Sony Ericsson T237 / T290a
Average Ratings
A great companion for starting off
I'm about to change my phone for a higher tier phone, but I've had this Jet Black Sony Ericsson t290a for about a year and a half with Cingular, and I have had no trouble at all with it. It's always been reliable and it's very versatile. The battery life is great and the signal has been golden during my time with it; underground, in tunnels, and while traveling out of state and I live in urban New Jersey! Its light weight design was very convenient because it didn't bother me at all in any one of my pant pockets. If you're looking for a nice, simple phone with great signal quality, and are just starting out with a mobile phone, this one's certainly something to think about!
PROS:
1.) Great Signal Quality
2.) Light Weight
3.) Long Battery Life
4.) Cheap to buy
5.) Great Idea for a GO phone
6.) Good Speakerphone
7.) Easy Menu Configuration
8.) Great Voice Quality
9.) Compact
10.) Great Alarm Clock
Cons:
1.) Screenâs kind of small
2.) Buttons are kind of small (I have moderately large hands)
3.) Only a 12-bit display (4096 colors)
Kind of Fragile
4.) Doesnât Play MP3s
Overall, good phone.
I've had this phone for about 2 years, and overall, it is a good phone.
Pros:
- Small Size (Fits in pockets)
- Lightweight
- Voice Recorder (You can record music and use it as your ring tone)
- Speaker works well.
- Long battery life.
- Games are entertaining.
Cons:
- No built in camera.
- Picture quality isn't that great.
- Games are slow. (You have to press the submit button several times to get it started)
- Buttons are small (Too small for big fingers)
Great Phone!
This is a great little phone. Especially on the with Cingular on the GSM network! I get great service with it 4-5 bars practically all the time!
Pros:
Lightweight
Small (fits in your pocked easy)
Very Loud Ringers
Has AOL Instant Messenger on it
A Lot of preloaded wall papers and ring-tones
Very Cool Features to customize the phone
Many More
Cons:
Only 4,000 Color screen (could be better)
Small Buttons may be a problem for those with big fingers (but very nice)
Green Key Pad (but looks OK)
Great Little Phone
I found this little phone to be great! With the Suncom GSM service, it gets far better reception than my $300 Motorola V600! It's lightweight and small enough to carry in your pocket. Yes the buttons are a tiny and can be cumbersome to some while others won't have any problems. Yes the screen could be better, but after 3 days, I really didn't pay much attention.
Pros: lightweight, small, lots of features, multiple numbers per name, speakerphone, personal ring tones, custom wallpaper, great reception with Suncom network.
Cons: buttons are tiny, no 2.5mm headphone jack (sony ericsson accessories only), no built-in camera (but you can buy an attachment).
Better than the T226
PROS : this is an nice small compact ohone with lots of plusessuch as radio camera attchment and recorder stopwatch and calculator and alarm
cons NONE
Nice Phone
This is a really nice "little" phone. I purchased this phone recently because my last phone died... I did have the LG 4010 flip phone and after using this T237 I realize just how bad the LG4010 was.
Pros:
Excellent Speaker
Nice Color Display
Speakerphone
Cons:
Buttons are TINY
Good choice for people that just need a phone.
I needed a phone at retail price, Looked at similarly priced nokia handsets and chose this T237 because I was just looking for a good phone at a good price.
Don't get me wrong I love the features of alot of the newer phones but coulnd't justify the cost for what I will use it for at the moment.
PROS:
It has good RF quality(cingular/south MS)
Long battery life.
Managable size for a bar phone.
Speakerphone.
CONS:
Slow reaction times in games and even menus.
Only supports polyphonic tones.
Free Phone
I waited, and waited for this phone to come out, so that I wouldn't have the T226. This is supposed to have a better screen, well it does, but only marginally.
Navigating to call people is a pain in the neck. I used to have a Kyocera for the past couple years, and it was a snap to jump to people, I didnt have to go through sub menu after sub menu.
I could not see the screen during daylight. It was crazy. The screen works well enough when it is dark, but during the day, it looks like a gray blob.
It is hard to hold the phone in one hand and dial numbers or navigate the menus. It isn't hard hitting the outside arrows, but the little center click can be tough to get without hitting a direction button.
The number buttons are tough, and small, so you have to hold the phone in one hand while using your fingernail to hit the buttons.
My biggest complaint with this phone is the screen. It is so hard to see, and any on screen graphics are really blurry. Granted its better than my old dot matrix phone, but after using my girlfriends LG L1200, (it almost made me like flip phones!) this sony screen just can't compare.
A small annoyance, but turning off the ringer and locking the phone take too long to accomplish (maybe a benefit of flip phones.)
It is a good phone if you need something compact, and free. And you don't need to send or receive pictures. But I HIGHLY recommend you test one out at a store before buying it online or over the phone.
I am going to return mine and get a T637, much of the same with shape and all, but really nice screen and a camera.
Pros-
Small/Compact
Looks Nice
Clear speaker
Cons-
Small buttons
Dim screen in daylight!
Annoying menu arrangement.
Best bar phone for the price
Some corrections: The battery is Li-Ion, not Li-Polymer. Cingular lists the talk time as 7.5 hours, not 12. (Which is still incredible.) There is a camera attachment you can buy, but it doesn't come with the normal package.
I just got this phone a week ago from Cingular, and I'm quite pleased. I did a lot of research before choosing it, and I'm confident when I say that it's the best value bar phone supported by the major US carriers currently. It's just a very good basic phone. If you're looking for more advanced features, I'd have to recommend something else. But if you're just somebody who wants to use a phone as a phone, the T237 is an excellent choice.
PROS:
* Speakerphone works wonderfully. You can hear and be heard clearly from several feet away.
* Battery life is excellent. The battery status icon doesn't budge for hours or even days.
* One of the lightest, most compact phones out there.
* Supports AIM and WAP, but see con #1...
CONS:
* Small phone means small buttons. Composing long text messages would be a pain, literally. Ditto for games.
* Only supports Normal and Silent/Vibrate ringer modes.
* There's a screensaver on a ~30s delay. Some might not like it, but how do you expect to get the insane battery life?
* Standard ringtones and games provided by Cingular aren't the best. Menu items inviting you to shop for better ones are conspicuous.
All in all, as a basic phone to use as a phone, I give it a 4.5/5, subtracting mostly for the lack of ringer profiles.
Awesome Phone
I just bought this phone from walmart for $49.98 and it was definitely worth it. I am using cingular in the towson,md area. It is a basic phone with some nice features.If you are looking for an inexpensive phone or replacement phone this is the one to go with. Motorola just cant compete with Sony, Samsung and Nokia. I get better signal on this phone then my moto razor.
Pros:
Long Battery Life!
Loud Speaker Phone
Great Reception
Fast Internet
