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Cellular Phone Forum / Manufacturers / Ericsson / May 2004Review: The Sony Ericsson T616 (Not recommended)
The only thing I like about the T616 is the bluetooth, and when I bought it 3 months ago, choice was limited among BT cell phones. Although this phone is quite functional, it comes at the unnecessary sacrifice of useability. Menu navigation, in particular, is an area with plenty of room for improvement. Here are my beefs: -The "calls" list isn't accurately chronological, and doesn't allow me to find out the exact time of a call. -The joystick should be used more for for navigating menus - Right=execute, left=back. -Why four buttons? 2 would have done, accompanied by the JS for navigation. Their roles are inconsistent, and seem to change from menu to menu. Really, they should just keep one to be consistently "execute" and the other to be consistently "back/cancel". -Stupid physical interface on the bottom - Plugs only go in one way, and take special attention to get them in. Not easily done on the fly. -Overzealous pressing of "Endcall " mutes the fone, but one press isn't always enough - Making the act of "hanging up" require unnecessary attention on my part. -Screen not viewable outside. -Anykey endcall ends up with a lot of accidentally killed calls. Conclusion: I *HAD* to have a BT phone, but am otherwise disappoined in this model. If you're thinking about buying it, wait. I'm sure something better is just on the horizon.  Signature............................................................................. The whole aim of practical politics is to keep the populace alarmed ...by menacing it with an endless series of hobgoblins, all of them imaginary. - H. L. Mencken ............................................................................. dswan@m3m3t1ccand1ru.com http://www.memeticcandiru.com > The only thing I like about the T616 is the bluetooth, and when I bought it > 3 months ago, choice was limited among BT cell phones. <snip> > -Stupid physical interface on the bottom - Plugs only go in one way, and > take special attention to get them in. Not easily done on the fly. How would you want the connector to work? Pretty much all connectors on all electronic devices (with the exception of a few 2-pin connectors for AC power or low-quality speakers) are designed to only fit one way round. Or have I misunderstood what you mean? <snip >> The only thing I like about the T616 is the bluetooth, and when I >> bought it 3 months ago, choice was limited among BT cell phones. Very odd. When I got my T610 six months ago, there was *plenty* of choice among BT phones. I wouldn't even have said the choice was "limited" two years ago when I got my BT-equipped T68. Ah - T616. Not T610. A clue. Obviously a 'merkin. That's the penalty you gotta pay for living in a technologically backward country that doesn't follow international mobile phone standards, I s'pose. >> The joystick should be used more for for navigating menus - >> Right=execute, left=back. Click = Execute, Back button always = back. How simple would you like it? Why cripple the capability of the joystick by changing it's function according to which menu you're in? >> Why four buttons? 2 would have done Why as many as two? Low-end Nokias like the good ol' 5110 and 3210 survive on one. They're unusable, but... >> Their roles are inconsistent, and seem to change from menu to menu. Yep, they're *soft keys*.... Their function can *change*... Clever, innit? >> -Stupid physical interface on the bottom - Plugs only go in one way, >> and take special attention to get them in. > How would you want the connector to work? To be fair, I loath the Ericsson (and Motorola, for my BT earpiece) connector, too - the Nokia round one is a *FAR* better design, and stands up to my cat chewing it a lot longer than the Ericsson one. I think the cat must have had a mild shock, though, because she does seem to have stopped... Still, if the OP wants a Nokia, he's welcome to their crappy BT half- implementation. <shrug, pats T610 contentedly > Ah - T616. Not T610. A clue. Obviously a 'merkin. Hey, there's no need to be insulting here. I'm Canadian! > Still, if the OP wants a Nokia, he's welcome to their crappy BT half- > implementation. <shrug, pats T610 contentedly> Didn't know it was so bad. Too bad, as I quite miss the intuitiveness of my old Nokia, and suspect I'll be going back to them for my next fone. Signature............................................................................. "Anyone who has the power to make you believe absurdities has the power to make you commit injustices," -Voltaire ............................................................................. dswan@m3m3t1ccand1ru.com http://www.memeticcandiru.com | Didn't know it was so bad. Too bad, as I quite miss the intuitiveness of my | old Nokia, and suspect I'll be going back to them for my next fone. With the purchase of my T616 last year, I have likely left Nokia for good. Between the features I need and the superior RF, I have jumped the fence from Nokia to SE unless Nokia steps it up and starts worrying about building a great phone instead of a pretty phone. >> Ah - T616. Not T610. A clue. Obviously a 'merkin. > Hey, there's no need to be insulting here. > > I'm Canadian! My wholehearted apologies. (For calling you a 'merkin, not for you being Canadian.) >>>Ah - T616. Not T610. A clue. Obviously a 'merkin. >>Hey, there's no need to be insulting here. >>I'm Canadian! > > My wholehearted apologies. > (For calling you a 'merkin, not for you being Canadian.) Huh? Canada's not part of America anymore? Actually, one of the things I like about the T-616 is the charger connection. It's a tighter fit than my old Nokia chargers, and therefore doesn't have the problems with coming loose and not charging when I expect it to charge. JPH > > The only thing I like about the T616 is the bluetooth, and when I bought > it [quoted text clipped - 8 lines] > power or low-quality speakers) are designed to only fit one way round. Or > have I misunderstood what you mean? Maybe;-) The charger connector of the T6xx series is not bullet-proof. You have to put it in with the flash symbol facing up, at least the manual says it this way. However, on my car charger adapter, the flash symbol is hardly to see and hardly to feel with the finger tips. So yes, this is a construction failure. Not of the adapter, but of the connector of the phone. All my previous phones, and nearly all my other electronic devices have charger connectors which can't be plugged in the wrong way. Actually, I was very irritated when I read the appriorate paragraph in the T630 manual. The phone is well designed in most areas (IMHO), but this is a fatal flaw. Raymond <snip> > The charger connector of the T6xx series is not bullet-proof. > You have to put it in with the flash symbol facing up, [quoted text clipped - 9 lines] > All my previous phones, and nearly all my other electronic devices > have charger connectors which can't be plugged in the wrong way. You mean you can plug in the charger to your T630 the wrong way? I dont think so.... Mind you, I agree that it is not always easy to see which way round to plug it without getting a close look (i always just look for the thicker plastic 'peg' rather than the symbol Niall <snip> > You mean you can plug in the charger to your T630 the wrong way? I > dont think so.... Mind you, I agree that it is not always easy to see > which way round to plug it without getting a close look (i always just > look for the thicker plastic 'peg' rather than the symbol For over a decade I have used a small dab of correction fluid (white out) to indicate "this way up" on my various charging devices. Saves having to squint and makes it speedier. As I use it on all of the chargers, I don't have to remember "this devices thick plstic pegs goes on the right" sort of thing. SignatureTrevor S "Unthinking respect for authority is the greatest enemy of truth." -Albert Einstein > <snip> > > The charger connector of the T6xx series is not bullet-proof. [quoted text clipped - 17 lines] > > Niall I have to admit that with the original SE wall adapter (CST-13), there's something like a 'peg' on the plug which eases orientation. My adapter for charging the T630 in a car doesn't have that physical mark, so I have to take a very close look every time I use it, which is not very comfortable when driving or when it's dark. This wasn't needed with any previous car adapters for my previous mobile phones, so this is a step backwards. Raymond > I have to admit that with the original SE wall adapter (CST-13), > there's something like a 'peg' on the plug which eases orientation. > My adapter for charging the T630 in a car doesn't have that physical > mark, > so I have to take a very close look every time I use it, > which is not very comfortable when driving or when it's dark. Erm, have you considered plugging it in BEFORE starting to drive? I mean, call me picky, but I'd rather be comfortable in the belief that my fellow road users were looking at the road they were using. > > I have to admit that with the original SE wall adapter (CST-13), > > there's something like a 'peg' on the plug which eases orientation. [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > call me picky, but I'd rather be comfortable in the belief that my fellow > road users were looking at the road they were using. Yes, of course. Normally the plug will be put in when the car isn't moving;-) One reason is you can't concentrate on searching the small flash symbol, when doing other things. And that's also the difference to the plugs for my previous phones, where you didn't even need to look at, but apply the plug with one hand w/o moving away concentration and eyes from the road. Thanks for the tip to illustrate my criticism about the T630 plug;-) Raymond | > Raymond Del Tondo (RDelT@gmx.de) gurgled happily, sounding much like | they [quoted text clipped - 25 lines] | | Thanks for the tip to illustrate my criticism about the T630 plug;-) unless you bought some generic (i.e. not SE) car adapter, it is impossible to plug it in backwards. If ease of pluging a car adapter in is the only thing you are looking for in a phone, you a right, you would be wasting money on the T6xx, GSM phone of the year for 2003. You would be much happier with a black and white, featureless, free phone. If you want great RF, and need the features the T616 has, no phone comes close to it. By the way, it is the most secure plug I have ever seen on any wireless phone. All my older phones with pin style dipole plugs were useless if you tried to use the phone while charging, because the "easy to insert" plug was also entirely too easy to come out. I can very easily insert my car charger plug without looking at, being as that it is impossible to install backwards (SE adapter, not some cheap generic car adapter that you have to look for the flash to keep from installing backwards.) |
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