Ever watched an episode of Star Trek and loved all those cool-looking gadgets they had? Even if you didn’t, the Cingular 3125 is one slick phone that has a lot of powerful options in a thin, attractive package. The phone is actually made by Taiwanese-based manufacturer HTC, who have a history of making great Windows-based Smartphones. This week we got a little closer with the 3125 and learned more about it while drooling over its design.
The phone is a Windows Mobile 5.0-powered clam-shell that comes in any color you like…as long as it’s black. Black is good though, as it adds to the sleek look the 3125 already possesses. On the front of the phone it features a beautiful analog clock on an OLED display that makes it easy (and fun) to glance at the time. Also on the front of the device is a 1.3MP camera that does video and pictures. The location we were in was dark, but the camera seemed to do a sufficient enough job to be called decent. There’s no flash though so you’ll probably want to get some better lighting rather than taking pictures in the dark.
Cingular 3125
Fans of music will enjoy the three dedicated control buttons on the front of the phone. Play/pause and track-selection/skipping are there if you need them. If not, they won’t bother you. It’s still a nice phone. Flip the 3125 open and you’ll see a nice 2.2” TFT screen that displays Windows Mobile 5.0 quite nicely at 240×320. Plenty of real estate to use your applications, view websites, and more. The phone has versions of Microsoft Office programs that may or may not ship with the phone. All we know is that you don’t want to type out a document on this phone due to the lack of a QWERTY-style keypad.
Hands on with the Cingular 3125
Deep inside the Cingular 3125, you’ll find 64MB of SDRAM and 128MB of flash ROM. Now since you can play audio with Windows Media Player 10, you’ll probably want to pick up some external storage in the form of a microSD card to keep more than a few tunes handy. It has Bluetooth for keeping your data synced and your hands free, but doesn’t have Wi-Fi or 3G capability. This is a huge disappointment because the phone would truly be able to shine with a high-speed connection. Unfortunately, you’ll have to settle for EDGE for the time being.
All things considered, it’s a nice, decent phone and the price isn’t too terrible. It goes for $299 retail but Cingular has some rebates and promos going on right now that will drop it down to $199. We couldn’t test the reception at the location we were at, so that could be another thing you might want to ask about before you rush out to buy one. If you want a Smartphone that has the look of a Motorola RAZR, then you’ll probably love the Cingular 3125.
