Expensive Spiffy Flippy

Cliche Statement Warning:

I decided to join up with TMobile on my husband's cell phone plan back in December. Leaving out the cost factor, I needed to get a new cell phone. I had been using a Samsung up until that point, and had been fairly happy with the quality. However, I learned quickly that I needed a phone with expandable memory and Bluetooth support, and my old Samsung didn't fit this bill. These needs also dramatically reduced the number of affordable phones.

That being said, TMobile had a wonderful promo going that gave me the phone if I bought all of the accessories. So, for about $175 later, I walked out of the mall with a new phone with tons of features, and a heftier credit card bill.

The Lowdown

So what, you may be asking, did this $175 debt give me? For starters, a blue and silver flip phone that is one of the heavier cell phones on the market. It has tons of features, including a built-in audio player, camera, AOL Instant messenger, voice recognition, and polyphonic/true tone ring tones. You can even make your own ringtones, if you are creatively inclined.

In terms of supported options, this phone does have a USB connectivity cable, a Micro-SD memory card (very, very small, and consequently, probably easily lose-able), and Bluetooth support. If you are not the most technically inclined, this simply means that you can connect your phone to your computer to transfer files to it (slowly, but you can), upgrade the memory to store more of said files, and if you have a Bluetooth headset, wirelessly connect to your phone and talk into a small earbud.

Battery life is awesome, and the phone charges very quickly. One charge takes maybe 2-3 hours from completely drained, and a fully charged battery will last for days (standby). Talking until dead, or in my case, texting, takes a few hours.

Functionality

For all this money, I must say, I am impressed with the use of the phone. The buttons are big enough that when texting, you can easily find them and will not likely fat-finger a key. The rounded design means the phone fits comfortably in your hand, even if it is a bit longer (when folded out) and a bit heavier than other flip-phones on the market.

The menu, which is displayed on a beautifully backlit colored screen, is easily navigable and fairly intuitive. With the TMobile options, things are logical to find, but more advanced options, such as setting a particular ringtone to a Caller ID for instance, can be infuriating to program.

Also, when using the USB cable to transfer files between my phone and my computer, it moves very slowly. Finding music that you have transferred is no where near as easy as it should be. I could get into a long description of what happens, but to make the Reader's Digest point, when you transfer a file, it should automatically appear in all applicable categories. You should not have to spend 15 minutes trying to find the file, then the memory card, transferring the file from the memory card to the phone, then trying to find how to link it to a ringtone. I bloody near threw the phone into a wall from frustration at that point.

Bluetooth connectivity works great, and is a cinch to program. After a few tries with the headset, the phone will automatically detect it, rather than having to go through the manual menu option. This is convenient and time-saving.

The other option, the memory card, is easy to get to, and detects beautifully on the phone. The only downside is just how small the card is, I would say less than 1/2" x 1/2". Is slides into a slot under the back cover of the phone, and is spring-loaded. The downside to that is obvious; you can accidentally launch your expensive memory card across the room and watch your dog eat it if you are not careful when removing it.

To date, I have not seen any Micro-SD memory cards larger than 512MB. Those are priced around $60. So, while your phone is upgradeable, you may have to wait for a short time until larger sized cards are available on the market.

Sound Quality and Pictures

Sound quality is wonderful on this phone. I have never had a problem with someone not being able to hear me, and both music on the audio player and speakerphone are clear. Regular use of the handset is also clear, with minimal to no distortion.

Photo quality is definitely on the higher end of the phone spectrum. With zoom and some colorization functionality, you will find yourself able to take clear, detailed pictures. Movie functionality is also available, and you are pretty much limited on how much room you can take up depending on your memory card. See the last section for more information about that.

Durability

It's a cell phone. As with any electronic portable device, if you drop it, it will probably not function correctly. If you run over it with your car, it's toast. If your dog eats it, either be very patient or have special gastro-intestinal surgery and see what tummy acid does for plastic. I think you get my point.

The phone is durable, in so far as normal bumps, drops onto surfaces from short distances, sitting on it, and opening it hard (flipping it roughly, in other words) may do to a telephonic device. That being said, I really recommend investing in a leather slip for the phone, to add extra protection. While it may make dialing a bit more difficult, the soft padding is invaluable when the phone may be jostling around your handbag, against your hip, or if it happens to fall onto the concrete floor of the subway station. Not that I have any experience with that last one...

Value

The value of this phone is really determined by your needs. If you don't take pictures and really don't care about having really high quality ringtones, stay away from this model and go with something more basic. If you will not play the Java games and memory upgradeability and Bluetooth support are all foreign concepts, spring for something cheaper.

Personally, the $175 price tag I paid (although, I have heard it retails for almost $400) is worth the features. I personally text more than I talk, and the text messaging feature is robust and has a great dictionary. Being able to expand my memory and the Bluetooth support are also of great quality, and again, eased the pain of shelling out almost $200 for a phone.

The last bit of justification also plays heavily with your cellular carrier. You could have the most expensive phone on the planet, but if your service stinks, it's nothing more than a fancy electronic paperweight.

The wisdom to all this is simple: evaluate your needs and research wisely. This phone is designed for more robust cellular use and has heavier features as a consequence. If you only plan on calling people and doing nothing else, get a different phone. If your phone is more than a phone, and is more of a universal entertainment medium, this is probably for you.

The Bottom Line

This is an expensive toy. It has lots of cool features, takes good pictures and plays music. It works with your computer and can be upgraded to throw more stuff onto it. But it is also a darn good phone. If you like technologically advanced phones, want good Bluetooth support and easily upgradeable memory, this is a great deal. The heavier weight and the comfortable design are nice, but if you like chic and slim, you may want to get another model.