The Blitz From PCD

All articles on this site are by Harry Skevington unless otherwise noted with another byline

FEBRUARY 20 2009

The Blitz (TXT8010) From PCD for Verizon Wireless
A messaging phone PLUS
Blitzclosed PCD (Personal Communications Devices), formerly UTStarcom, has positioned “The Blitz” as a messaging phone that allows you to easily send text, photo, sound, and video messages to other Blitzers with little effort. When closed “The Blitz” is a compact little phone at 3.5 High by 2,6 Depth, by 0.7 wide and 4.1 Ounces. The screen Size is 2.2 inches. The display specs are 220x176 Pixels, 262K TFT Color. It is clear and bright.

The Blitz is sturdy but unassuming in its closed mode. Once you press the slider upward and open the QWERTY keyboard it becomes a feature packed unit in many ways.

The Blitz is a great message phone. I tested the feature many times during the trial period by sending photo/text messages to our daughter. She sending photos of the grandson to me and me returning text and photos of our cat, and other nonsense shots. This was a no brainer effort on my part. A major target audience for The Blitz seems to be teenagers. I found the messaging feature worked very well for this way-beyond-teenage person.

In the Box
THE BLITZ
Standard Lithium Ion (920 mAh) Battery
Standard Battery Cover
Wall Charger
USB Cable
User Guide
Quick Reference Guide

slideblitzfrontback

Camera Specs
1.3 Megapixel Camera
Self Timer: Off, 3, 5 or 10 seconds
Color Effects: Normal, Antique, Black & White, Negative
Resolution Adjustment Landscape: 1280x960, 640x480, 320x240, 160x120
Capture Mode: Portrait and Landscape
Dedicated Camera Key

With the increased availability of higher pixel cameras I initially felt “The Blitz” fell short by providing only a 1.3 Megapixel camera in a product touted as a photo messaging unit. On the other hand using these photos as attachments to text messages may make that a good idea as it made for a smaller load to send to friends. Nowhere could I find the ability to create videos with the built-in camera although that was mentioned as a feature in the press release I received with the phone. Go to my Flickr site to see sample photos. My early photos were strange as they were neon pink and green. Sort of an old science fiction movie look. After a little research I found I had to correct the White Balance. After that the camera delivered very good daylight photos. The Blitz does not have a flash so low light results are not good.

Locking The Blitz
This feature worked fine until I placed The Blitz in my pants pocket. More often than not I would be somewhere and hear a few tones. Removing The Blitz from the pocket I found it had opened the Mobile Web browser or some other application. A button on the side of the phone might be a better place for the locking function. Totally locking the phone requires you to set up a security code. Of course a holster would also help with this issue.

TELNAV GPS. This is a Verizon Wireless optional item available for a monthly fee. It was easy to setup and worked very well.

Other features
The music feature did the job using VCast Music online. I was unable to play Audio Books. A Micro SD card of up to 4GB is supported. Syncing between the phone and a PC was easy once I downloaded VCast Music with Rhapsody to the PC. Bluetooth worked well with both of my headsets. I was able to connect the USB cable from the phone to the PC to download my photos to the PC. I also removed the memory card (not included) and used the SanDisk MobileMate™ Micro card reader to connect the card to the PC for many file moves.

The Blitz is a fine message phone that produces usable photos for that task. At 1.3 MP they are not something to enlarge and frame. The small QWERTY keyboard was tight for me but will work well for the targeted audience. It is a very compact package that slides open to make it a fine text messaging phone.

For more on this and other products from PCD CLICK HERE

For more on this and other products from Verizon Wireless CLICK HERE


	Harry Skevington has been involved with electronics since 1981. He has taught, written for, and provided support to, computer users since 1985. Information that will help consumers with buying decisions is more important than ever due to the current convergence of computers and other consumer products . Harry attends CES (Consumer Electronics Show) in Las Vegas on assignment as a working press writer each year to find and write about emerging technology that seems to fit the needs of his readers. Contact Harry

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