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Prepaid push-to-talk candy-bar phone
- Slim candy-bar design
- Push-to-talk feature
- 600-entry phone book
- Small, low-resolution display
- No camera or music player
- Slow data network
Although it has been available for more than a year, neither major cell phone review sources nor many users have yet to weigh in on the Motorola Boost i290. At best, Engadget.com has a brief titled "iDEN to finally lose some pudge" and mentions that the i290 offers push-to-talk service without "a phone that looks like a brightly colored rock."
According to Boost Mobile, the i290 measures 4.9 inches by 1.9 inches by 0.52 inches. That's about as long and wide as Boost's two other candy-bar models, the Motorola i335 (*est. $60) and Motorola i425 (*est. $30), but nearly one-tenth of an inch thinner than the i335, and up to a half-ounce lighter than both models. The i290's design, keypad and navigation buttons look like a civilian version of the military-certified i335 -- it's basically the same unit stripped of the i335's rugged, rubberized protective casing and bright red backlighting. Many of the goods are otherwise the same: a tiny 1.5-inch, 130-by-130-pixel display, a speakerphone with voice-activated dialing, a 2.5 mm jack, a 600-entry phone book, text and multimedia messaging, and push-to-talk function supported by the older, slower iDEN network. However, the i290 lacks the instant-messaging ability of the other two models, and unlike the i335, is not Bluetooth-capable. Otherwise, it is the same no-frills phone, without a camera, media player or memory card slot. Downloads for games, wallpaper and ringtones are available, but if the i290's web browser and interface work anything like the i335's, functionality may be subpar at best. If the spattering of user reviews at PhoneArea.com is any indication, the i290 may offer compact, lightweight design, but difficult-to-use text messaging and unreliable network signal strength are problems.
While we did find a brief from EngadgetMobile.com and a few user reviews at PhoneArea.com, major review sources such PCMag.com, CNET and PhoneScoop.com have yet to report on the Motorola i290.
Our Sources
Ziegler's brief about the debut of the Motorola i290 notes the lack of available information about the device. He does, however, like the slim design, which affords push-to-talk functionality without having to use "a phone that looks like a brightly colored rock."
Review: iDEN to Finally Lose Some Pudge With i290 CCCCandybar, Chris Ziegler, July 17, 2007
The few users who weigh in on the i290 agree that the compact, lightweight design is nice, but likewise concur that the text messaging interface is clunky and difficult to use, and that the network signal strength is spotty.
Review: Motorola i290, Contributors to PhoneArea.com
