Having owned 5 different model of phones from Virgin Mobile, this is hands down the best thus far. The quality for the money is great.
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I’ve always eye’d those fancy smart phones but to be honest with myself I knew I wouldn’t use everything on those phones. I also didn’t want to pay the huge amount of money (in my opinion) for those phones and the required service packages. However, I did want a phone that could get me google maps,surf the web a bit,play music, and had all of your basic cell phone features. That’s where the Rumor 2 came in.

Looks:–

The Rumor2 I bought is black and gun-metal colored. It’s a pretty sharp looking phone. The size of the phone is probably around average of it’s type, small enough to fit in a pocket without a huge bulge forming.

Features:–

The phone has a 2 inch screen that is a bit smaller than the displays of other phones of this type but still big enough to not be a problem. The resolution is good and photos viewed appear sharp.

One touch speark phone. Just hit one button and go to speaker. The speaker phone works very well with good quality incoming and outgoing sound. Voices on both ends are clear and crisp with little, if any, distortion even at high volume levels. There are volume buttons on the side of the phone to adjust on the fly.

1.3 mp camera. Well, it’s certainly an upgrade from a VGA camera and the image quality is OK as long as the target isn’t moving. Also, unlike other versions of this phone the VM one does not have the camcorder function.

Qwerty keyboard. Very nice feature if you’ve not used one before. Seems very intuitive to me and makes both texting and surfing the web faster.

Media Player. The media player that th Rumor 2 comes with is pretty good. It supports all of your basic file types including mp3 and wav. However, it does not support video in any form. The player has basic functions such as shuffle,playlists…ect. Nothing outstanding but serves the purpose with good sound quality. I do have to mention that the headphone jack is not a standard size, it’s smaller, so your previously owned headphones may not be compatible.

Micro SD memory. You can use Micro SD cards in sizes up to 16 gigs, so there’s a lot of space for pic and music. Keep in mind the phone does not come with an micro sd card.

Ringtones. the Rumor 2 only comes with 6 basic ringtones so be prepared to buy some.

Apps. The VM version only comes with a few apps: Google Maps, EMail+IM, and Opera. Google maps is nice for getting directions and work prett much like the real thing, the same can be said for the Email and IM apps. Opera is a mobile browser that makes mobile web look as close to the real thing as possible. I really like the way Opera works, the web looks very close to the real thing and it’s probably the next best thing to what you’d get with the expensive smartphone.

Games, software and other features: Again be prepared to pay for some if you want them. All of the games on this phone are demo versions that are just about useless. This also has the capability to be used as a GPS unit with voice command directions that tells you “turn left here”…ect. It also supports stereo bluetooth.

Service/Reliability:–

I’ve found that VM is as reliable as any service I’ve had and the Rumor2 provides good reception, fast web (for a non g3 phone), and clear calls on both ends of the line. I often get a better signal with this phone that I did with my previous two phones.

Overall Value:—

I think that as long as you realize that you are not going to get a droid or I-Phone for the $80 that the Rumor 2 will cost, you will not be disappointed. This phone covers all the basic calling features,with great texting capability, nice web surfing, and can carry a large music library. Overall I think this is a good quality phone with some nice features at a low price. I think that this phone stacks up well with any other phone of a similar price.

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This phone is perfect for texting and I have found the slide out keyboard to work extremely efficiently. I hardly ever find myself editing my keystrokes. And the built in features of the phone are worth the money. I highly reccommend this phone.

*****Also, when activating be sure to use Kickbacks Code 9LuL90pw to earn 60 free minutes*****”
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Above all that, however, this phone has several applications which have impressive capabilities. The built-in Opera Mini browser delivers a respectable mobile web browsing experience. Despite the Rumor2′s small screen, you can still see what you need to see on most websites. Google Maps is also included and is highly functional on this unit. There’s even the option to purchase a GPS navigation program (runs $9.95 per month) that further expands its versatility. Along with all those features, you can insert a microSD card and listen to mp3s with the Rumor’s on-board media player. If that’s not enough functionality, the free Mail+IM app is incredibly useful for staying connected. As a user who stubbornly clung to Windows Mobile for over three years, I’m quickly learning that you don’t need a $600 SmartPhone and $40 data plan to communicate.

Virgin Mobile’s plans are highly configurable to whatever types of services you use most. I’m getting a basic voice plan, 1000 messages, and a generous data bundle all for $40 per month. I was paying $80 per month for similar services from AT&T on my contract phone.

My only real complaint is the small screen. The Rumor2 has a sharp, bright display but there’s just not enough of it. That said, you’ll have few problems texting, emailing, Facebooking, web-surfing, or playing games on the tiny LCD. This phone really does everything you’d need a cell phone to do.
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