vB Easy Archive - My Smartphone experience...should I give up?

Pages: 1

My Smartphone experience...should I give up?
(Click here to view the original thread with full colors/images)

Posted by: lostinvt

Been looking forward to a nice smartphone for a while. So I went and bought an SMT5600, the keypad was defective. Sent it back, the replacement had a defective headphone jack. Sent it back. Got an Mpx220. With the new firmware. When people call me it sounds like Im on a marine radio, its simplex...when Im talking the person on the other side cant talk, and vice versa.
Not to mention I was using the phone yesterday and it did a reset on its own, and blew my settings away.

So chalk it up to three bad phones and try another 220, or give up and go with a v620 or e398?

Posted by: markgamber

I didn't notice all the problems smartphones seem to have until, of course, I laid out a small fortune for a mitac 8390. That thing turned out to be a major turd so I started looking for a replacement and, if you read the various user forums on modaco, you soon discover that they ALL seem to have at least one serious problem. People were touting that 5600 as a gift from god itself but sure enough, a few weeks later when people actually had the chance to USE it, it started displaying some pretty serious problems. From what I've read on modaco, the mpx220 is even worse than the mitac what with profoundly lousy audio and an abysmal camera, to start with. I still use the mitac now and then but when I need a phone and not a problem, I use a sonyericcson I bought as a replacement. The OS doesn't really matter when the hardware is garbage and I've never, ever had a problem with sonyericsson hardware. One thing I took away from the experience is don't bother reading reviews. Reviews are sugar-coated crap written two days after a phone arrives at the "reviewer's" door with the sole purpose of kissing the manufacturer's ××× and therefore, they mean nothing. Instead, check out the user forums of a site that relates to a phone in which you have an interest.

Posted by: phjnky

there seems to be a number of trade offs once you start adding features and complex os'. i just wanted a small reliable phone with a few key features. one is that i need to telnet with a keypad once in a while to maintain routers and stuff. the other is checking emails and replying. i really didn't want a big brick because i put the phone in my pocket. i tried an mpx220 that did not work well as a phone, aside from the volume issues i had, it would also drop conference calls. i can't deal with stuff like that, it has to be bulletproof as a phone. i tried an hp6315, totally unusable without a headset and buggy as h3ll. i've kind of given up hope that i can have a great phone and the features of a pda in one without some sort of sacrifice. the p910i is about the only device that might make a good phone with pda fuctionality that i can find. but it needs to work as a phone first.

Posted by: dumwaldo

my sprint i600 seems to be pretty bug free. as far as i can tell all the features work without flaw.

i guess tha lack of a camera and bluetooth are deal breakers for alot of people since they do not seem to even realize that the i600 exists.

peace,
DW

Posted by: The Digital Arc

What exactly are these "serious" problems with the 5600? I've been using one for 40 days now and it rocks! No in-call problems, good battery life, and no crashes or hangs. All of the "problems" I've seen on these forums have been either a few hardware issues like the guy with the keypad issue, etc. or subjective feature set issues.

Keep in mind that thousands of these units have been sold and 99 times out of 100 you don't hear squat on a forum unless there is a problem. For every negative 5600 comment there are thousands of satisfied 5600 and c500 users that have no need to post anything. Like myself!

The MPX 220 isn't ready for prime time period! It may get fixed to be really nice (except the camera which is probably a lost cause) one day soon. I hope so.

The 5600 isn't perfect (and neither is ANY device) but it has been a great phone for me so far. No defective hardware issues whatsoever.

Posted by: Dylan

I agree that the 5600 is a great device. I'm sorry to hear of the OP's problems but it sounds like simply bad luck. It happens sometimes. The mpx220 clearly has some issues but there are no widespread reports of problems with the 5600. I wouldn't give up on it because it's a really nice phone.

Posted by: dumwaldo

Quote:

Originally posted by Dylan
I agree that the 5600 is a great device. I'm sorry to hear of the OP's problems but it sounds like simply bad luck. It happens sometimes. The mpx220 clearly has some issues but there are no widespread reports of problems with the 5600. I wouldn't give up on it because it's a really nice phone.

you sure? because i hear they all have a common defect that the screen is not sealed and dust can get inside rather easily. i also hear the bluetooth works less than reliably. there is no auto keylock, the battery life also seems to be kind of overstated and the choice to use mini SD instead of SD makes for some limitations that might be overcome in the future but not as of today.

i am not trying to put down the phone at all and to be quite honest i think it looks like a great phone and have considered getting one to try it out but thats not to say it is without commonly occuring problems.

peace out,
dumwaldo

Posted by: leighj

Wirelessly posted (AUDIOVOX-SMT5600/Mozilla/4.0 (compatible; MSIE 4.01; Windows CE; Smartphone; 176x220))

IÂ´ve been really happy with my 5600. this discussion sounds alot like quest for perfect pda - which usually ends with determining which suits your needs/tastes best. for me i wanted a candy bar style with enough power to allow me to leave my ipaq 4155 at home. surprisingly itÂ´s achieved this. dust & bt issues are annoying but not show stoppers. itÂ´s a good phone with pda capabilities. donÂ´t let build issues deter you - i went through 3 t68is 2 6620s & countless pda quality issues - unfortunately itÂ´s all part of modern electronics & manufacturing practices.

Posted by: Dylan

Quote:

Originally posted by dumwaldo
you sure? because i hear they all have a common defect that the screen is not sealed and dust can get inside rather easily. i also hear the bluetooth works less than reliably. there is no auto keylock, the battery life also seems to be kind of overstated and the choice to use mini SD instead of SD makes for some limitations that might be overcome in the future but not as of today

I've skimmed over some threads about dust under the screen. Doesn't seem like a reason to me not to buy it but different people have different things they are particular about.

mini SD - you may not like it but it's not a defect which is what this thread was about.

As for the other issues, you have to apply a filter when you read about products on forums. If a lot of people are citing the same problem then it has merit. If it's mentioned once or infrequently then you've got to chalk it up to defective units, unusual incompatibilities or unreasonable expectations. I wouldn't go away from this thread believing that the 5600 has keypad or headphone jack problems because one person had some bad luck. Now if more people reported the same problem then it would be justified to believe the problem is widespread.

So apply your own filter, decide what you want. But I see overwhelmingly positive reports of the 5600 and no indiciation of widespread problems that would have me not buy it.

Of course all of this looks to be moot in the US because Cingular has dropped the phone.

Posted by: george2350

Quote:

You really are conveying hearsay information. There is nothing wrong with the Bluetooth implementation unlike the MPX220 and also as the size of the phone shrinks, so does the flash card size. I imagine you complained when SD first came out that it was not CF, and so that was a defect.

Posted by: Perky

can't believe that the Samsung crew wants to comment on the 5600....Sprint wanted $650 for this phone, while the 5600 runs from $149 to $249....hello? I bought 2 and still haven't dropped as much money as the Samsung.

Ripping mini-SD....goodness it's so cool that the industry is offering such a small device and the boys are flipping over the 1 Gig versions...unreal.

I'd give the 5600 another try...people don't give up cars just because they buy a lemon, so why a phone...have the courage to bug the supplier until they get it right!

This is one cool phone....I'm so tired of owning 3 devices, i.e., laptop, PDA and cell phone that this has been a happy experience for me.

Go for it!

Perky

Posted by: lostinvt

Just my own update on this...
I took my 220 back to best buy, and was going to exchange it for another one, but there were two people infront of my also returning their orange sticker 220s, so I changed my mind. I had one I ordered from Amazon show up, I figured it might be a new batch. Opened it, (orange sticker on the box!) and again I almost cried. The phone had a bunch of scratches on it, and the top portion of the phone has about 1/2" of sideways play.....
So for me I have a RAZR coming...but 4 smartphones, 4 strikeouts....my fiance kept laughing at me because even though I was so disappointed with the phones I wanted to like them so badly.....