Panasonic GD87

I got my Panasonic GD87 in May, at first it was great. Now it crashes regulary, I mean like everytime I recieve a text or phonecall, it just switches off- really annoying! I wouldn't recommend it. There are some good points though- it has a high quality camera- the best one I have seen around and some really good features as well as a high memory. It seems to me that many of these model have the same trouble with crashing, it's really annoying, after having the phone for just 7 months I am now looking for a new one.

I have had nothing but trouble from my Panasonic GD87. The software on it crashed so I had to send it off to be repaired which caused all my pictures, phone book, meassages and downloaded games and ringtones to be deleted which cost me about £10. Even now, I sometimes have no signal in the city centre and the phone will freeze. Also the text messaging is too fiddly. There is a cover for the point where the charger is connected which I lost after 3 months because it was a small piece of rubber that never stayed on. There are endless other faults with this phone, but basically it is not worth it for the price.

DON'T BUY THIS PHONE. Infact throw it away at the 1st available option. Dont even bother selling it to somelse, cuz it's a sin that you will regret for the rest of your life.

The only reason why I'm still holding on to it is because I'm stuck in a tariff contract. But once when it's over, it's going straight into the jaws of my workshop vice.

The only point in taking the Panasonic GD87 with you anywhere would be as an insurance policy...if you were ever unfortunate enough to get mugged...you could gleefully hand this little gem to your assailant (while trying very hard not to smirk too obviously), safe in the knowledge (as cruel as it would be)..that you could walk away to the tune ...of he who laughs last..

Panasonic GD87 - The screen on this mobile is the largest I've seen on a clamshell, and it has a very sharp image. The only problem occurs in bright sunlight, where it can be hard to see anything. The camera is superb in most conditions, giving a fine image of various qualities. However, this doesn't work so well in the dark. In fact, it doesnt work at ALL in the dark. But hey, who takes pictures in the dark? The other issue with it that annoyed me is that it makes a 'cha-ching' noise everytime you take a picture, and this can't be deactivated. There is a 'twilight mode' but this is useless. However, the camera does have some excellent features such as the zoom, and effects such as negative and monochrome. You can also leave the camera on, close the phone, and use the external mirror to take a picture of yourself. Unlike many similar phones, the camera is mounted behind the screen, not on the hinge, so it is easy to aim.

The phone can store about 30-50 pictures depending on their size. However, transferring them to PC is a pain in the neck, as you have to buy an extra cable and the process is very, very slow. They also come out the same size on the PC as they do on the phone. There is no option to save messages on PC, and phone numbers don't seem to work well either.

The menu on the phone is fun and easy to use. There aren't that many options to choose from, but all the essentials are there. 200 SMS can be stored, but typing them is slower than on say Nokia phones because of poor key design. There is also no option to send business cards or to forward numbers.

Other features on this phone include MMS messaging (waste of time - I never used it), WAP and GPRS, Infrared and Orange information (only on Orange, but really good). The external screen tells you when you have messages, etc., and can go three different colours. It also tells you who is ringing and the time. Brilliant! A useful feature is the power setting, allowing the phone to switch itself on or off at given times to save power (eg. off at 0:00 and on again at 08:00).

There are a wide choice of ringtones and a melody composer, but no option to really record or download your own. I always kept this phone on vibrate because it is REALLY powerful - on a wooden surface it can be heard from anywhere in the house.

The battery life is actually really good for such a hi-tech phone. I had to charge every 3-4 days with moderate-heavy use. If the battery is fully drained before recharging then it has better life.

The phone is also really strong. I have dropped it, stepped on it, thrown it and scratched it and it still works fine. The battery can get a bit scratched up, but as it's silver it's hardly noticable

I have had this phone for 18 months and am very happy with it. The only problem was a software glitch caused by 3G signals which caused the phone to turn off. However within a week this was freely fixed by an Orange repair shop. The reception is great outdoors but poor indoors, and I live in London. Overall, if you want a phone to impress, then this is for you. It is worth the money just for choosing the colour you want it to flash for calls, SMS etc. It is also beautifully styled and quite rare, so will make you stand out. However, if you are a serious caller and texter, you may be disapointed by the phone's lack of design practicality in that department.

I am only replacing it because I have to change tariffs, otherwise I would happily keep it forever.

I bought a Panasonic GD87 phone as a replacement for the GD67 which was a great phone. When I got the GD87 I found it easy to navigate. The camera seemed quiet good, but when it's a bit darker it is rubbish. The volume of the phone is good and the keypad is also a nice size for texting.

The worst parts of the phone are that the aerial is too big and is annoying in your pocket. The original tones are really bad but if downloaded are good. The main thing is that the phone is too big in general.

I urge anybody interested in this phone to listen to the annoyance in this review over the Panasonic GD87e. Get a Nokia, you cannot fail to be impressed.

The Panasonic switches itself off when it feels like it. The reception is really poor. You need magnified hearing to hear the person you are calling if there is any slight background noise. Every now and then the phone decides to lose network and keeps you waiting for a good 5 mins before sorting itself out.

Sold as the GD-88 here in the Philippines. It's also made here! Unlike others experiences, the phone has not hung on me once. Nice size for me. Covers from ear to mouth so can talk freely. Nice huge storage of pics (900 images allowed). 200 message capacity and 200 phonebook capacity is adequate. Nice polyphonic ringtones. Wap. Great resolution pics taken by camera.

Like many, I bought this Panasonic GD87 mobile phone on the strength of reviews I'd read on the web, and now wonder how many of those are put up there by interested parties. But to be fair, I probably would have given this phone a high rating in my first week of ownership; it looks and feels good, and no-one wants to admit they've just wasted a bunch of money.

Having owned the phone for several months I wanted to warn others of the outstandingly poor functional design of this phone. It's like the designers not only weren't very good, but they can never have seen another good mobile phone either. Many of the key and/or basic functions (eg putting in numbers and addresses, and sending pictures) are so non-intuitive, I've kept having to go back to the manual time after time to remind myself how it's done. Texting is just ridiculous - Panasonic have invented a square wheel here, when Nokia had the round one years ago. And why on earth can't you download pictures direct to a PC?

I don't think operating this phone is difficult because I'm dense - I used to operate and test avionics on fighter aircraft - neither am I a geek, I just wanted an efficient phone that does the basics well and has a couple of sexy and useful features that are user-friendly.

If you are the same, my advice: don't buy this phone.

Cheers

Kevin

I thought I'd try out the new mobile phone technology with photo messaging & GPRS and vodafone live & all, but to be honest I've never really used these features in the year I've had the Panasonic GD87. The few times I tried to use vodafone live, it didn't even work so although it's a criticsm on the network, it made the phone rather pointless. The most annoying thing about this phone is sms messaging, because it takes me forever to write short sms messages even with predictive text because of all the menu changes if you insert characters. With Nokia, I could write text messages super fast (even in german), but with the GD87, I don't even bother anymore. Forget about trying to hear your caller in the street as well, the volume is not nearly loud enough. In short, I'm sorry to say this phone has been a very expensive paperweight.