Cellphone Reviews Blog

Samsung A117 Prepaid GoPhone ATandT with 35 Airtime Included

A great choice for those seeking an uncomplicated communications partner, the Samsung A117 gives you high-quality phone calls and has just enough built-in fun and personalization to make this phone your own. And with AT&T’s GoPhone pay-as-you-go service, you pay for just the minutes you use without having to sign up for an annual contract–this phone even comes with $35 of airtime included. You can easily refill your minutes via prepaid cards or the Internet, or choose to prepay each month and roll over unused minutes. Other features include a speakerphone, headset jack, text messaging capabilities, access to personal email and instant messaging, and up to 5 hours of talk time.

The easy-to-use Samsung A117 helps you keep up with voice communications and text messaging.

AT&T GoPhone Service
AT&T’s pay-as-you-go GoPhone plans are wireless plans made easy. Simply pay in advance for what you need. No long-term contracts, credit checks, or surprise bills–just all the benefits of wireless, with no complications. In addition, AT&T’s Rollover Balance feature lets you carry over your unused account balance when you purchase refill minutes before your balance expires. Other great features include no long distance or roaming fees across AT&T’s national service area, the ability to track usage via text messages with an updated balance after each call, and the ability to refill your minutes 24-hours a day, 7-days a week. You can also cancel any time without penalty.

With the Pay As You Go option, you’ll choose the rate plan that fits your needs and then start dialing. Your balance is lowered each time you make or receive a call or use services such as text messaging. You can then refill the minutes in your account via the Internet, using your phone (by calling 611 from your cell), or purchasing a pre-paid card in denominations up to $100.

With the Pick Your Plan option, you’ll set up monthly, automatic payments with your credit/debit card or checking account. If you need to make more calls or you use up your balance during the month, just add minutes to your account at any time–you’ll pay the same per-minute rate as your plan. You can buy more minutes in increments of $15 and $25 using your credit/debit card or checking account.

Phone Features
Under the clamshell, the Samsung A117 has a 128 x 128-pixel screen, standard alpha-numeric keypad, five-way navigator, send/end keys, and two soft keys for navigation. It’s complemented by a monochrome external screen (96 x 64 pixels), which displays current time and date, signal strength and battery life. The phone can store up to 300 phone numbers with each entry supporting up to 3 numbers (at 40 digits and 40 characters in length) and an email address. It also includes eight speed dial numbers. The integrated speakerphone provides loud and clear handsfree communication.

Support is built in for sending and receiving text messages. T9 text entry, a technology that makes it easier for people to enter words and text on handsets, is built into the unit–a plus for mobile email and text messaging users.

Other features include:

• Organization tools: Calendar, calculator, alarm, converter, world time, timer
• Compatible with 16-chord polyphonic ringtones
• Displays last 20 incoming/outgoing/missed calls
• Any key answer
• Mute function, vibrate alert
• Headset jack
• Multi-lingual support: English, French, Spanish
• Downloadable ringtones

Vital Statistics
The Samsung A117 weighs 2.86 ounces and measures 3.39 x 1.67 x 0.76 inches. Its 800 mAh lithium-ion battery is rated at up to 5 hours of talk time, and up to 250 hours of standby time. It runs on the 850/1900 MHz GSM/GPRS frequencies.

User Ratings and Reviews

3 Stars Decent
To start out with, this phone seems to have good mechanical design. It feels sturdy, and doesn’t squeek, or make creeking noises while in use like a lot of my other phones have. The firmware is decent, and the interface is relatively easy to use. There is no way to set the phone to vibrate, and ring at the same time (a little annoying, in my opinion).

It has an external LCD so that you can see the time, signal strength, mode settings, and caller name (if it’s in your contact list) without having to open the phone. Both LCD’s seems to be high quality, and are easy to see/read.

Operationally, the phone it’s not bad.

Now for the kiss of death. This phone has poor reception. It often does not have any service at my home, where my cheap Motorola phone works just fine. Since my main reason for owning a phone is to be able to make/take phone calls, the poor receiver performance is a major problem! For this reason, I wouldn’t buy another one. Maybe mine is just a lemon, maybe not. But be warned, you may be frustrated by frequent dropped calls, and poor service.

If you live near an AT&T cell tower, maybe this phone is OK.

3 Stars It is much cheaper outside
When Purchased from other large electronics retailer ( B&M, not online), This phone is available for $9.99 or so without Airtime.

1 Star Avoid at any cost
I purchased this phone for $9.99 at a big box store as another reviewer mentioned. The redeeming qualities are it’s small size and the exterior is built sturdy. The flip mechanism is secure and the keypad is a nice size and has a blue backlight.

However I agree with the reviewer who said the reception is not good. AT&T says I am in a “best” signal area. However the phone struggles to get even 1 bar whether indoors or outdoors with AT&T. It is however easily unlocked with a code I found online so I tried it on T-Mobile. I am not supposed to be in as good of a T-Mobile area but actually I do get a little better reception with it on T-Mobile, at least outdoors.

Now for the icing on the cake… After a mere month of very minimal use, the power button does not work all of the time. The phone has also frozen and it has shut itself off at random. I have achieved 1 – 8 days battery standby with just 5 or 6 days on standby being common. Less than the battery is rated.

I am so glad I did not pay more than $9.99 for it.

Buy/More Info

Motorola C168i Prepaid GoPhone ATandT with 35 Airtime Included

With a stunningly slim design, the compact candybar-style Motorola C168i is a great choice for those looking for a mobile voice and messaging companion. It features a brightly colorful LCD, text and photo messaging capabilities, and an extra-long talk time of nearly 9 hours. And with AT&T’s GoPhone pay-as-you-go service, you pay for just the minutes you use without having to sign up for an annual contract–this phone even comes with $35 of airtime included. You can easily refill your minutes via prepaid cards or the Internet, or choose to prepay each month and roll over unused minutes.

With its compact form factor, the Motorola C168i is a great mobile voice and messaging companion.

AT&T GoPhone Service
AT&T’s pay-as-you-go GoPhone plans are wireless plans made easy. Simply pay in advance for what you need. No long-term contracts, credit checks, or surprise bills–just all the benefits of wireless, with no complications. In addition, AT&T’s Rollover Balance feature lets you carry over your unused account balance when you purchase refill minutes before your balance expires. Other great features include no long distance or roaming fees across AT&T’s national service area, the ability to track usage via text messages with an updated balance after each call, and the ability to refill your minutes 24-hours a day, 7-days a week. You can also cancel any time without penalty.

With the Pay As You Go option, you’ll choose the rate plan that fits your needs and then start dialing. Your balance is lowered each time you make or receive a call or use services such as text messaging. You can then refill the minutes in your account via the Internet, using your phone (by calling 611 from your cell), or purchasing a pre-paid card in denominations up to $100.

With the Pick Your Plan option, you’ll set up monthly, automatic payments with your credit/debit card or checking account. If you need to make more calls or you use up your balance during the month, just add minutes to your account at any time–you’ll pay the same per-minute rate as your plan. You can buy more minutes in increments of $15 and $25 using your credit/debit card or checking account.

Phone Features
Measuring just 0.55 inches thin and weighing a mere 2.71 ounces, the C168i slips easily into your pocket or purse and won’t weight you down while you’re on the go. It has a color LCD that has a 128 x 128-pixel resolution and support for 65K colors. It has a built-in memory that can hold up to 600 contact entries, with multiple number fields for each name. In addition to downloadable polyphonic and real-music ringtones, the C168i also offers a vibrate mode for those times that require silence.

The C168i will keep you closely connected to your friends and family via text messaging, and the iTap predictive text entry technology is built in to make composing messages a breeze. Using a built-in dictionary, the iTap software guesses what word you’re typing after you start pressing the keypad’s number/character combinations. Support is also built in for sending and receiving photos using MMS and EMS services, and this phone includes a WAP 2.0 Internet browser.

Other features include a 2.5mm jack for connecting a wired headset, built-in PIM tools including calendar, alarm clock, and currency converter, and a stopwatch.

Vital Statistics
The Motorola C168i weighs 2.75 ounces and measures 4.1 x 1.8 x 0.55 inches. Its 1000 mAh lithium-ion battery is rated at up to 8.8 hours of talk time, and up to 336 hours of digital standby time. It runs on the 850/1900 GSM/GPRS frequencies.

User Ratings and Reviews

3 Stars Good for between plans.
This is a prepaid phone, and doesn’t have many features. One of the most annoying things about it is the display. The screen has a 40 second backlight whenever a button is pushed (it’s adjustable, 40 seconds is the max), and then the display turns off and goes black (presumably to save the battery). Pressing any key will make the display light up again– but the phone registers whatever button you press (i.e., if you press an “8″ the phone will dial 8, if you press the center menu button it will open the menu, etc.). This makes it very inconvenient if you just want to light up the display to check the time/date, which I do quite often. The red “hang-up” button will light up the display without opening anything– but it also doubles as the power button. If you press it for more than a split second, the phone shuts off.

The buttons also have a tendency to get pushed in your pocket/purse. While the keypad does have a “lock” feature it’s irritating to use. The buttons themselves are a tad flimsy which makes the unlock combination frustrating. Thus, the phone has a tendency to make calls, connect to the net, create new address book entries, etc. while in your pocket or purse.

This phone will store one number per contact. I have three separate phonebook entries per person: work, home, cell, which is annoying. It supposedly can send multimedia as well as plain text messages, but the phone has no camera. However, it will receive multimedia messages so you’ll be able to get pics and such.

The text feature is nice, as it has itype which allows you to type with one-touch and select the word as you’re typing (either choose spelling, or select the whole word by pressing “up”). The text menu also allows you to save drafts. Other features include pre-typed templates (”I love you”, “Congratulations”, etc.) and fill-in quicknotes (”Meet me at __”).

The text inbox generally holds 200 messages before having to be emptied. Deleting all messages can be annoying, as the feature is weirdly buried in the Outbox menu. The annoying thing about texts is that the Outbox doesn’t tell you what time your message was sent. However, it does record the time of incoming texts, which makes no sense.

The calendar (a pain to navigate and set up), alarm clock (which has a snooze button), and calculator are all features which I use often. The ringtones and backgrounds are very limited, but you can control button sound/volume as well as alarm/text/ringtone sound and volume. You can also set the phone to vibrate and back by pressing and holding # (beyond the button’s touch tone, it does not beep or make a conspicuous noise while setting it to vibrate or back, which is nice for meetings).

The phone also has a headphone jack, speed dial, and the 24-hr time display option. It has a quick-access redial/recent calls list, and a “call-time” feature (which only keeps track of total talk time and the last phone call duration– it does not record time individually for your recent calls list). The phone is chat capable.

The phone is clear with good reception but because of the placement of the microphone, when you prop the phone against your shoulder to grab something, type, etc. your voice will sound pretty muffled/unintelligible to the person on the other end. It does have hold and call waiting, and will beep to let you know you’ve received texts/voicemail if you are in-call.

I’ve had this phone for seven months (I bought it when my previous phone died in the middle of my contract) and it’s been a fairly good one, considering the $20 price tag at the local Target/Wal-mart. The switch-over was simple, just inserting my old SIM card into the new phone. It has been easy to use. Charging takes roughly 2 hours and the battery life is great (5+ days), mainly due to the small display and simple features.

After having this phone for seven months it has started to give me trouble: turning off randomly or in mid-call, shorter battery life, etc. Since the display is usually black, it’s difficult to know when the phone has turned itself off. I have to check it periodically, and often have to power it back up. Turning off the phone and removing the battery pack seems to solve this problem short-term. I rarely turn off my phone even to charge it, so this may be the issue. At any rate, the back panel has a release and is easy to remove.

If you want an inexpensive, pretty basic phone to tide you over between plans, this prepaid is a decent choice. If you’re going to use your own SIM card, make sure your plan is with AT&T. For basic texting, basic calls, and solid battery life, this is the way to go. I have dropped it several times in a parking lot, spilled water on it, and sat on it, and it has held up great.

4 Stars Useful and inexpensive
I bought this phone for my teenage son, who needs it mostly to be in contact, and not for lengthy conversations. The phone is reliable and has the basic options, such as texting and voice mail. It is an inexpensive option that is useful until I get a new family plan and add my son to it.

1 Star very frustrating phone
I agree with the previous reviews, and I had a few complaints of my own.

The phone would sometimes turn off without warning, after i owned it for only a few weeks. Soon after buying it I couldn’t get the back to attach to the phone properly–one of the tabs was not letting me. the keys required pressing HARD especially when texting, I am an avid texter and the phone couldn’t keep up with me.

The phone also only has the most basic basic functions in the menu, which is not very sophisticated. It was often annoying how simple it was. Despite the simplicity it manages to be disorganized and confusing. I don’t even know how that’s possible, but it was with this phone.

I love ‘bar’ phones, but this one was extremely obnoxious and i would NOT recommend it.

1 Star buy with caution
Phone works great – unless you don’t keep it activated, then you have a $50 paperweight on your hands.

I needed just a basic phone to use in case of emergency – this phone is great for people who don’t live on their phones. Unfortunately you have to keep the phone activated at all times. If you don’t you have to buy a new phone. Just on principle – how environmentally appropriate is that? just toss a perfectly good phone because you accidentally let the contract expire?! – I would NEVER buy another gophone.

BAd bad bad for the environment. And the dude at the phone store made it explicitly clear… you have to buy a new phone, not a new sim card.

When I had tracfone there was never any problem if I let a contract/account expire, they just assigned you a new number no big deal [which also described their coverage area - which is why I dropped them]

5 Stars A simple and reliable peace of mind phone to have.
This has been my back-up phone for a year and it has been 100 per cent reliable. I think it looks pretty nice too! This phone is very basic and easy to use and the battery life is more than expected. AT&T sends (me) a reminder email as well as a FREE text message (with plenty of time to spare) every time it is nearing (my) time to renew (my minutes). There is a short grace if your card expires, but I purchase another minute card before that happens and any unused minutes carry over into the new minutes. They never expire as long as you keep the minute (airtime) cards activated!

Buy/More Info

Motorola RAZR V3 Blue Prepaid GoPhone ATandT with 35 Airtime Included

At just over a half-inch thick, the Motorola RAZR V3 is the perfect combination of sleek design and powerful features. And with AT&T’s GoPhone pay-as-you-go service, you pay for just the minutes you use without having to sign up for an annual contract–this phone even comes with $35 of airtime included. You can easily refill your minutes via prepaid cards or the Internet, or choose to prepay each month and roll over unused minutes. An impressive quad-band GSM phone (great for global travelers), the RAZR V3 includes a VGA (640 x 480) camera, Bluetooth connectivity for communication headsets, dual LCD screens, video clip playback, and up to 7 hours of talk time.

Two great tastes that taste great together: the Motorola RAZR V3 and AT&T’s GoPhone prepaid plans.

AT&T GoPhone Service
AT&T’s pay-as-you-go GoPhone plans are wireless plans made easy. Simply pay in advance for what you need. No long-term contracts, credit checks, or surprise bills–just all the benefits of wireless, with no complications. In addition, AT&T’s Rollover Balance feature lets you carry over your unused account balance when you purchase refill minutes before your balance expires. Other great features include no long distance or roaming fees across AT&T’s national service area, the ability to track usage via text messages with an updated balance after each call, and the ability to refill your minutes 24-hours a day, 7-days a week. You can also cancel any time without penalty.

With the Pay As You Go option, you’ll choose the rate plan that fits your needs and then start dialing. Your balance is lowered each time you make or receive a call or use services such as text messaging. You can then refill the minutes in your account via the Internet, using your phone (by calling 611 from your cell), or purchasing a pre-paid card in denominations up to $100.

With the Pick Your Plan option, you’ll set up monthly, automatic payments with your credit/debit card or checking account. If you need to make more calls or you use up your balance during the month, just add minutes to your account at any time–you’ll pay the same per-minute rate as your plan. You can buy more minutes in increments of $15 and $25 using your credit/debit card or checking account.

Phone Features
The RAZR V3 has a large 176 x 220 color display with 262,000 colors dominates the inside of the top cover, and a supplementary 96 x 80 full-color display on the outside that can display pictures, time, call information, battery and signal strength, and more. Most of the phone’s features and on-screen menus are controlled by a five-way center button on the handset’s backlit control pad, which is precision cut from a single sheet of nickel-plated copper alloy. A charging port and USB data cable port is placed on the bottom of the phone.

The RAZR V3’s internal phone book can hold up to 1000 contacts, while the phone’s picture ID system allows you to assign pictures to your most common callers. It also supports polyphonic ringtones as well as MP3 ringers, allowing you to use portions of your favorite songs to alert you to incoming calls. There’s even an included application, MotoMixer, that lets you mix your own ringtones. For times when you want to be discreet, there’s a vibrating alert. A built-in speakerphone makes it easy to talk without having the phone to your ear while voice activated dialing makes calling your friends, family and associates as easy as saying their names.

The RAZR V3 is a messaging and wireless Internet powerhouse. Support is built in for sending and receiving pictures, text, graphics, sound and video via messages. When used in combination with the phone’s built-in still and video camera, MMS opens up a whole new world of messaging fun. Instant messaging is also included (with support for AOL, Yahoo!, MSN, and ICQ), and the phone ships with a built-in email client with support for POP3, IMAP4 and SMTP protocols. iTap text entry, which is a technology that makes it easier for people to enter words and text on handsets, is built into the unit– a plus for mobile email and text messaging users.

A number of handy software tools are bundled with the RAZR V3 including a voice memo recorder, a calculator with currency converter, a calendar and an alarm clock. Use the phone’s Bluetooth capability to set up a wireless link with a Bluetooth accessory or connect to a computer or hand-held device to exchange and synchronize data. The phone also supports the SyncML PC synchronization standard, can be used with Motorola’s Mobile Phone Tools PC application to manage and synchronize contacts, calendar and other data with your PC.

The phone’s VGA camera features a 4x zoom, image quality options, and an auto-timer so you can be in your pictures, too. Capture stills and then send them to your friends via MMS messaging or email, or to your PC via USB or Bluetooth. The phone is capable of MPEG4 video playback when you receive a video message, or if you upload video to the phone via USB or Bluetooth. The RAZR V3 also supports custom graphics for wallpapers so you can dress up the phone to suit your fancy.

Vital Statistics
The Motorola RAZR V3 weighs 3.35 ounces and measures 3.86 x 2.09 x 0.54 inches. Its lithium-ion battery is rated at up to 6.67 hours of digital talk time, and up to 250 hours of digital standby time. It runs on the 850/900/1800/1900 MHz GSM/GPRS frequencies.

User Ratings and Reviews

4 Stars Good as far a prepaid goes
This is good but it broke after a few months, but AT&T replaced it for free. The only down side is that it has very little memory, so you can’t have a lot of pictures or videos, and the pics aren’t very good quality, but good enough.

2 Stars READ PEOPLE !!!THE PHONE IS OK!!! BUT AT&T SUCKS ALLTEL IS BETTER
The Phone Is Ok But I Won’t Ever Buy A Phone From At&t Again.I Wen’t Back To Alltel Because At&t Riped Me Off.So Yall Watch Out At&t SUCK’S HOW DID THEY RIP ME OFF PUT IT THIS WAY I PAYED MY BILL AND NEXT THANG I KNOW WEN I WAKE UP ALL MY MONEY IS GONE AND I PAYED 100.00 A MONTH.BUT I CALLED THEM UP GUESS WHAT THEY TELL ME SORRY WE CAN’T GIVE UP YOU’R MONEY BACK I’M LIKE OK I WILL TELL EVERONE THAT YALL RIP PEOPLE OFF WHICH IS TRUE.I HAD FREE NIGHT’S AND WEEKENDS AND FREE TEXTING STUFF I HAD IT ALL BUT THEY ARE A BIG RIP OFF.I’M BACK WITH ALLTEL AND PAYIN 69.00 A MONTH FOR ALL THAT STUFF SO AT&T YALL SUCK AND I GET BETTER SERVERS WITH ALLTEL TO.BUT IF I WAS YALL EVEN ALLTEL PREPAID IS ALOT BETTER THEN AT&T PREPAID HELL ON ALLTEL YOU CAN PICK TO PAY .75 CENTS A DAY OR IT GOES UP TO 1.25 A DAY BUT U GET FREE TEXTING ANYTIME OF THE DAY AND FREE MOBLE TO MOBLE AND FREE PICK UR FAV. NUMBER AND SO ON…AND FOR ALLTEL YOU CAN GO TO YOUR ALLTEL STORE AND ADD LIKE 5.00 UP TO 200.00 SO PEOPLE IF I WAS YOU ID SWITCH TO ALLTEL HELL WITH AT&T.

5 Stars Great phone
This is a nice phone for the price. The blue is a little darker than the picture, but it is a really nice deep blue color. The assembly of the phone is fairly simple and works instantly. This phone is great for texting with easy buttons to use, and the camera is also a very nice feature. This is a perfect phone, and with the prepaid options it is very affordable. I ordered it on a Thursday and it came exactly a week later. Overall I would highly recommend this phone!

5 Stars A good phone, for a Tight Budget, Emergency use, and Light use
I have previously owned a Nokia phone, with a “pay as you go” plan, and I have used normal service (Sprint). For the last several years, I had a Liberty Wireless phone that had an outstanding number of pay ahead minutes (plus the option to add more, as the phone plan I am reviewing provides). However Liberty Wireless was changing, and becoming difficult to purchase minutes from…then they stopped providing service, for my phone. I previously promoted Liberty Wireless, but now I warn people away, from their service.

Considering prior experience, with normal plans and “Pay as you go” plans, I decided to try the “AT&T GoPhone Pay As You Go Plan + Motorola RAZR V3 Blue Prepaid GoPhone with $35 Airtime Included.”

The Motorola RAZR V3 Blue Prepaid GoPhone (AT&T) with $35 Airtime Included is a really nice, sleek, stylish phone. I am very happy, with all features.

The first time I used the website, all went well, until server issues messed up the final stages of the setup. So, being a tech and former Help Desk Support person….I called the support number, and my phone was set up, properly. Therefore I know the help desk is reliable, and fast. They made sure that I received all that I paid for, plus the bonus air time.

If you need a No Credit Check, fast, easy to use Phone Plan–you can even purchase air time cards while traveling, etc.–this is a great plan. I can no longer recommend Liberty Wireless, to anyone, but I am satisfied with the “AT&T GoPhone Pay As You Go Plan + Motorola RAZR V3 Blue Prepaid GoPhone with $35 Airtime Included.”

After the initial purchase, I also bought the following: Motorola Razr V3 Oem Original Usb Data Cable with Motorola Phone Tools 4.0 Software, and Premium Leather Pouch with Ratcheting Clip for Motorola RAZR V3.

5 Stars Good deal…
The phone is nice….. First I was skeptical about the blue color…..but this is deep dark blue and it looks awesome…… price is also pretty good…… I’m happy with this purchase……

Buy/More Info

Samsung A137 Prepaid GoPhone ATandT with 35 Airtime Included

A great choice for those seeking an uncomplicated communications partner, the Samsung A137 gives you high-quality phone calls and has just enough built-in fun and personalization to make this phone your own. And with AT&T’s GoPhone pay-as-you-go service, you pay for just the minutes you use without having to sign up for an annual contract–this phone even comes with $35 of airtime included. You can easily refill your minutes via prepaid cards or the Internet, or choose to prepay each month and roll over unused minutes. Other features include a speakerphone, headset jack, text messaging capabilities, access to personal email and instant messaging, and up to 5 hours of talk time.

The easy-to-use Samsung A137.

Send text messages, check email, and chat with IM buddies.

AT&T GoPhone Service
AT&T’s pay-as-you-go GoPhone plans are wireless plans made easy. Simply pay in advance for what you need. No long-term contracts, credit checks, or surprise bills–just all the benefits of wireless, with no complications. In addition, AT&T’s Rollover Balance feature lets you carry over your unused account balance when you purchase refill minutes before your balance expires. Other great features include no long distance or roaming fees across AT&T’s national service area, the ability to track usage via text messages with an updated balance after each call, and the ability to refill your minutes 24-hours a day, 7-days a week. You can also cancel any time without penalty.

With the Pay As You Go option, you’ll choose the rate plan that fits your needs and then start dialing. Your balance is lowered each time you make or receive a call or use services such as text messaging. You can then refill the minutes in your account via the Internet, using your phone (by calling 611 from your cell), or purchasing a pre-paid card in denominations up to $100.

With the Pick Your Plan option, you’ll set up monthly, automatic payments with your credit/debit card or checking account. If you need to make more calls or you use up your balance during the month, just add minutes to your account at any time–you’ll pay the same per-minute rate as your plan. You can buy more minutes in increments of $15 and $25 using your credit/debit card or checking account.

Phone Features
Under the clamshell, the Samsung A137 has a 128 x 128-pixel screen, standard alpha-numeric keypad, five-way navigator, send/end keys, and two soft keys for navigation. The phone can store up to 500 phone numbers with each entry supporting up to 5 numbers (at 40 digits and 40 characters in length). It also includes eight speed dial numbers. The integrated speakerphone provides loud and clear handsfree communication.

Support is built in for sending and receiving text messages. It has a My Business Card feature, which enables you to send a contact card attached to a message. Additionally, you can check your personal email and chat with IM buddies using AOL, Windows Live, and Yahoo! services. T9 text entry, a technology that makes it easier for people to enter words and text on handsets, is built into the unit–a plus for mobile email and text messaging users.

Other features include:

• Organization tools: Calendar, calculator, alarm, converter, world time, timer, stopwatch
• Compatible with 40-chord polyphonic ringtones
• Displays last 30 incoming/outgoing/missed calls
• Any key answer
• Mute function, vibrate alert
• Headset jack
• Multi-lingual support: English, French, Spanish
• Downloadable ringtones

Vital Statistics
The Samsung A137 weighs 2.86 ounces and measures 3.46 x 1.76 x 0.78 inches. Its 800 mAh lithium-ion battery is rated at up to 5 hours of talk time, and up to 250 hours of standby time. It runs on the 850/1900 MHz GSM/GPRS frequencies.

User Ratings and Reviews

4 Stars cell phone callers
There is no doubt about the use of cell phones. With pre-paid cell phones becoming much more popular than the regular service plans that can run up your bills, it can be very frustrating. Nevertheless, it isn’t just about getting the right cell phone for your everyday needs, it is also about finding the right cell phone service plan at an affordable price too. With so many service plans offering the same things, you want a company that works just as well to reach out and tough someone too. That comes with AT&T’s Go Phones, which are very convient and easy to use for all your everyday needs, and this one is definitely the simpliest of all the Go Phones out there.

The Samsung A137 is a simple and easy to use cell phone for beginners, everywhere. It is simple to setup and use for all your everyday needs. It is a easy to work cell phones that run on 5 hours per charge, and works very nicely. You can use it by all your everyday calling needs, or for texting your friends on the go. The clarity of your calls is crisp and clear for all your calls. You can also recharge your service easily through your credit cards, or by buying easy to use pre-paid cell phone cards at your local convience stores. It has a lot of great uses as well with rollover minutes in your calling plans too that are easy to setup and simple to understand, and internet messages for all your services on the go. Sadly though, there are a few disadvantages. The first one is that it takes awhile to get used to programming your calls with, especially for a beginner. The second problem is that when you refill your pre-paid service, the customer service with AT&T can be very frustrating, to pay to add-on to your minutes, where you’d need extra security from your card companies inorder to get to pay for your minutes, and can get you frustrated. So, you’re better off buying the minutes on the pre-paid cards for easier conivence, instead of doing it over their customer service.

Still despite a few flaws, when it does come down to the best in service, you can always find a good phone. But the price the service matters too, and Samsung’s A137 does have mostly the best of both worlds, but not all of it. Still, I would honestly refer AT&T’s Go Phone plans, because they’re the least expensive, and easiest to understand for those who want a cell phone, but want the price to matter too.

Price: B

Convience: B 1/2+

Setup: B-

Overall: B 1/2-

2 Stars Very costly
Having just moved to the States and have not yet set up my bank accounts, I decided to use this option to keep connected without entering into any contracts. Once I activated the phone and added the $[...],I was shocked that the balance decreased for calls made where the phone went unanswered (no voice mail) it just rang. Checked with customer service who advised me that if I am on the phone for more than 30 seconds then I will be charged. I then received a call, and the balance decreased yet again, so the initial $[...] went very quickly.I therefore don’t feel like I have enjoyed the use of the phone,and I have had it now for 2 days.Coming from a third world country with per second billing, this plan feels like a complete rip off, because it charges you per minute for calls lasting less than a minute. However it is still a convenient, no hassles option for the short term but a veritable money pit if you plan long term use.

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Samsung A127 Prepaid GoPhone ATandT with 35 Airtime Included

A great choice for those seeking an uncomplicated communications partner, the Samsung A127 gives you high-quality phone calls and has just enough built-in fun and personalization to make this phone your own. And with AT&T’s GoPhone pay-as-you-go service, you pay for just the minutes you use without having to sign up for an annual contract–this phone even comes with $35 of airtime included. You can easily refill your minutes via prepaid cards or the Internet, or choose to prepay each month and roll over unused minutes. You’ll be able to take snapshots on the go with the VGA camera for still photos. Other features include a speakerphone, headset jack, text messaging capabilities, access to personal email and instant messaging, and up to 5 hours of talk time.

The easy-to-use Samsung A117 includes a VGA snapshot camera and is compatible with both text and picture messaging.

AT&T GoPhone Service
AT&T’s pay-as-you-go GoPhone plans are wireless plans made easy. Simply pay in advance for what you need. No long-term contracts, credit checks, or surprise bills–just all the benefits of wireless, with no complications. In addition, AT&T’s Rollover Balance feature lets you carry over your unused account balance when you purchase refill minutes before your balance expires. Other great features include no long distance or roaming fees across AT&T’s national service area, the ability to track usage via text messages with an updated balance after each call, and the ability to refill your minutes 24-hours a day, 7-days a week. You can also cancel any time without penalty.

With the Pay As You Go option, you’ll choose the rate plan that fits your needs and then start dialing. Your balance is lowered each time you make or receive a call or use services such as text messaging. You can then refill the minutes in your account via the Internet, using your phone (by calling 611 from your cell), or purchasing a pre-paid card in denominations up to $100.

With the Pick Your Plan option, you’ll set up monthly, automatic payments with your credit/debit card or checking account. If you need to make more calls or you use up your balance during the month, just add minutes to your account at any time–you’ll pay the same per-minute rate as your plan. You can buy more minutes in increments of $15 and $25 using your credit/debit card or checking account.

Phone Features
Under the clamshell, the Samsung A137 has a 128 x 128-pixel screen, standard alpha-numeric keypad, five-way navigator, send/end keys, and two soft keys for navigation. The phone can store up to 300 phone numbers with each entry supporting up to 3 numbers (at 40 digits and 40 characters in length) and an email address. It also includes eight speed dial numbers. The integrated speakerphone provides loud and clear handsfree communication.

The VGA camera captures still photos (no video) in four resolution options (640 x 480, 320 x 240, 160 x 120, and 128 x 104 pixels) and also features three quality settings (normal, fine, superfine), a digital zoom, multi-shot capabilities, and a brightness setting. After snapping your pic, you can then add one of 18 frames to it.

With support for the MMS (multimedia messaging service), the phone can send both picture and text messages, and when coupled with the phone’s powerful camera, MMS opens up great opportunities for robust messaging. T9 text entry, a technology that makes it easier for people to enter words and text on handsets, is built into the unit–a plus for mobile email and text messaging users.

Other features include:

• Organization tools: Calendar, calculator, alarm, converter, world time, timer
• Compatible with 16-chord polyphonic ringtones
• Displays last 20 incoming/outgoing/missed calls
• Any key answer
• Mute function, vibrate alert
• Headset jack
• Multi-lingual support: English, French, Spanish
• Downloadable ringtones

Vital Statistics
The Samsung A127 weighs 2.86 ounces and measures 3.39 x 1.67 x 0.76 inches. Its 800 mAh lithium-ion battery is rated at up to 5 hours of talk time, and up to 250 hours of standby time. It runs on the 850/1900 MHz GSM/GPRS frequencies.

User Ratings and Reviews

3 Stars OK if your main interest is minimal size.
Voice volume is inside the acceptable range, but nowhere near impressive.

The ringers are not very high quality (very basic MIDI playback, and no MP3), but it’s loud enough to be functional in most situations.

Some of the buttons are very stiff, while others are easier to push. Texting would be painful after a short while.

The menu responds slowly, as does the camera when you try to start it.

It is technically compatible with Java games, but is limited to files less than 100k and does not run them smoothly.

The phone feels physically durable.

The display is of good quality.

Overall, the phone looks much better than it performs, with the display being one exception. If you don’t mind a less stylish phone for GoPhone service, the Motorola c168i offers the same basic performance for less money.

4 Stars Great temporary phone:)
I do not understand why people say about bad sound.i am hard of hearing,and I hear just fine on this phone.I broke my 2nd phone from AT&T,and In 2 mos i can get an upgrade.So till then,I am happily using this phone.I paid only 60$ for it,and i am NOT complaining about it.I bought a razor v3 on ebay for 80$ and had to return it @@ it broke in THREE days,no dropping or nothing!!I prefer this one over the razor v3.It is Small,yet it does take pictures(fun to do).No movies(which I enjoyed and sending to my email box:*(.It does give you options of black N white etc,and cute frames that I use as my picture when I open the phone.I rate it 4 stars,because if it was a LITTLE bigger,I honestly think I’d keep it and not even renew my contract:)

SO overall,its a cool phone,and I am glad we have the option to buy a go phone,and put a sim card in it.This option works with ALL gsm phones:)

I like having the insurance,and i’m not giving up cell service,so I will upgrade in 2 mos.Time flies:)

I am not sure what to upgrade to….

3 Stars Tiny, but a pretty good basic phone.
This is simply a very small phone. the sound quality is too variable and the speaker is tinny. That said it seems fairly reliable, has a serviceable camera and possesses a certain cache of chic with it’s diminutive profile.

In other words it’s kind of cute. Being a middle-aged man with bad eyes, I’d prefer something more my size and as a personal preference something with more features, but then, again it is not a particularly expensive phone and gets the job done.

1 Star bad quality, incompatible with headsets
The phone looks nice, has easy menus and was easy to use. However, it has some serious problems. As others mentioned, the sound quality is not good and the speakerphone is too quiet. And this is what I hate about Samsung – they change the headset jack / power outlet on their phones making the phone incompatible with regular headsets. I spent hours today driving around to electronic shops and there wasn’t a single headset I could use with this phone.

Of course I also tried using the headset adapter made for the phone to use with a regular headset. As soon as I plug in the samsung adapter (I don’t even plug the headset in yet) it starts calling people on the ‘recent calls’ list! If I force it to hang up, it will call again and keep calling constantly! Really buggy! And when I’ve talked to people with the adapter the recipient hears echoing.

If you don’t plan on using a headset, and especially if you are a heavy text-message user, this phone might be for you. But if you need a headset like I do, this phone will not work for you.

3 Stars its an okay phone
I purchased this phone after my other at&t one broke, and i’ve found this phone to be okay.

its a very small phone, people are always telling me how they cant believe how small it is… and also a very sturdy phone, i can’t tell you how many times i’ve dropped it (on accident of course) but it never breaks. Sometimes it turns itself off, but thats okay.

Oh and once all my photos got deleted off of it, not sure why, probably cause i dropped it, but i was pretty mad, however over it now lol

the sound quality isn’t so good, but thats just fine with me seeing as i text message more then i call people. If you buy a ring tone, beware… the ones that i bought, you cant even tell what song they are because the sound quality is so bad.

im not much of a picky person, tho, and i love this phone, faults and all!!

its a good deal for what you pay if you just need a temporary phone, and i think its cool. =] have a nice day!

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