Owning a phone at a young age is most children’s dream. They all love their toys and gadgets as much as the adults. It was a few months ago while Mr K was on a holiday camp that he asked for a phone. He wanted to give us a call. I did find it hard to get in touch with the holiday club members to check on him while he was there.
>Now 1stFone has solved our problems! 1stFone is the little personalised phone that connects you directly to the most important people in your life! Just press the name of the person you want to talk to.
Ordering the phone is as easy as ABC. All you need is your bank details and the phone numbers you would like to have pre-programmed. You can have 2, 4, 8 or 12 pre-programmed numbers. We chose 4 numbers for Mr K’s handset to keep it simple. As you can see, he wanted to put our real names on their instead of mummy or daddy on the keypad.
You then pick a design for the handset. There are seven different types of designs available: Plains, Original, Cartoon, Splat, Skull, Wildlife and Flag. These are available in different colours too, and Mr K opted for a blue splat background for his phone.
One of the pre-programmed number defaults is 999 which you can change to another number but we decided to leave it as it might be useful if he ever needed to call. Note that to call 999, the button must be pressed three times. We also warned Mr K about the consequences of crying wolf. After using it for two weeks, this is what we think of it.
Pros:
- It is just the size of a credit card and is light and convenient for children to carry around.
- Given the simplicity of it, it is great for elderly too who may struggle with using a smartphone.
- The network connection is quick and very clear when using the phone.
- There are no apps, games or camera and the numbers are pre-programmed which should make it less likely to get stolen.
- They have a long battery life which lasts at least 3 days.
- You are able to charge the phone through your PC using a USB cable.
- Fully charging the phone only take 1.5 hours.
- If you would like to change the numbers, it is free.
Con:
- There is no silent mode which is not useful if you are watch cinema or in a library.
- If you switch off the OFF button on the front or the main switch at the back, no one will be able to call you.
- The ringtone and the volume of the ringtone is not changeable.
- There is no phone lock so sometimes you might accidentally press and dial one of the numbers.
- There is no voicemail service.
- It is only able to use in UK and Northern Ireland.
- It costs £5 to change the names of the pre-programmed numbers (a new sticker is printed).
- If you like to add more names and numbers, for example from 4 to 8, you need to send back the handset to get it change.
- Pay as you go plan come with validity.
This is our video that show you more in details.
Disclosure: We received the sample for the purposes of writing this review, however, all thoughts and opinions remain our own.