Hi everyone! I was just wondering if anyone is still using "retro" GSM phones like the Nokia 5190 and 8290? I do miss the old simple features of this series of phones and was thinking buying one for regular use on my AT&T account.
I bought it a few years ago because I wanted a 3G phone with the US 850 band, and I didn't want an LG. -Jay
I wouldn't mind having a GSM Moto V60. Unfortunately the GSM brick phones and StarTacs don't have US bands on them. -Jay
Yeah, it would be amazing if Moto released an updated StarTac that worked on 1900/850. It would also be awesome if pink unicorns brought me winning lottery tickets every morning :loony:
Smart move considering at the time the A845 was available, LG GSM phones were the worst piece of phone you could buy. Now, LG isn't so bad with their GSM phones.
Yeah, at the time CIngular rolled out their 3G network, there were only 2 phones available for it. The LG CU320, and a Samzung (ZX-10 I think?). The Sammy didn't have Bluetooth, so I reluctantly bought the LG. Dropped so many calls it wasn't funny. Took it back to the store after 26 hours. I wanted a Motorola 3G phone, but the V3x didn't have 850. The Moto A845 was the only choice. I scoured Ebay for months before one came up, and when it did I pounced on it... -Jay
So GSM LGs are now tolerable but GSM Samsung are still not? I still believe it is the other way around. Palm850/v0100 Mozilla/4.0 (compatible; MSIE 6.0; Windows CE; IEMobile 7.11)
At the time I would have chosen the Samsung had it been equipped with bluetooth. Personally I would choose a Samsung over an LG. -Jay
I remember that 5190... that thing was a tank I babyed that thing but when I gave the phone to a friend, it got lost in the rain. She found it, dried it off and it worked! She tried to kill the battery and somehow it still worked. The screen was small, though. My carrier, Voicestrean had to shorten its name on the screen to VStream LOL Needless to say, I have no retro GSM phones available. I see that the phones you mention, the 5190 and 8290 only have the 1900 frequency on them. Be careful, your coverage could be hampered without the 850 band. Maybe the Nokia 3590 or 3595 would be suitable?
It must be their mid or high tier phones that improved... because their low ens phones are still I wouldn't mind trying a GSM Samsung, though. They look like a mixed bag though... one friend had her GSM Samsung for 3 or 4 years before it died. Her insurance replaced it with a low end LG and she didn't like how it performed. It looks like Sprint gets the decent Samsungs I hated my Verizon Samsung!!! The thing looks nice but it never behaved after the 9th month. I guess Sammy's about looks over function:O
Yeah, I'd still like to get a 5190 as a backup phone, but now I'm trying to find a North American version of the 1100 (1100b?) since the OS is similar enough, and it uses the same keypad style as the 5190's (no call/hang up buttons, just a select, clear, and up/down). So far, no luck finding an unlocked non-tracphone North American version.
Though I still wouldn't spend money on a Samsung, I was having fun with Charlyee in my reply. I don't hate them as much as I don't trust them. Quint, I agree about the cheap GSM LG's. They are still crap. The higher-end ones are better, but LG still has work to do with their GSM phones.
