Pharos Traveler GPS 127 Smartphone - Design
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A very descriptive word to be used when describing the Pharos Traveler GPS 127’s design would be: plain. There’s nothing cute or flashy about it. It looks like a phone an engineer or mathematician would use, and one could conjecture that it emphasizes substance over style. Not that there’s anything wrong with that. The phone is black with a gray border around its sides, and its edges are more jagged and pronounced, rather than smooth like other smartphones currently on the market.
It’s a bit larger than other phones in its class as well, and gives off an aura of durability and longevity when held. The Traveler 127 weighs 5.1 ounces and measures 4.5 inches tall by 2.4 inches wide by 0.6 inch thick. It is not the most portable and pocket friendly phone out there, but that is the sacrifice one has to make sometimes when purchasing a multi-functional phone.
A 2.5 inch touch-screen display composes the top half of the front of the Traveler 127. Considering how it is a GPS phone, it would have been a good idea to make the 127’s display a bit larger for easier reading, although there are other editions of the Traveler GPS phone on the market with a larger display. If you wear glasses you may want to have them on while using this device, or you may have a difficult time discerning all the details on the screen.
The 2.5 inch display, while smallish, still produces vivid images thanks to its 320x240 resolution and support for 65,000 colors. The bottom half of the 127’s front panel houses its full QWERTY keyboard. You can choose to type using the keyboard's large, responsive keys or enter text via the also responsive touch-screen instead. You can navigate using the trackball located between the display and keyboard. There are also shortcut keys that will immediately take you to the Start menu as well as the GPS function.
Performance is where the Traveler 127 tends to fall off a bit. Call quality is satisfactory, although not the greatest. The GPS functions well in terms of actual data output and accurate directions, which is what one would expect considering it is the phone’s “main focus.” At times, as with some normal car GPS devices, it takes a while to get a satellite signal to even begin tracking your trip.
The major complaint, though, comes in the form of processing speed. The 127 will freeze on occasion and take a long time to load applications or perform different functions. If you are as impatient as I am, this is a major no-no. There’s nothing worse than trying to accomplish a task that takes five minutes when it should only take one because of inefficient technology.
If you are a traveling salesman or a person that takes several cross country trips, the Pharos Traveler GPS 127 may be worth a look for its navigation capabilities. However, its heavy price tag should come with better performance. I personally suggest getting a more affordable smartphone that is less sluggish, and either getting a separate GPS device or paying for a subscription to a GPS service. The Traveler 127 is simply not worth its price.
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