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Last Updated :
25 February 2008
This is the Telstra F156
and F152 review mobile phone - otherwise known as the ZTE F156 and F152. This
article is once again a departure from the usual motorcycle topics because
there's not much happening until the the I get to test the new Hayabusa.
Besides I now contribute to a mobile tech web site so the practice is required!
Being a mobile worker it is evitable that you are faced with carrying at least 2
mobile phones. In my case and others you will need to be connected to 2 different
carriers. One of them for me is Telstra and my choice was the F152/F156, it is a Telstra branded ZTE mobile phone. Personally
I can't see the point of re-branding but everyone has to start somewhere.
The F156 model is the red or burgundy version of the F152 which is the Teal or
green/silver model. Both phones have identical specifications. The
face plates are not changeable thus the different model numbers.
One of the strongest selling points of this phone is price. Pre-paid the phone
cost $149. (08/2007) It's a great start when you take it
specifications into account. Mind you there are other equally good value
phones. As you know by now I love value for money
purchases.
The official pictures make the phone out to be a modern and well made
phone, unfortunately when you do finally get your hands on it - you will be
disappointed. It's feels a tad cheap in terms of plastics and the buttons
feel like it belongs to a $2 calculator. That is, the keys have a solid
but springy
action and wobbly. It does not lend its self to fast SMSing. The keys
rattle when you shake the phone.
The screen itself is it not the clearest or high definition but on par with most
others in the price range. Personally I think its bigger than the others
but bigger is not always better. Specifications say it has a 176x220 display
size and 262K colours which is the norm.
It has two cameras the main one of the back the the front one for video calls.
It even has a mirror for self portraits.
The speaker is loud and clear, I was surprised at the quality of the sound as
the system sounds especially for the key presses where initially very flat. The
other thing that I can complain about is the location of the speaker. It is on
the bottom of the phone rather than the side. So it's muffled when resting
on a desk.
Overall it's physical flaws can be forgiven quite easily because of the price.
So physically its nothing to boast but thankfully under the plastic there is a
very decent phone waiting for you. Features include:
3G HSDPA and UTMS running on the 850 or 2100mhz 3G band,
GSM 900, 1800 or 1900mhz, Bluetooth,
MP3 player, 1.3 MP camera and video recorder,
Speaker phone, voice recorder, JAVA, USB connection,
Up to 2Gig Trans-flash memory, MP3, MIDI, MMF ringtones.
On board 64Megs but only 47Megs usable.
The only thing missing is a FM or AM radio.
The headphones use a micro USB connector which is also the actual USB connector
and the charging socket. It has a nifty slide out cover too. Unfortunately
the connector is on the side of the phone. The Trans-flash memory card is
inserted at the base of the phone, it too has a cover.
Software functionality is excellent for the price but expected for a 3G phone.
It's easy to activate email, MMS and SMS. Lots of alarm features, with
multiple and configurable daily alarms. The expected calendar modes, with
alarmed meetings, memos and anniversary appointments. The calendar had all
the standard view options, eg. daily, weekly and monthly. A stopwatch,
calculator even world time clock! There is also a feature called
PocketNews presumably for accessing paid web based content.
The Contacts function is very good with the ability to attach pictures to
numbers.
The tab based contact and group viewing done very well. As for Contact
data its has all the usual inputs like multiple numbers, emails etc.. The best
thing about it is that you have only one name field. I never saw the point
of separating the first and surnames - on a mobile phone. Only thing
missing is the ability add addresses which I don't regard as essential.
(AT this point in time.)
The screen layout and icons are nice moving 3D designs. It would be look even
better if it had a better screen.
Other software type functions include a easy to use file, web browser, and phone
settings. As for phone customisation you are limited to screen time-out,
background images, and brightness.
No games are included in the phone so you'll have to download them. Since
it runs JAVA you can choose basically anything. Note that there are a few
ring tones supplied some where very Asian in sound, which reflects its ZTE
manufacturer.
Much like the trademark and often annoying Nokia tune.
Being a NextG or 3G phone most of the functionality is accessed via the browser.
As for speed of operation I was very surprised - it navigates and runs the
various functions in a speedy fashion. Even the web content is displayed
and operated smoothly! Streaming videos work really well and download fast. It is also very stable operating system wise.
The bulk of the phone's
customisation is located under the profiles settings. Although it has a
number of profiles there isn't a flight mode. You can adjust ring types,
volume, vibration etc.. Overall there aren't that many options compared to Nokia phones
but I didn't expect it for this price range either.
Overall functionality the
phone works very well. It has all the basic features you need for a phone.
I can't really complain. I was impressed with the ease of use for most of the
functions, stability and so forth.
Now it's all well and good that
it has got all the essential features and works well but if you can't make decent
calls on it you've got a problem. So how does it work as a mobile phone?
First off, network reception is
generally very good.
Like all 3G phones you really need to be close to the tower for full
reception. However even in the 2 bar area which is a mere 20km from
capital city even
more surprised when I received the Function Failed message. Not all the
time but of note because the Telstra's ads featuring older celebs say they imply
100% connectivity to 98% of Australia. Regardless of the availability of
3G content there was always
voice coverage where I went.
Call quality was clear and loud
which is good. As for video calls, I haven't made any yet so will update
the page when I've actually made some.
It comes with SymcML based
software and can do Outlook and Windows file manager so you can transfer files
etc... It actually works with Vista - BUT will defer comment until I try
some sync and transfers later this week.
As for battery life they claim
200 hours standby. Since I haven't had it for a week yet (At the time of
this review) I will again
defer comment until later this week. At this point it seems entirely
plausible. UPDATE:
Ok the 200 hours or about 8 days standby is not entirely correct but it's pretty
close - 6.5 days. Used daily for a few calls 3-4 days.
Conclusion
This is a decent piece of equipment. Recommended as a phone for voice calls
and 3G web browsing only on NextG.
For the price you can't argue (pre-paid) its the cheapest and entry level NextG
mobile you can get at the moment. (It uses the 850mhz band which is why
there aren't many phones available.)
That I guess is the selling
point. This phone is really good but only if you want the cheapest entry
level NextG (Telstra) mobile. Without the Telstra connection it does not
set itself apart from other equally good cell phones.
Telstra currently has the rights
to Australian Idol clips and Foxtel shows so if your into that then it's a value
proposition. However there is a BIG disclaimer: Telstra charges close to
$2 every time you press that Bigpond button. The Bigpond button just activates
the online menu so nothing special. They say browsing is free but it is
misleading (you'd be accused of being a loser if you tried to convince anyone
else that its free)- you need to pay the connection charge before its 'free'.
For genuine free 3G menu browsing check out the 3 network.
UPDATE:
As of January 2008 pressing the button is now free so press it all you want.
Must the all the complaints.
For motorcycle riders its cheap
enough to not get too upset the next time you get caught in the rain or falls
out of your pocket.
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