Sanyo RL2500 Cell Phone
Sprint has been getting some nice phones lately, and the RL2500 continues the trend. This is the phone to get if you love the VM4500, but don't need the camera feature and want to save some money. Like that phone, it has Ready Link, which works similarly to a walkie-talkie, but only if your caller also has a Sprint Ready Link phone, and there aren't many out there yet. Unlike most camera phones, the RL2500 has a speaker phone feature. The speaker phone can be used without opening the flip, and it is surprisingly loud and clear. It is only a half-duplex speaker phone, however, which means that you cannot hear the person with whom you are talking at the same time you are talking (if, for example, they interrupt you). It's a great way to let others join the conversation on your end, though.
The phone is attractively designed, but lacking a bit of the style of Sprint's Samsung offerings. Like other Sanyos, it is thicker than most current flip phones, but feels very comfortable in the hand. It clicks satisfyingly into place when you open it. The buttons are a bit small, and are flush with the phone itself, so I find it difficult to reliably dial numbers without looking at them. Of course, it also offers voice dial, so you don't really need to much of the time.
Reception is typical of Sanyo phones, which is to say outstanding. If you use almost anything else, you will find out that you can pull in a signal in areas that might have been at least somewhat difficult before. I find Sanyo's inside speaker to be quite shrill, however. In my experience, this is something that some people don't notice at all, but some find quite bothersome. The advantage is that it, like the external speaker, can be turned up very loud, so it's a great phone to use in noisy environments. My callers have told me that I sound clear and natural on their end.
I'm not a huge user of Sprint's well-regarded Vision service, but it works well on this phone. The screen is very good, but not quite equal to that of Sprint's Toshiba 5040 phone. Menus are well laid out and the interface generally does the job. One surprising omission (which other Sanyo phones also inexplicably lack) is a straightforward alarm clock. The RL2500 does have "call alarms," but these aren't as intuitive for most peoples' use.
Recommended if you don't need a camera phone, but want a good Vision-capable Ready Link/speaker phone, AND if you aren't bothered by the somewhat shrill sound.
© 2003 - 2004 SignalTower.com
