pantech

Phones to avoid (2012)

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Not every phone can be great. Sometimes, in the rush to get a phone to market, the final product comes out a little half-baked.

A few weeks ago, CNET's Jessica Dolcourt published a blog post called "Don't buy these phones." Being the math whiz that I am, I noticed that her list had five phones and I promptly rehashed it to fit my purposes.

Now, these aren't terrible phones. Most are rated between 2 and 3 stars. They work as advertised, they won't fall apart … Read more

Verizon's Pantech Marauder is Android with training wheels

Consider the Pantech Marauder a smartphone with training wheels. Verizon's new 4G LTE Android handset has a dual-mode interface that includes a simpler starter mode than the standard Android interface.

In addition to the virtual keyboard is a slide-out QWERTY keyboard. Other specs include a 5-megapixel camera, a 1.2GHz dual-core processor, and 1GB RAM. The microSD card slot supports 32GB of off-board memory.

The Marauder goes on sale August 2 for $49.99 after a $50 mail-in rebate, and with a new, two-year service agreement.

AT&T continues eco push with Pantech Renue

AT&T is digging in behind its February promise of eco-ratings for phones sold with the carrier's service with the sale of the Pantech Renue.

The Renue is built from 67 percent recyclable components, and its packaging is constructed from 95 percent recycled paper and printed with soy ink, which isn't a petroleum industry byproduct. The onboard power-saving app is another nod to Earth's resources. In addition, the Renue has a slide-out QWERTY keyboard, a 3.2-inch touch screen, and a 3-megapixel camera. It costs $69.99 with a new two-year service agreement.

AT&T'… Read more

Smartphones under $50

Subscribe: RSS (SD) RSS (HD) iTunes (SD) iTunes (HD) Smartphones are practically essential in this day and age. I mean, how else are we expected to upload pictures of our lunch on Facebook?

Unfortunately, there's still a misconception that smartphones are an expensive luxury item. Not true. I mean, data and messaging plans may bankrupt you, but the phones themselves can be found for next-to-nothing so long as you're on contract.

In this episode of Top 5, I'll count down CNET Senior Editor Jessica Dolcourt's favorite smartphones under $50, for June 2012. Not only that, but … Read more

Cute Pantech Swift messaging phone joins AT&T for $69.99

AT&T is trotting out a new QWERTY messaging phone, the Pantech Swift, going on sale today.

With its lavender accents, there's little question of Pantech's young audience, and the compact phone is appropriately priced at $69.99 with two-year contract and after a $50 mail-in rebate.

The QWERTY keyboard, by the way, supplements the otherwise too-small 2.8-inch QVGA touch screen. Pantech has also added some curvature -- a slightly curved screen that also angles up when you slide it open. Button-pushers will also get a single hardware select button beneath the phone's face.

The … Read more

U.S. Cellular's Pantech Verse does simple messaging

U.S. Cellular launched the Pantech Verse yesterday, a messaging phone with a vertical slide-up QWERTY keyboard.

Phone like the Verse may seem a dying breed when you consider all the smartphones making a splash at shows like CTIA and on store shelves, but there's an audience for those looking for simple and cheap.… Read more

New iPad ranked top tablet by Consumer Reports

The latest iPad has a new fan, namely Consumer Reports.

Apple's latest tablet scored the highest ratings among its rivals in a report out today from the consumer publication.

The new iPad was commended for its 5-megapixel camera, battery life, and 4G coverage through Verizon Wireless. But it was the high-resolution screen that earned the sharpest praise.

Citing the detail and color accuracy of the Retina Display, Consumer Reports said that the screen "establishes a new benchmark in excellence" and is "the best we've seen" on a tablet. Specifically, the publication found that the … Read more

AT&T announces slew of other devices getting ICS update

Looks like the HTC Vivid isn't the only AT&T phone getting the Ice Cream Sandwich treatment.

The carrier announced today a number of other devices that will be eligible for the Android 4.0 update in the next few months.

These handsets include: the LG Nitro, Motorola Atrix 2, Motorola Atrix 4G, Pantech Burst, Pantech Element, Samsung Captivate Glide, Samsung Galaxy Note, Samsung Galaxy S II, Samsung Galaxy S II Skyrocket, and Samsung Galaxy Tab 8.9.

Again, it will be a couple of months until the update rolls out, but we're excited. As hot as … Read more

Benchmarks suggest high-end Pantech P8010 for AT&T

New benchmark figures hitting the Internet this week suggest that AT&T is set to offer a high-end Android smartphone from Pantech.

Bearing the model number of P8010, the handset should pack a 1.5 GHz dual-core Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 processor and a 960x540-pixel resolution display.

The Nenamark benchmarks tell us that the smartphone was tested on AT&T's network and that it was running Android 4.0.3 Ice Cream Sandwich. The Android blog Androinica, which first uncovered the data, surmises that the P8010 would likely make for an affordable 4G LTE option for consumers. … Read more

Don't buy these phones (roundup)

It's no easy task birthing a cell phone, but despite the hard work that goes into designing and manufacturing these handsets, things can go (very) awry. If you've been thinking about picking up one of the following phones the next time you head out of the house, well, you might want to reconsider.… Read more