nokia Corp.'s (NOK) E62 smartphone, which offers several wireless email options including BlackBerry Connect, is available at $149.99 through Cingular. Palm's recently unveiled its Treo 680 smartphone, which sells for $199.99. It hasn't said which carrier's network the phone will run on in the U.S. And then there's Motorola's Motorola Q, which is available through Verizon Wireless for $99.99 with a $100 mail-in rebate.
Cingular's Woodward said he considers yet another device, Verizon's XV6700, the most direct competitor to the 8525.
The 8525 will sell for $399.99. An unlimited monthly data plan will cost $39.99, though corporate customers will pay $44.99 a month. In addition to Microsoft's direct push email, subscribers can also choose Good Technology Inc.'s email service. The device won't offer BlackBerry Connect service initially, Woodward said, but that is expected to come in mid-2007.
Because HSDPA technology is an enhancement of the popular UMTS (universal mobile telephone system) standard, the 8525 will be functional on 3G networks in dozens of countries. It will also be compatible with the Wi-Fi (wireless fidelity) standard and Bluetooth-enabled.
The device will have a pullout Qwerty keyboard like its predecessor, the 8125. It will also include a camera and Windows Media Player 10 Mobile. "It is definitely a Swiss army knife," Woodward said. "This thing can do it all."
Company Web Site: http://www.cingular
-Stuart Weinberg, Dow Jones Newswires; 416-306-2026;
stuart.weinberg@dowjones.com
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Posted to the site on 6th November 2006
