[Tilt, TyTN II, MDA Vario III General] ASCIIker:
i purchased my kaiser brand new in may 2008...so you will probably get better advice from those that have gotten refurbished or second hand units.

anyway, heres a list of items you might want to check (based on my own observations as well as based on the readings/reports of various issues i've read about here on the forum):

1. hardware keys should work 100%. some users buying off ebay, for example, report that the phone works and the FRONT buttons work but the slide out keyboard is shot. just an example, it could be the other way around. but the point is to check and make sure each and every button works.

2. usb connector should work 100%. best way to check is to see if the phone can establish an activesync connection (with a known working cable) and if the orange charging LED lights up. next, hook up a wired headset (that is known to work correctly) to see if the pins for the audio signals are functioning on the usb connector. long press the button on the wired headset to see if the device starts to dial the last number dialed.

3. look out for "dead pixels". there should be NONE. because the kaiser has a relatively low resolution screen with less pixel density, i don't think it is acceptable for there to be ANY dead pixel at all because even one can become an eye sore. a quick way to check is to bring up an all-black screen and see if all the pixels are black. next, bring up an all-white screen and see if all pixels have turned white. also remember that sometimes dead pixels come and go. i've had TWO dead pixels during my ownership of the kaiser. one went away as soon as i flicked the device from the side and it never came back. another one lasted for a week and had me quite worried because it happened after my warranty period was over. i tried "dead pixel 'sweepers'" and maybe they helped because that particular dead pixel also eventually went away after a week and never reappeared.

4. scratches on the camera lens. note that the kaiser has a plastic lens "cover" on the back cover of the device. this part is known to get easily scratched and i don't think it is reasonable to be anal about this part. HOWEVER, if you take the back cover OFF, then the actual camera lens underneath the back cover should be spotless. check BOTH cameras to see if they work and can capture decent images (test the main camera with the back cover OFF to get better results).

5. the slide mechanism should be relatively "solid". look for distortions on the image displayed on the screen as you slide. ensure that the sim remains detectable when the keyboard is slid out. ensure that the front buttons work when the keyboard is slid out. ensure that the microsd card slot continues to work when the keyboard is slid out. all of the above mentioned items are connected to the main motherboard via "ribbon cables" (hidden underneath the sliding mechanism) and sliding out the keyboard can cause faulty ribbon cables to act up. look out for that!

6. make sure the status/notification LEDs work. read the WIKI/manual for information about the normal/expected behavior of the LEDs.

7. the earpiece should work. the loudspeaker should work. the microphone should work.

8. the touch screen should work! try out bubblebreaker so that you can check the responsiveness of the screen across its entire surface. recalibrate the screen if you have to. remember, the kaiser's touch screen can occasionally be a bit fussy if a screen protector is present.

9. look for obvious scratches/damage to the screen and body. try to see if the damage really matters to you (as an eyesore) or to the device (can it affect the device's normal functioning?).

10. check the water exposure stickers under the battery to make sure they have not turned a pinkish color. if they are pink, there is a chance that the device was exposed to some amount (or a lot of) water in the past. while you're at it, check the battery contacts for corrosion (might cause power issues later) and check the battery compartment for any signs that a previous battery may have leaked (extremely unlikely). who knows, maybe the owner had it properly serviced after the water exposure so no harm in asking. if properly serviced at the right time after water exposure, there have been many success stories here on the forum of the device continuing its normal functioning.

ummm thats about it from my side, hope this helps!