As I mentioned in my first
article about the
Pantech duo you can easily switch between the QWERTY keyboard and the KeyPad. Even one-handed! So far I have found that the screen can switch between the two easily and seamlessly. In fact, If I use one of my own images (that I have used on other phones) that is made to be viewed in the KeyPad position, this phone automatically scales it to fit in the QWERTY view. See
Screen shots for an animation switching between the two. This effect works best for more ‘abstract’ designs, but it’s not distracting. It’s certainly better than the clumsy way Windows Mobile5 handled images that were not built into a Theme.
So when I got home from the ATT soiree I open the box the
Pantech duo came in and examined all the accessories. Click on the top thumbnail for the bigger image. The phone comes with a AC Travel Charger, USB cable, 35mm Headset Adapter, Battery attached to back of phone and a CD with software. The Battery life is supposed to be 180 minutes talktime and 250 hours standby, but that depends on various factors including how long you leave your backlight on. There’s so many factors in Power usage. There’s IPM Power Mode which lets you toggle between Turbo mode and Normal mode. One thing I noticed when using the USB cable is that it automatically charges up the phone when connected to your computer. And that includes even when I am using linux. I’ve got it plugged right now! Yippy!
As I examined the phone I noticed that the Microphone is at the bottom of the number pad. You can certainly make and take calls with the phone all closed up, of course. However, the sound is muffled (for person at other end) when the KeyPad is closed. So it might be best to talk on the phone with the KeyPad open. Or use a Bluetooth(r) device. Which brings us to one of the first things I do when I get a new phone to play with…..
Pairing Bluetooth Devices
Connecting your Bluetooth(r) headset is very easy. Access the controls by clicking on Start, then finding the Settings icon. Then: Settings/Connections/Bluetooth (Add new device, Turn on Bluetooth, or Turn on Visibility) or Wireless Manager (one press turns on Bluetooth and lets you get to Bluetooth Settings). Click on the settings image here to see an animation of the different screens.
I have two Bluetooth(r) headsets and I wanted to pair them both to the Pantech duo. I first did the pairing with my
BluePearls. Going to Settings/Connections/Bluetooth I clicked on Add new device after I turned on the headset to be ready for pairing. I let the phone search for the headset and it soon found it. It asked for the password and I used the number KeyPad to type in the password numbers. It worked as smoothly as a baby’s behind.
Next up was the WEP200. There was no issue with seeing the headset. However, when I tried pairing the WEP I used the number KeyPad several times and kept getting error messages. After scratching my head for a few minutes I tried using the QWERTY keyboard instead. I made sure I clicked the FN (Function) key to keep entering a number rather than a letter. I’m not why the WEP didn’t register the number password using the number pad. I try to never read the manual before I use various features on a phone to see how intuitive using it is. So after I successfully paired the WEP (Whew!) I thought I might research to see what may have been the problem. If you look at this picture you will see the key at the left bottom with the “*” symbol. This functions as a toggle between small letters, capital letters, numbers and symbols when one is in typing mode. Maybe (who knows?) while I was trying to add the WEP password the phone was in the wrong mode and I just needed to change it. Word to the wise. Pay attention to the screen While inserting type the upper right will show you which kind of text you can type in.
I have an older phone that I have never been able to beam data from. I wanted to transfer some of my Contacts to the
Pantech duo. In this case I just copied some of that info onto the SIM card. While that method works fine, I still wanted to do the Beam thing! Well, recently I was sent another ATT phone the
MOTO Q 9h global (which I’ll be reviewing soon), so I was ready to BEAM, baby! It’s actually very easy. Both phones must have Bluetooth turn on (Duh!). When in the Contact screen (of the SENDING phone), select the contact you wish to send over to the other device, then click on the menu. Select Send Contact/Beam. Wait a bit while they find each other. The receiving phone will alert you that another device is attempting to communicate with it and you are required to acknowledge that. Accept the info being transmitted. One animation is from the
Pantech duo screens accepting or sending data. The other animation is from the
MOTO Q 9h global receiving or sending.
So far the Pantech duo is a nice, small, easy to use phone. It’s got features I really enjoy in a nice compact package.
Well, this ends Part One of Cecilia’s Excellent duo Adventures. Next episode we look at mobitv2, My-Cast Weather, using yahoo Messenger and a few other things……
Written by Cecilia
