January 31, 2015
Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback! I am going to preface this review by the next paragraph. I am 58 Years old, been in IT support all my adult life, I was so frustrated with SmartPhones, that I seriously considered moving back to a flip phone.1. This is by far the easiest smart phone I have ever used. Android phones kept crashing, and iOS is to dumbed down. Battery life on either is horrible.2. I had tons of apps on my Android, my wife has tons of apps on her iPhone. I had 5 to 6 screens of apps. Wait, but I only used 4 or 5 apps. So as for the Ecosystem, I really don't care.3. Its a great concept to have a phone that is a camera that is a media player, that is a Personal Computer. But I never use my smart phone like that. I use it as,,,,well a Phone,,,and sometimes search the internet with it.So on to the review. Like I said above, I was just about to go out and dump my Smart Phone for a Flip Phone. Until Microsoft released this phone, and Cricket became part of the AT&T network, and offered up this phone for FREE, with only 40 bucks a month service.The phone itself is like any typical modern Smartphone, i.e. weight and size. Feels good in my hand, but here is where it parts ways with the Typical Modern Smartphone, its a Windows 8.1 Smartphone.WOW, Windows 8.1 is amazing on a phone, I have never been an Apple Boy, to pricy for me. I have used every form of Windows since Windows 3.0. I am used to Windows, and it does what I want it to do. (And guess what, I have never had a virus, smart computing is the reason). But Windows 8.1 is the most user friendly fast OS for a phone I have ever seen. Simple yet elegant. Like I said earlier I basically use the following apps, Slingplayer, Netflix, Browser, and Email. Everyone comments on the lack of apps, well I don't care about that, I have everything I need with Windows 8.1.And being the phone is Windows, it just melts in with the systems I run at home. My primary email is not gmail, it a Microsoft Live account. Setting up this phone was so simple being I am familiar with Windows. iOS is totally different that MAC OS, Android has really no PC platform OS. Everything just felt RIGHT, when I started up the phone. Battery Life, is truly amazing. I could maybe make it 3/4 thru the day, and I would have to plug in my Android. I could make it one day when I put in an extended battery, which doubled the weight of the phone.The 635 easily lasts 2 days. I forgot my phone in the car one night, and it dropped to 10 degrees. Next morning phone power right up.Camera - I use a hi res SLR Camera, I have not even tried to use the camera on this phone.Media Player use. I have used it, it works fine. Both of our vehicles have USB/SD card slots so we primarily use those interfaces.Cost - FREE, can I say more, well yes. Who in their right mind will spend upwards of 400 dollars for a phone, and then pay upwards of 65 dollars a month for service just to have the latest Sexy phone. I don't understand it......its a frickin phone. In closing, if you want a good smartphone, and don't care about all the bells and whistles, this is a great phone for you. But, if you want that Sexy G4 blah blah blah, go ahead and spend that 400 bucks.Robert