The good: Battery Life, Durability<p/>The bad: Bulky size<p/>Summary: It seems that LG has developed a habit of releasing a 'next-generation' phone, then a few months later, releasing an updated model that improves on it. This has happened most recently with the VX8600, followed a few months later by the VX8700.<br><br>This was the case with the VX8000. While it is an excellent phone in its own right, a few months after its release, the VX8100 was released, which improved on the one major deficiency of the VX8000 - its large size. The VX8000 is a bulky phone, although some may appreciate this due to the enhanced durability it provides -- I have dropped this phone hundreds of times without any issue! The VX8100 also features bluetooth, which is missing from the VX8000. If you don't have a choice between the 8000 and 8100, the 8000 is still highly recommended - it has a beautiful large screen, the speakerphone works great, and the battery life is excellent.<br><br>-- <br>Robert H. Goretsky<br>Hoboken, NJ
The good: With sprint you can actually go anywhere almost and use your cell phone. All of sprints plans have included roaming in them so that you are not charged with extra roaming fees. The best plan ever was fair and flexable, but they don't have it anymore. I have been with sprint for 5 years and have found that I am now saving money using the family share plans. pcs to pcs in included, roaming is included and minuets start at 7pm<p/>The bad: Bad customer service. When you do call them, you have to pray that you get someone that you can first of all understand. Then if you do get someone you can understand, then the person you get is a new employee that does not have a clue.(what kinda training did they get?) If you finially do speak with someone with that has been employed for a while you may have a good phone call,(but it's only about 5 old employees out of 50000 new ones or low english speaking ones. )so good luck with that. I ha<p/>Summary: If they would just hire some good customer service reps, they would be the best. Because their plans are actually a little cheaper than the others cause they include more in them.
The good: I can put it in my pocket when I'm wearing tight pants. battery life is pretty good in the first 3 months<p/>The bad: It lags like CRAZY & cheap design. Battery life on the decline.<p/>Summary: I gave into peer pressure and bought this phone since it (was) trendy. Anyway, I was super excited when I first bought it, but it didn't take long for me to start hating it. <br><br>You have to memorize the menu options becuase it lags so long/freezes sometimes. I feel like I am using 56k internet on this thing! It seriously takes F O R E V E R to even go through the contact list to make a phone call. <br><br>AND All the buttons are peeling off! Don't know if it's my makeup that makes it happen, but it's annoying & looks weird/gross.
The good: NO dropped calls great all-in-one plans, flat rates, great phones, much better coverage than tmobile, good customer service<p/>The bad: its not a Blackberry<p/>Summary: Don't call it a phone campany, Don't call it a phone! This carrier is going off the Sprint PCS network, which is good, I used to get dropped/failed calls from tmobile all the time, and since switching, it has been great, no complaints! Easy to navigate helio my account, easy setting up your Helio email, unlike Blackberry email. Accessing and keeping all your email accounts organized on the helio phone is easy, so easy a caveman can do it!
The good: Personal sound files for ring tones including MP3, WMA, & WAV files.<br>Sound quality of music files is pretty good.<br>1GB Micro SD card is included.<br>Sliders are sturdy (metal instead of plastic).<br>Customizing the main screen to include your most used options is a breeze.<br>Navigation through the units menus is self explanatory.<p/>The bad: Micro SD slot kind of a pain to get to the first time, but after that it is relatively simple.<p/>Summary: Great lil unit with an easy to use menu and interface. The better of all the cells I've used to date. Once i customized the screen to my specs, the unit was even more useful. Very clear display.
The good: Inexpensive, easy to use, NO TAXES. I was able to convert from a postpaid to prepaid easily with my own phone.<p/>The bad: Had dead spots in Palm Springs. Signal can be weak at times.<p/>Summary: Great for someone who doesn't use their phone much. Although I find myself using my cell more now that I know I won't go over my limit. I purchased an extra one for my mother as an emergency phone. Great peace of mind. Buy the $100/1000 min, and you get 1 year to use, and can carry over extra minutes when you restock.
The good: The staff are not on commision and treat you like a human being. Very helpful, very friendly<p/>The bad: Can't think of any!<p/>Summary: This store has customer service that is second to none. They made buying a phone a pleasant experience. Because they are not on commision, you get the phone YOU WANT..not what they want you to have. 10 out of 10 !
The good: Great family plan prices<p/>The bad: Bad reception in my area.<p/>Summary: There are no t-mobile dealers in my area, bad reception in some buildings or when it's cloudy.
The good: Good service, no dropped calls.<p/>The bad: Just too darn costly<p/>Summary: Was stuck with Verizon, not that I'm dissatisfied with their service, since before I did not want to get a new cell number, but ever since they allowed the switching of numbers, I'm really contemplating it. I can go to US Cellular, and with their Call Me unlimited minutes, I can cut my bill from $80/month to $40/month...that's significant!! But....is US Cellular reliable...I'm worried!
The good: Small, compact, good reception, decent battery life, clear camera pics.<p/>The bad: Poor memory, weak vibration.<p/>Summary: Basically this phone has survived almost a year of being dropped, getting wet, and me messing with the inside without completely screwing it up. I just wish it had better memory because when I really need to snap a pic the memory ends up being full and I have to delete good pics/videos/tones/messages/games to make room. The vibration could be better because sometimes it can be going off in my pocket and I dont even feel it.<br><br>But everything else is good. It's a nice phone and the sound and call quality is great. I bearly had any dropped calls in the last year and I've bearly had to ask "what? can you hear me?"<br><br>But I swear if I keep dropping this phone I'm not sure how much longer it will last. lol.
The good: mp3, sleek design, great UI<p/>The bad: phonebook could have been designed better<p/>Summary: love its weight, really cool design! durable phone, as with other motorola phones.
The good: It has been simple to use.<p/>The bad: Terrible coverage. Many dropped calls.<p/>Summary: I only have one place in my home where I can use my cell (hell) phone. If I am not sitting by that window, you can forget it. Even so, I'll be talking away only to discover the call ended some time ago. Sometimes the voice mail does not show up until hours later. Why's that? Also, it is difficult to multi-task with a flip phone - you almost HAVE to hold it instead of using your shoulder.
The good: It's not a flip-phone (those are so easy to break) and the alarm clock does a great job of waking up a tired traveler<p/>The bad: Music ringtones a rather low in volume even at highest setting<p/>Summary: Not sure what most people are trying to accomplish with cellphones but if you want one for making MOBILE CALLS this will do it wonderfully. Has many other features but, those are just extras folks keep that in mind.
The good: Good internet, email service on my phone. Good coverage in my area, and I enjoy the 7pm nights.<p/>The bad: Sales associates and customer service have no clue. <p/>Summary: I've had Sprint for 5 years and am on my 4th phone - I've upgraded due to my needs. On my most recent contract change I was promised the world by the sales person - no activation fees, free phones (I have a 4 phone plan).. When I got my first bill - it included all of the activation fees and charged me for the phones with a different plan than the written contract. I called customer service, they offered to change some of it.. so I stated "So should I take this signed contract back to the salesperson and say PERFORM?" I then spoke about filing a complaint because Sprint was not holding up their end of the contract. They credited my account. I had to add internet and email to get my business email - now that was a challenge. I went to the store and they weren't even aware I could get email (even though the owner's manual stated that I could and to see a representative to get it set up), then I called customer service and got pushed up a couple of levels before someone actually understood that I could get email.<br>Now, I try to avoid speaking with the sprint reps. When I have to, I go into the store and ask for it in writing. <br>
The good: -loud speakerphone with great clarity on both incoming and outgoing calls.<br><br>- Large bright screen that's adjustable for brightness.<br><br>- Pairs well with Bluetooth headsets.<br><br>- Compact size for a phone with a "useable" camera!<br><br>- Converts to camera easily and takes great photos!<br><br>-Easy to navigate keypad.<p/>The bad: - A bit pricey (but look what it does!)<p/>Summary: I'm a bit disappointed with the last reviewer who essentially gave the phone a good review but then gave it a less than flattering rating. I've read just about every review that I could find before deciding to buy this phone and found that the lower ratings were mostly from folks who hadn't had the phone for long, didn't like the idea of a "camera that had a spare phone attached to it" or found it to be too expensive (more on the price later).<br><br>Before buying any phone you should first have a good idea of what features you absolutely cannot live without and then look for the phone that best fills those needs. I wanted a phone that had a LOUD speakerphone, a great microphone for outgoing calls and a better than average camera. My second choice was the LG 8300 but the A990 blew the LG out of the water in just about every area except price (the 8300 is also an older phone). I once had to use my 990 for a conference call with eight people seated around a large office table and no one had to crane their necks to carry on a conversation with the caller. Try doing that with your LG 8600! <br><br>I've also tried a number of Bluetooth headsets with it and they all paired well. I do most of my talking while driving and finally settled on the Nokia BH 900 headset for its clarity, volume and noise reduction. The A990 and BH 900 are like a match made in heaven!<br><br>The voice recognition on the A990 is great once you "teach" it to recognize your voice. I've become so accustomed to using it with my headset that people often don't know when I'm talking on the phone or when I'm talking to myself--which is probably a good thing!<br><br>Most of the controversy surrounding this phone has to do with the question, "Why not just carry a digital camera with you and get a cheaper phone" My response to this is "Why have a camera on your phone in the first place if it isn't any good?" Think about it folks; when was the last time you saw a newer cell phone that did not have at least a 1.3 meg camera on board? Why? because most people rarely have their cameras with them when that "special moment" comes up that they just have to immortalize on memory card.<br><br>Unfortunately, with most other phones, you have to settle for a very mediocre picture that is usually grainy and poorly focused. My last phone was an LG 8000 that has one of the best cameras in the business but the quality of the images still left much to be desired, especially if I planned to keep them for posterity. <br><br>I have always believed in the old adage that "Any job worth doing is worth doing well" and that also holds true for my photos. While nothing beats my Canon SD600 for "serious" picture taking, the A990 makes a decent backup when the Canon is at home...which is usually 99% of the time. Like so many other people, my cell phone is like another appendage on my body that I take everywhere I go...not so for my Canon!<br><br>True, the A990's camera (like all serious cameras) has a bit of a learn
The good: Nearly all the plans offer free nights and weekends and free mobile to mobile. <p/>The bad: You have to get a 59.99 or higher plan to get mycircle. They also don't have quite as big of a selection of phones as other carriers.<p/>Summary: I have been a prepaid customer for a while and have been pretty satisfied with it. It has been good for a prepaid plan, most carriers want you to buy minutes every 30 or 60 days, and some take two or three times as many minutes off your balance as what you really used. Alltel is pretty fair, and I liked that you get to choose nights and weekends, mobile to mobile, fave number or unlimited text with their prepaid. As far as the regular contract service is, I have only been a customer for a short period of time, but I am satisfied so far. They approved me for service without a deposit when other carriers would not. They also have good rebates on the phones with a contract. Great customer service, quick delivery. Their plan fits all my needs, I have 700 minutes for 40 bucks, with night and weekends, mobile to mobile, free long distance, along with the basics, like caller ID and call waiting. I am disappointed that I could not get MyCircle unless I got a plan 59.99 or up. I guess they would not be making as much money if they gave it to everyone, but I wish they would, then I would be 100% satisfied with them.
The good: very few droped calls, good price, great service.<p/>The bad: Make sure you don't go over your minutes, it is expensive. <p/>Summary: No problems. Exchanged old phone with new Rzar phone for no money. I've been with Verizon since they bought out 360 here in Las Vegas
The good: Affordable monthly plans<p/>The bad: Replacing a phone can be pricey if you do not have insurance.<p/>Summary: I was skeptical about purchasing Metro PCS because of mixed reviews I read, but I like the idea of unlimited minutes. I just purchased a couple of weeks ago and so far I LOVE it. I get better reception in my apartment than the carrier I just left. Luckily, the only place out of town that I go has Metro PCS as well, so I haven?t had any problems with no service as of yet. I have had to call customer service 2 times so far and have had NO problems getting through to a live person. They were very friendly and answered all of my questions with no problems. I also have to say, this is much cheaper and better than a pre-paid plan with very little minutes. I have a teen-age daughter that will be receiving a Metro PCS phone for her b-day and I like knowing that I don?t have to worry about her running up minutes and breaking MY pockets...lol.
I love this phone. I don't need all the bells and whistles. It rings loud and the little red bar on the outside of the phone lights up so you can tell it's ringing in a loud environment. It's much more user friendly than some of the phones I've had in the past.
The good: Lots of features - especially the excellent display.<p/>The bad: Only average sound quality.<p/>Summary: I bought this phone because I wanted something Razor-like with a large display. I've had good luck with LG and don't care for the feel of Motorolas.<br><br>The phone's sound quality is okay, but not great. I immediately bought a Jabra bluetooth headset. The Jabra was horrible, so I returned it. I tried some other units until I finally bought a Plantronics Voyager 510 headset based on its excellent reviews. The Plantronics sounds WAY better than the handset on BOTH ends. I can hear and be heard much, much better on the headset than on the handset. It's a great unit, which demonstrates how mediocre the phone's sound quality is.<br><br>The problem: The bluetooth failed on my first VX-8600 phone. Verizon replaced the phone for free and it's been working great for months until just this week. Now the headset randomly disconnects, and refuses to reconnect unless the phone is rebooted. A half-dozen times every day is too often to contend with this problem.<br><br>I *think* both phones experienced bluetooth issues after being dropped (on a carpeted floor), but that may be unrelated. When working correctly, the phone is very quick to enable or disable the bluetooth. Once the problem arises, it will take a couple of minutes to perform these functions. (And no, restarting just the bluetooth does not work to reestablish the connection, nor does rebooting the headset.)<br><br>Also, I think LG dropped the ball when they designed the charging/data jack. It's hard to use and will fail if you're not gentle with it. It's livable, but it's hard to imagine that's the best design they could come up with. What's wrong with a round jack?<br><br>I'm happy with everything else on the phone. Ultimately, the bluetooth may require frequent warranty replacements. I like the phone enough that I'll simply keep getting a replacement when the bluetooth quits.
