The 8525 finally received its Windows Mobile 6 upgrade back on Halloween -- but it feels a little ironic using the word “finally” there given how long BlackJack users had to wait. Well, it turns out that HTC and AT&T had originally intended on taking the download away on February 1st. This would have created a karmic response from the universe, one assumes, so as Bla1ze reports in the forums they've taken a step away from that ledge. You'll have at least through this coming Halloween to get your download on now -- which is likely good news for corporate users who a) Can't get their bosses to buy them an AT&T Tilt and b) Can't get their tech support team to approve the update in a reasonable amount of time.

HTC: Support: AT&T 8525 Software Downloads

Thanks Bla1ze!

This is good news: HTC and AT&T have finally released the Windows Mobile 6 ROM update for the 8525. You'll get AT&T branding instead of Cingular, of course, but what you'll really get is Windows Mobile 6 and a bunch of extras:

• Push to Talk
• AT&T's internet links (video, music, etc)
• Correctly shows E vs 3G depending on your connection
• Use X to close apps (huzzah!)
• Did I mention Windows Mobile 6?

I'd like to say that this bodes well for the Blackjack WM6 upgrade and also for the Treo 750 WM6 upgrade. I like to say that, but I won't. Instead I'll just write it on my bathroom mirror; write it backwards ....in blood.

It's Halloween, you know, and I hear tricks like that can summon mysterious entities that may or may not even exist. At this point, that's pretty much how I feel about these promised updates to Windows Mobile 6.

Read: HTC: Support: AT&T 8525 Software Downloads. Thanks to Roger for the tip!

Well Well, check out this little tibit from the TreoCentral Forums:

A mention today in the 750 forum makes the third instance I have heard that the ATT WM6 upgrades are being held up by the delays of GMM 5.0. Sources say that the ROM has been ready for weeks now (as witnessed by the dozens of successful upgrades with the "leaked" ATT ROM at places like XDA). However, since the GetGood functionality is part of ATT's base ROM, and since GMM 4.x versions are supposedly incompatible with WM6, the whole shooting match is waiting on GMM 5.0 to be complete.

Read: GMM 5.0 Holding Up WM6 Upgrades for ATT Devices - TreoCentral.com

Nice sleuthing there, WDW. Good Messaging, if you didn't know, is a great little push email alternative to Exchange and Blackberry for Windows Mobile (and PalmOS), which was acquired by Motorola. This whole theory should be taken with a grain of salt, though, as GoodGuy mentions that it gives "Good way too much credit for holding WM6 up." I'd tend to agree with GoodGuy, but something's holding things up, and I'm losing faith in my belief that it's because AT&T wants to drop WM6 for the Blackjack, 8525, and Treo 750 all at the same time. The ROM's for all three devices are, I believe, ready.

Windows Mobile 6 for the 8525! and not just any ROM, mind you, but it looks to be the really real ROM that AT&T will be giving to us.. soon. That's good news to me, because it means that a slightly more stable ROM than the leaked Blackjack WM6 ROM should also come in tow - hopefully with that cool video share functionality. What's most amusing to me about this imminent release is that we just saw a ROM update for the 8525 just a month and a half ago.

You could go searching for the leaked ROM for your 8525, but in my opinion, if you've waited this long, you may as well wait just a little bit longer. If the rumor mill is right, that "little bit longer" should be less than a week or two. If you don't have an 8525 and don't have the wherewithal to wait for the Kaiser, there was a recent price drop that might help you open your wallet.

Just like the T-Mobile Dash Windows Mobile 6 Upgrade was leaked about a week before the real release, AT&T's 8525 update has just been dumped onto the internet as well. What does this mean to you? Two things.

Read: Software: Official AT&T 8525 Windows Mobile 6 ROM Leaked - Gizmodo

..Must...Not...Refer...to...Jesus...Phone.....Sigh, have to do it.

Here's the deal - a $150 price drop on the powerhouse AT&T 8525 (someday it will even get that promised WM6 upgrade) would and should be news on its own. But Infoworld is pretty sure that the price drop is iPhone-release-related. As in - the 8525 is cheaper, easier to type on, and better for actual business use than the iPhone. Or maybe as in - "Oh, we're out of iPhones, but check out this smartphone, the 8525. It has a full keyboard." The latter thought doesn't make me proud, but it's certainly possible.

Or maybe the price drop has nothing to do at all with the iPhone release. Maybe, just maybe, AT&T is clearing inventory to make way for the HTC Kaiser. That thought does make me proud - proud to be an HTC fanboy.

AT&T has not set an end date for the 8525's $299 promotional pricing, but it will end.

The 8525's killer feature will be its Windows Mobile 6 upgrade, which AT&T promises for the third quarter of this year. Expect it to be downloadable, but not necessarily free.

Read: Enterprise Mac | InfoWorld | AT&T positions new 8525 Pocket PC, promo price $299, as key iPhone alternative | June 26, 2007 10:14 PM | By Tom Yager

Update: this press release completes the story, the 8525 is no longer the "Cingular 8525" but the "AT&T 8525 Pocket PC." The rebranded version already has the ROM update mentioned below pre-installed. Now we just have to wait for WM6 for it. Sadly, I'm betting it won't come anytime before the already-feel-like-an-eternal-wait update for the Blackjack. In other words, I'm betting on the fall.

Over at HTC's support page for the Cingular/AT&T 8525 you'll find a ROM update for your slider. It adds Push-to-Talk, support for Cingy's video service, and a bit more. Seems odd that they're even bothering given the fact that they've also promised a Windows Mobile 6 update sometime in the near future. Oh well, the folks over at HTC had to have put some work into the update, you may as well reward them by installing it.

Remember: ROM updates wipe everything you have on the phone. They also, if done haphazardly, can brick it. Proceed with deliberation and caution, as always.

Read: HTC: Support: AT&T 8525 Software Downloads (thanks to BGR for the tip)

Infosync sure is prolific in their phone reviews. The latest - a quick little competition between the Cingular 8525 and the Samsung IP-830w. For me, it's basically apples and oranges, the 8525 is a horizontal slider on HSDPA and the IP-830w is a vertical slider on EVDO - I always prefer to choose my network before I choose my device. But if you're not that sort, you might enjoy reading this little fight.

In the red corner: the Wi-Fi- and HSDPA-enabled 8525. In the blue corner: the dual-mode CDMA/GSM IP-830w. Which of these slider smartphones is still standing when the dust settles?

Read: Smartphone slider duel: Cingular 8525 vs. Samsung IP-830w - infoSync World

MobileTechReview has a fine review of the Cingular 8525 (aka the HTC TyTN). The device is basically an upgrade from the 8125, but it's an upgrade all around:

The faster processor, HSDPA 3G radio, better camera and Bluetooth 2.0 make it a worthy sucessor to the Cingular 8125 and company, though only you can decide if the price difference is worth it.

Cingular 8525 and HTC TyTN - Windows Mobile PDA Phone and Smartphone Reviews by Mobile Tech Review