Replaced my land line
Written: Mar 20 '00 (Updated Mar 27 '00)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: durable, clear, small, many features
Cons: battery will fade without good care, Nokia accessories are not cheap
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| aleary's Full Review: Nokia 5160 Cell Phone |
I wrote an opinion on this phone pretty soon after I got it, but my views has changed a little since I've had it-some for the better some for worse. Because of my land line situation, this is my primary phone and has performed very well considering the pressures I've put on it.
SIZE: This phone is very easy to handle and keep in my pocket. Even though it isn't as small as the Startec I think that it doesn't really get in the way too much, and I would guess it would be even less noticeable for women who would leave it in a purse. I do notice it when it's in my pocket, but I really don't think much of it.
RECEPTION AND RELIABILITY: I have been happy with the reception for the most part. Even though the service plays a large part in all that, so long as I'm in an area that registers pretty good reception I have found that even through long calls the other person's voice remains clear. I also find that most people don't realize that I'm on a cell phone, so the signal it puts out is very clear as well. The reliability dropped off a little after a few months, in that I would have to dial (or choose from my address book) a number a couple of times because the call wasn't placed or the signal wasn't being held. But once the connection is made it seems to me that everything is good.
TOOLS: The Phone Book is very very simple and very accessible. Most calls are only three or four buttons away. It can hold up to 100 numbers. When a number is already in your Phone Book and that person calls you, it will just flash the name which in convenient. You can also easily add an entry when someone calls you by just putting a name to the number that comes up on caller ID. The only problem with all this convenience is that I never remember phone numbers now. The phone also keeps a 10 number call log of Missed Calls, Received Calls, and Dialed Calls which is great when you need to remember old calls. In general the organization of all the features is very very simple. There is also an automatic help function that will display the purpose of any tool if you wait a couple of seconds on any particular category.
BATTERIES: The battery that comes with the phone is a nickel battery which actually has bad battery memory. When it was new it could last about 3 days with moderate use. Battery memory basically means that you need to run the battery down to empty every time or else the battery life get worse and worse. After about 10 months of less then perfect attention to this I have found that my battery can only really last a day with moderate use. I replaced it with a vibrating lithium ion batter which cost me $50 for a generic one (the nokia one is about $100). Lithium ion doesn't have the battery memory problem and vibrates so I can know when I get a call even though it is silent. This battery lasts about 3 days with moderate use too, but it is much smaller and a lot lighter. I suggest you get one early and use the regular battery as a back up for trips and such.
SPECIAL STUFF: This phone also can receive text messages up to 150 characters long. So long as your service provides you with an email address (I know AT&T does) you can get messages from other people. The really cool thing is to get a mobile service (I use both Yahoo! and MSN's service) to get weather, news, stock quotes, sports scores, and even your horoscope at specific times everyday. There are 3 games to play when you're bored, and there are about 15 different rings tones you can have.
COMPARED TO THE OTHERS OUT THERE: The Nokia 6100 series is a lot like the 5100. The 6100's are a tad smaller, but the difference is not noticeable; it has an inferred port (but I've never seen anyone use it); it has one extra game; you can download different ring tones into the phone; you can even assign specific ring tones to specific people. In the end all this extra stuff is just fluff but can be fun. I also like the Startec, but I've seen people have durability issues with it and you cannot cradle that phone on your shoulder when you need to use your hands for other stuff (like drive).
ACCESSORIES: Nokia has a full line of stuff to use with the phone but you pay a premium for the Nokia name. The car charger is $30 while the charger/speaker phone knock-off that I found in a catalog was $60 and well worth it.
With a good service this phone is very easy to use and has rarely been a problem (except when the nickel battery starts to wane). In the end it will last and provide you with every basic feature you will need with some nice extras to play with.
From what I've noticed the price has fallen on the phone in the last few months to something belore $100, while the Nokia 6100's have remained about $170-180 or so.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
aleary
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Member: Alex Leary
Location: San Francisco, CA
Reviews written: 30
Trusted by: 11 members
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