Nokia 6102i (Unlocked)

Disclaimer: Technical types will not find this review useful.

Chief complaint: Voice Quality so poor as to be unintelligible much of the time.

Details: My Nework :Cingular (used to be known as AT&T)- My calling range: S.F. Bay area.

On my Nokia 6102i, All the voices have an oscillating, underwater quality, and often an underlay of static as well. It's so bad, I avoid using the phone. I was forced into switching after my analog phone finally died. I 'd assumed reception depends more on the network than the device, but I don't really know. I DO KNOW that I enjoyed perfectly clear reception with my old Nokia model using the SAME provider I still use... Looking for a new phone now. Meanwhile, at least there's no chance of any overages. It takes only seconds to say "I'll have to call you back on a land line."

Since I really only use it as a telephone, I'm not qualified to judge the bells and whistles. I'll just mention that straight out of the box, it seemed easier to find myself in the "Cingular Mall," (where they sell ring tones, etc.), than to find and set up features I would have used most, (and already pay for) such as the speaker phone and speed and voice dialing. But I might have been able to fix this using a nifty application which allows you to program your own SHORTCUTS into the menu.

This was my first time using a camera phone. Among its drawbacks; it's hard to see your subject in the screen (no viewfinder)-especially in sunlight. And you can't download photos except over the internet (for a fee.) It won't replace my digital camera, but I've found that any gadget that makes it possible (easy, in fact) to turn grandchildren into screensavers is one I don't want to be without!