Aiwa XD-AX1 Super Slim DVD Player

Aiwa XD-AX1 Super Slim DVD Player
Manufacturer: Aiwa
Product Type: CE

Average customer rating:

Kyocera QCP2035 Phone (Sprint) Manufacturer: Kyocera Product Group: Wireless Binding: Wireless Phone ASIN: B000056NSE

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Housed in a translucent blue casing, the QCP-2035 measures 5.1 by 1.8 by 0.8 inches, has a retractable antenna, and weighs 4.0 ounces with its standard battery. The five-line screen (four lines of text, one line of status icons), 16-character backlit display, and a minimum number of buttons allow for simple operation, although it took us some time to get in tune with the phone's unique menu navigation.

A star-shaped button, four-way directional key, and backspace key handle menu navigation. We accessed the minibrowser, our phone book, messages, and phone settings without much effort, but found it hard to acclimate to one particular menu function. When navigating menus, prompts display over the backspace and star keys, but only the star key selects menu options, while backspace brings you back to the main menu. Also, once you choose a menu selection, you can't scroll continuously through the options, which is bothersome at best.

The minibrowser has a healthy selection of popular Web sites as well as game and instant-messaging folders. You can also receive financial, sports, weather, and other updates via the wireless Internet. And if you purchase a data kit, you can use the phone as a digital modem for PCs or download PIM data from your computer.

The QCP-2035 supports carrier-dependent features such as caller ID, call waiting, voice mail, two-way text messaging, and Internet access. Its phone book stores up to 100 numbers, with up to 6 numbers per contact. You can also search for numbers by entering all or part of a name or number. The phone has 15 ringer types, plus vibrating mode, and a call log that maintains lists of outgoing, incoming, and missed calls.

Unlike many other Sprint PCS-branded phones, the QCP-2035 doesn't support any voice-activated features. Also, it's missing side-mounted volume control buttons. While the four-way directional key will raise and lower call volume, it's not an intuitive action.

Attention should be paid to the QCP-2035's set of PIM functions, which include an alarm clock, tip calculator, standard calculator, and stopwatch. However, the phone lacks a calendar and to-do list. We truly enjoyed the game Brick Attack--a highly addictive version of the old-school classic Breakout.

The QCP-2035 offers three basic security features: keypad locking, phone lock, and restricted dialing.

At 185 minutes, our QCP-2035's talk time was shorter than the manufacturer-rated 3.5 hours. We achieved nearly five days of standby time, which matched Qualcomm's 120-hour rating. For normal usage, we suggest checking on battery life at least every other day. Also, the battery pops out without any effort and is replaced easily.

This is fine phone for light use or as an extra to loan for temporary use to family members or colleagues, but the lack of features and complex menu navigation may prove frustrating with everyday use.

--Thom Arno (edited by Steve O'Neil)

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