If you've got the ink, I've got the Link - Latest Comments

Re: Samsung Jet S8000 Unlocked Phone with 3G, Quad-Band GSM, 5 MP Camera, and 2 GB Memory–International Version No Warranty (Black)

SirStinky — Sat, 29 May 2010 17:34:59 -0000

Review by SirStinky for Samsung Jet S8000 Unlocked Phone with 3G, Quad-Band GSM, 5 MP Camera, and 2 GB Memory--International Version No Warranty (Black) Rating: <img src="http://www.tech-linkblog.com/wp-content/plugins/WPRobot3/images/4.png"> When I had to replace my Pixon, I looked into another one, but wanted WiFi, which it didn't have. The Pixon 12 was too much money, but the Jet looked good and offered a lot of features for a low price.

This is an unlocked GSM phone that will work with T-Mobile, AT&T, and other GSM carriers, but since it's from Europe, Asia, or Australia, you'll need to configure it to receive and send MMS messages or use your carrier's WAP services.

The jet is compact and light-weight and feels good in the hand. It's light and is made of very shiny plastic (no aluminum battery cover), which could be a durability issue but cuts down on the weight, and the battery cover has a really cool hologram effect on it. Plus there's the "cube" button which launches the main menu or applications.

It's got a 3.1 inch AMOLED touch screen with 480x800 pixels and 16 million colors, which are way more than you'll find in phones in this price range. It is by far the best-looking screen I've seen so far. It's bright, chrisp, and makes images look great, but it completely washes out in sunlight.

The heart of this phone is the user interface, which is very easy to use and has revisions from the older versions found in the Behold, Eternity, 1st gen. Omnias, and F480. It's got the widgets, and you can run multiple applications at one time. There's an 800 mzh processor inside, which is faster than most phones in this class so there's little lagging when using apps. The phone has 2 GB internal memory, but you can add a 16 GB with MicroSD card to expand it. It has Wifi and the browser is pretty good, but you'll find yourself squinting to read text.

The media player is great and has lots of features, along with the 5 megapixel camera which has auto focus, smile/blink detection, GPS tagging, shooting modes, and lots of other features. The camera takes pretty decent pictures. It's not like the Pixon, but it's good enough for most everyone.

So, the good:

AMOLED display

Very cool styling

WiFi

800 mhz processor

Good UI

Good camera

Lots of media features

High-quality

Small and lightweight

And the bad:

Screen could be a little bigger

Virtual QWERTY keyboard keys could be bigger

Glossy finish slips out of your hand easily and is a finger print magnet

Screen washes out in sunlight

Included New PC Studio software is useless

People have had troubles with the included New PC Studio software, and it's a problem with Windows...it won't work with Windows Vista or 7, but there are solutions to it, check online.

Other than that, this is a very cool phone and is a good choice if you can't afford an Omnia II, HD, or Pixon 12.

Re: Samsung Jet S8000 Unlocked Phone with 3G, Quad-Band GSM, 5 MP Camera, and 2 GB Memory–International Version No Warranty (Black)

ws — Sat, 29 May 2010 17:24:33 -0000

Review by ws for Samsung Jet S8000 Unlocked Phone with 3G, Quad-Band GSM, 5 MP Camera, and 2 GB Memory--International Version No Warranty (Black) Rating: <img src="http://www.tech-linkblog.com/wp-content/plugins/WPRobot3/images/3.png"> Overall, this phone is quite responsive and pocketable. The interface reacts quickly despite being a resistive type touch screen. Also is a great video and mp3 player. However, on the software side it falls short. The pc software does not recognize the phone when you try to back it up, and the firmware cannot be updated as well-also, when you watch a video and turn the phone to its side for landscape viewing it is okay, but when turn it to its other landscape side the video is displayed upside down. I found that the browser also has trouble rendering some popular websites correctly. Finally, the phone can only record video and voice using the amr codec which results in very disappointing low quality sound recordings. Worldwide, this phone sells for about 450-500usd as of 7/09.

Re: Samsung Jet S8000 Unlocked Phone with 3G, Quad-Band GSM, 5 MP Camera, and 2 GB Memory–International Version No Warranty (Black)

Victor Lo Monaco — Sat, 29 May 2010 17:12:42 -0000

Review by Victor Lo Monaco for Samsung Jet S8000 Unlocked Phone with 3G, Quad-Band GSM, 5 MP Camera, and 2 GB Memory--International Version No Warranty (Black) Rating: <img src="http://www.tech-linkblog.com/wp-content/plugins/WPRobot3/images/5.png"> So far, this is the best phone i have ever had. I have used Iphones before and I think they are really great, being their only problem it's size. This is way more carry friendly. It is a tall phone, but it is also really thin, so you can put in your pocket and barely notice it. Here is a list of the things i like and i don't like about it.

Pros:

- Small size (considering all the stuff it can do). Way better than any competing smart phone

- Video player: WOW, really amazing. The amoled screen really makes the videos look spectacular. I put my sony laptop side by side running the same video as my phone and it looks way better on the phone. And the best part is that the videos run flawlessly, no slowdowns nor hiccups at all (this is the only part were you really appreciate the fast processor on this phone)

- No Need to convert videos. YES, finally you don't have to dedicate a hole day converting videos to put on your phone. Any AVI videos you like on your phone? Just connect USB and freely transfer them to your phone

- Screen is really responsive. It's different than an Iphone screen, but really no complaints

- Excellent, really excellent in call quality.

- WiFi and Bluetooh connections are very easy to access and to turn on and off as desired (In other phones this are usually buried in the menus)

- Pictures look amazing (again for the great screen)

- Camera quality is good for a phone. The quality of this camera is on par with that of the iphone 3GS, but this phone has added bonuses that makes it one of the must fun to use camera-phones. The smile shutter works how it is supposed to, there is a panoramic mode, were you move the phone around in one direction and it takes really wide photos (you can take amazing 200 degrees pictures). Great great flash

- Really good internet browser. It is fast, specially over wifi, second only to the iphone (amazing browser the iphone has). But it has a huge plus, that is the ability to play flash

- I really like the convenience of the widgets and the 3 desktops to play with. I set myself an entertaining desktop (with music player and video player), a web desktop (with youtube, google and weather report) and my third desktop is a connections desktops with Wifi and Bluetooh

CONS:

Not much to say here except this:

- I still can't make real GPS work. There is google maps ant it works great, but i mean the real GPS. The GPS software is not pre-installed on the phone and you have to look for yourself how to install it.

- The email works really good (Shame on free yahoo mail service that doesn't provide POP nor IMAP to use on clients, so i had to change to gmail). But there is one only thing. If you, phone, every 30 min check my email and see that there is not any new mail, i don't need a message every 30 min telling me that i don't have new mails. Please tell me only when I have new mails!

- The screen on landscape mode is a pain to use. That's because my fingers are too big to those small rectangles. I mean, the screen is really sensitive, and is really easy to touch the letters next to the one you intended. I did a test and i wrote almost twice as fast with keyboard on vertical stance and the dictionary on (as opposed to landscape)

In conclusion, I really recommend this phone. Extremely happy with my purchase.

Re: Samsung Jet S8000 Unlocked Phone with 3G, Quad-Band GSM, 5 MP Camera, and 2 GB Memory–International Version No Warranty (Black)

tinkerbish — Sat, 29 May 2010 16:42:52 -0000

Review by tinkerbish for Samsung Jet S8000 Unlocked Phone with 3G, Quad-Band GSM, 5 MP Camera, and 2 GB Memory--International Version No Warranty (Black) Rating: <img src="http://www.tech-linkblog.com/wp-content/plugins/WPRobot3/images/5.png"> My verizon wireless contract expired in april of 2009 so I have been searching all over the web for a new phone. I've been wanting to try a touch screen phone for the longest time. I was tempted to buy the iphone several times but the iphone always seemed so overrated for me. I also almost bought the Samsung Memoir from tmobile but I did not like how thick it was. So, I waited a couple more months to see if any of the companies would release more touchscreen phones that would meet my wants and needs. Finally I found the Samsung Jet.

I decided to go with an unlocked phone because I do not want to be contracted into a mandatory 30 dollars a month data plan for 2 years. If I got a decent plan (around 50 bucks a month) plus the 30 dollar data plan, it would cost me around 2000 bucks(720for data plan and 1200regular bill) in 2 years just on cell phone bills!!! I do not live in an area that requires me to occupy/entertain myself while I'm out and about. I'm either at home or work, which has computers, driving or out with friends. None of my daily activities require me to surf the internet on my cell phone. Thats what computers are for!

Anywho, I bought this phone from a reputable dealer that I found online. I called them to make sure that the phone would work in the US with a sim card from AT&T or TMOBILE.

I've had this phone for about a week now and everything is working great. The amoled screen is amazingly bright and clear. The haptic feedback feature is amazing too. Every time I use my screen, it vibrates back meaning that its recognizing my touch. Great simple applications in the phone also. Speakers work great, the FM radio works great, sound quality is great, the Photos are great and also has a good video recording function.

This is NOT A SMART PHONE, but anybody who wants a touchscreen phone with all the great functions and qualities like me will love and enjoy the Samsung Jet.

Re: Samsung Jet S8000 Unlocked Phone with 3G, Quad-Band GSM, 5 MP Camera, and 2 GB Memory–International Version No Warranty (Black)

Hans As — Sat, 29 May 2010 16:28:21 -0000

Review by Hans As for Samsung Jet S8000 Unlocked Phone with 3G, Quad-Band GSM, 5 MP Camera, and 2 GB Memory--International Version No Warranty (Black) Rating: <img src="http://www.tech-linkblog.com/wp-content/plugins/WPRobot3/images/5.png"> I bought this phone here in the Middle East and all i can say is WOW. This definitely exceeds my expectation. I was choosing between an Iphone 3G, Blackberry Bold, Nokia N97 and the new Jet. All features of the 3 competitors have distinct features which are all included in the new Samsung Jet. The price is being offered is not cheap and not to expensive too. Great and photos being taken even at night time. Have a bright flash and hd quality sounds and video.

See technical specs for more details.

Wi-fi

Bluetooth

5MP Camera (dual)

800Mhz Processor

Edge, HDSPA, GPRS

3.1 WVGA AMOLED display

MPEG 4 & Divx video (no need to convert

2GB built in (till 16GB micro SD)

Music Player

FM Radio

Great Games

Thickness is same as the Ipod Touch 2nd Gen

smaller than Iphone

Exchange Server

Email

MMS

Video call

[...]

EVERYTHING YOU NEED IN A PHONE IS HERE !!!

Re: Motorola ROKR E2 Unlocked Phone with Camera, MP3/Video Player, and SD Slot–International Version with No Warranty

Eldar Gularashvili — Fri, 28 May 2010 18:06:26 -0000

Review by Eldar Gularashvili for Motorola ROKR E2 Unlocked Phone with Camera, MP3/Video Player, and SD Slot--International Version with No Warranty Rating: <img src="http://www.tech-linkblog.com/wp-content/plugins/WPRobot3/images/1.png"> i bought two E2 phones.

one of them is not working well in GSM network

second one was in not original box

and both of them has only charger :(

Re: Motorola ROKR E2 Unlocked Phone with Camera, MP3/Video Player, and SD Slot–International Version with No Warranty

A. G. A. — Fri, 28 May 2010 17:22:15 -0000

Review by A. G. A. for Motorola ROKR E2 Unlocked Phone with Camera, MP3/Video Player, and SD Slot--International Version with No Warranty Rating: <img src="http://www.tech-linkblog.com/wp-content/plugins/WPRobot3/images/4.png"> I was very happy when getting this phone.

If you knew Motorola Ming (A1200) is the same kind of software but in a nicer case and higher capacity.

The SD capacity is great, up to 2 gb, I have all my music in MP3 in the memory card. Stereo bluetooth compatibility is great. It has a Real Player program for viewing pics, video and music.

If you want to make a quick phone call is a little difficult, because you have first to display the phone number keyboard (on screen) to make a call, so if you preffer number button pad like other phone this don't have it, and if you are in a hurry you can press the wrong point and access other options. Sometimes when you are talking if the screen ins't lock you press other functions.

The handwritting recognition no too good, is better on my iPaq, you have to choose if it goes on capital letter or not, so is slower to write in it.

If you are trying to use this phone outside USA or in USA check your compatibility with your phone company, mine cannot work fine sending short text messaging and using GPRS, but the signal is great...!

If you use the phone for listening MP3 it drain quickly your charge, but the sound is great.

If you need for appointments, tasks, address book remainders works great. It comes already with motorola phone tools CD and cable to sync with your computer, even got the drivers in a cd to use your phone as webcam (haven't try yet).

When listening music you can lock your screen to prevent press stuff, but keeping access to quick buttons for volume, pause, play rew and fwd.

Do not have activation by voice call.

The bussiness card recognition is a little hard to use but sometimes recognize other no depending the graphics on the card.

The bardcode scan is a dream if it works.

Well overall is good.

Re: Motorola ROKR E2 Unlocked Phone with Camera, MP3/Video Player, and SD Slot–International Version with No Warranty

pinknblu — Fri, 28 May 2010 16:58:17 -0000

Review by pinknblu for Motorola ROKR E2 Unlocked Phone with Camera, MP3/Video Player, and SD Slot--International Version with No Warranty Rating: <img src="http://www.tech-linkblog.com/wp-content/plugins/WPRobot3/images/2.png"> ~~~THE STORY, AMOUNG OTHER THINGS~~~~~

It is a nice phone, I took my 5 star review down after dealing with Tiger-direct the company that sells the phone but I can't resubmit another truer review. Anyway, this is the only format I can speak out, to let others know. The phone has nice feature's but the package for the phone doesn't come with a USB cord or a headphone set, the headphone set is a need in order for the FM radio to work. In an email that took 5 days from them to respond to my email, they said it only includes with the phone: User Manual, Rear Cover, Wall Charger, Battery. That is it.

For the headphones, to bad??? For the USB cord, I have to call 1866-603-0640...another company...for the USB cord, what about the headphones??? Oh and a sorry at the end of my email by, Maureen...customer service from tiger direct-amazon. I think they suck, My ratings at this POINT IS a "2".

So, everyone email them before you buy from them (tiger-direct) even if you have to wait 5 days at least you will know what you hard earned money pays for. After this experience with buying a cell phone from Amazon and Ebay, I will just buy from now on my cell phone provider, I seem to get ripped off by the folks who sell me parts to the phone with 'not' the complete package. Buyer BEWARE..

Another add-in, for what it is worth....

Oh, I want to add my daughter whose 16, this was a Christmas present...which I let her open early...the phone can't receive or send picture text either. Terrible seeing, that I have unlimited picture and text on the family plan, I have T-mobile, also, the 5-fav's doesn't work either, no biggie, I kind-of knew that, just making it known if you have T-mobile...Anyway--PLEASE BUYER BEWARE, about everything else, I've stated!!!!!

---TigerDirect SUCKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Also, I've ordered a camera from them as well "a palaroid" the SD card doesn't work either...really sad these folks. Sadly they don't care once they get your money. I haven't returned the items because I've already return another item through someone else. It cost me $10 and change and me burning time and gas..and a headache. All I can do is post and hope to help someone else.

God Bless..two-thumbs down for TIGER-DIRECT.

Re: Motorola V190 Unlocked Phone Quad-Band GSM, MP3, and SpeakerPhone–U.S. Version with Warranty (Black) Reviews

R. Truderung — Fri, 28 May 2010 05:47:53 -0000

Review by R. Truderung for Motorola V190 Unlocked Phone Quad-Band GSM, MP3, and SpeakerPhone--U.S. Version with Warranty (Black) Rating: <img src="http://www.tech-linkblog.com/wp-content/plugins/WPRobot3/images/5.png"> Easy to use

long battery life

good features if looking for a Basic phone

Re: Motorola V190 Unlocked Phone Quad-Band GSM, MP3, and SpeakerPhone–U.S. Version with Warranty (Black) Reviews

A. Wiedlea — Fri, 28 May 2010 05:40:07 -0000

Review by A. Wiedlea for Motorola V190 Unlocked Phone Quad-Band GSM, MP3, and SpeakerPhone--U.S. Version with Warranty (Black) Rating: <img src="http://www.tech-linkblog.com/wp-content/plugins/WPRobot3/images/1.png"> The phone was not unlocked as advertised, and the IMEI unlock code could not be found, making it impossible to use the unit. Returned after a week of frustration -- unclear how the vendor intends to profit by paying to ship phones around the country.

Re: Motorola V190 Unlocked Phone Quad-Band GSM, MP3, and SpeakerPhone–U.S. Version with Warranty (Black) Reviews

Arnaud — Fri, 28 May 2010 04:51:03 -0000

Review by Arnaud for Motorola V190 Unlocked Phone Quad-Band GSM, MP3, and SpeakerPhone--U.S. Version with Warranty (Black) Rating: <img src="http://www.tech-linkblog.com/wp-content/plugins/WPRobot3/images/5.png"> sound quality is great and handling is simple and straightforward.

Very good cell phone for basic usage.

Re: Motorola V190 Unlocked Phone Quad-Band GSM, MP3, and SpeakerPhone–U.S. Version with Warranty (Black) Reviews

Fortran guy — Fri, 28 May 2010 04:35:46 -0000

Review by Fortran guy for Motorola V190 Unlocked Phone Quad-Band GSM, MP3, and SpeakerPhone--U.S. Version with Warranty (Black) Rating: <img src="http://www.tech-linkblog.com/wp-content/plugins/WPRobot3/images/3.png"> I bought this phone mainly to use in Italy for extended visits and plan to get an Italian SIM card. The phone itself works well (I tend to like Motorola phones -- others may not) and the quad band capability should ensure compatibility with European wireless networks.

One big selling point of this phone was Amazon's claim that it was unlocked. However, after trying two SIM cards from provides other than AT&T/Cingular (one from an Italian provider and one from a Hong Kong provider) the phone is quite definitely LOCKED as it asks for a subsidy code when you boot up with a non-AT&T SIM card. So I will likely have to fork over another 15-20$ to get a code to unlock it from a third party.

I think others have had similar problems --- as the phone was supposedly sold directly by Amazon (but I am sure they are using a third-party supplier), my suggestion to their quality control department is to pay a little more serious attention to this issue of selling locked phones as being "unlocked".

One other thing -- it appears one may need to buy the software necessary to use computer-communication features on this phone (but I have not done a deep search on the Web to see if the software can be found for free --- what I know is my XP-system does not have a device driver to mount the phone and the phone manual indicates one needs to purchase such software).

Re: Motorola V190 Unlocked Phone Quad-Band GSM, MP3, and SpeakerPhone–U.S. Version with Warranty (Black) Reviews

Renee A. — Fri, 28 May 2010 04:06:32 -0000

Review by Renee A. for Motorola V190 Unlocked Phone Quad-Band GSM, MP3, and SpeakerPhone--U.S. Version with Warranty (Black) Rating: <img src="http://www.tech-linkblog.com/wp-content/plugins/WPRobot3/images/4.png"> the one i was sent was the silver not blue version but overall, i liked the phone and it was mainly due to the simplicity of the phone.

pros:

speakerphone

spacing of keys

inside screen

reception

battery life

cons:

outside display of the contact name and the word "calling" next to it.... it seems redundant to have that.

can only have individual ringtones if on the phone itself and not on SIM card.

simple functions difficult to find without the help of manual.

the cons are minor if you don't mind a few gliches but i recommend this phone for those who want a simple phone with quality over quantity.

Re: DupofB002EEO9ZW_LG KP500 Cookie Unlocked Phone with 3.15 MP Camera, Video, Touch Screen, Handwriting Recognition, FM Radio, and Document Viewer–International Version with No Warranty (White) ...

Baby Genius — Thu, 27 May 2010 16:17:31 -0000

Review by Baby Genius for DupofB002EEO9ZW_LG KP500 Cookie Unlocked Phone with 3.15 MP Camera, Video, Touch Screen, Handwriting Recognition, FM Radio, and Document Viewer--International Version with No Warranty (White) Rating: <img src="http://www.tech-linkblog.com/wp-content/plugins/WPRobot3/images/3.png"> Being a former blackberry owner, I was looking for something a bit different. I came across this phone and loved it. Well, two months later I still like it but I am definitely buying me another blackberry. The biggest reasons are that this phone does dial numbers while in the pocket(unlike the iphone where you slide the bar to unlock, there is only a button to push and if you push it twice it will automatically dial last number called or received), it is definitely not a music player because the search function sucks, and it takes awhile to read the memory card. All in all if you are not using it for multimedia and you like to carry your phone on your waist this phone would be perfect!

Re: LG Shine KE970 Unlocked Phone Black-Label Series with Tri Band GSM, 2 MP Camera, Camcorder, Bluetooth, and MicroSD Memory Expansion–International Version with No Warranty (Shining Silver)

Sandy — Wed, 26 May 2010 18:54:39 -0000

Review by Sandy for LG Shine KE970 Unlocked Phone Black-Label Series with Tri Band GSM, 2 MP Camera, Camcorder, Bluetooth, and MicroSD Memory Expansion--International Version with No Warranty (Shining Silver) Rating: <img src="http://www.tech-linkblog.com/wp-content/plugins/WPRobot3/images/5.png"> I have had all the top phone from Japan, and was getting sick of my little razr, so bought this little gem after reading all the reviews, it made very well, strong build, the screen is bright and clear love the menu scroll buttons, I think I have found the perfect phone, no fingerprints on the mirror screen, amazing... about the same size as my razr, but a bit heavier...Loving it check out my photos

Re: LG Shine KE970 Unlocked Phone Black-Label Series with Tri Band GSM, 2 MP Camera, Camcorder, Bluetooth, and MicroSD Memory Expansion–International Version with No Warranty (Shining Silver)

L. Valdelomar — Wed, 26 May 2010 18:13:35 -0000

Review by L. Valdelomar for LG Shine KE970 Unlocked Phone Black-Label Series with Tri Band GSM, 2 MP Camera, Camcorder, Bluetooth, and MicroSD Memory Expansion--International Version with No Warranty (Shining Silver) Rating: <img src="http://www.tech-linkblog.com/wp-content/plugins/WPRobot3/images/4.png"> The shine is a very good phone, definitely looks great, sound is clear as well as reception. Music player is decent and camera takes pretty good pics (for a phone). It would be a 5-star without discussion IF it had voice dialing... Amazon review is wrong when states it has a speaker independent voice dialing, it doesn't have one at all. It's a shame a high end product lacks such a basic feature you can find in almost any mid priced nokia or motorola

Re: LG Shine KE970 Unlocked Phone Black-Label Series with Tri Band GSM, 2 MP Camera, Camcorder, Bluetooth, and MicroSD Memory Expansion–International Version with No Warranty (Shining Silver)

M. L. Glucroft — Wed, 26 May 2010 17:53:19 -0000

Review by M. L. Glucroft for LG Shine KE970 Unlocked Phone Black-Label Series with Tri Band GSM, 2 MP Camera, Camcorder, Bluetooth, and MicroSD Memory Expansion--International Version with No Warranty (Shining Silver) Rating: <img src="http://www.tech-linkblog.com/wp-content/plugins/WPRobot3/images/4.png"> This is probably the first device that excited me before I even unboxed it since I got my iBook a couple years ago. I give credit to LG for taking the time and investing the money in exciting packaging. I mean, you're dropping $300. That's not chump change for most of us. Give us some bang for our buck, and LG does that. Props for that.

The phone itself is stunning to look at and its surprising heft is a nice change from all the pennyweight ultra slim phones out there. You'd do some damage if you chucked this phone at someone.

You may want to throw it when you realize that it's packaged with an AC adaptor which is most definitely not of US origin. I don't know if that thing came from Korea or Germany or what but it looked like a stun gun to me. Fortunately a nearby store had a cheap compatible adaptor.

Setting up the phone has been a little tedious but I can get online after a day and I can make calls and send/receive SMS/MMS messages. I think it's lack of the 850 band makes it a bit of a risk in some areas but I think I can manage missing the occasional call. I'm not owned by my phone.

The LG Shine is a good call if you want a cool phone that isn't like every other phone out there and you don't mind monkeying around with WAP and MMS settings.

Re: LG Shine KE970 Unlocked Phone Black-Label Series with Tri Band GSM, 2 MP Camera, Camcorder, Bluetooth, and MicroSD Memory Expansion–International Version with No Warranty (Shining Silver)

Faisal Siddiqui — Wed, 26 May 2010 16:55:11 -0000

Review by Faisal Siddiqui for LG Shine KE970 Unlocked Phone Black-Label Series with Tri Band GSM, 2 MP Camera, Camcorder, Bluetooth, and MicroSD Memory Expansion--International Version with No Warranty (Shining Silver) Rating: <img src="http://www.tech-linkblog.com/wp-content/plugins/WPRobot3/images/5.png"> Wow! This is a BEAUTIFUL phone, kicks butt of flip version of Shine from Verizon. Slider is sweet, phone feels solid. AND boy DOES it SHINE!!.... in virtually most lighting. Roll bar select key is a bit tricky at first but soon becomes very natural, AND you look so cool because of it! Has basic goodies, SIM card very accessible and compatible, battery life better than average. Standard MP3 player. Has microSD expansion slot for up to 2GB. Slight problems with reception outside of major metropolitan areas and some dead spots in small cities due to tri-band but overall pretty good (I use AT&T/Cingular). Tons of cool ringtones and sound effects. Mirrored effect slightly difficult to read in strong sunlight. USB connection to desktop worked effortlessly like direct plug flash drive. Camera quite decent although some delay in trigger. Has flash but only on/off - no auto. 2 megapixel photos are better than most. Hottest slider around, no doubt. I use this as my cool factor phone. Highly recommend it! Please check out tri-band reception in your area first to avoid disappointment.

Re: LG Shine KE970 Unlocked Phone Black-Label Series with Tri Band GSM, 2 MP Camera, Camcorder, Bluetooth, and MicroSD Memory Expansion–International Version with No Warranty (Shining Silver)

Rolando F. Mocan Quan — Wed, 26 May 2010 16:05:01 -0000

Review by Rolando F. Mocan Quan for LG Shine KE970 Unlocked Phone Black-Label Series with Tri Band GSM, 2 MP Camera, Camcorder, Bluetooth, and MicroSD Memory Expansion--International Version with No Warranty (Shining Silver) Rating: <img src="http://www.tech-linkblog.com/wp-content/plugins/WPRobot3/images/2.png"> I must echo other online reviews about this phone. It shines... and basically that's what it does.

This is a phone about fashion. And thus, I believe it's geared towards fashion concious women.

I'm a middle aged male and I enjoy the shiny look and appreciate the elgant metal that covers most of the phone (so much that it's not just an "accent").

I also appreciate the good sound of the MP3 player and the autofocus of the 2 Megapixel camera with Schneider-Kreuznach Optics (whoever they are).

Therefore, I bought it for my wife. BUT I didn't notice that it didn't work on her operator's band, so I'm stuck with it.

As a middle aged male who's looking for more function than form, this beautiful phone just doesn't work for me, and here's why:

1. The scrolling wheel is not responsive enough.

2. The keys are awkardly placed. Reaching for the bottom row is uncomfortable, and the send and end keys are not where I expect them to be.

3. Also, there's not much tactile feedback to notice the separation between the keys (so you must be able to look at the phone when dialing). Try texting fast with it...

4. The interfase software is not great. Very basic MP3 player.

5. Love the autofocus... Hate the autofocus! It's great that you can get the camera to focus on things 1 inch away from the lens. Great to take a good pic of a business card or any other stationary object. Bad if you try to shoot a moving target, because it takes at least one full second to focus. It just won't work because there's such a delay (at least 2 seconds) from the moment you press the button to the moment the picture is taken, that you get either blurred pictures or the events you want to picture have already passed (and gone). You can't shut down the shutter (no mute, can't change the sound either). And where's the ZOOM??? Couldn't figure it out: Volume keys don't do it and scroll wheel doesn't do it either.

6. Shine! Really, I had never experienced such a frustrating thing as trying to use this phone in sunlight. It's near impossible. It REALLY is that bad.

7. Bluetooth connection has not happened smoothly. I haven't been able to send pics via bluetooth to my BlackBerry Curve. And when I connect the ear piece to the Shine, the ear piece loses all settings and stops connecting to my BB (so I must do the whole pairing process again). I had a Nokia before and I could connect my ear piece to both phones simmultaneously without a problem (I'm not saying I could have two conversations at once, but I could receive a call from any of the two phones at one time).

8. Reception is not good

9. Scratches easily all over; fingerprint magnet

10. I drive a lot. I LOVE voice dialing. Where is it?

11. The loudspeaker is so underpowered that the speakerphone function is close to useless. I love speakerphones because I can multi-task with both hands free.

So, if you're someone who expects a cell phone to be more functional than a basic $10 household phone, maybe this one's not for you.

If you want to shell $200 for a great looking phone that only works as a phone (and not the best at that), that's your call. You can alwas look at it as a piece of jewelery (or get one of those gold plated phones with diamonds and rubies).

I'm fine and happy with my BlackBerry Curve, thank you. Even if I still have to get me a better camera.

Two other words of advice:

1. I bought an unlocked phone imported from I don't know where. Thus, be sure to check connectivity with your operator first! Tri-Band means the phone works on any of 3 bands... make sure your operator has one of them.

2. My primary language is spanish and the phone I got seems to be an asian version. Thus I can only choose between english and a bunch of asian languages (vietnamese, chinese, simplified chinese, etc.)

Re: Motorola KRZR K1 Unlocked Phone with 2 MP Camera, MP3/Video Player, and MicroSD Slot–International Version with No Warranty (Cosmic Blue)

Jaewoo Kim — Wed, 26 May 2010 11:05:39 -0000

Review by Jaewoo Kim for Motorola KRZR K1 Unlocked Phone with 2 MP Camera, MP3/Video Player, and MicroSD Slot--International Version with No Warranty (Cosmic Blue) Rating: <img src="http://www.tech-linkblog.com/wp-content/plugins/WPRobot3/images/5.png"> This particular unlocked version seems thinner than the ones being sold by cell phone carriers. My initial impression was this phone was very tiny. It is smaller than the RAZR V3 in overall dimensions. I use this unlocked phone with Cingular in the Los Angeles area.

The good:

1)Small and cool looking. Most people who have seen it seems to be enamored with its design and form factor. It is definitely an eye catcher.

2)Call quality is great. The volume can be turned on VERY loud. So if you are hard of hearing or just like to hear loud voices over the phone, then this phone will probably fit the bill.

3)Speaker phone. Motorola managed to incorporate a great pair of speaker phones. It is loud and clear enough to have a conference call in a small room full of people.

4)Comes with more than basic ring tones. It comes with several (around 12) musical ring tones. Better yet, the ring tones comes out in a full stereo mode (or at least sounds like it).

5)Camera is good (2MP). Although it will not replace your digicam, it will be more than adequate for emergency uses.

6)Battery life. My informal test on this is that it can handle upto 4-5 hours of talk time.

The Bad (mostly due to it is unlocked):

1)You need to configure EVERYTHING on the phone. Nothing comes preconfigured. This includes the default language, time, date, voicemail, email, IM etc. This can get rather tedious since Cingular does not support unlocked phones.

2)You may lose some functionalities. For example, I have noticed my web browser functionalities do not work with my cingular SIM card. This is no biggie for me since I never browse the web using my phone

Re: Motorola KRZR K1 Unlocked Phone with 2 MP Camera, MP3/Video Player, and MicroSD Slot–International Version with No Warranty (Cosmic Blue)

Alexander M. Cavazos — Wed, 26 May 2010 10:34:33 -0000

Review by Alexander M. Cavazos for Motorola KRZR K1 Unlocked Phone with 2 MP Camera, MP3/Video Player, and MicroSD Slot--International Version with No Warranty (Cosmic Blue) Rating: <img src="http://www.tech-linkblog.com/wp-content/plugins/WPRobot3/images/5.png"> This is a great phone. What impressed me most about it was several things. One was its sleek design and feel. If you liked the RAZR, this phone will really knock your socks off. It's not quite as wide as the RAZR, which makes it easier on the hands, and it's solid construction makes you feel like you're holding a quality product. I love how it snaps shut after you finish a call. It's satisfying. Two, it has better reception than the RAZR, or at least it seems that way to me. I don't have any data to support this claim, but I have fewer dropped calls on this phone, and the volume is much better. I don't find myself pressing the phone against my ear like I used to do with the RAZR, which is really nice. Three, I dig the MP3 and multimedia features. I popped a 2GB card in the phone and loaded about 50 of my favorite songs and about 75 family photos in it. It's great because now I can set the phone alarm to wake up to my favorite songs, or set ring tones to whatever tune I have loaded on it. Also, I setup a playlist and listed to it while jogging the other day. I was most impressed. I also created a family album on the phone and showed it to friends in a slideshow format. It was funny. Rather than complimenting me on my beautiful family, they focused their comments on the photo quality of my phone. I was like, dude. Anyway, if you like cool phones, I totally recommend this one. Yeah it's pricey, but from my perspective, it's worth it. One last comment. I'm a Cingular customer and they, if you haven't noticed, haven't offered the KRZR K1 phone to their customers yet. Well, that's okay. You can still use this phone on thier network. All you have to do is take the phone out of the box, pop in your old SIM card from your previous phone, then call Cingular and ask them to activate it. They will ask you for the IMEI number located on the box and within minutes, you will be connected. It was a snap. Enjoy!

Re: Motorola KRZR K1 Unlocked Phone with 2 MP Camera, MP3/Video Player, and MicroSD Slot–International Version with No Warranty (Cosmic Blue)

Chris Hann — Wed, 26 May 2010 10:20:19 -0000

Review by Chris Hann for Motorola KRZR K1 Unlocked Phone with 2 MP Camera, MP3/Video Player, and MicroSD Slot--International Version with No Warranty (Cosmic Blue) Rating: <img src="http://www.tech-linkblog.com/wp-content/plugins/WPRobot3/images/4.png"> I hung on to my old v60i in the hope that Motorola would fix their user interface, this one is substantially different, but the bad features of the v60i remain. The side buttons.

As of 5/22/08 I'm about ready to hurl this from the roof. The UI is just too inconvenient. I've also had to replace the battery once.

6/13/08 Enough already! I replaced it with a Nokia E51. On the E51 the side buttons are not too sensitive, they require deliberate use, and all buttons are automatically locked after a timeout period anyway. The E51 is nearly twice the price now but 10 times the phone (GSM quad band, WCDMA dual band, 802.11g an FM radio and god knows what else that I haven't found yet). I have temporarily given the KRZR to my significant other, but I'll be replacing that and the daughter's phones with Nokia phones when we change the plan to use the E51's data capabilities; why would I inflict on her what I wasn't happy with myself?

Let's do the good first: The voice quality in both directions is good, the talk time is good and the standby time is good enough that I am surprised when it needs recharging. I use it quite a lot and that still only seems to be twice a week. The ring tones are the usual selection but the maximum volume is considerably higher than in my old phone. Signal handling is much better, it holds on to calls that AT&T could previously be relied on to drop, but there are still issues where it fails to roam to the next cell, though I strongly suspect that is due to lame network software rather than the phone (symptoms are that after a dropped call with no signal the signal strength immediately maxes out). For someone who travels to Europe the quad band GSM is indispensable, I keep a spare SIM for UK visits because it gives me calls to the US for about 1/10th of the cost of allowing AT&T to roam to Europe. The music player is fine, but you are going to have to either buy bluetooth headphones, which you can't use on a plane, or buy the USB adapter which should have been included for the trivial cost in such an expensive phone. It makes an excellent alarm clock and is loud as hell.

The not so good: The iTap text entry is slow and not as good as the old version, whatever that was called. I guess I'll eventually get used to iTap, but the old predictive text had some advantages.

The Ugly: the joker who came up with these side buttons that can't be disabled should be fired. It's the easiest thing in the world to brush against the phone and fire up the crummy voice entry (below) or, with a bit more of a rubbing motion, switch the ringer from one more to another. So you can silence the phone and drop it in your pocket only to find it ringing in the middle of a movie. Or you eventually notice nobody is talking to you and check the phone only to find you have a couple of missed calls and the phone has been set to silent. Somehow. Then there's the voice entry, the best you could say is that it's not good. If you brush against the voice button it thinks about it for a good while and then some awful woman say "say a command". Now you have to try and convince it to call someone based on the phone's attempt at pronouncing the name you used in the phone book. Since I work with a load of Indians and Chinese that's about as much use as a chocolate fireguard. It was much more useful to be able to program the nicknames.

But would I buy it again? Yes. There aren't many neat phones like this and if there's another one with quad band GSM too I didn't find it.

But if someone comes out with a quad band GSM phone with good signal handling and no side buttons you'll see my KRZR on Ebay the next day.

Re: Motorola KRZR K1 Unlocked Phone with 2 MP Camera, MP3/Video Player, and MicroSD Slot–International Version with No Warranty (Cosmic Blue)

BenThere — Wed, 26 May 2010 10:15:01 -0000

Review by BenThere for Motorola KRZR K1 Unlocked Phone with 2 MP Camera, MP3/Video Player, and MicroSD Slot--International Version with No Warranty (Cosmic Blue) Rating: <img src="http://www.tech-linkblog.com/wp-content/plugins/WPRobot3/images/5.png"> Pros:

- Exclusivity. Nobody has this phone/color combo.

- Killer looks. The glass front is mind-blowing. Photo doesn't do it justice.

- Killer size. Left to right it's thinner than the RAZR but slightly longer and slightly thicker front to back.

- Sturdy. This is where it shines. When you close it, it feels like a luxury car door. Very solid; lightyears ahead of the RAZR.

- Sound quality is top-notch. Excellent reception.

- Camera is actually very, very good. I was very, very surprised.

- Works with all my old RAZR accessories.

Cons: (barely justifiable to even call them that)

- A couple of the included games/java apps were in Chinese.

- The phone language. "Centre" instead of "Center", Personalise instead of "Personalize" - Not really a big deal. Must be a UK English vs. a US English thing.

Re: Motorola KRZR K1 Unlocked Phone with 2 MP Camera, MP3/Video Player, and MicroSD Slot–International Version with No Warranty (Cosmic Blue)

Kent Roorda — Wed, 26 May 2010 10:11:20 -0000

Review by Kent Roorda for Motorola KRZR K1 Unlocked Phone with 2 MP Camera, MP3/Video Player, and MicroSD Slot--International Version with No Warranty (Cosmic Blue) Rating: <img src="http://www.tech-linkblog.com/wp-content/plugins/WPRobot3/images/5.png"> I just upgraded from a RAZR phone, and this new KRAZR is exceptionally nice. The phone has great reception, the sound quality & volumn are very good, the menus are very easy to get around,it fits your face well (not too short as many phones now are) and operating the phone is simple. This phone is clearly evident of Motorola's evolution in the cell-phone industry. By the way, you can customize the "soft-keys" to be whatever you want them to be. Likewise, you can customize the menus to appear as you would like. They have really thought of the user and have made this phone very User Friendly as well. It seems that the majority of the people I talk to aren't as interested in "whistles & bells" as much as they just want a plain old GOOD phone. This is it! However, if you want more, you can load your MP3 music on to it, you can use the calendar, you can take a picture, and if you are really adventurous, you can access the internet, and also retreive your email! By the way, this phone is capable of taking advantage of the Cingular/AT&T EDGE network which gives you 'faster than usual' internet. I highly recommend this Good Looking, Well Working phone.

Re: Palm Treo Pro Unlocked Phone with 2 MP Camera, 3G, Wi-Fi, GPS, and MicroSD–U.S. Version with Warranty (Black)

D. Green — Tue, 25 May 2010 18:22:57 -0000

Review by D. Green for Palm Treo Pro Unlocked Phone with 2 MP Camera, 3G, Wi-Fi, GPS, and MicroSD--U.S. Version with Warranty (Black) Rating: <img src="http://www.tech-linkblog.com/wp-content/plugins/WPRobot3/images/2.png"> I was switched from a Blackberry to the Palm Treo Pro by my organization, so I'm a pretty captive audience. Two weeks in, I'm on my third one (replaced twice). The inconsistency in quality is very frustrating. I suspect that many of the issues are Windows Mobile, but I have to rate the entire package - they don't offer it with anything else.

Pros:

- Form factor is nice.

- WiFi works well (but drains battery).

Cons:

- Battery life - will not last longer than a day if you do anything with the phone.

- Quality - As I said, I'm on my third one. Different problems each time.

- Finish - shiny black should look cool, but it picks up fingerprints, dirt, etc and looks like you ate lunch off of it after 15 minutes. (can't blame this just on me - 50 other people using this model have the same result). I purchased a case that reduced this.

- Windows Mobile - It is beyond me that this still is still being released as a phone os. I used it 4 years ago and it was very painful. I mistakenly hoped that 4 years of customer feedback and testing would have improved it. Nothing has changed!

- Now power off or soft reset - I have to remove my batter once a day to reset the phone back to working condition.

Annoyances:

When you're on a call the "text message", "missed call" and "voice mail" notifications go off at full volume in your ear. Ouch.

Windows Mobile "ok" key is sometimes "ok" and sometimes "cancel" and sometimes "save" and it's not really obvious.

You cannot reprogram many of the external buttons by default (I'm not sure if a third party app will do it). Other windows mobile phones have a key for voice dialing, or allow you to hold down the Send key to activate it. This one has not such key, and you can't program the Send+Hold, or the Camera or the WiFi keys, so no obvious solution there.

History:

The first phone I got wouldn't hang up. Not with the End button, not with the soft button, nothing! I had to take out the battery to hang up.

The second one started "losing" contacts randomly, even though the Phone History would still have information showing. Eventually the phone froze up. After removing the battery, the phone radio was out, so I could no longer place calls. (I couldn't open Contacts or other things). Could be windows mobile memory corruption. I had to remove my Blackberry battery twice in two years. I've done it 18 times with this phone in two weeks. And even that won't fix the problems.

The third phone I now have is having random software issues. Setting will not stay and it will not allow me to install any software. It says things install (simple things like a ebook reader), but they don't show up (but memory has been taken up).

Boy, oh boy... I miss the Blackberry (8830) trackball. That's the only way to navigate!!