Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #16601 in Cell Phone Accessories
• Color: Orange
• Brand: UT Starcom
• Model: Quickfire
• Released on: 2008-11-03

Features

• Messaging-centric 3G-enabled phone in orange with slide-out full QWERTY keyboard and 2.8-inch touchscreen
• Compatible with AT&T Navigator GPS, AT&T Mobile Music, and streaming video from Cellular Video service
• 1.3-megapixel camera/camcorder, Bluetooth stereo music streaming, MicroSD expansion to 8 GB, access to personal email and instant messaging
• Up to 3 hours of talk time, up to 300 hours (12.5 days) of standby time
• What's in the Box: handset, battery, charger, user manual, quick start guide

Amazon.com Product Description
Designed to make messaging faster and easier than ever before, the AT&T Quickfire messaging-focused phone is great for everyone from newbie messengers to textaholics to send text, picture, video and instant messages with ease. It boasts an interactive touch screen that can read messages in portrait or landscape mode, and it slides up to reveal a QWERTY keyboard for easy typing. You'll be able to quickly download video, music and more over AT&T's lightning quick HSPDA 3G network. Additionally, this GPS-enabled phone can access the AT&T Navigator service for turn-by-turn directions. Other features include a 1.3-megapixel camera, Bluetooth for handfree devices and stereo music streaming, MicroSD memory expansion to 8 GB, access to instant messaging via popular services, and up to 3 hours of talk time.

The full QWERTY keypad makes it easy to send text, picture, video and instant messages.

AT&T Service
This AT&T phone can handle high-speed data connectivity via AT&T's 3G mobile broadband data network, which is available in most major metropolitan areas. The AT&T 3G network uses the dual-band UMTS 850/1900 MHz network, which provides download speeds ranging from 700 Kbps to 1.7 Mbps, and upload speeds ranging from 500 Kbps to 1.2 Mbps. This makes it possible to enjoy a variety of feature-rich wireless multimedia services, and it gives you the advantage of offering simultaneous voice and data services.

In areas where the 3G network is not available, you'll continue to receive service on the AT&T EDGE network, which offers availability in more than 13,000 US cities and along some 40,000 miles of major highways. Providing average data speeds between 75-135Kbps, it's fast enough to support a wide range of advanced data services, including video and music clips, full picture and video messaging, high-speed color Internet access, and email on the go. You'll also enjoy quad-band GSM connectivity, which allows you to make calls in more than 190 countries and access data applications in the more than 135 countries where AT&T offers international data roaming.

You can take advantage of the AT&T Navigator GPS software and service, a full-featured premium navigation application that includes audible turn-by-turn directions, real-time traffic updates and re-routing options, and 3D moving maps (additional charges applicable). AT&T Navigator offers several other features to make your commute more enjoyable and reliable, including mobile access to Yellowpages.com. Additionally, AT&T Navigator is the only mobile phone-based GPS service that provides integrated speech recognition for address entry and points of interest search.

With 3G connectivity, you'll be able to access AT&T's Cellular Video (CV) service and the Internet while on the go. Cellular Video features content from CNN, The Weather Channel, iFilm, Comedy Central and exclusive premium content from HBO and much more. And you get access to AT&T Mobile Music, which enables you to buy tracks while on the, access the Napster and eMusic subscription music services, stream music video, discover what's playing with Music ID song-recognition software, and find out what's hot with The Buzz music news portal. (A MEdia Max subscription bundle is recommended for accessing AT&T's Internet, video, and music services.)

The 2.8-inch touchscreen reads messages in portrait or landscape mode.

The phone has a built-in web browser for MEdia Net downloads and mobile web browsing. AT&T's MEdia Net service enables you to receive and send emails, read news headlines, get weather updates, download games and ringtones, and more.

Phone Features
The Quickfire has a large 2.8-inch touchscreen (240 x 320 pixels, 262K colors) that offers an optimized messaging interface that automatically rotates to landscape (and back to portrait). It sits above standard send/end keys and a single multi-tasking shortcut key, and the screen slides up (when in landscape mode) to reveal a full QWERTY keyboard. The phone has an internal 35 MB memory, which can be expanded via optional MicroSD memory cards (up to 8 GB in size)

Handsfree communication is easy thanks to the integrated speakerphone. This phone also provides Bluetooth wireless connectivity (version 2.0), and includes profiles for communication headset, handsfree car kits, and file transfer. With the A2DP Bluetooth profile, you can stream your music to a pair of compatible Bluetooth stereo headphones. You can connect your laptop (either via Bluetooth or wired USB) and enjoy dial-up networking--surf the Internet, send email, and access files from a server.

The Quickfire offers a full range of email, text, and multimedia messaging options. It includes support for mobile email services such as AOL, Yahoo!, and Windows Live. You can also keep up with your instant messaging buddies using the built-in IM application that connects to those same services. T9 text entry, a technology that makes it easier for entering text on handsets, is built into the unit--a plus for mobile email and text messaging users.

Other features include:

• Integrated 1.3-megapixel camera with video capture capabilities
• Personalize with downloadable music ringtones, games, graphics and applications
• Digital audio player with support for MP3 files
• Organizer tools: calendar, alarm, to-do list
• Voice commands

Vital Statistics
The AT&T Quickfire weighs 4.8 ounces and measures 4.3 x 2.2 x 0.7 inches. Its 1200 mAh lithium-ion battery is rated at up to 3 hours of talk time, and up to 300 hours (12.5 days) of standby time. It runs on the 850/900/1800/1900 MHz GSM/GPRS/EDGE frequencies as well as AT&T's 850/1900 MHz 3G network (UMTS/HSDPA).

Customer Reviews

Some flaws but generally a good phone
I don't expect cell phones to do everything but make me some waffles, so I am not as much of a "I want it to do everything perfectly for no money" like the other reviewers.

I have not had any battery life problems. I work for a hospice and receive text messages and calls all day long and it takes 3 days for the battery to wear down with my boss and coworkers calling and texting me all the time, and it only takes 2 hours to charge up.

The internet is much faster on this phone that it was on my old Moto Razr. It works a lot better. The phone is overall very fast--you click a button it moves instantly, there isn't any lag.

I like the keyboard--it makes texting much easier, which in my case is necessary since I respond to so many text messages from work.

Now for what I do not like about this phone. It is a pain to end a call. You have to press the end call button twice to end a call. This should not be the case--I want to touch the end call button once and have the call end. Just like all the other cell phones I've owned.

The picture quality with the camera is surprisingly pretty good. The only bad part is that the camera is hard to access and it is very easy to accidentally put your finger in the picture since the button is so small and is right there. You have to watch where you put your fingers to use the camera.

Changing a ringtone or changing profile settings also requires many steps and it is hard to find.

Overall, this is a good phone for work. I could care less about the stupid bluetooth and I have had no problems with battery life.

Great for texting, hit and miss otherwise
I got a pair of these for my wife and I and have really enjoyed the texting experience. The combo of qwerty with touchscreen are a natural fit. I've quickly fallen into a habit of mixing typing with screen tapping, it makes so much sense I can't imagine texting w/o it. It's much easier to scroll through contacts, photos, etc with the touchscreen at any point I'm typing. My wife hardly used text messages on her last phone, but is texting all the time with the Quickfire.

Using the touchscreen solo, unfortunately, isn't so great. Don't expect this to be an iPhone-quality interface; getting to where you want can be tedious and clunky. For me, it's a trade-off I can live with for the great texting experience.

Touch recognition can also be hit and miss. I haven't had any problems on my phone, but my wife's often doesn't detect when you click on something. We're planning on returning it in for for a new one.

Pick any other phone
I'm really disappointed in this phone.

The Bluetooth implementation is very dumbed-down: You can't transfer files (there's no excuse for that, it's why I left Verizon) and some computers have a hard time connecting to it.

Industrial design looks nice, but is functionally poor: A classic example of emotional design factors trumping functional design factors. Examples:

The backlight on the keycaps shines through the FN value, not the text value, so it's more or less impossible to use the phone for texting in a darkened room.

The color contrast on the keycaps is so poor that even in normal room light, it's difficult to tell what the letters are on each keycap.

Touch required to actuate the power button is quite light. The phone has switched off by accident several times while just hanging on my belt.

The UI is clumsy and can't be customized. On most "dumb phones" you can add shortcuts to the opening screen or the top level menu, that let you dig in more quickly to buried options. The "more sophisticated" Quickfire has no capability for creating shortcuts of any kind. This is a problem, because the path to actuate many features takes about twice as many clicks as on comparable "dumb" phones.

While in principle this is a "texting phone", I even see issues w/ the texting UI, in that it takes about three times as many clicks to select a phone number ot send to as it did on my last "dumb" phone or than it does on my wife's "dumb" phone.

I'm personally having SEVERE stability issues with the unit I have, and am about to get it replaced under warranty. Judging by the product forums, while my worst problems aren't common, my routine problems (unresponsive touch screen, slow response time to commands) are common.

I strongly recommend you look to other options if you're looking for a good texting phone. And as anything but a texting phone, this is a dead loss.