Virgin Mobile Shuttle (red)

Pros: Resolution is high. 3G speeds are a welcome addition. Form factor is handsome. Micro SD card support. Good camera. Video recording capability. Solid price point and feature set for a no-contract phone.

Cons: Force feedback keys are sensitive, and overly exposed. T9 dictionary has 9th grade vocab & can't learn words. Text entry for WAP browser apps, AIM, and text messages are governed by 3 different, frustratingly fussy modes. Tends to self-reboot.

Summary: I, like presumably many other VM users, bought the Shuttle as an upgrade: hoping it would bridge the gap between the handset features I wanted and those for which I previously had to settle. While the Shuttle comes very close to spanning that divide, it still manages to keep one foot firmly entrenched in VM's legacy: their inability to get one phone EXACTLY right. I'm not sure if this phone was rushed to market or if VM's manufacturers don't hold themselves to high standards of product testing or design. Whichever the case, this COULD'VE been a killer handset had there been more attention paid to details. While the form factor in aesthetically pleasing, its force feedback keys are far too exposed and sensitive, leading to unintentional triggers. The dedicated keys along either side of the spine are too flush. 3G on a phone that surfs with a WAP browser is like a NO booster on a Dodge Dart; a fast, desperately lackluster experience. Also, and here's the deal-breaker for me, whereas phones generally have ONE module providing T9 and ABC for entering text, the Shuttle has three (so far): one for your phone's general use and text messaging, another for AIM, and a third for the web. Each of these are different, having different menus, predictive vocabularies, and even rules for syntax (e.g. the web T9 insists upon capitalizing the first letter of EVERY WORD) As someone who does rather alot of surfing and messaging, this flaw is frustrating to the point where I must wonder if it's somehow intentional. To conclude, the Shuttle is not (as many VM customers hoped, myself included) the next generation of VM phones, but rather that generation's harbinger. It is a great phone for beginners who want a solid feature set, and a decent interim phone for someone who is waiting for VM to drop a real ace on us.

Updated on Mar 18, 2009

@ Aaroniuskgravies
I'm sorry if you found my review to be so terribly long. I assure you, it was so only in an effort to be comprehensive. Regarding the touch key portion of the review, I concede there is no mention of the owner's ability to turn down the Shuttle's sensitivity. Simply put, it's my experience that even on it's lowest setting it is still far too sensitive. Perhaps my handset is in some way defective. Perhaps your handset is somehow "magically better". Most likely, I imagine you're some nit-picky guy who would rather flame my review than provide a reasoned addendum.
And, on a more personal note, I would remind you: I'm a civilian. I don't work for VM or CNET. I'm a just VM customer who took the time to write a thorough reiview because he wanted other/prospective customers to have the benefit of an un-biased fairly knowledgeable opinion. If that means using all 1,000 characters of provided space, I guess you can either deal with it, or read a shorter review.

TDPD