The Cingular 8525 is a Cingular exclusive. Among all its features, the 8525 has (obviously) a phone - with all the possible bells and whistles one could fit into a mobile phone package; speaker phone, Bluetooth (a wireless connectivity protocol used between mobile devices) , wired handsfree, voice dialing, and of course the phonebook. A decent 2 Mega pixel camera is on the back that does still pictures and video as well. A small LED flash supplies some illumination for dark spaces, but it works best in natural light. Messaging (email as well as SMS text messages), a full HTML browser that supports most Javascript, WiFi support, InfraRed IR support, USB, Bluetooth of course, and can even work as a USB tethered or IR wireless modem for laptops. The 8525 even works as an MP3 player with the Windows Mobile Media Player built in. Internal speakers provide a mini-boom box, or use the included wired stereo headphones, or add-on bluetooth headsets for stereo listening. A micro SD memory storage card slot allows easy expansion of precious memory.

The Mobile Internet Explorer IE browser is a full HTML browser that can show virtually any webpage. Granted, one is limited by the screen resolution given the size of the screen, but scrollbars and a four-way keypad make it easy to get around the large web pages. Most simple javascript does work, but not crazy scripts or DHTML fancy shmancy pages. Images are scaled down to the screen size so viewing them takes some squinting, but it is an acceptable down side. The browser supports Desktop mode where it attempts to render the web page as-is; or a column mode where it attempts to fit things in compact columns (though sometimes it makes the webpage appear strange); and a default option that does a best guess arrangement which actually does work the best for most websites.

Why buy both a PDA and an iPod MP3 player? The Cingular 8525 does it all, the built in Windows Mobile Media Player allows you to play virtually any music file.

Transferring music files is easy, just plug in the USB cable (or use Infra Red IR if your computer supports that, or Bluetooth); install the drivers/client software on the desktop, and copy files directly over. The software (Microsoft Active Sync) also does syncronizations for data files and Outlook mail, if you require that feature.

As with any mobile device, the Cingular 8525 has two weaknesses - MEMORY and POWER. Unlike a regular computer, the pocket PC does not have a hard disk drive to dump files onto. It uses memory (RAM in computer terms). Although it is RAM the contents are non-volatile, that is, data is not lost when power goes out. The 8525 pocket PC uses the memory as its storage medium instead of a hard drive. Internal memory consists of read-only and read-write parts, the read-only part is the operating system - the read-write part is where programs and data files are stored.

The internal memory is only sufficient for basic usage - you absolutely NEED extra memory in the form of a micro SD memory storage card. A memory manager tool in the Windows Mobile operating system allows you to monitor the size and usage of the memory (both fixed memory as well as the add-on memory card).

Bluetooth is the biggest power hog, it drains the battery the most. Shutting off Bluetooth handsfree devices when not required is a good habit. This is a sad fact for all mobile devices, not just the Cingular 8525.

WiFi is another drain on the battery. In most areas Cingular offers the 3G or EDGE wireless data connection with unlimited usage plans - making WiFi redundant. However, if you keep "borrowing" your neighbor's unsecured WiFi feed, it will drink up your battery juice real fast.

The 3G/EDGE transmitter is also a big power drain. Excessive surfing or constant email checking will run down your battery. Its fine to check the news or sports scores or your email during boring meetings, or on the bus/train commute - but it is not designed for around the clock usage. Also, if your signal strength drops to below 2 bars (low signal), your phone has to shout louder which drains more power. You can disconnect the 3G connection by tapping the G icon, tap DISCONNECT - the phone transmitter will fall back to cellular (lower power consumption).

Overall, the Cingular 8525 scores an 11 out of 10 - yes, this little thing is incredible, and is resoundingly recommended!

Unlike the telephone or the automobile, the invention of the typewriter has never received worldwide acclaim. This may be because the product is one associated with work rather than social life. Initially typewriters were slow sellers. When first shown to the public at an industrial fair, the machines attracted little interest, unlike the newly invented telephone, which received international attention. One reason given was that many professionals felt typing would appear rude to potential clients, as there would be no personal touch.

The first patent for a 'writing machine' was given to Henry Mill in 1714. Sadly there are no surviving details to prove its existence as a working machine. The first known typewriter was invented in the United States of America by William Burt in 1830. This was called a Typographer and printed one single letter after another. From this point on there was a flood of designs both in the United States and Europe, causing some dispute over who invented what components. These machines were usually one-offs and it was not until 1874 that like a typewriter became a commercial success.

This was achieved by the inventors Christopher Sholes and Carlos Glidden, who made an agreement with the Remington company to have their model, the 'Type-writer', manufactured in quantity.

The first machine produced wrote in capitals and was heavily influenced by the workings and appearance of the sewing machine, which was also produced by Remington. Sholes was also famous for introducing the layout of the letters on a keyboard, QWERTY, which is still in use today.

It was this machine which eventually began to inspire the public and started appearing in offices around the USA and Europe. With its growing popularity came a new source of employment, typing.

During the 1880's many different types of typewriters were designed, but the one which developed the style we know today was the Underwood No.1, invented by F. X. Wagner and produced by the Wagner and Underwood Company.

Another advance in design and mechanics came with the development of the electric typewriter. The advantage of an electric machine was greater speed and legibility. Early attempts date back as far as 1871 when George Arrington and Thomas A. Edison (famous for inventing the light bulb) obtained a patent for an electrically driven typewriter. The public was slow to accept the machine, as many did not trust its reliability. It took until the middle of the 1950s for them to be successful, with some of the most popular being those produced by IBM.

Today the standard typewriter has disappeared from the office and the home. Instead the personal computer dominates. Writers are no longer desk-bound but free to work wherever they lay their laptops. This revolution has caused the typewriter to become a collectable rather than an indispensable product. An original Remington No.1 is now of considerable value.

Museums also collect these machines as they are examples of great design, scientific achievement and reflect the social development of the workplace. The Science Museum has a collection covering all the major phases of their development.

Recently the popularity of typewriters has undergone a resurgence. Many people have become nostalgic for a bygone era of journalists reporting in remote areas of the world or poverty-stricken authors working away at their greatest novel. From its slow beginnings the typewriter has become an icon of these times.

The Underwood was invented by the American Franz X. Wagner. He began to develop a mechanism which placed the bars that supported the moulded letters around the front of the machine. When a letter was depressed on the keyboard the bar would strike the front sheet, print and then fall back. This is how most modern manual typewriters work today.

Wagner showed this model to the manufacturer of inks and typewriter ribbons, John Underwood. He instantly recognised the importance of such a design and supported the scheme. It is arguable whether Wagner was the first to think of the idea of visible typing, but he was the first to perfect it.

This advance was not the only one seen on the Underwood. The machine also speeded up the type bar so that typing could be done with a lighter touch. It also had two shift keys giving capital letters and lowercase, and a tabulator key, which prevented rapid travel of the carriage (the top part of the typewriter).

The machine keyboard also adopted the QWERTY layout, recognising its popularity and usability.

The machine was a success and the company had to move twice to expand, changing its name in the process from the Wagner Typewriter Company to the Underwood Typewriter Company. By 1939 five million Underwood machines had been produced and marketed all around the world.

The success of such a machine led to the decline of many of the earlier more unusual typewriter designs. Most manufactures recognised that they could not better the Underwood and instead set about adapting it so that they could manufacture it under their name.