Pantech Jest user reviews (blue, Verizon Wireless)

3.5 stars

"Looks like a great phone!" on July 26, 2010 by brianv11

Pros: - Large, clear screen.
- Slide-up motion seems very solid, and snaps in to place quickly.
- Nice camera for a non-smart phone.
- Does not require any kind of data plan.
- Dedicated keys for music and texts.
- Threaded text messaging available.
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Cons: - Optical d-pad seems difficult to use.
- No 3.5mm headset jack.
- Keyboard is a little on the small side.

Summary: My favorite parts about this phone are the music player and how easy it is to text message with the phone.
My least favorite part is the optical d-pad - just because I don't understand why Pantech used it instead of physical direction keys.
I would recommend this phone for anyone who would like a texting phone without sacrificing other great features like a music player, decent camera, and video camera. This is why I chose this phone over the Samsung Intensity and LG Cosmos. I would also warn that the phone does take some getting used to.
Also, if you are planning on getting a data plan, I wouldn't consider this phone. If you are already buying a data plan, there are much better phones to get. If, however, you're limited to Verizon's wonderful "feature phones," this is a great choice for a texting phone.
Full review below:

I've had the phone for a couple of days now, and I'm definitely happy with it.
The physical form of the phone is very nice. Closed, it fits comfortably in your hand or pocket, and with the keyboard exposed it is a bit taller than a CD. On the sides of the phone there are 5 keys: a volume rocker, a speakerphone button, a camera button, and a button that brings up a kind of "quick menu." The micro-SD card slot is on the top, and the USB/Charger port is on the right side. The front of the phone has four physical keys (talk, music, clear, and end), two touch-activated soft keys, and the optical d-pad. When the phone is closed, it automatically locks the keypad, and you must press "OK" to unlock it. This is a good function so that you don't press the touch keys while the phone is in your pocket, but if you slide it down accidentally while doing something (taking a picture), it cancels everything you were doing. I haven't found a way to disable this yet.
The optical d-pad is one of the more unique features of this phone, although it may not have been the best choice. To move the cursor or move through the menu items, you have to swipe your finger along the pad. To press OK, you press down and use it as a physical button. The d-pad will take some getting used to, but its sensitivity is also customizable. Personally, I don't understand why Pantech didn't just use a normal directional pad - it would make things much easier.
It seems very customizable, and I like the ease-of-use. The phone has guided setups for every basic area of settings (display, sounds, general phone setup), so it takes very little time to set up.
I've already used the micro-SD card to load some songs in to the music player, and they play very well. The speaker is loud and very clear for a basic cell phone. Unfortunately, there is no 3.5mm headset jack, so I'll have to buy an adapter to listen to my music through my headphones. Once the songs are loaded on, the music player is very easy to use.
Messaging is one of the best parts of this phone - this seems like it was the main goal in designing the phone. There is a dedicated messaging button on the QWERTY keyboard, which takes you directly to the screen for sending a new TXT message. Incoming texts can be organized by time received, or by contact (also called threaded messaging). Organization by contact allows you to look at the texts in a conversation view, with the entire conversation organized on one screen. The keyboard is also fairly easy to use, although the small buttons may take some getting used to depending on what phone you had previously or the size of your hands. From my limited texting so far, it seems that the phone suggests words while you're typing based on what you've texted previously. I'm sure you can turn this option off if you want.
The camera is 2.0 megapixel and seems to take pretty decent pictures. It also includes a video camera - something not available on most of Verizon's texting-oriented "feature phones." Options for the camera include changing resolution, a self-timer, brightness, white balance, shutter sound and color effects.

Updated on Jul 26, 2010

I just discovered another cool feature - the phone has a limited form of multi-tasking. Once you play a song, you can exit the music player and still have the phone play the song. It displays as a little banner across the top of the home screen. So far, I've been able to send a text message while the music was playing, but I haven't tried anything else. To exit the music entirely, just click end twice.