Travel Technology - New Cell Phone

i currently am using an unlocked GSM palmOne treo 600. i do not want to use this phone anymore because pixels are dying and the functions are not that awesome. i will be switching to cingular in the next 2 weeks and I want to get a phone thats unlocked, tri-band, compatiable with isync on the mac, and has good quality and reception. looks matter something thats not TOO bulky. flip phones are good. any recommendations? NO MOTOROLA PHONES PLEASE

Not sure if it meets all your requirements, but I'm in the process of changing from SprintPCS to Cingular, and I'm pretty sure I'll be picking up 2 Nokia 6102. According to various reviews I've read - it has great reception, is small and practical, supports EDGE, and all the other random features (messaging, etc.)

My only complaint is that it doesn't support bluetooth. Here's a list of features from cingular.com:
* Downloadable polyphonic/full-audio ringtones, graphics and games
* Dual color LCD screens
* Speakerphone
* Mobile Instant Messaging using AOL® , Yahoo!® and ICQ® Instant Messaging
* Voice Recorder
* FM radio (requires headset - sold separately)
* 850/1800/1900 MHz - Tri-band
* Infrared Data Transfer
* Voice commands
* Voice Dialing
* Downloadable custom themes
* Ringing tones: True Tones, polyphonic tones, mp3
* Notes, calendar, to-do list, alarm clock and stopwatch functionality
* Gallery for storing and editing images
* Video recording and playback
* Weight: 3.42 ounces
* Dimensions: 3.35 x 1.77 x 0.95 inches
* 4.4MB internal memory for downloads
* Technology: 850/1800/1900 MHz - Tri-band
* Talk Time: Up to 4 hours
* Standby Time: Up to 14 days
* Warranty: 1 yr on the phone and accessories
* All talk, data and standby times are approximate and depend on network configuration

It's big, but my sharp 903 just came in. 3.2 MP camera, triband, and works in japan.

I'm anxiously awaiting the arrival of the Sony Ericsson Z520a from Cingular:

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/stores/detail/-/wireless/B000BNOCMS/glance/qid=1131460106/br=1-4/ref=br_lf_w_zr_4/103-3825101-6836602

Should be iSync compatible given that similar SE phones all are. (I'm looking for that feature as well.) Flip phone, should have good reception, quad-band. There's an in-depth review here: http://www.mobileburn.com/review.jsp?Id=1733

The only real downside I can see of this is no EDGE data capability. This only matters if you're going to use your phone as a modem for your laptop. (You can still do that, even, but it will be somewhat slower than it would be with EDGE.) It also doesn't have the latest, greatest camera resolution, but I still find cameras in phones to mostly be toys, so I don't consider it a drawback. Everything else is pretty up to date, and it's fairly inexpensive even without new service activation.

Some info here about availability: http://www.phonescoop.com/phones/p_forum.php?p=765 Could be officially in stores this week. Some Best Buys have them already.

Have you considered a 3G phone? I have a Sony Ericsson Z800i. Fantastic flip phone. Has almost everything you want...262k internal screen, memory expandable to 2GB, triband + UMTS (Japan-compatible), 1.3 megapixel camera, speakerphone and so on.

i currently am using an unlocked GSM palmOne treo 600. i do not want to use this phone anymore because pixels are dying and the functions are not that awesome. i will be switching to cingular in the next 2 weeks and I want to get a phone thats unlocked, tri-band, compatiable with isync on the mac, and has good quality and reception. looks matter something thats not TOO bulky. flip phones are good. any recommendations? NO MOTOROLA PHONES PLEASE

You can't use a phone that's "traditional" tri-band (900/1800/1900) nor can you use a 3G phone which would be 900/1800/1900/2100. Cingular is almost totally dualband 850/1900Mhz now except in the Carolinas. If your phone doesn't support 850, you're going to absolutely hate Cingular. Have you looked at the Treo 650? The nice thing about the Treo is that if you aren't happy with the features, go out and get software! You can make 'em do just about anything. No other phone I've had has been as stable and done as much. The 650 SUCKED in the beginning but has gotten good enough to where I'm happy and have settled on it once again.

Alternatively, the HP Ipaq HW6515 might fill the bill. It's Windows CE, EDGE, bluetooth, has GPS internal, about the only thing it DOESN'T have is 802.11 but that can easily be added the SDIO slot. If you're looking to step back to just a PHONE, I'm not sure where to direct you. All the great stuff lacks 850. The Samsung D307 looks interesting, everything else is... well... ehh.

Have you considered a 3G phone? I have a Sony Ericsson Z800i. Fantastic flip phone. Has almost everything you want...262k internal screen, memory expandable to 2GB, triband + UMTS (Japan-compatible), 1.3 megapixel camera, speakerphone and so on.

The Z800 would be a very good phone for T-Mobile in the States. For Cingular, you really need 850MHz band. Thus, the quad-band Z520 would be better, or anything tri-band that has 850. The small downsides of the Z800 vs Z520 is that's it's larger/heavier. Plus there's the price premium of buying it unlocked from an importer (not available here) vs having it subsidized by Cingular. Not that the Z800 isn't great. I was thinking of getting one. I was just turned off by the cost. I don't need to spend 350 bucks on the thing. And I've decided that I don't care enough about keeping T-Mobile, so I'll let Cingular subsidize my switch.

The Z800 would be a very good phone for T-Mobile in the States. For Cingular, you really need 850MHz band. Thus, the quad-band Z520 would be better, or anything tri-band that has 850.

In all honesty, I've never had any problems with the reception here. (I'm on Cingular as well). It's pretty much always four or five bars (out of five), but it's possible that it's so because I go to school in the SF Bay Area, so the number of cell sites might be more dense than other areas. But it also works great when I'm in LA too when I'm at home. I hear that the reason that Cingular is focusing on the 850 is because it can penetrate through walls better, but I'm not sure of that. (Read it somewhere on the net.) If you have someone who goes to Southeast Asia (particularly Malaysia, Singapore, or Indonesia), ask them to get you a new or secondhand phone. Most people there keep phones for like 3-4 months (they're crazy addicted to the latest phones), so the phones are pretty much still in perfect condition and far cheaper.

Or if you want to go all out, wait for the W900. That looks truly impressive.

The Z800 would be a very good phone for T-Mobile in the States. For Cingular, you really need 850MHz band. Thus, the quad-band Z520 would be better, or anything tri-band that has 850. The small downsides of the Z800 vs Z520 is that's it's larger/heavier. Plus there's the price premium of buying it unlocked from an importer (not available here) vs having it subsidized by Cingular. Not that the Z800 isn't great. I was thinking of getting one. I was just turned off by the cost. I don't need to spend 350 bucks on the thing. And I've decided that I don't care enough about keeping T-Mobile, so I'll let Cingular subsidize my switch.

I've got one here, the only issue with it is that it is HUGE. Other than that it rocks.