Customer Rating: Summary: Avoid at any cost Comment: I purchased this phone for $9.99 at a big box store as another reviewer mentioned. The redeeming qualities are it's small size and the exterior is built sturdy. The flip mechanism is secure and the keypad is a nice size and has a blue backlight.
However I agree with the reviewer who said the reception is not good. AT&T says I am in a "best" signal area. However the phone struggles to get even 1 bar whether indoors or outdoors with AT&T. It is however easily unlocked with a code I found online so I tried it on T-Mobile. I am not supposed to be in as good of a T-Mobile area but actually I do get a little better reception with it on T-Mobile, at least outdoors.
Now for the icing on the cake... After a mere month of very minimal use, the power button does not work all of the time. The phone has also frozen and it has shut itself off at random. I have achieved 1 - 8 days battery standby with just 5 or 6 days on standby being common. Less than the battery is rated.
I am so glad I did not pay more than $9.99 for it. Customer Rating: Summary: It is much cheaper outside Comment: When Purchased from other large electronics retailer ( B&M, not online), This phone is available for $9.99 or so without Airtime. Customer Rating: Summary: Decent Comment: To start out with, this phone seems to have good mechanical design. It feels sturdy, and doesn't squeek, or make creeking noises while in use like a lot of my other phones have. The firmware is decent, and the interface is relatively easy to use. There is no way to set the phone to vibrate, and ring at the same time (a little annoying, in my opinion).
It has an external LCD so that you can see the time, signal strength, mode settings, and caller name (if it's in your contact list) without having to open the phone. Both LCD's seems to be high quality, and are easy to see/read.
Operationally, the phone it's not bad.
Now for the kiss of death. This phone has poor reception. It often does not have any service at my home, where my cheap Motorola phone works just fine. Since my main reason for owning a phone is to be able to make/take phone calls, the poor receiver performance is a major problem! For this reason, I wouldn't buy another one. Maybe mine is just a lemon, maybe not. But be warned, you may be frustrated by frequent dropped calls, and poor service.
If you live near an AT&T cell tower, maybe this phone is OK.
