Rating: 
Summary: What? Huh?
Review: All the good stuff you've read about this phone is true. I have only one issue with this phone. I have trouble understanding the other person. Especially when there is any kind of background noise. I read all the reviews and figured the people complaining about the sound quality were probably using the wrong end. I really wanted to like this phone.
Unfotunately, being unable to hear and understand the person on the other end is a deal breaker. Perhaps I just got a bad phone. I'm going to exchange.
Rating: 
Summary: Recommended for EVERYONE!
Review: I don't have this audio problem that people are complaining about. The only time I have a problem is when the person I'm talking to has a bad phone or poor service. Perhaps there were some bad shipments?
This is my second review for this phone because I've had it for about a month now, I just want to point out a bunch of observations.
Pros:
-Again, the pictures of this phone do not do it justice. The color is more of a shiny cobalt, dark red, and silver instead of that flat color/white that these pictures show. I'm sure the same goes for the other colors.
-LOUD! The speaker on the outside is the ringer instead of the earpiece. I've had a lot of trouble with past phones and other people complain about how they never hear their phone ring. If you turn the volume up on this you will always hear it.
-External color LCD is a nice touch, especially when someone with a photo assigned calls.
-Camera takes good quality pictures, even though camera phones are mostly pointless.
-Side buttons are set in nicely so they don't get pressed very easily.
-Normal button layout. Nokia thinks they are innovative by making the numbers in different layouts, but really it is just annoying and always will mess you up, no matter how long you have your phone.
-Buttons inside are smooth and the screen doesn't get imprints from them. I've heard of this happening on other phones, but never this one.
-Settings, after settings, after settings. There are a lot of options that you are able to set on this phone.
-Phonebook will remember which number to default calling to (home, mobile, work) by pressing left right when you are hovering over the name.
-I find myself turning the volume down when having conversations with people because it is often loud enough in normal mode to use it as a speakerphone.
-Lightweight
-1 Beep volume setting is nice. It is not disruptive and you will still know that you are getting a call.
-Click-locks open/closed. This is not one of those phones that just randomly falls open all the time. Only problem is, I like the clicking and I open and close it constantly. It is okay though, because there is no sign of wearing out!
-Voice services are great. Voice ring-tones can let you know who is calling audibly.
-White LED by camera is great when you are in the dark. Just hold down a volume button while the phone is closed for the light to come on. I use it plenty.
Cons:
-Probably not bad, but annoying, that the lid, only when closed, is a tiny bit jiggly.
-Can't turn down the ringer volume without opening the phone up.
-Soft keys (bottom of screen buttons) are always Memo and Web, can't change them. I actually wish that they could be hidden.
-Number keys are hard to locate when you aren't looking or going through recorded caller systems. I always have to look to make sure I press the right buttons.
-Casing is smooth and shiny and constantly full of fingerprints and smudges.
-I don't like the menu system style and graphics, but that's all personal preference (from a designer perspective).
-The volume buttons are hard to press during a call. It takes some getting used to with your ring-finger.
-Unable to sync to my Mac.
-Talk time is pretty low. 80 minutes.
-No pre-installed games.
Overall though, I recommend this phone to everyone. It has durability, style, and features that will please everyone. I wouldn't believe the people who say the audio quality is bad, mine is great. The external speaker and color LCD give this phone a bit more functionality and class than other phones. Be cool, stay in school... and buy this phone!
Rating:
Summary: Best Phone Ever
Review: I have had 9 different Sprint phones in a little over two years and 8 of those phones were between January 2004 and October 2004. The first was a LG, the next 7 were Samsungs and the 9th and final is the Sanyo 8200. This is the best phone I've ever had. Sometimes, Sprint's service is crappy, but this phone is great. It's the only Sprint phone that I would recommend. Get either color, silver, red or blue and you won't be disappointed. Just stay away from a Samsung phone, especially the VGA 620 and VGA 1000. Just go with this phone. It has great sound, takes great pictures and the speaker phone and ready link make talking so much easier.
Rating: 
Summary: Very well done phone
Review: I have had Sprint PCS service for just under 3 years, and in that time have switched phones 3 times. My previous two were Samsung phones -- the first was good, the second so bad that I had to consider getting another one just to get reception in my home. With the performance of that phone, I decided this time to try a Sanyo product. I had heard good things about the 8100, which this phone replaces, and was hoping the 8200 built on that reputation. After using this phone for almost 2 months, I have to say that I am very pleased. This phone has all of the features you can ask for, and yet with rebates and other offers is very affordable. Both color screens are very clear, and they display easy to use menus and a camera that takes pretty good pictures, considering the phone is not a stand-alone digital camera. The phone has a solid feel, and talk time is more than adequate, too (compared to my last phone, which may not be saying much). The nicest addition is the speakerphone, although the speaker could use a little clarity. Oftentimes, at low volume you cannot hear it, and when you put it higher, the sound is distored and reverberates. Since you can read about the remaining features above, I will point out a couple of disappointments, other than speakerphone quality. The first is the lack of screensavers, ring tones, and games. I know that since this phone is advanced, most people will end up downloading these things, but for someone that has little interest in PCS Vision or such services, this is a setback. Next, I am not sure why Sanyo only included 9 speed dial numbers -- my Samsungs allowed over 100, and it is limiting to have just those that are dialed by one touch of the keypad. My third complaint is not necessarily with this phone, but with the fact that even as good as it is, it does not mask the sometimes poor service Sprint PCS provides. It is either crystal clear or not there at all, and despite being told that this phone would give me much better reception (and it does compared to my last phone) it is still not near where some of the other carriers are. In summary, for the cost, you won't find a better Sprint PCS phone out there which includes all of the features you would expect from an advanced phone. And, when Sprint gets the service to where it should be, this will be a great phone to complement it.
Rating:
Summary: A Decent Phone
Review: I purchased this phone as an upgrade replacement to my SCP-4900 about a month ago. I have compared it to my old 4900 as well as a SCP-8100 in terms of reception and function. Overall, it has been a decent phone, but it does have its quirks. My current firmware is v1.007SP, PRL 10025, hardware 0202 for those of you that care about these things.
First, the bad:
- Noticeably worse audio quality in the built-in earpiece compared to the other phones. I think that putting the camera in the same part of the phone as the earpiece speaker made them have to compromise the earpiece quality. The 4900 was clear but too quiet, the 8100 is loud and clear.
- Reception is different. The phone always shows fewer bars than both my 4900 and 8100 in the same location (2 bars vs. 4 bars). However this said, I think all three phones are comparable in reception - the first week I had the PM-8200 I went all over town with the SCP-8100 to compare. I have read that Sanyo used to exaggerate the signal strength meter in the older phones and that the 8200's signal bars are now more in line with other phone manufacturer's. Some places I can get better reception (ie. make a call) with the 8100, in other places only the 8200 works. Strange.
- Battery life is somewhat limited. Sanyo states 12 days' standby life for the 8200. I manage 3-4 days at best (I am a 700 minute-a-month talker and use the web an average of 5 minutes a day). I can easily talk 2+ hours at a time without problem. I was spoiled by the 4900 with 1 week between charges minimum with the same usage pattern and 16 days if I didn't use it much. The 8100 I have to charge about as often, though, and that's only rated for 10 days' standby.
- Build quality is not quite as good. In comparing the other two phones, the 8200 is not quite built up to the same standards (eg. the hinge is looser, the finish coarser). Of course, this may or may not have an impact on functioning.
- I find the polar bear animation irritating, but fortunately this can be turned off. A choice if different onscreen 'Buddies' would be appreciated.
Now the good:
- Reception is quite good overall, I get signal in the places I need it (work and home). Sprint's coverage is rather good here in Sacramento, CA, about the same as Verizon and much better than either Cingular/AT&T or T-Mobile (I'm a former customer of Cingular and AT&T before they merged). Likewise for San Francisco - my friends there with Cingular borrow my phone to make calls.
- The camera, although not as good as other maker's, now is up to VGA resolution and has a flash.
- The camera flash (really just a bright LED in the cover) can also be used as a flashlight (just hold down the volume toggle while the cover is closed). This is good in a pinch trying to find the keys you've dropped at night.
- You can text message now without having to go on the wireless web, unlike the older units.
- The phone now has a real GPS chip imbedded for locating the phone in e911 conditions, but some may also consider this bad for privacy. I don't think this feature is entirely functional yet anyway.
- The web browser is much much faster than the 4900 and also noticably faster than the 8100.
- The ringer can now be set to ring at the lowest volume and vibrate at the same time. Before it was either high volume with vibrate or vibrate only.
- The screen is bright and clear.
- The phone now has a built in clock. Sprint phones in the past have relied on the network to provide the phone with the time so if you didn't have reception, the phone couldn't tell you what time it was. With this phone you can.
- The speakerphone works reasonably well, although not as clear as on the 4900. The 8100 does not have a speakerphone, although the earpiece is loud enough you'd think it did.
- The phone has analog (AMPS) capability, unlike almost all GSM phones. Not really useful in a urban setting, but if you go out into the countryside, many rural areas are still analog only (the analog signal travels further than digital requiring fewer antennas), which may be a lifesaver in an emergency. Roaming on analog is normally $0.50/min, but Sprint has a nice Free and Clear America option that lets you roam on any carrier (including analog) for $5 extra/month. Good if you're the outdoors type. Be aware, however, that if you are talking in analog mode your phone number is vulnerable to cloning.
Overall, I would recommend this phone and am glad I bought it, despite the flaws I mentioned above. I, like many Sprint users, are fond of the Sanyo phones because they have been the best performers in the past. Other phones to consider if you don't need a camera are the SCP-4920 (candy-bar style) and the RL-2500, both these phones are by Sanyo with good reputations.
Rating:
Summary: I love this phone!
Review: I recently upgraded to this phone after having a Samsung A500 (which was a great phone) for 2 years.
Obviously, the main reason I wanted this phone was the camera.
However, the reception is better than my A500, the external color display is awesome.
I like the speakerphone feature because now I don't have to pay $20 for a hands-free device.
Some of the ringers really need to be replaced. That was the only thing that was disappointing to me. The A500 had some great ringtones. If you like to give your friends distinct ringtones, you're going to want to either buy some from Sprint or download some from the Internet.
I also have a little polar bear animation on mine that I think is just adorable.
And when I called Sprint to change over from my old phone to my new phone, the customer service rep even helped me change plans to save me about $15 a month in overcharges!
Rating:
Summary: The Sanyo PM-8200 a very sophisticated unit indeed
Review: I used the Sanyo-8100 for a time, then I got a virus and my Sanyo 8100 died. So under my phone insurance policy through Sprint I got the PM-8200 as a replacemt, all in all it's been a really good performer. The only difference between the 8100 and 8200 are, the 8200 has a speaker phone, better java engine, a slim form factor design, and the antenna is slender, compared the reception of the 8100 unit, it's a little weaker. But still a great phone nonetheless. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend it to any friend or family member of mine.
Rating:
Summary: PURE QUALITY SANYO PM-8200
Review: I was not out looking for a Sanyo but when I saw and read about the features promised I had to find it. Sprint was great at the store, and the phone sold itself. You can tell by simply feeling the hinges and seeing the screws they used this was no Motorola that would fall apart after a month. After 5 months I am still finding services that this phone offers to the user.
I love it, I just bought another for my wife last week.
Rating: 
Summary: Good at first...
Review: I was pretty happy with it at first, light, good looking. The problem is that the sound is really not good and it lacks a lot of the features that I loved on my previous Samsungs. For example you can't scroll down to the previous numbers you called after you hit "talk", it only keeps the last one, so you have to go into the menu the look for the outgoing calls... not convenient. On my 3 previous Samsungs, I also liked the fact that I could stop the ring when I received a call. So for example I would hit any side button and the ring would stop, then I could take it out of my purse and answer without eveybody noticing me. I find the menu also a little messy.
In other words, I am going to return this one and buy a new Samsung!
Rating:
Summary: it's cool and compact
Review: lot of nice features in this compact phone. Only draw back is the speaker phone quality(average).
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