BoxWave Corporation (011540295788) Cable, Protection Skin for Cingular 8125
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- UPC: 011540297973
- Brand: BoxWave Corporation
- Type: Cable, Protection Skin
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User ReviewRead All Reviews »
The Good, The Bad, The Ugly
Pros
Feature laden phone, great software, WONDERFUL screen easy on the eyes.
Cons
Easily damaged if kept in your pants-pocket. Problems in fringe cell areas
Recommended it?
No
The Bottom Line:
Great for geeks, maybe not too user friendly for the older generation. Not at all durable unless it is kept in the case at all times when not in-use.
I purchased a Cingular 8125 about a year ago and within two weeks, it was dead! I returned to Cingular in Abilene, Texas where I bought the phone and received a good tounge-lashing from a customer service rep, when I asked for a replacement phone. (That's the BAD part... a customer service rep that needs some training!)
The problem is, I ride a Harley and it is impossible to wear the phone holder on a belt. It'll for sure fall off, so I have always carried my cell phone in my pants pocket where it is secure. I might miss a phone call this way, but when you are on a Harley, no way in the world are you going to answer or place a call if you are driving along.
My original Cingular 8125 broke in my pants-pocket. The phone is designed to slide open and reveal a small keyboard. It's really neat how this works and I suspect you (the reader) already know about the features of this phone. If not, go do a Google search for this phone. I could in no way compete with the Google searches that have so many good technical reports about this phone, but as user, I CAN write about some features that press-releases don't dare to touch. (I don't want to re-invent the wheel.) My goal in this evaluation is to advise that while this is one nifty and full-featured phone, DON'T BUY IT IF YOU HAVE AN ACTIVE LIFESTYLE LIKE MINE WHERE THE PHONE NEEDS TO "LIVE" IN YOUR PANTS POCKET.
Keeping the phone in the pants pocket was my only option on the Harley and while driving my tractor here on my farm. However, in this environment, the sliding keyboard tends to open and when it does, movement in the pocket while you are walking, sitting, bending will slide and break the keyboard, as it did in my first phone.
One other concern I have about durability. The sliding keyboard mechanism seems to be prone to collecting dirt. I don't think this would be a problem for someone who lives and uses this in a city, but out here on the farm, the grit would cut through the slide device like sandpaper...
The display is WONDERFUL and is easy to see in daylight. And even though I am no techno-geek, I found the phone relatively easy to use in regard to the WiFi features. My wife and I made a trip to New York shortly after I bought this phone and it was great being able to check my e-mail while we were being tourists in NYC. (That's the GOOD part)
There are actually two ways to get your e-mail, by WiFi and by using the phone to call (if you are not in a HotSpot or WiFi zone.) I used the WiFi feature in lieu of dialing up my internet, almost extensively to avoid using up minutes on my contract
I don't think this phone is as good as my two year old Motorola flip phone in regard to being able to place and recieve phone calls in fringe areas. On my old Motorola (the UGLY part... my old Motorola is very unsightly after having been in my pocket for many months) it made calls in fringe areas with relative ease, I have tried to place a call on the 8125 in fringe areas in rural Texas and it was impossible on the 8125, but easy and glitch-free on the old Motorola flip phone.
As far as the keypad goes, I like the QWERTY layout and found it fairly easy for my fat little fingers to traverse the keyboard. In fact, I think the 8125 is superior to the other phones on the market in regard to using the keys. The Blackberrys I looked at were not nearly as easy for me to work as the 8125. Maybe it's my arthritis and fat fingers? BUT, the 8125 worked well for me.
I didn't ever use the camera features, so I am not qualified to give an opinion on this feature. (I carry a Nikon D2x good for 12 megapixels... why take a picture with a cell phone when you have an $8,000 camera?)
The video feature on all cell phones looks too hokey for me, so I don't use this feature either and therefore I am not qualifed to comment on this feature. (If I did make a comment, my opinion wouldn't have any validity in regard to the video feature, so I'd rather simply be honest and say I don't use the video at all.)
I am 55 years old and I suspect for "older" folks like myself, this phone has too many features. The 8125 would probably thrill a 20 year old however, but for me, I simply needed a way to check e-mail on the road and track my expenses... Which leads me to the software.... The 8125 has Excell and if you need to keep track of expenses like I do, you'll be able to do so on this phone.
I can't comment on all the other software on this phone because I didn't use anything other than Excell and e-mail (sorry, I know some people will give me a lousy review, but my main point is the phone has some durability issues...)
I have semi-retired this phone and no longer use it, however... my wife and I will celebrate our 25th wedding anniversary in Great Brittian and I am taking the 8125 to Europe December 2007 for our trip. It's a simple process to switch out the SIMM card and re-activate the 8125 and since it works in Europe with WiFi, I can leave my laptop at home. This phone should be fine for checking e-mail while we are gone, AND it can be used to receive calls while we are in cell areas in England and Scotland. (My old phone isn't capable of this, so if an emergency comes up back home, someone will be able to call us... )
(ADDED 3-3... Thanks for the tip Bob)
I was advised and asked how the sound quality is... Big booboo on my part overlooking this.
I wear hearing aids as a result of being a 19 year old machinegunner in Vietnam. For me, it's sometimes a challenge to get any cell phone exactly over my ear in order to get good audio. The Cingular 8125, even though it DOESN'T have a provision to allow yhe user to "feel" where the ear pice goes has such good audio quality that I was very impressed. It took me a few trys at first to get used to where I needed to place the speaker part of the phone, but I soon got the feel of it. The audio quality (keep in mind that everything sounds artificial for me) sounds very, very good so I suspect for folks who don't wear hearing aids, this phone will impress even audiophiles.
The last feature in Epinions asks if you would recommend this phone to a friend. Well, I was very hesitant about clicking on the "NO" button, because this phone would be great for a city dweller who can clip it on a belt, or put it in a brief case or a purse. My lifestyle and my friends need a simple and durable phone and the 8125 just doesn't fit how I live, play and work.
Although I can't recommend this phone to an old-codger like myself who rides a motorcycle, a 4-wheeler... if you have a lifestyle where you can wear the phone on your belt, I am confident you will like it despite it's size and weight. (When I tried it on my belt in my car, it was always interfering with the seatbelts... and this phone is too big to put in a shirt pocket to be comfortable. It shouldn't be a problem of keeping the phone in a purse, but it'll still need to be protected in the leatherette case... the screen could get scratched otherwise.)
The problem is, I ride a Harley and it is impossible to wear the phone holder on a belt. It'll for sure fall off, so I have always carried my cell phone in my pants pocket where it is secure. I might miss a phone call this way, but when you are on a Harley, no way in the world are you going to answer or place a call if you are driving along.
My original Cingular 8125 broke in my pants-pocket. The phone is designed to slide open and reveal a small keyboard. It's really neat how this works and I suspect you (the reader) already know about the features of this phone. If not, go do a Google search for this phone. I could in no way compete with the Google searches that have so many good technical reports about this phone, but as user, I CAN write about some features that press-releases don't dare to touch. (I don't want to re-invent the wheel.) My goal in this evaluation is to advise that while this is one nifty and full-featured phone, DON'T BUY IT IF YOU HAVE AN ACTIVE LIFESTYLE LIKE MINE WHERE THE PHONE NEEDS TO "LIVE" IN YOUR PANTS POCKET.
Keeping the phone in the pants pocket was my only option on the Harley and while driving my tractor here on my farm. However, in this environment, the sliding keyboard tends to open and when it does, movement in the pocket while you are walking, sitting, bending will slide and break the keyboard, as it did in my first phone.
One other concern I have about durability. The sliding keyboard mechanism seems to be prone to collecting dirt. I don't think this would be a problem for someone who lives and uses this in a city, but out here on the farm, the grit would cut through the slide device like sandpaper...
The display is WONDERFUL and is easy to see in daylight. And even though I am no techno-geek, I found the phone relatively easy to use in regard to the WiFi features. My wife and I made a trip to New York shortly after I bought this phone and it was great being able to check my e-mail while we were being tourists in NYC. (That's the GOOD part)
There are actually two ways to get your e-mail, by WiFi and by using the phone to call (if you are not in a HotSpot or WiFi zone.) I used the WiFi feature in lieu of dialing up my internet, almost extensively to avoid using up minutes on my contract
I don't think this phone is as good as my two year old Motorola flip phone in regard to being able to place and recieve phone calls in fringe areas. On my old Motorola (the UGLY part... my old Motorola is very unsightly after having been in my pocket for many months) it made calls in fringe areas with relative ease, I have tried to place a call on the 8125 in fringe areas in rural Texas and it was impossible on the 8125, but easy and glitch-free on the old Motorola flip phone.
As far as the keypad goes, I like the QWERTY layout and found it fairly easy for my fat little fingers to traverse the keyboard. In fact, I think the 8125 is superior to the other phones on the market in regard to using the keys. The Blackberrys I looked at were not nearly as easy for me to work as the 8125. Maybe it's my arthritis and fat fingers? BUT, the 8125 worked well for me.
I didn't ever use the camera features, so I am not qualified to give an opinion on this feature. (I carry a Nikon D2x good for 12 megapixels... why take a picture with a cell phone when you have an $8,000 camera?)
The video feature on all cell phones looks too hokey for me, so I don't use this feature either and therefore I am not qualifed to comment on this feature. (If I did make a comment, my opinion wouldn't have any validity in regard to the video feature, so I'd rather simply be honest and say I don't use the video at all.)
I am 55 years old and I suspect for "older" folks like myself, this phone has too many features. The 8125 would probably thrill a 20 year old however, but for me, I simply needed a way to check e-mail on the road and track my expenses... Which leads me to the software.... The 8125 has Excell and if you need to keep track of expenses like I do, you'll be able to do so on this phone.
I can't comment on all the other software on this phone because I didn't use anything other than Excell and e-mail (sorry, I know some people will give me a lousy review, but my main point is the phone has some durability issues...)
I have semi-retired this phone and no longer use it, however... my wife and I will celebrate our 25th wedding anniversary in Great Brittian and I am taking the 8125 to Europe December 2007 for our trip. It's a simple process to switch out the SIMM card and re-activate the 8125 and since it works in Europe with WiFi, I can leave my laptop at home. This phone should be fine for checking e-mail while we are gone, AND it can be used to receive calls while we are in cell areas in England and Scotland. (My old phone isn't capable of this, so if an emergency comes up back home, someone will be able to call us... )
(ADDED 3-3... Thanks for the tip Bob)
I was advised and asked how the sound quality is... Big booboo on my part overlooking this.
I wear hearing aids as a result of being a 19 year old machinegunner in Vietnam. For me, it's sometimes a challenge to get any cell phone exactly over my ear in order to get good audio. The Cingular 8125, even though it DOESN'T have a provision to allow yhe user to "feel" where the ear pice goes has such good audio quality that I was very impressed. It took me a few trys at first to get used to where I needed to place the speaker part of the phone, but I soon got the feel of it. The audio quality (keep in mind that everything sounds artificial for me) sounds very, very good so I suspect for folks who don't wear hearing aids, this phone will impress even audiophiles.
The last feature in Epinions asks if you would recommend this phone to a friend. Well, I was very hesitant about clicking on the "NO" button, because this phone would be great for a city dweller who can clip it on a belt, or put it in a brief case or a purse. My lifestyle and my friends need a simple and durable phone and the 8125 just doesn't fit how I live, play and work.
Although I can't recommend this phone to an old-codger like myself who rides a motorcycle, a 4-wheeler... if you have a lifestyle where you can wear the phone on your belt, I am confident you will like it despite it's size and weight. (When I tried it on my belt in my car, it was always interfering with the seatbelts... and this phone is too big to put in a shirt pocket to be comfortable. It shouldn't be a problem of keeping the phone in a purse, but it'll still need to be protected in the leatherette case... the screen could get scratched otherwise.)
