Ericcson - still connecting people well
Written: Mar 06 '01
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Pros: good phone, good reception, customisable and an abundance of accessories
Cons: stiff keys, mic and ear volume low, picks up much ambient noise
The Bottom Line: I would highly recommend this phone, it is not the nicest thing in the world, but the features available really back it up in the ranks. Accessories are cheaper too
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| mcmiral's Full Review: Sony Ericsson CA-638 Cell Phone |
I was looking for a cel phone, nothing special, nothing too loaded with energy robbing features, nothing too big, nothing to small.........Something that was JUST RIGHT.
I walked into my place of employ armed with $100 well earned bucks, liiking to walk away with a good deal. Some of the phones I saw there were big and bulky, some of them were so small (and expensive) that I would lose them right away, some of them were just out of my price range...I was looking at the complete selection, Mitsubishi, Ericcson, Samsung, Motorola, Qualcomm, etc..etc... The only one that seemed to really turn me on at the time was the Mitsubishi. So to make a long story short, I walked up to the till and grabbed the mitsubishi. Just then, the manager walked up to me and said he had a better deal for me, he walked to the lockup and pulled out this phone, the Ericcson CA638......he said we just discontinued them, and that since it doesn't come with a prepaid card, then he would give it to me for $5 CAD.......Hell this was a deal I just couldn't pass up......so I snapped it up without even giving it a thought. So, to make a long story short, I left the store with $95 on hand, and a new phone ready to become active when I got home. (Please feel free to call me biased for my decision) :)
I got home, looked at all the documentation (which was very easy to read and follow), plugged everything in and went away on my first 24 hour charge.
Visibly, the phone itself is a little on the ugly side, but that can be changed, faceplates are available everywhere for the unit still. Its still a lot smaller than the Nokia 918 I had eons ago, and the bonus about this one is that it is nice and light, compared to the 918 which you would have to wear a belt(or really tight fitting pants) to prevent your pants from falling down under the weight.
Activation of the phone was a breeze, after the 24 hours, I called up Fido and gave them all the required numbers to get this bad boy going. They gave me a new phone number, and they said, okay, your unit will be available in 30 mins.
Impatiently, I waited the 30 mins, and low and behold, I had a beast waiting to be unleashed. I just couldn't wait to get going and start making calls (you know that first time kick you get out of a phone one just itches to start using it after they buy it).
I was really happy with the reception on the unit, like I said, I have owned many analog phones before, and nothing is quite like PCS (this is my very first, and still working PCS phone) everything was so crystal clear, only thing that worried me was that the ear volume was a little iffy, and that when I call and try to find out how much airtime I have left, that the buttons I needed to press just happened to be the ones that were stiff.
I was stating in the "cons" section above that the mic volume is low too........I was actually referring not to the mic on the phone itself, but to the one on my car speaker phone. I purchased the unit (not an original ericcson one though) because the phone itself is not the kind that you can easily balance on your shoulder while driving (I wouldn't recommend using the phone while driving but just in case)......I always found myself having to hold the phone with one hand and pressing buttons....it was just taking away my concentration for the road, so I got the speakerphone. I forgot the name (it was a $80 no name special) basically it was the unit that plugs into your phone, then the speaker plugs into the cigarette lighter, and the mic plugs into the speaker unit.....SOUND FAMILIAR? I was just looking for something cheap, that would at least work (please forgive me father for I have sinned) so that is my gripe with the mic. Sure there are other units available that jack right into your car audio system, but I figured I was lazy that day, and that I have already wired up so many things in my car, that there was not enough room for more wires.
Feature wise, this phone has it all........except its not web enabled, but hey, thats what I have my desktop computer for, so I figure that I am not losing out on anything. You get voice mail, you get call forwarding, multi lines, text messaging, different ringtones with the capability of making your own...just to name a few (its just packed)
The major thing that I love about the phone is that the accessories are a lot cheaper for this phone. Now saying that, I gotta run to the store to get a desk charger and a battery :)
I hope this review helped a little.
Have fun with your phone
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 5
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Epinions.com ID:
mcmiral
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Reviews written: 21
Trusted by: 1 member
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