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The flip phone gives you the calling features Nextel fans have come to expect like push-to-talk and Direct Talk, but do two networks make for better calls?
Design
The Motorola ic402 is basically the "lite" version of Nextel's first hybrid CDMA/iDEN phone, the Motorola ic502. However, it doesn't feel light by any means--its 4.4-ounce body is almost an inch thick and quite bulky. Unlike many phones offered by Nextel, the ic402 is not rugged, and Motorola unfortunately didn't design an attractive shell. It sports a curvy, yet rather bland, run-of-the-mill dark silver shell without an external display. The internal screen looks dark and suffers from a noticeable screen dooreffect.
Calling - Good
The ic402's call quality was about average during our tests in New York and the suburbs of northern New Jersey. Our calls came through with small amounts of static depending on our reception, which varied and became spotty in Jersey. Our pals sounded tinny, as if we were listening to them over the speakerphone. Calling features on the phone are a mixed bag, as it includes the range of push-to-talk services from Nextel, a startlingly loud speakerphone and three-way calling, but lacks Bluetooth and voice commands. The phone's contact list is a bit more appealing than other handsets we've seen from Nextel, such as the Motorola i615, and it supports while-you-type searching. The ic402's battery life was just ordinary, clocking in at three hours of talk time.
Messaging - Mediocre
Like many push-to-talk phones we've tested, the ic402 skimps on the messaging department and doesn't offer instant messaging, pre-loadede-mail, or outgoing MMS. The blocky interface didn't utilize screenspace efficiently, only fitting a meager 41 characters on outgoing messages, which is far short of our preferred 160. However the flipphone redeems itself slightly with incoming messages, legibly fitting a full 156 characters on the screen. Typing on the ic402's keypad was comfortable thanks to its large, well-spaced keys, except for the rather small "back" key. We often pressed the "end" key by accident when we just wanted to go back a step.
