I've seen the future: and it is disabled!
Written: Jun 01 '05
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Pros: Reception is GREAT!
HS810 Headset is great.
Clarity is good.
Cons: Bluetooth Implementation
In Dash Kit
The Bottom Line: This is a good phone. Get it if you want a good phone. If you were planning to really get a lot out of Bluetooth, forget it!
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| beagdad's Full Review: Motorola V710 Cellular Phone |
Overview
I find the Motorola V710 to be a very good phone, which is short of being great because of Verizon’s policies. If you are looking for an all in one device, this is not it. If you are looking for a cell phone that provides good calling capability, this is a good phone. Reception, clarity, and battery life are good. Verizon’s policies can be summed up as: we want to sell you anything that that might be useful, and make it inconvenient for you to do anything you choose not to purchase. It is that policy that takes the greatness out of the V710.
Why this review
I read the excellent review by jonwes, which gives you lots of details. For those contemplating use of Bluetooth, file management, or in-dash install, there are some things you might want to consider.
Prejudices
I am a mid-50 year old computer consultant. I have my own business. I use the phone as a tool. Buying ring tones takes food off the table: I rather vacation in Maui than have cool rings. I don’t need the phone to listen to music: I’ve got a great sound system in the car, and my iPod provides great music when I’m mobile. Screen savers and backgrounds just take up memory. The camera function doesn’t do anything for me. I do find the need for down and dirty file transfers, however, and such information as contacts, calendaring, and notes are vital.
Why I bought the V710
I had a Motorola T720, and was having multiple problems with it. I was sort of stuck, though, because I had installed an in-dash kit, which I wanted to retain for its external antenna. I live near Princeton, NJ, and there are a number of dead spots on the main routes I travel. Local opposition to cell towers means that this issue will be around for some time, in spite of generally good coverage from Verizon. The V710 is compatible with the T720 In Dash Kit. Although I had problems with the T720, there is no better substitute for great coverage than the external antenna. By the way, the in-dash kit is $250, and another $150 for installation, so cost was a factor here. Friends told me that they had LGs and Samsungs that they liked, but none of those were available with in dash kits. So, I got the V710.
Pros
Reception is GREAT! I have taken this phone places that I never before had a signal, and get three bars. I have yet to hit a dead spot. I have retained my old phone (that is changing today) and I can see the reception it would have had: there is no comparison. The v710 is considerably better. My wife’s Kyocera (OK, that didn’t cost half what the 710 does) and a friend’s Audiovox and Nokia are not close.
Clarity is good. Everyone I speak to has asked me if I’ve changed phones: they all remark that it sounds like I’m on a land line.
The Bluetooth HS810 Headset is great. Clear reception and transmission, easy to use, easy to set up. A glimpse of just how good this phone could be.
The V710 has a bright screen, very legible.
I find the key layout OK: neither terrific nor bad.
Cons:
Now the bad news. Most of this could be readily remedied by Verizon.
The In Dash Kit. Before I ordered the phone, my rep told me that all I needed was a new “carrier” to hold the phone. This, it turns out, is called the “In Dash Cup”. I was told that Verizon had them on back order, and my rep (who was wonderful because he was candid) told me I would be better to get it directly from Motorola. I called Motorola, and the rep there asked me why I would want this. Perhaps it’s me. Customer service to me means that Verizon should go out of its way to get the part, and Motorola should be happy to supply it without grilling you on why you want it. My rep was on the phone 45 minutes with his tech department to get this cup (and never did get it). I was on the phone over 50 minutes with Motorola. All for a $40.00 part. (The part, by the way, is Motorola SYN9995B). Two reps at Verizon told me I could not install the cup myself (it would void the warrantee). Installation would be $100.00 and wait 10 days for an appointment. I did install it myself: it took 15 minutes (it would have been shorter had I not dropped a black screw onto the black carpet, and spent time searching for it). If you have a Phillips head screwdriver and any mechanical ability, you should be able to do this yourself.
My greatest disappointment is with the Bluetooth implementation. Bluetooth should allow you to transfer your stuff seamlessly. Verizon has limited Bluetooth connectivity to earpiece and speakerphone devices. Verizon has chosen to allow you to transfer data and pictures through their site, get ring tones, music, and the like, but, again, through their site. You must pay for data transfers. If you choose to take a picture, and transfer it to your computer, you need to send it to Verizon first, and you will pay for that. This means that if you wanted to update your contacts, you can’t do it conveniently.
OK, to be fair, there is a USB data transfer kit ($40.00), but you shouldn’t need that if you have full Bluetooth implementation.
Oh, and by the way, the USB data transfer cable won’t allow you to connect your computer to the network as a modem, which, if Bluetooth were fully implemented, would also work.
Also, to be fair, you can use a TransFlash card, but give the delicacy (and one more thing to buy) it is not a great solution.
The reason I was given for the lack of data transfers is that Verizon has agreements with it “Get It Now” partners.
The reason I was given for being able to use the phone as a modem is because it is “not set up to send data”. Buy the data package from Verizon, however, it would work.
Get the picture? Verizon has disabled the great things on this phone so they can sell it back to you in a less convenient way.
There is a good site for the technically inclined (v710.org). I find that some of the solutions mentioned on the site don’t work, however, and most of these regard Bluetooth.
Summation:
The Motorola v710, as implemented by Verizon, is a good phone. The basic reasons for a cell phone, good reception, clarity, ease of use, are well implemented in the v710. The HS810 headset is great. The HS810 also gives you a glimpse of what could have been. What would make this phone so much better is to enable the Bluetooth features in the phone to allow connectivity to other storage devices such as computers, PDAs, and memory devices.
Recommended:
Yes
Recommended for: Professionals On-the-Go - Internet and Email is a Must!
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Epinions.com ID:
beagdad
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Reviews written: 7
Trusted by: 0 members
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