Another award winning NOKIA piece of fine technology
Written: Dec 28 '99
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Very light, easy to use, state-of-the-art battery life
Cons: Coverage in rural areas (AT&T), small speaker
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| 401402's Full Review: Nokia 6160 Cell Phone |
My company decided to replace the older Motorola analog cell phones with regional service packages with the AT&T PCS Wireless plan, including the NOKIA 6160. The service plan they have worked out is outstandingly efficient and cost effective because we have a choice of 4 different price ranges to subscribe to (depending on online hours and coverage area). Utilizing AT&T’s nationwide wireless area I do not have to bother with roaming charges anymore and the coverage works definitively great in all major US cities. Since I am traveling in rural areas as well there are some minor downturns where a regional company may have better coverage. But I never have to drive longer than 10 minutes (NC, SC, VA) in order to get into the next coverage area.
The 6160 has been awarded several times when it was launched late 1997 (e.g. "The Year's Best Products for Your Home Office." Home Office Computing). No wonder: it is a fine piece of technology, focusing on user demands and ease of use.
The phone’s weight is less than 6 ounces with standard battery, measuring 5.2 inches in height. AT&T features lots of accessories throughout all major cell phone shops and stands, all major electronics stores sell the belt clips (great comfort and handy extra!), extra batteries, leather cases, exchangeable colored covers (Black, Earth, Ocean and Sky available), cradle, free-speak kits, power cords, connection cables and lots more.
Hit: I have never used a cell phone, and don’t know anyone who had, with that extended battery life! The standard battery lasts about 3 hours straight talk!!! But even more impressive: when charged regularly I achieve a stand-by time of 7 days and more! Impressive and very useful. The desktop cradle that was delivered with the phone (you would have to order it additionally) is small and easy to use. You just put the phone in standing and charging is very quickly (takes about 20 minutes from empty to 100% power). The free-speaker kit in my car is functional as well as I can always place the phone into the cradle and remove it without any hassle. Actually all features around the phone are very convenient. Nothing to snap or zip or attach, everything fits nicely and easy (belt clip, cradles and car kit).
Using and configuring the phone is as easy as all hardware features. Controlling the menu and navigating through all options can be done with three buttons only that are located right below the screen (backlight is not too bright but enough to read everything, it activates on any button push). The screen shows battery charge and signal strength, clock (optional) and menu functions as well as type of service offered for area you are in (Roam – but we do not pay roaming charges, AT&T network or extended area or No Service – only in very rural areas or deep inside some steel framed buildings). The right control button serves as activation key, the left one as the enter-select key and the double up-down middle button as the switch between rows on the screen. This concept does never change, whatever you do on the screen. Extremely functional and intuitive!!!
Following all features and menu commands with lower hierarchies and some comments out of my experience (in brackets):
Phone book: Holds up to 199 names with numbers, as you enter longer names font size decreases automatically (I’d wish some more digits for the names as I’d like to have some names private or connected to a company or both)
4 Games: Memory, Logic, Snake, Dice, pretty easy to use (no fun for me, I just don’t like this stuff)
Calculator: Easy to use, non-scientifically, pretty slow to handle compared with a regular pocket calculator (useful if you don’t have a second choice of calculating, otherwise I’d prefer the pocket calculator or Palm)
Clock, Calendar: here again – better Palm or pocket agenda, but nice if you don’t have anything else handy, appointments give alarm, clock is displayed in every screen (optional)
Pager function: you would have to talk to your provider because the 6160 can be used as a pager, on top of that: e-mail (text messages) available, you just use your phone number and the AT&T network in the e-mail address (NICE! I have used it for several occasions when I knew I would be in a conference all day)
Voice messages: AT&T network voicebox, very easy to use, always available, nice voices, you can use your own greetings and setup a lot of functions there. Great: Whenever you receive a text or voice message off-line: next time when you switch on or reach a coverage area the messages will be listed with an alarm sound and there is only one button to hit to reach the message. Also the phone will alert you if you missed a call by displaying the number that called in while being off-line.
Additional features: Caller ID, cordless extension to desk phone, lists of dialed, missed, received calls (very nice!), keypad lock, one-touch credit card dialing, special number dialing (talk to your provider about special services and 800-numbers to be activated with your service), etc.
Some menu functions:
Message menu for voice mail and text messages; Call log (lists mentioned above, very nice feature!), different profiles for meeting, outdoors, car, normal and other situations (you can configure loudness, types and repeat setup of rings etc.); Settings for automatic re-dial, security features, emergency speed dial, etc..
Exchanging the battery is easy too, speaker is a bit tiny but pretty clear. When I talk to someone with good digital coverage and strength they really do not recognize that I am talking on a cell phone. In weaker coverage and strength areas though, the digital signal hacks the voice pretty disturbing but I guess they are working on extending their network anyway.
Overall I am extremely pleased with this phone, especially because of the nationwide coverage for a very reasonable price (no roaming) per month and use.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
401402
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