In this cellphone review, we will be looking at the AT&T f160 and HTC Evo Shift 4G mobile devices.
The AT&T F160 is a standard feature phone that can be used around the world. Void of any touch-screen or full QWERTY keyboard, the F160 is a phone built to appeal to casual consumers. The F160 costs $149.99 without a contract. It's free, however, if you sign a two-year contract with AT&T.
The most basic features of the F160 begin with a speakerphone, an alarm clock, a stop watch, and a calculator. To help you keep organized, there's a calendar and a voice recorder to document any must-have reminders. Those who travel overseas or have international ties can use the phone's world clock and currency converter. You have room for 500 contacts in the F160's phone book. Each contact slot can store various phone numbers, email addresses, a physical address, and more. You can also pair a contact with a ringtone. If the twelve standard polyphonic ringtones aren't enough, you can download more from AT&T. Despite the fact that the phone has a camera, you cannot pair a photo to a contact, which is a tad disappointing.
The F160 comes with stereo Bluetooth 2.0, allowing you to wirelessly pair the phone with stereo headsets. The F160 is a world phone and is capable of being used on overseas networks. If you need navigational help while on the go, there's integrated GPS. Connecting to the internet is done via AT&T's 3G network. Once connected, you can surf the net using the phone's web browser. The browser is very bare and limited in what it can do, but it is useful if you want to check up on news or similar items. If you want to surf the internet frequently and in its full form, this phone is not for you.
Messaging options are pretty basic with the F160, but it does have most of the bases covered. Text and multimedia messaging is available. You can also instant message using popular services like AIM, Yahoo Messenger, and Windows Live Messenger. Mobile email is the final option. This gives you access to accounts from AOL, Hotmail, Yahoo, and more. Social networking can be accessed via apps for Facebook and Twitter.
While the F160 isn't a smartphone, it does have some additional features to keep you entertained. The phone's music player allows you to listen to MP3s and create playlists. For additional audio content, there's AT&T Mobile Music. This service offers streaming radio, song downloads, and more.
A 3-megapixel camera is the final feature worth noting on the F160. The camera has 5x zoom and offers various settings to tweak effects and the resolution. The camera takes photos and can record video, but the quality of both is average at best. Still, it's a plus to have the capabilities built-in. Once finished, you can share your media via multimedia messaging.
The F160 sports a candy bar design that is void of any real aesthetic innovation. Its look is as standard as a phone can be, but it appears to have a solid build. The phone's black color is highlighted around the edges with chrome accents that add a nice touch. The F160 is very portable and can fit easily into pockets. It measures 4.6 inches tall by 1.9 inches wide by 0.4 inch thick and weighs 2.9 ounces. It feels comfortable in your hands and also has a nice grip on the back.
The 2.4-inch display has a 240 x 320 resolution. Graphics are bright and colorful, but do not expect an overwhelming amount of detail. Beneath the display sits a navigational toggle, soft keys, talk/end keys, a clear key, and a shortcut key. The toggle works well with the simple interface and is responsive. The phone's keypad has a solid design, and its keys are wide and easy to type on. It's not ideal for messaging fans, but it will get the job done.
The AT&T F160 is a respectable choice for those seeking something affordable and simple. It does not come with a ton of bells and whistles, but it does have enough to satisfy the most basic necessities of a casual cell phone user.
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