Talking Tough: First look at the Telstra Tough T90
Wanted:
A phone that is easy to use, must work equally well in both remote areas of the country and the city, be built to last, and cope with whatever the Australian elements have to offer.
Compromised features NOT welcome.
Car kit optional, but desired.
If this is you… CALL ME… PLEASE.
Ok, maybe the brief was not that simple, but I do know the amount of work the product teams at Telstra and ZTE put in to design the new Telstra Tough T90.
This is a truly ruggedized handset featuring big buttons, an enhanced screen that copes well in both sun and shade, and actually looks the part – without resembling a Transformer. Being water and dust resistant, the T90 is perfect if you lead an active lifestyle, and its anti-shock casing protects it from the usual drops and bumps that might render another phone useless.
Road test:
Using the T90 today, I was really excited to see that this phone was not lacking in power or features. The speakerphone was clear – I could hear and be heard clearly. The T90 can provide audible key tones when making a call – a nice feature that will appeal to some users.
Mobile Scan Codes, BigPond TV and 31 Mobile Foxtel from Telstra channels all worked well.
A great feature on this phone is the Help File. Accessed via the My Place screen, you can find out information on Making Calls, Personalise Your Phone, Messages, Photos/Videos, Use With Hearing Aides.
The User Guide is well set out – and I found the Menu Quick Reference Guide a handy checklist when evaluating the T90.
Physical Design:
From the outset let me state that I do drop phones. Sometimes intentionally, mostly not. The Tough T90 is a serial phone dropper’s delight. Designed for tough workplaces or your weekend adventures, it is rated IP54 for water and dust protection, and drop tested for shock resistant reliability. With all that – it still only weighs 130grams. The screw at the base of the back cover adds that extra peace of mind that it really is tightly sealed when closed.
The direct connect RF port at the back of the handset is a fairly rare sight these days. Its good to see the design team took on board consumer needs for a car kit. With a Blue Tick rating from Telstra, the Tough T90 will be popular with rural customers, and the soon to be available in-car kit is keenly anticipated.
The FM Radio, MP3 player , 2 megapixel camera, Bluetooth, expandable memory (up to 8GB) and A-GPS round out the Tough T90 as feature rich, yet affordable handset.
Exclusive to Telstra, the Tough T90 is a refreshing experience – whether your needs are work or play.
| Specifications | |
| Network | UMTS 850/1900/2100MHz |
| GSM: | 850/1800/1900 MHz |
| HSDPA | 3.6Mbps peak downlink rating (Typical speeds 550kbps – 1.5Mbps) |
| Dimensions | 115 x 51.5 x 18.6mm |
| Weight | 130g |
| Talk Time | Up to 180 minutes |
| Standby Time | Up to 200 hours |
| In Box | Handset, Battery (1000mAh), AC Charger, USB data cable, Stereo PHF, User manual and software |
| Coverage Rating | Blue Tick |
how much to buy this phone out right and where can it be purched from
Get Nokia to build this phone with the guts of a Nokia E51 and I would be very happy.
Hi Cameron,
Individual customers (meaning not businesses) can purchase the mobile for $0 upfront on a $60 plan over 24 months or outright for a RRP of $679.
It’s available online at Telstra.com, or via local Telstra or [T]life stores.
Cheers
Kristen
And for business customers Telstra Business plans include $0 upfront on a new $65 Mobile PLUS plan. There’s a whole range of Telstra Enterprise & Government Enterprise Fleet Plans too.
Telstra.com for online info and Telstra stores and [T]life stores for real people who are happy to help.
The previous effort ,AKA the BLue Brick or it’s orange equivalent, were rubbish . Common failures have been the sceen and multiple software issues . The protective casing falls off very early in the phones life . Any cheap smallish phone that will easily fit into your pocket will last longer than any bulky costly brick that you hang off your exterior .
Does anyone have an idea when the car kit will be released or which bluetooth is the best for this device.
Suzannah, we have been advised that the car kit should be available to order from Telstra towards the end of December. With regards to the best bluetooth to use, its really a matter of personal choice. I tried the Tough T90 with the Motorola T605 in-car Bluetooth, two headsets (Motorola and Nokia), and a Blackberry sun-visor car kit, and it performed well in all cases.
Im due for a new phone, contract is up spose ill see how this one goes. I had 3 of the orange ZTE tradies phones .
Please let me know how you go with it. Would appreciate your feedback.
I have the blue brick and am not really impressed with it as the blue covering is almost decintegrated and sometimes it sticks on alarm and the only way to stop it is to physically remove the batterry
I hope the new version is a lot better
i love this phone, i live and work in darwin and this phone is wet and damp all day in the wet season, any other phone would be stuffed. left it in the back of my ute yesterday came back to find it sitting in 6inc of water its still working…
ihave had 2blue and 3 orange zte rubbish and the orange plastic falls off and now it makes me miss calls i have to turn it off and then reboot it and then it works apart from that it goes great i hope that the t90 is a better phone us tradies need a break
I’ve had 2 orange ZTE 150′s and the first was replaced under warranty as it decided to turn itself off randomly. The second one’s microphone would fail randomly and require a reboot to function. This happens (when it happens randomly), after it has paired with the factory bluetooth in my ute. I now turn it off every night and this has reduced the frequency of occurance. It has delt with the Cairns wet seasons well as far as water/sweat is concerned. I’ll try thr T 90 and hope the software is more sorted. The orange rubber coating fell off my 150 but I don’t care how it looks.
i’ve had the t90 for a couple of days now, actually pretty impressed with it. looks and feels as if this one will go the distance in regards to dust and water exposure. it’s relatively simple to use and ticks all the boxes for functionality of a phone. the earpiece and speakerphone are clear and crisp, the buttons aren’t fiddly, battery life doesn’t appear to be a problem even with bluetooth left on. still has the crappy browser though and as for the gps….. i can’t get a satellite signal. i’m not sure if maybe mine has a fault or every t90 has a dodgy gps. better ring telstra on that one. overall it appears to be a good phone for my outdoors job where it will get treated about as good as a tent peg
My blue brick rubber coating got eated by Cockroaches. So I suppose someone likes them …
It would be good if extended batteries could be available.
I miss the Old CDMA phones with the Extended Batts.
200hrs SB and 180mins is not really suitable for business or personal use in many cases.
Something in the oder of 300mins and 400hrs would be more practical. Other than that, looks good.
I have one of these phones, it is a OK phone nothing special about it, unless you want to save on phone calls, you can not make any!!!! only time in range is next to a tower or in the heart of town, too bad if you run windows seven.
I have had the T90 for a couple of weeks now.
As a truck driver in a noisy work enviroment,previously i would always miss calls due to the lack of ring volume.
My general thoughts are,the T90 is a step back to the day they made real phones,when they would handle a bit punnishment,and the abillity to raise the volume right up is a real winner in my case.
The only downfall i find is that all the buttons across the top above the numbers are still to small and to close together,(i find myself making voice calls instead of phone calls).
All in all i think its going to be a good phone.
The only reason i’m writing this is because i am looking for a car kit.
is there a car kit for these phones
I have a Nokia 5100 & 5140i, The 5100 is near dead now (It was waterproof but couldnt handle the acid) and I would like a good replacement to go on the next G or 3G.
There is this one and a samsung tough phone.
Are there any others? Has anyone been able to compare them?
This would have to be one of the best phones I have had apart from Nokia. Had a LG prior to this and I wouldn’t have another LG if you payed me. The T90 is good with the Blue tooth in the car and the ringing level is great at least you can here it. Its everything a worker needs, no good for office workers.
doesnt work with windows 7.
contacted zte got blah,blah,blah!!!
Make it happen,you sell aproduct not compatible with the latest windows version is just unacceptable and should be pointed out to prospective purchasers?
Tony, I agree but the only thing stopping me from getting a T90 is the inadequate battery. Am i the only one that finds that problem?
I am a swimming teacher so needed a mob that could handle the damp air of an indoor heated pool….I found it with the Nokia, Black, Orange, Blue, then again Black and lastly Blue….
I found the keypads failed.
NOW I have the Telstra Tough t90! So far so good, have dropped it and it bounced without turning off! Hard navigating the menu to change things, got spooked when it kept talking to me! But 6/10. PS would like a nicer colour….
We are upgrading our Nokia 6120s to the ZTE T90.
We are having major problems importing the contacts data (many contacts) from the 6120 to the new phones.
Why does this have to be so difficult? It should be seamless.
Many hours have to be spent by our staff “messing around” and reverting to entering each contact individually.
Hi Peter M
I have been told the right people in Telstra have been in touch to help you. Please let us know if you’re still having problems and thanks for taking the time to comment on this blog.
Kristen
Peter M says:
12 Jan 2010 at 2:04 pm
We are upgrading our Nokia 6120s to the ZTE T90.
We are having major problems importing the contacts data (many contacts)
Just Transfer Contacts from Phone Memory to Sim Memory (6120c) Then insert sim into T90 .. All done in minutes.
Can also upload Contacts to Computer, then download to ZTE.
I have had a T90 for a week now. Something that I have learnt so far is:
Will work with Windows 7 (64 bit) but you have to manually load the drivers. Windows 7 can’t find the drivers on the internet. And Windows 7 Wont find them on the supplied CD either. You have to manually load them from the installation CD.
I work on an island 80 km from the nearest tower and i have found that the phone reception is slightly better than my old A412 samsung.
What they don’t explain to well in the manual is to communicate with Bluetooth devices fully. Like to transfer your phone book to a blueant 3 you have to change the PC connection setting form usb to Bluetooth.
I have had the T90 for less than a week and in the last two days it has randomly shut itself off three times despite having plenty of charge. Most times after it shuts off it will not turn back on by pressing the power on button. I contacted our Telstra shop and they haven’t heard of any problems with the phone (guess I’m just unlucky) but they will replace it, however it will take three weeks before I get a replacement phone!
i have had the T90 for 3 weeks and thought it was great until this australia day weekend(2010) it got wet in my bag and now will not turn on. this phone is surpose to be for tradies ,,shock proof and water resistant and it is clearly not water resistant as it was only damp in the bag ,will be interesting if telstra will replace as it is still under warrrenty and faulty,if they dont i will not recomend this product to anyone
well everyone i have taken phone back to the shop and as i thought i would have an issue with it,told them that i want it replaced and they said they cannot until they get told by zte,i have now had a phone call from the telstra shop telling me that its over the 30 day period and the only thing they can do is repair it,what a joke the battery has a warrentty period of 6mths and the phone is surpose to be 12mths.if this is the way telstra are going to treat there customers who keep them going is absolute rubbish.i got the phone on 26/12/2009 and it broke down on 21/01/2010 but couldnt get it to the shop until 27th as i was 4 hrs away in the bush and the day i came back 26th was a public holiday and they are closed. DO NOT BUY ONE OF THESE PHONES AS THEY DO NOT DO WHAT THEY ARE SURPOSE TO DO
Carl
Thanks for your comments, and have spoken with ZTE. I understand a representative from ZTE will be in touch with you in the the next few days. If you do not hear from them please let me know.
Had my T90 for a couple of weeks. Was surprised to find no voice activation of calls. Also having problems with maintaining connection with my GrooveTooth Talk car kit. The T90 automatically disconnects after a few minutes. Had no trouble with this hands fee car kit and my previous mobile, a Nokia N95. I’m about to go to my Telstra shop to see what they say.
Does anyone know if this is a common problem or have I got a faulty phone?
Id never buy a ZTE phone, ive had two of them and they were both absolute rubbish. All of my friends who have them are disapointed aswell.
Unfortunately there are stuff all tough phones (IP54) out there which will work on NextG, which is a real mystery, If phones are made to be so tough why cant they be used in the bush!
Seriously Tesltra, is this the best you can do?
Why not get the Samsung Rocky, the Sonim XP, the Siemens M65, Nokia 3720 all compatible with NextG?
Start talking tough
Hi Carl
We’ve been trying hard to contact you to help out but the email address you supplied when making your comments doesn’t appear to be working. Could you please email some alternate contact details (phone or another email account) to me using the contact form at:
http://exchange.telstra.com.au/about/contact/
We would love to help you
Cheers
Kristen
I have brought a new T90, before this phone I had the old ZTE grey/black rural phone. It was the best phone i have ever had as far as coverage goes as iam in a fairly isolated area of NSW. I have found that the new T90 has only half the coverage of the old Rural phone. I know this because i always had coverage over the whole of my property and now i find that iam always dropping out on calls or not being able to make one.
Do I have a faulty phone or this this the way of the future???
My Telstra shop here told me that the car kits would be available at the start of Feburary. So far they have not recieved any and do not know when they will get any. ZTE web site has said they have been available for about 2 weeks now. So when will they be available ?? As I am waiting to purchace a phone but need the car kit at the same time
Hi everyone and thanks for the feedback. The The Device Management team here at Telstra have these comments for you:
We have answers to some of the questions and comments posted. We’re looking into a couple of others and will report back.
Re the introduction of extended batteries
Paul thank you for your feedback, it is a good suggestion. We have forwarded your feedback to ZTE’s mobile phone development team for their consideration in future products.
Re reception performance
Hi Nigel, as you’d know the T90 has the Telstra Blue Tick accreditation which means it should deliver excellent handheld coverage performance – so your experience doesn’t sound typical. I suggest you return your handset to your place of purchase and arrange for it to be assessed by a qualified technician.
Car kits
The car kit is now available through any Telstra shop or Dealer, if they don’t have one in stock they can order one for you. Just ask for the ‘Telstra Tough T90 Car Kit’.
Water resistance
Just a reminder that the T90 is water resistant to IP54, which is “protection against water sprayed from all directions.” This is different to water proof. However the T90 should be quite capable of withstanding a reasonable amount of contact with water.
While the T90 is resistant to liquid and dust, if the seals are not in place or are physically damaged, the device could sustain damage from liquid ingress. This damage would not be covered under warranty.
Hi,
Could you please give me the price and availability of the \Telstra Tough T90 Car Kit\
Thank you,
Ashley
Went to upgrade our phones and want the toughest tradies type phone available. Found that all Telstra Dealers are not able to sell the T90 phone. We have dealt with the same Telstra Dealer in Rockhampton for years and now they are not able to supply us with this phone which we want. Why? We have to go to another Dealer who is able to sell this phone. Surely if you are a
Telstra Dealer you shoud be able to sell all their phones???
Kristen
Re car kit availability
Perhaps you need to tell the Telstra shop at Castletown Townsville that as they have been telling me they are on back order and dont know when they are going to get any.
We have 3 new T 90 phones and still having bluetooth problems.
Disconnects and reconnects all day .
I am taking these phones back to Telstra..
We have 2 T90 phones one is 2 months old, the other we’ve had for 5 weeks. Both phones turned off multiple times yesterday. One had half battery left and wouldn’t turn on until charged again. The other had been on charge all night and was full but still managed to turn off at random times. Any ideas?
We have 2 of these T90′s, 1 is about 18mths old and the other about 12mths old. As some other posts mention, they will randomly turn off. It generally requires the battery to be removed before they will fire up again. Funny thing about it is the fact that both will play up at the same time. then we may get a couple of good months and then they will both randomly switch themselves off again (could be up to 5 times/day). Apart from this issue, they are great phones.
We have just bought a T90 but find that when receiving or making a call, we cannot be heard by the other part. It seems as though the microphone is not working. Any ideas?
I got a new T90 from Telstra as my previous one kept dropping Bluetooth connection. They obviously acknowledged the problem, but sent me a new phone with the same failing. Is this a “design feature ” of the phone, or if I get a third one might I get one which works. A response (and commitment) from Telstra would be nice.
How much are the Telstra Tough T90 Car Kits?
Has anyone bought and tried one out yet?
Hi Dion
The product people here tell me that this isn’t a usual product experience and that it might be a good idea to take your handset back to the place of purchase.
Cheers
Kristen
Here is one for KristenBoschma. It would be very practical if you made available a desktop charging cradle. Something we could just drop the T90 into to charge it. It already has the 2 battery charging pads on the bottom which are used by the car kit. Such a device would be very practical as we could just drop it into the charger at the end of the day and not have to fiddle with removing the leather case and opening the flap over the charging socket just to charge the phone. Other than that, the phone is really good for me. I just use it as a phone and nothing else. No fancy bits for me. It does the job well. TNX.
Gday,
A very good phone that is very tough and is perfect if your a bit heavy handed with mobile phones, a big improvement from the crappy orange brick.. thanks,
Thanks for the feedback John. We’ve passed this on to our product team for assessment.