Award of excellence!
Written: Oct 22 '00 (Updated Oct 22 '00)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Superb audio quality, powerful RF performance
Cons: Not much to offer compared to today's GSM phones
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| zzami's Full Review: Sony Ericsson EH-238 Cell Phone |
The EH 238 is the follow up to the ultra-successful EH 237 phone. Though I had never owned this model (I had the 237 instead), I had the golden opportunity to try out my friend's EH 238 mobile phone for about a month. Now the analog ETACS cellular system is getting less popular nowadays with users migrating to the secure and feature-rich digital GSM standard. But if you're in the market of a second hand ETACS phone, read on....
Introduction:
The 238 comes in an all-black housing with a tough, yet light magnesium frame. In all aspects it is identical to the 237 except for the black anodized magnesium frame, the black phone cover and of course, for the first time in the history of mobile phones, melodies as a ringing sound! (I hope I'm not wrong about that, but in 1995, the 238 was the first phone I knew that played tunes).
Features:
- Talk Time and Standby times are 2 1/2 hrs and 30 hrs respectively (a small improvement over the 237 it replaced)
- Tough anodized magnesium frame (Ericsson is proud of this!)
- 199 entry phone book
- Green back-lit LCD display
- Battery discharge function
- Ability to measure battery level in volts (not a very good way of predicting standby or talk time)
Performance:
Call quality is simply astounding. Even in weak areas of reception it still refused to drop the call. True, you might get hisses with poor signals and you have to shout to make yourself heard (that's the bane of all analog cellular systems) but the 238 latches to the call like super glue!
Thanks to the Bang & Olufsen ear piece speaker, received speech is superb even in noisy surroundings. In strong signal areas you shouldn't have problems with transmission and reception quality. This phone is indeed a gem. Battery consumption is a concern here for a few reasons. First, the 238 rides on the old 6-volt technology. Secondly, its electronics don't have power saving features like current phones. Thirdly, you're looking at the older NiMH battery technology which can't pack as much power as today's Lithium Ion cells. Expect 23 hours or less standby time with this phone.
Handling:
Lightweight, around 180 g or so with the supplied battery. Although you can't compare this with today's generation of ultra-thin phones like the T28s (which I use now), the 238 is still feather-light compared to, say the old Nokia 101 or the Motorola MicroTAC series. The buttons are clear plastic (unlike rubber with the 237) and will last quite a long time.
User Interface:
Somewhat poor. Remember that the 238 was rolled out before its GSM version, the GH 337 was designed. There are no dedicated "<-" "->" arrow buttons (like the GSM Ericsson models) to navigate around the menu. To find a particular setting you need to press the * and the # keys which double as the 'up' and 'down' menu keys. To access the menu, you had to press the 'M' button. If you are used to the GH 3xx/6xx series you will find this phone's menu system quite confusing. Store and Recall is effected by the "R/S" button. It takes some time getting used to this system. For first time users you're more likely to stare at the phone for a full minute, figuring what to do next!
Durability:
As with all Ericsson "Jane" series phones with the magnesium frame without a flip, this is one heck of a tough cookie. I'm not saying that the 238 likes rough use but it's still sturdier than the microlight phones of today. This phone should last five years at least, given proper care and servicing.
Secret Codes:
OK, if you're the kind of gadget freak like I am, you'd probably have researched into finding secret menus of phones. Here is a relatively unknown code:
While pressing 'M', key in the numbers 923885. If all goes well (and I'm not wrong with the sequence!), you should be able to see the ESN and MSIN numbers. The NAM (Number Assignment Module) settings can be altered and saved here. This is as far as I can describe without having the 238 in front of me. This code sequence works for the older 237 as well.
In Short:
The 238 may have been discontinued so look for it in the second hand market or auctions. GSM coverage areas are now at par with ETACS (like in the U.K. and Malaysia) therefore there's not much point in wanting an ETACS phone like the 238. Security should be a concern too, because the ETACS system doesn't use encryption to prevent your conversations from being eavesdropped. Still, if you're looking for an ETACS phone, the Ericsson 238 is probably the best ETACS 900 MHz phone you can buy today.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
zzami
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Member: StratMan-II
Location: Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Reviews written: 8
Trusted by: 0 members
About Me:
Self-confessed gadget fan and amateur musician.
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