Nokia 5185i goes under water, clinically dead, then back to life!
Written: Dec 30 '04
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Pros: Rugged, good battery life, above average reception, easy to use name/number storage, accending volume ringer.
Cons: No calculator. That is the only thing I miss from more expensive phones I've used.
The Bottom Line: Great for storing names/numbers and making phone calls, if that matters. Excellent fringe area reception. Great battery life. Expensive proprietary headset.
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| martinrich's Full Review: Nokia 5185i Cell Phone |
Got this Nokia 5185i used phone a year ago when I lost my LG-510 in a snowbank somewhere. Before the LG-510 I had one of the Startac phones, not sure of the exact model any more.
Two things I didn't like about the LG-510: poor fringe reception (just like the StarTac) and marginal battery life. Make that three things I didn't like on the LG-510... I didn't like the clunky way the desktop cradle charger mated with the phone. (Car charger plugged in with a blade connector, not so bad.)
This was the first time I had lost a phone, so I popped over to my local Verizon store and told them I needed a new phone 'cause I lost mine. "No problem" the rep said, after I waited 15 minutes in line and had to hear way too much about the personal lives of the folks in front of me. "Did you buy the $75 (can't recall the real price but it was high) insurance/service/replacement plan?" "No" I said. He went on to tell me I could get an "entry level" phone for about $150, or a nicer one for $200! "Wow" I said, "I thought phones only cost about 50 bucks." That's when he 'splained that those prices are for new customers, but if I sign-up for another 2 years he can get me 50 bucks off the price of a new phone. My contract was up in a couple months and even though I like most things about Verizon, I get lousy reception at my house of all places, so I wasn't ready to lock in for two more years quite yet.
I decide I better think about this. I went home and checked ebay for "Verizon" cell phones. Found the Nokia 8185i for about $15, $20 with shipping. When it arrived I took off the pink face and replaced it with the included stock blue one, then tried to reconciled myself to the fact that I am a 40 something year old man using a teenage girl's hand-me-down phone. Any anxiety faded as I began to use it.
What a great phone! No it is not a flip phone or color or take pictures, but hereā€™s what it is/does do: It rides easily in a shirt pocket, or pants pocket, get very good fringe reception (place where the LG-510 and StarTac just gave me blank stares), has great battery life (about double the LG-510) stores and retrieves numbers easily and did I mention the screen is easy to read, and I love the ascending ring tone feature.
Oh yea, one more thing...
While carrying the Nokia 5185i in my shirt breast pocket I dropped it in a pool of water. Dirty mud puddle water. Yes it was on at the time. It was night and I could not even retrieve it until the next day. Opps.
Well in addition to not wanting to pay for a new phone, I had a ton of numbers/names in there. Some of them were going to be difficult or impossible to replace. So...
I decided a last ditch operation was worth the risk. I took off the battery. One of the terminals on the phone was already turning green. I took out the four #6 torx screws that held the case together, took two more torx screws out (torx screws are the kind they use to signal you that you have no business taking this apart), dismounted and disassembled the screen (just kind of snaps together) and cleaned the whole thing with an old toothbrush dipped in 70% Isopropyl Rubbing Alcohol. Several of the contacts had corroded and I cleaned them carefully with a pencil eraser and more alcohol. I set the various parts next to the warm air register for 4-5 hours. I should have left it for 24 hours but I was too impatient. I put it back together. I was afraid to put the battery on it because I did not disassemble it and was not sure it was really all dried out yet. So I just plugged the phone in to the charger and watched for sparks! None appeared! I pressed the on button, but nothing happened. Tried pressing it several time, but nothing. I held the phone up to my ear and could hear a humming sound. Oh well, at least I tried.
The next day I was trying to see what could be salvaged, the swappable face, charger, etc. I put a voltmeter on the battery and got nothing. So I decided to see if the phone would charge the battery. I put the battery on and plugged it in to the charger. Voila! The screen came on! I pressed the on button, voila, the phone came on! Wow, it spent the night under water and it still came back to life! Now that is a good phone.
So.. As I am sure you wish I had just said at the beginning: The Nokia 5185i gets great reception, has very good battery life, is easy to use and very durable. I highly recommend it.
Martin @ crossetrainer.com
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 20 used
Recommended for: Adventurous Technophiles - Tough and Durable
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Epinions.com ID:
martinrich
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Reviews written: 2
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