I recently had to switch phones with one of our employees because I usually stay in the office and that other employee is always in the field. He got my Nextel i530 and I got his Nextel i205.

I have always liked phones with color screens, cameras and other cool features like Bluetooth and broadband internet, but I had to settle for this because its for work use only and plus I have my own Razr V3m now. We usually purchase these phones from the local Nextel store.


THE PLAN :
They gave me the $45.99 plan (same as before) that includes 500 anytime, unlimited nights and weekends, included nationwide long distance, and unlimited walkie-talkie minutes. This plan also has free call hold and waiting, 3-way calling, and voicemail. The owner of our company does not like contracts that much so he signed up for a one year plan.


THE PHONE AND FEATURES :
This i205 is designed like a candy bar so it fits nicely with my office. Since it is an old phone, it does not have that many cool features that I would be interested in. So I just let it sit on my desk until it rings or I have the need to use it. On the other hand, this phone does have internet capabilities and email access. This phone is about 5 inches in height, 2 inches in width, and about 1 inch in depth; it weighs just 5.1 ounces which is really great. You can easily slip this phone in your pocket and not feel a thing because it is so light weight.

This phone is small enough to fit easily in your hand or your pocket. There are volume and a Push To Talk (PTT) or Direct Connect (DC) control buttons on the upper left corner, while the top right has the jack for headphones. The speakerphone button is on the very bottom under the "-” button.

Buttons on the keypad are small, but big enough to get the job done. You can make calls quickly and easily with this phone. If you have been using mobile phones for a while now, then do not need to worry about anything as the basic features are the same as any other phone. Most buttons are in places you would expect them to be, but the speaker phone button is on the very bottom of the phone.

There is a backlit monochrome LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) screens that will show you everything you need to; it is about 1.5 inches diagonally. Although the screen is easy enough to read in most lighting environments, it is too small when you use the Web or e-mail features. Navigating through the menus on this phone is somewhat of a challenge because the four-way toggle and two soft keys are very small. While the buttons are easy to use after you get the hang of them, the text-driven menus are dull and hard to read. On the other hand, the backlit keypad buttons are well designed and spaced.

This i205 has a fair amount of useful features, regardless of all the downsides. The phonebook can store 600 contacts with multiple entries for each. You can also set unique ring tones for each contact. There is also a built-in speakerphone, a WAP wireless Web browser, vibrate mode, text messaging, and call waiting available on this low-end phone.