vB Easy Archive - Help - looking for a Cingular Phone that has good volume (maybe CU500?)...

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Help - looking for a Cingular Phone that has good volume (maybe CU500?)...
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Posted by: ljs3000

I am a Sprint customer and looking to change over to Cingular. I'm tired of Sprint trying to screw me (whole 'nother story). I need a good phone with bluetooth and I need something that has a loud volume. I'm not deaf but my current Sanyo from Sprint is super loud which is great and I hate being in a noisy place (restaurant, car, airport, etc.) and not able to hear on the phone. My main use for the phone will be for it's phone performance (signal, volume, clarity, etc.) Anything else it has will be gravy. I'd prefer a flip as well.

I really like the LG CU500 but I'm hearing that some people have phone performance issues with it. I would buy a RAZR but the volume is way too low for me. I would buy the Samsung D807 but the volume on it is super low. I just want something that works well as a phone and if it has some cool features, great.

Anyone have any suggestions????

Thanks.

L.S.

Posted by: Lil Moshi

I heard the sony w300 has great volume as well as a walkman player and a fair camera

Posted by: ljs3000

Cool, any others???

Posted by: Ihavenosignal

lg cu 500..

Posted by: ljs3000

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ihavenosignal

lg cu 500..

Does it have good performance as a phone though?

Posted by: quillhill

I love my CU500. It's loud and it's got great reception. But, it frustrates me at times. I have major issues sending pics while in 3G areas. Sometimes going from 3G to EDGE messages won't go out until I get into EDGE. Drives me nuts. It doesn't happen all the time. If you get the LG, you must buy a microSD card. The onboard memory is insufficient for more than a handful of ringers and pics.
So, why do I still have it? I think the other 3G capable phones are ugly. Until something better comes along, I won't let it go. And I only use it on the weekends. I have to have a weekend phone. For calls, I think the phone is top notch. And the Bluetooth is easy to use and well implemented. So, it's great for weekend use. But, if it were my primary phone, it would drive me nuts.
I honestly cannot think of a flip phone that I have used that would meet your requirements and is offered by Cingular if a RAZR is not loud enough.
Being that I think anyone who has a SIM card should have a backup phone, you could always purchase an inexpensive phone with your Cingular contract and perhaps get an unlocked phone off the Internet. But, that's only if you're willing to spend the money.

Good luck whatever you decide.

Posted by: ljs3000

Thanks for the feedback quillhill.

I will use this phone as my primary phone and I use it every day so I need something reliable. Does the 3G/EDGE affect the basic phone performance?

I would get a RAZR if the volume was louder. I've seen people modding these by changing the gain in the software. Is the RAZR a decent phone overall?

I would think it would be easier to find a phone that fits my needs, i.e. one that is a good phone first.

L.S.

Posted by: ChocoDough

Yes the CU500 has really good volume. I've never been an LG man before, but I sure love this one though.

As much as I like the phone, I will havr ot admit the bluetooth is not very good. The Motorola v3 and v3i definately, without a doubt, have THE best bluetooth out of any phone I have tried. I can walk all over my apartment with my v3i and not have any static or any problems.

With the CU500, like other phones, start getting static if I walk more than 5 feet away. Matter of fact, if my CU500 is sitting on my desk off to my right, and my headset I wear onb my left ear, I will get a little static being a few feet away. If I turn my head in the direction of the phone, it gets better.

Basically the phone is really nice, but all these companies can take a good lesson from Motorola for intergrating good bluetooth.

Posted by: quillhill

Quote:

Originally Posted by ljs3000

Thanks for the feedback quillhill.

I will use this phone as my primary phone and I use it every day so I need something reliable. Does the 3G/EDGE affect the basic phone performance?

I would get a RAZR if the volume was louder. I've seen people modding these by changing the gain in the software. Is the RAZR a decent phone overall?

I would think it would be easier to find a phone that fits my needs, i.e. one that is a good phone first.

L.S.

No. As far as using it to make calls, I have not experienced problems. In fact, I have had mine since it came out, and I do not recall dropping a call with it.

I loved my RAZR. In fact, I've used two, a silver one and a black one. I've not used a V3i, but given it's only a better cam and a memory card slot, I can't imagine it's that different. I found it to be quite loud out of the box. But, I have always thought the way a phone sounds to be subjective to some extent.

If you have a chance, you should go to a store and make some test calls to make some comparisons.

The good thing about Cingular's 30-day policy is you can try a couple different phones out ... you might want to do that.

Good luck!

Posted by: ljs3000

Hey quillhill, does Cingular let you make more than one exchange in the 30 days? I know Sprint gives you only one exchange and your stuck after that.

The other problem I have is I want a BT phone that will work with the hands free link in my Acura. Some of the Cingular phones have been tested and work, some don't work, and some haven't been tested yet.

Posted by: quillhill

I will have to check my last Cingular receipt, but I thought it was one exchange. On the other hand, I have a friend who ordered service over the phone and was able to exchange twice. He started with an LG CU500, went to a Cingular 2125 then used a Moto L2. So, I don't have an official answer on that.

As for BT compatibility with your car, I have no clue. I drive a 6-year-old Mustang, so no BT in-car for me. Haha. I wonder if I can go to an Acura dealership and do a BT test drive? LOL

Oh, look, you have the same phone I had with Sprint before I left. The trusty VM4500. I loved that phone. Knowing that, I'm thinking you may not like the Moto UI. But, the LG UI should be an easier transition. I went from the Sanyo to a Moto v551 (and a SE T616, but that's another story for another time) and it was a bit of a learning curve, even for me, a self-described phone geek.

Posted by: ljs3000

I've been driving this car for over 2 years w/o a BT phone and it has complete BT capability. Kind of a waste that it hasn't been used.

The Sanyo I have is one of the reasons that I am hesitant about switching over to Sprint. IMO, Sanyo makes some of the best phones, they are just not as stylish as some of the others out there. They have a new model (8400) that is a similar form factor to the 4500/5500 but it has a ton of new features including BT, music player, microSD slot/card, etc. and I'm sure it will be a good phone. If I stay with Sprint, I will most likely get it. But I have not been happy with Sprint lately and service where my wife works is not as good as Cingular.

Posted by: quillhill

Yep, I've read about the 8400 (I'm a mod at a Sprint forum ... but that's another story for another time).

I had three Sanyos when I was with Sprint. Definitely good phones. My mom and sister have Qwest. I just bought my mom a little blue Sanyo 2300 that she loves. Earpiece is so loud on that sucker I had to turn it all the way down to 1 for her. Heh.

But, I can also say I haven't missed Sanyo at all since I left Sprint.

Anyway, have you looked at the Nokia options? I wish Cingular hadn't dropped the 6126 because that would have been well suited for you, but you could always get a cheap phone and buy a 6125 or 6131 unlocked. They will give all the features of the 8400 and more on Cingular. It's a bit of an investment, but I just wanted to throw that out there.

Also, any thought of checking out Sony Ericsson phones? Their GSM handsets are awesome. The UI takes a bit of getting used to, but they are highly customizable, have solid call and reception and are some of my favorite phones.

I agree on the BT capability of the car. I wish I could help more, but I just can't answer that question.

Posted by: ljs3000

The only Nokia options are the 6102i and 9300. I'm not into the PDA thing although a bunch of guys I work with have the 8125 Pocket PC. It's a cool device but I spend enough time on the computer, I don't want to carry one around with me 24/7.

I've looked at a couple Sony Ericsson's and they are decent. I stopped over at Cingular on the way home last night and looked at the V3i again. The UI is pretty crappy but I knew this from having a Moto V550 a couple years back (just for a week when I made the hasty switch to AT&T before they merged with Cingular and the coverage was so poor I dropped them and went back to Sprint).

I have to say that the main thing I like about the V3i is the form factor. From what I have seen this phone will work in my car. Buy.com has some excellent deals on Cingular phones for new customers. Like the V3i for $99 and the SLVR (which my son wants) for $.01 with no rebates to hassle with if you sign up for 2 years.

Another thing that ticks me off is that some BT phones work in the car (per the Acura website) and some don't. Must be some crappy standard they have set up for BT.

Posted by: flnsx

6126 is is being sold now!

GET IT!