LG LX160

The LG LX160 is a cheap clamshell cell phone with just the basics -- it has no camera and no music player. Previously available on Sprint, Kajeet is marketing the LG LX160 as an easy-to-use cell phone for children -- you can program in parental controls, and it has a GPS locater that will allow you to see where your child's phone is located. Kajeet is a kid-oriented carrier that uses the Sprint network and offers prepaid plans. Professional and owner reviews generally say the LG LX160 is fine for making phone calls, although the speakerphone and battery life are criticized in user reviews. CNET's Nicole Lee, however, says she is "quite impressed" with the speaker volume. CNET's battery test got about 15 minutes more than the advertised 3.5 hours, too. There are 1-inch external and 1.75-inch internal display screens that reviews describe as not great but usable even in sunlight.

The LX160 has a very basic web browser and support for text messaging, instant messaging and email, and we've certainly seen worse criticism of keypads on other cell phones. CNET's Lee says the keys are crowded but raised enough that she could use them by feel. The phone also offers Bluetooth, voice dialing and a 500-entry contacts list. CNET says the LG LX160 can be used as a wireless modem for a laptop, but we saw owner reviews that claim that function doesn't work very well. Two other Kajeet cell phones with parental controls and locators are the Sanyo Katana and Sanyo Katana II; both have cheap VGA cameras and better voice quality.

Low-end cell phones get fewer professional reviews than full-featured products, but CNET has the most expansive coverage of cheap cell phones, including an in-depth review of the LG LX160 for Sprint. Some of the usual sources -- like PCMag.com, MobileBurn.com, InfoSyncWorld.com and ConsumerReports.org -- don't review the LG LX160. Amazon.com has just a few owner reviews at this writing, and while BuzzAboutWireless.com has input from about 140 users, the write-ups are generally very short and lacking in detail. A report about a recall was published by PhoneNews.com and republished widely on other websites without additional reporting. However, Sprint says there was no formal recall, and it appears Sprint was simply replacing defective phones when customers complained, as all major vendors do.