Pantech Slate C530

Reviews say the Pantech Slate C530 has the best QWERTY keyboard of the AT&T cell phones, making it a good choice for text-messaging fanatics who don't need advanced features like a GPS receiver or access to the carrier's high-speed 3G network. Although the Pantech Duo and Matrix do have 3G, both are criticized for cramped keyboards or tiny keys, while reviewers describe the Slate's QWERTY keyboard as roomy. The Duo and Matrix are slider phones, and the Slate is a slim candy-bar phone (Pantech bills it as the "world's thinnest" device) with a 1.3-megapixel camera. Although the Pantech Slate has a similar design to a BlackBerry, it is not a smartphone.

The Slate does the basics well enough. Reviews describe the Pantech Slate C530's call quality as good, with some hiss, and you can send instant messages, email and surf the web (albeit slowly). But there's just 20 MB of internal memory and no card slot to increase storage. On the other hand, a review for financial website TheStreet.com says the Slate was dropped "dozens of times" and the rubberized plastic body did not even scratch. The most credible reviews like the looks of the Pantech Slate's 2.2-inch screen. We found no reviews that tested the claimed battery life of three hours (there are some complaints in owner reviews), but battery tests on other Pantech cell phones have generally yielded performance that is better than advertised.

We found the best reviews at CNET and PCMag.com, which thoroughly test cell phones and assign an overall score that makes for easy comparisons. ConsumerReports.org rates cell phones but has not yet weighed in on the Pantech Slate. TheStreet.com isn't a major source of gadget reviews and their testing is no better than the average, but their cut-to-the-chase assessment, geared toward the "mobile executive" trying to keep costs down, is helpful: the Pantech Slate, though certainly no iPhone, is not a bad deal for the money.