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I'm on the fence and need help, please.

My service contract is up and I'm ready to get a new phone. I want a touch screen phone with no data plan and I'm turn between the Lg cosmos touch and the KIN 2m. I have seen a lot of mixed reviews on the 2m and mostly positive reviews for the cosmos touch. I have held the cosmos touch in the store and really liked the feel of the phone, seemed very solid and well built. The stores in my area do not carry the 2m and they almost scolded me when I asked about it.

My current phone uses are just talk with very light texting, the camera on my current phone is so bad that I don't use it and it's not an mp3 player either. I would like my new phone to be a good talk phone with a decent camera and mp3 player which the 2m seems to have covered, but I do have a few questioned for you as follows.

1. With only 8Gig of memory probably less usable about how many songs will the 2m hold?

2. Does the phone feel well built and solid like the cosmos touch?

3. Does the radio use up your minutes or is it free?

4. How would you rate the camera?

Comments

SydneyK

I've only tried a Kin Onem, and have only picked up a Twom in a Verizon store, but I will try to help. If the features you will mainly use are camera and music player, I think you would be happy with a Kin Two. The Cosmos Touch camera is only 1.3 mp, so you might be disappointed.

I don't know about the music player on the Cosmos, but the Zune player on the Kins is really nice. The controls are easy to use and the album art and other extras make it eye-pleasing. You can put a lot of songs on a Kin with 8GB of memory, close to 2,000, depending on what else you have stored on the device (contacts, photos, etc.). Using the FM radio is free, and it has a nice scan option and shows the station, song and artist you're listening to. And it's very easy to subscribe to free podcasts through Zune. Do you go to a gym? One thing I like about the Kin is you can listen to music or use the radio to tune into TV audio.

As far as build quality, both the Kin One and Two seemed solid enough. I did see a Cosmos Touch in the store, and while I didn't pick it up, it did look solidly built as well. I would definitely read some reviews and visit a store to try them both. Whatever you decide, you do have 30 days to exchange or return a device if you don't like it, with a $35 restocking fee of course.

Edited to add: I did read where a few users said it was hard to focus with the Kin Twom camera. Because the button is at an angle (you can use an on-screen button too), the top screen section tends to push up and make for a shaky photo. I would think you'd learn how to best hold it to avoid this, and maybe some actual users here will comment on this.

bobu1972

posted a review earlier you might want to read.was on the fence also from reviews and not being able to physically hold the phone.but have it 2 weeks and love it! the zune radio is great,shows song/artist on some stations.only draw back is having to use the headphones as an antenna.live in a kinda rural area and get some static.the radio part of zune is free and great.as for the feel,its a very solid phone.dropped it on a carpet,no issues.the back battery case is a little "cheap" and thin feeling,but ordered a cas from amazon that was talked about in other posts,get 2 different color cases and screen protectors foor around 5$.the camera is awsome.when u connect to zune it downloads pics/video to your laptop the stores then in your 2m in albums automatically.like the way it stores new pics,stores them as recent,earlier,last month.etc.very easy to find.can do the pinch to zoom on the pics also.the phone is worth the price alone.as for the 8mb memory,i doubt i will every need that much ffor my uses.can zune the pics to laptop then delete off phone for some xtra memory

Plasticman

Had this phone about two weeks and really like it very much. Great camera and video, excellent picture viewer and mp3/radio player. For me the built in WiFi (no data plan) is awesome. Can go to Starbucks, Barnes & Noble and get full internet access. Touch screen is very responsive and fast. Wish it had numeric keys but using the ALT button is not a real problem.

A typical mp3 song track is about 5 to 8 megs. so you should be able to get 500 - 600 tracks without a problem into the phone

The phone has a real solid feel to it also.

Hope this helps

technobody

One thing people don't mention too much is that the user interface is based on an early version of Windows phone 7. I like it a lot and it is somewhat customizable. I find it more user friendly than the usual Verizon feature phone UI's. Since this is an early Windows pone 7 the hardware also mostly conforms to the Windows phone 7. That is why you have so many megapixels in the camera. The biggest drawback is not being able to use Verizon's backup assistant on the phone.

fisharefriends

As for physical quality of the phones, the cosmos touch is better. It has a more durable feel to it. However, i would still pick the Kin 2m. The front of the phone is very rigid and strong, the only drawback to the Kin's physical quality is its battery door. It is thin and feels cheap. However, i put a Skinomi 'Techskin' on my phone yesterday, and i am very satisfied with it. Along with a few rubber bumpers on the inside of the battery cover, it makes the phone feel as solid as any other. As mentioned, cases are available for this phone, too. Their quality is pretty good, the only drawback is the slightly added bulk. However, with the Techskin (similar to Zagg's invisibleshields..only better), i feel like i have adequate protection for the phone. It also fixes the slippery feeling of the battery door texture. The skinomi skins cost $10 for the screen only, and $18 for the full skin (front and back). It has a lifetime replacement warranty too, and from reviews i've read, their customer service is good enough to hold you to that.

I would recommend the Kin 2m. Your phone needs are very similar to what i was looking for about a month ago when i upgraded phones: calling/texting, and a camera (and in your case, an MP3 player). Its call quality is exceptional in my opinion, both the earpiece and speakerphone. The camera is top-notch, @ 8mp and HD video. You do have to hold the phone still while taking the picture, but that is the same with any phone camera (their shutter speeds are quite a bit slower than regular cameras). It has fully incorporated Zune player in it, along with FM radio (the radio is free, but you do have to plug in headphones to use it; it uses the headphones as an antenna). The 8 GB is plenty big for me. As for how many songs it can hold, it will vary from the quality of the music you have. Standard is 160 kbps, but for me personally, i can drop it all the way down to ~112 and still not notice the decrease in sound quality (i'm pretty sure the Zune software has a way to do this, i'm not familiar with it though, i know iTunes can do it though..). That allows me to add 1.5x more music to the same amount of storage space. Create a few playlists and add your favorite albums/artists, and you'll still have plenty of storage.

sdowney7171

http://www.cellphonetrek.com/index.php/lg-cosmos-touch-review

it says no wifi

sdowney7171

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20101217140751AAHGCqx

no video camera either

sdowney7171

"Edited to add: I did read where a few users said it was hard to focus with the Kin Twom camera. Because the button is at an angle (you can use an on-screen button too), the top screen section tends to push up and make for a shaky photo. I would think you'd learn how to best hold it to avoid this, and maybe some actual users here will comment on this."

dont even bother using that horrible button.

load camera app from screen to view pictures.

swipe slide screen over to reveal camera, other way shows albums

use on screen button to take pictures.

tap screen to get menu to goto video or stills.

set pone to night mode to turn on flash for video in dark places.

records video in max of one minute blocks at 720p

fisharefriends

I use the physical camera button all the time. Once you put a case on the phone, or a protective skin, the button is actually quite easy to push. You also have to 'learn' to hold the phone, but i can do it with one or both hands. It definitely could be a better design, but i would rather use the physical button than the touchscreen. You just have to make sure you are mainly holding the backing of the phone, not the screen half. Otherwise, yes, it will slide open like people have said, but i haven't had any problems with it. And the camera does have a burst mode, where it takes 3 successive pictures.

abomb731

Thank you all for the great info. I have decided to go with the 2m but when I tried to the upgrade online it would not

complete and it gave me a number to call. Called the customer service number and they said it was showing low inventory

and since it was being discontinued they could not order the phone for me.

So I have been franticly calling all the Verizon stores in my area and found one that has a few in stock, hopefully it will still be there later this week.

Again thank you for taken the time to help me out.

sdowney7171

"burst mode, where it takes 3 successive pictures"

how do you get that to happen?

I imagine the phones are about gone. We got 2 a few weeks ago.

They will likely be on Ebay. New every 2 and these phones were free for us.

sdowney7171

that little button is difficult to use. when you push it down, it wants to slide open the keyboard. Plus it is at an awful angle.

The phone is much better with a case cover. Amazon sells them for around $1.00 and comes in many colors and even patterns.

fisharefriends

For burst mode, go into the camera settings (from the 'take picture screen', then that settings button up by the button to switch to video mode), and it should be in there. Its the same menu that allows you to pick the picture resolution, night mode, flash settings, and lighting.

Good luck on getting the Kin, atom. It is the best feature phone out there, in my opinion. Hope you track one down.

Very true about the physical button being easier to push with a case. I also put on a skinomi protective skin just yesterday, in hopes of finding an alternative to cases because i didn't like the bulk, and i would recommend them. They are a bit pricey ($10 screen only, $18 full skin), but i think it is worth it (it also comes with a lifetime replacement guarantee). It gives the backing a more tolerable texture, which allows me to grip the phone when pushing the camera button. In the simplest explanation i can give, though, the key to pushing the camera button is holding the phone's 'main' body below the button instead of the screen portion, which is the tendancy because of the curve of the phone. I will be posting a more thorough review of the physical aspects (cases, skins, lanyard, etc) of the phone that i have changed since i bought it later, in my overall review post.

marii12

1; Not sure about how much it will hold

2: the phone does not feel as much as its worth

3: 9 out of 10

My recommendation is DON'T GET THIS PHONE!

marii12

1; Not sure about how much it will hold

2: the phone does not feel as much as its worth

3: 9 out of 10

4: Radios free tho (:

My recommendation is DON'T GET THIS PHONE!

fisharefriends

To be honest, i have no idea what that post was supposed to mean. But i will try to address what I think it meant

1. Do you mean how much memory space is on the phone? That is on every spec sheet out there; the Kin 2m holds 8GB (~6.5 after the firmware/default memory), and the Kin 1m holds 4GB (~2.5 after firmware etc). And if you meant as far as how much music, or videos, or pics, then just remember all of these have varying memory sizes, and their numbers that companies usually through out are high estimates, and that is in no way device-specific, but just a marketing tactic. 6.5 GB will always hold 6.5 GB, regardless of the device. It depends mostly on what quality of pics, videos, and music you put on; higher quality items take up more space, and it often (at least with pics and vids) increases in magnitudes. But i would much prefer a higher picture/video even if it does take more space, because they can be taken off, and i want the best 'memories' stored as i can get.

2. With all due respect, these phones sell at $120 and $220. I don't know if you have looked around the market, but that is as cheap as it gets, and if you dealve any deeper, these phones have so many features that no phone is even comparable at the same price range. They go $20 and $50 on a new 2-year contract/renewal, which is on the cheap end in my books. In my mind, they are as good as it gets, you won't find a better phone for how cheap they are. I don't know if you own the phone, but it sounds a lot like you are reading other forum posts and confusing the phones with the older, overprices original Kin phones that required a data plan and were 2x as much, device cost. Any other phone that is even comparable to the Kin phones, is a smartphone, which requires at minimum an extra $15/month data plan. I would place the Kin right in between smartphones and feature phones in terms of quality, which is amazing if you realize it is priced as a feature phone now.

3. Not sure what this means. If it is a rating, then i would've thought 9/10 was an exceptional, great rating.

4. Radio is free. So is the Zune player, an 8GB camera, 720p video, and wifi/internet without a data plan. Find another phone out there, let alone a feature phone, that has specs like that. For most smartphones, 5 MP is awesome for their camera. I will admit, Microsoft didn't employ the best lens technology and after human error and lighting averages, it comes out to ~3 MP quality in low light, ~5-6 MP quality accounting for human shake, but on a pure basis, the 8 MP is what you get. Goes along with the American idea that 'more is better'. But for a phone camera, i've taken pictures that would only be matched by a real camera; and the video that the phone takes is better quality than the video my dad's camera takes..ironic. Then Zune player, it is 2nd to only the iPod/iTunes in my mind, but that is simply because i am used to them; other than that, the Zune player is organized just as well, is just as reliable and user-friendly. It blows any other phone music player out of the water. And finally..wifi, don't really need to explain that.

Sorry that the Kin failed to meet expectations (although you somehow decided to give it a 9/10 rating?), but i hope you find a phone that better suits your needs.

Flauros

Regarding the camera button, the enter button on the keyboard can also be used to take pictures, if that's easier for you.

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