Ok before I get started I just want to say that the phone is great and so far it makes a great paper weight. (UPDATE Now working with Net10 perfectly) I have had plenty of time to fiddle with all the settings and because of WiFi I have been able to update all my apps and make the phone the way I like it.
Also if you have not read any of the reviews and your used to the un-touched Android system you should know that AT&T added and changed some of the things in the Pantech like the bottom four soft key buttons can't be changed (call,mess,net,etc). I found a way around this using (Go Launcher Pro) from Google play. It is a free desktop skin for Android and it overrides the AT&T screen and has a bunch of great themes you can add to it, very sweet. Also their call program is a bit different, but in the end I ended up liking it better than the original as it was easier to navigate and the colors are easy on the eyes. (UPDATE ON THE CALL PROGRAM) I found that I could not use the AT&T contact list as it would just hang waiting to talk to AT&T servers. Since I was not going to use this phone with AT&T I found another great freebee on Google play called "EX DIALER" Not only did it by pass the AT&T program so that I could use my contacts updated from my Google account, it also has some great skins to make it cool looking.
It still takes me a little bit to get used to having the settings and home buttons as "hard" buttons instead of "soft touch" buttons but it's not that big of a deal. I heard of some folks talk about the screen being hard to see or have a yellow tint but my phone shows none of those problems and the screen can be set to be very bright. It does not have an auto brightness built in like my Droid. I bought a nice rubberized case for it that fit it perfectly and ordered some screen covers to boot.
The camera for me takes pretty good pictures even in lower light but one draw back it that it has about a 2 second delay from when you hit the camera button and when it clicks the pic. You almost think it isn't going to take the picture so if your trying to get that quick before it's gone pic you might be disappointed, but I didn't need a super camera so it does just fine for me.
The outside speaker on this phone is very quiet compared to my Droid. I could hardly hear the ringer even if it was in my hand and I found myself wanting to keep turning it up. So to fix this I found another app on Google play called (Funny SMS Ringtones) and it has some great "LOUD & Funny" sounds for notification and ringtones that are easy to hear. I think that it's not so much the speakers fault but that the built in ringtones are just to quiet. So now when my phone rings (testing it) it is very loud. (UPDATE) After using this phone in the real world with the new ringtones I have no problem hearing my phone even in it's case.
Now the real reason I bought this phone over many others was because of the keyboard. Most keyboards are too small for my big (meat cutter fingers) to use. But Pantech decided to use four rows instead of 5 so that you can actually get your fingers on the darn buttons. Some complain about that and others say it's great. (UPDATE) I did notice that when using the screen keyboard that it does not have a T9 or any other suggestion program like my Droid had but since I use the keyboard most of the time anyway it does not matter to me except when I can't spell something right : ) Other than that it does what most Android smart phones do and I really like the phone and it's "different" design and should be happy with it for some time.
So Now the ugly... If you are thinking of buying this phone and using it with AT&T just don't do it. You will regret it and will be very upset for spending your hard earned dollars. If you want a taste of how bad things are with AT&T just Google ([...] ) and read all the reviews.
I myself bought this phone to use with Net10 and I'm just waiting for the Sim card and Minutes to arrive in the mail. But I was hoping to use the $25 air time to hold me until my stuff came from Net10. Well After several frustrating talks with Amazon that kept trying to get me to the Amazon wireless (who by the way has nothing to do with prepaid phones) I finally got to talk to someone who took the time to forward me to AT&T and wait on the line until I got to talk to a real human (Almost impossible to do with AT&T).
After talking to the AT&T rep I found out that it could take up to 10 days to activate my phone. I said WHAT??? Ten days, are you kidding me. He said yes. I told him that there isn't another phone company anywhere that would make me wait 10 days to turn on a phone. He informed me that there was nothing he could do as it was already in the system. In the mean time my phone keeps getting texts (every day) from AT&T telling me I need to give them more money. And I asked him about that. He said my information was in the system and it "should" activate. But yet the stupid system keeps telling me to give more money (even today). It does not say anything about my phone waiting to activate. They have very deceptive practices and very lousy customer support from India.
The other thing they don't tell you is that even if you buy a $50 "unlimited" card you still have to pay for a "data" plan for this phone. The "unlimited" plan does not include your data (and you have to have a data plan for this phone). So in the end you will end up paying the $50.00 and up to $15.00 for a data plan. For a better price you can use this phone with a company like Straight Talk or Net10 for $50 bucks or under and it covers everything. So save yourself the trouble and don't use AT&T. It has been over 6 days now (Update 9 days) and still I get the "give us money texts" and no service from them. Even though they say everything is right and I did set it up correctly. I did finally get Amazon to give my $25 bucks back and that helped with all the trouble.
So in the end after spending months looking for a good smart phone from some of the pre-paid company's and being very disappointed with the quality as most were very cheap this phone feels great and the keyboard is supper easy to use and has a nice feel to it (Especially with the new Rubberized Case). I would not have a problem paying the full price for it. Though I just saw that it went up almost 40 bucks (UPDATE) Looks like they dropped it back down. Still when looking for a great quality though not the fanciest smart phone this phone is very much worth the price. Just don't think you will get that $25 bucks from AT&T because you will be sadly mistaken. I have talked to Amazon about this as I'm sure others have too but it seems that because it is sold with the credit it is not something they can change so make a informed decision and get a good phone and ignore the $25 dollar air time credit.
UPDATE 9-10-12 Ok so after 9 days I still had no service from AT&T and my Net10 sim and air time card finally arrived. So I called up Net10 to make sure I did everything right. Took about 5 minutes to ad my information and Activate the Sim. Told me to turn off the phone and turn it back on. So I did and like a normal phone service should act my phone was activated and running IN LESS THAN 10 MINUTES.
After that I had to update the Access Point Name on my Pantech to work with Net10 data servers (Internet and Email) and I was done. They give you pretty easy instructions on the settings that need to be updated but I still had to go online to see where I could find these settings on my phone.
For those of you that are not intimidated by this, this is how you do that. On your home screen hit the settings button (left hard button) and touch the settings tab. Then touch the (wireless & networks) button. Then scroll down to the bottom and touch the (Mobile Networks) button. The you will see the third listing down is (Access Point Names) so touch that button. When you get to this point you will see the two AT&T settings. So now just click on the left hard button to bring up the settings and touch the (New APN) button. From this point you will need the settings that come with your service provider. Just fill in the ones it tells you and leave the others blank. Make sure to take your time and get all the spelling right or you will have to do it again. After that just hit the back button and then you will see the new APN (Net10, Straight Talk). Just touch the button next to the name to highlight it green and then click your home button and that's it.
I do thank someone for telling me about going to Facebook to fix the AT&T problem but if that is the way a company works where I can't talk to someone live on the phone and fix the problem then I do not want to do business with them. I know for a fact that there is no way to prove who you are on Facebook and you could be talking to anybody in the world. There are millions of fake Facebook accounts. If you gave that person your information and then found out it was fake you would be in serious trouble. It's just not the way to do business.
One more thing that I thought I would mention is about the Google sign in when you first boot up the phone. If you have ever had a android phone before and had a Google account then this is the account you want to use when it asks. If you don't have one then you will at this point want to go online and make one as you will need it to get on the Google play for all your Apps. Even if you have not activated the phone you want to enter this information the first time you turn on your phone because if you don't do it now there is a chance that it will never sync your accounts (Email and Personals like Phone #'s). And then the only way to fix it is to factory reset the phone and start over. Just ask me how I found this one out lol....
So in the end what is my view on this phone? I really like this phone and if it had been my first Android phone I probably wouldn't have known the difference. I think in the end it would have been better for AT&T to leave the phone alone and let the customer decide what programs they wanted or at least make it possible to remove them. But thankfully by using a couple of add on's like Go launcher Pro, EX Dialer & Funny SMS Ringtones it made my phone work like a charm. I also understand that this is not a high end phone but in the end it was WAY BETTER than the stock phones I saw in the stores for $100 bucks or more and I am very pleased with it. So if your going to use AT&T (not my suggestion) then you probably would be able to use this thing right out of the box (once they finally get your phone turned on). But if your going to use it with another company then I would download the few add on's and make sure your Google account is entered as soon as you first turn on your phone and you should be pretty happy with it. I know I am so thanks for taking the time to read my very long review and good luck : )
UPDATE 9-9-13: Well if you made it this far on my super long review then you will be super glad to know that after a year I have had not one problem with this phone. It's still going strong with no key problems or any other problems. Really this is one of the best phones I have ever had. Now I have a friend that uses Verizon and has gone through more phones than I have underwear (no kidding). Every time he tells me he had to get another phone because of this or that I just laugh and shake my head and thank God that after a year I am still going strong with this little phone. The only thing I have had to buy is another case as I finally dropped the phone and it broke. But then that is what cases are for : )
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Product information
| Product Dimensions | 4.29 x 2.32 x 0.47 inches |
|---|---|
| Item Weight | 3.2 ounces |
| ASIN | B0060N5F38 |
| Item model number | Crossover |
| Customer Reviews |
3.9 out of 5 stars |
| OS | google_android |
| Wireless communication technologies | Wi-Fi |
| Connectivity technologies | Wi-Fi |
| GPS | True |
| Ringtones | 10 polyphonic |
| Special features | smartphone, touchscreen, camera |
| Other display features | Wireless Phone Accessory |
| Human Interface Input | Keyboard |
| Scanner Resolution | 1280 x 720 |
| Other camera features | Front |
| Audio Jack | 3.5 mm |
| Form Factor | Slider |
| Color | Silver |
| Battery Power Rating | 750 |
| Phone Talk Time | 542 minutes |
| Phone Standby Time (with data) | 648 hours |
| Whats in the box | Lithium Polymer Battery |
| Manufacturer | Pantech |
| Date First Available | October 28, 2011 |
| Memory Storage Capacity | 2 GB |
| Standing screen display size | 3.1 Inches |
| Weight | 0.2 Pounds |
| Charging Time | 2 Hours |
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Great for the price & bonuses for a mid range Android on prepaid !
First let me say, free shipping was great from amazon, came in just 2 days, well packaged and fast, so thats a plus. It is great to see a nice mid range device for the prepaid crowd, since we mostly get downgraded phones or ones that are "dumb phones" Most are over priced or the cheap smart phones have really low specs, really low. Plus they are mostly touch screen, I prefer a keyboard I hate pecking away at screens, dealing with auto correct and smudges all over the place, blame that on my OCD as well personal prefrence. This phone the Pantech Crossover from att, hits the spot, it gives me a sturdy slide out keyboard and the keys are big enough to register my fingers. Perfect for big or small hands. Its also pretty lightweight and thin for a qwerty packing device, so kudos on that. With just a 600 mhz processor, I have to say despite many reviews saying it lags or is slow, mine ran like a charm, fast and with tons of memory to spare ( keep in mind I installed an 8gb SD card, supports up to 32 ) You can move most apps over to that to create space, place your pictures and music on the SD card as well instead of phone memory. ALSO I LOVE A DEDICATED SIDE CAMERA BUTTON, yup it has it! The phone seems to works flawless in many areas such as calls, crystal clear, regardless of some saying that speaker is weak I am here to tell you coming from an HTC inspire ( WITH A WEAK TINY SPEAKER ) this thing is LOUD on full levels, alerts and calls come in clear and great YAY I can actually hear my phone again even over music, loud people, and the tv. I use wifi to spare the data, and downloads are generally fast. The phone CHARGES FAST which is awesome, and it seems to last most of all day with heavy to moderate use, this is due to a 1500 battery which is AWESOME to have in a smart phone of this size, since the phone has a little screen compared to others on the market, and just a 600 mhz instead of single or dual core processor speed, this helps to keep the battery full and everlasting, so that is a generous battery amount for a mid range android device. The screen colors seem bright to me its no amoled or HVGA super screen, but it gets the job done just fine. Works well on heavy to moderate use where I am not having to run around with my charger all the time. To me whats the sense in having a smart phone if its so big you cant fit in your pocket, the battery goes so quick and drains, and you cant hear it ring, etc, thankfully this one feels in that void nicely. Its not so much sleek and sexy, but more manly and rugged, finally a Mans phone not saying a lady could not use it, just saying its durable, rugged, and has a cool futurisitic design to it. I prefer something unique that will last if it falls or slips out of your hand, which I have that happen before. I got a nice screen protector for it on amazon, you might need that to protect your screen from scratches and smudges. The box comes with wall charger and a bonus car adapter which is very nice. The only complaint I had is when I took it out of the box, there was one dead pixel out on the screen, most probably would not see this or care, but me being somewhat young and a tech "geek" I noticed right away, this was handled very fast by amazon customer service and they are sending a replacement right away and paying for a prepaid label to send my current one back, so good job Amazon customer service! For the price 119.00 and free shipping that came in just 2 days, I really cant complain this once contracted only phone is awesome to finally become a go phone, in my opinion one of the nicest ones on the market IF you NEED A KEYBOARD, such as myself, Loving it so far, and the function key at the top is a great feature to have to get to apps quickly so you dont have to go searching on your phone for them. One more note the camera yes is only 3 mega pixels, but let me tell you for what it is, very nice pictures in my opinion since it does have auto focus, something most att prepaid phones do NOT have. Took great pictures outdoors and decent ones inside doors. The camcorder isnt to bad either. For what it is, a mid range device, I think it will live up to my expectations so I would recommend this phone to anyone looking for a new smartphone with go phone. I am thankful for this device "crossing over" to the att market, so far im happy with this phone and you should be to !
Top reviews from the United States
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- Reviewed in the United States on September 3, 2012
- Reviewed in the United States on April 29, 2012
First let me say, free shipping was great from amazon, came in just 2 days, well packaged and fast, so thats a plus. It is great to see a nice mid range device for the prepaid crowd, since we mostly get downgraded phones or ones that are "dumb phones" Most are over priced or the cheap smart phones have really low specs, really low. Plus they are mostly touch screen, I prefer a keyboard I hate pecking away at screens, dealing with auto correct and smudges all over the place, blame that on my OCD as well personal prefrence. This phone the Pantech Crossover from att, hits the spot, it gives me a sturdy slide out keyboard and the keys are big enough to register my fingers. Perfect for big or small hands. Its also pretty lightweight and thin for a qwerty packing device, so kudos on that. With just a 600 mhz processor, I have to say despite many reviews saying it lags or is slow, mine ran like a charm, fast and with tons of memory to spare ( keep in mind I installed an 8gb SD card, supports up to 32 ) You can move most apps over to that to create space, place your pictures and music on the SD card as well instead of phone memory. ALSO I LOVE A DEDICATED SIDE CAMERA BUTTON, yup it has it!
Great for the price & bonuses for a mid range Android on prepaid !
Reviewed in the United States on April 29, 2012
The phone seems to works flawless in many areas such as calls, crystal clear, regardless of some saying that speaker is weak I am here to tell you coming from an HTC inspire ( WITH A WEAK TINY SPEAKER ) this thing is LOUD on full levels, alerts and calls come in clear and great YAY I can actually hear my phone again even over music, loud people, and the tv. I use wifi to spare the data, and downloads are generally fast. The phone CHARGES FAST which is awesome, and it seems to last most of all day with heavy to moderate use, this is due to a 1500 battery which is AWESOME to have in a smart phone of this size, since the phone has a little screen compared to others on the market, and just a 600 mhz instead of single or dual core processor speed, this helps to keep the battery full and everlasting, so that is a generous battery amount for a mid range android device. The screen colors seem bright to me its no amoled or HVGA super screen, but it gets the job done just fine. Works well on heavy to moderate use where I am not having to run around with my charger all the time. To me whats the sense in having a smart phone if its so big you cant fit in your pocket, the battery goes so quick and drains, and you cant hear it ring, etc, thankfully this one feels in that void nicely.
Its not so much sleek and sexy, but more manly and rugged, finally a Mans phone not saying a lady could not use it, just saying its durable, rugged, and has a cool futurisitic design to it. I prefer something unique that will last if it falls or slips out of your hand, which I have that happen before. I got a nice screen protector for it on amazon, you might need that to protect your screen from scratches and smudges. The box comes with wall charger and a bonus car adapter which is very nice.
The only complaint I had is when I took it out of the box, there was one dead pixel out on the screen, most probably would not see this or care, but me being somewhat young and a tech "geek" I noticed right away, this was handled very fast by amazon customer service and they are sending a replacement right away and paying for a prepaid label to send my current one back, so good job Amazon customer service!
For the price 119.00 and free shipping that came in just 2 days, I really cant complain this once contracted only phone is awesome to finally become a go phone, in my opinion one of the nicest ones on the market IF you NEED A KEYBOARD, such as myself, Loving it so far, and the function key at the top is a great feature to have to get to apps quickly so you dont have to go searching on your phone for them. One more note the camera yes is only 3 mega pixels, but let me tell you for what it is, very nice pictures in my opinion since it does have auto focus, something most att prepaid phones do NOT have. Took great pictures outdoors and decent ones inside doors. The camcorder isnt to bad either. For what it is, a mid range device, I think it will live up to my expectations so I would recommend this phone to anyone looking for a new smartphone with go phone. I am thankful for this device "crossing over" to the att market, so far im happy with this phone and you should be to !
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