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(More customer reviews)This is a prepaid phone, and doesn't have many features. One of the most annoying things about it is the display. The screen has a 40 second backlight whenever a button is pushed (it's adjustable, 40 seconds is the max), and then the display turns off and goes black (presumably to save the battery). Pressing any key will make the display light up again-- but the phone registers whatever button you press (i.e., if you press an "8" the phone will dial 8, if you press the center menu button it will open the menu, etc.). This makes it very inconvenient if you just want to light up the display to check the time/date, which I do quite often. The red "hang-up" button will light up the display without opening anything-- but it also doubles as the power button. If you press it for more than a split second, the phone shuts off.
The buttons also have a tendency to get pushed in your pocket/purse. While the keypad does have a "lock" feature it's irritating to use. The buttons themselves are a tad flimsy which makes the unlock combination frustrating. Thus, the phone has a tendency to make calls, connect to the net, create new address book entries, etc. while in your pocket or purse.
This phone will store one number per contact. I have three separate phonebook entries per person: work, home, cell, which is annoying. It supposedly can send multimedia as well as plain text messages, but the phone has no camera. However, it will receive multimedia messages so you'll be able to get pics and such.
The text feature is nice, as it has itype which allows you to type with one-touch and select the word as you're typing (either choose spelling, or select the whole word by pressing "up"). The text menu also allows you to save drafts. Other features include pre-typed templates ("I love you", "Congratulations", etc.) and fill-in quicknotes ("Meet me at __").
The text inbox generally holds 200 messages before having to be emptied. Deleting all messages can be annoying, as the feature is weirdly buried in the Outbox menu. The annoying thing about texts is that the Outbox doesn't tell you what time your message was sent. However, it does record the time of incoming texts, which makes no sense.
The calendar (a pain to navigate and set up), alarm clock (which has a snooze button), and calculator are all features which I use often. The ringtones and backgrounds are very limited, but you can control button sound/volume as well as alarm/text/ringtone sound and volume. You can also set the phone to vibrate and back by pressing and holding # (beyond the button's touch tone, it does not beep or make a conspicuous noise while setting it to vibrate or back, which is nice for meetings).
The phone also has a headphone jack, speed dial, and the 24-hr time display option. It has a quick-access redial/recent calls list, and a "call-time" feature (which only keeps track of total talk time and the last phone call duration-- it does not record time individually for your recent calls list). The phone is chat capable.
The phone is clear with good reception but because of the placement of the microphone, when you prop the phone against your shoulder to grab something, type, etc. your voice will sound pretty muffled/unintelligible to the person on the other end. It does have hold and call waiting, and will beep to let you know you've received texts/voicemail if you are in-call.
I've had this phone for seven months (I bought it when my previous phone died in the middle of my contract) and it's been a fairly good one, considering the $20 price tag at the local Target/Wal-mart. The switch-over was simple, just inserting my old SIM card into the new phone. It has been easy to use. Charging takes roughly 2 hours and the battery life is great (5+ days), mainly due to the small display and simple features.
After having this phone for seven months it has started to give me trouble: turning off randomly or in mid-call, shorter battery life, etc. Since the display is usually black, it's difficult to know when the phone has turned itself off. I have to check it periodically, and often have to power it back up. Turning off the phone and removing the battery pack seems to solve this problem short-term. I rarely turn off my phone even to charge it, so this may be the issue. At any rate, the back panel has a release and is easy to remove.
If you want an inexpensive, pretty basic phone to tide you over between plans, this prepaid is a decent choice. If you're going to use your own SIM card, make sure your plan is with AT&T. For basic texting, basic calls, and solid battery life, this is the way to go. I have dropped it several times in a parking lot, spilled water on it, and sat on it, and it has held up great.
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Motorola C168i Prepaid GoPhone (AT&T) with $35 Airtime IncludedWith a stunningly slim design, the compact candybar-style Motorola C168i is a great choice for those looking for a mobile voice and messaging companion. It features a brightly colorful LCD, text and photo messaging capabilities, and an extra-long talk time of nearly 9 hours. And with AT&T's GoPhone pay-as-you-go service, you pay for just the minutes you use without having to sign up for an annual contract--this phone even comes with $35 of airtime included. You can easily refill your minutes via prepaid cards or the Internet, or choose to prepay each month and roll over unused minutes.
AT&T GoPhone Service AT&T's pay-as-you-go GoPhone plans are wireless plans made easy. Simply pay in advance for what you need. No long-term contracts, credit checks, or surprise bills--just all the benefits of wireless, with no complications. In addition, AT&T's Rollover Balance feature lets you carry over your unused account balance when you purchase refill minutes before your balance expires. Other great features include no long distance or roaming fees across AT&T's national service area, the ability to track usage via text messages with an updated balance after each call, and the ability to refill your minutes 24-hours a day, 7-days a week. You can also cancel any time without penalty.
With the Pay As You Go option, you'll choose the rate plan that fits your needs and then start dialing. Your balance is lowered each time you make or receive a call or use services such as text messaging. You can then refill the minutes in your account via the Internet, using your phone (by calling 611 from your cell), or purchasing a pre-paid card in denominations up to $100.
With the Pick Your Plan option, you'll set up monthly, automatic payments with your credit/debit card or checking account. If you need to make more calls or you use up your balance during the month, just add minutes to your account at any time--you'll pay the same per-minute rate as your plan. You can buy more minutes in increments of $15 and $25 using your credit/debit card or checking account.
Phone Features Measuring just 0.55 inches thin and weighing a mere 2.71 ounces, the C168i slips easily into your pocket or purse and won't weight you down while you're on the go. It has a color LCD that has a 128 x 128-pixel resolution and support for 65K colors. It has a built-in memory that can hold up to 600 contact entries, with multiple number fields for each name. In addition to downloadable polyphonic and real-music ringtones, the C168i also offers a vibrate mode for those times that require silence.
The C168i will keep you closely connected to your friends and family via text messaging, and the iTap predictive text entry technology is built in to make composing messages a breeze. Using a built-in dictionary, the iTap software guesses what word you're typing after you start pressing the keypad's number/character combinations. Support is also built in for sending and receiving photos using MMS and EMS services, and this phone includes a WAP 2.0 Internet browser.
Other features include a 2.5mm jack for connecting a wired headset, built-in PIM tools including calendar, alarm clock, and currency converter, and a stopwatch.
Vital Statistics The Motorola C168i weighs 2.75 ounces and measures 4.1 x 1.8 x 0.55 inches. Its 1000 mAh lithium-ion battery is rated at up to 8.8 hours of talk time, and up to 336 hours of digital standby time. It runs on the 850/1900 GSM/GPRS frequencies.
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