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Throw me a bone, Cingular

Cingular's Samsung Sync isn't immediately usable with the carrier's new music service.

Kent German Former senior managing editor / features
Kent was a senior managing editor at CNET News. A veteran of CNET since 2003, he reviewed the first iPhone and worked in both the London and San Francisco offices. When not working, he's planning his next vacation, walking his dog or watching planes land at the airport (yes, really).
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Kent German
CNET Networks

After telling you about Cingular Music two weeks ago, I was very excited to try it out. So when the new Samsung Sync (a.k.a. the SGH-A707) showed up in my mailbox, I jumped at the chance to give the service a thorough shakedown. But after pulling the phone from its wrapping, I noticed there wasn't a USB cable in the box. Considering the cable is necessary to use Cingular Music (wireless downloads aren't a possibility yet), and that the Sync is the launch handset for the service, I thought it might be a mistake. Yet a quick look at the user's manual told me that both the USB cable and a MicroSD card (also a requirement for the music service) are sold separately.

Uh, what? That's just cheap, in my opinion, let alone being not user-friendly. Cingular could give us at least one of those items when we purchase the Sync, even if they charged a few dollars more. And because the Sync uses a non-standard USB connection, the cable may not be available at your average Radio Shack. So while I'm still eager to try Cingular Music, my excitement has waned just a bit.