Motorola Ic502 Hybrid Phone: Nextel Users Should Make the Switch

With the Motorola ic502 cell phone, you get the best of both worlds: the hybrid phone couples the Nextel walkie-talkie service with cellular service on the Sprint PCS network. If you are not satisfied with your Nextel cellular service, do not want to give up the walkie-talkie feature, and are content with a basic cell phone with no bells and whistles, switch to the Motorola ic502 as soon as possible.

Physical Characteristics:

The Motorola ic502 fits easily in a pocket or purse. The phone is approximately 3 ½" in height, 1 3/4" in width, and 3/4" in depth. It is thinner and lighter in weight (4.06 oz. according to the advertising) than the old Motorola i530 but not as compact and light-weight as the more expensive slim phones.

The inside display screen is 1 3/4" high and 1 1/4" wide. There is a small external display on the front of the phone. As with other cell phones I have used, both the external and internal displays are somewhat difficult to see outside during the daytime.

The keypad is well-designed and easy to use. The "5" key has a small raised dot that allows you to orient yourself on the keypad. Also, there are two slightly raised bars running down the length of the keypad that separate the "1-4-7-*" (left) column from the "2-5-8-0" (middle) column and the "2-5-8-0" (middle) column from the "3-6-9-#" (right) column. The keys in each column abut each other. A user can easily dial a number without looking at the keypad. There are smaller raised bars that separate the Talk, End, Web, Back, and feature keys. I always press the key that I intended to press, rather than pressing the key next to it like I have done on some cell phones with smaller keys and fewer separators.

The phone has a 1" external antenna and a retractable antenna that extends an additional 2 3/4". Because the antenna is not located within the body of the phone, it is not necessary to keep your fingers away from any part of the back of the phone while talking.