This phone is a pretty nice example of the typical failure in industrial design.
Pluspunten
- Solid, robust
- Long akku durance
- Handy shape
Minpunten
- Very bad position of buttons
- Power plug loosens quikly
- Magnetic sensor needs very often to be calibrated
Eindoordeel
2 van 5 sterren (Slecht)
Being a designer myself, and I guess others agree, I can say, that the CAT S61 has been originally a brilliant design.
Unfortunately one can see instantly, that the original design has been super-vised, re-shaped and compromised by a person who simply has 0 (zero) designing skills and 0 (zero) background in industrial design.
Otherwise such an inconsistency is inexplicable.
Features have been taken out, and the buttons have been replaced in such a way that it destroys the complete design and makes the phone 100% useless.
It's for example a basic golden rule to NEVER place a button in the center of a panel, but that exactly is where the programmable multifunction button has been re-placed. Each time you grab the phone, the programmable button is pushed.
The on/switch has been re-placed from the top panel, where it belongs, to the side panel. The volume buttons have been moved downwards from where they originally belong.
Thus, making photos with the S61 this is a pain in the a$$ since you hardly only with a lot of finger acrobatics must hold the phone, in order to not hit the volume buttons accidentally.
It is a shame that such a good design has been completely destroyed. We can speculate only about the reasons, but the reason is very likely that some idiotic super-visor, who himself has not a bit of a clue of design and requirements, thought himself, driven by jealousy and great stupidity. Such people must make a circle even rounder than it is, and leave his personal mark on each and everything. In the case of this of the CAT S41, this has destroyed the complete functionality of a consistent design.
It's a shame and I feel so sorry for the actual designer. The original was genuine and sound, now it's rubbish squared.