Ericsson R520
Average Ratings
Great Workhorse
What more can I say, it has Bluetooth is durable,has speaker phone, and dosent look that bad.
It picks up signals where even a P280 dosent. The volume of the ear peice is loud and voices sound crisp. The speakers phones is not the best on the market but does its job. This phone has among the best range for bluetooth as it can keep a conversation going with a jabra headset over 50 feet line of sight while the v600 drops at about 30 feet.
Comparing to phones of modern this phone was a marvel when it came out and is still amongst my favorite.
Great business phone, excellent value!
When I changed over to GSM last month (T-Mobile USA) I picked up this phone for day to day business use and a T68i with camera attachment for personal "fun" use.
The r520m is my day to day "workhorse" phone and fills the bill with flying colors. Its large size is an asset rather than a liability- it's always an ergonomic relief to switch back to the r520m after using the T68 (or any other phone for that matter). Despite its size, its thin enough to wear on your belt under a shirt or jacket without a bulge and fits nicely into an eyeglass pouch in a shirt pocket.
RF is excellent. The B&W screen is always visible in any lighting conditions and is "always on" with signal strength, network, and battery info visible at all times.
I can't say enough good things about this phone- loaded with useful features... IR, Bluetooth, speakerphone, etc. Synching Outlook contacts, tasks, and appointments via IR or Bluetooth is a breeze with free XTND PC software.
Construction is solid with a good sturdy feel. Nice big easy to use buttons. The more I use this phone the more I like it (and I use it a LOT!).
All in all one of the best kept "secrets" in the world of GSM cell phones.... if you use your cell phone a lot for work, pick one of these up while you still can- you won't regret it!
Good, solid phone
Use this phone w. T-Mobile, mainly in Bay Area. Am a heavy user - about 2000 min./mo.
I don't make use of most of the many features - just use it as a phone. Liked it so much, bought 3 of them for various family members. Have used the phone myself for about 15 months.
Voice quality is excellent. Voice dialing works well. Unlike many newer, undersized phones, the buttons are easy to press. It is large enough to be comfortable to handle, yet thin enuf to stay in your shirt pocket without bulging. Battery life is average.
Just tried using a headset for the first time - making use of Bluetooth. It really can drain the battery quickly. Guess this would be true of any BT phone.
Price is what first attracted me - Less than $80 new and unlocked. The fact it is a tri-band sealed the deal. Of course now I would probably want a quad-band.
The major negative would be adding names to the phone book. There doesn't seem to be an easy way of adding a new number of someone who just called you. (It is possible it can be done and i just don't know how.) The speakerphone feature tends to be too touchy in that it turns it self off when you look at it wrong.
Unlike some other dual or tri-band phones, there doesn't seem to be any way to know what band you are on. (This doesn't really affect the functionality.)
lots of features for price
Pros:
+GPRS
+Bluetooth
+works great in foreign countries and here
+speakerphone
+alarm "snooze" function senses when you wave your hand over the phone
+speakerphone automaticly reverts to standard phone when you raise the phone to your ear
+ability to get extended battery that will last possibly for weeks!
+lightweight
+great signal
+infrared
Cons:
-a bit large in dimension
-sometimes proximity sensor turns off speakerphone when you don't want it to
Not bad for $100!
I got this phone because I wanted a lost cost phone for backup purposes. Instead I got a lot more bang for my buck than I expected! At first, I was a bit skeptical on purchasing this phone due to the fact of the countless complaints of Ericsson phones having poor RF performance. (T68)
This phone turned out to be a pleasant surprise. Not only does it have great RF performance, it's loaded with features such as GPRS, Bluetooth, Voice Dialing and Recorder, Speakerphone and more!
Sound quality is good. Calls are loud and clear. Menus are similar to that of the T39. Same functionality pretty much with the blue backlighting.
The only downside about this phone is that it it's a bit wide. Not thick but lightweight. A bit smaller and not as a Motorola P280.
If you're looking for an entry level phone, I definitely recommend this one over a Nokia 3390, Motorola T193 or Samsung R225! This phone blows all 3 of those phones out of the water!
Good Phone
I used this phone while traveling in Europe this year. The phone worked great. It has a good bunch of features, yet it is easy to use. The quaility of construction is good. Even if the phone is big by height and width, the thickness of the phone makes it a good comfortable size for the pocket or to slip easily into a backback pocket. This phone is a great phone for someone who lives in the USA and travels to Europe every once in a while.
My Favorite Phone
Got this phone in November 2001 and it hasn't let me down. I did at an IAT-10 antenna which has helped in respect to RF. Hangs on to calls and has all bells and whistles.
Thank you Ericsson :-)
Great GPRS model!!
I bought this brand new (unlocked) and use it with AT&T. The GPRS and WAP functions work flawlessly. Also works really well with other Bluetooth devices including headsets. Would greatly recommend!!!
Get this phone if
You want a phone in the $100.00 price range that includes bluetooth, GPRS, speaker phone and excellent reception. Do not get this phone if you want a tiny Gsm phone.
Ahead of its time
I know this phone is no longer available and VERY hard to find. I bought an R520m new and unlocked a couple of years ago specifically for international travel (Asia and Europe). I'm glad I did.
This is a phone that never really caught on in the marketplace, which is a shame. It's a phone that was simply ahead of its time.
For the price (I got mine for under $80 on Ebay) it absolutely cannot be beat. Quadband, Bluetooth, IR, proximity-sensitive speaker, GPRS, Outlook sync. The list of features just goes on and on - features found today (if you can even find all of these features) in phones that are four times the price.
It's built like a tank. The most important features in a phone, for me, are RF and durability. The R520m has terrific RF and sound quality. I telephone often from China to the US, and people tell me I sound like I'm in the next room.
As for durability, did I mention it's built like a tank? The aluminum housing is tough as nails. The keypad is durable and has positive feel and response.
My guess is that this phone never caught on because it's not "sexy". Actually, my GF didn't want one because she thought it was ugly. While I generally prefer a clamshell to a candybar style, this one works just fine for me.
There aren't many phones around now with the overall quality and heaps of features this phone has. And that's a shame!
