Product: T28 World	Company: Ericsson
Web: www.ericsson.com	Phone: ?
Platform: GSM 900/1900 MHz	SRP: ? Street Price: $100
Cred Rating:	Special Award:

I've coveted Ericsson's T28 World phone since it was introduced. Thin and lightweight, with a unique style and sharp looks, I fancied it the perfect mobile phone. In particular, the fact that it's a "world phone" and boasts a number of James Bond-like gadgets, made me think that just owning one would transform me into an International Man of Mystery.

Holding the Ericsson is quite comfortable. The small size and rounded edges, coupled with the flip-down microphone, makes the unit very comfortable to hold and use. Construction quality on the T28 is very good, and the phone seems like it would hold up well over time -- even the spring-loaded cover seems like it can endure the indignities of international travel. The T28's flip cover opens with the press of a side-mounted button. It prevents the keys from being inadvertently pressed (a nuisance on the Noke 8290). The cover is actually integrated into the programming of the phone. Pressing the button will flip the phone on, turn on the backlight, and prompt you for a voice-dial (up to 10 slots). It also answers incoming calls without any additional key tapping. When using a hands-free headset, the T28 can be set to respond to your voice to answer the call, a very nice touch.

The Ericsson T28 is extremely light. At 3.0 oz, it's a hair lighter than the Nokia 8290. That weight savings likely comes from the use of a lithium-polymer battery, which snaps directly onto the back of the phone. The lack of an extra cover for the battery means that installing bigger batteries, or just switching out to a spare, is simple and fast. The included battery is quite adequate for average use, lasting for 300 minutes of talk time or 100 hours of standby (50% more than the Nokia 8290). The extended battery gives a whopping 660 minutes of talk time and 215 hours of standby.

The real advantage of the Ericsson is the fact that it's a "world phone," meaning that, with its GSM 900/1900 MHz range, it can operate in over 120 countries in North America, South America, Asia, Africa and Europe. While traveling in any country that uses this standard, you are able to make and receive calls just as you would at home -- there is no need to sign up with a local provider in most cases, though because roaming charges are extremely high, it might be wise to do so. Signing up for service in another country is easier than you might think since the Ericsson T28 uses the SIM card system to activate accounts. Just pop in a new SIM card, and you're all set up, though you'll have a different phone number and likely lose access to any contact numbers stored on your main card.

Another advantage of the Ericsson is the plethora of available accessories. Ericsson has developed some of the coolest cellphone accessories you can buy, and they all fit the T28. These include a Bluetooth wireless headset, an infrared modem, MP3 player, FM radio, with other gadgets in the works. All of these add-ons clip to the bottom of the phone, extending the length by about an inch and a half (depending on which one you're using). I had an opportunity to test drive the FM radio. One of its best features is that the phone interrupts the radio when a call comes in.

One of the accessories that actually came with my unit was the ChatBoard. This small thumb keyboard clips firmly to the bottom of the T28 and allows you to use your thumbs to type out messages. While the ChatBoard looks like a welcome accessory that would be much easier than typing out messages using multiple key-presses for each letter, it's not as useful as you think. For some reason, signals from the keyboard are actually interpreted by the Ericsson just like keypad presses. This means that when you press "O" on the ChatBoard, you can actually see the phone cycle through "M" then "N" before finally entering "O" on the screen. Consequently, though using the ChatBoard may be a tad simpler, it's just as slow and nearly as frustrating. It now resides in my big box o' unused tech, waiting until complete obsolescence sends it to the trash.

Which leads me to my biggest complaint with the Ericsson: its speed of operation. The menus, which are already a bit convoluted and difficult to navigate, are made more so by the fact that the processor in the T28 is painfully slow. The phone lags when scrolling through lists of phone numbers, and navigating menus is far from snappy. There is no excuse for this. While it's not enough of a complaint to warrant not buying one, it's certainly a problem I hope is corrected in future models. Ironically, the only thing the phone seems up to handling at decent speed is gaming. The T28 comes with Tetris and Solitaire, and both are fast (enough) and fun (enough) to play, despite the three-line monochromatic display.

The T28 has a good collection of customization options, though not as many as the Nokia 8290. There are 13 ring tones included, and slots for four more custom tones. One advantage over the Noke is that the ring tones are customizable for different types of incoming calls. Fax and data calls can have separate ring tones, and individual callers can be assigned their own tones as well.

As one would expect from a leading phone maker, there are other features that make the T28 more than just a phone. There's a calculator, an alarm clock, a stopwatch, and call timers aplenty (for better predicting your bill). Unfortunately, all these features are hidden behind a somewhat clunky interface that's not made any easier to navigate by the "impoverished display."

So how does the T28 stack up against the Nokia 8290? The T28 is a quality phone with impressive features at a bargain price. For the international road warrior, it makes an essential companion. But thanks to the sluggish OS, poor interface, and lack of an infrared port, it's a less than user-friendly choice. For a little extra cash, the Nokia 8290's simple interface, excellent predictive text input, IR modem, and changeable face plates make it the hands down winner, at least for those who need a US-only mobile phone.

- Nate Heasley [2/10/02]

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