No real substance, just stylish.
Written: Aug 28 '00
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Pros: Size, Weight, Dual Mode, Ergonomically Designed BEST for Lowest Radiation of all phones on market
Cons: Outdated Technology. 800MHz is too old.
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| badhmash's Full Review: Motorola StarTAC ST7760 CDMA / AMPS Cellular Phone |
When the startac first came out, it was probably the best and most desirable "gadget" that a person could have. In its debut, Motorola actually charged $1600 US Dollars for this phone!! That was only 4 years ago!
Since then, the phone has been as cheap as "Free" when purchased with a plan from several companies across North America. Generally speaking, you can find this phone for about $150 USD nowadays.
I have owned the 7760 for about 2 years and I just recently sold it in place of the more advanced Samsung SCH-8500. My reasons for the change are listed in this review.
Let's start off with the features. This phone is probably one of the best looking cell phones out there, even though almost every tom dick and harry owns one now. Specifically, the 7760 is a CDMA based dual band phone with 800MHz Digital CDMA / 800MHz Analog AMPS capabilities. The digital features can therefore only be used with a provider that offers 800MHz Digital service, a trend that is slowly disappearing in the US. However, unlike phones that are built for many 1900MHz providers, the 7760 CAN be used with other systems because it is NOT digitally encoded to work on one specific network like Sprint phones do.
The phone has 4 lines of text, a good phone book, 9 distinct ringer styles, a vibrating alert, SMS text messaging support, caller ID, call timers and an extended battery that lasts for a good 150 hours of standby time and about 2-3 hours of talk. It comes with a holster and a rapid charger that can remain plugged into the phone. This is a great feature because you can actually leave the phone plugged in all the time so you can receive calls, and because it has a Lithium Ion battery, you can remove the plug and use it when you go out without battery drain.
It can also plug into the popular Clip-on Organizer from Motorola. This is an immensely useful gadget that allows you to synchronize with your PC and add appointments (with alarms) and To Do Lists, Memos and a contacts list that synchronizes flawlessly with Outlook 2000 or other programs like ACT. It replaces the need for a bulky palm V or similar device.
The Startac design was also listed as the safest in terms of radiation to the brain of 5 major phones on the market because of the way the antenna points away from the head. This study was conducted in Sweden and reported by 20/20 on ABC last year.
Unfortunately, the startac is becoming too common and the novelty is wearing off. It is also true that this phone, and the models after it, surprisingly, have very few frills other than the size and stylish look.
That is why I sold mine in favor of the incredible SCH-8500.
If you really want to get a startac phone that works on more than one service provider, and has dual mode capability and works on the CDMA standard (better than TDMA/FDMA), then get this phone. Otherwise, use the money and save a little more towards the purchase of some of the newer competitive models out there.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 160
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Epinions.com ID:
badhmash
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Reviews written: 30
Trusted by: 12 members
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