Simplify your laptop buying
January 9, 2009 10:09 AM PST
Yes, Virginia, there is a basic phone
(Credit:
Samsung )
Even at a show like CES there's always room for basic phones. Just take the Samsung SGH-T119, which T-Mobile debuted in Las Vegas. The candy-bar design is about as simple as you can get, as is the pale gray color scheme. It will be available in February.
Features are equally minimal. You'll find a speakerphone, a voice recorder, a calendar, a calculator, an alarm clock, a currency converter, messaging, speed dialing, support for T-Mobile's myFaves, and a Web browser. You also get photo caller ID, though the T119 doesn't have a camera. It's only dual-band (GSM 850/1900), so don't count on using it outside of the United States or Canada.
Kent German is a senior editor for cell phone reviews at CNET. When he's not testing the newest handsets on the market, he's blogging about cell phone news for Crave. In his On Call column, he answers reader questions and gives his take on the rapidly changing mobile industry. E-mail Kent.
