vB Easy Archive - Comparision - 3G Cingular Phone LG CU500 or Samsung ZX20??

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Comparision - 3G Cingular Phone LG CU500 or Samsung ZX20??
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Posted by: gravejoker

Guys
I am planning to upgrade my phone and get a Cingular 3G phone. I am struggling between LG CU500 and Samsung ZX20.

Can you provide some recommendations/inputs/feedback? I am around in the Washington DC area.

The features that I am looking for are:

- 3G/Edge capability and Bluetooth 2.0 (How are they?)

- Internet browsing (How good is the browser? Can I install Opera on it?)

- Email capability (Does it have a native email client or can I install an external email client to check my emails? What about checking webmails like Yahoo or Google mail?)

- OS (What is the OS? Can I install more applications?)

- Tethering (Can I tether it to a laptop or PDA using USB cable or Bluetooth (preferred)? What do I require to tether it?)

- HTTPS (Does it support HTTPS?)

- Unlock (Can I get this phone unlocked?)

Any recommendations/inputs would be greatly appeciated. I have already gone through a lot of threads posted in this forum and couldnt find answers to some of these questions.

Sorry for posting so many questions and Thanks in advance!!

-JoKer

Posted by: awj223

As someone who has tried both and settled on the ZX20, here are my opinions:

- 3G/EDGE
Both phones are capable 3G phones. When watching Cingular Video, you do notice a difference between 3G and EDGE.

- Bluetooth 2.0
As far as I know, only the CU500 has Bluetooth 2.0 (connects to stereo headsets). The ZX20 has an earlier version of BT.

- Internet browsing (How good is the browser? Can I install Opera on it?)
The browsers appear to be decent, although I did see them run out of memory on some non WAP enabled sites. Haven't tried installing Opera.

- Email capability (Does it have a native email client or can I install an external email client to check my emails? What about checking webmails like Yahoo or Google mail?)
The ZX20 has a native email client; the CU500 does not.

- OS (What is the OS? Can I install more applications?)
Not sure. Nothing open-source like Linux. You should be able to add Java programs because both phones have JVMs on them.

- Tethering (Can I tether it to a laptop or PDA using USB cable or Bluetooth (preferred)? What do I require to tether it?)
Can do both with both phones. That's next on my list of things to try.

- HTTPS (Does it support HTTPS?)
Yes, just tried it, and the ZX20's built-in browser supports HTTPS. CU500? Don't know.

- Unlock (Can I get this phone unlocked?)
As far as I can tell, not yet. It usually takes a while after the phones are released for people to take them apart to figure out how to generate the unlock codes. I'm sure that eventually I'll be able to get it unlocked.

If you would be bothered by having the external display turn off all the time (not allowing you to determine whether the phone is on or off, or the battery is full or nearly empty, or if there's reception or not), stay away from the CU500. That's the main reason I took it back. Also, the displays would both go off during calls, so if you're talking and the call drops or the battery dies, you can't tell. On the ZX20, the backlights go off but the external display stays on.

Posted by: WirelessAndy

Quote:

Originally Posted by awj223

If you would be bothered by having the external display turn off all the time (not allowing you to determine whether the phone is on or off, or the battery is full or nearly empty, or if there's reception or not), stay away from the CU500. That's the main reason I took it back.

Ah, I knew there was another human out there that shared the same feelings on this! Finally.

awj223, since you're in the SF Bay Area as well, how would you rate the ZX20's RF call holding ability? I mentioned in other posts that I found the older ZX10 to be really poor, compared to my fleet of older Nokias (could make calls where the ZX10 failed).

Posted by: awj223

Quote:

Originally Posted by WirelessAndy

Tell me about it. There's also the charging problem, where the display stays OFF until the battery is full. So if the display is off and the charging cord is plugged in, is the battery being charged? Did someone unplug the adapter to make room for an iPod charger? Did I accidently plug into a switched outlet and did someone turn off the switch? Can't tell.

This reminds me of progress bars. Once upon a time, progress bars on computers (that tell you what % completed a certain software task is) didn't exist. You couldn't tell the difference between a computer that was just taking a long time to compute something and one that had crashed with the display frozen on the image last displayed before the crash! People would shut machines down and call the vendor because they thought the computer had a problem, when in fact it was just a long task that was running. The solution was to add progress bars to let the user know that the program was in fact still running and hadn't crashed. LG doesn't seem to have yet learned that humans need reassurance output from machines.

I'll give you a report once I get to the SF Bay Area tomorrow afternoon. I go to school in the San Diego area and have not left the area since getting the phone.

Posted by: tsdevine

Quote:

Originally Posted by awj223

- Internet browsing (How good is the browser? Can I install Opera on it?)
The browsers appear to be decent, although I did see them run out of memory on some non WAP enabled sites. Haven't tried installing Opera.

Opera works well on both. Great browser...both on mobiles and desktops.

Posted by: gravejoker

Quote:

Originally Posted by tsdevine

Opera works well on both. Great browser...both on mobiles and desktops.

tsdevine,
which version of Opera did you install on the CU500 or ZX20?

- JoKer

Posted by: tsdevine

Quote:

Originally Posted by gravejoker

tsdevine,
which version of Opera did you install on the CU500 or ZX20?

- JoKer

On my ZX20 it says this on the about screen, it's the advanced version:

Opera Mini hifi woodland us v.2.0.4719, 200060731

I believe it was the same version on the CU500. I also have flurry (email) and Google Maps installed (on the ZX20).

Posted by: nave462000

Quote:

Originally Posted by awj223

the displays would both go off during calls, so if you're talking and the call drops or the battery dies, you can't tell.

1) this is true on all color phones, even single-display models, especially on external screens

2) if the battery dies while your on a call, its obvious because the phone stops making noise :P

3) again if the call drops, there is probably a way to turn on a call-drop/call ended tone that exists on most phones (at least sony ericsson's/nokia's/motorola)

Posted by: awj223

Quote:

Originally Posted by nave462000

1) Why can't you just keep the LCD on with the backlight off? I've seen other LGs, Nokias, and Motorolas do this.

2) Not if you call the local Cingular store and they put you on hold, and they don't have hold music.

Posted by: awj223

Quote:

Originally Posted by tsdevine

Is there a way to get the phone to save download programs to the memory card instead of phone memory?

Posted by: tsdevine

Quote:

Originally Posted by awj223

Is there a way to get the phone to save download programs to the memory card instead of phone memory?

Hmm. I don't remember seeing any option like that.

-Tim

Posted by: Faceless Rebel

The CU500 supports Bluetooth 1.1 with A2DP. It does NOT support Bluetooth 2.0.

Posted by: gravejoker

Also, which profile does it use when you tether it to a laptop or PDA using bluetooth?

Posted by: dcdttu

As for Java apps, my CU500, and everyone I have asked with one, has an error in it.

When Opera Mini or Google Local tries to access the web, you are prompted with a nag screen asking if you would like this app to connect to the web. Hitting yes on any other phone causes the app to continue freely until the app is closed. On the CU500, that nag screen comes up EVERY time the program needs to access the web, which is a LOT. I'd say me looking up one address on Google Local causes me to have to hit 'allow' on that screen about 50 times. It renders it useless.

Cingular certified apps work fine, the ones you pay for. But anything you want that's not Cingular will have this problem if it tries to access the web. Why even have 3g? I have tried to tell Cingular this issue, but they refuse to care or listen, saying it is the apps problem when it obviously isn't.

Posted by: LEDfoot

Quote:

Originally Posted by dcdttu

As for Java apps, my CU500, and everyone I have asked with one, has an error in it.

When Opera Mini or Google Local tries to access the web, you are prompted with a nag screen asking if you would like this app to connect to the web. Hitting yes on any other phone causes the app to continue freely until the app is closed. On the CU500, that nag screen comes up EVERY time the program needs to access the web, which is a LOT. I'd say me looking up one address on Google Local causes me to have to hit 'allow' on that screen about 50 times. It renders it useless.

Cingular certified apps work fine, the ones you pay for. But anything you want that's not Cingular will have this problem if it tries to access the web. Why even have 3g? I have tried to tell Cingular this issue, but they refuse to care or listen, saying it is the apps problem when it obviously isn't.

I'm not sure the apps have to acually be cingular certified. I think, if the apps were actually signed with a trusted certificate (something neither google nor opera should have any difficulties doing) they should work ok (of course I don't know this for a fact).
Until that happens, there is a workaround for the permissions issue that has been posted to the LG manufacturers forum (it does require that you have a cable though).

Posted by: gravejoker

Can someone confirm whether CU500 or ZX20 are dual mode HSDAP/UMTS (both 850/1900 and 2100)?

Posted by: formercanuck

I don't believe Cingular has any tri-band UMTS/HSDPA phones (850/1900/2100).

Quote:

Originally Posted by awj223

I'll give you a report once I get to the SF Bay Area tomorrow afternoon. I go to school in the San Diego area and have not left the area since getting the phone.

On a side note.. let me know if you see any 3G coverage between San Fran and San Diego (i.e. Los Angeles)

Posted by: LEDfoot

I believe that at least the cu500 is technically capable of using 2100 MHz UMTS. The fcc documents says it and there is a mentioning of 2100 umts in the engineering menu.
I think however that the firmware cingular has loaded them with disables that feature.
(Perhaps they will enable it once they have enough 3g roaming partnerships, perhaps it is being reserved for the north american 2100 MHz umts spectrum (which will, naturally, be entirely different than the one already in use in Europe, sigh).

Posted by: walkguru

ive had my lg cu500, for about 6 weeks, i like it just fine.

Posted by: Faceless Rebel

Quote:

Originally Posted by LEDfoot

I believe that at least the cu500 is technically capable of using 2100 MHz UMTS. The fcc documents says it and there is a mentioning of 2100 umts in the engineering menu.
I think however that the firmware cingular has loaded them with disables that feature.
(Perhaps they will enable it once they have enough 3g roaming partnerships, perhaps it is being reserved for the north american 2100 MHz umts spectrum (which will, naturally, be entirely different than the one already in use in Europe, sigh).

I remember in another thread somebody said they took a CU500 to Germany, where they have UMTS 2100, and it only worked as GSM phone. So, no UMTS 2100 in the CU500. Most likely it was a development option that nobody bothered to remove before the phone was released, since only geeks like us poke around in the Engineering menu anyways.

Posted by: awj223

Quote:

Originally Posted by awj223

I'll give you a report once I get to the SF Bay Area tomorrow afternoon. I go to school in the San Diego area and have not left the area since getting the phone.

ZX20 call holding quality on GSM is at least as good, probably slightly better than, my old Sony Ericsson T62u. I didn't notice that much of a difference between this phone and the old one. I did find some areas where the phone had trouble placing a call, but I had experienced the same behavior on the T62u in those locations. Even my brother's phone, a Nokia 6102, has trouble holding calls there.

The 3G network currently reminds me of the old GSM network when it operated at 1900-only (when I got my GAIT phone back in '03, AT&T Wireless had not yet started using GSM 850). If you could start a call on GSM, you were good as long as you didn't move. There were numerous coverage holes in the GSM 1900 network, especially indoors and there were even stretches of several hundred feet on major freeways where the 1900 signal would drop out along with the call. 3G in the Bay Area is suffering from these same issues and will continue to until WCDMA 850 is rolled out. I see the phone falling back to 2G quite often, especially indoors.

It's not as bad as the GSM 1900 problem though, because unlike GSM and TDMA, WCDMA calls can hand off to the GSM 850 network. The handoffs work seamlessly, and I usually don't even realize it unless I look at the display.

Posted by: awj223

Quote:

Originally Posted by formercanuck

I don't believe Cingular has any tri-band UMTS/HSDPA phones (850/1900/2100).

On a side note.. let me know if you see any 3G coverage between San Fran and San Diego (i.e. Los Angeles)

I did not see the 3G indicator come on in Los Angeles or Orange counties.