Startac All the Way!!!

Startac Baby all the way... My girlfriend's Startac is on Verizon and mine
is on Sprint. We share batteries, chargers, and car adapters. High capacity
LI-ON batteries can be had all day long for $10... car chargers for $3 (can
also be picked up at any Target) Holsters $8... Desktop chargers $8...
There's even a USB charger cable for $8 that allows you to run/charge your
phone from a laptop computer.

The Startac also has an ergonomically correct fit to your ear and has really
good volume. One of the other things I like about it is when you put a deep
scratch on the case, it is black all the way through. There's no worry about
the silver rubbing or peeling off like some other phones I have had.

Does it take pictures and make Margaritas? No... but I have better more
specialized devices for those things.

"They will have to pry my Startac from my cold, dead fingers."

Startac Poster Child


"Joseph Huber" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> On Wed, 20 Aug 2003 15:34:21 -0500 (EST), [email protected]
> (Eric) wrote:
>
> >I was just wondering -- with the Sanyo 4900 and Samsung A500 now being
> >discontinued -- how many of you users still use older, discontinued
> >phones? How long have you had your phone... does it still perform well?
> >How long will a manufactorer support a discontinued model?
>
> I've had my StarTac 7867W for 3 years. It's been beat up and is still
> going strong. Its only 2G, but it gets me Internet access for my
> laptop. If it dies, and Sprint PCS doesn't offer any Motorola phones,
> and still insists that 3G phones can't be hooked to laptops, I'll
> either try to find a used 7867W and continue on with 2G, or head over
> to Verizon...
>
> Joe
>
> Joseph Huber
> [email protected]

---

› See More: Startac All the Way!!!

In article <[email protected]>,
"Cat Grinder" <[email protected]> wrote:

> Startac Baby all the way... My girlfriend's Startac is on Verizon and mine
> is on Sprint. We share batteries, chargers, and car adapters. High capacity
> LI-ON batteries can be had all day long for $10... car chargers for $3 (can
> also be picked up at any Target) Holsters $8... Desktop chargers $8...
> There's even a USB charger cable for $8 that allows you to run/charge your
> phone from a laptop computer.
>
> The Startac also has an ergonomically correct fit to your ear and has really
> good volume. One of the other things I like about it is when you put a deep
> scratch on the case, it is black all the way through. There's no worry about
> the silver rubbing or peeling off like some other phones I have had.
>
> Does it take pictures and make Margaritas? No... but I have better more
> specialized devices for those things.
>
> "They will have to pry my Startac from my cold, dead fingers."
>
> Startac Poster Child

Ugh. I'm glad you have a phone you like, but it seems to me that lots of
StarTAC people only like them because they haven't tried modern phones
from Samsung, Sanyo, etc. StarTACs simply feel cheap by comparison
(creaky plastic, cheap feeling buttons, loud, crummy flip), don't have
very good voice quality and have a terrible menuing system (and
unfortunately even though Moto finally came out with a new interface for
the T720, they managed to make it almost as bad, though in different
ways).

Actually I have tried new phones. My workmates actually used to give me a
hard time because I would change cell phones every few months. In fact I
bought my Startac new just a little over a year ago. It was the last new one
I could find in the State of Utah. I had a Samsung before that. I couldn't
tell you how many cell phones I have had in the past10 or 12 years. I still
have one of the first motorola portable phones that was available. Three
watts and probably three pounds. Of course it still works! I have always
been impressed with Motorola quality regardless of what type of product it
was. The sound quality is the best I have ever heard with the exception of
that big motorola phone I just described. Even the V60 which my girlfriend
traded for a Startac had a partially metal case. Like I said before, my
phone has some very deep scratches on it but none of the color is peeling
off. None of the numbers have rubbed off of the buttons on the Startac
either like some of the other brands I have had. As far as the menu system
goes, it does not seem difficult to operate to me or even my girlfriend who
is basically electronically illiterate. I guess there's a reason that the
Startac still holds the record for the most popular cellphone to ever hit
the market.


"null" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> In article <[email protected]>,
> "Cat Grinder" <[email protected]> wrote:
>
> > Startac Baby all the way... My girlfriend's Startac is on Verizon and
mine
> > is on Sprint. We share batteries, chargers, and car adapters. High
capacity
> > LI-ON batteries can be had all day long for $10... car chargers for $3
(can
> > also be picked up at any Target) Holsters $8... Desktop chargers $8...
> > There's even a USB charger cable for $8 that allows you to run/charge
your
> > phone from a laptop computer.
> >
> > The Startac also has an ergonomically correct fit to your ear and has
really
> > good volume. One of the other things I like about it is when you put a
deep
> > scratch on the case, it is black all the way through. There's no worry
about
> > the silver rubbing or peeling off like some other phones I have had.
> >
> > Does it take pictures and make Margaritas? No... but I have better more
> > specialized devices for those things.
> >
> > "They will have to pry my Startac from my cold, dead fingers."
> >
> > Startac Poster Child
>
> Ugh. I'm glad you have a phone you like, but it seems to me that lots of
> StarTAC people only like them because they haven't tried modern phones
> from Samsung, Sanyo, etc. StarTACs simply feel cheap by comparison
> (creaky plastic, cheap feeling buttons, loud, crummy flip), don't have
> very good voice quality and have a terrible menuing system (and
> unfortunately even though Moto finally came out with a new interface for
> the T720, they managed to make it almost as bad, though in different
> ways).

In article <O3f1b.220501$Ho3.29061@sccrnsc03>,
"Cat Grinder" <[email protected]> wrote:

> Actually I have tried new phones. My workmates actually used to give me a
> hard time because I would change cell phones every few months. In fact I
> bought my Startac new just a little over a year ago. It was the last new one
> I could find in the State of Utah. I had a Samsung before that. I couldn't
> tell you how many cell phones I have had in the past10 or 12 years. I still
> have one of the first motorola portable phones that was available. Three
> watts and probably three pounds. Of course it still works! I have always
> been impressed with Motorola quality regardless of what type of product it
> was. The sound quality is the best I have ever heard with the exception of
> that big motorola phone I just described. Even the V60 which my girlfriend
> traded for a Startac had a partially metal case. Like I said before, my
> phone has some very deep scratches on it but none of the color is peeling
> off. None of the numbers have rubbed off of the buttons on the Startac
> either like some of the other brands I have had. As far as the menu system
> goes, it does not seem difficult to operate to me or even my girlfriend who
> is basically electronically illiterate. I guess there's a reason that the
> Startac still holds the record for the most popular cellphone to ever hit
> the market.

Interesting how people can have such different views of the same phone.
I've also gone through lots of phones, and I personally loathe StarTACs,
and would rather use any number of phones from the past five years,
including the old Nokia 5100s and 6100s (which were the same phone with
different buttons, and sold far, far more units than StarTACs).
Unfortunately Nokia's first attempt at CDMA bit it big time, but Samsung
stepped up nicely. My Samsung A500 has good (at least on par with a
StarTAC, though not as good as Sanyos) reception, great voice quality,
great interface (second only to Nokia), is small and light and feels
good in the hand, doesn't have creaky plastics, has great tactile button
feedback, and has only gotten the slightest scuffs in six months of
heavy use (keys, etc. do not scratch it at all in my pocket). As a
bonus, it also has color, external caller ID, GPS, polyphonic rings, 1x
RTT, voice memo, and a USB data port for connecting to my computer.

I have a timeport my sister-in-law has the new Samsung, we are both on
Sprint.

We live in the mountains in North Scottsdale, AZ.

I get mediocre service on my Timeport (sometimes great somtimes
spotty).

My sister-in-law gets "no service" period.

Keep the look and feel of a samsung, lg, etc.... the voice and RF on
the StarTac/TimePort beat them all in a side by side

null <[email protected]> wrote in message news:<[email protected]>...
> In article <[email protected]>,
> "Cat Grinder" <[email protected]> wrote:
>
> > Startac Baby all the way... My girlfriend's Startac is on Verizon and mine
> > is on Sprint. We share batteries, chargers, and car adapters. High capacity
> > LI-ON batteries can be had all day long for $10... car chargers for $3 (can
> > also be picked up at any Target) Holsters $8... Desktop chargers $8...
> > There's even a USB charger cable for $8 that allows you to run/charge your
> > phone from a laptop computer.
> >
> > The Startac also has an ergonomically correct fit to your ear and has really
> > good volume. One of the other things I like about it is when you put a deep
> > scratch on the case, it is black all the way through. There's no worry about
> > the silver rubbing or peeling off like some other phones I have had.
> >
> > Does it take pictures and make Margaritas? No... but I have better more
> > specialized devices for those things.
> >
> > "They will have to pry my Startac from my cold, dead fingers."
> >
> > Startac Poster Child
>
> Ugh. I'm glad you have a phone you like, but it seems to me that lots of
> StarTAC people only like them because they haven't tried modern phones
> from Samsung, Sanyo, etc. StarTACs simply feel cheap by comparison
> (creaky plastic, cheap feeling buttons, loud, crummy flip), don't have
> very good voice quality and have a terrible menuing system (and
> unfortunately even though Moto finally came out with a new interface for
> the T720, they managed to make it almost as bad, though in different
> ways).

Yeah Ron...

I've seen that happen several times when I have been with friends in a poor
coverage area. Their's will have either very little signal or none at all.
The problem is that they will then want to use mine and chew into my
minutes.



"Ron" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> I have a timeport my sister-in-law has the new Samsung, we are both on
> Sprint.
>
> We live in the mountains in North Scottsdale, AZ.
>
> I get mediocre service on my Timeport (sometimes great somtimes
> spotty).
>
> My sister-in-law gets "no service" period.
>
> Keep the look and feel of a samsung, lg, etc.... the voice and RF on
> the StarTac/TimePort beat them all in a side by side
>
> null <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:<[email protected]>...
> > In article <[email protected]>,
> > "Cat Grinder" <[email protected]> wrote:
> >
> > > Startac Baby all the way... My girlfriend's Startac is on Verizon and
mine
> > > is on Sprint. We share batteries, chargers, and car adapters. High
capacity
> > > LI-ON batteries can be had all day long for $10... car chargers for $3
(can
> > > also be picked up at any Target) Holsters $8... Desktop chargers $8...
> > > There's even a USB charger cable for $8 that allows you to run/charge
your
> > > phone from a laptop computer.
> > >
> > > The Startac also has an ergonomically correct fit to your ear and has
really
> > > good volume. One of the other things I like about it is when you put a
deep
> > > scratch on the case, it is black all the way through. There's no worry
about
> > > the silver rubbing or peeling off like some other phones I have had.
> > >
> > > Does it take pictures and make Margaritas? No... but I have better
more
> > > specialized devices for those things.
> > >
> > > "They will have to pry my Startac from my cold, dead fingers."
> > >
> > > Startac Poster Child
> >
> > Ugh. I'm glad you have a phone you like, but it seems to me that lots of
> > StarTAC people only like them because they haven't tried modern phones
> > from Samsung, Sanyo, etc. StarTACs simply feel cheap by comparison
> > (creaky plastic, cheap feeling buttons, loud, crummy flip), don't have
> > very good voice quality and have a terrible menuing system (and
> > unfortunately even though Moto finally came out with a new interface for
> > the T720, they managed to make it almost as bad, though in different
> > ways).

null <[email protected]> wrote in article
<[email protected]>:
> In article <[email protected]>,
> "Cat Grinder" <[email protected]> wrote:
>
> > Startac Baby all the way... My girlfriend's Startac is on Verizon and mine
> > is on Sprint. We share batteries, chargers, and car adapters. High capacity
> > LI-ON batteries can be had all day long for $10... car chargers for $3 (can
> > also be picked up at any Target) Holsters $8... Desktop chargers $8...
> > There's even a USB charger cable for $8 that allows you to run/charge your
> > phone from a laptop computer.
> >
> > The Startac also has an ergonomically correct fit to your ear and has really
> > good volume. One of the other things I like about it is when you put a deep
> > scratch on the case, it is black all the way through. There's no worry about
> > the silver rubbing or peeling off like some other phones I have had.
> >
> > Does it take pictures and make Margaritas? No... but I have better more
> > specialized devices for those things.
> >
> > "They will have to pry my Startac from my cold, dead fingers."
> >
> > Startac Poster Child
>
> Ugh. I'm glad you have a phone you like, but it seems to me that lots of
> StarTAC people only like them because they haven't tried modern phones
> from Samsung, Sanyo, etc. StarTACs simply feel cheap by comparison
> (creaky plastic, cheap feeling buttons, loud, crummy flip), don't have
> very good voice quality and have a terrible menuing system (and
> unfortunately even though Moto finally came out with a new interface for
> the T720, they managed to make it almost as bad, though in different
> ways).

I hated my Startac 7867. It was the worst phone I've ever used for both
reception and menu functions.

[posted via phonescoop.com - free web access to the alt.cellular groups]

I was out today and saw a Sprint store so I decided to stop by and see what
they had to offer in the way of phones. They had the usual variety of Sanyos
and Samsungs along with some PDA style phones. All of the phones were hooked
up so that you could make calls and see the features. I made test calls on
several of them and here are the conclusions that I came to. The Samsungs
are nice looking phones with their blue (just like my Startac) displays. The
Samsungs look better in my opinion than the Sanyos but the Sanyos seemed to
have clearer sound. The Sanyo was as clear sounding as my Startac but the
Startac speaker had more bass to it, was more natural sounding and didn't
sound as tinny as the Sanyo.
I could not get the one Hitachi phone to dial out. Another thing I have
noticed about the newer phones is that the earpieces
seem to be more or less flat. The Startac has a scalloped ear piece which is
a lot more comfortable to my ear on long conversations... sort of like my
home phone. The biggest
thing I noticed is when my girlfriend was comparing her signal level to the
phones in the store. I told her it wouldn't be a valid comparison because
she was with Verizon. That gave me an idea to compare the signal level on my
Startac against the Sanyos and such in the store. My Startac had full signal
strength in
every part of the store. There was not a phone in the entire store that had
full signal strength like my Startac. (I did not check the PDA phones
though.) I tried the phones with their antennas both retracted and extended
and none of them had full signal. I thought it was strange that Sprint did
not put their store close to the cell site or the site closer to the store.
Oh well. Somebody had also said something about creaky plastic and yes the
new ones creak. Well the proof is in the pudding and that's why after today
I will definitely hold on to my Startac.

To all you naysayers I say...

DRONE ON!


"Larry Thomas" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
>
> null <[email protected]> wrote in article
> <[email protected]>:
> > In article <[email protected]>,
> > "Cat Grinder" <[email protected]> wrote:
> >
> > > Startac Baby all the way... My girlfriend's Startac is on Verizon and
mine
> > > is on Sprint. We share batteries, chargers, and car adapters. High
capacity
> > > LI-ON batteries can be had all day long for $10... car chargers for $3
(can
> > > also be picked up at any Target) Holsters $8... Desktop chargers $8...
> > > There's even a USB charger cable for $8 that allows you to run/charge
your
> > > phone from a laptop computer.
> > >
> > > The Startac also has an ergonomically correct fit to your ear and has
really
> > > good volume. One of the other things I like about it is when you put a
deep
> > > scratch on the case, it is black all the way through. There's no worry
about
> > > the silver rubbing or peeling off like some other phones I have had.
> > >
> > > Does it take pictures and make Margaritas? No... but I have better
more
> > > specialized devices for those things.
> > >
> > > "They will have to pry my Startac from my cold, dead fingers."
> > >
> > > Startac Poster Child
> >
> > Ugh. I'm glad you have a phone you like, but it seems to me that lots of
> > StarTAC people only like them because they haven't tried modern phones
> > from Samsung, Sanyo, etc. StarTACs simply feel cheap by comparison
> > (creaky plastic, cheap feeling buttons, loud, crummy flip), don't have
> > very good voice quality and have a terrible menuing system (and
> > unfortunately even though Moto finally came out with a new interface for
> > the T720, they managed to make it almost as bad, though in different
> > ways).
>
> I hated my Startac 7867. It was the worst phone I've ever used for both
> reception and menu functions.
>
> [posted via phonescoop.com - free web access to the alt.cellular groups]

In article <7jR1b.237316$YN5.160690@sccrnsc01>,
"Cat Grinder" <[email protected]> wrote:

> I was out today and saw a Sprint store so I decided to stop by and see what
> they had to offer in the way of phones. They had the usual variety of Sanyos
> and Samsungs along with some PDA style phones. All of the phones were hooked
> up so that you could make calls and see the features. I made test calls on
> several of them and here are the conclusions that I came to. The Samsungs
> are nice looking phones with their blue (just like my Startac) displays. The
> Samsungs look better in my opinion than the Sanyos but the Sanyos seemed to
> have clearer sound. The Sanyo was as clear sounding as my Startac but the
> Startac speaker had more bass to it, was more natural sounding and didn't
> sound as tinny as the Sanyo.
> I could not get the one Hitachi phone to dial out. Another thing I have
> noticed about the newer phones is that the earpieces
> seem to be more or less flat. The Startac has a scalloped ear piece which is
> a lot more comfortable to my ear on long conversations... sort of like my
> home phone. The biggest
> thing I noticed is when my girlfriend was comparing her signal level to the
> phones in the store. I told her it wouldn't be a valid comparison because
> she was with Verizon. That gave me an idea to compare the signal level on my
> Startac against the Sanyos and such in the store. My Startac had full signal
> strength in
> every part of the store. There was not a phone in the entire store that had
> full signal strength like my Startac. (I did not check the PDA phones
> though.) I tried the phones with their antennas both retracted and extended
> and none of them had full signal. I thought it was strange that Sprint did
> not put their store close to the cell site or the site closer to the store.
> Oh well. Somebody had also said something about creaky plastic and yes the
> new ones creak. Well the proof is in the pudding and that's why after today
> I will definitely hold on to my Startac.
>
> To all you naysayers I say...
>
> DRONE ON!

Like I said before, I'm glad you found a phone you like. I disagree with
you on all opinion points here, however, and one factual point: as has
been discussed on this newsgroup ad infinitum in the past, signal
strength bars mean literally nothing when comparing between two
different models of phone. Sanyos, for example, are famous for
underestimating signal strength -- when a Sanyo shows "martini glass"
(if the phone shows that it can get signal at all), a Sanyo can almost
always hold a call without dropouts. Some other brands require that they
be displaying one or two bars of signal before they'll hold a call well.
The fact that your StarTAC shows full signal strength means absolutely
nothing, except in relation to itself.

The correct term is "antenna symbol".


> Like I said before, I'm glad you found a phone you like. I disagree with
> you on all opinion points here, however, and one factual point: as has
> been discussed on this newsgroup ad infinitum in the past, signal
> strength bars mean literally nothing when comparing between two
> different models of phone. Sanyos, for example, are famous for
> underestimating signal strength -- when a Sanyo shows "martini glass"
> (if the phone shows that it can get signal at all), a Sanyo can almost
> always hold a call without dropouts. Some other brands require that they
> be displaying one or two bars of signal before they'll hold a call well.
> The fact that your StarTAC shows full signal strength means absolutely
> nothing, except in relation to itself.

Thank you, I realize that. The colloquial term, however, is "martini
glass," which is generally a more effective way to describe it to the
98% of the population that isn't familiar with electronic diagrams.


In article <[email protected]>,
Jerome Zelinske <[email protected]> wrote:

> The correct term is "antenna symbol".
>
>
> > Like I said before, I'm glad you found a phone you like. I disagree with
> > you on all opinion points here, however, and one factual point: as has
> > been discussed on this newsgroup ad infinitum in the past, signal
> > strength bars mean literally nothing when comparing between two
> > different models of phone. Sanyos, for example, are famous for
> > underestimating signal strength -- when a Sanyo shows "martini glass"
> > (if the phone shows that it can get signal at all), a Sanyo can almost
> > always hold a call without dropouts. Some other brands require that they
> > be displaying one or two bars of signal before they'll hold a call well.
> > The fact that your StarTAC shows full signal strength means absolutely
> > nothing, except in relation to itself.

it seems odd to me that such an awkward-looking phone became so popular.
having never used one i can't really explain why they were so popular
but i guess they were. that battery, even before i had ever had a cell
phone of my own, just seemed strange. a big lump on half of the bottom
of the flip. but i guess the thing was really durable and reliable.

i do miss the days of the all black hard plastic phones, just because i
didn't have to be so obsessed with keeping them looking pretty. i think
my next phone will be a more utilitarian rock-solid phone.

i agree with what someone else said about motoralas, at least these
days. the build quality seems to be much less than the samsung and
particularly the sanyos i have used. my friend has a v60 and i actually
think it looks really nice and is very small. but there seems to be way
too much movement in the hinge. but i suppose that could be on purpose.
it just seems like it's too similar to the comparison you can make in
the auto industry. american cars - cheap-looking plastic and somewhat
inferior build quality. asian cars - nice-looking materials (even when
cheap), put together using exacting standards.

--
Posted at SprintUsers.com - Your place for everything Sprint PCS
Free wireless access @ www.SprintUsers.com/wap

On Thu, 21 Aug 2003 15:24:18 GMT, "Cat Grinder" <[email protected]>
wrote:

>Startac Baby all the way...
....SNIP

>"They will have to pry my Startac from my cold, dead fingers."
>

YES! I agree! As I said in another thread, I'm using a StarTac 7867W
that's about 2 years old. It developed a slight problem this past
spring, and Sprint told me they couldn't replace it with the same model,
so I had switched to a Samsung A460. The A460 turned out to be such a
piece of crap that I ended up switching back to the StarTac. I love the
StarTac.

The A460 was nicer looking, but that's about the only good thing I have
to say about it. Oh A460, how do I hate thee? Let me count the ways...

Oh heck, there are too many things to list them all here.

I'll just say that I don't need fancy features. I just need a phone
that I get good coverage with, and that has firmware that was designed
by somebody that has used a cell phone before. The Samsung firmware
must have been written by 7-year-olds.

And I'm not measuring signal strength with the number of bars. I'm
measuring it with my StarTac being able to make good reliable
connections when the A460 had NO SERVICE. For a while, I carried them
both around with me, and I know the StarTac has much better ability to
connect than the A460. Even the service tech at Sprint told me the
Samsungs didn't have as good performance as far as pickup.

Anybody have an old StarTac they want to sell cheap? Most of you folks
don't seem to like them, so you won't charge much, right?

BTW, I have a Samsung A460 sitting in my closet -- only used for 3
months or so. Hey, anybody want to swap a StarTac for an A460?


Bill

On Tue, 26 Aug 2003 06:00:56 GMT, Bill Maxwell
<[email protected]> wrote:
> "Cat Grinder" <[email protected] wrote:
>>Startac Baby all the way...
>>"They will have to pry my Startac from my cold, dead fingers."
>YES! I agree!

Same here!! 7867W forever!!!

I've got nothing more than anecdotal evidence, but I know that my
StarTac can make calls where the newer SprintPCS phones can't get
service. Also, having seen the menus on the newer phones, I don't
understand all the bashing of the StarTac menus that occurs in this
group. The StarTac menus seems as logical and functional to me as
anything on the new phones.

My only gripe with the StarTac is that it can't recieve longer text
(Wireless Web) messages, but I don't know if that's a SprintPCS issue
or a StarTac issue. Otherwise, it works great as a phone. If I need
to get on the Internet, I'll hook the StarTac to my laptop and access
the Internet through a sane and friendly user interface.

>Anybody have an old StarTac they want to sell cheap? Most of you folks
>don't seem to like them, so you won't charge much, right?

Head over to eBay...you should be able to find a few there. Just
check with SprintPCS to make sure that the phone is "clean" before you
buy it.

Joseph Huber
[email protected]

On Wed, 27 Aug 2003 01:59:04 GMT, [email protected] (Joseph
Huber) wrote:

>....Head over to eBay...you should be able to find a few there. Just
>check with SprintPCS to make sure that the phone is "clean" before you
>buy it.
>

"Clean?" You mean not stolen?


Bill.