It's Nov 2005 - you don't want this phone unless...
Written: Nov 02 '05
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Pros: World phone / Bluetooth / large phone book / data (WAP). Iconic Design!
Cons: Dated, 2-line display, not great with US networks, no "fun" extras
The Bottom Line: The OG of World Phones. If you travel a lot overseas, this phone (when unlocked) will be the most important thing you pack.
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| dominickalcid's Full Review: Sony Ericsson T39m Cell Phone |
I got this phone off of a For Sale message-board(some List by this guy whose name starts with C). Lucky for me it was cheap ($20), came with a ton of accessories, and was Unlocked. If you don't know, GSM phones can be unlocked so that one can use the phone with any carrier's SIM card (i.e. not LOCKED for use with one network, say, Cingular)- in the US, the current GSM carriers are:
Cingular (and former ATT Wireless)
T-Mobile
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Is that it? Maybe smaller carriers like Rogers or something...
Anyway, if this phone lands in your lap, do yourself a favor and get it unlocked (check the web on how-to) if it isn't already.
Because I got it used, my "What's In the Box" may not be accurate to the original, but I got the phone, a battery, a wall charger with international socket adapters, a manual, a warranty card, and a CD. I also got a car charger, a charging stand, a data cable, a chatboard (keyboard), and another wall charger.
It's a very nice-looking phone with even nicer features. Let's start with the superficial:
LOOKS
Mine is navy blue. It's quite slim, a tad wide, has the neat stubby 'shark fin' antenna like a Treo, and it has the flippy keypad cover (which can answer and end calls). The plastic feels very solid and it does not creak when handled firmly. The screen only shows two lines of info, and is in black and white (actually, it's got that green LED background-type-thing going on. Because it's so thin, it fits well in the outer chest pocket of a suit jacket.
FEATURES
Aside from making calls, it has IR, Bluetooth, web capability (WAP via GPRS), a few games, a calendar function, and text-messaging. There are other features on there (do a web search), but if you're interested in making the most of these advanced features, buy another phone. This one is just too old to make you happy compared with other current phones (FYI: no cam, no music player, no game downloading, no wallpapers, no themes, get the picture?...). That said, aside from these funky extras, this phone has more business and connectivity features than many of today's phones.
BUTTONS
The number buttons are standard and feel quite nice when pressed, but there's one thing that is extremely Frustrating. The up-down motion is done by a button that is oriented left-right. This makes ZERO sense. But look at (Sony) Ericsson phones now, the engineers learned from their errors. There's also this "C" button that should do more, but the Back/Red button actually does a lot of the canceling functions. Maybe I'm not well-versed on the buttons yet, but I fancy myself a pretty tech-savvy guy, and if something isn't very intuitive, I must give it a thumbs down.
MENUS
Laid out well (folders/tab system due to two-line height max) but selections are navigated with the awful left-right up-down bar. Good thing is that menu selections are numbered so that you can type the number instead of scrolling to it.
RF
It's a Euro-based triband at 900/1800/1900mHz but I think I can only use the 1900 frequency in the US. I'm on cingular in Maryland (20878) and get spotty reception even though there's a lot of Cing towers around here (note that when I CAN make a call, reception and clarity compares well against my current Audiovox SMT5600). This brings me to the great thing about this phone...
TRAVEL-ability
Is that a word? Who cares - once you get it unlocked you can travel just about anywhere in the world and it will work well. So, in reference to my Title: "You don't want this phone unless... you will be doing a lot of traveling outside of the US". Actually, since it supports 900 and 1800 frequencies, it will actually work better overseas. My real world use:
Took it to Europe, popped in SIM cards from various countries, was able to make calls with absolutely no problem. Why pay through the nose with calling cards or collect calls when you can buy a prepaid SIMs (common in other countries) pop it in your phone, and make calls as easily as you do at home. Clarity was also top-notch in locations where I could pull at least one bar.
BATTERY
This thing is old, so I get about 48 hours standby, and 3 hours talk. Talk time goes down with extended text messaging or data/web usage. This is the original Li-Ion battery from over 3 years ago, so that's not too bad.
BLUETOOTH (BT)
This is one thing that Ericsson has always gotten right. I can connect effortlessly with my BT headset, car speakerphone (T39m does not have one), and other phones/devices. Know that for some very very odd reason only a small number of phones today incorporate this wireless standard in the device. Great BT with the T39m - well done Ericsson.
FINAL THOUGHTS
This phone was the best in the world in its day; today, it still competes feature for feature with the best of them. Only "emotional" features separate today's devices with the almighty T39m (emotional = color screen, elaborate ringtones, cam, playstation quality games, etc...). Although it does have Pong (tennis)!
To give you a good idea at how revered this phone is, do a web search for "T39m reviews" - people, like me!, are still raving about it!
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 20.00
Recommended for: World Travelers - Works Anywhere and Everywhere!
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Epinions.com ID:
dominickalcid
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Member: Dominick Alcid
Location: DC Metro - USA
Reviews written: 17
Trusted by: 2 members
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