The Unofficial Cingular Weblog

The Moto Slvr L7 is expected to be available for sale on January 31st. If it is anything like the ROKR launch we can expect it to arrive in stores and on-line at Cingular.Com the same time.

Additionally the price point will be 199.99 with a 2 Year contract, and no mail-in rebates. The retail no contract price is set at 299.99. It is not likely that the phone will be covered by insurance for a while, as was the Razr.

In the box:

• Travel Charger
• Manual
  
• iTunes CD
• USB Data Cable
• 512 MB TransFlash Card
• 3.5 mm headphone adapter.
• Stereo Earbuds/Headset

*Update: The SLVR has already been recieved by some locations today, Jan 30th.

In the first part of New Handset Speculation we talked about what we would expect for release in the first quarter of 06. With January practically gone we have some practical (as well as probable) predictions for February.

Prediction #1: The Nokia 6282 will launch second half of February with all of its UMTS glory. We have no pricing information but we would definitely put it around $200. The 6682 was dropped in price today with the addition of a $60.00 rebate that is available to customers who sign-up for unlimited internet usage on their line. We would imagine the 6282 upon launch as well as the other two expected 3G phones to have this sort of pricing scheme as well.

Prediction #2: With the Cingular 2125 currently in launch limbo (available on-line and only some stores). We expect the Cingular 8125 to follow suit towards the beginning of the month gradually making its way to differing retail outlets by the end of the coming month. Pricing for the Cingular Windows Mobile 5 device is reported to be $349.99 after a $50.00 mail-in rebate and probably with a voice plan of $39.99 or higher and the addition of an unlimited PDA Connect package. In addition this will add back to the Cingular line-up in terms of devices actually capable of using their WiFi service which is powered by both SBC and ATT hotspots. Previously the now discontinuted Siemens SX66 was the only PDA with built-in WiFi. The Option Globetrotter EDGE card also featured WiFi.

Prediction #3: One more PTT phone? While we have heard rumors that the z520a was going to be launched with PTT service we believe that they might have been started or fueled by the disappearance of them earlier this month. We are still hoping for a Nokia PTT phone, but current sources are pointing to another LG. The model number is the LG CG C300. Reportedly it is, like most LG’s, nothing special. However this flip phone is supposed to have Bluetooth. We would expect the Bluetooth feature to put it right with the Samsung D357 as far as price points, and we hope to see another Buy-One-Get-One offer.

Prediction #4: Prepaid always seems to get the shaft as far as equipment is concerned. Cingular’s prepaid phone lineup definitely has a case of schizophrenia as well. So why not throw another wrench into the works for fun!?! Sources are pointing to another Sony Ericsson, a lower end device that recently was launched by SE. The z300a is a lower end clam-shell device by Sony Ericsson. It features the simulated analog clock display on the outside as seen on previous European SE models, dual-band roaming and polyphonic ringtones.

Thats it for now!

We did not cover the vanishing of the z520a when it originally occured earlier this month. Various user forums on the internet pointed to a possible memory leak problem within the Cingular version firmware which would cause the z520a to randomly "loose" items such as ringtones, graphics etc, causing a plethora of problems including the phone not ringing. We confirmed that not cycling the power as part of normal usage after a period would cause these symptoms to appear.

The z520a is back and should be available for sale in all outlets. If you purchased one within your return period, and are experiencing problems. we recommend getting it exchanged.

In any case, its a very good recommendation to turn your phone off and on every couple of days. Mobile phones today are much more like your home computer than the cellular phones that were on the market 10 years ago. Like your computer at home, they need to be refreshed/rebooted every now and then. Additionally like installing new software on your home computer... if your phone recieves network updates, they won't take effect until your phone is restarted.

So the ROKR is officially END-OF-LIFE at Cingular which means that only remaining warehouse inventory will be distributed and sold. No new ROKR's will be purchased from Motorola. In its stead the new Moto SLVR L7 will be hitting stores. Hopefully it will make up for the many, many inadequacies of the ROKR.

Specs (SLVR vs ROKR)

• Quad-band vs Quad-Band
• Weight: 3.3 oz vs. 3.7 oz
• Talk Time: 6.33 hrs vs. 9.0 hrs
• Standby Time: 420 hrs vs. 230 hrs.
• Memory: 5 MB vs. 5MB
• Expandable Memory: microSD(TransFlash) vs. microSD
  
• Camera: 640x480 VGA vs 640x480 VGA
• Flash: NONE vs LED
• Bluetooth: Class 2 vs Class 1.1
• Charging/Data: USB vs. Standard Moto Port
• Data Class: GPRS vs GPRS

Since December the Motorola ROKR E1 had been in short supply. It was originally believed to have been simply a supply shortage... akin to what iPoders frequently experience. We have significant reasons to believe however that the ROKR has been dropped from the Cingular line up. Some possible confirmation came today to calls and visits to several company-owned stores where the Cingular iTunes stand had been removed from the floor, leaving only the accessories in its absent shadow. Does this mean that it’s the end of the iTunes + Cingular relationship? Probably not, there is quite a bit invested in it, anyone who travels frequently on the interstate has probably seen more than one billboard. Not to mention the high-quality acrylic stand for the ROKR which probably a very shiny penny to manufacture has a place for three handsets.

We know that the new GSM Razr has iTunes on it, but who knows when Cingular is going to carry it. (Not that anyone over here is holding their breath for a StarTac that plays mp3s!).

So we at TUCW say farewell (or maybe good riddance?) to thee ROKR