Nokia 1260 / 1261 / 1221
Average Ratings
Good At What It Does
I picked this phone from TracFone up after moving from a friends place in southern Maine back to my place about 2 hours north of them and finding out that the Nokia 2115i I had with Virgin Mobile no longer had service. I am actually quite pleased with it. Since I don't need a gadget phone and wanted to stay with Nokia, this one fills the slot perfectly.
Pros:
Simple
Long battery life
Rugged
Cons:
No polyphonic or true tone support (Not a big problem, but there are those that like that kind of stuff)
Bulky (At least compared to Nokia's other phones.)
No auto keypad locking (For me, this is a must have feature. Accidentally making a call on a prepaid phone gets expensive.)
No multiple numbers per name (Again, not that much of a problem. Just label the contact (CELL) or whatever to keep it all straight.)
For those that want a flashy phone, this is not it. It looks like a gray plastic brick for a reason, to keep it cheap. If you want a simple, no-frills, ever reliable phone... The buy this one. I am aware of the "Final Shutdown" bug, but Nokia will replace the phone if it ever happens.
Works for its Intended Audience
I have worked in wireless since 1997 and I must say that the Nokia 1260 does what it is meant to do...make a receive phone calls...nothing more, nothing less.
It was intended as an ebtry level phone for the novice user. It was never meant to go to an on the go business professional who is looking for all the latest features.
I would recommend this phone for first time users looking to spend a smaller amount of money and wanted ease of use and a simple menu format. I would also recommend it for older individuals as it is easy to use and for younger people as it is a little more rugged and tougher than most of the newer devices.
I am aware of the issue where the phone will die and never turn on again. As long as its in warranty, the device can be replace usually by the carrier or if not, by Nokia directly. As with any electronic device, all data should be backed up so you can' really blame any phone for losing your data as any phone may go out at anytime.
All in all, a decent phone for a low price and if given to its target audience, can give a very pleasant experience.
not to shabby
Im 16. This was my first phone and still is at the moment. I honestly need something more. Everything about this phone is fine. Great reception, never failed and simple enough for anyone. But everyone has great phones and im stuck with this. So recently I bought a Motorola Razr V3, which is top of line. It hasnt arrived yet so im stuck with this a few more days. I think its pretty funny though that I go from basically an antique, to the most high class phone there is. Basically, if you want to make a call here and there, this phones for you!
Great, but very basic.
This phone is great but it's very low tech.
Pros:
GREAT reception (I live in Northwest Arkansas)
Good Battery Life
Small
I personally like the ringtones
Cons:
Very Basic all around features
No Vibrate
i'll miss it.
this was my first cell phone and i'm hoping my new one will serve me as well.
after 2 1/2 years and plenty of abuse, it keeps on chugging along (see hockey puck reviews).
pros:
simple.
never failed (my only phone for 2 1/2 years).
cons:
everything that comes with a new phone.
that i have to leave it behind.
good recommendation for anyone looking for a phone in 2002.
Nice while it lasted
I was looking for some information about why my beloved 1260 died without warning. After reading the reviews, I see this is a common problem with this model. It is a simple phone, but that's all I wanted and it did a great job. One day I was talking and it just died. I thought it was the battery, but a new Nokia battery did not work. It lasted about a year and a half. See my next review on the 1100 which is this phone's replacement.
bad phone
I have had this phone for about 2 years, and it has been nothing but a huge problem. I wouldn't advise anyone to get this phone. I have horrible reception, I never have more than 2 bars. The phone is soooo quite, I can only hear it in a quite room. If you're out in public, you can't hear at all. The buttons on my phone don't work either I have to push them over and over just to dial a phone number. Also, the battery bar is always full but it shuts off constantly. Do not ever get this phone.
Good for what it was designed for
Despite what others have negatively said about the 1260, it's a great phone for what it was designed for. It was meant to be a simple, no-frills, reliable entry level phone. Everyone knows how horrendous AT&T's reliability at staying connected is within their network, but the 1260 held strong. In the two years that I used it, I can't ever remember having a call dropped? Now I'm using the newer Nokia 3595 (still with AT&T) and I get dropped at least a few times a week (both phones were used within the same area).
Though already outdated, it's still a good phone to use for its basic functions of making and receiving calls. With that in mind, I really can't say anything all that bad about the Nokia 1260.
The Roatary Cellular Phone
Anyone who is looking for the most basic cell phone on the market this is the model for you.
The 1260 has almost no extra features. It has no vibra-call alert, no voice-activated dialing (save for AT&T's #121 Service), no keylock function. In short its a basic phone for those who do not wish to be overrun by the complicated features of some of the more High-Tech phones on the market.
