| Design | 3.6/5 |
| Display & Interface | 3.4/5 |
| Calling | 4/5 |
| Talk time | 3.5/5 |
| Messaging | 2.5/5 |
| Music | 2.8/5 |
| Video | 1/5 |
| Camera | 2.5/5 |
| Memory | 2.5/5 |
| Web browsing | 3.9/5 |
| Connectivity | 3.5/5 |
| Productivity | 2/5 |
| Scheduling | 3/5 |
| Laptop sidekick | 0/5 |
| Navigation | 3.5/5 |
| Gaming | 2.5/5 |
| Mobile services | 3.5/5 |
| Accessories | 2.5/5 |
| Value | 3.5/5 |
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Pros:
Dual-slide design is still unique. Great call quality. Capable, if sluggish, Web browser. |
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Cons:
Interface nothing special. Lacks many messaging features, where this phone should excel. Mediocre music experience with no headphone options. |
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| Conclusion: |
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| The Pantech Matrix is a familiar design, in fact it's almost exactly the same size and shape as the Pantech Duo, a Windows Mobile phone with a similar, dual-slide design. That's good and bad, as we definitely like the compact shape and slide-out keys on this phone, but the design could use an update, both in terms of the shell, which could be a bit thinner with easier-to-use buttons, and in terms of the interface. While the standard AT&T menus might be more accessible than Windows Mobile, they don't do this phone justice as a messaging competitor. The lack of messaging options, like the ability to set our own POP or IMAP e-mail accounts (so no Gmail for this phone) also hurt the device significantly. Music playback was fine, and the Web browser was surprisingly robust, but we're waiting for a carrier to find a middle-ground user interface for these messaging phones, instead of just stacking on the same old tired designs. |
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