Review: Cricket MSGM8 II
Bluetooth
Bluetooth worked just fine in my tests with the Cricket MSGM8 II. Pairing with a headset was easy, and I had no unusual signal or sound problems using my headset with the phone. I was also able to pair with my Macbook Pro and transfer a batch of image files. Image transfer seemed fast and smooth over Bluetooth.
Clock
There are a few clocks you can place on the home screen, including a dual-time world clock. There is no separate lock screen for this phone, so you can always see the main clock, even when the keyboard is locked. Through most of the interface, there is no clock in the notification bar, you'll have to quit your app to check the time. There is also an alarm clock with up to 3 alarms you can set.
GPS
The phone doesn't come with CricketNavigator installed, but it is available for download. GPS features worked surprisingly well on this phone. Maps could be slow to load at first, but then the phone had no trouble keeping up on my route in and out of the downtown area. It corrected my course when I got lost. The CricketNavigator software isn't much to look at. It's better for active turn guidance, rather than for 3D maps that follow your position. But it does work well. Of all the extra features on this phone, GPS navigation is the only one that might justify the extra $10 monthly fee that Cricket charges for data. If you're going to use navigation all the time, and features like email or the Web browser occasionally, that would make the fee worthwhile.
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ZTE MSGM8 II
