Pantech duo

More compact than most Windows Mobile phones, the Pantech duo sports a dual-slider design, so you get both a QWERTY keyboard and numeric keypad. (It's actually kind of addictive.) Other highlights include high-speed HSDPA data and easy access to instant messaging. It's not nearly as innovative as the dual-slider Helio Ocean, and the keyboard could be better, but the duo still supplies messaging-savvy consumers and young professionals with a good all-purpose device that won't weigh them down.

The dark-gray body with textured metallic trim has a simple elegance suitable for the boardroom or a night on the town. At 4.6 ounces, the 4 x 2 x 0.8-inch-thick Pantech duo slips easily into a shirt pocket and is lighter and more streamlined than the 5.6-ounce, 0.9-inch thick Ocean. (On the other hand, the Ocean justifies its bulk with a sharper two-megapixel camera, more robust instant messaging, better MySpace integration, and GPS.) The duo's round corners felt good in the hand, providing a solid grip even for those with large mitts. On the right side of the phone are keys for launching the voice recorder and 1.3-MP camera. We appreciated the raised volume keys on the left side.

Sliding up the bright and colorful 2.2-inch (320 x 240-pixel resolution) display reveals a good-sized numeric keypad that makes for easy dialing. Flipping the duo horizontally and sliding out the QWERTY keyboard changes the orientation of the display to landscape mode (sometimes with a noticeable delay). We were able to thumb text messages, craft e-mail, and type URLs with decent accuracy. The duo's flat keys have a decent amount of depth, but the cramped layout takes some getting used to. Most frustrating is the placement of the soft menu keys in landscape mode; they're positioned on the extreme opposite ends of the keyboard instead of right underneath the menu options on the display.

Multimedia options abound, but none exactly wow on this device. Riding AT&T's 3G network, the duo offers Cellular Video, which features programming from Comedy Central, ESPN, HBO, and other content providers. We launched a clip of The Colbert Report, which buffered quickly, courtesy of the HSDPA connection. However, even though the video stayed in sync with the audio, the picture quality was less than stellar. On a few occasions we couldn't tune in and were greeted with a "We are temporarily experiencing technical difficulties" message. A free three-day trial to MobiTV ($9.99 per month) offers a smoother experience and adds shows from The Discovery Channel, Fox Sports, TLC, and more.

Users can sideload all sorts of music (MP3, AAC, AAC+, WMA) and video (H.263, MPEG-4, WMV) files to the Pantech duo via the microSD Card slot (which is located on the top of the phone for easy access). For now, you can subscribe to Napster ($9.95 per month unlimited) and Yahoo Music ($8.99 per month unlimited) from the phone, but they're sent to your home PC for downloading. Unfortunately, over-the-air music download services, including Napster Mobile and eMusic Mobile, won't be available on the duo. If satellite radio is more your speed, we recommend XM Radio Mobile ($8.99 per month after a free three-day trial) which streamed smoothly on this device so long as we were in a 3G coverage area. Pairing the duo with our stereo Bluetooth headset for an untethered audio experience was simple; a 3.5mm adapter is in the box for using traditional earphones.

Web surfing was quite speedy. CNN.com Mobile loaded within 8 seconds; the mobile version of NYTimes.com took 13 seconds; and Gizmodo.com took 26 seconds. We found text generally easy to read despite the duo's small display, but some may prefer Opera Mobile 8.65 ($24 after free trial), because of its better page formatting and zooming options. Instant messaging clients from AIM, MSN, and Yahoo are included and performed adequately, and we like that they're easily accessible from the Today screen. However, it took the duo nearly a minute to log us in and display our contact list.

Like all Windows Mobile 6 Standard smart phones the duo includes Office Mobile, which let us swiftly download and read and edit Word, Excel, and PowerPoint e-mail attachments. Speaking of e-mail, the included Xpress Mail client allowed us to painlessly set up our POP3 Gmail and Yahoo accounts.

The camera implementation is a bit awkward. The live preview defaults to portrait mode, and it fills up only half the display. We'd prefer a full landscape view, and for the camera button to be positioned on the bottom part of the right spine instead of the top part. That would make it easier to hold and use the duo like a regular digicam. Image quality was fair for a 1.3-MP sensor, and we appreciated the quick shutter speed.

Call quality was good in our tests. Other callers said we came through fine, and a test voicemail message we left on a landline sounded louder and clearer than one left with the AT&T BlackBerry Curve 8300. With moderate use, the duo barely lasted a full day on a charge, so be sure to keep that charger handy.

The Pantech duo is a solid phone for staying productive and connected on the go, but there is plenty of smart phone competition at or below this price. We prefer the $199 AT&T BlackBerry Curve because of its ease of use and better keyboard; plus, the latest version adds GPS while staying under $200. If you're leaning toward Windows Mobile, the upcoming BlackJack II ($149) has more features than the duo, but this dual-slider is more pocket-friendly. Presuming you can get comfortable with the tiny keyboard and don't mind recharging often, you'll be satisfied with this device.

Specifications:

Carrier: AT&T (formerly Cingular)

Form Factor: Slider

Fast Data Network: HSPDA

Internal Memory: 64MB

Memory Expansion Type: TransFlash/MicroSD

Music Player: Yes

Video: Yes

GPS: No

FM Radio: No

Display (main): 2.2 inches (320 x 240 pixels, 262,000 colors)

Talk / Standby Time: 3 hours/10 days

Size: 4 x 2 x 0.8 inches

Weight: 4.6 ounces

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Pantech C3b

The Pantech C3b might have you rethinking the whole "bigger is better" thing. With surprisingly good voice quality, this tiny 2.5-ounce clamshell phone from AT&T (which is only $19.99 with a two-year contract if you buy online) is the smallest flip phone on the market. It's like the phone from Zoolander-except this one works. It even comes with Bluetooth, but you'd be lucky to find a headset much smaller than this cell.

About the size of a pack of gum, the 2.7 x 1.7 x 0.8-inch phone not only leaves you with more than enough room in your pocket for your wallet but is also bound to have you digging around to find the little guy. With a boxy shape and silver-matte finish, the Pantech C3b's style is simple, though you can easily snap off the textured cover and replace it with the included blue faceplate. (Accessory packs with multicolor faceplates are available for $14.99 through AT&T). The phone's overall build is quite sturdy; the hinge felt solid but requires only one finger to flip it open.

The external color screen displays the time, date, battery status, signal strength, and incoming-call information. Just below that display sits the phone's VGA camera lens and flash. The volume rocker lies on the left edge just below the sealed headset port.

Open the C3b and you find a bright but small 1.5-inch color display and a cramped keypad with a D pad, two soft keys, and Send and End buttons. The screen is understandably small, and if you're far-sighted, this phone will feel like you're reading an eye chart. Though the menu was easy to navigate and we didn't have to squint when text messaging, the tiny screen made having more than two Yahoo Messenger chats at the same time impossible.

The tight keypad didn't make chatting any easier, and even more frustrating is that the top can't flip open as fully as other clamshell phones. Though this seems like a minor issue, it's our biggest complaint, as we couldn't get the phone to fit comfortably to our ear.

On the plus side, we were blown away by the C3b's call quality. We could hear our callers with absolutely no echo, which is surprising for such a small phone; don't bother with the tinny speakerphone, though. Surfing the Web delivered quick response times over GPRS (that's right, you don't even get EDGE), but this fashion phone wasn't designed for data hounds. We see most users at most downloading ringtones or wallpapers.

The device's VGA camera was good enough for sharing pics via MMS, and the flash even let us take some decent pictures at night. We also had fun with the C3b's multishot mode, which lets you take four, six, or nine quick frames of a moving image. We like that you can use the phone as a flashlight by holding down the external volume button. Other features include an internal stopwatch and a measurement converter.

Our tests proved that Pantech's reported three hours of talk time and ten days of standby time weren't generous enough, as we chatted for about 4.5 hours before the C3b's battery drained. With that kind of endurance, you don't have to worry too much about using the Bluetooth connection. Pairing the C3b with our Kyocera Bluetooth headset was easy.

Even though the Pantech C3b looks like a gag gift, it performs well given its small size. However, if comfort is important to you, and you're a heavy texter, you would be better off buying a slightly bigger phone with a wider keypad and larger screen.