3 ATT Phones Not Made by Apple

Believe it or not, AT&T offers more than just the iPhone. In fact, it actually has a pretty large selection for those folks who choose to go against the grain and get something a little different. The Samsung Rugby, Nokia 6350, and LG Vu are three phones built for different purposes and have features that the Apple-made phone just doesn’t offer. Samsung Rugby SGH-A837 There are a number of people out there who simply just don’t know how to treat a cell phone. They are like cell phone Grim Reapers, destroying them at any given opportunity in ways that you never thought possible. Regular phones cower at the mention of their name, but one phone can stand tall in the face of these people: the Samsung Rugby. Meant to be a rugged work phone, the Rugby isn’t meant for careful desk jockeys. It’s was built for those who work in manly professions where people physically abuse themselves and their equipment on a daily basis. The Rugby is certified to military standard MIL-STD-810F and can withstand dust, shock, vibration, rain, humidity, solar radiation, altitude, and temperature extremes. That being said, this phone is able to take nearly anything your average Joe can throw at it. Unless you drop this phone off a building, or roll over it with a car, you’re not likely to break it. Need proof of its durability? Here you go. While the Rugby may be the god of cell phone durability, it’s only average in other respects. It makes phone calls and has push-to-talk capability, which both have decent quality, but its other features are just… ok. It can take pictures, stream and record video, and play music, but some of these features could be improved. The sound for music and video is lower than it should be and the phone uses a proprietary Samsung headphone jack instead of the standard 3.5mm jack. The pictures are of a decent quality, but the videos it takes can come out very looking pixelated. The Rugby loves getting physical though, and that’s the point!  The Rugby is a jock that everyone loves because it can shrug off a hit that would cripple other “girlie man” phones. Who really cares about how grainy your video is when you can take a licking and keep on ticking . . .er dialing? Nokia 6350 Do you remember the old days when a cell phone was a cell phone? It wasn’t a PDA or a MP3 player masquerading as a phone, it was a phone. Good old fashioned and basic. If you liked those days, then AT&T has something for you, the Nokia 6350. Maybe calling this phone “basic” is a little extreme. In fairness it does more than just make phone calls, but it’s definitely no iPhone. Nokia prides itself on the fact that it can play music and it even has dedicated external music player buttons. Through Bluetooth, the 6350 can also be used with a compatible stereo and also streams music through pre-installed AT&T applications.  I guess it’s not quite one of those big gray bricks after all. In addition to its music capabilities, the 6350 also can stream video through Cellular Video, has support for Java games, and even has Assisted GPS through AT&T Navigator. And for those addicted to email, the 6350 offers POP3 and IMAP4 support through internet based applications. It can also be used as a modem during those times when having the full internet is completely necessary. Unlike the old bricks, the Nokia 6350 is a decent looking flip phone slim enough to fit into a pocket. And for the environmentally conscience, Nokia says the 6350 is completely free of hazardous material and is 80 percent recyclable. This may not add to the functionality of it, but it is cool in its own right. All in all, this phone is about as basic as a phone can get nowadays, but for the money it’s an excellent value. It offers all of the standard fair, but does so for  $29.99 with a two year contract after the mail-in rebate, the Nokia 6350 is about as good as it gets for someone who wants a fairly simple, value play cell deal. LG Vu (Cu920) There are two things that are absolutely necessary in our modern world: cell phones and television. Without our cell phones it’s not possible to annoy people while standing in line at the super market, and without television it’s not possible to figure out why everyone on Jersey Shore is so damn orange. LG realized how important these things were to us and decided to combine them into one sleek package called the Vu. And the Vu is definitely sleek. It’s a touch phone with only three buttons on the front and volume, camera, and screen lock buttons discreetly built into the chrome band wrapped around it. It has a fairly large 3 inch touch screen and the whole thing is glossy looking. The Vu is a good looking phone, but looks can only get you so far. The real star of the package is the LG Vu’s built-in mobile TV capabilities. With 14 channels available through AT&T Mobile TV, it is possible to keep track of Jersey Shore, Spongebob, and Hannah Montana. You can also watch CNN Mobile and ESPN mobile, if you’re into that sort of thing. The picture is crisp and clear and reception can be improved with a fairly long antenna. The only downside to all of this is that AT&T charges $9.99 a month for this service, but it may be worth the price for someone who is in danger of missing their shows. Aside from its TV functions, the LG Vu is a decent touch phone. Navigation is completely done through its touch screen, with the exception of a dedicated back button on its front.  Unlike many of the more popular touch screen phones, it’s possible to use either an onscreen qwerty keyboard or T9. It also gives feedback in the form of small vibrations when touched, which is a pretty nice feature that should have been included in the iPhone. So far the applications on the phone are standard AT&T fair. Streaming music, streaming video, mobile internet, etcetera. There are a few apps available.  However, we hopr the list grows. It also has a 2 megapixel camera that takes nice pictures, but like the iphone, without a flash. The Vu also works as an MP3 player, but uses a proprietary headphone jack instead of the old standard.  Why?  Just Why? The LG Vu is a farmore advanced option than average phone with a great television function, though it could be better as more apps become available. It may not be an iPhone, but it’s the perfect phone for anyone that loves to take their TV with them. Feeling the urge to pick up one of these phones? Head to the AT&T online store.

By Klkirkla