1. yes, there are time stamps. The only times timestamps don't appear are when the texts are sent very close together from each other. I don't know the exact time difference the phone takes to input a new timestamp, but through experience i'm pretty sure it's less than 20 min, but more than 5 min. If a timestamp doesn't appear, it means that the text was sent/recieved in close proximity to the previous one. The only downside to this is when you have a long string of back-to-back texting, there will be no timestamps on them; but then you already know that they were sent close to each other, and with threaded messaging, there really is no reason to need the exact time they were sent in my opinion.
2. No, you can't lock messages. but the phone has no max text memory limit, so it will keep all the texts you have sent/received until you delete it, so long as you don't run out of memory on the phone (and 8gb, even 4 gb, is very very hard to run out of with just texts; you literally can almost store millions)
3. Wifi is worth it, considering this is the only phone, on any service provider, that has wifi without a data plan (aka smartphone). Yes, it is a little limited and is nit-picky about certain routers that it works with (i've had it work perfectly, but others have had issues with it), but considering what else is on the market that doesn't require a data plan (none, in other words), yes it is worth it. Just make sure you block data to prevent accidental use of verizon's network instead of the wifi, cause it automatically falls onto the 3g network if wifi signal is lost. That being said, i don't use it much. When i first bought the phone, i thought it was amazing htat there was a phone w/ wifi that didn't require the data plan, especially cause i'm almost always in a wifi zone on campus, but after owning it for 3 months, i can say i just don't browse the internet much from my phone. However, you say you're going off to college, that means you'll constantly be in a wifi zone, which will be awesome having a device that has wifi.
4. Standard clock? I'm not sure what this question means. if you mean if there is a clock on the lock screen, then yes, you can simply press the back or lock button to activate the screen, and the time is there. If you mean standard clock, as in the classic 'hand clock', no you cannot change it from a digital clock to the analog clock. Which makes no sense to me personally..cause it is on a digital display. Why have a fake analog clock?
My opinions: it is a very good phone, the best feature phone there is. awesome camera, zune player, great for texting, wifi, large memory. Although it does have its share of bugs and problems, i still think the pro's far outweigh the cons. If you have any more questions, feel free to ask.
On our family plan, we have a cosmos touch and a kin 2m. I can say i much prefer the kin 2m. It is a psuedo-smartphone, meaning it is not really a smartphone, but it is definitely a notch above feature phones. The cosmos touch is just another feature phone, and while it has good quality, it really doesn't have the extra features like mentioned above, it doesn't even have a video camera, which my super old razr even did. But, from a texting standpoint, the cosmos touch is much better; i think the keyboard is worse, and the kin's interface for threading messages is better, but other than that, the cosmos touch is virtually bug-free and texting is a charm. If you are a super texter and that is really the only thing you use a phone for other than calls, i'd actually recommend the samsung intensity II. We also got one of those on our plan, and yes, it is a slightly older phone so it isn't quite up to tier with the kins and cosmos touch, but from a texting standpoint, it is superior to both of them. Samsung definitely worked out all the quirks, and put into it very good features and options. The only thing i like more about the Kin's texting is its threaded interface, wehre it looks like IM while other phones just sort the messages by person.
As if Verizon is bringing new feature phones: yes, and no. There will always be new phones coming out, but like you said, Verizon (and all phone companies, for that matter) really just focus on smartphones now. Yes, they are better, but like you said, they cost the extra data plan, which is also a big reason why Verizon advocates them and wants customers to switch over. You never know if newer feature phones will be better than the old though; like with the samsung intensity II and cosmos touch comparison, i much prefer the intensity II to the cosmos touch. While the cosmos touch does have some extra features like a writing pad and better interface, when it comes down to it, those features are nice and all, but the real reason you use your phone, is for using it as a phone, texting and calling. And with those, the intensity is better (again, just my opinion). But when you consider the Kin 2m, you have to realize that this is sort of an exception to feature phones; it really isn't a feature phone, it originally was a smartphone that failed to sell; so they changed the firmware and made it a feature phone; but i believe it is still mid-way in between the 2, and will be better than other feature phones out there for a long time, if not forever. Feature phones won't be getting much better; smartphones will. There comes certain extent when what you do with a phone will naturally be marketed as a smartphone because of its capabilities.
Alsoooo, any opinions on this phone? Or should I go with the LG Cosmos Touch? Or keep waiting? I really would like to get a new feature phone before college after this summer 2011. Will Verizon be bringing any new and GOOD feature phones to the table?
