The Ericsson T60c is a CDMA phone, which means it is slightly different from the GSM phones most readers will be used to.
Firstly, it doesn't have a SIM card. The T60c is automatically hooked to the network when the phone is purchased. To change networks, the phone has to be reprogrammed, although this was a feature we were unable to test for reviews purposes.
Proponents of CDMA phones claim the sound quality is a lot clearer than your standard GSM phones. At least as far as the T60C is concerned, we'd have to agree; sound quality was clearer than on similar GSM phones we've tested recently.
The phone is just over 12 cm long, and quite bulbous at the top (5.4 cm at its widest) to accommodate a large seven-line display and the retractable aerial. The button layout is quite useful, with a standard keypad and a little red on/off button below it. In addition to the two softkeys, above the keypad are two keys, -CLR" which works as a -clear" command and one with an icon of a list, which keys straight to the options list from the front screen, but is most useful when browsing the Web.
In addition to the buttons, the T60c comes with a four-way joystick that also acts as a key when you press it in. This replaces the arrow buttons that are often used on the number keys. It doesn't add much functionality, but we got used to it rather quickly, and it is pretty cool. We can see some people regarding this as the T60C's best feature.
We found the charger was a little difficult to plug into the phone, even after you worked out which of the many slots in the bottom you were meant to plug it into. The T60c is advertised as having 10 days standby time and 3.5 hours of talk time. We found it lasted from 5pm Monday to 7.30pm Thursday, a total of 74.5 hours. This is a lot shorter than most of the phones we've tested. Our WAP browsing was a touch more intensive than on many phones -- we were keen to see how well WAP works on CDMA phones -- and this may have drained some additional battery life.
The T60C takes a new approach to voice recognition. As well as the normal voice tags, the phone allows you to set voice commands for functions such as -call", -cancel", -yes" and so on. It even allows you to do voice digit dialling, where you can dial a number by saying it. To turn on voice dialling, you can press and hold a volume key, or say a -magic word". The magic word is a way to turn on the voice recognition without using your hands, which is smart, but the instruction book does warn to be careful of the radio and other background noise.
The T60c is also WAP enabled. To use the browser you have to generate a security key, which takes a while and doesn't always work, but once you get past that you get a text menu with a variety of functions. You can find some fairly useful information, such as real-time weather in a variety of locations (it's quite pleasant in Mexico right now), e-mail, sport and the like. Information is provided as text, which can be quite useful for things like news. If you get lost on the Web, the -list" button acts as a "home" button.
The other features are the fairly standard and useful things you find on mobiles. The menu involves a series of tabs across the top of a folder, which contains the information for whichever sub-menu you're looking at. The SMS is normal, with predictive input and no unusual features.
Coming out later this year are whiz-bang accessories for the T60c, such as the SmartBack. These are interchangeable back covers that contain accessories, such as a Portable Handsfree with retractable cord, and an FM radio.
Ericcson T60c
Company: Ericsson
Price: AU$605
Distributor: Ericsson
Phone: 1300 650 050
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