Pantech Duo Cell Phone Review - Tour & Design
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Mark Brezinski Published on November 15, 2007 Comment on this |
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Front Closed
Front Open
You can open up the Duo in two different ways: by sliding down the keypad, or by sliding out the QWERTY keyboard. The keypad has a unusual design, with several keys being made out of one piece of plastic, but it works just like an ordinary 12-key array. The QWERTY is also basic, but adequate; the keys are small but have some space between them. You can find the two soft keys in the top corners.
Left
Top
Bottom
Right
Back
Battery Out
In the Box (4.0)
Handling (7.0)
The Duo sits fairly comfortably in hand whether it's closed or opened in either direction. Opening up the phone will require you to shift grips, but never awkwardly; the weight of the phone always remains towards the back. The phone never feels slippery, although it does feel (and look) very plasticky.
Portability (6.0)
The Duo is relatively small, especially for a dual slider. It is very portable, and should fit into any pocket or purse. It is a bit on the thick side, so it might cause a bit of pocket paunch.
Aesthetics (5.0)
The Duo does have a unique look to it. It doesn't so much cause wide-eyed "this is a sexy new phone" astonishment as it elicits a quizzical "this phone is obviously fancy and new, so why is it made from such cheap plastic" brow furrow. The Duo has a mild case of Samsung Blast syndrome, where the phone is so plastic it doesn't really feel like a phone; it certainly doesn't feel like a fully functional smart phone with advanced functions. In its defense, the Duo doesn't suffer from the poor construction the Blast did; it just looks really, really plasticky. We'll file this one under "distinguished".
Durability (4.0)
The Duo has some durability strikes against it. First of all, it's made of plastic, which doesn't inspire confidence in its longevity. Furthermore, it slides every which way and moving parts tend to break down quickly. The sliding seems especially detrimental in the case of the QWERTY keypad, as you can hear and feel the friction as the face slides. Aside from these criticisms, however, the Duo still seems like a relatively solid phone. The plastic seems sturdy enough, and the phone didn't creak when we twisted it around.
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