New phone for Cingular

Cingular Wireless has begun marketing a new smartphone model based on Microsoft’s latest operating system for cellphones, Windows Mobile 5.0. Cingular says the 2125 handset will retail for USD199 and will be the first in the US to use the Microsoft software with a traditional cellphone keypad rather than a full computer-style layout. The new handset is being aimed at both business and private users. Microsoft is expected to release a software upgrade later in the year which will allow the handset to send and receive e-mail via its Outlook program. Cingular is the largest cellular operator in the US, with 52.3 million subscribers at the end of September.