Give me a break!
Written: Oct 30 '99
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Product Rating:
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Pros: it's cool
Cons: functionally, it's no better than the one for $200
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| douglas77's Full Review: Nokia 8860 Cell Phone |
This is THE coolest phone out there -- no doubt. It's chrome, sleek, sexy, fits great in your hand (please ignore all Freudian references here), has no antenna, and the keypad is under a slide-down cover straight out of "The Matrix." But...
I currently have a beaten-up 6162, and I stopped by the AT&T Wireless store today (10.30.99) to check on the replacement warranty. That's where I saw it... glowing across the room, beckoning to me... the 8860. I thought, "Yes! It's out. I'm buying that phone right now. My friends are going to be SO jealous!"
I was completely prepared to fork out another hundred or so over the $250 I paid for my 6162 last October. And then I saw the price -- a cool $799, or a mere $750 if you're already a wireless customer. Now here's the thing: I'm a compulsive, gadget-buying nutcase, and I'm willing to pay when it comes to having THE coolest, sleekest, best-designed product out there. And that's where the 8860 just plain falls short.
I had already heard that the slide-down cover doesn't pop down the way it does in "The Matrix," but the real disappointment is that the keypad feels like it came off a cheap calculator, and the screen is no larger or sharper than any of the other Nokia phones. Also, the TALK and END buttons aren't protected by the keypad cover, so you might not dial the wrong number, but (unless you always remember use the keylock) you can easily call the same person over and over whenever the talk button gets squished in your purse or pocket. And what's the point of having the slick keypad cover if it doesn't keep you from making accidental phone calls?
This would be a great phone for $350 -- it's just that it's more than twice that. If you buy it, everyone will know that you forked out 800 big ones on a cheesy piece of chrome. In truth, I'm almost that person. But even I, the über-consumer, can't justify the price on this one.
My advice, spend $800 on a phone with a high-res color screen, groovy animations, extreme battery life, and a tough-ass case that won't break or scratch when you drop it. The 8860 is NOT that phone. It's a candy-coated 6162, and until they come out with something significantly better, that's the one I'll recommend.
Recommended:
No
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Epinions.com ID:
douglas77
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Member: Douglas Pearce
Location: Seattle, WA
Reviews written: 2
Trusted by: 35 members
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