I got a new cell phone this past weekend. For once in my life I'm actually impressed with a cell phone that I own. Most of my cell phones have been provided by my employer and haven't been top of the line to say the least.
The phone I bought is a Pantech Slate C530. No, I had never heard of Pantech either. I needed a low-cost phone with a basic plan. The Slate was free after rebate at my local AT&T store. It resembles a Blackberry, but it's a basic cell phone and not a smart phone.
A number of things attracted me to the phone. One, it looks nice. Two, it received good reviews online. Three, it's small. Very small. Imagine a stack of about 12-15 playing cards. That's the size of this thing. It's very light without feeling flimsy. I can press the keys hard without the phone "giving". Four, I love the keyboard. Five, the audio quality is superb! It is as crystal clear as a quality, corded, landline phone.
The battery life seems reasonable. It was half charged when I brought it home. I let it charge overnight on Sunday and I haven't charged it since. Of course since it's new I've been making many calls on it. Battery life seems comparable to the more recent phones I've owned.
There are two minor annoyances. One, I cannot change the signature that attaches to my text messages. I would prefer to have it send my name rather than an ad for my wireless company. Two, the only photos I can attach to my contacts are ones taken with the phone. I can transfer photos via Bluetooth, but can't assign those to my contacts.
I have very skinny fingers and can fly on the keyboard. Others with stouter fingers tell me it's difficult to type on. I did not have to get used to the keyboard, I was proficient on it from the moment I picked it up. If you're unsure, check one out in the store. I don't know if I'll ever own a smart phone, but given my inability to type on an iPhone and my proficiency on this, I'm favoring a Blackberry.
I was previously with another wireless company. I sometimes roamed in my own house or had no signal at all. When I did have a signal it was poor. With AT&T I have five bars. Driving around northwest Austin I seem to have four or five bars wherever I go.
