Nokia 2705 Shade
A Deadly Shade of Gold
It's hard to believe how bad the Nokia 2605 Mirage was for Verizon Prepaid; so hard, in fact, that it's even harder to believe how good its replacement is, the 2705 Shade.
How bad was the Mirage? It wouldn't even program. *22898 gave an "activation unsuccessful" message without ever even dialing out to the network. I managed to get it activated on H20, which is where I found out that it's got horrible sound, creaky construction, a mediocre screen, and keys that hate, HATE your fingers.
The Shade fixes all of the above gripes regarding its predecessor, and then some. Its screen is bright and clear, it's got great sound, solid construction (not a creak or a wiggle anywhere on it), and its keys are spacious enough to actually be useful. They're rubbery and tactile and enjoy a degree of overall spiffiness rarely found on a $40 phone.
PROS:
Solid construction
Great screen
Good sound
Superbly tactile keys
Comes with a Nokia Bluetooth headset at certain retailers
1.3 megapixel camera takes decent snapshots
Changeable color covers, sold separately
Only $40
CONS:
Small size may put off those with gorilla mitts
The Verizon UI, though vastly improved over the years, is still a crippled piece of bloatware
No brightness controls
Front screen a bit dim
After using the Mirage, the Shade was a very pleasant surprise. If you're looking for a solid, simple phone for Verizon Prepaid or Page Plus, I'd hurry to one my local major big-box retailers based in Bentonville, Arkansas before all of them are snapped up.
