Pantech Duo Cell Phone Review - Intro
|
Mark Brezinski Published on November 15, 2007 Comment on this |
|
|
|
|
The Pantech Duo is AT&T's first dual slider; it has both a QWERTY keyboard and a full keypad. This isn't the first dual slider, though; the Helio Ocean has a similar design, and the Pantech Duo looks and feels like a more business-oriented version of the Ocean (both devices are manufactured by Pantech). But it's let down by a number of problems; the Duo has a plasticky design that is creaky and feels cheap, especially against the solidity of the Ocean. Also, the QWERTY doesn't slide out smoothly; the slider mechanism fees more like a toy than a $200 smart phone. The phone runs Windows Mobile 6 Standard, but doesn't share the lag we've seen on other devices using Microsoft's OS.Unfortunately, Windows Mobile Standard has a few annoying aspects, especially for those used to the more fully-featured Professional version. The software has been purposefully crippled, removing features like the ability to create new Excel and Word documents. Some of these deliberate limitations have work-arounds, but are frustrating nonetheless. Even with downgraded software, Windows Mobile is a very capable operating system, and the simpler approach does make it easier to learn than the Professional version.
Though the Duo support AT&T's speedy 3G network, it doesn't have Wi-Fi. The Duo's 1.3 megapixel camera did not perform particularly well in our tests and audio quality for calls was erratic. Battery life also fell short of what we would like. The Duo is available from AT&T for $449.99 without a contract, or $199.99 with a 2-year contract, after a $100 online rebate.
Below you'll find a table of contents for the review with short descriptions for each. Clicking on a section heading will skip to that section.
Tour & Design - The Duo has a unique look to it, though that look is very plasticky. It also features two keypads and a dual-sliding design.
Audio Quality - The Duo has very inconsistent audio quality. It handles an incoming caller's voice much better than your own.
Imaging - The Duo's camera and album software is average.
Making/Receiving Calls - The Duo's excellent keypad and responsive OS mean it's a great phone for quick calls.
Messaging - While no BlackBerry, the Duo performs admirably in this section.
Organizer - The organizer exists in an area underneath full-featured business devices, but still far ahead of what can be found on typical phones.
Multimedia - The Duo has a mobile version of Windows Media Player, which offers a solid media experience.
Software - The Duo offers typical Windows Mobile Standard software, which is a bit more limited than the excellent Professional suite. Unfortunately, some of these limitations are fairly annoying like the inability to create new office documents.
Battery Life - Unfortunately, the Duo has fairly lackluster battery life across the board.
Connectivity - The Duo is a quad-band GSM phone that will support 3G where availabe. It also has Bluetooth 1.2, but doesn't support wi-fi.
Hardware - The Duo's keyboard is solid, but with problems. The rest of its hardware follows suit, but generally falls in the middle ground.
Other Features - The Duo supports
Value & Comparisons - Though a good device, there are many cheaper competitive devices out there that undermine the Duo's value a bit.
| Next | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
