Engineer:
Here's the chatter from the Sprint PCS newsgroup on this issue. The response below is from a guy who works at Qualcomm in the handset division on the ThinPhone. I can't vouch for any of it.
>Craig, the Thinphone comes in two versions, the QCP-860 and the QCP-1960.
>Both weigh a measly 4.2 ounces (or 120 grams). The thinphone is reportedly
>very durable and resistant to shock from being dropped accidentally. I
>doubt the diminutive Japanese phones can say the same.
>
>Additionally the QCP-860 is an analog and digital phone in one. That's a
>remarkable achievement for a phone that is so small and durable.
>
>Although I don't have a QCP-860 Thinphone (yet) I have heard that the sound
>quality is unsurpassed and that you can charge the internal battery very
>rapidly by attaching on of the optional extended batteries to the back of
>the phone. This is a great feature because it allows you to carry a
>relatively small phone with a 3-4 day standby time and 2.5 hours of talk
>time and if you are travelling and don't want to bring a bulky charger along
>or have no power source handy, you can charge the phone back up with the
>spare battery, then remove it and be on your way again. I know of no other
>phone that allows this.
Sorry, you cannot charge the internal battery from an external battery. But
you can hotplug external batteries.
--------
Many of the ThinPhone reviews have been excellent, with sound quality and signal stability getting an A+. On the other hand, there are always those who disagree:
"I got the Qualcomm 860 for Airtouch CDMA 800 Digital network. The 860 only
has about 48 hours standby. The only other phone let you do hot swap is the
Motorola StarTac 7762/7760 for CDMA. Oh man, I hate my Qualcomm860, the
sound quality was only so so, and phone is king of big. The phone is rather
thin, but it has big surface area, and the phone has no vibration options."
Now, the Nokia 6185 reviews are a mish mash of good and bad. It is larger than buyers expected, since it comes with a massive 1500 mAH battery. I think the ThinPhone's internal battery is on the order of 300-400 mAH. So don't let those claims of extended talk/standby impress you. A ThinPhone with the slim extended battery will blow away a Nokia 6185 in all parameters. Weight too would be comparable. Here is the unhappy 6185 owner review:
"I returned my 6185 to the store and reactivated my StarTac... Two days
was enough for me... funny - while I was there the salesman said several
other people had returned their phones because of spontaneous reboots,
dropped calls, etc..
My opinion: wait a few months (weeks) for the bugs to be worked out if
you MUST have the Nokia. It's just not ready for primtime on SPCS -
especially after using the flawless TouchPoint and the StarTac..
Just my 2c"
So, perhaps there are a few bugs to be worked out still for that Nokia.
PrimeCo is offering the QCP-1920 with an extra battery for $69 "While supplies last." I hope this is suggesting a change to the ThinPhone is just around the corner. |
