Know Surprises
Written: Aug 04 '04
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Great functionality, it's a handheld computer, bright screen
Cons: Not plug and play - be prepared to invest some time with this device.
The Bottom Line: Bottom line is it's a good buy at current prices - good for road warriors or geeks.
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| cyclegeek's Full Review: Toshiba 2032SP Smartphone |
The Thera 2032 engenders a wide variety of opinions. Bad experiences show thru a lot easier than good but here are a few middle of the road thoughts.
First off, as of this writing (August 2004) the Thera is at least two years old. They can be bought brand new on e-bay or at online outlets like TigerDirect.com for between $100 and $150 - not bad considering the latest incarnation of pda/phones are well above $500 full retail price without a plan discount.
A lot of complaints target the battery consumption. Apparently this is because Toshiba put a wireless modem inside instead of what's usually inside a regular cell phone. Whatever - when I first got mine the battery would go down faster than a two bit hooker in Times Square. Two words - software upgrade.
Customer support from Audiovox and Sierra Wireless (the maker of the wireless modem and software) are no help whatsoever. But, this page (http://www.audiovox.com/downloads grab r1_5_1_8sbthera_fieldvzw_416.exe) has an upgrade file for the Watcher program which is the phone part of the device. After installing that upgrade - the battery life became much more like a regular phone and I've never lost a signal. Without the upgrade, the phone would 'lose' the signal and never regain it, which also caused the battery to drain faster than normal.
There is also, I believe, an upgrade for the operating system or some other major component - I haven't focused too hard on that because the thing works great now just with the phone software upgrade.
In general, this is a device that the user will have to adapt to. If you have no time to invest in setting it up properly and learning its ins and outs - get a regular cell phone. You MUST use a headset or settle for the speakerphone. This is actually good for car use, especially in states with hands-free laws. Get a device to attach the thing to your dash and get a car charger. It's actually a pocket pc, not a true cell phone. Another thing I'll be looking for soon is voice dialing software because by and large you have to use the stylus even for speed dialing. Otherwise answering calls is easy with few buttons to feel around.
As a phone (on the Verizon network) it does just great. Maybe not stupendous, but if you care about your ring tones you'll love putting your favorite .wav files on for different rings.
One complaint about the Thera is it can't be used like a candy bar phone. That's also a feature, because in either speakerphone mode or with a headset, your hands are free to use other applications, take notes, whatever.
It's bigger than a cell phone. A lot bigger. It weighs more. It's profile is bigger and it's probably a bit more delicate with that fancy backlit screen. If you're a little ham-handed, then use the included case. You'll look like a dork - but you'll save in the long run. The screen, by the way, is beautiful and very bright.
If you really want a camera - don't get this device (notice I call it a device, not a phone). The current Samsung equivalant has much better camera and peripheral integration. The Thera has an SD slot which should mean the ability to plug in SDIO cards - but not so fast. The Thera was designed and built by Toshiba shortly before the standards governing SDIO were set in stone, so Toshiba made the thing SDIO compliant, but only with Toshiba SDIO devices.
Mentioning Samsung's device and other current generation pda/phones brings up how much bang for you buck do you get. Two years ago without the upgrades it might not have been worth money. Right now, it beats the hell out of paying $600 for a Treo.
Recommended:
No
Amount Paid (US$): 129.50
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Epinions.com ID:
cyclegeek
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Reviews written: 2
Trusted by: 1 member
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