One TOUGH Cookie
Written: Oct 04 '02 (Updated Oct 04 '02)
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Pros: Battery life, reception, perfect size (for me, at least), & rubberized coating for easy grip
Cons: Menu system can be improved
The Bottom Line: The DuraMax is a very dependable phone that serves its purpose and then some.
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| isong's Full Review: Panasonic DuraMax EB-TX220 |
I've owned quite a few cell phones in my life. Just to give you an idea, I've owned a Motorola, Pioneer, Mitsubishi, Nokia, Ericsson, Samsung, Sony, and even an Audiovox cell phone. I picked up the Panasonic DuraMax because one of my friends had good luck with it. He said that the battery life was really good.
BATTERY:
Well, after about a year's worth of use, I'd have to agree with him. This phone is, by far, the best in terms of battery life. On a full charge, I'm good to go for about 5-7 days (that's including talking about 20 to 30 minutes a day). Recharging takes about 2 to 3 hours with the supplied travel charger.
TOUGH!
I wondered why they named it the DuraMax... I've dropped this phone from a balcony, slammed the car door on it, dropped a suitcase on it, stepped on it, and even dropped it in a puddle (don't try this at home). The phone still works. Amazing. Surprisingly, my phone still looks pretty new.
RECEPTION:
The DuraMax's antenna is externally fixed, so it gets pretty good reception. I also have service through AT&T Wireless, which has a lot to do with it in the Portland-metro area. Some people in my office complain about not getting good reception, but I'm able to get 4 or even 5 full bars on a regular basis. People on the other end of my phone conversations usually can't tell whether I'm using a cell phone or a home phone.
SPECS & INFO:
For exact specifications, please visit:
http://www.panasonic.com/PCSC/PTSC/duramax.htm
ADDRESS BOOK:
There's a pretty comprehensive addressbook feature on this phone. It's capable of storing 100 entries with 4 numbers in each entry. For example, you can store Dave Jone's home phone number, work phone number, mobile phone number, and his email address. You can also program 9 quick-dial numbers and assign them a number from 1 to 9. So, if you wanted to program Dave to be number 1, this will allow you to pull up his addressbook entry by pressing (holding down) the number 1 button. If you continue to hold the button, it will automatically call him.
RING TONES:
Although this phone has a lot of ring tones, it is not capable downloading them off the Internet. There are 20 set ring tones in all. There is also a built-in vibrating mode which comes in very handy when you don't want to disturb others.
SMS:
The DuraMax is capable of sending and receiving short messages. You can send messages to other AT&T mobile subscribers or you can send messages to other email addresses. The DuraMax is equipped with the T9 predictive text input function, but I don't use it because it's very annoying.
DUAL BACKLIT DISPLAY:
A cool feature, indeed. The other Panasonic phones now have more than 4 or 5 backlight colors. This one only has two: green and orange (amber). If you have it set to green, the phone will start flashing orange when you receive a call, and vice-versa if you have the display set to orange.
BUILT-IN SPEAKERPHONE:
Another nice feature of this phone is the built-in speakerphone. To activate it, you need to press and hold down the '#' button until you hear the volume of your call increase. To set it back to normal mode, you do the same.
A DISLIKE:
I love everything about this phone except the quirky menu system. I can live with it and it's not really that big of a problem but... For example, when you want to set up 3 alarms, you can press 5-2-2 to get to the alarm setting menu. Once you set one alarm time, it kicks you out to the main screen. You then have to go back to the alarm menu again. It's pretty frustrating when you have to turn off the alarms, as you'll have to navigate into the alarm menu three separate times in order to turn them all off.
Another fault with this phone is that you cannot use the provided handsfree kit if you're charging the phone (or you can't charge the phone if you're using the handsfree kit). This is because both the handsfree kit and the charge adapter share the same slot located on the bottom of the phone. Not a huge problem, but for someone who's on the run and can't afford to wait for one or the other will be very frustrated.
SUMMARY:
Overall, the Panasonic DuraMax is, by far, the best cellular phone I've ever owned. It's perfect for the regular cell phone user who is bothered by the fact that they have to constantly charge it every night or for the people that tend to be a little more 'rough' with their phones than usual. The size is perfect for me, as it feels very comfortable in my hands. The display is clear and large enough for me to be able to read incoming messages without having to squint my eyes. If you can pick this phone up for under $100, it's definitely worth the money.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 99
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Epinions.com ID:
isong
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Member: Ingi
Location: Beaverton, Oregon
Reviews written: 58
Trusted by: 178 members
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