We asked our friend Elvi — who happens to be, among other things, an in-store Sprint representative — to give us the sweet and low on Sprint’s current lineup of phones. Think of it as the same sort of information you’d get if you spent an hour or two of time with a Sprint employee at his most candid. If you are a mobile phone hawker for another carrier and would like to give us your take on your offerings, let us know.
Nokia 3588i
Sprint has often been criticized by the teeny bopper crowd for not carrying any “cool” phones. This infuriates Sprint’s purchasing department, who have made major investments in the newest technology and most advanced (read: most expensive) phones.
Sprint seems to have picked up this Nokia model for no other feature than the customizable faceplate that is so popular with twelve year old girls. Now even Sprint has a hot pink phone!
This is the last remaining non-Vision phone in Sprint’s lineup. To do text messaging, a separate $5 service is needed. For the same amount, Britney could share the Vision service on mom or dad’s account, getting text messaging, web browsing, downloads, etc.
The $150 price tag means that qualifying customers can get this one for free, but I can’t imagine anyone choosing this phone for any reason other than price. There are better options available without paying much more.
See those better options after the jump.
VI600 aka Audiovox 8450
This phone is often overlooked by shoppers with flip phones on their mind, but it might be a better choice. If price is an issue, you really can’t beat the VI600’s feature to cost ratio. $180 seems just right for such a small package.
Ignore the speakerphone. Yes, it has one, but if you’re interested in that feature, Sanyo phones have higher quality speakers. You did want the other person to understand what you were saying, right?
VI660 aka Samsung A660
At $200, this is the cheapest dual band flip phone. There is no external window to show the time or caller ID, which is odd. For those who don’t use their phone as a watch, this might not be a problem. If it is, another fifty bucks gets you a different model with a full color outer display and a camera.
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/redirect?tag=gizmodo08c-20
Sanyo RL2000 aka Sanyo 7200
A very large phone by today’s standards, but that’s the point. The intended market for this is the construction worker who wants a walkie-talkie, but can’t seem to keep his phone from falling off of tall buildings. Sprint says “durable design for rugged use”. I say the black rubber grips on the side make it feel like the phone would survive a two story drop into the back of a Ford F-150 (as it turns out it can, but the guy lost his battery).
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/redirect?tag=gizmodo08c-20
The Ready Link (push to talk) service is available on five phones, all by Sanyo. The RL2000 is the big fat daddy, and the least expensive at $200. Ready Link is $10 per phone, but saves having to dial the phone number and use minutes. I personally would never find a use for it, but it’s cool to be able to talk to an entire workforce, say all five of your delivery drivers, at the push of a button. Don’t forget that because it has Ready Link, it also acts as a speakerphone for regular calls, even if you don’t subscribe to the service.
LG VI-5225
Most phones Sprint sells are dual band, meaning they can roam outside of Sprint’s coverage area on either digital or analog towers. This is one of Sprint’s first to offer digital roaming, but not old school analog roaming. This still covers a large footprint, but check Sprint’s coverage maps to be sure you’ll be able to call from grandma’s house out in the country.
This phone’s lack of external antenna makes it look a bit odd. It does have an external display window, but it isn’t in color like most other models. There is no camera, so there isn’t much to see in color anyway.
The phone competes with Samsung’s VI660 in price. The decision comes down to which is more important; roaming or the external display. I always cut it short by suggesting the Samsung A620 that has both.
Sanyo RL-4920
This is a much smaller version of Sanyo’s 7200. Sanyo claims a battery life of five and a half hours, far longer than any other phone by any manufacturer.
These haven’t been out long, but I bet they’ll be the best seller among Sprint employees. You see, most communication between employees is done via voicemails instead of email, so having a speakerphone is a must. Sanyo has long been considered the high-end of phone manufacturers, and the $220 price for this one makes it a good fit for shoppers on a budget.
Nokia PM-6225
This is the only non-flip to sport a camera. The 640×480 pictures look fine after you get them off the phone, but the display on the phone is weak at only 4K colors. The outside display of most Sprint phones are better than the Nokia’s main screen.
The feature that sets this model apart is the built in AM/FM radio. There are optional stereo headphones ($30), and a base unit ($100) that acts as a charger and external speaker set. The idea is to use the phone as a clock radio, waking up in the morning and pulling the phone out of the base unit on your way to middle school.
Samsung VGA1000 aka Samsung A620
A well built camera phone, this was one of the first 640×480 models available (hence the model name). Both the main and outer screens are 65K colors, and look pretty good.
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/redirect?tag=gizmodo08c-20
We sell lots of these $250 phones, but I’d buy the Sanyo 8200 instead because I use the speakerphone all the time.
Motorola V60v
This phone costs $250, but DOESN’T include a camera, speakerphone, web access, a nice display, small size, ready link, or even a color display on the outside. No wonder you have to special order them. People who shop for name brands instead of quality deserve to have to pay double. I’ve never seen one of these in person, because we don’t carry them in stores. I think Motorola must have wanted Sprint’s business back, so they gave us this model for free as an incentive. I can’t imaging selling any of them at $250, but consumers don’t always do their homework.
Sanyo RL7300
The flip version of the 7200, this has the same rubberized sides as it’s fat brother. All the same features are included here, plus a second color display for when the flip is closed. Because of the smaller size, the battery doesn’t last quite as long at 3 hours talk time. If your phone needs to be rugged, this is a good choice. If not, spend the same $280 for the smaller Sanyo 8200 and get a built in camera.
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/redirect?tag=gizmodo08c-20
Sanyo PM-8200
Sanyo always seems to be one step ahead of other phone companies in terms of build quality and usability. This is one of the hottest phones ever made, bar none. For $280 I expect a bunch of features, or a high quality phone, but not necessarily both. What Sanyo delivers is a well polished interface and top notch construction at just the right price. As small as it is, the battery still sports a 3.5 hour talk time.
This 640×480 camera phone is available in three colors: Silver, Midnight Blue, or Red. The outer shell looks more like a car’s finish than a typical cheap plastic phone. There are pics available on the website, but you really must see this phone in person. The red is gorgeous, and I hope Sanyo continues to make red phones year after year.
This is a fairly new model, so don’t expect to be able to snap pictures of unsuspecting hotties. As a result of government “suggestions” many camera phone manufacturers have started including an audible shutter sound, or a visual cue to let you know that someone is taking your picture. This model has a small red light on the front that turns on when in camera mode.
Last year’s 8100 was the best seller, and the 8200 looks like it could surpass even those big sales numbers. The addition of a flash and zoom for the camera, Ready Link with speaker phone make this the first (and usually last) phone to look at.
Samsung VM-680
This is the smallest flip phone I’ve ever seen. The tiny package is even more impressive when you consider the camera with flash and zoom, video camera that lets you take and send 15 second clips with sound, and a full color outer display.
At $300 the 680 is an entry level video phone, but you might not miss much from the other models. Unless you want a speaker phone, or need to say you carry the most expensive phone available, this would be a good choice.
Toshiba VM4050
Toshiba doesn’t put their name on many phones, usually putting the Audiovox name on the low end models that they sell. The 4050 is not a low end model. It is a $330 video phone with the best looking display screen ever. The 2.2 inch 260K screen is as good as anything ever has to be (outer display is “only” 65K). I’m sure people have made similar statements about other advances in technology, but really, you’ll never need anything prettier than this display. Other phones should look this good. Hell, other camcorders and video games should look this good! You should see this phone, even if you end up buying another model.
Camera? Check. Video? Check. Speakerphone? Check. SMS text messaging? Check.
So why would you buy another model? Maybe you wouldn’t, I don’t know. Maybe you talk a lot and need to add a longer life battery (the Toshiba’s battery is internal, so there is no way to replace the standard 3.3 hour talk-time battery with a fatter extended one). Maybe you want to be able to walkie talkie. Maybe the size is too much for you to handle. The bigger the display, the bigger the phone has to be. Not that this is a big phone, but there are smaller models if that’s your thing.
I love this phone, and would love to have one.
Samsung A600
The thing about this phone is the flip around main screen. Unlike most models that have a main and outer display, this one suggests that you flip the screen around while it’s closed so you’ll have a big outer display for the 99% of the time where the phone isn’t in use. Because of this, the camera lens isn’t on the back of the earpiece like most models. The camera lens rotates up and down so you can flip it back to take a self portrait.
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/redirect?tag=gizmodo08c-20
The design is fresh, and fun, but I wouldn’t go so far as to call it functional. I’d rather have a fixed housing with a second display on the outside, even though having a full size display on the outside would be cool.
The phone itself is nice, but not special. I’d suggest saving a hundred bucks and getting the Sanyo 8200. With that one you’d get a smaller, lighter model with a speakerphone. Then again, I don’t spend an extra $100 just for one cool feature.
Sanyo VM4500 aka 5500
Everything that the other top-of-the-line Sanyo phones do is included with this one, plus the ability to do 15 second video clips. In fact, this was the first phone in the US with video. To this day, it is still the leader in features. As with all the current camera phones, you can add a voice recording to a still picture. Ready Link is there, but of course most people will just use the speakerphone for regular phone calls.
This phone is available in silver or dark blue.
Samsung I-500
This is the best thing to happen to the Palm since they started including color screens. The flip design is just perfect, with the main display on top, and the graffiti pad and phone keypad on the bottom half. The phone is thinner and lighter than regular flip phones from even a few years ago. The phone is so small when shut that the stylus contracts to fit inside.
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/redirect?tag=gizmodo08c-20
If you have a Palm now, this would be a good choice for a phone. Why carry two gadgets everywhere you go, especially when this one does everything your existing PDA does, and is probably smaller. Spend the $600 on this one and sell your other equipment on eBay.
There are two batteries included with the phone, a slim one for when size matters, and a fatty with a 5 hour talk time when you know you’ll be chatting or web browsing for a long time.
The phone uses Palm OS 4.1 with 16MB of memory. Something to keep in mind is that unlike other Vision internet-enabled phones, the I-500 doesn’t let you download games, ringers, pictures, or other applications. There are of course thousands of Palm applications that you get to use instead, but don’t expect to play Pac-Man like you could on other phones.
Treo 600
Never had a PDA before? The integrated keyboard of the Treo 600 makes text input quick and easy. There are arrows on the keypad that let you navigate the menu system without using the stylus on the screen. Graffiti users swear by it, but there is of course a learning curve involved with that written language. You’ll be using the QWERTY keyboard immediately for sending emails and entering contact names, even though you’ll probably pick up the stylus to browse the web.
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/redirect?tag=gizmodo08c-20
Handspring (now PalmOne) included a camera with this device, so you can snap pics of everyone in your address book. When they call, you see their smiling face (or cleavage, or whatever). The camera is the standard 640×480.
There is an SD/MMC card slot, so you can increase the 16MB memory if needed. This slot supposedly lets you add a Bluetooth card, but I haven’t played with one before.
Any downsides to this phone? A couple, but they wouldn’t affect me (the $600 price puts it out of my range anyway). The battery is internal, so if 4 hours of talk time isn’t enough, you don’t have the option of upgrading. The phone doesn’t have analog roaming, so you’d want to check a coverage map to see that you can make calls from everywhere you travel.
Hitachi G1000
Depending on your perspective, this is either a very big PDA or a very small computer. At almost 6″ tall and 3.3″ wide, this is not going to fit in your pocket unless you’re a big fan of cargo pants. The size feels just right when you’re typing on the keyboard or looking at the huge screen, but is too much to be able to carry around like a phone. Holding the G1000 up to your ear while on the phone looks pretty funny, so you should use the speakerphone or invest in a nice headset.
Microsoft Pocket PC is a slick OS for a wireless device, and integrates well with the phone. With Palm-based phones, you can’t do anything else while using the phone. [He’s smoking crack here, and we talked about it. The reason he thought this was because so many customers had returned Palm phones to him with this exact problem, so there might be a disconnect with the users about how best to do it. This will be changed in the next revision of this article – ed] With this one you can be talking while entering contact info into Outlook’s address book, or even into Word or Excel. There are big advantages to being able to talk to somebody about a website at the same time you’re viewing it on the screen. Media player lets you play downloaded videos, or .mp3s too, good to have while waiting around an airport.
There are different ways to enter info, besides the obvious built in QWERTY keyboard. There is also a mode that lets you write on the screen and it tries to recognize the letters, but I’d just use the keyboard instead. You can use the stylus to copy/paste info from one application to another.
The camera flips around to take self portraits, but we aren’t quite to the point where video conferencing is a reality. Add an SD or MMC card if you fill the phone’s internal memory with pictures of yourself.
Oh yeah, it’s single band only, so you don’t get to make roaming calls.
