HTC 8125 Smartphone - Doesn't Live Up to First Impressions
Written: Dec 01 '07 (Updated Feb 13 '08)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Large keyboard, lots of features.
Cons: Lack of durability and a design defect. Phone difficult to use.
The Bottom Line: Lack of durability prevents it from being a recommended buy.
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| BigJack's Full Review: HTC 8125 Smartphone |
This is my first new Epinion in over four years. Be gentle :)
I used the HTC 8215 Smartphone for two years. When I first got it, I thought it was the greatest thing ever. First impressions can be misleading.
When I got the 8125, it was the first time I merged my Blackberry device and my cell phone into one device. So although the 8125 is bulky and not easily tucked away in a pocket or purse, it was worth not having to lug around two devices. Today, though, newer devices are substantially smaller than the 8125, which is now the equivalent of the giant satellite phone used by Gordon Gecko on the beach in Wall Street. I now have a T-Mobile Dash, which is literally half as big as the 8125.
Features
The 8125's main advantage is that it is the Swiss-army knife of PDAs. You can not only use its sync capability to put your email on the phone, but it will function as a Blackberry-type device as well. It has a decent camera - still and video. Its Internet capability is pretty good. Beyond the simple stuff like checking sports scores, I've bid on items on Ebay with it (and won!). It has all the Microsoft Mobile features, so it truly is a Pocket PC – it has Word, Excel, even PowerPoint. Problem is, even on a large, bulky device like the 8125, trying to use any of those features is an exercise certain to drive one insane. Sure, in a pinch, you can download something, and usually, you can take a look at it, but forget about trying to write or even edit something. It's just too hard and time-consuming, which limits the appeal of the Pocket PC aspect of the device.
Keyboard, touchscreen, stylus
It's not that the designers didn't try to overcome the difficulties of trying to do full-size PC tasks on a Pocket PC. The 8125 has every input you could want. The keyboard is great – it slides out the side of the 8125, and it's a good size even for someone with big fat thumbs like myself. A stylus is included for the touchscreen, and it works pretty darn well (provided you don't lose the stylus, see below). The touchscreen works well – with the stylus. Trying to use your fingers on it is a whole different story. I should know, because I lost 3 styli. I had to use my fingers a lot, and it was annoying to say the least. This is particularly true with the phone feature. You don't want to slide the keyboard out to dial a call, and you don't want to have to pull the stylus out either. But dialing with your fingers is difficult. Even once you get the hang of it, you'll frequently misdial. And forget about trying to dial by feel like you can do with a cell phone with a raised number panel. While the slide-out keyboard is great for emailing, using the phone is a pain.
Design Defect and Lack of Durability
One design defect is a significant problem for the 8125. On the slide-out keyboard, they put a button in the upper left hand corner to “send” an email once you're done with it. The problem is, often when you're trying to type a “w” or “e”, you'll hit the “send” button by mistake because it's too close to those keys. My friends and colleagues got a lot of half-written emails when I used the 8125.
More problematic is the lack of durability of this device. Well within the first year of use, the 8125 stopped working as well as it initially did. It would more and more frequently crash, requiring a reset to function properly. If it lost its cell signal, like during an elevator ride, it could take 5-10 minutes to reacquire it. The display would often slow tremendously or even lock up when sliding the keyboard out. The reason I lost three styli is that after taking it out enough times, the stylus would wear down, and it would then fall out of its holder without my knowing.
This lack of durability was not limited to my 8125. Nearly everyone at my work was issued one by my company. Many of my colleagues were stuck in the middle of two year contracts with a device that had long since stopped working smoothly. Those who were lucky enough to not have long term contracts starting switching, and I was glad to dump my 8125 when I changed jobs.
Bottom Line
With the standard being two years for a cellular contract, a device has to have sufficient durability to make it through that time period, or at least close to it. While a nice device at first, the 8125 is too bulky and too prone to breaking down to make it a worthwhile buy.
Recommended:
No
Amount Paid (US$): 300
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Epinions.com ID:
BigJack
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 in Electronics |
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Location: Splattered All Over - Manhattan
Reviews written: 73
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About Me:
Back from vacation - slowly catching up on reading and rating!
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