Monthly Archives: October 2010

New Net10 Deal: Free phone, free minutes, and a discount!

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I just wanted to take a minute before the weekend to point out a great deal on Net10′s site. Right now, for $25, you can get the LG 1500 phone free when you buy a $25, 750 minute Monthly card.

What makes this a really fantastic deal is that the LG 1500 will still include the 300 minutes and 60 days at activation. As you may recall from a previous post, Net10 is no longer including the 300 minutes on most new phones. For some reason, however, it is still included on this LG 1500.

This is the only remaining Net10 phone that I’ve never used, so I can’t comment on it personally. But I have heard good things about it. It is a little older and perhaps shows its age in the design, but my understanding is that it’s a pretty good quality, reliable handset. It’s a GSM model, so it will use the AT&T and T-Mobile towers.

So to recap, here’s that you get for $25:

  • LG 1500 GSM phone (NEW, not reconditioned)
  • $25 750 minute card (Net10 Montly plan, meaning these minutes won’t roll over at the end of the month).
  • 300 minutes of airtime and 60 days of service when you activate the phone

You can also use promo code 44477 when you check out to save another $5, bringing your total down to $20. And the free FedEx shipping deal still applies as well.

I plan to use this by activating the phone, using it until I go through the 300 free minutes, then adding the monthly card when I run out. In my opinion, this is a very good deal for $20.

Click here to check it out, and don’t forget to use the promo code when you complete your purchase.

Straight Talk’s New Nokia E71 and Nokia 6790

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There is some big news in the Straight Talk world – they have added three new phones to their lineup, including two quite impressive smart phones. And I mean a true “smart phone” – not a glossy feature phone that looks like a smart phone.

They have added the Nokia E71 (Pictured at Left) and the Nokia 6790 (Pictured Below). The E71 is a slab-style device with a 2.3 inch screen and full QWERTY keypad. The 6790 is a horizontal slider, also featuring a qwerty keyboard on the slider. The third new model is the Samsung t255g, a basic flip phone.

Both smart phones run the Symbian operating system, can download apps from Nokia’s Ovi Store,and are 3G capable devices for faster data. They also both include a music player, video recorder, and free voice-guided navigation. Both phones also ship from Straight Talk with a 4gb microSD card.

One thing that’s definitely worth noting is that both phones are advertised as working ONLY with Straight Talk’s $45 monthly plan. They are both listed at $244.99 from Straight Talk, and that includes the first month of service.

The E71 looks to be a little more robust when it comes to features, but I’ll cover that in a later post. I plan to do quick “intro reviews” as soon as I can put together more info about these models, but I wanted to get the info out now so you can check them out right away if you are interested. Click here to check out the specs on Straight Talk’s site.

Samsung t105g review conclusion

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Here’s the final installment of the Samsung t105g review. If you’re looking for earlier parts, check out the following links:

Part 1

Part 2

As I’ve mentioned earlier, the vast majority of the writing in this review was done by contributor Otis226, but I have thoroughly reviewed the phone myself and also revised this article prior to publishing. I agree with this review entirely, and have added my own thoughts where I felt it necessary or helpful to do so.

Extras

Okay, so we’ve got no camera here, no bluetooth or GPS, and no browser buttons to hit accidentally. Many folks would find these big negatives for their choice of a cell phone, but I think a lot of seniors would find this phone just what they’re looking for

The list of Tools one can use with this handset are basic, but handy just the same.

. World clock – there is a choice of 30 cities around the globe to choose from, you can also factor in daylight savings time or not

. Calculator – I have to say this has one of the most user-friendly calculators I’ve used on a cell phone

. Converter – allows you to convert currency, length, weight, volume, area, or temperature

. Timer – set a time and this function will count it down for you

. Stop Watch – 50 split times can be recorded

. SIM App – I have never messed with this on any Tracfone I’ve ever owned, and I didn’t start here!

Conclusions

I hope I’ve covered most of the questions you would have concerning the Samsung T105G. Its size, weight and tactile feel make it really easy to tote around and use. It seems to have most all the basic functions a Tracfone at this price point should possess. The 10 ring tones are loud and clear. The one button keypad lock function is handy. Standby battery life looks to be very good. The speakerphone is quite usable. The sliding battery charger cover is the best design I’ve seen for accomplishing this. And if you text a lot, I think you would enjoy using this little handset. Finding this phone in the DMFL bundle with the extra goodies all for just 10 bucks is a big plus as far as I’m concerned and may make the decision to purchase the T105G over another 10 or 15 dollar phone an easy one.

One the other hand, if you are like me and voice communication is the biggest reason you carry a cellular phone when out and about, I think you’ll find this model a pretty big disappointment.  It seems that most of the lower end Samsung models left a lot to be desired as far as voice quality and clarity were concerned. I kept an open mind before and during my actual test calls. I really wanted this to be a great little phone.

Unfortunately, I would have to recommend almost any of the other basic Tracfone models before this one.

The Motorola w260g flip phone, which can currently be had at Tracfone’s website for free with purchase of a 60 minute card, or at many Big Lots stores, reconditioned, for $10, would be a viable option. I still carry a Nokia 1100b around after 6 years, as my back up GSM handset, and if it had a calendar function, it would probably be my primary carry phone. Newer apparently doesn’t always mean better.

One last complaint – why Tracfone has seen fit to offer their latest handsets without the benefit of full user manuals is beyond me. The cost saving doesn’t seem to justify the confusion and poor customer relations it has caused. Maybe I was expecting too much 10 dollars, but I’ve used lots of other low end Tracfones and been more impressed. My suggestion, if you’re using this phone primarily as a PHONE and not for all the little extras, is to look elsewhere. As I mentioned above, the Motorola w260g is a good place to start. Check it out here.

 

Extras

Okay, so we’ve got no camera here, no bluetooth or GPS, and no browser buttons to hit accidentally. Many folks would find these big negatives for their choice of a cell phone, but I think a lot of seniors would find this phone just what they’re looking for

The list of Tools one can use with this handset are basic, but handy just the same.

. World clock – there is a choice of 30 cities around the globe to choose from, you can also factor in

daylight savings time or not

. Calculator – I have to say this has one of the most user-friendly calculators I’ve used on a cell phone

. Converter – allows you to convert currency, length, weight, volume, area, or temperature

. Timer – set a time and this function will count it down for you

. Stop Watch – 50 split times can be recorded

. SIM App – I have never messed with this on any Tracfone I’ve ever owned, and I didn’t start here!

Conclusions

Extras

Okay, so we’ve got no camera here, no bluetooth or GPS, and no browser buttons to hit accidentally. Many folks would find these big negatives for their choice of a cell phone, but I think a lot of seniors would find this phone just what they’re looking for

The list of Tools one can use with this handset are basic, but handy just the same.

. World clock – there is a choice of 30 cities around the globe to choose from, you can also factor in

daylight savings time or not

. Calculator – I have to say this has one of the most user-friendly calculators I’ve used on a cell phone

. Converter – allows you to convert currency, length, weight, volume, area, or temperature

. Timer – set a time and this function will count it down for you

. Stop Watch – 50 split times can be recorded

. SIM App – I have never messed with this on any Tracfone I’ve ever owned, and I didn’t start here!

Conclusions

 

I hope I’ve covered most of the questions you would have concerning the Samsung T105G. Its size and weight and tactile feel make it really easy to tote around and use. It seems to have most all the basic functions a Tracfone at this price point should possess. The 10 ring tones are loud and clear. The one button keypad lock function is handy. Standby battery life looks to be very good. The speakerphone is quite usable. The sliding battery charger cover is the best design I’ve seen for accomplishing this. And if you text a lot, I think you would enjoy using this little handset. Finding this phone in the DMFL bundle with the extra goodies all for just 10 bucks is a big plus as far as I’m concerned and may make the decision to purchase the T105G over another 10 or 15 dollar phone an easy one.

One the other hand, if you are like me and voice communication is the biggest reason you carry a cellular phone when out and about, I think you’ll find this model a pretty big disappointment.  I’d heard that many of the lower end Samsung models left a lot to be desired as far as voice quality and clarity were concerned, possibly involving the construction of their internal antennas? I kept an open mind before and during my actual test calls. I really wanted this to be a great little phone. Now, I would have to recommend almost any of the other basic Tracfone models before this one. The Motorola w260g flip phone, which can currently be had at Tracfone’s website for free with purchase of a 60 minute card, or at many Big Lots stores, reconditioned, for $10 would be a viable option. I still carry a Nokia 1100b around after 6 years, as my back up GSM handset, and if it had a calendar function, it would probably be my primary carry phone. Newer apparently doesn’t always mean better. Why Tracfone has seen fit to offer their latest handsets without the benefit of full user manuals is beyond me. The cost saving doesn’t seem to justify the confusion and poor customer relations it has caused. Maybe I was expecting too much 10 dollars, but I’ve used lots of other low end Tracfones and been more impressed. So, there you have it. Hope this helped a bit.

I hope I’ve covered most of the questions you would have concerning the Samsung T105G. Its size and weight and tactile feel make it really easy to tote around and use. It seems to have most all the basic functions a Tracfone at this price point should possess. The 10 ring tones are loud and clear. The one button keypad lock function is handy. Standby battery life looks to be very good. The speakerphone is quite usable. The sliding battery charger cover is the best design I’ve seen for accomplishing this. And if you text a lot, I think you would enjoy using this little handset. Finding this phone in the DMFL bundle with the extra goodies all for just 10 bucks is a big plus as far as I’m concerned and may make the decision to purchase the T105G over another 10 or 15 dollar phone an easy one.

One the other hand, if you are like me and voice communication is the biggest reason you carry a cellular phone when out and about, I think you’ll find this model a pretty big disappointment.  I’d heard that many of the lower end Samsung models left a lot to be desired as far as voice quality and clarity were concerned, possibly involving the construction of their internal antennas? I kept an open mind before and during my actual test calls. I really wanted this to be a great little phone. Now, I would have to recommend almost any of the other basic Tracfone models before this one. The Motorola w260g flip phone, which can currently be had at Tracfone’s website for free with purchase of a 60 minute card, or at many Big Lots stores, reconditioned, for $10 would be a viable option. I still carry a Nokia 1100b around after 6 years, as my back up GSM handset, and if it had a calendar function, it would probably be my primary carry phone. Newer apparently doesn’t always mean better. Why Tracfone has seen fit to offer their latest handsets without the benefit of full user manuals is beyond me. The cost saving doesn’t seem to justify the confusion and poor customer relations it has caused. Maybe I was expecting too much 10 dollars, but I’ve used lots of other low end Tracfones and been more impressed. So, there you have it. Hope this helped a bit.

Samsung t105g Review Part 2

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Here is the second installment of the review of the LG t105g. This post was written by contributor Otis226. I have also personally tested the phone, and agree with his conclusion as presented in this article – I’ve made a few edits to reflect my experiences, but I overwhelmingly agreed with Otis226. The 105g is available only for TracFone at this time.

General Functions

Review of the Samsung t105gNow we get to what I consider the heart of the matter, namely call quality. I can’t speak for anyone else using prepaid services, but if I can’t communicate well with the device, why the heck am I carrying it around? I’m sorry to report that I feel this is where the Samsung T105g really falls down on the job.

First let me say that my test phone came with a C4, (AT&T) SIM card installed, and I live in a GSM5AT market. AT&T as well as Verizon work very well here, but I would probably give the edge to AT&T and GSM handsets for this immediate area. Signal strength was always at least 4 bars and more usually 5 with all the testing I’ve done.

The first couple of test calls I made, which were, I believe, to cordless landline handsets, didn’t go well. The person on the other end told me I was difficult to understand and sounded like I was ‘at the bottom of a tunnel’. On my end the person’s voice did cut out occasionally, but was mostly recognizable. Some additional test calls outside of buildings provided little improvement, and the added complaint of increased background noise added to a poor quality conversation.

Interestingly enough, when I tried the speakerphone the first time, (you need to push the ‘OK’ key during the conversation for this feature to kick in), I was told I could be heard a bit more clearly. I could hear the other person over the speaker well but still experienced some points of ‘dead air’, where the voice would cut out for a second now and then. The next use of the speakerphone was less successful and we were back to having to repeat ourselves.

I then used the wired hands-free headset, which I got bundled with the phone for free. For this I decided to go into the Settings >Call >All Calls >Answering Mode > Automatic Mode. (Samsung seems to have some very convoluted secondary menus). This allows the headset to answer an incoming call directly. Again, although the headset worked, the background noise proved a bit too much for the conversation. I would say the ‘background noise’ level was no more than moderate traffic on a road about 300-400 feet from where I stood. Using this phone while we traveled down the road made communication even less reliable.

All in all, speakerphone and ring tone volumes are loud, and mostly clear. One other note on the speakerphone; I assumed that since a push of the OK key turned it on, a second push would turn this feature off. The second time I tired it, a submenu opened up with several options besides ‘turn speaker off’. I found this pretty disruptive during a conversation. I’m not certain if my big finger hit more than the ‘OK’ key, but that is certainly a possibility and I’ll have to work with the option a bit more before I can be sure.

Display and Keypad

I don’t mind that the display is only 1 inch by 1 inch – the resolution seems sharp to my eyes, even with the fairly tiny fonts that need to be used in such a small space. What does bother me is the cluttered look one gets because of being unable to turn off the wallpaper from the main screen. I also don’t think this display works any better in full sun than any other Tracfone I’ve ever used with the possible exception of the black and white display of the Nokia 1100, which has always been easier for me to use outdoors.

The nine (9), menu options are set up as icons, and I see no way to change that. As you move from one to another, the title is displayed at the top of the screen. A nice feature is that even though the menu items aren’t numbered, if you press the number that corresponds to the position of that item, it will bring up the item, (i.e.; press #9 and you are in the settings menu, press #5 and you are in the calendar function); rather than having to scroll with button pushes to the next desired item.

Where things get confusing for me is when you get into the sub menus. I don’t know if this is a Samsung thing, or just this model, but they can get pretty confusing. As an example: when first going into the Settings menu you see something called ‘Profiles’. This has options such as, ‘Normal, Silent, Driving, Meeting, Outdoor, Offline, and two called My Profile 1 & 2. I was looking for a way to silence the keystrokes, which I like to do first on any phone I’m using. Well, I needed to pick a profile, and then choose Edit. Then you are confronted with choices of the Melody for call alert, message alert type, message alert tone, and finally keypad tone…where I could finally choose mute! I guess my point is the submenus here are far from intuitive, at least for me. If ever Tracfone needed to have a full users’ manual printed for a handset, this would have been a nice one to have.

On a more positive note, I found texting with the T105g to be really nice. I don’t text a whole lot, but the speed of the keystroke response was better than most of the other models I’ve used. The small size of the phone and tactile feel of both the keys and back cover made texting an easy and fun experience.

The third and final installment of this review will be published next week. If you want to buy the phone now, click here to find it at TracFone.com.

TracFone Promo Codes

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TracFone Promo Codes

To view the up-to-date TracFone Promotional Code list, click here.

TracFone Promo Code Image

TracFone Promo Code list. Once again, I’ve put the current additions to the list in bold to highlight the fact that they are the most current codes.

If you have any questions regarding how to use TracFone Promo Codes, please post them in the comments section of this post. It recently occurred to me that I’ve been doing this for so long, that I often take for granted that people know how to make use of these codes. But if you’re new to TracFone and have questions about how to use the promotional codes, please let me know how I can help. I hopefully will be able to write quick responses to any questions.

Samsung t105g review

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Below you’ll find Part 1 of the LG t105g review. The 105g is available only for TracFone at this time. For this model, I asked Otis 226, who comments on this blog from time to time,  to take a look at the phone and give me his thoughts, and he graciously agreed.

I have critiqued the phone as well, but Otis 226 did such a great job I’ll just post what he wrote, and add in my own clarifications if I have different findings or opinions than he did. For the most part, he was spot-on in my opinion.  Here’s what he wrote:

When Patrick asked if I’d be interested in doing a guest review, I wasn’t sure I was up to the task, but since I’ve made all things ‘Tracfone’ a hobby for about 6 years now, I decided to give it a try, so here goes.

Samsung t105g review – General Overview

The Samsung T105G is a basic GSM candybar phone. It measures just 4.23” in length, 1.80” wide, and 0.58” thick. This model is the lightest Tracfone has ever put out, weighing in at a mere 2.29 oz. Compare this to other entry level GSM handsets such as the Nokia 1100b (3.07 oz); the Motorola c139 (3.03 oz); the Motorola w175 (2.99 oz); or the Motorola w260 (3.17 oz). Even the very compact CDMA model, LG 100c comes in at 2.45oz in comparison.

I found this handset as part of a bonus pack at Walmart, which included the DMFL benefit, car charger, phone case, and a hands free headset for 9.88, made this a good deal indeed. The T105g has a few features not offered on previous basic handsets, but it also lacks some of the options I’ve come to expect with the earlier models mentioned above that I’ll go over as this review proceeds.

You can store 200 phone book entries and 100 messages. It comes with 10 polyphonic ring tones. There are 3 mb of internal memory. They rate the battery as good for up to 7 hrs. talk time and 14 ½ days of standby. In my experience, most all of these battery life claims are usually overestimated. However with such a basic handset, the standby time might prove to indeed be accurate.

One thing that seems less than what most of the earlier entry level phones delivered is that the notepad or ‘memo’ area on the T105g allows only 70 characters per memo, as opposed to the usual 150, which was sparse enough.

External/Appearance

The phone looks sleek and, I think, modern, with its glossy black plastic face and silver trim around the center navigation button as well as around the outside edge of the body. The rounded corners allow it to slide easily into pockets and handbag compartments.

Two of my favorite features are the tactile feel of the battery cover on the back, which makes gripping the phone feel ‘right’. Samsung also used a plastic slide mechanism to cover the combination battery charger/headset jack area, which I find a big improvement over leaving it open to dust and dirt or covering it with a rubber cover that needs to be dug out with a finger nail.

The Samsung and Tracfone ‘swirl’ logos appear on the front of the phone and the Samsung logo also appears on the battery cover. The keypad has a nice tactile feel and the slightly rounded plastic buttons although not separated, give a positive click with each entry. There is a raised ridge on each side of the middle ‘5’ key for orientation that might be helpful for some wanting to dial without looking.

The overall quality of this handset is on par with others in this price range. Although I doubt anyone is going to mistake it for a smartphone it has a decent feel and except for being slightly thicker, reminds me very much of the LG 100c, except that the 1-inch screen is a bit smaller on the t105.

The usual info is displayed on the main screen. Along with the battery status icon, there’s the signal strength indicator as well as the time and date, airtime balance and service days remaining. There’s the word ‘Tracfone’ at the center. The airtime and service days can be hidden, but not the company name.

For shortcut keys, the left soft key calls up the main menu, while the right brings up your contacts list. As for the four-way navigation key: UP raises and DOWN lowers ring volumes. LEFT allows you to create a text message; and RIGHT opens the message boxes menu. As far as I can tell, these functions are all fixed and cannot be customized.

Also, the phone offers a choice of only 2 wallpapers, or a 3rd option, that alternates between the two. I usually like setting my wallpaper to ‘none’, to end up with either a totally white or black background, but this is not possible here.

One nice feature is that a long press of the * (star key) locks the keypad and a second long press unlocks it again. I think this is an important option, especially on a candybar style phone.

There’s more to follow on this review, but I think I’ll save that for another day as I can see we’ve already surpassed one thousand words on this post. Stay tuned for part 2 of the review, or click here to check out more phone specs at TracFone.com.

External/Appearance

The phone looks sleek and, I think, modern, with its glossy black plastic face and silver trim around the center navigation button as well as around the outside edge of the body. The rounded corners allow it to slide easily into pockets and handbag compartments.

Two of my favorite features are the tactile feel of the battery cover on the back, which makes gripping the phone feel ‘right’. Samsung also used a plastic slide mechanism to cover the combination battery charger/headset jack area, which I find a big improvement over leaving it open to dust and dirt or covering it with a rubber cover that needs to be dug out with a finger nail.

The Samsung and Tracfone ‘swirl’ logos appear on the front of the phone and the Samsung logo also appears on the battery cover. The keypad has a nice tactile feel and the slightly rounded plastic buttons although not separated, give a positive click with each entry. There is a raised ridge on each side of the middle ‘5’ key for orientation that might be helpful for some wanting to dial without looking.

The overall quality of this handset is on par with others in this price range. Although I doubt anyone is going to mistake it for a smartphone it has a decent feel and except for being slightly thicker, reminds me very much of the LG 100c, except that the 1-inch screen is a bit smaller on the t105.

Motorola w408g Review

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Motorola w408g Review

I haven’t had time yet to get out and buy the Motorola w408g, but I thought I’d take a look at all the info I could find and put together a little “Motorola w408g Review Preview.” Below is what I know now about this model, and I’ll update this page with links to my full review as I publish it (AFTER I get the phone, haha).


This is a GSM model, and it’s worth pointing out that neither Net10 nor TracFone has had a Motorola CDMA handset for a long time. This one appears to be very similar in features to the Motorola EM326g, which was released in June 2009

Here’s a list of some of the important features:

  • Bluetooth
  • 1.3 MP Camera
  • Video Recorder
  • FM Radio
  • MP3 Player
  • Handsfree Speaker

The one thing that really sticks out there is the Video Recorder – that’s the only feature that I’ve noted that was not available on the em326g. Other than that, so far it looks like the Motorola w408g could be just a flip-phone version of the 326.

I’m hoping that this new model shares the excellent audio quality of the em326g. However, that one was a little disappointing in reception, falling short of the Motorola w376/77g. So in terms of reception, I’m hoping for something more along the lines of those older flip phones.

The only way to find out, though, is to actually use the phone. I will do so soon, and publish my findings in a proper Motorola w408g review.

New Net10 Phones

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More Net10 news continues to come in this week. Today the Net10 web site shows two new phones. The first is the compact slider LG 620g, which has been available for Straight Talk and which I’ve already reviewed. I really like this phone, having paid $70 for it through Straight Talk. I think it’s worth the $40 list price from Net10, but you’ll have to keep in mind that it will NOT include the 300 starter minutes we’ve been accustomed to with Net10 phones.

It remains to be seen whether the Net10 version of the 620g will have all the same features as the Straight Talk version. However, based on previous experience with the Samsung r451c, Samsung t401g, and LG 100c, 220, and 290c, I would expect them to be identical in all functional  aspects. Of course, as always when a phone is available on multiple of America Movil’s brands, the price is greater for the services that charges lower per-minute rates. And of course I’m always asked whether the Net10 version can be used with Straight Talk; the answer is “No.” But this Net10 version does present an interesting alternative after the introduction of Net10′s monthly plans that I discussed earlier this week. Net10′s lower phone cost combined with the 750 minute plan might provide just the right level of service and price for some users.

The second new model is the Motorola w408g. It’s been over a year since we’ve had a new Motorola phone to talk about, and I’m happy to finally have another. I’ve been very pleased with the audio quality on the recent Motorolas from TracFone and Net10, and hope this one will continue that trend.

The w408g is a clamshell design, and includes several features seen only on the EM326g among Net10 Motorola handsets. Among those features is an mp3 player, 1.3 megapixel camera, and, for the first time from Motorola, a video recorder.

I’ll see if I can find one of these in a store so I can get started on my review right away. I’m anxious to try it out.

If you are looking for one of these models, check them out by clicking here to get to the Net10 website.