Samsung SGH D357 (AT&T)

I too had a problem with hearing when not using an ear-piece. That lasted until I discovered that I wasn't holding the sound output close enough to my ear input :-)

If you can't hear when not using an ear-piece, try moving the phone down, so that the top 1/2 inch of the phone is over your eardrum.

Pros:
-lightweight and slim
-No camera => definite plus for me
-Voice commands work well
-Bluetooth works well
-Contact phone# can be entered with password
-Battery life is good
-Shortcut keys can compensate for poor interface design
-Alarm works when phone is turned off

Cons:
In general, someone let the marketing geniuses get out of control. What better way to annoy your customers than to trick them into running up extra charges for services they don't want to use.

-Default setting for center button at top level is Internet connection and can't be altered.
-Poor documentation for basics - Nothing on how to enter passwords with phone numbers for contact entries. User Guide writers and/or their bosses forgot that this is a PHONE first, not a web browser or an organizer. No instructions about wired ear-piece anywhere in book.

-Ear-piece connection is proprietary. Yes it's 2.5mm. But a generic 2.5mm ear-piece will not work with it.