User: GravityFails

Info Reviews Forum Msgs.  

These are the most recent phone user reviews posted by GravityFails:

for the Nokia Lumia 635 / 630 (GSM):
The Baconing
Everybody knows that one person who, but for a glaring flaw, might be okay to hang out with. Like that guy from college who can burp the alphabet (hey, fun!) but who smells like Junior Mints and sauerkraut (not so fun). Or that girl from your office who brings in donuts every Friday (hey, fun!) but who sits at her desk and screams "MAURY POVICH!" at random intervals throughout the day (freakin' terrifying). The Lumia 635 is one of ...

for the Motorola Moto G (CDMA, 1st gen.):
Hello (Again) Moto
Eight years ago Motorola absolutely dominated the handset market; between the Razr, the Pebl, the Rizr, and the Rokr, they were the company to beat when it came to building unique phones that were either pocket-thin, spring-loaded, slide-loaded, or only marginally useful as music players, and which also happened to be named with a sparsity of vowels. They had some dark times at Motorola for a while there -- the Droid line notwithstanding -- when it was unclear whether ...

for the Samsung Galaxy Express:
It Starts With an Earthquake
What does it mean when one of the wireless industry's perennial prepaid tightwads introduces a phone like the Samsung Galaxy Express? That is, a phone with no creaks, no rattles, no second-rate materials, and no dim, washed out screen? With access to LTE data? Surely it's the end of the world as we know it. And I feel pretty good. Since T-Mobile and Sprint (via Boost and Virgin) have offered decent Android handsets for their prepaid accounts for a ...

for the Huawei Mercury:
Crazy Little Thing Called Muve
It'll save me some trouble to simply rush headlong to the point; it's a hard life for wireless OEMs in North America; each company is under pressure to produce the Next Big Thing, and any of them can disappear in a flash. (Some, like Nokia and RIM, are just waiting for the hammer to fall.) Huawei is not known for their top-shelf devices; some of their stuff is bleakly utilitarian, and some of it has been simply awful, but ...

for the LG Connect 4G:
Brighter Than a Thousand Suns
There's a proverb written in Sumerian cuneiform which says, "[níg]-ge-na-da a-ba in-da-di nam-ti ì-ù-tu." Loosely translated, this means "anyone who signs a wireless contract in this age of plentiful prepaid alternatives is two goats shy of a full herd." On this I must heartily agree with our Early Bronze Age forbears. Phones like the Connect make it difficult to justify forking over the extra dough for a contract; people think they're getting a great deal whenever they get a ...

for the Motorola Rambler:
Tonight We're Gonna Party...
...Like it's late-2005. Ah, the good ol' days. Back when a TFT screen was a luxury, when the mini-USB charging port was new, and when having a grippy rubber coating on your phone meant that you lived on the bleeding edge of technological adoption. How things have changed. Mostly. The Motorola Rambler has a mini-USB charging port. It has a rubber coating. And, somewhat surprisingly, given its plethora of other mid-decade throwbacks, it also has ...

for the LG GS170 / 420g:
Simple, Elegant, Delicious
As you might have noticed from the FCC ID numbers on this phone's main page, it's identical to the LG420G for Tracfone. And that -- for both T-Mobile and anyone who might consider getting one -- is a Good Thing. The 420G sports only 10Mb of memory, and it's not going to win anyone over with its multimedia capabilities, but as far as finding a simple device for making calls and sending texts, you can't go wrong with it. ...

for the Kyocera Loft / Torino S2300:
Loft Horizon
I do not buy phones merely as a means of communication, Yes, I want to be able to make calls and send texts and surf the occasional web page, but I also want to experience -- in the form of the phone itself -- the joy of witnessing the product of rational thought and competent action done well and made real in the world. Kyocera routinely thwarts each of these desires at every opportunity, from their signal icons to ...

for the LG Sentio GS505:
Just When I Thought I Was Out
Dealing with T-Mobile over the last sixteen months has been, among other adjectives, rather interesting; their 3G (AWS) network in my area is unreliable at the best of times, so it's become something of a hit-or-miss proposition as to whether my phone will work when I need it to. As a result, I've been considering dropping them for a carrier that actually delivers something in exchange for the money that I'm paying them every month. Enter the Sentio. ...

for the Nokia 2705 Shade:
A Deadly Shade of Gold
It's hard to believe how bad the Nokia 2605 Mirage was for Verizon Prepaid; so hard, in fact, that it's even harder to believe how good its replacement is, the 2705 Shade. How bad was the Mirage? It wouldn't even program. *22898 gave an "activation unsuccessful" message without ever even dialing out to the network. I managed to get it activated on H20, which is where I found out that it's got horrible sound, creaky ...

for the Samsung SCH-U430:
All I Really Want
There's something almost soothing about simplicity. Simple things very rarely break down, they're easy to operate, and they don't cost a bundle to produce or maintain. It's like the difference between I Love Lucy and Battlestar Galactica; one is simple and easily accessible, and the other requires a relatively large investment of time and effort in order to appreciate it. If you're not on board with Battlestar from episode one, you're gonna be stuck wondering what the hell ...

for the Samsung Sway U650:
Blue Sway'd Shoes
First, all of the complaints about the slider on this phone being hard to operate are 100% dead-on. It's a got a slick silver finish, and if your hands are dry or even slightly oily, there'll be no sliding in these parts, mister. Nossir. Other than that, there's not much to dislike. The texting can be slow, sure, but adaptation to varying environmental conditions is a survival trait; try it some time. Text slower. If your ...

for the LG LX-160 / Flare:
I Spit My Last Breath at Thee
It's much easier to find things to dislike about something than it is to go out of your way to find something to admire; negative judgment comes naturally to some of us, myself included. But as I've said before, rating a phone poorly because of missing features is akin to bagging on Uhura because she's never a part of the away team. What Uhura does (answering the phone and keeping the communicator in her ear), she does ...

for the LG Rumor / Scoop / UX-260:
A Rumor of War
There is, in certain sciences and statistics, something called the correlation fallacy. The Latin term is "cum hoc ergo propter hoc," which means "with this therefore because of this," and it's generally defined as the assumption of cause due to association. Let's say that every time Erin goes to the mall, it rains. Therefore, Erin causes it to rain by going to the mall. This is an example of a correlation fallacy. The Scoop's hidden ...

for the Nokia 2600:
The Best Things in Life Are Free
It's hard to believe some of the things that people will complain about when it comes to reviewing a phone. One of these days the term "critical analysis" is simply going to disappear from our lexicon, and then I'll be sad. The Nokia 2600 is a phone in the purest sense. It is not a camera. It is not a satellite dish. It is not a hamster. To buy a phone without a camera and then ...

for the Sanyo Katana / SCP-6600:
Shot in the Dark
What can you say about a year-old phone that hasn't already been said? With over 50 reviews, the major pros and cons of the Katana have already been explored ad nauseam. Anything more would be mere reiteration. And yet... And yet no one has mentioned that this is one of the few Sprint models that can receive and send text messages while roaming. No one has celebrated its ultra-low rate of dropped calls (none in three ...

for the Nokia 1110 / 1112:
Living in the Past
At one point in 1998, I realized that I could have paid a total stranger $199 to kick me in the nuts, and it would have accurately simulated the experience of using the Samsung SCH-1500 with Sprint Prepaid. Airtime cost fifty cents per minute, but that was okay; airtime prices aren't an issue when you can't make any calls. At least it was very easy to see whenever I had no bars, even in bright sunlight, because the ...

for the Kyocera Cyclops K325 / K312:
By Your Command
If your TV wasn't tuned to ABC at 8:00 every Sunday night during the late 70s, the title of this review will make no sense. For this I apologize. What makes no sense to me, however, is why this spiffy little contraption has no reviews. Perhaps its initial price alone was sufficient to keep the Virgin faithful away from Kyocera's latest offering; the Cyclops launched at $99, which is a bit of a stretch for a mainstream prepaid user like myself. ...

for the Nokia 2115i / 2116i / Shorty:
These Boots Are Made for Talkin'
I like Virgin Mobile's practice of naming phones instead of relying on the traditional manufacturer's numeric nomenclature. It's easier to remember something like "Razr" or "Slice" instead of 2115i or PCS-1400. Although I have no idea what the name "Shorty" is supposed to denote (is the 2115i aimed specifically at young women?), but either way it's cuter than hell. Don't let the name fool you. In spite of the fact that the Shorty is low on features ...

for the Kyocera KX12:
Cheek to Cheek
Originally purchased at full retail as a replacement for a malfunctioning E815, I quickly dismissed the KX12 as a something of a moose, as it's clunky, unattractive, and slow. Eight months later, the KX12 is still clunky, unattractive, and slow, yet I've developed a new appreciation for such qualities in a phone. In spite of the grippy rubber material that covers 90% of this phone's exterior, I've managed to drop it a few times on the kitchen floor. ...

for the Kyocera Oystr KX9d / KX9e:
All About the Little Things
If you buy only one phone this year, don't buy this one either! But seriously. If you're a potential Virgin Mobile customer, and you're considering which device to purchase, consider a little harder before plunking down your hard earned scratch for this thing. Save up a little longer, work some extra hours, sell your cat. Something. Anything. Not that it's a bad phone, to be honest, but we're looking at five-year-old tech, here. No external screen? ...

for the LG CG225:
Looks Good, Less Gloss
It's hard to believe that this phone replaced the C2000. The CG225 is inferior in almost every possible way, from fit and finish to screen quality to call quality to battery life. Reminds me of when the Rabbit replaced the Beetle, for cryin' out loud. First of all, as others have mentioned, the fingerprint issue is a big deal. Unless you're one of those schlubs who doesn't care about the way your stuff looks, steer clear of ...

for the LG C2000:
Both Sides Now
It's not easy to objectively review a phone, or anything else, for that matter. It seems that most people are incapable of setting aside personal likes and dislikes in favor of simply reviewing what's there and how well (or not well) it works. Listing the color of the phone as one of its cons isn't going to earn your opinion much credibility. Fortunately, the LG C2000 has made things easy for me. If taking photos is important to ...

for the Motorola W315:
Leave the Driving to Us
I get a kick out of the reviews on Phonescoop. Most of them are well-considered and thoughtful, but then there are those that might have been hastily recorded in Krylon on the side of a passing Greyhound. You know the ones I'm talking about; monosyllabic rants against the omission of a camera or Bluetooth. When it comes to reviewing, personal opinions should take a back seat to objectivity. Does the thing work, or doesn't it? Also, ...

for the Samsung SCH-A645:
Curious Yet Dysfunctional
I wanted to like this phone. Seriously. It's a cute little blue number with no external antenna, which results in a slick, pocketable profile. Unfortunately, the lack of an external antenna renders this phone next to useless in all but the most well-covered service areas. It seemed like a good candidate for adoption; it's got a monochrome external screen and a bright, colorful internal screen. It's well-constructed, with no creaks or squeaks or clatters. It's got a 2.5mm headphones ...

for the Samsung SGH-C417 / C416:
More Bars in More Places, Unless You've Got a Samsung
My first phone was a Samsung SCH-1500 with Sprint, and it was an absolute dog. I might have used it for a total of two minutes in about a year, only partially because the airtime was fifty cents per minute. I've had a total of three Samsung phones, and each one of them has gotten little or no reception where other phones do fine. The a645 with Alltel is also a mutt when it comes to pulling in ...

for the LG AX-4270 / VX-4270:
Can't Fight This Feeling
I've got three basic requirements when it comes to reviewing a clamshell phone. The first, predictably, is that it must work well as a phone. You know, does it draw a good signal, can I hear and be heard clearly, things like that. If so, that's half the battle right there. The second, and this is a bigger deal than you might think, is quality of construction. If a phone creaks and rattles when ...

for the Nokia 6010:
Your Mileage May Vary
After reading the positively nuclear reviews about this phone's "reception," I eagerly locomoted to my nearest Cingular store and purchased what turned out to be their very last one. Since this phone has been discontinued through Cingular, the rep and I shared a bittersweet moment; we laughed a little, but mostly we cried and reminisced about days gone by. Or...something. While it seems a bit pointless to review a phone that's not readily available anymore (other than on Ebay), I thought ...

for the Motorola C139:
Round and Round
Both the Net10 and Cingular versions of this phone were a pleasant surprise; it's inexpensive to begin with, but in the pictures it looks downright cheap. Don't be fooled. From the standpoint of aesthetics, the Net10 version wins, hands down. It's covered in slick, glossy plastic that makes it sinfully fun to hold, while the Cingular model's black matte finish detracts a bit from the C139's pleasing shape and appearance. I admit that it was a little ...

for the Pantech PG-C300 / C3:
In the Distance Tiny Voices
My first cell phone weighed sixteen pounds. Not only were the airtime fees exorbitant (fifty cents per minute), but I nearly went broke paying for the utility cart that I had to rent in order to lug the thing around. The battery alone was heavy enough to bludgeon a caribou half to death. Ten years later, things have changed just a little. The Pantech C300 is tiny. It tickles the scale at a mere 72 grams, which, if you're keeping ...

for the Motorola V190:
Blinded by the Light
Much like anything else, when it comes to phones, there's an awful lot of crap out there. You've got to be careful, otherwise you'll wind up with a lemon that you can't return and can't use for its intended purpose. That's why I'm grateful for this site. If you're looking for a kitchen sink-type affair with a camera and 6 gigs of memory, obviously the V190 isn't for you. Not that there's anything WRONG with those kinds of phones, but ...

for the Sony Ericsson Z300:
Sounds of Silence
The Z300 has a decent screen and good ringers. That's about the most that can be said for it. Sound quality is poor, even in high-signal areas. In low-signal areas you can forget it, because you won't have service. None at all. No speaker and no 2.5mm jack means that you'll be forced to buy proprietary Sony accessories for handsfree use. Overall, it's got a solid feel with no creaks or groans, and it's wrapped in ...

for the Motorola V551 / V330 / V547 / V555 / V557:
Size. Does. Matter.
It's amusing to read reviews of a few quad-band phones in which magical properties are bestowed upon the 900 and 1800 MHz bands. Everything from clear reception to curing scoliosis has been attributed to these frequencies, when the truth is that there's not a single US carrier who uses either one of them. The value of having a quad-band phone lies in being able to use it overseas, particularly in Europe, where the networks are GSM 900 and 1800 ...

for the Motorola RAZR V3c:
Come and Get Your Love?
After wading through the inane and ubiquitous "that's what I have an iPod for" comments, I realized what was bugging me; a device's capabilities should not be judged based upon the availability of yet other devices. If a phone has a camera, that camera should perform to satisfaction. If it has an MP3 player, it should be a good MP3 player. Those who were disappointed by the Razr were disappointed for valid reasons. Those who are happy with it ...

for the Nokia 6235i / 6236i:
The Way That You Use It
I've gone through a bunch of Alltel phones in the last six weeks, trying to find one that will work well in my low-signal area. I've used a V710, a Razr, an LG AX5000, a Kyocera Slider, and now the Nokia 6235i. I can say without reservation that these are good phones, but the 6235 trumps them all with one simple feature: It works as a phone. Previously, in order to get decent reception, I had to stand by the Magic ...

for the Kyocera Slider Remix KX5 / Slider Sonic:
Alltel Slider
I was skeptical when it came to trying out the Slider. Kyocera doesn't even appear on my tech radar, so imagine my surprise when the Slider turned out to be the finest phone I've ever used. Yes, it's awkward at first. The sliding motion initially seems unnatural, but it soon becomes second nature and you'll find yourself wondering how you ever lived with a standard bar or clamshell. The phone need not be open to be used; all basic features, ...

for the Nokia 6030:
Back in Black
I recently signed up with Cingular's top Pick Your Plan tier in order to talk to family members on opposite coasts with the unlimited mobile-to-mobile deal. Instead of going with one of the low-end Nokias like the 6010 or the Moto V173, I paid full retail for the 6030 and haven't regretted it one bit. Pros: +Great loudspeaker, even better than the Razr and V710 +Sleek, stylish blackness +Strong reception +FM radio through speaker (with attached headset) +Small and lightweight +Good battery life, even in ...

for the LG AX-5000 / UX-5000:
I Saw Red
I should probably be slapped for including a Warrant reference in the title, but I'll take my chances. The AX5000 is everything I'm looking for in a phone. It's got crystal-clear voice quality (even out in the sticks), good battery life (even out in the sticks), and a VGA camera. The speakerphone is also a bonus, but it wasn't paramount in my search for a new handset. And boy did I search. The AX5000 does not have an MP3 ...

Subscribe to Phone Scoop News with RSS Follow @phonescoop on Threads Follow @phonescoop on Mastodon Phone Scoop on Facebook Follow on Instagram

• About
• Contact
• Terms of Use

All content Copyright 2001-2024 Phone Factor, LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Content on this site may not be copied or republished without formal permission.

OK