Nokia 6120c

[Ent]

Hi All

In the never ending and frustrating search for a mobile phone that has some bushwalking ability I chose today a Nokia 6120c after the Imate went to silicon heaven after the screen tap failed. What I was looking for was at least 3G capability to get coverage. I gave up on ruggisation as weather resistance appears to be an aspect that mobile phone companies do not understand in conjunction with 3G. Yes, Telstra have finally released a ZTE water resistant 3G capable phone but in true Telstra style are price gouging the market. Also experience at work with ZTE phones is nine brought and nine failed with only one been accepted as a warranty claim and the repair/replacement failed within three months. All phones used in an office/shop environment (nine different locations) but Telstra claimed they had either been wet or dropped So no ZTE phones for me especially at a outright purchase price of over seven hundred dollars.

Initial impressions.
1. Can not charged with the USB cable. Why? Because Nokia can lock you into their charger so no ability to have a USB charger for the phone and the GPS. (Telstra shop said it could be while Tandy, local electronic shop said no and are correct. Yet again incorrect information from the Telstra shop )
2. Nokia have rigged their phone not to charge with anything but a Nokia charger so no ability to use after market battery charger even if you have the correct 2.5mm pin.
3. Small and light.
4. Confusing menu structure with the standard Telstra modification to remove the ability to change the interval before diverting to message bank.

Points 1, 2 and 4 yet again demonstrate the usual technological companies approach to maximising returns by forcing customers to use propriety products. Point 4 in particular explains why telecommunication companies belong in the least respected category of businesses. Yet again high tech companies have demonstrate their typical contempt for their customers.

While not ideal, at $149 outright purchase cost it is at least a minimal outlay for a communication item. Some reviews say it is suitable for rural areas while other say it is not but then Telstra rural tick in my opinion has no technical standard and is yet again a marketing ploy. I wish I could be more up beat but having been forced yet again to accept substandard functionality and the usual misinformation from the Telstra Shop (brought at Harvey Norman as a small attempted to minimise Telstra's profits) means my enthusiasm for technology has taken its usual battering.

Cheers Brett

[BarryJ]

The 6120c is quite suitable for use in rural area. The reason it does not have a blue tick is that it has no jack for an external antenna but its range is excellent without the external antenna (I believe Aurora tested a few hand sets and chose the 6120c for their field crews). Cheap third party chargers are available; I bought a cheapy to charge my 6120c in my car. I also bought a cheap adaptor cable (under $10) to convert a couple of older Nokia chargers for use with the 6120c.

I have managed to destroy three 6120's by drowning since their introduction about 12 months after the inception of NextG.

[Ent]

Hi Barryj

Thanks for the information. My in car charger for the bluetooth GPS has the same plug but will not charge the 6120c (starts then stops) yet the 6120c charger will charge the bluetooth GPS. I have a AA mobile phone charger and various Nokia models said not a Nokia charger and did not work but on other models it does work and to make the matter even more annoying a few plug in and out attempts will get certain Nokias to work eventually. Me think that the phone talks to the charger much as with Dell laptops that will tell you what wattage charger you are using. I will track down a cheap charger and give it a go.

You are correct re the Hydro though the ground crews still miss the CDMA coverage and in many places the older analogue system was much better than the newer systems, especially up on the high points.

Well bonus after installing yet another driver I could download my address book from the Information Outlook so some blue sky Get the feeling it is worthwhile haunting Ebay for the hand-me-downs and treating the units as disposable. It never ceases to amaze me that the old 1610 and even the 5110 Nokias could survive years with external work crews but many "modern" phones fail at the first sign of moisture. Must be the technological "advancements"

Cheers Brett

[BarryJ]

.............................. It never ceases to amaze me that the old 1610 and even the 5110 Nokias could survive years with external work crews but many "modern" phones fail at the first sign of moisture. Must be the technological "advancements"
............................

In addition to the three 6120c's I think I may have drowned two or three other phones (not all Nokias). None of 'em seem to like total immersion.