Huawei Mercury (Cricket Wireless)

Pros: It's a smart phone - if you've never used one, you don't know how it can change your life.

Cons: If you have used a smartphone before, then you'll find this one disappointing. I've listed the cons below. I've had the phone almost 45 days now. I am not a "power user" in that I've downloaded just a few apps.

Summary: I am really disappointed in this phone, enough to write this overly long review to share my experience with others. I hope you find it helpful.
Here is how I have found the Huawei Mercury:
> Outbound voice quality - hearers think you're talking underwater(it's a phone first and foremost)
> Inbound voice quality - you think your callers are talking underwater
> Voice reception - rarely do I get more than 4 bars
> WiFi - poor reception, I only get two bars even when I'm right next to my router at home, it can't access it from the back bedroom when my laptop reads 5 bars anywhere in the house; unreliable, intermittent, turns on about 60% of the time (requires the phone to be rebooted)
> 3G - very slow data transer speeds, about 50 Kb/s at 5 bars; unreliable, intermittent, works about 70% of the time, have to take the battery out of the phone about once a week to reset; poor reception, most of the time I have one or two bars (could be a problem with my service provider?)
> WiFi Tethering - very slow data transfer speeds; laptop has to be within five feet of phone to see the broadcast
> GPS - very poor reception, navigation dropped several times while driving through Washington DC due to "GPS Signal not found"
> Touch - slow to respond, each tap must be deliberate or it won't recognize, my wife's three year old iPod Touch is much more responsive
> Screen performance - acceptable, if you are not in a rush
> Camera - very poor quality output, despite the large megapixels, much, much poorer again than my wife's three year old iPod Touch; very poor video, especially the audio which sounds like it is underwater (come to think of it, it sounds like the phone!)
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Decided last night to power down before bed. Don't know why, just did. Had it plugged in all night to charge. Now it won't turn on. The last time I powered it off I had a hard time restarting it - I had to pull the battery out and put it back in. Today - it does not turn on at all. Called my provider. I have to take the phone back to the store. (Imagine being just one day without your phone.) Glad I got insurance. Hope they don't give another Huawei Mercury.