question for you phone people - 900 band phone in a 850 net?

i want to get the Samsung D500 phone, which supports 900/1800/1900Mhz bands. But I have Cingular and my local band is 850Mhz.

Bottom line - will the phone work with Cingular in my area? (I've heard some people say that the 900 will work in the 850 band, and others say that it wont)

No, a 900MHz phone will not work in a 850 band. The only reason it would work is if Cingular has some sharing going on with a 900MHz provider or if AT&T had 900MHz towers in your area (but they probably took those down ny now). Bottom line - no.