PDA News

Cingular 8100 Series Pocket PCs
By Little Bill | Reporter
Date: 02/24/2006

Cingular Wireless expanded its Microsoft Windows Mobile 5.0 portfolio with the introduction of the EDGE- enabled Cingular 8100 series Pocket PCs with integrated Wi-Fi. Cingular branded Pocket PCs give data-centric customers the latest Microsoft mobile operating platform on sleek, economical devices.

The Cingular 8100 series Pocket PCs are fully featured yet cost-effective converged communications devices that provide end- users with dual high-speed wireless data capabilities on a global scale. They feature a full QWERTY "slider" keyboard, the latest Windows Mobile 5.0 operating system, integrated Wi-Fi, BluetoothR support, quad-band international coverage, and EDGE, the largest high-speed national wireless data network in the U.S. Cingular's nationwide EDGE network is available in 13,000 cities and towns and along nearly 40,000 miles of major highways.

The introduction of the Cingular 8100 series Pocket PCs comes on the heels of the launch of the Cingular 2125 Smartphone, the first wireless device in North America to feature the Windows Mobile 5.0 operating system for Smartphones.

"The Cingular 8100 series Pocket PCs along with the newly introduced Cingular 2125 Smartphone are cornerstones in our rapidly growing Windows Mobile 5.0 portfolio," said Michael Woodward, executive director, mobile professional solutions, for Cingular Wireless. "Cingular now has a Windows Mobile 5.0 device offering that appeals to a broad swath of wireless users ranging from productivity-minded consumers to enterprise employees, regardless of whether their device of choice is a handset or a PDA. These are just the first two of what will be an array of Windows Mobile 5.0-based devices that will be available from Cingular by the end of this year."

Built by a leading manufacturer of Windows Mobile devices, HTC, the Cingular 8100 series Pocket PCs come in two versions, the camera-less Cingular 8100 and the Cingular 8125 with integrated 1.3MP digital and video camera.

With the Cingular 8100 series Pocket PCs, mobile professionals can easily integrate with leading corporate and personal email applications integrated on the phone such as Microsoft Office Outlook Mobile and Microsoft Exchange Server, GoodLink from Good Technology, Cingular Xpress Mail and MSN Hotmail. In addition to e-mail, the Cingular 8100 series features popular wireless messaging applications including MSN Messenger and Cingular's multimedia messaging service. Helping users manage presentations, emails and spreadsheets on the go, the product is outfitted with Microsoft Office programs for Windows Mobile including Outlook Mobile, Excel Mobile, PowerPoint Mobile and Word Mobile.

Powered by Microsoft's newest mobile operating system, Windows Mobile 5.0, the Cingular 8100 series will be upgradeable to support the Microsoft Messaging and Security Feature Pack featuring direct push e-mail technology. Cingular 8100 series users will also benefit from Windows Mobile's persistent memory storage as it retains information even when the device's battery is depleted.

The Cingular 8100 series also provides a rich multimedia experience to enjoy music and video featuring an integrated multimedia suite with Windows Media Player 10 Mobile, stereo headset jack, and 1.3 megapixel camera. The devices support multiple audio formats including MP3, AMR, AAC, WAV and WMA, as well as MPEG-4 video streaming. A mini-SD expansion card slot allows the user to add memory for storing music, games, photos and video.

"The Cingular 8100 series phone is the latest example of Cingular's commitment to delivering powerful Windows Mobile devices that give people the flexibility and freedom to stay on top of their jobs wherever they are," said Scott Horn, general manager, Mobile and Embedded Devices Division at Microsoft Corp. "We now have a variety of Windows Mobile devices available from Cingular, allowing their customers even more choice in selecting a device that fits their lifestyle, while giving them access to their most critical business information."

The Cingular 8100 series Pocket PCs are GSM quad-band world phones. These give users a wide-reaching international experience through Cingular's roaming agreements in more than 170 countries for voice and 95 countries for data.

The Cingular 8100 series Pocket PCs feature a sliding, QWERTY keyboard built into an attractive, compact design, 4.32 inches (L) x 2.32 inches (W) x ~1 inch (T); 5.25 ounces with the battery pack. The Cingular 8100 series is powered by a TI OMAP 850 processor, with 64MB SDRAM/128MB Flash ROM. The devices feature a 2.8-inch QVGA 64k color TFT touch screen supporting both portrait and landscape mode. It also features Infrared and Mini-USB connectivity, and a Mini-SD slot for additional storage. A 1250mAH Lithium- ion battery provides up to five hours talk and up to seven days standby time.

Cingular Wireless is the largest wireless carrier in the United States, serving 54.1 million customers. Cingular, a joint venture between AT&T Inc., formerly SBC Communications Inc., and BellSouth Corporation, has the largest digital voice and data network in the nation, the ALLOVER network, and the largest mobile-to-mobile community of any national wireless carrier. Cingular is a leader in third generation wireless technology. Its 3G network is the first widely available service in the world to use High Speed Downlink Packet Access technology. Cingular is the only U.S. wireless carrier to offer Rollover, the wireless plan that lets customers keep their unused monthly minutes.

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