Pantech Duo Cell Phone Review - Conclusion
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Mark Brezinski Published on November 15, 2007 Comment on this |
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Who's It For
Business User
The Duo finds itself in a bit of an awkward spot here. Although the QWERTY keyboard does allow for writing longer emails than a keypad, it is not suitable for power users or those looking for BlackBerry-esque functionality. But for those business users who have access to Exchange servers and who don't necessarily need to lean on their phones as much the Duo might be suitable.
Budget Callers
Budget callers like free phones. If they're going to crack open their money clips, it would be for a bargain. As we said, the Duo simply isn't the best deal on the market today. There's really nothing here to attract budget callers.
Chatty Teenager
Chatty teenagers will like the Duo's form factor, and a full QWERTY is good for texting. The Duo isn't the best media player out there, and it doesn't look very cool, however. We'd maybe recommend this phone for a busy teen who can use the organizational software in some regard; it could do double duty as a texting and homework tracking device.
Media Maven
The Duo doesn't offer much for the media maven. It doens't have a big screen or much memory, and while its media player is good, its battery life isn't. Buy an iPhone instead if you're looking for the mobile media experience.
Conclusion
The Duo finds itself in the odd position many Windows Mobile Standard phones find themselves in. It has crippled software compared to it's Professional big brothers, but has more functionality than most users need, at a price point that necessitates some sort of "wow" factor. In the case of the Duo, its catchy feature is the dual-sliding. This has some benefits, providing a better means of controlling your phone while still allowing it to function easily as a phone. But it's wrapped up in a plasticky, cheap-feeling package that doesn't feel like it would stand up to heavy use.
The problem is, however, if you're not very keen on the dual-sliding design, there isn't much in the Duo's favor at this point. The Palm Centro and T-Mobile Shadow are both cheaper. The Centro is a lot cheaper and offers similar functionality at the cost of a subpar QWERTY. The Shadow offers much, much more aesthetic appeal, both in form and interface, but doesn't have a full QWERTY keyboard, and doesn't have 3G. Again, however, though both of these phones have their problems, they are both a better deal than the Duo. We'd recommend waiting for the price to come down. If it does, the Duo will be a much, much more attractive option.
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