Pantech Duo C810 (AT&T)

Pros: Loaded with features, dual keyboards...

Cons: "Perfect" is hard to come by regardless of catagory...

Summary: I believe it is important to evaluate things based on their targeted market. With that being considered, this the perfect phone for a young teenage female, or even male, who primarily needs a phone, but also the email, internet, and other Windows Mobile features on occasion.

When I find myself reading these reviews with people criticizing a cell phones inadequate features as a camera, computer, video camera, etc., I always think back to my first cell phone from the then "Cell One." It was a big black bag that weighed about 10 pounds with a strap attached so you could carry it over your shoulder. Inside was a collapsible antenna and a handset with the number keypad on the back attached to a brick that served as the battery/phone. Oh, and the ONLY feature set it had was the ability to place a telephone call... Provided of course you had your head tilted the right way to get a signal.

When I think of that phone, it puts things in perspective. Today we have MANY options and MANY features to chose from when purchasing cell phones. We even have internet available to the masses.

So, now that I have painted that picture for you, let me tell you more about this phone. This is really a great "entry level" PDA/smart phone. The display is crisp and easy to read/view, the keyboard if fine for a young man or woman with small hands/fingers, but may be difficult for someone with large fingers to use. It would have been nice if the phone also had touch screen capabilities. As with any PDA/smart phone, I would highly recommend you spend a few dollars and purchase a pack of screen protectors. Without the protector ALL screens are subject to scratching. With the protector over the screen if it becomes dirty or scuffed up, you simply peel it off and replace it with a new one.

While only a 1.3 mega pixel camera (There I go too, "only" we are so spoiled) it takes decent clear pictures. The phone has a flash as well. As with ANY cell phone, I would not recommend you purchase the "phone" with the intentions of using it as a "camera." I doubt you take any pictures worthy of a cover shot for vogue with the Pantech Duo, but it is perfect for taking shots of an accident scene, or friends fooling around on a Saturday night. If you are really serious about taking digital pictures and fancy yourself a connoisseur of photography, buy yourself a Hasselblad H3DII-39 - not a cell "phone."

The "phone" is also easy to set up for most email servers requiring you to only input a little info like your email address and password. If it is a popular server such as Yahoo, AOL, MSN, etc., the phone automatically configures everything for you.

The phone is 3G capable so if you are in an area where 3G service is available, the "phone" is pretty darn quick about loading web pages, downloading files, etc... Even the EDGE service that is available in most areas is pretty quick.

The "phone" is also WIFI capable, so if you are in a hot spot connection is quick and trouble free.

The "Phone" does not have as much memory as some of the PDA phones out there more suited for the business professional and being a windows operating system, you may find yourself having to close the unused programs and even restarting the phone from time-to-time depending on how long you spend browsing the internet in a day.

A casual user should not run into the problems that are typical of Windows under heavy use. If you do multi task a lot with the phone, then you will have to use the task manager to close unused programs on a regular basis and restart the phone periodically.

If you are going to be a heavy user of the "business features" of this phone then you should probably take a look at something more suited for that sort of use. I have been a big fan of the HTC phones for some time now and have owned the 8125, 8525, and now the Tilt.

Again, think about what you want a cell "phone" for. I bought this phone for my soon to be 19 year old daughter who is in the Marine Corps and I used the phone for several weeks before giving it to her and she loves it... I thought it would be perfect for her needs when looking to find her a "phone" and I hit the nail on the head with this "phone."

She mainly uses the "phone" as a "phone" yet it has the features needed to exchange email and pictures, some occasional casual browsing of the internet for information, the outlook calender for scheduling, notes/to do list, Outlook Contact features to store phone numbers and address, etc... She can also store some music on the mini SD cards, etc.,... etc.,... etc.,...

The bottom line is that this is a great phone for the right person... It is not a professional camera, video camera, computer, etc... I HIGHLY recommend this "phone" for someone with the needs I have mentioned. It will not disappoint you.

If you are going to be a heavy net user, multi task with the business applications, etc., buy something more suited for that sort of use with a faster processor and more built in memory.

And just for the sake of saying so, because I get so annoyed at the harsh critics of cell phone cameras, you will NOT find a cell phone anywhere with a really high quality camera. If you are looking to take pictures with something, buy a camera!!!

I hope this rant helps someone with their decision... And of course as one person pointed out,with AT&T, you have 30 days to try the phone out... If you don't like it, return it for something else until you find the device that is best suited for your needs.

If you can't find something you appreciate with all the options we have available in a cell "phone" today, email me... I think I still have one of those old bag phones I mentioned earlier... Carry one of those for a day and you will appreciate anything!

SemperFi