Great phone. (Compared with Mot. StarTac 7868W)
Written: Jun 06 '01 (Updated Jun 12 '01)
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Pros: Excellent reception/broadcast. Very small, tri-mode, exterior LCD, SMS, vibrate+ring.
Cons: Horrible user manual and insulting manufacturer support.
The Bottom Line: In short, I love the TM510. I have been using it for a month now.
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| stephenu's Full Review: LG-TM510 Cell Phone |
I did it! I let my desire for toys and gadgets overcome my intentions to be conservative
and enjoy the awesome StarTac 7868W. But it paid off.
I’m in NY/NJ using Verizon Wireless. According to all my research so far, Verizon is the best you can do in the Tristate area. They are using triple band technology now. CDMA 800, 1900 (1.9 GHz PCS) and Analog. The quality of reception on this phone is unbelievable. When I started using my StarTac phone (also utilizes the three bands) people had no clue I was using a cell phone. This new LG TM510 is pretty much the same and fixes many shortcomings of the StarTac. The greatest shortcomings of the StarTac that I know of are: flimsy antenna, the phone not being so durable, and having to open the phone to see who is calling can be a pain. These are non existent with the 510. The antenna is solid and can be easily replaced if necessary (you need a special tool for the StarTac). The phone is very durable (a friend of mine dropped his on cement many times, it is still working fine) and it has a second screen on the outside casing to see who is calling, phone reception, type of message and date/time. Most importantly, the reception and sound quality are much better. Using the mouth piece on the phone can be a little tinny though. When I use my Plantronics headset, no one knows I am on a cell phone. However, it is very comfortable to talk into (unlike every other cell phone I have tried.
Then it has all the cool features, it’s own auto answer and it’s answering machine,
more than twice the memory capacity (199 names with 4 numbers and 1 e-mail to each), it is easier to navigate through menus and has voice activation capability. (Don’t rely on the manual to help you set that feature up. It’s not there. Each listing in the phone book has a voice option to set up and it is hidden at the very bottom of the setup options window. Initially it is off the screen and to have to scroll down to see it.)You can record phone conversations and create voice memos.
Cons: in comparison are the volume doesn’t get quite as loud as the StarTac. But the LG510 is loud enough. I hear the other caller fine even when on the train. The vibrator isn’t quite as strong as the StarTac’s either. The TM510 isn’t bad in those departments, just not as good. I just appreciated how the StarTac can almost be used as a speaker phone and that it’s vibration can wake up the dead.
Another con is the customer support. I called the LG corp. to inquire about Syncing my phone book with my PC’s Outlook contact list. The StarTac does that well and I couldn’t find the software for the LG TM510. They answered very quickly, but the woman on the phone abruptly answered there is no synchronization for that phone. I told her it clearly says the phone is capable of that feature and repeated that I was talking about the TM510. She then said the synchronization software is not available for it yet. (That is a whole different story). I asked when it might become available. She said early next year. I then asked how I can keep informed of this software. She replied, check the website and hung up the phone. Just a warning. This is an awesome phone, but the support is nothing short of insulting.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 65
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Epinions.com ID:
stephenu
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Location: Edison, NJ, USA
Reviews written: 3
Trusted by: 2 members
About Me:
Born and raised in Brooklyn NY.
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