Mucho Dinero + Tiny Phone - Radiation
Written: Dec 01 '99 (Updated Dec 01 '99)
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Pros: Size and weight are remarkable without a major sacrifice in features, Less radiation
Cons: Price, Poor User Interface (Difficult to use)
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| virk's Full Review: Motorola StarTAC ST7760 CDMA / AMPS Cellular Phone |
The fact of the matter is that the network you are on is more important than the phone you have. So if the CDMA network in your area is not good then don't even consider this phone.
If there is a quality CDMA provider in your area and your priority is form combined with reasonable function - then this phone is for you.
http://www.epinions.com/elec_Cell_Service_Plans-New_York-Bell_Atlantic
The most important part of a cell phone is still the voice quality - The StarTac scores well on that. The Motorola headset for handsfree (and radiation free) talking is a great add on. The voice quality is great and you can just put the phone in your pocket (it can be folded while talking on the earpiece if setup correctly) The reception that the phone receives depends on the network somewhat but reception differs by phone as well. The 7760 performs well on that task as well. I have had it side by side a Qualcomm handset (the people who invented CDMA) and the signal strength indicator had the same if not more bars.
The battery life is exceptional if you consider the size, with a realistic standby time being about 2 days (90 min talk time) in digital mode with the standard main battery (a slimmer one is available) This is, of course, significantly less in analog mode.
The user interface is not up to par with the rest of the phone. It is not very intuitive like a Nokia interface - but if you are just making phone calls and checking voice mail, it serves it's purpose well. The feature set is decent - not quite up to par to some of the larger phones, but hey this thing weighs in at about 4 oz ! It does have the ability to store 2 NAM ID's (Mobile Phone account numbers) and 99 Addressbook entries.
I have heard that the data capabilities are buggy, but there is a software fix for that. It can vibrate and it has most of the goodies you can get in a cell phone (apparently a web-ready StarTac is on the way)
As for the durability - it doesn't feel very solid, but it seems to be holding out very well. I don't know of anyone who has had a problem with the build quality. Again you have to sacrifice strength for weight. The pull out antenna is easily bent and annoying at times, but seems to be necessary due to the design of the phone.
Another interesting piece of info is that the StarTac was supposed to have the lowest radiation near the head. This was on a reliable ABC news report, and it makes sense because the flip makes your ear further from the antenna as opposed to the phones where the earpiece is at the base of the antennae.
http://www.abcnews.go.com/onair/2020/2020_991020cellphones.html
It took Motorola long enough to come up with a Digital StarTac, but it seems that it was worth the wait.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 200
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Epinions.com ID:
virk
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Location: Brunswick, Maine
Reviews written: 14
Trusted by: 18 members
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