Pantech Slate (AT&T)

Pros: Very slick looking phone, keys are well spread out. Display is bright and crisp. Default font settings are plenty big and easy to read. Callers are loud enough, unlike a previous Pantech phone. Menus are easy to figure out. Very light.

Cons: Held Backspace key will delete entire message without warning. The action on the keys is not very crisp, sometimes you get a double key-press.Battery life isn't that great, but I'm coming from a smartphone, anything over a day or so is great for me!

Summary: This phone is exactly what I wanted. It makes voice calls, is great for text messages, and has an alarm clock. It is not an iPhone, it is not a smartphone, it is not a digital camera. I'm guessing some of the negative reviews come from people who did not have an educated sales rep, or did not take the time to do the research themselves. This phone is a fraction of an inch taller and wider than my 8525, but it is so thin and light that I sometimes forget that it is in my pocket! The screen is nice and bright, very easy to read. Even without all the features of some of its competitors, it has plenty of useful features and add-ons. It's Internet capabilities are limited but functional, use Google SMS for faster results.

Overall, if you know all you need is a phone that is "just a phone", that makes voice calls and is good for texting, than this should suit you just fine.

Updated on Dec 8, 2008

The battery life on this phone is awesome. I think we as a collective user are used to phones having little battery left when there is just one bar displayed; this phone, however, has a very usable "one-bar" state. In fact, mine has been blinking "battery is almost empty" at me for over 12 hours, and that has lasted through a 5 minute voice call, a dozen or so text messages, and some internet browsing I did on purpose to drain the battery. It received a full charge last Thursday night (5 days ago). I did do my best to recharge it all the way and discharge it most of the way the first few times, so that may have helped. In short, battery life is awesome!

Still very happy with the phone after a month, it does everything I need it to do. It is also a fairly unique phone and it looks good, so people are always asking about it.

If you're considering this phone, give it a shot; you shan't be disappointed.