Is a SIMPLE Cell Phone/PDA Combination I can read too much to ask?
Written: Apr 13 '04
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Pros: Good Cell Phone in durable housing. Great speakerphone
Cons: Really bad screen with frustrating backlight options
The Bottom Line: A great Cell Phone/PDA with the emphasis on Cell Phone. But the poor screen renders the whole unit an overpriced loser.
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| sflaconsumer's Full Review: Kyocera QCP-6035 Smartphone |
Kyocera seemed to be first to the market with a Cell Phone / PDA combination. It's initial price coupled with the fact it did not work with Cingular kept it out of the question. Sprint service in the area was good in most areas but very bad from the house. In September, Sprint's signal quality suddenly shot to the top of intensity. Who knows where the new tower was constructed...Sprint seems to be putting up a lot of those lately. The cost for the Kyocera 6035 had dropped to $450 with a mail-in rebate so it seemed time to take the plunge.
As a phone, the unit works beautifully. I've no sympathy for complaints of "bulky;" I prefer a bulge in the pocket to constant misdialing that comes with those "oh-so-compact" flip jobs. The speakerphone is an absolute dream. It has replaced the line-line's unit at home for conference calls. "Green button to the left" = call; Red button to the right = hangup! Yes! Much better than the Nokia "one button tries to do it all" concept I've used with Cingular.
Inside, the address book is easy to set up via either a PC interface or by using the stylus. The screen seems rugged. Having to type in addresses and phone numbers once and then being able to use them for either application is the basic reason I bought the unit.
That being said, I'm sorry I did. Let me preface the following remarks with the fact I need to use reading glasses. In medium light, you can barely read the Kyocera screen. Last night, we passed the unit around to four people at a table in a restaurant and none of us could decipher what was on the screen. The screen's backlight stays on for a maximum of 30 seconds maximum...just enough time to ALMOST get the information you need before having to start over. There is an option to keep the backlight on all the time if it is plugged into a power charger...but how many people do you know bring a power charger into a restaurant or carry one with them while walking down the street?
In short, I will probably be purchasing another cell phone/PDA in the future and it's a shame. Kyocera has everything I need and want...but I just can't see it.
Recommended:
No
Amount Paid (US$): 450
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Epinions.com ID:
sflaconsumer
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Reviews written: 3
Trusted by: 0 members
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