I got this phone from Brandsmart USA, not from Amazon. $30 after tax for the phone with $30 rebate, plus it's only 1 year contract. Even better deal than Amazon (vs. -$130 but 2 year contract)Pros:1) Phone is solid, though feel plastic on everything.2) Reception and sound quality are nice. Speaker voice is loud and clear.3) EDGE Internet speed is faster than T-mobile's GPRS.4) Battery life, shorter than T610, but is decent.Cons:1) No unlock. Cingular does not unlock their GSM phones, no matter how you talk to them, i.e. travelling overseas. It's their policy that they do not allow other SIM card on the Cingular phones. They also use 64K sim card instead of 32K from T-Mo. In order to unlock the phone, you have to buy accessory and code from Ebay to unlock the phone, which cost $25 including shipping. I finally decide to stick to my T-mobile plan, as they had unlocked my old T-610 a few months ago for me. To get a better phone, I have to pay for upgrade though. So if you are with Cingular, GSM doesn't mean international phone; it means a GSM phone can be only used in the US with Cingular.2) No bluetooth. You have to purchase either USB or serial data cable for synchronizing and downloading MP3 ring tone, etc. This can cost you another $20-$30.3) Camera quality is fair, not good.4) Plan sucks. For $39.99 range national plan, T-mobile gives 600 anytime. I got mine with a promotion, so I pay $39.99 for 1000 any time, free night & weekend. As a new customer, you will get 450 roller minutes. Everything is more expensive with Cingular.5) Customer service. In addition to not providing unlocking, Cingular's CS closes at 9 pm, while T-mobile is 24x7. The penalty for early termination is $240 in FL, while T-Mobile is $150. MP3 ringtone costs you over $2 from Cingular, plus you have to pay the data transfer time. A Cingular CSR (I believe it's a black lady) hung up on me when I asked why they can not provide unlocking service. She said she didn't know what unlock code I am talking about. "Hold on, I will get you a manager..."6) Evil company -- Cingular. When I called Sony Ericsson customer support why the feature of time and cost (calling card feature) was removed from t610 (t616), SE told me that they got the instruction from Cingular and removed this feature not only for this z500a phone but also for later more advanced models such as K & P series. In north America, all these SE fancy phones, are customized for Cingular, though you may be able to get a few OEM unlocked ones from Canada. You know why? Because Cingular doesn't want consumers to enjoy the convenience to use calling cards and save money; they want to collecting more money from their subscribers for using their international long distance (2 cents a minutes vs. $2 a minute). As a result, Cingular subscribers used to use calling card feature with a click of a button now have to dial 30-40 digit numbers each time for an international number. EDGE and games are just other means to collect money from you. Transfer rate is 3 cents/KB. Downloading a MP3 ring tone will cost you $2.5 + 200K*3 = $8Conclusion: Within 3 days, I returned this Sony Ericsson Z500a and canceled the contract. Stay away from this evil company.