Messaging

The Cingular 3125 is designed to be a PDA, and so messaging is one of its most important concerns. With easy access to Outlook Mail, links to third-party email sites, and SMS / MMS messaging, the 3125 keeps its users communicating at all times.

The phone offers both Microsoft Direct Push Technology and Good Mobile Messaging in order to meet the user's emailing needs. Both of these features allow for instant delivery of Outlook email, so that users need not waste precious time waiting for their messages to download. Popular third-party internet email sites may be accessed through Internet Explorer, but only Outlook and MSN Hotmail can be directly accessed through the phone's messaging menu. Similarly, Microsoft offering MSN Messenger is the only pre-loaded Instant Messaging system.

The 3125 features standard simple text and multimedia messaging systems. The SMS system is rather no-frills - plain text inserted in Abc or T9 format. Symbols in plain text mode don't get more exciting than some sparse smiley-faces and some exotic punctuation. Through the MMS system, users may send audio, video, or image files, though sending media requires a fee. Users may also change the message background color and insert "Canned Text," a collection of set phrases such as "Call me," "Chill out!" and "Groovy." Various options adjust display, sending, and account options, as well as allow the user to create separate signatures for text and MMS messages.

With access to Outlook and third-party email, along with SMS messaging, the 3125 should meet users' text-based communication needs. For those who prefer to communicate through audio / visual means, the phone also offers a full MMS messaging system. Non-Microsoft users might be unhappy with the focus on MSN and Outlook, but the phone is in the end designed to operate under the Windows umbrella.

Entertainment

With both MP3 (detailed above) and video playback capabilities, the 3125 should be able to keep its users sufficiently entertained during on-the-go downtime, though video and music downloads can be costly. In addition to audio and visual media, the phone supports J2ME games.

The phone comes preloaded with a trial version of MobiTV, which allows users access to 25 television channels. The free trial is only for three days, after which the user will automatically be signed up for $9.99 monthly service unless he or she cancels the service. Video, like MP3 files, may be downloaded or transferred to the phone and watched with Windows Media Player.

In terms of games, the 3125 comes preloaded with full versions of Bubble Breaker and Solitaire. Since most phones only preload sample versions, this is a nice touch. Further games may be downloaded for a fee.

Users have direct access to the Cingular Mall, which offers application, game, graphics, multimedia, and music files for fee. Users familiar with Cingular should know what to expect; others should check out the Cingular Mall website for further information.

With multimedia playback and J2ME games, the 3125 offers a full entertainment package. Users will have to pay additional fees in order to attain certain entertainment features, but users content to transfer files from a computer and play the preloaded games can keep busy for free.

As a combination of mobile phone and PDA technologies, the 3125 features standard applications from both of these devices. Such an abundance of applications should keep users well-organized, well-informed, and generally busy. The 3125 operates under Windows Mobile 5.0, a PDA platform which previous smartphone owners may find familiar, and to which smartphone-novices familiar with Windows PCs should adjust easily.

The 3125 features the organizational features usually found on phones, including Alarm Clock, Calendar, Task List, Voice Notes, and Calculator. The controls for the Alarm Clock are somewhat scattered, found under both the Clock&Alarm and the Sounds Settings; the feature is otherwise similar to most phone alarms. The Calendar, operating under Pocket Outlook, keeps track of appointments and may be viewed in daily, weekly, or monthly chunks. The Tasks application allows users to create and sort a checklist of errands and reminders. Voice Notes and Calculator pretty much work as the names imply, recording memos and doing math.

In addition to these standard organizational applications, the 3125 features all of the applications found in Windows Mobile 5.0, a veritable onslaught of Windows programs and applications designed to facilitate connectivity and data management. Novice users will probably be most interested in Internet Explorer, the phone's primary browser tool. Other applications allow the user to read downloaded documents, spreadsheets, presentations, and PDF files. The phone also features a flock of managers: a Task Manager, a Java Midlet Manager, and a Communications Manager. These programs, in addition to File Explorer, help the user keep track of files, programs, and connections. With such a complex phone capable of handling all sorts of data, users will find these data management programs to be quite a blessing. The phone also features some other applications, most of which are discussion in other sections of this review.

The 3125, operating under Windows Mobile 5.0, features a full array of applications which serve to keep organized user and phone both. The standard mobile phone organizational tools, such as Alarm Clock and Calendar, should help users keep track of busy schedules, while Windows tools like Internet Explorer and Office file readers will keep them in touch with important data. In addition, various management tools help the user take advantage of the 3125's powerful data capabilities.

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