Nokia 2128i (Verizon Wireless)

Summary: We got this phone for my 80 year old mother in law who has never used a cell phone before, but I used in for a few days and I loved it. It's lightweight, compact and has excellent reception for a phone with a built in antenna. I used it successsfully in some lower floor indoor locations where even my Motoroa struggles a bit.

I like the fact that after the backlight dims, the display never shuts off completely and is still readable (but barely) in room light or sunlight, which is a plus. But unlike other phones, this "screensaver" mode cannot be seen at all in the dark. I noticed that while charging with the phone off, the charging indicator bar is also very hard to see.

Sound quality and volume are very good at both ends of the call.

The built in flashlight is a neat gimmick, but the flashlight lens on the top edge of the phone doubles as the on off switch for the phone, so that takes some getting used to since I kept trying to use the end key for that purpose.

The wallpaper choices are pretty bland for those who need them. I tried to email a photo to the phone to use as wallpaper as I can with my Motorola, but it does not work. As for the ringer choices, I would be embarrassed to use most of them.

The phone is all plastic and I would be concerned about dropping it onto a hard floor, but of course I didn't test that. Some people might think that this makes the phone feel cheap. But for $29 (from Verizon) I'm satisfied.

I didn't try the text message function, but it looks straight forward. The phone includes 3 games which could be useful if you were stuck at an airport for a while.

Overall it is a perfect phone for someone who wants quality without the frills.