Tatung M1 Smartphone Approved by FCC for Cingular's Network

[Mike Temporale]

<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://phonearena.com/htmls/Tatung-M1-is-a-budget-Smartphone-for-Cingular-article-a_1083.html' target='_blank'>http://phonearena.com/htmls/Tatung-M1-is-a-budget-Smartphone-for-Cingular-article-a_1083.html</a><br /><br /></div><i>"Now FCC approves another Taiwanese brand - Tatung. Tatung M1 is a quad-band GSM phone with GPRS and Bluetooth support. It misses both EDGE and Wi-Fi, and has low-res 176x220 pixels display. The screenshots in the manual of the device show the Cingular name as a network operator, so we guess that the US biggest carrier will offer the M1, taking the Windows Mobile to the masses."</i><br /><br /><img src="http://www.smartphonethoughts.com/images/Temporale-20060221-TaTung.jpg" alt="User submitted image" title="User submitted image"/> <br /><br />Remember the <a href="http://www.smartphonethoughts.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=10378&amp;highlight=tatung">Tatung Smartphone</a> that we saw at 3GSM last week? Well, the FCC has just approved this device and it looks like it will be coming to Cingular. Typically, it's only a couple months between FCC approval and the device becoming available from the carrier. The spec's of this device show it being a Quad-band phone, Windows Mobile 5, 128MB RAM, 64MB ROM, a 1.3 Megapixel camera, Bluetooth, miniSD, and a 176x220 2.2" screen. I'm very surprised at the screen size. Perhaps Cingular is looking for an affordable entry device? If the 2125 has all the same spec's with a better screen, this phone would have to offer a reasonable difference in price. It will be interesting to see what happens with this phone.<br /><br />If you're interested in all the technical stuff, you can find out more by reading the <a href="http://tinyurl.com/podhh">FCC Documents.</a>

[Jason Dunn]

Yeah, given the screen resolution I'm thinking that this is going to be a cheap, intro-level device made for people who won't be installing any third party software. It's like a "feature phone" for the Smartphone platform. If it's priced and marketed right, it could be a big seller - it looks good!

[mbranscum]

Definitely an entry phone. No EDGE???? :o What's the deal? I just don't see many people buying a non-EDGE smartphone from Cingular unless is VERY inexspensive! :?

[encece]

Hmmmm.....I have mixed feelings about this breed of cheap phones.

On the one hand...it will be good to see more people using Windows Mobile phones....on the other hand, making phones with lesser specs seems like a step in the wrong direction.

I want better phones with MORE functionality, not LESS!.

If these phones become successful, will that make the better phones eventually become less expensive in price or lure manufacturers to just make more and more cheap phones with limited functionality, selling more quantity and less quality? (see RAZR)

[Mike Temporale]

Hrm, excellent points encece. I would hope that it helps bring down the price of higher end models, but still helps bring more people into the Windows Mobile world because of the wider price range of phones available.

I can't really see the price for high end models going any higher. I would say that it's at the top of the acceptable range now (for an unlocked, unbranded device)

[Rocco Augusto]

If these phones become successful, will that make the better phones eventually become less expensive in price or lure manufacturers to just make more and more cheap phones with limited functionality, selling more quantity and less quality? (see RAZR)

i think it will be a combination of both. as more companies start making more money on WM devices i would expect to see the higher end phones drop in price, like the RAZR, and i would expect to see a few more lower end WM devices similar to what Nokia does with its lower end phones.

i look at this phone as what microsoft was trying to do with the peabody. a nice entry level, inexpensive, WM5 device.

[encece]

Also Nokia has lower end feature-less operating systems along with the cheaper hardware.

Microsft can't make cheaper OSs. A Windows Mobile Smartphone is a Windows Mobile Smartphone and a PPC is a PPC when it comes to the OS (except for older versions). I dont see microsoft dumbing down their OS to something that is not...well...Windows Mobile. Maybe they could...but what's the point?

People don't buy the RAZR for the software inside. Most know it makes calls, sends/receives text messages and takes/sends pics via MMS. I'm sure most RAZR users dont use much beyond that...if it even could do more beyond that. They buy the RAZR because it's a good looking, slim, cool looking PHONE.

If Microsoft is going to go for that group...they need a cooler looking phone than that. Software for that group of users is secondary and confusing.

This type of phone will bring in those who want the functionality but didnt want to or couldn't fork over the bigger bucks for the latest and greatest smartphone.

But that's what older models are for. That's who Cingular sells the remaining SMT-5600's to. That's who they sell the MPX-220's or even 200's to.

Next year they can buy reduced SP5's and SP5m's.

I like a cutting edge Microsoft. As a user, I like being as close to I can to that edge. I don't need my phone to be a bargain. I just need to be able to buy the latest and greatest and sell my old phone at a bargain! :)

[Mark Larson]

This is great news. I honestly don't see the point of QVGA on such a small screen, and 128MB/64MB suits me just fine. EDGE is marginally faster than GPRS, but the latency kills it for me.

[Rocco Augusto]

Also Nokia has lower end feature-less operating systems along with the cheaper hardware...

People don't buy the RAZR for the software inside. Most know it makes calls, sends/receives text messages and takes/sends pics via MMS. I'm sure most RAZR users dont use much beyond that...if it even could do more beyond that. They buy the RAZR because it's a good looking, slim, cool looking PHONE.


I think the cost of the OS has some factor in the price but I doubt we would have to "dumb" down the WM OS to make a decently priced handset.

People don't buy the RAZR for the OS but they happily pay $200 all day long just to get one thats pink. After mail-in rebate the Cingular 2125 cost as much as the pink RAZR but it does a lot more. Now imagine if you could just get cheaper, more attractive hardware for the WM platform. Now you have a WM phone that can be sold for the price of a entry level or feature phone but still has the ability to do everything a WM phone can do.

I'm sure there are people out there that would be willing to buy a phone without EDGE or a QVGA screen if it would knock $50-$100 off the activation price.

Lets not forget about the front page post not to long ago about WM devices that will be built with the new processor that can handle bluetooth, EDGE, etc which would knock the price of handsets down as well.

While the OS does have factor in deciding the price its not the only factor ;)

[Rebecca]

Cool phone without a hump. If only it had a better screen.