Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)I purchased this item for my 8 year-old niece, who is a huge iCarly fan. Her mother did not want her to have a cell phone yet, but she covets her big sister's ability to text. This seemed like it would be perfect for her. However, the item is ridiculously difficult to operate. The buttons are extremely tiny, and believe it or not, the text machines do not include a QWERTY key set! Instead, they include only numbers with ABC, DEF, etc. labels like a telephone. In order to type, "hi," for example, you have to hit the 4, then the right arrow button, then the 4 again. And while the manufacturer couldn't manage to include a full key set, the machines do function as a currency converter, calculator, telephone number storage device, and world time coverter. These functions mean that there are a ton of buttons having nothing whatsoever to do with texting that most kids are unlikely to ever use. What 8-12 year old needs to convert currency?! And if they have telephone numbers to store, they probably already have a phone with real texting capability. Perhaps I was expecting too much, but I also thought you would be able to just type in a message and hit send, then the message would appear on the matching text machine. Oh no. Instead, you first "type" it using the number pad, then hit send, then you are asked "P/I?" to which you must respond with the "ICQ call" button, which is different than the "private call" button. Still your text will not go through - the receiver also has to hit "chat" on their machine to get the message. And if you are in private mode, you also have to enter the recipient's secret code, which must be programmed in. We spent hours trying to get this process to work smoothly, and were extremely frustrated. It took several minutes just to set the time, only to be told at the final step - "Error!" I gave this one star instead of zero because the FM radio function does work. What a wasted opportunity for what could have been a cool, simple toy. I am only sorry that I could not return it because I didn't want to rip the toy out of niece's hands. Hated it.
Click Here to see more reviews about: iCarly Wireless Text Messenger Organizer/FM Player - White - one color, one size
If she wants to text like iCarly, check out this text messenger set! The two messengers let you and a friend send and receive wireless text messages. The organizer function stores phone numbers, email addresses, and more. There's even a built-in FM radio. Set includes: 2 Text Messengers Earbuds 2 Colorful Faceplates User's Manual For ages 4 and up Made in China
