Opinion from someone in the cellular industry
Written: Jan 15 '02
|
Product Rating:
|
|
| Durability: |
 |
|
| Clarity: |
 |
|
| Portability: |
|
|
| Battery Life: |
|
|
|
Pros: Size, quality of construction, appearance, durability
Cons: Features, user friendliness
The Bottom Line: I work in this business, and I have myself, my parents, my sister, and my grandmother in the 7868
|
|
|
| jonwes's Full Review: Motorola StarTAC ST7868W Cell Phone |
I should start this review by introducing myself. My name is Jon and I am a corporate sales representative for Verizon Wireless. Does this make me an expert? Not necessarily. Does it add some credibility to my review? I'd like to think so :).
I carry two phones with me that have unlimited minutes (corporate phones). The StarTac 7868 is one of them, by choice. I use it to make all of my outbound calls throughout the month, totalling five to seven thousand minutes a month. Heavy usage by any standard.
Motorola products have always carried with them a tradition of high quality and reliability, along with durability. The old 550 flip phones were almost indestructible. The StarTac isn't quite like that, but it holds up well against most normal wear. I've used a wide variety of cell phones over the last five years, and I'd have to say that the StarTac holds up very well against any of them. The signal strength is as good or better than the best phones I've used. The durability is above average. The one area I'd like to see Motorola put more emphasis on is the user friendliness factor. While other manufacturers make it extremely easy to navigate the phone, the 7868 feels a little antiquated. I know the phone like the back of my hand, but a new user might take some time getting adjusted to storing numbers and accessing certain features. Once a person learns the phone, it's tought to give it up.
The ergonomics of the 7868 are great, simply put. It fits the head well and allows just the right amount of space between the ear speaker and the mic. Good design, Motorola. The phone is stylish, and despite it's unusually long life in the marketplace thusfar, it remains a top notch piece of equipment. Insider's tip - I'd avoid the Motorola V120C and the V60C. Attractive phones, but reliability has been poor. Perhaps next year's model will perform better. At least, that's been my experience selling those models.
The StarTac has all of the basics - vibration, 100 memory locations w/4 contact numbers for each, different ringer styles, and good battery life. Unless you're in need of something more advanced, the 7868 should serve you well!
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 0.00
|
|
|
|
Epinions.com ID:
jonwes
|
 - Top 1000 |
|
Location: Los Angeles, California
Reviews written: 55
Trusted by: 20 members
About Me:
"Despite the fact that everyone has them, our opinions are what differentiate us"
|
|
|
- Add to My Yahoo!: 
- Add to Google Homepage: 
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.