I’m unusual in that I’m a technology guy who prefers a cell phone that is simply a phone without a lot of bells and whistles. For this reason, I continued carrying my trusty Audiovox 9100 phone for six years. Yes, I carried the same cell phone for six years.
Now, the End Has Come. It recently began powering itself down at random times for no apparent reason. Additionally, the phone’s second battery as been in decline for a while now, and it wouldn’t be economical to replace it again. Time for a new phone!
My basic requirements were simple:
- Flip phone: I’m tired of always having to lock and unlock the keypad.
- Bluetooth: For handsfree use.
- Keypad that doesn’t suck: That means that the keypad should be square, not curved or staggered. The keys themselves should be large and have good tactile feedback.
- Few extra features: This is a telephone, not an entertainment device, so I don’t want to play extra for crap I’m never going to use.
The LG VX5400 seems to be a good compromise. Notably, it has Bluetooth but not V Cast, an MP3 player or a fancy camera. The keypad is what really sold me: large, mostly-straight buttons that actually click when you push them. Nice. Hopefully this new phone will last me as long as my Audiovox did.