vB Easy Archive - Siemens SL56

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Siemens SL56
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Posted by: subrosa

I am very interested in purchasing the SL56 because of its small size and the features it has but I have read on a variety of websites that the reception is lousy (and not attributable to the service provider - other phones worked well for these people) and it often loses or drops calls. I live in Toronto, Canada. I'd like as much feedback as I can get from everyone who has, or has had , the SL56, especially if you live in Toronto (and even if you don't).

Thanks much.

PS. If anyone can get me a really good deal on one, I'd love to hear from you.

Posted by: phattbam

I used it while waiting for the Moto V600. It is great. very compact and sleek... high points with the cool style and looks. I used it with ATT in the San Francisco area in California.. It works great.. very light. If you're interested in buying it PM me, I'll give you a great deal. It was only used for 2 weeks. very new.

Posted by: subrosa

I was really looking for a new one, but two weeks use isn't bad. How much air time? Any scratches or scuffs? Is it the silver one or the black one? Can you unlock it? It would have to work with the Rogers network in Toronto, Canada. And now for the most important question: what would your price be?

Posted by: Necrosis

I'm using an SL56 in Toronto right now and RF is not a problem at all. In fact, the SL56 and A56/C56 are some of the best RF phones I have ever used. This seems to be a strength with Siemens. I wouldn't worry about not getting a signal in Toronto, especially if you're going to use an SL56 on Rogers (since it has 850, which will improve reception on Rogers).

Posted by: subrosa

Thanks. I appreciate the input.

Posted by: phattbam

Quote:

Originally posted by subrosa
I was really looking for a new one, but two weeks use isn't bad. How much air time? Any scratches or scuffs? Is it the silver one or the black one? Can you unlock it? It would have to work with the Rogers network in Toronto, Canada. And now for the most important question: what would your price be?

it's near flawless. it's the titan one. I can get it unlocked but I'd have to add that along with the final price. Asking price is 100 + shipping. feel free to contact me to finalize the deal or talk better numbers for you.

Posted by: kloan

hmm... my reception is crummy... the actual bar is almost always full, but it still sounds weak quite often....

Posted by: subrosa

Kloan, thanks for your response. This is the one issue that I am really concerned about and before I shell out the money for this small, but relatively expensive, phone I want to be sure that it will work properly. Has the reception been bad from the first time you got the phone and have you ever taken the phone in to be exchanged or serviced, just to make sure it's not a defect in your particular phone?

Posted by: Necrosis

I guess it ultimately depends on where you use your phone as well - some spots will have weaker reception. In my dorm room, it was next to impossible to get a good signal. In most parts of Toronto, however, I never have problems, regardless of what phones I'm using. I actually tested the Siemens A56 and SL56 in my dorm room (the best place to test RF, since anything that wasn't top notch DOES NOT get a signal), and they could both make calls. And I definitely know it's not a phone issue, it was a location issue, because I even tested a Nokia 3590 there (one of the best RF performers), and it struggled as well.

Posted by: kloan

I actually think it's the V11 software.. if my memory serves me correctly, V10 had better reception. I actually tried to downgrade to 10 but I formatted my HD and now I can't get the serial cable to work or the installation software... but I think it's the software, not the phone.. I'm pretty impressed with it overall, although I get bored with phones quickly and I'm thinking about selling it... it's just so nice and small!

Posted by: crazii84

Yeah my sl56 frequently drops the calls. Usually wheni'm talking for a long time. It's not that big of a problem where you shouldn't buy the phone based solely on that, but it does get annoying!

Despite the frequent dropped calls, I still love it.

Posted by: gabegarwick

I did the 30 day trial with ATT back in January (I'm a Sprint customer). I used the SL56 exclusively during the 30 days. I was very impressed with the phone. The call quality was very good and I don't recall ever dropping a call in the time I had it. It did very well in my basement where cdma (sprint) signals don't penetrate real well.

In fact, I just signed up for the 30 day trial again. (planning to stay this time) This time I have 2 lines.
T637 for $50 & a refurb SL56 for $50. I couldn't pass that up. I love the size of the phone and I just don't understand why more manufacturers aren't producing slider style phones.

My advice:
Buy it! $100 is a good price for a used one, barely used at that.

If you don't like it, you should have no problem selling it for at least what you paid for it.

Cheers,
Gabe

Posted by: Necrosis

My SL56 had V10.. worked great! I just sold it though.. because like kloan, I get bored of phones really quickly too.. it was a really really nice phone though.. I'm interested to see what the SL65 turns out like

Posted by: carsmovies

I agree, the SL56 is a very nice little phone that I seem to keep going back to.

Posted by: golfguy2k3

I had an SL56 that I just recently replaced with an S56 for the Bluetooth feature. The S56 has better RF reception than the SL56 did, although the SL56 had better RF than the M56 my daughter used for a while, which was suprising to me. I had less problems dropping calls at our house (which has somewhat weak AT&T GSM reception) on my SL56 than with the M56. The S56 is better than both, however.
I kind of regret giving up the SL56, because the slider is really cool, but I needed the Bluetooth to sync the phone to my Mac.