Siemens C61 Phone (Cingular)

Rating:
Summary: Not the greatest
Review: For its basic purpose, making and receiving phone calls, it does it fairly well. Reception is very clean and people on the other end comment on how clear I sound over the line. Battery life is very good as well, I've been going about a week between charges. That doesn't make up for its various faults though. First is the display, which is so poorly lit and designed that it is virtually impossible to see in any lighting situation that is not indoors. Dont be fooled by the stock photo...even with the brightness and contrast turned all the way up, I cannot see the display on this phone while outside unless it is very, very cloudy. Since this particular phone relies very heavily on working off the menus and displays, this is a major problem / inconvenience. Also to navigate on those menus that you cant see, you have to do so on a four-way button that is very stiff, and is about half the size of a dime. All the buttons in general are way too small. And lastly, the phone gets very hot after talking for more than 10 minutes. This phone is good for a short term replacement or for a plan that givs you 5 hours a month, but as a primary phone it is too cumbersome and uncomfortable in addition to the other things I mentioned.

Rating:
Summary: Best Bang for your buck
Review: For the price of a fat bar tip you can now own a mobile phone that does what a mobile phone is supposed to do without the bells and whistels. You get the basic sms modes, settings, basic address book, some games and whatever else you would expect with a mobile phone that comes free with a packet of cornflakes. The battery lasts about a day if you do not use it much. To be honest 10 sms and 1 10 minute call and this phone is gasping for electricity.

However it does what a mobile phone should do for a next to nothing price.

If you do not use mobile phones this is one to get.

Rating:
Summary: I love this little phone
Review: I have this phone , I got it free with a plan. I love it. It's reception is clear, it almost sounds like a land line. My kids bought several of the more expensive cell phones and I ended up replacing all of them with this. I really love this phone.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent Performance / Difficult Navigation
Review: My fiance and I purchased this phone as an interim product while waiting on our Ericsson K700i's. PROS: I will have to say I am VERY impressed with the call quality and reception of this phone. I have talked to people in places other phones wouldn't even give me a signal. The CLARITY of the calls is also exceptional. The battery life is remarkable. The phonebook is easy enough to navigate. The speakerphone works well and is easily activated during a call. The buttons are laid out well despite the phones small size, but are slippery to the touch and if you have big thumbs like I do - then can be a bit tricky to navigate. CONS: The menu on the phone leaves something to be desired, I found it very difficult to navigate through to change the various options, it was not intuitive at all. The only other feature that was somewhat dissapointing was the difficulty in adjusting the volume during a call, there are no side/rocker buttons to adjust the volume, you have to interrupt the conversation and adjust it using the menu driven toggle button in the middle of the phone. Aside from missing a few features like bluetooth / pc-sync (usually only found in higher end phones) it's a great little phone for the price. I think if your looking for a solid, relatively small but not too small, light-weight and extremely reliable cell phone without a lot of bells and whistles - this is the phone for you.

Rating:
Summary: Cingular is deceptive!
Review: My review is on Cingular. I bought a phone w/service and was told I could return for full refund and only charged for any air time used. THEY LIE. THE PHONE DID NOT WORK IN MY AREA AND I CANCELLED THE NEXT DAY. THEY ARE CHARGING ME FOR ACTIVATION even though it never worked in my area. If you are uncertain you will keep the phone and service, DON'T BUY from Cingular. Amazon will also do nothing to reimburse.