Digital Lifestyles Reference Guide

Aug 27, 2004

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When someone asks me about which gadget to buy, the first thing that comes to mind is the list of devices with the hottest set of features. But some people don’t want every possible option in their hardware. In fact, there are some cases when having the device with the most add-ons is a hindrance. So when Leo Notenboom of Ask Leo recently posed the question asking which cell phones had the most basic features, it got me thinking about which cell phones are out there that don’t cram the kitchen sink into your pocket.

I’m basing my selections partly on the actual lack of features on the specific phones as well as the particular manufacturer’s ability to create a quality product. For instance, Sony Ericsson is out of the picture because they are consistently too easy to accidentally dial in a pocket or purse. The low end stuff from Motorola tends to feel low end. LG and Nokia get consistently solid marks in both reliability and in providing basic features without a bunch of nonsense (at least until you buy a phone where you want the extras).

If there’s already too much tech in your life, or if you support a family technophobe, here’s a list of options from each of the major carriers. Remember, these are phones devoid of extras.

Cingular

If I were rating Websites, Cingular would get the lowest grade. Far too many hoops are required to even find a phone. Locating one without extras is a hassle. Cingular gets a nod for including the Nokia 6010 (listed in the T-Mobile section) in addition to several other offerings.

Nokia 3120

The 3120 is similar in features to the Nokia 6010, with an equally clean interface. It’s got a few extras that might make it unattractive, including a full-fledged PIM, AOL Instant Messenger and speakerphone. Still, without a camera or Bluetooth, the number of potential hazards is minimized making it a viable choice for people who prefer low tech. The candy bar style offers a solid button layout without convoluting dialing with complicated options.

Samsung X497

This is one of those two-display clamshell cases, with the time and caller information on the face and the standard phone functions on the internal screen. The external screen is a blue LCD display with full color inside. This is one of the only phones I found in my search lacking speakerphone. Aside from providing a handful of Instant Messaging options, this may be the cleanest phone in the pack in terms of features. There’s a very limited organizer, no Bluetooth and no camera. The size of the phone is a little on the small side, which might be a turnoff for some people. In general, this is possibly the most barebones phone in the bunch.

Sprint

Sprint offers a wide range of phones that starts to get confusing because of the overlap into the Nextel line. Since Nextel is big on Push-to-talk, I’m leaving that entire line of phones out of the selection process; too geeky. Sprint may have slightly varying availability of phones depending on where you live, but the phones listed here should be available in most areas.

LG VI-125

This phone looks very similar to the VX3300 below in the Verizon section. Speakerphone is the only major annoyance. The phone sports a color screen, but lacks Bluetooth, Qwerty, music playback or camera for an overall respect for the technophobe. Sprint puts games, SMS messaging, screen savers and Web access on every phone in their line-up, hoping to sell you more services, but these are easily avoidable simply by ignoring them. The hardware annoyances are kept to a minimum.

Samsung A560

Samsung put a speakerphone on the front of this clamshell case, but they are forgiven because the rest of the phone fits nicely into the low tech vision. A great-looking screen makes reading text easy. There’s no front face LCD to get scratched or cracked. No Bluetooth, no push-to-talk, no music (other than polyphonic ringtones) and nothing to hinder the operation of simply making and receiving calls. The clamshell is a winner because it successfully keeps you from accidentally dialing inside a purse or pocket.

T-Mobile

T-Mobile may be the gadget-phobe’s nightmare. Every phone comes with AOL Instant Messenger, a few also support Yahoo IM. They do offer a few phones that minimize complexity in spite of unneeded extras, however, I’m including only one T-Mobile offering on this list because they are simply to gadgety.

Nokia 6010

The Nokia 6010 offers one of the best button layouts I’ve seen on a candy bar phone in ages. There are a few too many navigation buttons, but the dialing buttons are placed comfortably making it easy to just use the phone. Extras like YIM and AIM might scare a few serious technophobes, but a few minutes with the phone should prove it will manage without diving into unwanted features. No camera, no Bluetooth, no keyboard, no nonsense. The extras are all in the software, which generally makes it easy to avoid the stuff you never use. There’s no speakerphone on this model, which might make up for the other extras. Color screen looks better than most at the low end.

Verizon Wireless

Verizon does a reasonable job of offering phones that are simply phones. Instead of compounding everything with ridiculous add-ons, they have a nice selection of phones that are more focused on calling.

LG VX3300

LG has done me right with any phone I’ve ever used. I’m currently living in a Windows Mobile world, but I never found an LG phone I didn’t like. The VX3300 comes free of extras like a camera, and there’s no Bluetooth. Forget about syncing with Outlook or any standard PC PIM. The only music you’ll hear on this phone is ringtones. The only downside, from a low tech perspective, is speakerphone (which seems to be a standard feature on all phones these days), so watch out for broadcasting your conversation to anyone in earshot. The screen is color, which is both a plus because it’s easier to read in low light and a minus because it’s more difficult to read in the sun. For flip phones, this is the best of the low tech breed at Verizon.

Nokia 2128i

As far as low tech phones go, Nokia may be the best brand out there. They consistently make great hardware. There’s no camera, and the 2128i is sans Bluetooth. PC synchronization isn’t a viable option. The color screen is good. It’s got a speakerphone, which is unavoidable. The only weird extra is a built-in flashlight, but maybe you can sell this model as the self defense phone. It’s a candy bar style phone, which might make it inconvenient in a purse where buttons seem to press themselves.

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