StarTAC
Written: Dec 11 '00
|
Product Rating:
|
|
| Durability: |
 |
|
| Clarity: |
 |
|
| Portability: |
 |
|
| Battery Life: |
|
|
|
Pros: Small enough to put in the breast pocket. Slick look and feel. I love the backlit display.
Cons: I have to charge it every night if I keep it on.
|
|
|
| elastica's Full Review: Motorola StarTAC ST7760 CDMA / AMPS Cellular Phone |
As a person who travels 5 days a week, I've become a fan of StarTAC's solely based on the size and weight. I usually slip it in my breast pocket and forget about it.
I had the last generation Nokia and decided that I wanted a smaller phone this time. I purchased the StarTAC 8 months ago from my local Verizon (It just switched from Bell Atlantaic) Wireless store. I really wanted the Verizon plan so that limited me to the Qualcomm and Motorola phone. I took the Motorola because it was smaller and had slightly more talk time.
I got the web browser which was basically only good for stock quotes. It's $10 a month. I think I subconsciously got it to woo my friends, but I don't think it woo'd anyone.
Compared to the Nokia, the Motorola has less features although the Vibration alert is the StarTAC's best feature that separates it from many competitors. If you're in the mobile phone market, make sure you ask if it has a vibration feature. It really helps in movies, loud concerts, bars, office meetings, etc... I also like how you can bundle numbers (home, office, cell, etc..) under one name. So, instead of having Jim Home, Jim Cell, and Jim Office as separate numbers to scroll through, I simply have Jim. It makes my phone book a lot more organized.
The accessories are cheap (about $20 for chargers and hand free units) unless if you want another battery ($80) I bought the second battery because I was finding I wasn't getting the 100 hours of standby time that was advertised. The battery helped slightly, but I still have to charge it every other night even if I don't talk on the phone.
Let's talk about durability. My Nokia antanna (that hard plastic knob that feels unbreakable) broke after about 8 months. However, I used to keep the phone in my pocket or clipped to my belt and I must've sat down in a strange way. When the antenna broke, I just bought a new phone because it was too expensive($80) to fix(I didn't buy the warranty). My girlfriend at the time had the same phone and her antenna broke a month earlier. She brought it to Radioshack and some kid who worked there fixed it for 10 bucks, but he had a little business on the side. So, good luck trying to find someone who can fix them....Sorry, I got off track. Although the antenna on the StarTAC is flexible, it has been known to bend and stay bent. I have a friend whose StarTAC antenna broke off after about 5 months.
One of the most amazing things that happened is that I left my StarTAC out in the rain overnight and the thing still worked. Although the screen didn't work. It was 4 months after I bought the phone and I was surprised that Verizon fixed it for free (They also fixed the antenna which was showing signs of bending.) While my phone was being fixed, they gave me a loaner phone and even offered to move my address book over to the loaner.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 180.00
|
|
|
|
Epinions.com ID:
elastica
|
|
Member: Eric Lastic
Location: Falls Church, VA
Reviews written: 46
Trusted by: 10 members
|
|
|
- Add to My Yahoo!: 
- Add to Google Homepage: 
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.