I was reluctant at first to get this phone for two reasons, (It's clamshell phone and I would have to use Cingular service)When I received it in the mail, I was surprised how small the phone was. Fits very nicely in my palm and in my pants pocket (Not very big into belt cases). It has very stylish looks with the blue and silver. The blue part of the phone has a rubber/matte feel and the silver looks like brushed aluminum.The manual was easy to browse through. It follows very nicely with my "casually play with settings until I have to read manual" attitude with electronics. The voice recognition calling is a bit of struggle. I have to repeat the name twice and eventually it takes. With my limited knowledge I'm guessing it maybe due to ambient noise (traffic, Radio, other people) I've also had issues with assigning pictures to a contact. Again, I go through the steps (Picture to contact)but somehow I have to do it twice, maybe it's user error. One feature I do like and use quite often is the speaker phone. Its great if you need your hands free (ie., Driving, holding baby, typing away on keyboard, etc)As for service with Cingular, I have not been disappointed. In the past with another service provider...I was not able to get service in my house and only limited service at work if the moons were aligned just right. However, I now get full bars in my house and every place at work. You can have the most kickass phone on the market, but if you get crappy reception, the phone is useless. The V551 w/Cingular in Hawaii seems so far to be the best combination and I couldn't be happier.Overall, its a great phone with a crisp, bright display with all the bells and whistles you might want in a phone. Mahalo and good luck with your seach for the perfect combo in your area.