Text Message Indicator on outside of phone?
My Nokia 6215i does display NEW MESSAGE on the external LCD, but the screen does go to black shortly thereafter. I assume that’s to save battery life or the lifespan of the screen. I hate having the volume toggles on the side of the phone but they do let me turn the external LCD back on without opening the phone. If you want to be able to glance from across the room and see if something new has arrived, that’s still no good for you. [I wouldn’t recommend this phone, anyway. I really dislike the interface and the buttons. Still, it didn’t cost me when I switched to Verizon and picked the phone up from a Verizon web promotion.
The Samsung u740 shows a little icon and makes a periodic noise until you open it. I was able to get it free last year on Verizon when re-upping my contract. Only negatives are that the buttons are kind of small for dialing (but great for texting, if you’re into that), Verizon’s web interface is pretty limited (probably an issue on any Verizon phone), and battery life can be kind of sketchy if you have it in a place where you go in and out of network often (like an office building). But I’ve been pretty happy with it otherwise.
My LG vx8700 clamshell shows an envelope and “New TXT Message” on the external display until you next open the phone. When the message comes in, the external screen lights and remains lit for a period of time. If you miss that period of time, pressing the side button turns the display back on. You can also set audible or vibrate alerts for incoming text messages that will alert you only once or every few minutes until you open the phone.
