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Some of today's hottest smartphones—palmOne Treo 600/650, Research In Motion BlackBerry, Sony Ericsson P910, Sierra Wireless Voq, ect.—implement thumb-keyboards to easy data entry and messaging. Cingular Wireless this week started offering yet another much talked about mobile handset with a thumb-keyboard, the Siemens SX66, for its wireless network.

Based on Taiwanese OEM High Tech Computer's BlueAngel/XDA III Design, the Windows Mobile for Pocket PC Phone is known around the world by a variety of different names—T-Mobile MDA III, Vodafone VPA III, O2 XDA III, and Sprint PPC-6601 to name a few.

Unlike smaller smartphones with thumb-keyboards, this handset's keyboard is unique because it is retractable. That's a good thing, because no one will ever confuse the 4.92 x 2.83 x 0.75 inch and 7.4 ounce smartphone with one of its more compact Windows Mobile for Smartphone brethren, such as Motorola's Mx220.

The Federal Communication's Commission approved the Pocket PC Phone for release in the United States back in August. Sprint became the first carrier to deliver a variation on the design with the PC-6601 last month. (SmartPhoneToday will receive a PC-6601 for review shortly.)

Cingular's SX66 integrates both Wi-Fi and Bluetooth in addition to its quad-band (850/900/1800/1900 MHz) GSM/GPRS radio for worldwide compatibility.

(Wi-Fi is quickly becoming a standard feature of high-end smartphones. Hewlett-Packard's first smartphone, the already shipping iPAQ h6315, as well as upcoming Nokia 9300 and 9500 Communicators, and Motorola's MPx integrate 802.11b wireless networking. Wi-Fi/cellular convergence promises to deliver voice or data over the type of network that is cheaper, more optimal and, of course, available at a particular moment. For more, see Seamless WLAN/Cellular Convergence on the Far Horizon.)


Keyboard Exposed

The SX66 also features a 400MHz CPU, integrated VGA camera, 128MB of RAM, 96MB of ROM, and an SDIO Secure Digital slot. The smartphone's display measures 3.5 inches diagonally and supports the Pocket PC standard 240 x 320 pixel resolution at 65,536 colors. Its lithium ion polymer battery should deliver 4 hours talk or 7 days standby time.

Cingular will sell the Siemens SX66 for $550 with a 2-year service contract.