Pros: quick and easy picture taking, video capture, plays music without
opening the flip, stereo bluetooth, useful external touch screen, sleek
design, nice materials.
Cons: price, no music in the background.
The Rapture has those grooved metal buttons that can be found on the
Motozine. There are two contextual buttons, but none of the fancy LED
color changes of the ZN5. The Rapture's rubberized back, shiny little
screens, and flat back-lit keypad make it feel like a solid, quality
device. It's a glossy beater.
I don't mean that in a derogatory way.
When people refer to a car or bike as a beater, it invokes images of
something that's been poorly treated and unmaintained. I use the term
to describe things that can withstand some careless handling and keep
on working. This phone feels pretty tough, and that's what I expect for low-to-mid-range devices.
The coolest feature of the Rapture is the external touch screen. If you
have the lock switch up, the screen won't respond (outside of a warning
message). With the switch down, holding your finger on the screen
causes the the phone to vibrate, and you are given options to navigate
and play your music library or take pictures without opening the phone.
It's a quick and cool gadget, but $129.99 after contract and $50.00
mail-in rebate seems a bit steep to me.
I know I should recognize deals like a Storm for $199 as the
hard-driving promos that they are. But to me, iPhone-"killing" offers like
this devalue the rest of a carrier's line-up; especially if they have
a small selection of cheap phones. Verizon's got some low-cost handsets, but many are refurbished.
I'm also not a fan of mail-in rebates. In my experience (not specific
to Verizon) rebates are devised to convince you to buy, but
vanish from memory immediately after the purchase. Too many companies
have found excuses not to rebate me, so it's just not an effective
sales tool... for me.
Still, the phone is cool, and it would definitely qualify as a primary talker in my home. It doesn't replace a smartphone, but it'll be there when you need it, and features lots of little bonuses.
Verdict: Thumbs up.
