Motorola c155 (Tracfone GSM)
The Motorola c155 is rightly a few model numbers higher than its newer brother the Motorola
c139; it has a few features the $20 new phone doesn't. Like polyphonic
ringtones. And a screen that doesn't totally black out when the backlight turns
off.
Okay, those are the only two advantages over the newer phone, which also gets better battery life and looks better (the c155 looks, frankly, like a bigheaded alien, a true grandpappy phone...sorry people but it doesn't have the least touch of style). But then again, the c155 doesn't have the problem of suddenly losing all its minutes and setting the expiration back to 01\01\2001!
Another okay thing about the c155 is design, quite distinct from good looks. The buttons are easy enough to press but not too easy. Which is definately nice. Battery life seems to be okay, though battery life for refurbished phones seems to be a good bit less than life for new phones. But anyhow the phone has a standby time of several days. Which is fine. Also, the phone has an interesting chat over SMS function, which can be found on other phones but is generally rare. Coupled with the ease of button presses and free incoming (and cheap outgoing) SMS you'd think that this would be the ideal texting phone. Then you remember that the phone has a teeny screen and Motorola's wierd-as-it-gets iTAP text input systemk, and you'll think again.
Worst of all, the phone has the worst shortcoming a phone of this calibre could have: bad reception. Granted, I was on a fringe area, but it was downright horrifying the amount of garbled words and even outright, dead, staticy silence I experienced...with two bars of signal if I remember correctly! I'm 99% sure any of my other phones would've fared much better in this arena. But then again I have to give Cingular some of the credit...er...discredit for the abysmal network quality I experienced.
So, in a nutshell, the Motorola c155 is an okay phone for everything except calling. This may seem surprising, but I'd much rather have the monophonic, black-and-white, older, cheaper Nokia 1100 than thi phone. Especially with the wierdo styling of the c155. But anyway, that's the end of my review\rant. If anyone has anything to add, comment here! I like feedback!
Okay, those are the only two advantages over the newer phone, which also gets better battery life and looks better (the c155 looks, frankly, like a bigheaded alien, a true grandpappy phone...sorry people but it doesn't have the least touch of style). But then again, the c155 doesn't have the problem of suddenly losing all its minutes and setting the expiration back to 01\01\2001!
Another okay thing about the c155 is design, quite distinct from good looks. The buttons are easy enough to press but not too easy. Which is definately nice. Battery life seems to be okay, though battery life for refurbished phones seems to be a good bit less than life for new phones. But anyhow the phone has a standby time of several days. Which is fine. Also, the phone has an interesting chat over SMS function, which can be found on other phones but is generally rare. Coupled with the ease of button presses and free incoming (and cheap outgoing) SMS you'd think that this would be the ideal texting phone. Then you remember that the phone has a teeny screen and Motorola's wierd-as-it-gets iTAP text input systemk, and you'll think again.
Worst of all, the phone has the worst shortcoming a phone of this calibre could have: bad reception. Granted, I was on a fringe area, but it was downright horrifying the amount of garbled words and even outright, dead, staticy silence I experienced...with two bars of signal if I remember correctly! I'm 99% sure any of my other phones would've fared much better in this arena. But then again I have to give Cingular some of the credit...er...discredit for the abysmal network quality I experienced.
So, in a nutshell, the Motorola c155 is an okay phone for everything except calling. This may seem surprising, but I'd much rather have the monophonic, black-and-white, older, cheaper Nokia 1100 than thi phone. Especially with the wierdo styling of the c155. But anyway, that's the end of my review\rant. If anyone has anything to add, comment here! I like feedback!