I've got Cingular for my celphone service and looking to upgrade my phone, but not sure what to go for. I usually prefer flip-phones, but the two I've been looking at are so damn big that they pretty much defeat the purpose of the flip design. That in mind, I'm probably going to start looking at bar phones too.

These are the two I've been looking at recently:

Samsung Sync
LG CU500

Anyone have either of these phones? Curious what you think. And anyone have any suggestions besides these two? I don't want a razr or razr-clone, and would like to get something that can at least play a few mp3s, but can give that up if I need to.

5/5/2007 8:09:27 PM

slvr

5/5/2007 8:34:00 PM

fuck that, or anything that abbreviates its name similarly

5/5/2007 8:40:46 PM

i looked at both of those too, when i upgraded a month ago. i went with the cu400 though, cus it was free, and i'm a cheapskate

5/5/2007 8:53:15 PM

wait a few months and get an iPhone

5/5/2007 10:39:06 PM

http://www.sonyericsson.com/spg.jsp?cc=us&lc=en&ver=4000&template=pip1&zone=pp&pid=10856



Or if you can afford more:

http://www.sonyericsson.com/spg.jsp?cc=us&lc=en&ver=4000&template=pip1&zone=pp&pid=10653



[Edited on May 6, 2007 at 12:59 AM. Reason : ]

5/6/2007 12:56:45 AM

^ Appreciate the suggestions, but Cingular doesn't appear to carry either of those phones. They have some Sony walkman phones, but not those two.

So, any opinions at all? At the least, anyone with an opinion on flip phones vs bar phones in general?

5/6/2007 2:40:54 AM

whats the best phone off ebay for 50 or less?

5/6/2007 2:56:40 AM

I've got the LG CU500 and the Sony w810i, and I like them both. I keep the Sony in my pocket all the time, and after about 8 months, it is still in very good shape. THere are no scratches on the screen. The keypad locks, also-keeping you from accidentally calling someone. The battery life on the Sony is double that of both the SYNC and the CU500 (the Sony is a freak-8 hours talk time)

Of the 2 flip phones you've narrowed down to, I would go with the SYNC. It has a better camera, and the touch-sensitive mp3 controls are nice. The SYNC and the LG are also on the 3G network (UMTS & HSDPA) I regularly get 900-1000 kbps on the LG. The Sony is EDGE, which is only about 150-200 kbps.

5/6/2007 7:25:22 AM

I got the W810i from the Cingular store. Never loved a phone more. It's one of the most popular phone in Europe. Very nice, solidly built, functional mp3 player and camera (actually beyond functional, they are very good), great UI, tons of features.

5/6/2007 9:17:32 AM

^third vote for the w810i, I've never had a better phone

5/6/2007 10:28:29 AM

I actually have carried both the sync and cu500. I prefer the cu500 because it seems like a tougher phone. However, the sync does have a better camera and a bigger screen. Both devices have mp3 controls on the front and both function as mp3 players, have all of CIngular 3g goodies like cingular video. Both devices are hsdpa capable and should get speeds close to 1mb/s in Raleigh as dmidkiff stated. The LG seems slightly better on reception. I'd go with the cu500 over the sync probably.

The w810i is a whole different thing, it does have longer battery life as well as better camera to either the sync or cu500. It is not 3g, but rather is still EDGE which will get you speeds more around 100kb/s. It also has the walkman software for mp3s. Just depends on your preference.

5/6/2007 11:28:33 AM

fourth vote for the w810i, I've never had a better phone

5/6/2007 1:06:31 PM

cool thanks. I'll have to look at the 810 then.

SYNC is certainly tempting. It's a nice phone and is on their 3G network, and hell, can even get it in red. Not quite wolfpack red, but close enough. But it's nearly twice as big as my current phone. I'll have to go back and actually hold it in my hand some...

Thanks all

5/6/2007 8:14:32 PM

Five for the w810i

5/7/2007 6:44:58 PM

ebay the phone and get something really nice that cingular doesn't carry. I got a w850i from Egypt and its a really sweet phone.

http://www.sonyericsson.com/spg.jsp?cc=gb&lc=en&ver=4000&template=pip1&zone=pp&pid=10447

i'm sure you can find one for a pretty good price on ebay.

5/7/2007 6:56:13 PM

6 for the 810.. The walkman controls are great, and it's rather stylish, with a realy really good AF camera.
I think the sync is horribly built, and the menu is the worst thought out thing ever. Sending a txt is like programming in assembly. Plus the right half side buttons stopped working after very very little use (like 40 hours)

I've been playing with that new SE slider ^^^ and it is fucking SLICK! It helps that I love slider form factors, but the walkman interface is beautiful (supports album art), phone has great features, and the slider is solid.

5/8/2007 11:26:21 AM

i have an 810i i <3 it.

5/8/2007 11:42:23 AM

does the 850 support the stereo bluetooth headset?

5/8/2007 11:44:41 AM

Also I'd recommend debranding the 810i if you get it (and unlocking if you travel). I debranded mine within 24 hours of owning it and was very glad. Gets rid of Cingular's firmware and puts the SE firmware back on it. Granted it probably voids your warranty, but it's worth having the original features.

5/8/2007 12:02:50 PM

How do you do that? I am planning on getting an 810 today.

5/8/2007 12:13:50 PM

It's all SE firmware actually. There are just added (and sometimes) removed components that go in for specific carriers instead.

5/8/2007 12:28:50 PM

I guess I'm the 8th? I'd also suggest the w810. Best phone I've had. Only issues I've had deal with the FM radio on it.

5/8/2007 1:57:56 PM

i have a cingular 8525, and it is basically the most awesome phone i have ever owned - i had a treo 650 before this.

get one.

5/8/2007 2:12:10 PM

Just picked up the W810i. So far it seems like a really solid phone. Managed to get it for $70 too. I was planning on getting an iPod Nano, but after I upgrade this pohone to 4GBs, its going to be pretty much the same thing.

5/8/2007 2:54:49 PM

yea man, 70 is a great deal on that camera.. you can get a 4g for what, 80$?

5/8/2007 7:40:37 PM

$50 on eBay.


Have a problem with some videos I uploaded. It seems to only give me the option to transfer them and not play them on my phone. What is up with that. Are they in the wrong format or can you not play videos you upload, only ones you record with the phone?

[Edited on May 8, 2007 at 8:10 PM. Reason : .]

5/8/2007 8:02:05 PM

Curious about call quality with the 810i. Been looking it up on CNET and the like, also been looking at the new models. None are available via Cingular yet, and based on what I've been reading, probably not worth it anyway.

Also, reading that the 810i does FM radio too. How well does that work?

5/8/2007 11:30:21 PM

So I have had Cingular for 3 years now. First a razr and now a treo. Service is alright, but the only thing that I have noticed is that everytime i bring my phone near computer speakers and sometimes a tv a very weird buzzing sounds comes out of the speakers of the device it is near.

I also have a regular lg cingular phone for work and it does the same things, but not as much. I assume it is the treo connecting to get my email, but this is the weirdest thing I have found using cingular.

5/8/2007 11:31:59 PM

Another w810i here. That phone rocks

[Edited on May 9, 2007 at 7:12 AM. Reason : ]

5/9/2007 7:11:27 AM

FM on the W810i works well, the only pitfall is that you have to have the headphones plugged in (it uses them as an antenna). Normally you can listen to mp3s though the headphones or through the built in speakers on the back of the phone. There are also some speakers that will work instead of the headphones (SE was giving them away a while back). All in all the reception is pretty good.

5/9/2007 9:02:30 AM

Where is that website that shows all the phones carriers and quarterly releases for each ?

5/9/2007 11:38:32 AM

FM radio on my 810i will have a high pitched screeching sound in the background after a few minutes and you have to unplug/replug the headphones to get it to go away. It doesn't happen all the time and some people might not notice it but seems to be a common problem from searching the interwebs. Perhaps a firmware update will fix it. Only a problem with FM also, mp3's never do it.

5/9/2007 11:46:44 AM

Quote :

"verytime i bring my phone near computer speakers and sometimes a tv a very weird buzzing sounds comes out of the speakers of the device it is near."

Happens with every GSM phone/carrier I've ever had..which is a lot. So, guess it's something to just live with.

5/9/2007 12:39:00 PM

I had a Motorola CDMA that would do the same thing. Basically I had a 2 seconds heads up about the phone about to ring.

5/9/2007 3:21:20 PM

Quote :

"Have a problem with some videos I uploaded"

http://www.phonescoop.com/phones/p_forum.php?fm=m&ff=893&fi=651029

This is a great tutorial for converting your movies to play on the w810i

5/9/2007 3:32:40 PM

I love the fact that you can record your phone calls with this phone. I can see this coming in very handy in the right situation.

5/9/2007 8:49:47 PM

There's a faint beep every 20 seconds while you're recording, so just make sure the other party doesn't notice...

5/9/2007 8:52:45 PM

Yeah, that actually happened yesterday. I was testing it out, and my friend kepy asking what that beeping noise was. I didn't notice it, but figured it was most likely due to the recording.

5/9/2007 9:33:09 PM

Cingular 8125 Pocket PC (Refurb) *Online Price: $59.99



PDA with full QWERTY keyboard & slide-out design
Color touch screen with large 2.8" QVGA display
Integrated WiFi........use it just about everywhere on NC State campus!

btw: I have one.

5/9/2007 10:46:00 PM

Everyone I have known that got that phone hated it and regreted the day they ever bought it.

5/9/2007 10:50:16 PM

How many people is that: 1?

5/10/2007 12:43:51 AM

^^I have the 8125 for work, and the w810i for personal use. Love them both. The 8125 is VERY feature rich, which some people do not like to deal with. In my experience, both phones serve there purpose.

5/10/2007 7:30:10 AM

I know 4 people at work that have the 8125. Not one of them can get the Wifi to work properly. Also the newer version, the 8525, is out and supposedly much faster. I thought about getting the 8125 but I wanted something small that I could fit into my pocket instead of that brick of a phone. It's not bad if you don't mind lugging it around, but I wouldn't use nearly all of the features on it so decided against it.

5/10/2007 9:50:22 AM

I get on wifi easily with my 8125. The latest firmware that's out helped with the random lockups a lot too, I see maybe one a month now. I enjoy mine a lot as I needed a new phone and a pda when I got it a year ago and it serves both purposes well.

5/10/2007 9:59:38 AM

Sony-Ericsson W800i is the way to go.

Or go with the SE K750i, it's worth it!

5/10/2007 10:12:20 AM

damn, talk about some phone snobs...

5/10/2007 10:32:22 AM

Quote :

"Not one of them can get the Wifi to work properly"

This is always due to having the incorrect settings in the phone. Tell your co-workers to visit the site below to verify settings. With that said, these settings should come loaded onto the phone automatically, but oh well.
http://supportcingular.atgnow.com/cng/tutorials/KB65755.html

Quote :

"I wanted something small that I could fit into my pocket instead of that brick of a phone"

Your right, compared to most other phones, its a brick. But when you find out all the things you can do with it, its tiny. If you don't need to edit office docs, email, tether, etc., then the 8125 is def. NOT for you. When you think about it, it has most of the functionality of a low grade desktop computer in the palm of your hand. And if you can afford the 8525, go for it, its processor is twice as fast and supports 3G, while the 8125 only has EDGE.

5/10/2007 4:17:36 PM

nokia n92

5/10/2007 4:25:22 PM