R-280LX: Honestly... How Much BANG for Your Buck Do You Need?
Written: Aug 03 '01 (Updated Aug 07 '01)
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Pros: Cheap, neat looks, cheap, web-enabled, feature-packed... did I mention cheap?
Cons: Some confusing features that aren't even necessary, no vibrating ringer, primitive battery
The Bottom Line: Like all phones, this one's got its issues. But for under $50, the Ericsson R280LX is a bargain, and gets a solid four out of five stars in my book.
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| vara's Full Review: Sony Ericsson R280LX Cell Phone |
Every so often being the techie geek has its payoffs... like free dinners. You see, a friend of mine was looking for a cell phone, and she promised me a free dinner if I'd help her out. Well, help I did, and the meal was exquisite.
Quick note! If you're an observant kind of shopper, you'll notice that the Ericsson R-289LX looks just like this one. Well, after comparing the feature content of these two phones, I've seen that they are identical. It's just a matter of one phone being sold in an area where the other one isn't. If anyone knows of a difference between these two phones, please let me know.
The first step we had to take was to decide on which cell phone carrier to go with. In case you don't know, you must first choose your wireless provider before setting your heart on a particular phone. In our case, we were between Sprint PCS and AT&T. I am a current Sprint PCS user, and while it's suited my needs okay, there is much room for improvement with this phone company. So, we went ahead and decided to go with AT&T.
As far as the bang-for-your-buck factor, my friend was pleased with AT&T: she got more minutes for the money than she would have with Sprint PCS. However, a problem arose, and that was the lack of variety on cell phones. To top it off, AT&T only offers two web-enabled phones: the Ericsson R280LX and the way-too-big Mitsubishi T250.
If you're not interested in the wireless internet, a phone worth mentioning is a tiny one offered by Panasonic ProMax. This phone is even smaller than my Sanyo SCP-4000 (which is the size of a Snickers bar), and has tons of features, including speakerphone, and a 16-day (400hrs) standby lifetime battery! They offer another model, dubbed the "DuraMax", which is the same phone, but extremely sturdy: it can be thrown against the wall and it won't break (the sales rep actually showed us)!
(FOR SAN ANTONIANS:)
The AT&T service representatives in the San Antonio store (on DeZavala) are very friendly. At the Sprint PCS store (also on DeZavala), they are extremely busy and at times brusque with you. In fact, I've had plenty of unpleasant run-ins with those guys (not by choice, believe me).
Though I felt a little hesitant to recommend the R280LX to my friend because of supposed battery complaints, we decided to go with the Ericsson anyway: AT&T offers a 30-day trial with the phone. If you don't like it, then you can switch to another phone and pay the difference. Once again, the bang-for-your-buck factor gave us a boost: we got a $50 rebate on the phone, and it ended up costing my friend only $40. Not bad. All in all, after activation, free goodies (like a free leather case and hands-free headset), and the rebate on the phone, my friend saved over $100 that day.
In addition to giving me a free dinner, my friend allowed me to use the phone for a weekend so I could write a review on it. So... what were my impressions?
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * THE PROS: * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Value: Though I've already touched on this, I can tell you from my experience that this phone is a bargain. I mean, it's a tri-mode phone (so you can use it on both digital networks and the analog network), has PocketNet, and has all the bells and whistles of your average phone, for a very low price. Plus, it's been absolutely problem-free thus far (it's 7 months old now). My friend ended up getting more than what she paid for, and that kind of thing doesn't happen too often.
Wireless Web is FREE! Even though I'll shy away from listing all the features that this phone has (you can get that anywhere), I have to mention the PocketNet. Not only is it nice for checking the weather, movie times, stocks, and sports scores, but it's free! Unlike Sprint PCS, if your phone is web-enabled, you don't have to pay a monthly fee to get the PocketNet service, and the time spent on the PocketNet doesn't take away from your minutes! I wish Sprint PCS would take notes from these guys. Of course, there is a downfall to the free PocketNet: it's pretty limited. You can upgrade to a $10-a-month version that offers access to e-mail and other stuff (like what I pay for with Sprint PCS).
Easy menu navigation: The picture menu on this phone is intuitive and a breeze to use. Everyday features like setting ring tones, accessing your phone book, etc. are a snap. You don't even have to read the manual for these.
Key Lock and Electronic Lock: When the key lock is turned on, you have to push a sequence of buttons in order to "unlock" the phone. This is good so you don't accidentally call someone when your phone bumps into stuff in your pocket or your purse. When electronic lock is turned on, you must enter a code to activate your phone. This is in case someone steals your phone and tries to use it.
Looks: This may seem a bit shallow of me, but I feel the sleek curves on this phone make it a snazzy looker. Granted, it's a little large for my tastes, but it's about average compared to most phones. Actually, a plus about the size is that you can cradle the phone against your shoulder: a feat I could never accomplish with my tiny Sanyo. The leather case that came with the R280LX fits on snugly, so it doesn't make it too bulky. This is a contrast to my Sanyo: the leather case makes the phone a good deal larger.
Ringer tones: Lots of 'em. Many more than on my phone. You can set the tones to be annoyingly loud or whisper soft (or off). If you're feeling especially creative (or bored), you can actually make two custom ring tones. Though it has a learning curve to it, you'll have "Jingle Bells" all figured out well before Christmas. Another perk is you can choose distinctive ring tones for different incoming callers. For example, I wrote a little melody as a custom ring tone and my friend chose that specific melody to play every time I called... what can I say? I'm honored.
Large phone book: Up to 400 entries. My Sanyo phone only has 300.
Predictive Text Entry (T9): This is a great feature if you plan on using e-mail or two-way text paging. I won't go into the specifics (it's too long and boring to try to explain), but basically, when you are typing words, the phone "predicts" the words you will type. I've tried to use bigger words to confuse the phone, but it performs with aplomb (the phone actually recognizes the word "aplomb").
Alarm and stopwatch: Do I really need to tell you what these features are? Anyway, I thought these were nice little "extras". My friend's used them, too.
Sound quality and signal strength: You can see that I saved one of the most important categories for last. Unfortunately, it's not a "saved the best for last" kind of thing here... but, rest assured that it's more of a "pro" than a "con".
Sure, this phone's sound quality isn't the best that I've heard, and there were also times that my calls were dropped. However, overall, this phone is a competent performer, and the vast majority of your calls will be clear. Even in areas with weak signals (like inside an elevator), this phone keeps a strong signal, while my poor Sprint PCS phone goes dead.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * THE CONS: * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Primitive battery: This phone uses a a Nickel Metal Hydride battery, which is better than the older Nickel Cadmiums, but worse than the newer Lithium Ions. I guess this was a cost-cutting maneuver on the part of Ericsson. If the phone is used regularly, it will need to be recharged every two days, minimum. Another problem with this kind of battery is that it's not as small or light as the lithium ion batteries. Fortunately, an important advantage that this kind of battery has is that you can't overcharge it (older models fry if you leave them on the charger too long). Plus, as far as Nickel Metal Hydride batteries go, this one's pretty small.
Advertised talk time and standby time are 4 hours and up to 160 hours, respectively. My friend says those estimates are slightly too optimistic but in the ballpark.
No vibrating ringer: The sales representative tried to play this off, saying "if you're in a situation where you need to have your ringer turned off, you probably wouldn't answer your phone anyway." Well, yes, that's true, but what about when you're in a place where you can't hear your phone, even on its loudest setting?
There is an optional add-on vibrating ringer that will run you around $30. However, the AT&T representative told us that there have been problems with it: apparently, the vibrator can be set off by other nearby phones. How this happens is beyond me, but too bad all the same.
Small display: Even though the menus are easy to use, you are only afforded two or three lines of text, maximum.
Unnecessary and confusing features: I consider myself to be a pretty knowledgable guy, but there are some features on this phone that even I don't understand. There are several menu items like "network protocol", and so on. Click on one of those options and you are greeted by even more confusing sub-menus. Why Ericsson decided to include this stuff for the everyday user astounds me, because otherwise, the phone is pretty easy to use.
VERDICT: BUDGET CELL PHONE BUYER? CHECK THIS PHONE OUT
Personally, I would not have bought this phone for myself. I'm just willing to spend more money for more "wow" factors and gadgets. However, I must say I have been impressed with the value quotient that this phone provides. It's cheap, but only in the dollars sense. If you're a budget cell phone shopper, I recommend you give this phone a look.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 40
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