Kyocera DuraMax (Sprint)

Pros: Easy to use; good coverage & call quality; 3.2mp camera w/flash; camcorder; very durable; rugged good looks; very tactile keys; speakrphone; long battery life. Plus, one can do basic emailing/texting/web surfing & use the built in navigation syste

Cons: I agree that the speaker sound could be improved. Otherwise the phone is very good.

Summary: I almost didn't buy this phone because of the numerous negative user comments.

But, I checked them out and was surprised to find that (1) almost all of the negative comments are about the phone's PTT feature and/or Sprint's PTT network and (2) almost all of those comments are "sour grapes" voiced by former Nextel users who are upset at being forced by their employers to use Sprint's PTT system and network (since Nextel's will soon be history). And, since I don't know anyone who has a phone with this feature I won't be using it and those comments have little if any affect on me! And, ignoring those negative comments, the Duramax phone really has very few negatives.

But, if you want your phone to be a TV, a movie theater or an audio system, buy something else. If you do a lot of texting, web surfing and/or emailing, buy something else. If you need a full featured car navigation system, buy something else. If you're wanting something to impress others, buy something else.

This phone isn't going to win a beauty contest or be everything to everyone. It's simply trying to be a good, easy-to-use and reliable cell phone with a few bells and whistles added. And it accomplishes these objectives extremely well!