cell phone reviews

It’s not often that we get to review a cell phone from a new company (at least, new to us). That’s why we requested to examine the Huawei M328 from MetroPCS. Though it’s hardly the flashiest phone around–it doesn’t even have a camera–we wanted to see what the Chinese company was all about. In fact, the M328 is perfectly suited for MetroPCS’s no-frills, no-hassle service. Though we had a few design complaints, it offers decent call quality and an easy-to-use interface. You can get it for just $79; that’s … Continue Reading

Despite the growing trend of smartphones in the country, AT&T has maintained its commitment to the messaging handset market, claiming that there’s a huge market for so-called “smartphone lite” devices. As part of this, AT&T has launched a number of what it calls “quick messaging phones,” one of which is the Pantech Pursuit. It’s Pantech’s first-ever touch-screen phone with a sliding keyboard, and we have to say, we’re impressed. Despite its toylike appearance, the Pursuit is quite sleek, with unique features like shake and gesture controls in addition to … Continue Reading

Pantech is no stranger to the sliding QWERTY phone, from the dual-slider Helio Ocean to the recent single-slider Pantech Reveal. But with its latest messaging handset, Pantech went for a flip shape similar to that of the LG enV3. It has an external keypad, dual displays, and a full QWERTY keyboard. Unlike the enV3, though, the Impact has a very impressive OLED touch-sensitive exterior. Aside from its unique style, the Impact has a good feature set that includes 3G, GPS, and an HTML mobile browser based on Opera. The … Continue Reading

Pros: Truly the most beautiful cellphone ever. Makes the Vertu and Arte look dowdy. Easy to use, comfortable to hold, brilliant design.

Cons: Odds are you can walk into any T-Mo, Sprint, ATT or Verizon store and pick a phone with better features…and it would be free with a two year commitment.

Motorola thumbed its nose at the shaky economy Tuesday when it introduced a high-end luxury cell phone called the Aura. Sporting a swivel design reminiscent of the Motorola V70 (now there’s a blast from the past), the Aura features a … Continue Reading

One of the more popular smartphones of 2007 was the Samsung BlackJack, and it’s not hard to see why. It offered solid messaging capabilities, 3G support, and good call quality, all wrapped up into one attractive and sleek package. However, the love affair was ruined for some after numerous battery drain issues, which subsequently led to Samsung shipping the BlackJack with an extended battery. Well, now the BlackJack’s successor is out, and it takes care of that issue and then some.

The Samsung BlackJack II not only features … Continue Reading

As an entry-level metallic-gray-and-black flip phone, the Samsung Gusto is the spitting image of the Samsung Smooth, though its feature set and design slightly differ. Although there are some nice features inside, phone’s build and call quality are pretty unremarkable. The price, however, is very low–free from Verizon.com after an online discount and a new two-year contract, and $19.99 with a new contract after a $50 mail-in rebate, if you pick it up in retail stores.

Design

Though one on hand the gray-and-black Samsung Gusto is a decently attractive flip phone, … Continue Reading

As Samsung’s Galaxy S devices have hit T-Mobile, AT&T, and Sprint, Verizon Wireless customers have had to stand idly by waiting for their turn at the company’s new Android phones. That time has finally come. The Samsung Fascinate will be available online starting September 8 and in stores September 9 for $199.99 with a two-year contract and after a $100 mail-in rebate. Like the others, the Fascinate offers a gorgeous Super AMOLED touch screen, a great multimedia experience, and smooth performance. It’s a great addition to Verizon’s lineup to … Continue Reading

When AT&T Mobile TV launched two years ago, the LG Vu was one of AT&T ’s launch devices for the live mobile TV service. The Vu had a lovely 3-inch display, and it even had a pull-out antenna to further amplify its television reception. Still, the design was getting long in the tooth, and we’re glad to see LG and AT&T finally come out with its successor, the LG Vu Plus. The Vu Plus still offers AT&T Mobile TV, but gone is the antenna, and in comes … Continue Reading

Motorola Charm is coming! If you think all Android phones come with big beautiful touch screens, think again. The Motorola Charm is a decidedly different take on the Android smartphone, with a square touch-screen design like that of the Motorola Flipout, except that it doesn’t twist open. The Charm is also only the second phone to have a Backtrack sensor after the Motorola Backflip. Though the Backtrack works as advertised, we didn’t think it was necessary, and though we like that Motorola refined its MotoBlur interface, we thought it still … Continue Reading

As strange as it may seem, LG has never had a phone on T-Mobile, at least until the summer of 2010. Indeed, the Sentio marks LG’s first handset in T-Mobile’s stable. Aside from that accolade, don’t expect anything groundbreaking–the Sentio is strictly in midrange feature-phone territory. However, we like its smooth and svelte design, and its multimedia features work well–for the most part. Perhaps the most attractive part of the phone is that it’s very affordable–it’s only $69.99 with a new two-year contract with T-Mobile.

Design

The LG Sentio is remarkably … Continue Reading