Hey all,
I'm currently an AT&T custy and have a V60 phone. My contract with AT&T ends on January 05, 2004 and I will have some options. I've been looking at the Sony Ericsson T616 for a whlie now (because of its Bluetooth technology) and also because there's not many other bluetooth phones out there. My question to those who have the T616 currently is: Do you like the phone? Is it worth switching from my very 'user-friendly' V60 to the T616? If anyone has made this particular switch (V60 --> T616) your imput would be especially helpful.

Another aspect besides user-friendliness is cost. Since I'm already with AT&T I would have to pay full price for the T616 which I've been quoted around $275 from a couple AT&T :ar15: retailwhores :bigun2:, oops, I meant retailers. :smokin: Anyway, enough with the smilies.....Would it be better to just find another service provider with another bluetooth enabled phone? That question is for those out there with other bluetooth phones that are not with AT&T.

Thanks for all you guys' imput on this as I really want a bluetooth phone for my TL - but want to make sure I get the right phone / provider....

Burr

 

If you are considering the T616 -

1. Download the user guide and see if you like the way all the controls work. The "logic" is very different from the Motorola way.

2. Go to a dealer and take a working phone out in the daylight. I found I cound NOT see the display in bright light, and returned mine. FYI - a new model T630 is on the way with an improved display.

3. Consider the Siemens S56 or S55. They are also small and light, lot of features and the display is sunlight readable. The camera is an add-on option, but the built-in cameras are a joke, anyway. Don't buy a phone for the camera.

 

automophile,
I agree, why did anyone ever think that putting a camera into a phone was a good idea?? Lol!

I'll look into the T630 and other models as well. I think I've come to the conclusion that I may wait a while anyway until some more models come out. Not saying the ones out now are bad or anything, just having more variety as the technology becomes more popular. I'm gonna go check out those other models, thanks for the heads up......

Burr

 

I have the T616 and I'm with At&t. I switched from a Nokia 6800 to the T616. I really dont like the T616 that much, like automophile said the menu is a lot different than most phones. I've found the signal strength using that phone sub par in my areas. If you want to stay with At&t you can get the phone for the sale price if u renue your contract..... if u want to stay. The phone book is not what I'm used to, one nice thing is you sinc it with outlook so thats a plus. It will store 3 numbers and 1 email address per entry. The display has really nice resolution in dimly lit areas. The camera is so so. The clock doesn't have an auto set feature. The brouser is faster than my nokia but entering text is a pain. I am waiting for the new nokia 6810 or the 6820 due in spring http://www.nokia.com/nokia/0,8764,3455,00.html
I wanted the motorola mpx 200 and almost baught it but unfortunately no bluetooth http://commerce.motorola.com/cgi-bin...fnbr=1&zipcode although it could be added with a sd card in the phones sd slot but it would not have the necessary profile.

 

I have one and I love it, maybe because I rarely touch it. The display of the phone number, battery and signal strength are on the mid and all my phone numbers are in the TL's phone book. All i do is turn on and put it somewhere. That's all I want it to do.

 

I have Cingular service and just switched from Nokia to SE T616.

The phone works great with my TL! The Bluetooth was easy to setup, and has never failed. The HFL in my car is a nice convenience but, I have to agree with the other users that the phone's GUI is hard to use ....

I will get rid of this phone once Cingular offers a Nokia phone with Bluetooth that isn't as large as a house (3650)!

 

Well, coming from Motorola phones, the T616 is so much better. I like the more "icon" oriented approach to the interface, and its connectivity via Bluetooh and IR to all teh devices have tried it with is astounding. I was pleasantly surprised with how versatile this phone is, and am very happy about making the switch. I'll never buy Motorola phones again.

Ryan

 

I just bought the T616 from a Startac and its hard getting used to. the buttons themselves are so small and trying to read the #s and letters are alittle bit of a pain.

 

acur8ly,
I really like that 6810! Do you know what service provider will have this phone or is it still too early to tell who will have it?

Burr

 

Burr.
Maybe if you stay with the same cell servive provider and upgrade to a more minutes plan, that will qualify you as a new contract--thus allowing you to jump on one of the free phone deals with new plan. When I upgraded my minutes plan with Sprint PCS last year, it reset the 1 year contract. WWW.amazon.com and www.letstalk.com have some pretty decent phone/plan combos right now. I think the first even throws in a Jaba bluetooth headset for free, valued at $100. My 04TL arrives in January, so I am doing my best to hold-out for the 04 Cell phone lineup.
NathanSilver

 

I bought the T616 a few days before my TL arrived. I've been very happy with it. The camera is not incredible, but it's not too shabby.

I just bought another one for my wife for xmas. If you buy online at www.attwireless.com, you can hopefully still get the same deal that I got...it's FREE! (and came with a free car charger as well).
-Scorpio

 

goblehipcom.
Can we see some digital pic's of your:
"94 RX-7, 308rwhp@12psi"
5 megapixel--if possible.
Thanks ahead of time.
NathanSilver

 

I called Nokia about those phones, they said the will be available for At&t, Tmobile and Sprint. But they wont give me an exact release date, sometime in spring. I cant wait!

 

Because a focus group of teenaged girls (the target demographic for cellular phones) thought that it would be, like, so kewl to be able to send each other pictures over their cell phones.

As for the T616, I recently switched from Verizon Wireless to Cingular just so I could get one. I don't think there's any better endorsement than that.

 

My site is a little dated (wheels are different now...and there's a few new mods) but there's some stuff at:

http://www.micromanx.com/goble/rx7
http://www.micromanx.com/goble/rx7/pictures.html
http://www.micromanx.com/goble/rx7/projects.html

I also switch to a dual-tip exhaust earlier this year:
http://www.micromanx.com/misc/RX7009.jpg

Driving the TL now makes driving the 7 a bit of a chore...although the performance is great...I really miss the comforts (and stereo) of the TL.

Regarding the T616 camera:

Although (as previous mentioned) it's not the best quality, I use it almost daily to send my wife a picture of our 8.5 month-old daughter when I visit her at daycare. They both love it (ok, I do too).

Scorpio

 

Don't laugh because almost all phones will have a camera in them shortly. Over in Europe, they all do, and it is considered almost standard. You don't have them for picture quality prints, but for other uses.

Anyway, to the topic, get the T616 as it is the best phone for your TL right now. It has features that some other Bluetooth phones don't that you will enjoy like both the signal and battery strength displayed in your display cluster. I got mine free from the dealer since they say it is the best phone for interfacing with the TL, and they are running a promotion to help sell the car. However, other providers are giving the phone away if you sign up with them for a year. I use Cingular, and they have the phone discounted to $70,00 after rebates, and I've heard that they are going cheaper than that also. To the comment about not being able to see the display in the bright light, than can be resolved simply by changing the wallpaper background. There are plenty of different options that give you different looks to the background.

Good Luck

 

goblehipcom.
Thanks for the pic's--sweet lookin RX-7
I heard that the new RX-8: might be getting it's HP rating increased. Glad to hear your 04TL is a pleasant performer.
NathanSilver

 

Frankly, the more I lean, the more I lean toward the Siemens S56 instead of the SE T616.

S56 is smaller, lighter, has built-in speakerphone, and interfaces with TL perfectly.

My only outstanding questions are:

1. What's this "bluetooth battery saver" thing that I hear about the T616 that the S56 doesn't have?
2. Does the S56 have a vibrate mode?
3 Does the T616 have a vibrate mode?

Jon

 

1. The S56 leaves the Bluetooth receiver on all the time if you enable it. When driving in the car, it does transmit signal strength information, which uses battery. The standard battery in my S56 goes about 4-5 days between charges (depending on my usage) with a minimum of an hour in the car each day.

2. The S56 does have a vibrate mode.

I looked at the Sony-Ericsson offerings before buying the Siemens. I didn't care for the blocky design and didn't need/want a camera in the phone. I was also concerned about the reports of echo with the HFL. I haven't regretted buying the S56 at all.

You can get one at Amazon with an AT&T Wireless plan for net -$70 after rebate.

Mike

 

If I fold and buy a Cell phone in 2003: The S56 looks the best.
Good information, thanks.
Trying to by the gadgets now, before getting the car in Jan--NathanSilver

 

I also have the S56, I can't make the battery last more than 30 hours (this is twice as long as my old LG5350). About how many minutes of talk time do you go through a day?? If it's more than 2hr. worth, did you do something to the battery to get it to last that long?

-J

 

Amazon.com will pay you $150 to take the phone from them. $-150.00 is pretty darn cheap!

 

Yes it does, and it also vibrates when the volume is on as well, so you can answer it before the ascending tone gets louder and louder.

 

I didn't see your post before I just posted mine. What exactly do you mean they will pay you $150 to take the phone