or; phone review, Nokia 7280
This is an odd article to write, seeing as how my last article was a gripe about cell phone users. But, I wanted to share my advice and my insights into my new phone, which it's likely none of you all have ever seen. It's only sold in Europe, after all . . .
Since I signed up for my service, I've been using the free phone I received. It was the Nokia 3220, one of the more popular phones that were free give-out ones. And it's treated me very well; it's been a solid piece of machinery.
But with the current drive of attractive phones flooding the market, I wanted something new. So I browsed the internet for days, looking for something unique, fun, and just plum sexy. Specifically, I was looking for an “unlocked” phone, so that I could simply slip my SIM card into the slot and be off running.
I really wanted another Nokia. They make, IMHO, the sturdiest and longest-lasting phones. I know the RAZR is all the craze right now, but I find Motorola's phones to be finicky, and they seem to break much easier than other phones. So as I browsed Amazon looking for unlocked Nokias, I was more or less indifferent. There were a lot of very nice phones, with very nice features, but nothing that screams out, “You want me. You need me. I am the phone for you.”
And then I saw it – the Nokia 7280, here displayed in all its glory:
This phone was HOT. I mean, look at that thing. It doesn't even look like a phone! It looks like it should be in some futuristic space movie or something.
Sexy wasn't word enough to describe this phone.
I began to read reviews on every site I could find, and, while they said it was kind of tough to use (since it doesn't have a number pad, people!) that its style more than compensated for its lack of user-friendliness.
So I found one, unlocked, for a great price, and had them ship it over from Portugal for me. (Like I said, it's only available in Europe.)
I waited patiently for it to arrive. When it finally did, and I got it charged and threw in my SIM card, it was everything I wanted and more.
This is different than any other phone I've ever used. It doesn't have a keypad, per se; you spin the little dial around, highlight the number you want on the screen, and press the middle button to engage the number. This is a little tedious, but for one such as myself who only call people who are already in my caller list as a general rule, it makes it easier.
The same is true of texting. It takes much, much longer to create and send a text message than with a normal keypad phone. Sometimes, I find this annoying, but I've gotten much faster at using the dial, and the predictive texting feature makes it much easier to text than it could be.
The sound quality is great, and the built-in loudspeaker works much better than most little phones. The fun part is you pop that top part open to answer, and simply pop it closed again to hang up. It really makes you feel like you're in some sci-fi movie.
While not being mp3 capable, it does have a built-in FM radio that works with the included headset.
So, all in all, it's not the most user-friendly phone, something Nokia is famous for. But, given the circumstances and the goal of the phone, it's as user friendly as it can be.
And . . . it's just SEXY. That's it. I don't care that it takes forever to text, that it doesn't have a built-in mp3 capability, that it doesn't have any games on it . . . it looks awesome. When you pull it out of your pocket, it gets noticed. People think it's some other gadget; no-one ever thinks it's your phone. You get a lot of attention when you pull this bad boy out.
Thus, it's exactly what I wanted from a new phone – it's very, very unique, and has its own personality, while having all the functionality I wanted in a phone.
PS I was paid in no way for this review, but if Nokia wanted to send me the new bigger-sister 7380, I wouldn't complain. 