The Seek is a new option from Boost Mobile, Sprint's prepaid service. It has a 2.6-inch touchscreen display with a resolution of 240 x 320, a 1.3 MP camera, and a physical keyboard. I've had it for about a day and so far I'm thinking it's a solid option for Boost Mobile users. Here are some of my initial thoughts about the phone.
- It's small, the screen size numbers give that away. When you have a device with an only 2.6-inch screen, you kind of know what to expect. The device itself measures 4.12" x 2.08" x .58" and weighs only 3.85 oz.
- The keyboard is great. It has no dedicated number row, which means that the spacebar is given it's own row instead of being squeezed in between the V and B. This may not seem like a big deal, but after testing several keyboards, I've noticed that this design is much easier to type on. The keys are also very grippy and tactile.
- I'm a little disappointed by the 1.3 megapixel camera, but I'm willing to digress, considering the device is on a prepaid carrier and I imagine the other options aren't much better. On the topic of the camera, there is no focus, digital zoom or flash.
- The interface is a bit wonky, to say the least. (Yeah, wonky.) Instead of a basic homescreen with shortcuts or widgets and a main menu, the homescreen IS the main menu. You can choose different categories, but you're never given just a blank screen. Along with this, there is no send/call or end/power button. The bottom of the main panel contains a Back button, Home button, and a Phone button. (The Phone button will, obviously, take you to phone functions.) This took some getting used to when I reviewed the Sprint Samsung Seek, so I imagine I'll have my work cut out for me this time as well.
- The touchscreen seems decent enough, though there isn't a lot of scrolling required since, as mentioned, you only press buttons and tabs to navigate.
The Seek ships with only the device, a 1000 mAh battery, and a standard USB wall charger along with the appropriate manuals and getting started guide. The phone does support 3G data as well as Bluetooth and features a web browser, e-mail client, music player, 3.5mm headphone jack, and access to MySpace and Facebook.
I'll put the device through more tests to see how it stacks up to other options from Boost Mobile. Check back for a full review.