Don't Call the Hump Ugly

[Kris Kumar]

Cingular's 2125 Smartphone has gained a lot of attention, not because of its cool features but because of its hump. The 2125 has a lot going for it - Windows Mobile 5.0, QVGA resolution and faster data speeds thanks to EDGE. But it seems like we are more obsessed about the hump and overlooking the plus points of this Smartphone. And the "ugly" hump is there to improve the cell phone reception.

http://www.smartphonethoughts.com/images/Kris-Dec05-2125Hump.jpg

I decided to do a little investigation. So that I can prove that the hump serves a useful purpose. Before I provide the supporting evidence, I would like to mention, that I do not work for Cingular or HTC; I do not own stocks in either of these companies. :-) The evidence consists of a bunch of images from the FCC's repository. And in case you are not convinced, you are free to order the hump-less i-mate SP5 or one of its cousins. ;-) <!>

Presenting a few close-up images of the antenna module for the Cingular 2125 and Cingular SMT5600.

http://www.smartphonethoughts.com/images/Kris-Dec05-2125Ant2.jpg
Figure 1: Take a closer look at the highlighted area. You can see the gold plated foil/plate extending into the hump and it runs from one end of the hump to the other.

http://www.smartphonethoughts.com/images/Kris-Dec05-SMT5600Ant1.jpg
Figure 2: This is the antenna module for the SMT5600. No hump, no extra antenna.

http://www.smartphonethoughts.com/images/Kris-Dec05-2125Ant1.jpg
Figure 3: The 2125's antenna module from a different angle. Again you can see that the antenna plate goes into the hump and extends from end to end.

What does this prove? The hump is not an empty space; a left-over after the surgery that removed the Wi-Fi as some claim. I firmly believe that this Smartphone version never had Wi-Fi enabled. The hump was added to extend the antenna, so that the cell phone reception can be improved. i-mate SP5 has Wi-Fi, but it does not have the hump. Yet, T-Mobile's un-announced SDA has Wi-Fi and has a hump. The presence of the hump does not indicate Wi-Fi support.

The hump merely shows that HTC has designed Smartphones with better antennas for the North American market. GSM coverage in the US is not as good as in Europe. Cell phones with internal antennas, especially those that operate on 1900Mhz do not receive good signal. This problem is more apparent inside buildings and homes. The bigger antenna hidden inside the "ugly" hump will go a long way in improving the reception quality, increasing the number of bars. Or as Cingular would call it - "raising the bar." :-)

[OSUKid7]

Or as Cingular would calling it - "raising the bar." :-)
You sure you don't work for Cingular. ;) :lol: Seriously though, the hump isn't a deal-breaker for me. The thing's gonna be in my pocket, desk, or next to my ear at most times, so if people want to point and laugh at me for using a phone with a hump, I'll let them. :roll: Well worth the cost for WM5.

[Rocco Augusto]

if it wasnt for the fact that i have my heart set on wifi id totally get this phone. hell even without the wifi if the minisd slot was on the outside i could just buy an extra card. i prefer the smaller size of this phone compared to the qtek/imate versions

[Kris Kumar]

Seriously though, the hump isn't a deal-breaker for me.

Good to hear that. :-)

The decision should be based on whether you need Wi-Fi or not. And also what is the level of price you are willing to pay for the Smartphone and the level of support?

[Mike Temporale]

Wow kris! Excellent post. Quasimodo offers some good after all. :mrgreen: There's no question that the antenna is larger in the 2125. Lets hope it makes a difference. Personally, the SP5m is significantly better than my old C500/5600. So I don't know how much more they could improve. It would be nice to try it out and see.

[Reland]

Hey, guys. This might not be the right place to ask, but does anyone know of a site similar to this one where I can find answers to my more elementary questions about smartphones and cell phones in general?

[Rebecca]

Better reception or not the problem with this phone will be sales.

People buy beautiful phones. The majority of people will look at it and say it is ugly. They won't care about technology.

One problem for us is that Cingular will blame it on WM :cry: and not on the uglyness of the phone.


Another problem is Cingular targeting this phone to business people.
Today most business I know are using the Blackberry because it does not has a cammera. Also many professionals use the RAZR because it offers "minimal bulk, elegant and conservative desing and no camera".

Cingular is not promoting that this phone has a high-res screen, 1.3MP of cammera resolution. They are targeting it at business and what business people want is "minimal bulk, elegant and conservative desing and no camera" .

Again this will cause low sales and Cingular may blame it on the phone being based on Windows and not becuase of the cammera or the ugly desing.

[Rebecca]

By the way the could have made the hump smaller and extend the antenna on the top of it.

The SDA has the wi-fi antenna on top https://gullfoss2.fcc.gov/prod/oet/forms/blobs/retrieve.cgi?attachment_id=562885&amp;native_or_pdf=pdf

They could desing this phone with a smaller hump.

[robertotores]

The hump is butt-ugly!

Most people will laught at this phone, the ugliest phone ever carried by Cingular.


It the screen angle has been fixed I could consider it, but I am concerned of people laughting and me and saying: "you did not had money for a good phone and so you bought quasimodo". MORONS.

[robertotores]

Does anyone knows what's the SAR rating for the SMT 5600?

For Quasimodo the FCC reports 1.316 for the USA band, for the Wi-Fi SDA it is just .89

1.36 is a bit high in my opinion.

[Kris Kumar]

Another problem is Cingular targeting this phone to business people.
Today most business I know are using the Blackberry because it does not has a cammera. Also many professionals use the RAZR because it offers "minimal bulk, elegant and conservative desing and no camera".


Good points. I am also surprised that Cingular (and HTC) is not offering the non-camera variant of this Smartphone. :?

Business people I am sure prefer elegant and conservative style. But IT department tends to buy a "practical" device for the enterprise. ;-) An example of a not so good looking duckling, that has done well in the enterprise market - the BlackBerry.

[Mike Temporale]

Hey, guys. This might not be the right place to ask, but does anyone know of a site similar to this one where I can find answers to my more elementary questions about smartphones and cell phones in general?

You've come to the right place. Just create a new post in the appropreiate forum, and we'll do our best to answer it. There are lots of knowledgable people here and I'm sure someone can answer your questions. :)

[chandler]

The MPx220 has a hump too! It's where the quad-band antenna is. And it gets excellent reception, compared to my other phones.

[Sven Johannsen]

Also many professionals use the RAZR because it offers "minimal bulk, elegant and conservative desing and no camera".

When did the Razr lose it's 1.3Mp 4x zoom camera? I agree it's worthwhile to offer phones without cameras, but I'm not sure you can sell a higher end phone without one in the US. Seems the OEMs and Carriers don't think so either, if you've looked for one.

[encece]

I dont mind the phone not having WiFi....but I still think it's UGLY! As stated by Mike before....the SP5m doesnt have the hump and reception is great. How much better does it need to get. (Though I am using 850 in my area so I cant comment on 1900 problems.)

[choo_choo]

Hey, the SMT5600 is no longer on the Cingular web site.

[Rocco Augusto]

Better reception or not the problem with this phone will be sales.

People buy beautiful phones. The majority of people will look at it and say it is ugly. They won't care about technology.

One problem for us is that Cingular will blame it on WM :cry: and not on the uglyness of the phone.


Another problem is Cingular targeting this phone to business people.
Today most business I know are using the Blackberry because it does not has a cammera. Also many professionals use the RAZR because it offers "minimal bulk, elegant and conservative desing and no camera".

Cingular is not promoting that this phone has a high-res screen, 1.3MP of cammera resolution. They are targeting it at business and what business people want is "minimal bulk, elegant and conservative desing and no camera" .

Again this will cause low sales and Cingular may blame it on the phone being based on Windows and not becuase of the cammera or the ugly desing.

i dont thtink this phone will have any problem selling itself. it looks to be a solid phone. its not a moto razr but its still an awesome looking device, hump or not.

also i have never sold the razr to any business individual. reason being is because it looks like it breaks easily. plus when you have people that can talk to clients on the phone for hours at a time the razr just cant keep up. the most common reason we get them returned is because they cant keep a charge longer than a few hours.

also when it comes to business it has nothing to do with looks it has to do with the phone meeting the clients needs. if the phone as all the form and function that the client needs then the hump really wouldn't become an issue unless the sales associate made it an issue... but that really wouldn't make sense because that sales associate wouldnt be eating if he was stopping people from buying phones because of something as superficial as a 'hump' ;)

[Rebecca]

What GSM band does cingular use?

[Rebecca]

I dont mind the phone not having WiFi....but I still think it's UGLY! As stated by Mike before....the SP5m doesnt have the hump and reception is great. How much better does it need to get. (Though I am using 850 in my area so I cant comment on 1900 problems.)


Definitely it is very ugly. This Hump (Quasimodo) looks like an afterthought.

The best desing from an engineering point of view would have been to make the battery insertable from the side (a side battery cover and make the whole back on top of the battery an antennae.

[adwignall]

I'm in the minority, I like the look of the phone, hump and all :|

[mpaquette]

I gotta say that I think the hump is ugly. Is this phone going to be the Pontiac Aztec of the phone world? Those that own one will defend it's looks religously and those that do not own one will call it ugly and give it names like quasimodo. If the SP5 has comparable reception without the hump, then that's the phone for me. Plus I get WiFi and it's not locked by Cingular. Just say no to locked phones with a hump!

[aristoBrat]

What GSM band does cingular use?
Cingular uses both 850 and 1900.

[encece]

Remember the VOX....or VOQ or whatever it was called?

The ugly factor was one of the main reasons for it's failure. Not the only one, but it's main one.

If they would have just filled in the area forward of the hump....it would have been a much better look and had more of a general appeal.

[Kris Kumar]

Is this phone going to be the Pontiac Aztec of the phone world?

:rotfl:

[robertotores]

Say no to Quasimodo!


Or in other words the Cingular Aztek!!!

[Kris Kumar]

Remember the VOX....or VOQ or whatever it was called?

The ugly factor was one of the main reasons for it's failure. Not the only one, but it's main one.

Voq was just simply bulky. I believe the size was the negative aspect. It was not pocketable.

Of course you can argue that the size made it look ugly. ;-)

[Kris Kumar]

What GSM band does cingular use?
Cingular uses both 850 and 1900.

I believe all the new deployments are 850Mhz.

[Rebecca]

Quasimodo is better looking than this phone.


Humps suck :pukeface:

[Rebecca]

What GSM band does cingular use?
Cingular uses both 850 and 1900.

I believe all the new deployments are 850Mhz.

Thanks!

Then Puerto Rico must be 850 since we got GSM latter than the states.

[robertotores]

Remember the VOX....or VOQ or whatever it was called?

The ugly factor was one of the main reasons for it's failure. Not the only one, but it's main one.

If they would have just filled in the area forward of the hump....it would have been a much better look and had more of a general appeal.

My thoughts are the same.

People won't care about the screen WM5 or cammera. First looks is what counts and most people will first see the ungly hunchback resembling hump.

There are many phones with excellent reception and no hump, why they have to use an ugly hump.

CINGULAR'S QUASIMODO IS A FUGLY PHONE

[aristoBrat]

I believe all the new deployments are 850Mhz.
Just depends on what licenses they have in which markets. (i.e. my area is a newer Cingular market, but all 1900mhz because Verizon and Alltel have had both of the 850mhz licenses around here for forever... booo!)

[Sven Johannsen]

Jeez you guys are shallow. If it had two humps, like boobs, would it be better? :lol:

[Rocco Augusto]

Jeez you guys are shallow. If it had two humps, like boobs, would it be better? :lol:

windows mobile boobs 5? hmmmmmmmmmm... :roll: :P :lol:

[redbluff]

I have the 2125. We are a corporate customer and have done extensive testing with the device. I can tell you the WiFI us still there. The components are identical to the SP5 and SP5M. We compared them side by side. The guts are the same. Cingular disable WIFI via software. Because we are a large user we have asked them to activate it for our users. We are awaiting their reply.

[Kris Kumar]

Because we are a large user we have asked them to activate it for our users. We are awaiting their reply.

8O

[amg212]

I have the 2125. We are a corporate customer and have done extensive testing with the device. I can tell you the WiFI us still there. The components are identical to the SP5 and SP5M. We compared them side by side. The guts are the same. Cingular disable WIFI via software. Because we are a large user we have asked them to activate it for our users. We are awaiting their reply.

If that is indeed the case, shouldn't the phone be flashable with imate firmware, thereby activating the features? A flash couldn't possibly create wifi where the hardware is missing - but if what you're saying is true, then getting wifi working on the device should be trivial.

I can't imagine why Cingular would disable WiFi if it were physically in the phone - Yes, some people would use it instead of EDGE (at times), but does it make sense that someone would by a smartphone with the intention of using it predominately when they have an available WiFi connection? My point is - I doubt it would materially cut into sales of EDGE... Also, Cingular could certainly command a higher price for the Wifi capabilities.

The next theory is... Maybe Cingular doesn't want to include a feature that it isn't prepared to support. But, other phones (e.g., the SX66) shipped with Wifi... So there goes that theory.

I find it easier to believe that Cingular might have ordered phones with the Wifi hardware stripped out... But software cirppled? Hmmm...

[Kris Kumar]

I find it easier to believe that Cingular might have ordered phones with the Wifi hardware stripped out... But software cirppled? Hmmm...

Same here. :-)

Not sure how easy it is to get it past the FCC. Is the FCC convinced easily, if the manufacturer tells them that the phone has Wi-Fi but it is disabled via software. :?

I know that the TI OMAP processor that goes into these Smartphones has Wi-Fi support. But I believe the antenna and other related components might not be there.

When I look at the IBM Thinkpad I have. They have versions that has WiFi and those that don't. The difference is a small printed circuit board that goes into a socket and it enables Wi-Fi. The circuit board has the wires for the antenna also. HTC could also have something similar for these Smartphones. And add-on mini board.

Anyway, too many ideas. Time will tell. &lt;sigh>

[dwest218]

I have the 2125. We are a corporate customer and have done extensive testing with the device. I can tell you the WiFI us still there. The components are identical to the SP5 and SP5M. We compared them side by side. The guts are the same. Cingular disable WIFI via software. Because we are a large user we have asked them to activate it for our users. We are awaiting their reply.

Can you compare this phone to either a SMT5600 or MPX220 in terms of Rf or reception???????? Which is better?? The best thing would be to compare it to a SP5m or SP5 but I doubt that is possible.

[dwest218]

Well if you dont like the hump then get the sp5 or sp5m w/o the HUMP and enjoy WIFI. There is evidence already of the sp5m working with Skype very well and making very CHEAP phone calls w/o using minutes. See this post.....

http://www.howardforums.com/showthread.php?t=745447&amp;page=5

[Rocco Augusto]

i dunno, im kinda digging the hump... maybe because it comes out in a couple days and i want a new phone ;)

[Kris Kumar]

Well if you dont like the hump then get the sp5 or sp5m w/o the HUMP and enjoy WIFI. There is evidence already of the sp5m working with Skype very well and making very CHEAP phone calls w/o using minutes. See this post.....

http://www.howardforums.com/showthread.php?t=745447&amp;page=5

Pretty cool! 8)

[Mike Temporale]

I'm working on a cool pictorial showing off the humps. Stay tuned, and watch the front page... ;) :mrgreen:

[Rocco Augusto]

I'm working on a cool pictorial showing off the humps. Stay tuned, and watch the front page... ;) :mrgreen:

haha thats a loaded gun for rebecca you know ;)

[Mike Temporale]

haha thats a loaded gun for rebecca you know ;)

:oops: OH my.... I didn't realize what I said. It wasn't meant like that, honest. :oops:

[Rocco Augusto]

haha thats a loaded gun for rebecca you know ;)

:oops: OH my.... I didn't realize what I said. It wasn't meant like that, honest. :oops:

haha! :lol:

[robertotores]

Guys respect the laydies.

We have enough with cingular offering an obscene phone with an erection.

[Rebecca]

haha thats a loaded gun for rebecca you know ;)

:oops: OH my.... I didn't realize what I said. It wasn't meant like that, honest. :oops:

No ofense taken Mike.


Rebecca,

Official owner of the trademarked word: "HumpPhone"

[Rocco Augusto]

haha thats a loaded gun for rebecca you know ;)

:oops: OH my.... I didn't realize what I said. It wasn't meant like that, honest. :oops:

No ofense taken Mike.


Rebecca,

Official owner of the trademarked word: "HumpPhone"

dont just trademark it, get a patent on humps in general. heck, now you can patent pretty much anything :)