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Two Sleek Cell Phones With Handy Data EntrySending text messages and entering contacts in your phone's address book can be a whole lot easier with a keyboard-equipped handset.Grace Aquino, PC World
Comments or questions? Drop Grace Aquino a line.
If you've ever entered contact info into your cell phone's address book, you know it's a tedious task that usually involves pressing a number on the dial pad multiple times to get the desired letter. Give your thumbs a rest, and consider investing in a new cell phone with a mini keyboard.
I looked at two of the latest handsets in this category: the LG VX9800 from Verizon Wireless and Samsung D307 from Cingular Wireless.
For the LG phone, Verizon offers a choice between $400 with a one- year contract and $300 with a two-year contract. Cingular sells the Samsung for $250 with a two-year service contract.
Of the two phones, I like the LG better despite its higher price: The keyboard is much easier to use than Samsung's, and the phone offers a few extras, including a 1.3-megapixel camera and a media card slot.
Some Things in Common
The two phones share a few features.
For one thing, since both provide QWERTY keyboards, they're well suited for people who want to constantly stay in touch via text messaging--SMS, e-mail, or instant messaging.
Both handsets support popular instant messaging clients including AOL Instant Messenger, ICQ, MSN Messenger, and Yahoo Messenger. IM on cell phones works pretty much the same way as it does on computers: You sign in and send messages to your friends and coworkers. But because a phone screen is small, you'll need to do a bit more scrolling to view your options and to access certain settings.
If you're exchanging IMs and Web browsing on your cell phone, you'll want a device that supports fast data networks--and both these phones do. The LG VX9800 is compatible with...