Monthly Archives: April 2010

LG 320g Net10 Phone Review Part 1

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LG 320g – A very basic Net10 phone

Picture of the LG 320gGeneral Overview

The LG 320g is a very basic candybar-style cell phone on the GSM network. It’s very lightweight and very compact. It’s missing a lot of features that people usually look for in a phone these days. It does not have a camera, Bluetooth, or web browser, although the lack of a browser might be a very positive attribute for some people since that eliminates the potential of accidentally activating the browser and losing airtime.

The 320g measures approximately 4 x 1.75 x 0.5 inches, and is a very light 2.29 ounces. Basically, the 320g is just an update on the LG 300g, which has been available for Net10 for almost two years now. Both models are currently available from Net10.com, but not for TracFone.

The 320g offers basic text messaging (no picture messages), speaker phone, a few games, and standard organizational tools. That’s about it.

Click here to find out how to save $8 on this Net10 Phone.

External/Appearance

The appearance is the most notable upgrade from the 300g to the 320g, although there’s really not much difference there either. Whereas the older model was all black, the new version is slate grey with a glossier finish. The numbers on the keypad are also larger, although the keys are the same size. The 320g also looks sleeker, with more rounded corners and keys. The 320g bears the TracFone concentric circle logo directly below the screen, which seems odd considering it’s a Net10 phone. But there ‘s no “TracFone” or “Net10″ printed anywhere on the outside of the phone.

The phone seems to be of adequate quality in terms of construction and materials. However, because it is so light, some people won’t like it. I don’t mind a light phone, but others think that it feels to flimsy if a phone is very lightweight. An advantage of the compact size and sleek styling is that the phone slides in and out of your pocket extremely well.

General Phone Function

I haven’t noticed any difference between the LG 320g and the 300g in signal reception, but I’ll double check that the next time I travel to a fringe reception area. For now, though, it seems that they both pull in a signal equally well. In fact, they compared favorably to my Samsung T401g in the basement of a building where reception is usually weak.

I was disappointed in the audio quality on the LG 320g. I was expecting an improvement over the 300g, since the 320g is a newer model. However, the 320g has a faint hissing sound in the background that muddies the audio quality. In fact, I would say that the 320g has the worst audio of any current Net10 phone except for the Samsung t201g.

The volume on the 320g was very good in normal call mode, on speaker phone, and for ringtones. In all three phases, the 320g was louder than the 300g, the Samsung t401g, or the Motorola EM326g. Contacts can be assigned specific ringtones, which is a nice feature that isn’t available on all Net10 and TracFone models (but should be). However, with no web browser, no MMS ability, and no bluetooth, there is no way to get custom ringtones on this model. There’s not even a voice recorder to allow users to record their own tones. So that’s definitely a negative for some people.

I haven’t had the phone long enough to completely test the battery, but so far it seems to be excellent. After five days of being turned on constantly, and being subjected to my usual menu testing and half dozen phone calls, the battery meter is still showing three bars out of three. I think that battery life will be a strong suit of the 320g.

I’ll post part 2 of the LG 320g review next week, as well as a lot more info about other new phones for TracFone and Net10.

Samsung r355c now available for Net10!

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I was just checking around the Net10 website today and noticed that the Samsung r355c for Net10 is available for sale NOW. I, of course, ordered one immediately so I can review it for this blog.

Here’s a screen shot showing the Samsung r355c available on the order page:

Samsung r355c shopping cart imageNet10 Samsung r355c

Keep in mind that you’ll need to enter a CDMA-only zip code if you want to order it from Net10. An example of a CDMA only ZIP is 54747. Click here to get to Net10′s order page, and enter zip 54747 to see this phone. (Using this ZIP to order will NOT affect how your phone functions in your own area, since Net10 uses the same hardware for all CDMA models, regardless of the local area.)

If you order from Net10, don’t forget to use promotional codes 44477 and 34567 for $5 and $3 off your order, respectively. You can use both for a total of $8 off. You could also try code 88121 for a free accessory kit, although I don’t think the accessories in that kit are compatible with this phone.

And, Net10 still has their usual free shipping offer for FedEx ground shipment. This method requires someone to sign for the package or pick it up at a FedEx station, so you may consider using UPS for $6.95 if you won’t be home at the time of delivery and want the package left on your doorstep.

I have not yet seen the r355c in any stores, but I haven’t looked in a few days either. I also have not heard reports on any forums I frequent reporting an in-store spotting of the Net10 Samsung r355c. If anyone happens to see this model, in a Net10 version, available for sale, please share it here. For now, though, it looks like it’s only available from Net10 directly.

I’ll be putting up a review early next week, as soon as the phone is delivered to me and I have some time to play around with it. I’m very excited to get this phone!

LG 320g Review

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Net10 LG 320g

LG 320g for Net10

In February I announced a handful of new phones headed for TracFone, Net10, and Straight Talk. The first of those is now available for sale from Net10: the LG 320g is available from the Net10 site directly. It’s priced at $29.99, but of course you can get it for $21.99 if you use the Net10 Promotional Codes I published here.

I’ve ordered my own LG 3`20g and will be publishing a review soon. When I do, this post will become the index for that review. For now, though, I’ll go over just a little bit more of what we know about this model based on the description.

It looks like a very basic candy-bar style phone, and most likely is a replacement for the 300g in terms of features. The big selling points on this model appear to be the compact size and light weight. Everything else about it seems to be very bare-bones – the least you’d expect from any current cell phone in terms of features.

It is completely lacking when it comes to most features that people are interested in these days: no bluetooth, no camera, no mp3 player, to name a few. However, especially among the TracFone/Net10 crowd, there are plenty of people that don’t care about those things. So I’ll be testing one out and writing up a review to evaluate the performance in areas like call quality, signal reception, and battery life. I’ll try to get that published soon.

Perhaps the bigger element of this news, though, is the likelihood that other phone releases will shortly follow the LG 320g. Typically TracFone and Net10 have released a series of phones together. Among those that I’m still anticipating are the LG 420g, which is showing up on some parts of TracFone’s site. I’m also hoping to see the 620g and 900g, both of which appeared as America Movil handsets on FCC documents earlier this year.

For now, though, we’ll have to be content with the LG 320g, and hopefully we’ll be able to base some opinions of future phones on the performance of the 320g.

TracFone Promotional Codes List Revised

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For the current TracFone Promotional Code database, click here.

The list of codes is now current as of April 21. Unfortunately there were some nice codes that are now expired. The biggest code to drop off the list was code 35108, which had been awarding 80 bonus minutes with a 120-minute card. With that code expired, the next best code for a 120-minute card yields only 60 bonus minutes.

Here are the remaining codes that expired since the last update:

  • 88063 for 30 bonus minutes on a 60 Min. (or greater) card.
  • 77172 for 30 bonus minutes on a 120 Min. (or greater) card.
  • 21193 for 60 bonus minutes on a 450 Min. (or greater) card.
  • 54630 for 50 bonus minutes on a 450 Min. (or greater) card.
  • 29556 for 250 bonus minutes on a One Year – 400 Min. or 800 min card.
  • 27671 for 250 bonus minutes on a One Year – 400 Min. or 800 min card.

On the other hand, there were also a few promotional codes to be added to the list. They are as follows:

  • 71066 for 30 bonus minutes on a 60-minute card
  • 30878 for 40 bonus minutes on a 120-minute card
  • 11080 for 50 bonus minutes on a 200-minute card

All of these new codes are now in the database, in bold to indicate that they are recent additions.

Net10 LG 600g Discount

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A great new deal has recently come up and I strongly suggest Net10 users take advantage of it. The LG 600g is now being offered in the popular 300-minute card, free phone bundle from Net10. You can use two Net10 promotional codes for a total price of just $22, and shipping is also free. (Note that the total price is less than the price of the regular price of the card alone.)

Of course that free phone will also come with 300 free minutes when you activate it, for a total of 600 minutes as well as the free phone. If you currently have an older phone and are considering an upgrade, this is a great opportunity to do so. And even if you have a newer phone, this deal offers a nice opportunity to pick up a discounted airtime card, which you would need anyway, then keep the phone as a backup.

I should also point out that this phone is “reconditioned,” which means that it is not in its  original packaging. I’ve ordered many of these phones over the years for myself and my family, and have never had any problems with them.

To get the Net10 LG 600g, click here to get to Net10.com. Then enter your zip code and look for the picture that looks like the one to the left.

Click on “add to cart,” then click “proceed to checkout” on the screen where you are offered the accessory kit for $10. On the next page, you’ll see your shopping cart. Below the list of items in your cart, you’ll see the words “Have a promotional code? Enter code here:” followed by a text entry box. First enter 44477, and press submit. Then enter 34567, and submit again. These codes will reduce your total price by $5 and $3, respectively.

Next, if you want an accessory kit, enter 88121 in the promo code box, and you’ll get a free accessory kit added to your order.

Finally, on the shipping information screen, select the FedEx 3-Day option in order to get your free shipping. This shipping charge will be subtracted from your total at the end of the order process, on the last screen before you submit your order.

If you are looking for my review of this phone, you’ll find it here.

Note: I have a material relationship with one or more of the brands mentioned in this post.