Pros: Attractive design, strong speakerphone, good screen
Cons: Not comfortable entering numbers or text on keypad; inconsistent ringer/vibe/light settings; glossy, soft surface scratches easily, shows scratches; MMS/email messages sometimes go missing; hard to tell keys by touch;
Summary: This phone looks very good, at least at first, but has some flawed software design.
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The case is sleek with a futuristic look about it. The shape of it is comfortable in the hand while it is closed, but less so when holding the phone to enter numbers, text, or navigate menus. The display is fairly large with good color, and visible in most conditions. There is a LED display on the front, which shows the time, Caller ID, or signal icons, with a few options. There is a LED "lightpipe" running down the center, which lights up when a call or message comes in, and pulses while the phone is charging.
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The camera is adequate for MMS snapshots or Caller ID shots, but not worth going into detail over.
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Settings for ringtones work for Caller ID and SMS ID, including groups, but other sound settings are confusing and limited to builtin sounds and/or nothing. Combinations of sounds and vibration are even more confusing and frustrating.
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The keypad is a molded rubbery panel, with raised bars between "keys" which click under finger presses. It only has a phone-type pad, not a QWERTY keyboard (I don't know what phone the other review is of, but it's not this one.) It's easy to hit the wrong key without realizing it, and there are no icons to remind the user which parts of the central ring control which functions. The upper keys, central ring, and center button are used inconsistently in different applications, and it's hard to remember what does and doesn't work for what function.
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Text messaging is frustrating. It takes several keys to get to send a message unless in reply to an incoming message, and receiving messages can involve several keys as well.
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Navigating messages is a chore. When messages arrive, opening the phone reveals a message informing you that messages have arrived, offering the choice of opening or ignoring them. When one message comes, it is opened directly; when more than one arrive, the inbox is opened. You can't go directly from one message to another; you have to go "back" to the Inbox, unless one message arrives, which means "Back" takes you back to the main screen, where you have to get to the Inbox to see messages.
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Sometimes closing the phone puts you back at the main screen when you open the phone; sometimes the phone keeps the same screen you were at when you closed the phone.
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Ringtones can be assigned from saved MMS sounds, but other functions (including opening/closing the phone) can only be assigned a preselected list of built-in sounds.
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Schedules and alarms can only be set when the phone has a digital signal, which can be very frustrating in areas with incomplete coverage.
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Overall, the phone is adequate, but frustrating when its potential seems to have been poorly implemented by bad software design decisions.
4.2
4.6