Pantech PN-820
Average Ratings
Reliable
I work for the wireless industry used to own the Pantech 3200. I now own the Pantech 8200. Wow...Awsome Reception and battery life.It's loud and clear. Data works, a little bit of work to use though.
Hands down if you want a phone that is reliable, and works...Pantech 8200
Very Pleased
I have had this phone for just under a week, and I am absolutely in love with it. I am coming from the vx9900 and the vx8600. I wanted a slim flip, that had the functionality of a PDA, and I found exactly what I was looking for.
.:PRO'S:.
1. Screens: The internal screen is great, big, bright and displays the interface perfectly. The external screen is a little small, but is incredibly sharp and gets the job done.
2. Sound: The ringer volume is ridiculous. I had the vx8100, which I didnt think could be beat in terms of ringer volume, but I actually had to turn this one down. It is fantastic.
3. Connectivity: This is the major plus for me. I downloaded Windows Mobile Device Center and a patch for Outlook and when I plug the phone in to my computer (Vista Ultimate) it synchs everything from outlook automatically. Also it can charge via USB.
4. Form Factor: Its a flip, its very thin, and light enough. Awesome for a Windows Mobile 5 Smartphone.
5. Reception and Call Quality: Both are incredible. The reception is better than on my vx9900 and vx8600 and even the vx8300. Calls are perfectly clear and I get service almost EVERYWHERE with no problems.
I do not really have anything to complain about. I do not use speakerphone because I use bluetooth (which is great), so I can not give a good review of that. The only thing I would like to see changed is easier integration of other web browsers (Opera mobile, for instance) and a dedicated link to Outlook, rather than having to go through messaging. I highly recommend this phone.
I really do not have any cons.
Almost Perfect...for Me
I just got the Pantech PN-820 out of desperation (my fifth Q didn't work!). Like everyone else, I was not impressed with the looks, but since this was a free replacement from Verizon Wireless, I felt I had nothing to lose.
WOW! It is pretty close to everything I have ever wanted in a smartphone. I haven't used every feature yet but so far so good.
CONS:
~ Not the best looking phone - hopfully the new models will look a lot better. I normally pay big $ for sleek, modern looking phones, laptops, etc. look but for me the function outweighs the looks on this. Doesn't look quite as bad as the photos.
~ This may not be a con (maybe I just don't know how to do it), but the front LCD can't be customized like the home screen. There are a few default choices, but none that I like.
~ Sort of a small front LCD, but readable. The font though is pretty ugly and doesn't appear it can be changed.
~ This is not a con for the phone, but it is for Verizon Wireless: thier data package is massively overpriced. My Roadrunner cable costs less!
PROS:
~ Acts like a Q (a plus for me!). A few less choices in settings (colors, ringers), but fairly close to what I had in the Q.
~ Extremely light weight. Battery is very thin for the standard battery.
~ Very clear home screen.
~ Very clear sound quality (calls and music).
~ I like flip phones. I know some don't. My dream phone would be the Samsung i500 for its size but modified with current technology. This is close because I am a heavy phone user that wants some PDA capabilities.
~ Keypad functions very well (no qwerty keyboard though). I have long fingernails so this is a big plus for me. A scroll feature would be nice in a future model - maybe because I'm used to it in the Q.
OVERALL:
One of the best phones for me but it is not a flashy phone. A much sleeker, modern looking revamp would put it at a solid 5! I'm happy to have found this phone.
I loved it, but many flaws.
I had this phone for about 3 weeks with VZW. I loved it, the screen, the classic clamshell form with the extendable antenna, and of course, windows mobile. I really loved my phone, but love soon turned to sadness.
My big complaint with the phone was battery life, it was awful, so I got an extended battery, and that improved a lot.
But then, one evening without warning, I was unable to connect to the network to make calls. Even though I had full signal strength, the phone would not let me make calls.
Tech could not figure out what was wrong with the device, so they offered me a new phone. After not finding a VZW that I liked, I went back to my other carrier.
I really like the PN8200, but it is a flawed device. I see it's also Pantech's last windows mobile phone too...
I now use Blackberry, and whoa, I love it!
great
it works like a charm! I was planning on getting a Motorola Q because my cousin had it and i had liked it, but when i went to get it the discount was gone so i went for this phone. It was the cheapest of the smart-phones on verizon's website, but it is much more than meets the eye. It is quick, has nice speaker-phone and bluetooth functions. The one bad part is that my battery is not holding its charge as long as i thought originally. I am probably wrong because i cannot really remember that accurately, but it does last for a couple of days(2-3) with me texting, calling people, playing music, and using the camera which is very useful when the power goes out due to it having a bright led flash.
AMAZING phone!
Overall this has to be my most favorite phone I've ever owned, and here's why:
Pros:
-windows mobile phone, yay!
-Awesome design, nice big sturdy phone
-Keypad rocks, tho it's not QWERTY, but it has big buttons
-internal display is vibrant, colorful, the best I've seen yet
-the phone gets solid reception! And with the extendable antenna, yowza!
-the phone is fun to play with, comes with so many features for a low-end smartphone.
Cons
-battery life is awful, but I just ordered the extendable battery today which doubles the time, otherwise, the standard battery only lasts a day with light usage.
-ringers are not loud enough, but I set the phone to vibrate and ring at the same time.
Overall, I love this phone, and I love Verizon, I just switched last week, and it is awesome.
If you are thinking about getting this phone, order it now, Verizon is phasing it out very very soon!
I love this phone a lot!
I just got the soon to be discontinued PN 820 phone with Verizon Wireless. I love this phone a lot, it is a good basic smartphone. I am still learning about the features, but the best part is, this phone is NOT buggy in any way.
My only complaint is the battery life is poor, and at this time NO ONE has the extended battery in stock. Verizon does not know when they will get it in, and not even ebay had any listings for the extended battery. So I am stuck with the standard battery. Oy.
But overall, I love this phone, it is fun, and solid, and worth getting before it gets discontinued.
It has so much potential but can't seal the deal.
When it was time to buy a new phone from Verizon and i came across this in the store, i thought it was the perfect phone. For people who want to use outlook to manage their schedule and contacts, as I do, this is the only phone that has a normal keypad instead of an awkward mini-qwerty. If also looks and feels like a phone instead of a waffle. Although the smart phone features are excellent and syncing with the computer was flawless, I ended up returning it in less than a week. The basic cell phone features are sorely lacking and the usability is poor. The shortcut keys on the phone cannot be customized. If you call your voicemail, the keypad light is off before you can even enter your password -- further you can't save the password into the direct dial. The recent calls list comes up when you press the send button as expected but if you hit 'ok' on one of the numbers it just calls it, therefore you can't view the call time/date unless you go about 3 or 4 levels deep into the menus. There are no 'rings' on this phone, only about 10 cheesy song which are very hard to hear if the phone is in your pocket and the volume is all the way up. The battery life leaves something to be desired, the battery it comes with is so small that it is not even flush with the back of the phone. The poor aesthetics really didn't bother me but there really is no reason for a 'smart phone' to be so lacking from a basic usability standpoint. Most of these issues are very minor but when combined they just make this phone frustrating to use. Maybe a software update will be released to fix some of these quirks, but unless one does I don't see it being very successful.
phone/software needs some big fixes
I really want to like this phone, but there are too many nuisances/bugs that make for an unpleasureable experience. I am pretty sure I will return it to Verizon. I have been long waiting for a compact phone that has full featured contacts and calendar so that I can sync to Microsoft outlook. All the other PDA's that are out there are too bulky. So when I saw this unit I was like... "ahh finally". Anyway, I read some reviews on this site before I bought the phone, and was psyched at what was being said... However, after using this phone for a few weeks, I wonder if the previous reviewers were a little star stuck initially. So here are my issues....
CONS-
-No ability to adjust keypad light time. It times out waaay too quickly.
- The extremely thin Battery that came with this phone only lasts 1/2 a day!! the specs on this battery are inaccurate. I average about 10 text messages a day, and 5 short phone calls. This is unacceptable!!
-When the phone shuts down because of the battery being low, it looses the current date and time and defaults to 2006 until I hook it up and synchronize to my old WINXP desktop via the supplied USB cable. Not good!!
-No software support for VISTA via "SYNC CENTER". My new HP laptop came with VISTA, and MICROSOFT replaced "activesync" with "sync center". Activesync is not supported in VISTA. What to do now?
-Software menus are not organized well... it takes too many steps to access some frequently used features. UTSTAR which wrote the software for Pantech, needs to go back to the drawing board here and focus on usability. I loved the way my old LG phones operating system was designed!! Hey UTSTAR! How about a "focus group" or some "beta testers"?
- Ringer is not very loud. Calls are easily missed.
- The camera is basically unusable!! If you snap a photo, the image that is frozen on the screen, is not the one that is saved!! The image that is captured is about two seconds delayed. Why is this??
Pros-
-nice look
Great Phone, Poor Battery
I am venturing into the PDA side of a mobile phone for the first time. I just sent back a Verizon/Audiovox XV6700 Smartphone that left me frustrated and almost sent me back to using a regular phone. I average around 4000 minutes per month and I must have an easy phone to operate. I have used the PN-820 for three weeks and it is everything anyone could want in a phone. The speakerphone is LOUD. The voice quality is excellent. The screen is bright. The buttons are easy to use. The only negative is the battery life. Every day I am reaching for my charger around 1pm in the afternoon. I have ordered an Extended Life Battery for $40.00. I do not have any experience with syncing of email or calendar, but the text messaging interface is great!
