vB Easy Archive - Cingular 3125 perfect experience?

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Cingular 3125 perfect experience?
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Posted by: Sivion

I am looking to get a phone to replace my Sony s710a phone. I love my s710a but I want a phone that will do a whole lot for me. And I have heard that a smartphone is the way to go. I liked everything I read spec wise about the Cingule 3125, however I also noted all the threads with various issues surrounding this phone. (IE. Rebooting, memory card issues, call issues...etc) But I was wondering out of all the people who have problems, who has had a perfect experience with this phone? I guess I am trying to figure out if it was just a handfull of people with issues with this phone, or it is all of these phones. Also, would software updates for this phone take care of issues like this? I am being very cautious in this purchase because it took me going through 3 problem phones before finding that the s710a was the good phone I stuck with. I just don't want to go back to another problem phone. So, if you have a 3125 and have had a perfect or near perfect experience I would love to hear about it.

Posted by: chymmylt

No problems with mine

Very happy with it!

Posted by: forest007

I've had a near perfect experience so far. I've had to turn mine off/on a couple of times (like all windows based devices) because I could not connect to internet but I've had it for almost a month. No other problems. I have lots of 3rd party apps installed (listpro, smartphone notes, papyrus, dontforget, mobipocket reader, Agile messenger...) and no problems so far. Also have 1 mb memory card. I love this phone...

Posted by: hylton

This is by far the best phone I've ever used...as a phone and as a smartphone...of course, I came from humble beginnings...I had previously been on Suncom TDMA before the customer swap in Virginia. I had owned a couple different nokia candybars on TDMA. When I came over to Cingular, I immediately jumped on the SMT5600, then an MPx220, now the 3125. I'm extremely pleased w/ this phone, it's perfect for my needs.

There really isn't one thing I'd change about it, other than the balance w/ the battery, I can no longer leave it on my desk open (like a laptop), it rocks back on the hinge b/c of the larger battery over the earlier StrTrk models. But, the killer battery life is worth it, I can go for 4-5 days on a charge now under my normal usage.

Chris

Posted by: Drizzten

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sivion

I liked everything I read spec wise about the Cingule 3125, however I also noted all the threads with various issues surrounding this phone. (IE. Rebooting, memory card issues, call issues...etc)

I've had mine for almost a month.

I've rebooted perhaps twice to free up memory thet gets slowly lost over time. This has never affected performance, it's just the computer geek in me acting out.

My cat knocked the battery loose, forcing the phone to shut down. After re-seating the battery and booting back up, there were no problems. Pleasant to see a graceful reaction from a Microsoft product.

Runs the Java version of Google Maps well. My only problems with it have been few and related to keeping a good Net connection.

Getting ready to install registry tweaking software, buy a good case, and some screen protectors.

My signal strength has never been an issue, call quality is better than average, and the OS is powerful enough and customizable enough to satisfy me. Love the phone and have zero regrets.

Posted by: Madcat455

Had one since the day they arrived in the store... Best phone I've had by FAR. No problems with it, workes perfectly.

I'd go so far to say that this is one of (if not the) best phones on Cingular (barring 3G, no 3G here

Posted by: robhs

I really like mine. Call reception and clarity are excellent. I have installed papyrus and facade, and it works well. I have clocked edge at 190kbs through dsl reports, and I can stream XM radio with no problem.
For it's size, it is amazing what this phone can do. I think you will like it.

Posted by: Willie3White

It has been a perfect experience for me awesome reception. Great phone all around i have had mine since the day they sold it online. I agree with the comment that if this phone had 3g it would be sheer bliss. But besides no 3G it is great!

Posted by: alexasha

Quote:

Originally Posted by robhs

I really like mine. Call reception and clarity are excellent. I have installed papyrus and facade, and it works well. I have clocked edge at 190kbs through dsl reports, and I can stream XM radio with no problem.
For it's size, it is amazing what this phone can do. I think you will like it.

How did you clock edge?

Posted by: Coastal

I ditto a lot of what others have said. I do hear a bit of static sometimes when I dial someone and it's ringing, but as soon as they pick up it's gone and the call reception and clarity are great whether I'm talking on the phone or on the included stereo headset. People can never tell I'm on a cell phone. Signal strength has also been very good. I've only seen the phone go below 2 bars once when deep inside a large department store. No problems with the 3rd party apps (google maps, Opera Mini, Dontforget) or the 1 gig micro SD card I installed either.

Battery life is also excellent. Even after a couple of hours of listening to CDs stored on the storage card the battery only takes about a 5 or 6% hit. I often stream radio via thestreamcenter.com or mikesradioworld.com and both work well other than an occasional short buffer pause. Streaming radio drains the battery much faster, but that's to be expected.

Like Drizzten, I've rebooted a few times just to free up memory for no other reason than I noticed it was down to about 18 to 19 megs. Still more than enough memory to do anything, but after rebooting it's up to 25 or 26 megs and I just like to free up that "lost" memory once in a while.

The only thing that could be better is the included stereo headset which isn't all that comfortable and the phone uses a propietary connector so you're stuck with it unless/until someone comes out with a better aftermarket version, an adapter, or you get a bluetooth stereo headset, but I've never had a phone capable of playing music or radio before so just having that capabilty is great, especially for the gym.

No phone is perfect, but so far I love this phone and at $149 after rebate I think it's a steal.

Posted by: Coastal

Quote:

Originally Posted by alexasha

How did you clock edge?

www.dslreports.com/mspeed

I've clocked speeds up to about 180 kbs on edge.

Posted by: SockMonkey

No phone is perfect, but I'm pretty pleased with my 3125.

I wanted a flip for a change and I haven't noticed any problems in reception or call quality yet. MEdiaNet is fast, and tethering still works for me, but it's not something I do on a daily (or even weekly) basis...just something for "emergencies".

My only problem has been some confusion about the alarm clock feature. It doesn't seem to work the way the 2125 did (or at least how I remember). I've been victim to the "phantom alarms" issue, where you'll set an alarm, oh, say like for 5:30 a.m. and when it goes off, you hit either the outside buttons, or flip it open and hit the left softkey for "dismiss"...you then go on a camping trip with the family, sit out by the fire for too long, go to bed late and Saturday morning, the damn alarm wakes the whole camper up at 5:30 a.m. (Found a fix at the Cingular.com forums however) link

Otherwise, it's been a great phone. I wish it had a standard headphone jack and mini USB, but I haven't been bothered much by that.

Posted by: Sivion

Thanks for the replies. It helps alot! =) But I need to know a couple things that I can't seem to find in my searches.

1) Can you make your own ringtones on the PC and just transfer them to the phone to be used as ringtones rather than "having" to buy them from the cingular store. This I particularly like with my s710a. I can just transfer anything I want and use them as ringtones.

2) Can you change the tone that is used for messaging and voicemail alerts to something that is uploaded to the phone? This is a big thing for me not possible with my s710a.

3) Can this phone play video clips? If so, what formats are supported? Can it take video clips too?

4) How many text messages can this phone store? My s710a has a limitation on how many messages can be stored. This is a pet peeve of mine. =(

Any help on these questions would be great. Thanks again guys!

Posted by: Lilweezy83

1) Can you make your own ringtones on the PC and just transfer them to the phone to be used as ringtones rather than "having" to buy them from the cingular store. This I particularly like with my s710a. I can just transfer anything I want and use them as ringtones.

Yes. The phone has a built windows media player, and will not only play any audio file wm supports, but will allow you to use it as a ringtone.

2) Can you change the tone that is used for messaging and voicemail alerts to something that is uploaded to the phone? This is a big thing for me not possible with my s710a.

Yes.

3) Can this phone play video clips? If so, what formats are supported? Can it take video clips too?

Yes, it plays almost any file supported by WM. I doubt this includes codec necessary files (divx, etc) but I have yet to try it. It also takes video clips as well. Not sure the format, but they are MMS friendly. (My girlfriend can watch them on her Motorola RAZR)

4) How many text messages can this phone store? My s710a has a limitation on how many messages can be stored. This is a pet peeve of mine. =(

Not 100% sure on this one. I havent run out of space yet, though, and I'm sure I've got over 50 or so messages in there now.

Posted by: Sivion

So far, this seems like a really good investment for me. Just one more question.

-When I want to transfer software, music, video, files to the phone, is there special software that I have to purchase seperate to do that? Or is it included with the phone? How does that work?

Thanks again so much for the information. Very helpful.

Posted by: hylton

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sivion

So far, this seems like a really good investment for me. Just one more question.

-When I want to transfer software, music, video, files to the phone, is there special software that I have to purchase seperate to do that? Or is it included with the phone? How does that work?

Thanks again so much for the information. Very helpful.

ActiveSync will let you do all of that. But, it will depend on how you prefer to copy stuff to the phone. If you use WMP10 on your PC, it can sync directly to the device for music, video, etc...and automatically size it down to whatever bitrate you want to use on the phone (i.e. sample a 320kbps MP3 down to a 128k/64k whatever format). Or...you can just copy stuff directly after ActiveSync is connected, by selecting 'Explore' from the ActiveSync menu or systray icon, then you can just copy files, create directories, etc, right on the phone from your PC.

Be ready for slow progress copying music though, the phone only sets up a USB 1.1 speed connnection (cabled) or a slow bluetooth connection...copying a few hundred megs of music will take quite awhile. I personally use a card reader to put songs on in bulk and only sync music when I have only a couple to do.

Chris

Posted by: Madcat455

Don't know if it was mentioned yet or not, but the only thing you really need that it doesn't come with is a Micro SD card. Beats using phone memory to store music.

Posted by: Xtek

I recently got T-Mobile service with a free Moto V3 Razr... loved it! Only problem was I don't get service at home... none. However if I search for other networks, get which appears and I get full service with? Cingular! So therefor I was looking through their site and I was looking for a flip phone that had a nice features. I'm a hardcore media/tech junkie... I always need the best. I saw this phone and my jaw dropped. Like my old Razr except on roids. I just ordered this phone yestarday and should have my service/phone within 3 days (waits by the door). I can't wait to get it. I'll post my experiences when I get it.

-Xtek

Posted by: Tampa8

Near perfact for me. Both call and screen clarity is very good. With a couple of programs added it is now pretty much how I want it. (added the program to stop the led from blinking, program to add an audible alert if I missed any type of call/message, and program to allow any sound the phone produces to be sent over bluetooth)
Cingular was very smart to use the (very) slightly larger battery. Battery life for a device like this is quite good.

It does use a propriety connector so you can't just go to a store and get something for it, but if you use bluetooth (which works great) you don't need to plug anything in for anything audible. It comes with everything you need to transfer files etc..

Just a note - WAV, AMR, MID, and WMA files can be used for ringtones or alerts. The media player will also play MP3's but MP3's cannot be used for ringtones/alerts.

Posted by: Madcat455

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tampa8

The media player will also play MP3's but MP3's cannot be used for ringtones/alerts.

Ummm... Yes it will. I've got a MP3 ringtone saved onto my phone right now in use. Just double checked it in File Manager.. properties show it as MP3 format. Got two in there like that.. My ring tone and my Text Message alert ("Mail Mother F'er...

)

Posted by: SoberGuy

lol, I did the same for my wife with the MP3 ring tones. Works great.

The phone is really pretty good, I think. Not quite as easy to navigate as the 8125, for me, but I'm a lot more familiar with the PPC version than the smart phone version. My wife loves her 3125, and damn her for not letting me steal it from her. If only I could get the same deal that I got for her... I'd love this as a weekend phone. Call quality is like my VOIP at home, sometimes even better than my VOIP. HTC is making some strong strides, and is, in my opinion, a strong force to be reckoned with when it comes to smart phones and PPCs.

Posted by: SockMonkey

Quote:

Originally Posted by SoberGuy

lol, I did the same for my wife with the MP3 ring tones. Works great.

The phone is really pretty good, I think. Not quite as easy to navigate as the 8125, for me, but I'm a lot more familiar with the PPC version than the smart phone version. My wife loves her 3125, and damn her for not letting me steal it from her. If only I could get the same deal that I got for her... I'd love this as a weekend phone. Call quality is like my VOIP at home, sometimes even better than my VOIP. HTC is making some strong strides, and is, in my opinion, a strong force to be reckoned with when it comes to smart phones and PPCs.

They are THE force to be rekoned with when it comes to smartphones and PPC's.

They make most of the windows mobile devices out there.

Posted by: Tampa8

Quote:

Originally Posted by Madcat455

)

Ummm... What ya know - after reading your post and confirming mine would not use MP3's for ringtones, I did a hard reset - and now it does! Before the reset the MP3's did not have the Media Player icon in front of them, know they do.

Posted by: SoberGuy

It does seem to need a reset once in a while, but I'd stick with the soft resets first, if at all possible. My wifes doesn't like showing the pictures she takes until you turn it off and then back on.

Posted by: Madcat455

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tampa8

LOL... welcome to windoze...

Haven't had to reset mine yet, but I'm not running alot of add-ons or doing alot of Internet so to speak. But, my old MPX220 had to be reset atleast every other day.

Funny, alot of people think that about the MP3 not working for ringtones... In training for the 8125 (Cingular COR) with our "Data Expert", it came up that it also didn't support MP3 for ringtones.. He confirmed it.. I then spoke up, they didn't believe me.. so I took his live demo.. Bluetoothed one of my tones over adn called him. Should've seen the look on their faces when it worked..LOL. Pretty sad when a sales rep knows more than the "expert". (they didn't think it'd bluetooth over either... sad.

)

Glad you got yours working

Posted by: Sivion

Awesome, thanks for all the posts guys. Looks like I may get one then. =)

Posted by: Omega2008

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tampa8

Near perfact for me. Both call and screen clarity is very good. With a couple of programs added it is now pretty much how I want it. (added the program to stop the led from blinking, program to add an audible alert if I missed any type of call/message, and program to allow any sound the phone produces to be sent over bluetooth)
Cingular was very smart to use the (very) slightly larger battery. Battery life for a device like this is quite good.

It does use a propriety connector so you can't just go to a store and get something for it, but if you use bluetooth (which works great) you don't need to plug anything in for anything audible. It comes with everything you need to transfer files etc..

Just a note - WAV, AMR, MID, and WMA files can be used for ringtones or alerts. The media player will also play MP3's but MP3's cannot be used for ringtones/alerts.

MP3's can be used as ringtones and alerts...mostly all my ringtones are MP3's.

Posted by: Omega2008

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sivion

Awesome, thanks for all the posts guys. Looks like I may get one then. =)

You should. I like mine but I will be parting with it when the 8525 comes out...i just found myself going back to the 8125 alot...I love the keyboard and the pocket pc style and I LOVE SPB Diary, its awesome. You can view your email, contacts and photo contacts, tasks, calender avents, and tasks right on the homescreen....if SPB comes out with this for the smartphone I would love it!