Well, I have passed 1 year with my 7135 which is the longest time I have kept a smartphone. Started with Samsung I300 => Treo 300 => 7135 when I moved from Sprint to Verizon. I do not plan to switch back to Sprint even though they seem to have a greater phone selection.
The build quality of the 7135 has stood up really well. For the most part, I kept the phone in a leather case which protected the exterior but did carry around in my pocket with no case as well. The hinge is magnificent and so much better than the Treo 300.
Overall, I have been happy with the phone and really did not have as hard of time getting used to not having the keyboard that I was used to. Again, most input is put into my pc and synced. I used the phone for lookup, browsing, etc. SMS could be easier with a keyboard though.
My biggest issues and what I am waiting for:
SIZE
The first comment I get on my phone is "Wow, that is big". Once I show features, they get better. Honestly, the phone is big for 2004. I like the form factor of the Samsung I500.
1 HAND OPERATION
The PDA / phone integration could be greatly improved. In my opinion, the smartphone should work like a regular phone with more features. The TREO seems best of breed here. I believe all functions are selectable with the center jog wheel. It is amazing to me how little function you get with the 7135 center button. I am sure a lot of this has to do with the age of the Palm OS but I want better integration next time
BATTERY LIFE
The forum has made great suggestions on improving life. Brightness, beam off, no tones on keypad, etc. However, for a phone that size, it should have great battery life. I recharge every night so not too much of a problem. However, if I am in a bad signal area, I can loose the battery in less than 1 day. Analog is a HOG on this phone
I am ready to switch but don't want to leave Verizon. I am curious on the Treo ("ACE") version but it could be a while. Yes it would be nice to have bluetooth, WI-FI, 1MP camera but give me smaller and better phone / PDA integration and I would be happy.
Overall:
Nice phone and has held up well. Good feature set for 2002 but time to upgrade...
I, also, have had my 7135 for over a year; it is hard to believe it went by so quickly!
The 7135 is my first cell phone; I held off for many years waiting for the "right" feature set (mainly the Palm+phone integration in some semi-non-clumsy form factor). At one point I bought a 6035 however that experience was just wierd and I took it back the next day.
I, too, wish the battery had more life in it; I ran the battery down once or twice and now have a plethora of charging devices more-or-less surrounding everywhere I frequent!
I never did buy a screen protector and am amazed the screen looks as good as it does. I use the belt clip that came in the box; it still holds the phone securely. The outside is getting a bit beat up, though.
My biggest complaints are with the OS, not with the phone. Only 16 categories? When my Palm-III was getting 10 weeks of battery life I considered it a fair trade, but now it just seems silly. And why do addresses and phone numbers mysteriously disappear over time? That is odd.
I will likely keep this phone for a very long time; I will probably replace it when an identical phone comes out with Palm OS 6. As I understand it, OS 6 will remove the 16 category limit.
I have had my phone, 1st one, for two years now. Still the best thing on the market. Other phones are just now starting to think about adding external media. My only concern is I have lost the ability to go anywhere without it. Is there a support group meeting for having a life without a 7135? Not that I would attend, just curious.
INteresting input. I LOVE this phone but what makes me most angry is Kyocera not learning from the successes of their original design. I had my 6035 for more than a year and I LOVED it. The job dial was a marvel of engineering and the battery life was astounding. The thing was a brick...but it was great. Now the 7135 is celearly better in almost every way. But WHY would they use a battery that is SO inferior and take away an interface hardware that worked wonderfully? I don't get it. Now I love to read ebooks ...and clearly it's SO much easier to do on the 7135...but I miss my jog dial..it made turning pages so much easier....
good point about the jog dial. perhaps there is a hack that would allow the volume buttoms to cover that feature for you. I know there are MP3 players that use the volume buttons on the side for jogging through a playing list. Keep looking, good luck, any word on that support group, twelve steps maybe?
I wish I could say the same. I've just started in this forum and fellow readers no doubt are tired of my complaining. My 4th phone in 4 weeks is overdue, and I have yet to complete a call on the phone. The PDA works like a charm, and I love the color screen. Despite many trips to Verizon Wireless, the dumb thing just won't work. I don't know how it is that everyone (even strangers in elevators) seem to have 7135s that function perfectly, and my 3 thus far have been lemons. At a party I gave last night, 2 of my guests even had the phone and swear by it. Me, I merely swear AT it. Does anyone know if a soft and/or hard reset will make it function? The biggest thing that happens is 1) if I am successful in getting a call through, I'm no more than 10 seconds into it and I hear a clicking sound, and the rest is history; 2) it takes sometimes 3-4 tries to get a call to begin to ring, and meanwhile, my minutes keep on ticking.
I'd appreciate any thoughts anyone has before I go beserk!
Merry, sorry to say it sounds more like a problem with your carrier than your phone. Check with techs at Verizon on conncetion problems.
As far as a reset goes. There is a button above your battery just to the right. Press this with your phones stylus and it will soft reset. Be sure you really want to before you go to a hard reset. I take it that your phone is connecting fine with your computer. Make sure you synch everything before you start experimenting with hard resets. Good luck.
Merry,
That sounds very similar the primary problem I had on my 3rd 7135. I came back to Austin from Waikiki. While in Waikiki, it worked great. I mean GREAT! When I got off the plane in Austin, I never got it to act right again. Austin was my "home" area at the time, which made the problem especially strange. Not that it should have mattered because I was on the "Americas Choice" plan, PDA was fine but couldn't connect if I needed it to save my life. The Verizon in-store tech, of course, had never seen anything like it. Very strange. They replaced it and I haven't seen the same problem again. Hang in there. Maybe you got hold to a bad batch. Number 6 is my most stable ever. I got my first one on my birthday in April last year will in Florida, so the warranty just ran out a couple of months ago. Knowing the history of the device, I immediately purchaced insurance as soon as the one year warranty ran out. You can do what I did and beat them up until they make it right. I'm sure I'll get my money's worth out of it. Make sure that you do not pay for service that you are not recieving from Verizon. Alternatively, Verizon just picked up the Treo 600... Maybe, it will give you the fuctionality that you need without the headaches. Personally, I'm holding out for something better in a similar flip form factor. Nothing quite does it for me.
My 7135 is still the original I purchased over 1 year ago. Did not have the battery problem.
The phone still looks new since I keep it in the leather case most of the time (except docking) and occasionally in my work pants pocket. I liked the plastic clip on case but was afraid it would scratch the paint off.
I see that Verizon has the Treo out. I am intrigued but would not buy now if Ace is in the works. I like a lot of things about the treo but think it is ready for some upgrades. Honestly, I like the Samsung 550 (smaller and flip). Right now, I will stay on the 7135
1 year with 7135...thoughts and reflections
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