CTIA 2009
Kyocera / Sanyo had just three new phones on hand this week at CTIA.
Sanyo SCP-2700
This QWERTY messaging device, bound for Sprint, is perhaps the one device that you're likely going to see in real people's hands. Sprint is committed to selling it. Kyocera had two different pre-production models on hand, and there was a distinct difference in the quality of the two.
One has extremely stiff keys, with little to no feedback, while the other felt like it have been used by 6,000 other journalists before we got our hands on it, with lots of loose parts, creaking and so on. I think it's safe to say that production units will work better.
The QWERTY keyboard reminded me a lot of the keyboard on the Palm Centro. It is small, and felt cramped to my larger hands, but I am sure those with smaller hands — such as tweens and teens, who the device is targeted at — will have not issues with the keyboard.
The rest of the buttons and controls worked well. The buttons had good travel and feedback, were easy to find, and I especially liked the dedicated "text" button that launches a new text message.
The 2700 is a low-cost phone, so its feature set is pretty limited. The basics are covered (messaging, web, music, camera, etc.) but it doesn't push any boundaries.
For those in the market for a budget messaging phone, the 2700 will be an obvious contender.
Here is a video tour:
G2GO M2000
The M2000 is Kyocera's latest take on the budget-minded messaging phone. This sideways slider has a full QWERTY keyboard to make pecking out SMS and IMs a tad easier.
The build quality of this phone felt pretty good. It's a little on the large side, but that may be a limitation of the form factor. The overall feel in your hand is good, with nice rounded edges. There are dedicated music playback buttons on the front, where are a nice touch.
The slider mechanism felt good and solid. The keyboard was very good. The keys had a great feeling to them, and travel and feedback was excellent. I liked how the function keys were integrated into the keyboard and set apart with different coloration.
One really nice feature the G2GO has is that there's an accelerometer on board. When the phone is open, but held in portrait orientation, just the number keys (which are buried in the QWERTY keyboard) will light up, letting you see and dial regular phone numbers much easier.
The speed and responsiveness of the user interface were adequate. The G2GO was running a basic Kyocera OS, with no carrier branding or services on board. The messaging applications were a little more basic than I'd like to see on a dedicated messaging device, but given the pricepoint, there's not all that much to complain about.
In sum, the G2GO will be a solid contender for full QWERTY messaging phones in the pre-paid arena.
Here is a video tour:
Laylo M1400
The M1400 is an entry-level slider with very few features to brag about. Build quality on the pre-production unit we tested was iffy at best. The navigation control buttons were all loose and felt very cheap. We hope that final production units will show a little more quality. The D-pad, also, felt a bit off.
Overall, the feel of the phone is good though. It is very comfortable to hold with its rounded shape. The back cover has a soft-touch paint job that is very satisfying to touch. The slider mechanism was a bit on the loose side, and exhibited some side-to-side play.
The numeric dialpad was excellent. They keys were perfectly spaced and shaped. Each has a nice little hump in it that made it easy to find and use.
The OS was the same as on the G2GO, a basic Kyocera system.
Here is a short video tour:
Video Tour: WebOS 1.4
Video Demo: Palm Pre Plus Mobile Hotspot
Review: Palm Pre
CES 2009
Samsung Refreshes Galaxy S Series with S Pen, New Cameras
Samsung Finesse R810
Palm Pre (CDMA)
PCD TXTM8 / TXT8026
