So THAT is what I have been doing wrong, Q.
Written: Sep 14 '00
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Strong, small, lightweight and versatile.
Cons: Little pricey, would like a bigger display
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| cdwilli1's Full Review: Motorola StarTAC ST7868W Cell Phone |
After much horror with Sprint Wireless Internet and Cellular service, I moved over to Verizon (GTE) for essentially the same services. There is only one phone that they will supply with the Verizon service and that is the Motorola StarTAC 7868W.
This is my second StarTAC phone, the first was its older Analog sibling that I really liked, so I was looking forward to having a StarTAC again. It has been great so far.
The StarTAC is a perfectly sized phone - styled much like a clamshell; when open the top half of the clam holds the display and is held against the ear, the lower half has the dialing pad and you talk in to this as the microphone is mounted here (sorry if this sounds a bit like "Q" explaining the use of the BMW phone to James Bond in the scene where Bond replies “So that is what I have been doing wrong”). When the clamshell is closed, the phone will almost disappear in the palm of the hand. The phone weighs very little even with the larger Li-Ion battery.
To sum up peoples unsolicited opinions on this device: “Now that is one small phone - wow”. Good summary.
The phone is STRONG. I was walking one day with the phone in my hand and I tripped - I put my hand out to save myself and smashed the phone on to the concrete with my full weight behind it. I was amazed that the phone was not reduced to little pieces of plastic, but all it had was an abrasion as a result of the fall (and so did I for that matter). It is amazingly strong for such a little thing.
The phone comes with a single long-life Li-Ion battery, a belt holster and a single charger. The belt holster is really geeky - I recommend a leather carrying case for convenience and protection; also recommended is an additional charger for those of us who travel; just leave it in your suitcase for when you need it, it does not cost much. The phone arrives fully charged and ready to go – and it recharges quite quickly in my experience.
Sound quality is pretty good; this is a digital phone and sometimes it does sound a little like a penguin talking underwater, but that it quite rare and not the fault of the phone itself. Since the antenna retracts, it is worth pulling it out when the signal strength it low as it adds about one more “block” (scale of signal strength) to the signal meter.
To answer the phone when it is ringing, just open the clamshell and say “hello”; hanging up is as simple as closing the clamshell. You can use SEND and END, but the clamshell works in a more intuitive way to be honest.
Many phone features are programmable; you can change the ring type (not many choices like the Nokia, but enough), the duration of the backlight, the key volume, the ring volume, the screen Greeting, etc. The phone book has some 99 entries for programming commonly dialed numbers. Sometimes I find the menu a bit difficult to navigate and setting up the phone book is overly obscure – I do think Motorola could have done a better job in these areas.
The display is very bright and contrasty – no issues with seeing this in daylight. Battery life is excellent – I have yet to take it to zero even when roaming in analog territory.
On the internet side, the display is a little small compared with, say, the Sprint Touchpoint, but it is adequate. There are two sets of web controls – 3 buttons on the side of the phone or 3 keys on the dialpad; they all do the same thing, but it can be comfortable to move between them for some operations. Of the side buttons, the center is a kind of mouse click, the top and bottom buttons navigate up and down on the display respectively. The CLR button on the keypad is the same as BACK on the browser – simple enough.
Since Verizon has a dedicated web area that you can program for your personal phone, the web connection is very useful and the phone helps you navigate it quickly. Verizon web and the 7868 are a pretty good combo in fact.
The Motorola 7868 cost about $200 with activation – not a cheap phone, but given its quality and reliability it is very good value. My guess is this phone will outlast all my older phones, except my analog StarTAC which is still going strong in my young ladies hands.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
cdwilli1
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Location: San Diego, California
Reviews written: 55
Trusted by: 26 members
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