I got the Cingular 8525, which has internet explorer in it, plus push email, plus adobe plus a bunch of other stuff I don't understand yet. This has something called 3G, which makes the internet go much faster than it ordinarily does (or so say the reviews).
Apparently, there is something about this particular version of explorer that allows me to interact online, i.e. I can go to my bank page and check my balance, that sort of thing. I am tolf most current phones with surfing just let you look, not interact.
It does have the slide out QWERTY keyboard. Very easy to use once you get going. I am blue toothed up at the moment and love that. It also has WiFi in it so I can use it to broadcast to my laptop, should I ever go get one of those.
The price of such gadgetry is high and that's where I had to make my decision. I already am one year into a 2 year contract with Cingular. In the past, I would be able to go in at this point and buy a new phone and extend the service contract and thereby get the super special deal.
For example, this phone costs $650. If you sign up for 2 years, you get it at $450. Well, Cingular stopped doing that. So, I had to pay the $650 (minus a $50 break because I signed up for the unlimited internet and 1000 text messages at $50 a month).
The only benefit is that, in a year, when my contract is up, I can go see what's new and I will get the break in price on my next toy then. As I sat there mulling all that over, it occured to me that its a $200 difference in price because of the current contract, but at least I was not extending the contract yet another year and there is some value to that for me.
My advice for those shopping is first to read reviews online because they will compare phones in the same class you need, i.e. do you need browsing and if so to what degree. Second, then go to the stores and see what they actually have in stock and what the contract and service deals are because its the hidden cost of owning one of these.
Third, and most important in my case, realize that there is no such thing as buying a cell phone/PDA that will stay at the top of the technology mountain for more than six months. Just won't happen. Whatever you buy there's better and eventually cheaper just around the corner. And that corner always has another corner.
