If you want an ear heater, this is the phone for you!
Written: Jan 27 '00 (Updated May 04 '00)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: compact, light-weight, vibe option
Cons: flimsy flip-cover, heats up too quickly
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| wantico's Full Review: Sony Ericsson KF-788 Cell Phone |
I had originally purchased an Ericsson 788 two months ago...I've since switched to a Motorola Startac 7797.
The Good:
~small size
~quick charging time (1 hr)
~very clear signal
~easy access volume keys
(on the side of the phone, easy to increase/decrease ear volume while talking.)
~easy scroll phone book
~40 number recall (last dialed/received)
~audible minute minder feature
(beeps at 50 seconds)
~several different ring styles
(unfortunately they're all variations of the same ring)
~vibrating alert option
The Bad:
~flimsy flip/face cover
(though it seems ALL ericsson phones come with it)
~only 40hr standby??
~Nickel-Metal Hydride(sp?) battery
(I prefer the new Lithium-Ion ones)
~the back of the handset heats up after "excessive" use
(excessive meaning longer than 5 minutes.)
~release latch for battery easily undone
(there were a number of times where i almost popped the battery off trying to get that puppy off my belt.)
~not enough ring choices
~echo!
The phone itself wasn't bad looking, it just seems the designers didn't put too much forethought into its design, the fact that the back of the phone would heat up during a somewhat short conversation (less than 5 minutes) was annoying and disturbing.
I had a problem with the cheap clip they used on the phone. No, not the fact that it wasn't durable, the problem was the clip was flush with the back of the phone, there for the phone when clipped to my belt was flush to me. It got kind of annoying to have that damned thing prodding me in the side all day. You can opt for a swivel clip but I think you have to use double sided tape for it!
Speaking of cheap parts, the flip cover that they use for this phone, I don't know what the designers were thinking, but they could've used something a bit heavier/denser than what they were using. This is the kind of cover where after awhile it won't even stay shut. Totally sucks dude.
The phone was nicely compact, though a little heavy for its size due to the fact that Ericsson has opted for a NiMH battery rather than a Lithium-Ion one. You'll notice a big difference in battery life between the two types of batteries if you've had a phone with a Lith-Ion battery. Especially in the Ericsson if you use the Vibe option a lot. It'll eat the battery like a Jenny Craig reject at a buffet.
One other thing that I did NOT like about this phone, your choice of ring tones. They give you an option to vary the pitch, low/mid/high or varying. The problem is the tone itself doesn't change from ring to ring, it's just this really, REALLY, annoying beeping/chirping sound. Ericsson seriously needs to think about changing their ring options to actual RING options.
If you like Ericsson phones though, the Ericsson T18 and T28 are going to be on the domestic market soon enough, from what I've seen, the T18 has the same styling as the 788 with a big difference in talk time as it goes from 105 minutes to 240 minutes!
The T28 uses a lithium battery, from what I've read, the design is brand new and will feature internet access as well as several games that you can play on the phone.
OR you can check out my review of the superior and competitively priced Motorola Startac 7797 at:
http://www.epinions.com/elec-review-59F-512034-39113A16-prod6
Do it...do it NOW.
Recommended:
No
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Epinions.com ID:
wantico
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Location: ha-Y-e
Reviews written: 53
Trusted by: 17 members
About Me:
it's 2004...where have i been?
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