HTC Freestyle

“We've been predicting the eventual end of obstinate, crippled feature phones for some time now. But the HTC Freestyle could change that—or at least delay the inevitable. It's the first in a volley of BREW MP cell phones long promised from AT&T. The Freestyle's slick HTC Sense UI layer makes this a feature phone like no other. AT&T has also refrained from its usual practice of requiring a data plan with the Freestyle, meaning that the Freestyle can serve a wide berth of customers with varying needs.”

“With its touch screen and Android-like interface, the Freestyle is an unusual phone. We get what HTC was trying to do here--offer elements of a smartphone without the high price--and for the right user, it's a good buy at just $99 with a two-year contract and after a $50 mail-in rebate. We'd prefer a couple more features at least, but it's still an easy-to-use and functional phone that makes good calls.”

“Overall, we like the HTC Freestyle except for two points…the poorly designed battery door, and the continual “hiss” heard while on calls. The second of these we consider the more serious, and a deal-breaker for some, as it becomes annoying for any calls lasting more than a few minutes. However, the remainder of the device is pretty nice for a feature-phone, as the Sense UI is visually appealing and is implemented over the BREW MP quite well, with six home screens, plenty of widgets, and different scenes to fit your mood. But as we mentioned earlier, we can’t see the $99 price point here, as you could get a real smartphone for the same price (or less), though it would be subject to higher smartphone data fees. If the Freestyle were $49 or less, then we’d consider it a bargain, despite the background noise while in calls.”

“The HTC Freestyle is not a phone you should invest in, but it is a phone you will definitely feel like purchasing. It's one of those phones that despite its faults still has a wonderful and cool UI, beware o savvy phone purchaser, let not thy self be tempted onto the path of the seductive purchase of the HTC Freestyle.The HTC Freestyle is ultimately a phone you will regret purchasing, it lacks some basic features most phones beneath its level have, and the main features a phone should be capable of performing come up short in the Freestyle. The HTC Freestyle is not a bad phone, but there are other similarly priced phones that are much better stocked and generally come contract free. Despite HTC and AT&T's claims that the Freestyle is a smartphone, that is simply not the case.”