Prior to about a week and a half ago, I didn't even know this phone existed until my cousin left me an ICQ message saying how much it cost in Taiwan. My interest piqued, I started doing some research around cellular newsgroups and the Ericsson site. To tell you the truth, it seemed like a pretty decent phone but that was about it. Then I found a lot of them being sold on eBay so I figured, "What the heck, I need to renew my service contract soon anyway, might as well get a new phone to go with." Just got it in my grubby not-so-little paws yesterday and after just 2 days of playing with it, I can honestly say that this phone rocks my world.
This phone replaces my old Ericsson T28 World phone. It's basically the T28's bigger and better son. Heck, it's what the T28 _should_ have been in the first place. Let's compare.
In with the new, out with the old
Physically, the T39 looks like a more well-fed T28. When I first took it out of the box and looked at it, my first thought was, "Dang it's kinda chunky." And it is and it isn't. It's chunky if you have the T28 to compare it to. Realistically it's probably only a few millimeters thicker than the T28 but it shows when you place them side by side. But if you don't have the T28 around, then it's definitely thin enough. Another reason the T39 looks thicker is because the area around the display is flush with the body as opposed to concave for the T28. But width and height-wise, both units are identical. And the antenna is shorter and chunkier on the T39.
One main improvement on the T39 is in the viewable screen which is one line higher (5 lines) than the T28. While this doesn't sound like much, it _does_ make a difference, especially if you also factor in the limited ability to change font sizes.
The T39 is also now a true world phone with access to GSM 900, 1800, and 1900 networks. The T28 only covered GSM 900 and 1900. The US uses 1900 while Europe and Asia use 900/1800 with 1800 being newer and preferred usually since it has wider range.
The Emperor's new clothes
The T39 also comes in 3 different stylistic colors: classic blue, icecap blue, and rose white. The T28 only has 2 colors (supposedly) although I've only actually seen one (the classic blue) being used. The T39 classic blue is different from the T28 classic blue. It's a darker blue (almost black) with a silver faceplate and keys and a grey antenna. It's a _very_ nice color scheme. The icecap blue and rose white colors aren't bad either but they're so close to being baby blue and light pink that I keep thinking that they'd make good his/hers cell phones for babies. That is if you'd buy $300 cell phones for babies. =p The classic blue is svelte and professional and that's exactly what I like.
It's all in the nuances
The other relatively big difference between the T28 and T39 lies in the flip cover. Gone is the dinky black button & latch mechanism of the T28. Instead, there are just 2 slight protrusions from each side of the cover that you can use to open it. I find this much more convenient because I remember taking a while to get used to the relatively stiff button on the T28. Of course the button got looser with time but with the T39, it's just there and ready to go. Plus the new way is more user friendly since I remember numerous times where people would pick up a T28 and try to open the lid by just prying the thing open before I showed them the button.
The keypad on the T39 is also so much nicer now. The number and letters are now transparent instead of white so that when the screen light turns on, the keys look great backlit. Very, _very_ classy. The arrow buttons however are now merged as one connected button which seem to work ok but I know some people won't like that as much. The Clear button has also been positioned slightly higher so that it falls between the Yes and No buttons.
The ultraslim battery that comes with the T39 also has higher capacity than the one that came with my T28. 600mAh (BUS-11) vs. 500 mAh (BUS-10). Although I heard that some of the later shipping T28's also have this newer battery. The other difference between the batteries is that the BUS-10 has a smooth, matte black finish while the BUS-11 has more of a rough, fine sandpaper type of surface. The batteries are also swappable between the two units. Theoretically, the BUS-11 should be able to provide 300 hours of standby time and 11 hours of talk time. That's a _lot_ of time. Of course that's all theoretical so actual hours can be pretty different.
The indicator light also moved from the top front edge of the T28 to the top middle of the T39. The handsfree and charging connectors however are all the same which is great news since T28 owners don't have to go and buy another set of accessories for the T39. The T39 does come with a belt clip which is something the T28 didn't have. Most people probably won't like the clip since it offers zero protection to the phone but I think it's just a nice way to show off your T39 by having it swing on your belt or wherever you decide to clip it to.
Speaking of protection, the T39 just has a very nice and solid feel to it. It's a bit heavier than the T28 which isn't a very big deal considering how much more functionality it packs. Not that the T28 was flimsy or anything. Quite the contrary since I've dropped my T28 a few times without any ill effects.
Let's give it a test drive
Ok, this is where I start talking about the T39's functionality and just as an early warning to everyone, this section is gonna be _long_. Now let's see, where to begin....
Well, I took the SIM chip out of my T28 and popped it into the T39. Nothing different in the SIM chip placement in the back of the unit under the battery. Turned the unit on and a fancy startup screen came up with low-res greyscale pictures and everything. The T39 does seem to start up faster than the T28 and the software has better graphics with 3Dish, drop-shadowed, and animated icons for just about everything. The interface is pretty much exactly the same so there's no learning curve for old T28 users but the T39 is soooo much more responsive than the T28. Things just scroll faster and there's less hesitations between commands. It's just wonderful. =)
The list goes on and on....
With the improved graphic capabilities of the T39, you can now set a background pic for the screen which basically takes up the middle of the screen when in standby mode. Doesn't get in the way of anything. Not a big deal really but just an extra personalization touch.
You can now choose between 3 different font sizes (small, medium, large). Medium is pretty much what you see on the T28 and is also the default for the T39. I switched my setting to the small font because that makes the fonts look a lot smoother without the aliasing (the nasty jaggies) that you get in the bigger font sizes. Makes the menu items look all nice. =) I haven't looked at the large size yet and really have no desire to do so either.
The T39m that I have is the one sold throughout Europe and the only languages that it currently supports are: English, French, German, and Italian. I'm not sure if other languages are supported depending on which country you purchased the phone in. The T39mc is the Chinese language version and its functionality is exactly the same as the T39m but apparently it does not support EMS (more on this below).
Despite the stubbier antenna on the T39, reception seems to be better. As I'm sitting here in my living room, my T28 is showing "No network" while I have 2 bars on the T39. Nice. =)
The number of main menu items remain in the same in the T39 (7) except now, the WAP Services tab takes the place of the Call Handling tab which is now bundled under Settings.
The phone book is dramatically better in the T39 and actually reminds me of the address book in my Palm Vx. You can now store up to 5 different numbers for each phone book entry along with first name, last name, title, company, and email address. Heck, even the default phone number categories are named exactly the same as in the Palm OS (home, work, mobile, fax, other). So when you now want to call someone from the phone book, you just pick the name, and then pick the number. Looks a lot better than the T28 which only had one short field where you can label your entry.
When saving phone entries however, the default is to have it saved to the phone memory itself as opposed to saving it to the SIM card. Obviously there are pros and cons to this. There's usually more phone memory (510 slots to be exact) compared to the SIM memory (250 on my Voicestream SIM). But then if you ever need to swap phones, it's better to have the phone numbers stored on the SIM cause then you can just move your SIM over and you'll still have all your saved contacts to use on the new phone.
Choosing a phone number to call also defaults to looking for numbers from the phone memory. If you want to call a number from SIM memory, there's a separate menu option that you have to go into to be able to do so. Luckily, there are also two options that allow you to transfer your contacts from SIM memory to phone memory and vice versa. Usually takes about 20 to 30 seconds but seems to work just fine. The only problem with this is that it transfer _all_ your phone numbers back and forth so you can't just pick and choose.
Also keep in mind that you can't send SMS messages to any of your contacts saved in your SIM card. It always looks at contacts in the phone memory and I haven't found a way to change this yet.
The T9 predictive text input is also very convenient when you are typing regular English sentences. It's actually a bit slower when you want to add symbols and punctation (besides period) but it's generally pretty accurate when guessing what word it is you wanted and overall is very easy to use. The regular multitap text input is still around and is also easier to use than on the T28 since there's no longer any lag time when typing out letters. Plus the software is smart enough to automatically switch to lower case after an upper case character which cuts even more key tapping. You can also add new words to it if needed.
Voice control is also more extensive in the T39 since it contains around 40 to 50 slots to save voice commands with. You can save a voice for your contacts, the different phone number categories, even for your profiles. If you use a handsfree kit, you can also initiate a command or call by saying a "Magic Word" first. The phone also has a built-in voice recorder which can also be voice controlled. You can record up to 90 seconds of your own voice and even of your calls (good for blackmail purposes ;-p).
The other main functional addition to the T39 is the Calendar which is a full-featured calendar that lets you store tasks and schedule meetings and the like. I have yet to use this feature on a regular basis since even with the T9 predictive input, typing data into the phone with the keypad is still a lot more tedious than writing Graffiti on the Palm. It's good for occasional use but you'll have really sore thumbs if you type so much with the keypad. Unless of course you fork over more dough for the Ericsson keyboard attachment.
The only other function I tried out for the first time today was WAP. It was kind of a pain to get it properly configured and working but pretty soon I was surfing WAP sites (the few that exist). To say I was underwhelmed would be an overstatement. While it may be novel to poke around in for awhile, overall I don't think surfing of any kind on a cell phone will work as long as the keypad is the primary source of data entry. Just too tedious and slow. Supposedly you need to pay Voicestream $4.95 for WAP access but it seems to be free currently since I managed to get on ok without activating WAP service on my account. I dunno, maybe I just haven't been able to find enough things to do with WAP just yet so I'll continue playing around with it for awhile.
Other extras that are provided by the phone include synchronization between the phone and your PC (Windows only) through infrared or Bluetooth, alarms, timer, stopwatch, the ability to send animated pictures via EMS (enhanced SMS which doesn't seem to be currently supported by any US GSM provider), code memo (which provides a place for you to save all your passwords in one place, accessible by yet another password), calculator, POP3 email connectivity, and 2 games: Tennis and Erix. Tennis is pretty much pong from what I can tell and you can even play it with another T39 user via infrared or Bluetooth. Erix is a game that I've never seen before and haven't yet played so can't say much about it.
I have not yet tried out the POP3 email connectivity either since once again, I predict it'll require way too much keypad wrangling to type up messages to make it worthwhile. Seriously, even with T9 as good as it is, keypad typing is just way too much of a hassle.
The final word
Ericsson is getting pretty close to creating the tiniest PDA/cell phone with the T39. The only other basic PDA functionality that it's currently missing is the address book to go along with the phone book. However, as long as the keypad is the main source of data entry, I don't see how the PDA and Internet access functions can gain widespread use.
But as a cell phone, the T39 is pretty close to perfection. It definitely has the form _and_ function combination down pat. It's just unfortunate that no one at Voicestream seems to know when this phone will be introduced to the US. Some people are anticipating that it'll be included in the group of new phones that are going to be introduced this year on September 1 by Voicestream since that's when they're going to start their GPRS service and therefore, will be needing new GPRS-enabled phones. The fact that the T28W is also no longer available from the Voicestream store online lends a little bit of credence to this view but personally I'm more skeptical since historically it seems to take Voicestream a long time to get new phones to the US. But I do hope that they come out soon since my girlfriend has grown rather attached to my T39 which is kind of odd cause she absolutely _hated_ the T28 style. Apparently the extra pudginess of the T39 somehow managed to catapult it into the "cute" category. Women. ;-p
So, if you're like me and want to be ready for the next generation of GSM service, this is _the_ phone to do it with. I can see it being very popular with the business crowd when it's finally available in the US.
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