Think Twice Before Buying the T68
Written: Nov 03 '02
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Pros: Small form factor, Color Screen, Integrated Bluetooth
Cons: Locking/Unlocking the phone is a pain, screen is hard to read, poor reception
The Bottom Line: The only thing going for it is the color screen; the poor reception and the crappy user experience should force you to think twice before buying.
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| MediaLabGuy's Full Review: Sony Ericsson T68 |
Sony Ericcson's T68 cell phone leaves much to be desired; the user experience needs work and the color screen is hard to read. Here are some thoughts:
RECEPTION
Hands down, the worst reception of any phone I've ever had. This is due partly to Cingular Wireless's poor coverage in the SF Bay area in California. However, in a rather unscientific test, I compared the reception to two other cell phones: the Nokia 8290 and the Motorola V60g. Both the 8290 and the V60g had 3 out of 5 bars of reception in one area, and the T68 was continuously moving in and out of coverage (0-1 bars). There were also times when the T68 would terminate a call when driving down the 101 freeway in San Francisco; when I used the V60g, I did NOT have the same problems.
BATTERY LIFE
The battery life is reasonable (I get about 3-4 hours of talk time on it, but I still have to charge it every night). The phone comes with one li-polymer batter which charges quickly.
USER EXPERIENCE
I really really hate the navigation joystick they put on the phone. It's really small, way too sensitive, and makes navigating the menu on the phone really difficult.
One additional gripe: you have to lock the phone or else you risk making random phone calls. I forgot to lock the phone a couple of times, and wound up using up all of my monthly minutes because I had made accidental phone calls while that device was in my pocket. Of course, I prefer flip phones like the Motorola V60 any day that doesn't have that issue.
COLOR
Yes, it has a color screen. But it's a hideously ugly LCD screen (not reflective) and in bright sunlight, it's hard to read and see what you're typing into it. Until they start using transflective color LCDs like what is on my iPaq or Sony CLIE, I'll stick with a normal B&W LCD screen any day.
BLUETOOTH & GPRS
This is the one feature that rocks! I can connect my bluetooth-enabled iPaq and use the hi-speed GPRS data connection to browse the web and send e-mail, without having to plug anything in. It's a fun feature, but any gadget supporting bluetooth today is still pricey and it's not something that will catch on soon until the price falls.
Recommended:
No
Amount Paid (US$): 200
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Epinions.com ID:
MediaLabGuy
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Member: Wesley Chan
Location: Cambridge, MA
Reviews written: 48
Trusted by: 29 members
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