LG LX150 (Sprint Nextel)

In our 3G/EVDO, multi-media smartphone world, we should occasionally remind ourselves that most people buy cell phones to make and receive CALLS--not to surf the web at broadband speeds nor organize their lives with a PDA. It's probably heresy to debunk the sophisticated devices that now crowd the market, but LG and Sprint have a winner with the LX150, a basic "smallish" clamshell phone with excellent reception, good sound quality--including an exceptionally clear speakerphone--a colorful and informative internal display and a keypad that's easy to use. In fact, the LX150's center dialing pad (numbers, 2, 5, 8 and 0) are recessed, reducing dialing errors, unlike the Moto RAZR and other phones letting you guess numbers or text characters you've entered. Speaking of text, the LX150 even has a TEXT button, helping you navigate quickly to your contact directory for a quick text message. A speaker phone button appears directly opposite the text button, while additional soft keys immediately access the Web, your contacts, missed calls and even your calendar. If you change the center D button's menu to LIST rather than ICON, you're only a few keystrokes away from any function. The volume toggle button is on the left outer side of the phone as usual, along with a speaker dependent dial by voice button that you provides voice dialing up to 30 numbers. Although the outside display is monochrome, it's easily readable and just above it is a flashing light reminding you the phone is on. (It flashes red when you have a message or miss a call.) But enough about the buttons. The LX150 is one of the few CDMA phones that roams to analog off of Sprint's digital network. While you may think that's not important, it's an extra function not found on phones costing three times as much and may get you a tow truck faster in the middle of Arkansas. Upon placing a call, the internal display shows the number called, and a list of functions available during the call. You can mute the mic, turn the speakerphone on and off, set up a 3 way call, view your contacts and recent calls, write a text message, record the call as a voice memo and enter information in the notepad. After reviewing smartphones for over two years, I've never found it easier during a phone call to navigate to and use all these features. This IS a well conceived phone for a person who wants the basics without a camera or media player. (Bluetooth is included, by the way.) But, look elsewhere if you want a ruggedized Nextel-like phone (you'll crush it the first day) or the best speakerphone (loud with some distortion) or megabytes of MP3 storage (get an Ipod). What you'll get is a phone touting 4 hours of talk time--one hour more than most CDMA phones--terrific sound quality and expertly designed for calling and texting. I highly recommend this phone.