Sony Ericsson TM506

Reviewers say that the Sony Ericsson TM506 is a good bargain among basic cell phones, offering a wealth of features and on-board gadgets, as well as access to T-Mobile's high-speed 3G network. In practice, experts find that the TM506 falls short of its ambitious intentions on several points, including the most critical performance factor: call quality. Although it is credited with nice voice quality -- the best of any T-Mobile phone, according to PCMag.com -- reviewers say the volume is too low, and attempts to increase volume fail because speakerphone call quality is marred by interference, background noise and distortion. For users who are content with a low-volume phone, the TM506 gains ground in reviews with its 3G capability and well-designed options such as GPS navigation, phone-as-modem capability and a surprisingly solid camera. For a comparable phone with better call quality, PCMag's Sascha Segan recommends the Motorola Razr2 V8, with the caveats that it costs more than the TM506 and doesn't operate on T-Mobile's 3G network.

A diminutive 3.7 inches by 1.9 inches by 0.7 inches, the TM506 clamshell phone uses understated, sleek styling to make a statement -- experts and owners all rave about the pleasing aesthetics of this model. Although the small text-only external display is called "disappointing" by more than one reviewer, the internal display is described as bright and sharp, and the navigation menus are praised as intuitive. The keypad is flat but spacious, with only a few troublesome keys at the top, giving Mobiledia's Hillary Borrund trouble with touch dialing. The TM506 includes all of the expected cell phone features, such as a calendar, alarm, phonebook, notepad and text and multimedia messaging, as well as a few extras like the TeleNav GPS service ($9.99 per month subscription), music player, USB mass storage and a full Bluetooth stereo profile. These options are described as easy to use and functional. The camera and video recorder receive similar comments: Video quality is reported to be above average for cell phone cameras, and photos are sharp and crisp, although the lack of an integrated flash makes low-light shots difficult at best. The music player is fully featured and user-friendly, but sound quality is below par. The TM506 comes with headphones; however, PCMag's review complains that the phone's non-standard jack means finding a third-party adaptor in order to use a higher-quality set.

The whole point of the TM506 is that it's a T-Mobile 3G phone, and reviewers enthusiastically endorse it as the best one thus far. Gizmodo's John Mahoney tests the network with outstanding results, reporting it to be amazingly fast. Regrettably, T-Mobile's 3G network is somewhat underdeveloped compared with competitors, leading Mahoney to conclude, in spite of his glowing review, that the TM506 isn't worth changing carriers for but would be OK for users who are already with T-Mobile. The same sort of muted praise can be found in expert evaluations of the phone's web browser; while critics acknowledge their pleasure at an integrated browser at a low price point, several pan the Access NetFront 3.4 browser and recommend that owners immediately download the superior (and free) Opera Mini.