Motorola's e815 is the best entry-level phone to date
Written: Jun 02 '06
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Pros: Bluetooth, large color screen and ample memory
Cons: A few minor quirks detailed in the review
The Bottom Line: The e815 fills almost every need and has many nice options not found on other entry-level phones
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| ivplay's Full Review: Motorola E815 Cellular Phone |
With a new phone contract comes a new phone, and I was recently surprisingly pleased with the results. We again changed our service provider from a local Verizon dealer to a corporate account and as such had the opportunity to upgrade our phones at no/minimal charge. At the time of this transition I was using the Samsung SCH-a650, a mini-phone with minimal features. I was pleased with the reception of the Samsung as well as the long battery life, but the feature set was quite small. As a result, when I discovered that the e815 by Motorola was the alternative of choice, I upgraded.
The Motorola e815 is a surprisingly feature-rich entry/giveaway phone for a new contract. The large color screen along with the 1.3MP camera/video phone and Bluetooth capability makes this a step above the 'regular' phones usually accompanying the new contract. The long battery life and great reception translates into no upgrader's remorse from the SCH-a650, and overall I am very pleased with the transition. The phone comes standard with the following:
Quick run-down of features/accessories
e815 cellular phone with:
-Internal 176 x 220 TFT, 262k color display
-External 96 x 64, 4k color display
-Bluetooth capability
Travel charger
Owner's manual
Owner's disc
Warranty card
Physical/Hardware description
The e815 is a flip-style phone produced by Motorola. The first Motorola flip-phone I was subjected to was the old StarTac model, and as such I was quite nervous about using another Motorola product. My past months' experience with the phone has more than quelled those fears, as Motorola seems to know what they are doing now. The e815 has physical dimensions of approximately 3 ¾" by 2" by a little under 1" thick when closed and weighs in at a little over four and a half ounces. This makes it slightly larger than most flip phones I have noticed, but since much of this real estate is accommodating the large (2" X 3") color screen, I am willing to let it slide. The phone itself is a gray to silver plastic casing with a multitude of buttons for controlling the phone.
The exterior of the flip portion contains the small camera lens and 'flash' (discussed later) which allows the video and still picture (1.3MP) functions to work, and directly below this is the smaller (1" by 1.5") external color screen. The left of the unit contains the rocker switch for volume control and the voice recorder hard button while the right side contains the camera function button and the voice command button. The bottom of the phone houses the data and power connections while the top houses the flap covering the headphone jack (1.5mm) and the transflash expandable memory slot as well as the antenna. The rear of the phone contains the included 1030 mAh battery as well as the plug covering the booster antenna connector. Overall the exterior of the e815 is very slick looking, and I am certainly not embarrassed to have this phone hanging from my belt.
Opening the phone reveals the large, beautiful color screen and keypad. The keypad is sharp looking and functional, as the keys are large enough to use with one hand even with large fingers. There is the obvious 12 key keypad accompanied by the power button, the answer/hangup button, a camera button, a CLR button and the five button navigation control along with three other multi-function buttons depending on the menu items currently displayed. As is often the case the keys are slightly rounded so that the user can distinguish between the keys. The '5' key has a raised dot on it so that the user can orient themselves on the keypad without looking, which would come in handy if it were not for the voice command features explained later.
'Regular' Phone Features
As a regular ol' cell phone, the e815 works great. Coupled with the Verizon network I find that I have very good coverage, even in very rural areas of Montana. This network/phone combination provides me with service where other networks have nothing, so that is great. The screen and menu system is very intuitive and pretty to look at, and other than in direct sunlight I find that it is easy to read. The four-way navigation key allows for quick selection and use of features, and the phone is small enough fit easily on a belt or in a pocket.
The phone has a much-improved memory capacity as far as contact storage goes, allowing up to 1000 entries with up to six numbers/emails each. Additionally, each contact can have a customized picture associated with them as well as a customized ring. Each contact will be assigned a speed-dial number as well, and so long as you can remember the speed-dial number you can easily dial their number with a few pushes of some buttons. While this feature has come in handy on several previous phones for me, I find that I don't use it much as the e815 has voice command features.
Note: As you enter contacts into the phone the speed-dial number will be assigned in chronological order. This means that the first contact you enter should be the person who you expect to call the most frequently, second, third, etc. While it is possible to reassign speed-dial numbers, be aware that doing so will delete the contact that previously held that number. For instance, I initially arbitrarily assigned my wife's Aunt as the first contact in this phone, mainly because she was the first person to call me on it. Later I realized that I would rather have my wife's cell as speed dial number 1, as it is the most frequently called number. Simple, right? You might think that the phone would swap the two contact's speed-dial numbers and all would be well, but no. It actually deletes the replaced contact completely from the phone, requiring entry yet again. I didn't figure this out until well after I had unknowingly deleted several names and numbers from my phone!
Using the voice command feature, the user can perform most functions usually associated with dialing and a few more to boot. Press the button on the side of the phone and speak a command, such as Call, Look Up, or Send Picture. Unlike previous phones I have owned, the voice recognition on this phone doesn't need to be trained. Speaking the name of the person you wish to call will dial their number, and in the infrequent case where this doesn't work you can speak the number associated with their phone. I have found about a 95% success rate at dialing by name and I am pretty sure a 100% rate of success for numbers. In the rare case that the phone doesn't quite understand the name it will give you the closest three options, and you can choose the correct one via either a button push or saying Yes or No. As far as voice command features go, this phone works by far the best of any I have used in the past.
The e815 includes a speaker phone option which really works quite well. I have tried in the past to use speaker phone options on other phones including a Nextel flip phone with varying degrees of success. With the e815 it seems to allow for more background noise, allowing the user and the receiver to hear the conversation quite well, even if used in a fairly noisy environment such as a GMC pickup doing 80 down the highway. This would allow me to talk and drive at the same time without the phone crammed into my ear, although I do not do this as a personal rule. I will always pull over to the side of the road for a conversation unless I am using my Bluetooth wireless headset.
The Bluetooth capability of this phone is a very big plus in my book. I purchased the Motorola H500 Bluetooth Headset for use with Skype on my PC, and it just so happened that at about the same time I received this phone. As the two products are both produced by Motorola the connection works seamlessly and all of the voice command and buttons work interchangeably. Once the headset and the phone are paired I can simply tap on the headset and speak a command which the phone translates using the voice recognition software and the connection to the desired person is made. The e815 (at least in conjunction with another Motorola product) is one of the easiest Bluetooth connections I have made, and the quality is good along with the features.
One downside of the Bluetooth (or possibly Verizon, I am not sure) is that I cannot set up the phone as a BT drive in my PC. If this were possible I would be able to transfer MP3's, data and datebook information to the phone from my PC without the need to use a transflash card of the Verizon network pay tools. I am leaning towards the fact that Verizon actually shut this stuff down to force users to use their pay services, but I haven't verified this. Using the Bluetooth connection and your Verizon service it is possible to use the e815 as a wireless gateway for an internet connection, but I have had no need to use this to this point.
The ring/vibrate/alert function of the e815 is good. The user can select between many ringing schemes including loud, soft, vibrate, vibrate then ring, etc. When the ringer is turned as loud as can be it is quite loud, often startling the user and anyone close by when it goes off. This is good, as in the plant I work in a loud ringer is necessary. I say this as the vibrate function of this phone seems somewhat weak to me. The SCH-a650 I had previously had a stronger vibe mode, yet with this one on vibrate I sometimes miss the alert. The ability to set custom rings for certain contacts is certainly nice, as you know without looking who is calling you. If it is someone that you don't wish to speak with at the time, you can simply click either of the volume buttons to silence the ring and send the call to voicemail. The user can download custom ringtones from Get-it-Now (a feature discussed below) ranging from free to $3.99 a tone. Don't even think of using your own MP3 tones on the phone, as it will not allow this. Again, you need to use the Verizon Get-It-Now service to buy any customized ringtones.
The battery life of the e815 is exceptional in my experience. I have been able to consistently run a week at a time without a charge if using the phone as a simple phone device. If you decide to turn on the Bluetooth function to always-on the battery life will be diminished, but I can still get four to five days out of a charge. Using the web-browsing feature or MP3 playing ability will drain the battery faster, but any way you slice it the 1030 mAh battery packs a punch. Through the menu system the user can visually see how much battery capacity is left as well as though a three-bar system on the main screen. This helps me to charge the battery well before I end up with a dropped call.
Text messages are available on the e815 and the Verizon network for a monthly fee. I use these quite frequently to text my wife when in meetings, etc. The phone allows the user to enter in frequently used messages into storage for easy one click entry at a later date, and I find this very useful for those frequently used text messages (when are you gonna be home, what is for dinner). Sending a picture message is quite simple as well, although sending these to a non-compliant phone will force the user to go to www.vzwpix.com to download and view the message. The user can setup the message and choose the picture or simply scroll to the selected picture and choose from the menu to send as a pix message. Both options are quite simple and intuitive.
'Special' non-phone features
Web/browsing services
The e815 is a media phone, no two ways about it. With the OpenWave web browsing capability the user can check websites, stock prices etc. although I have never personally activated this. (There is a separate charge for these features)
Also available with this phone is the aforementioned Get-It-Now where users can download custom ringtones, wallpaper and pictures. Also available are 'applications', otherwise known as games. I have used this feature to download ringtones, but little else. The ringtone selection is quite good with many artists and songs available and they seem to be reasonably priced. Most are midi files with simple tone reproductions while others are full fledged recordings of your favorite songs. I have downloaded the Law and Order theme for a few contacts, Party Starter by Will Smith and of course My Humps by the Black Eyed Peas. The quality of the service is good, and the ringtones are quite varied.
The e815 is VCast enabled, which means that if VCast were an option in my area I could pay an extra fee to use it. It seems to be a media outlet for the traveler/business person on the go, and it offers video clips for the day's news, etc. As mentioned this service has not been enabled in my area as of yet, and even if it were I don't think it would be something I would use all that often. While the screen would make this service quite enjoyable, I am not away from a news outlet (PC, television, radio) often enough to justify it beyond simple curiosity.
Multi-media services
The camera option is quite nice to have with a phone, as I have pictures of most of my contacts taken with the phone. The quality of the 1.3MP camera is nothing to get excited about, but when you can see the person calling you on the external color screen it helps you to see who is calling. There is a 2X and 4X zoom that can be utilized as well as a 'flash'. Flash is somewhat of a misnomer as it is actually a set of three bright LED's that turn on to illuminate the subject of the photo, and they are on constantly rather than a one-time flash. The aperture isn't very fast, and if the subject is in motion (such as my three boys at all times) the picture is probably going to be blurred. Finally, I have found that often enough before snapping a picture I have to get a Kleenex or something comparable to clean off the indented lens, as dust and pocket lint collects on the lens thus 'smearing' the image. The camera has a few settings for adjusting the picture such as negative, sepia and antique, although I really don't use them much, preferring photo editing software to manipulate the picture at a later time. The auto-exposure is somewhat slow, and moving from a high light area to a low light area will take the camera some time to adjust. All in all for a 1.3MP camera on a phone this is pretty good, however.
Getting the pictures off the camera and onto your home PC is accomplished either through the VZWPIX site or through an expandable memory trans-flash card with adapter. I don't have a trans-flash card at this time, but have had no problems using the website to transfer and download my pics. Again, the quality isn't great but sufficient in clarity to make out some detail. I can see where this would be handy for documenting the scene of an accident, etc. although I haven't used the phone in this capacity to date.
The camera also allows the user to take short videos, complete with sound. If a trans-flash card is inserted the camera will take up to three minute clips, yet without the external memory the user is limited to 15 second clips. At ~100-150kb per 15 second clip these can start to clog up your on-phone memory quickly, especially if you have several photos and ringtones stored on the 40MB of onboard memory already. The video quality is quite bad, to say the least. While the user can make out details in the videos, even on the 2" X 3" screen images are quite pixilated and distorted. I have not tried to transport these files over to my computer to watch them as of yet, mainly because I think the results would be simply terrible. The audio is quite clear however, so there is no question what is being said during the video.
The e815 can be used as an MP3 player, although I have no desire to do so myself. Using a trans-flash card and some cheap 1.5mm headphones the user could theoretically use this to listen to their MP3's. Being somewhat of a snob about things like this, I tend to use a devoted MP3 player with better sound quality and lighter weight for this function. It might work in a pinch, but I would much prefer a stand-alone product for this.
A little-used feature (at least for me) is the voice recorder option. Pressing the button on the side of the phone will allow the user to make voice notifications, which could be useful for those long drives when something life-altering occurs to you. Fortunately (or unfortunately, perhaps) I don't often have these flashes of brilliance, so the voice recorder function remains an unused item. The user could (in theory) use this function to record conversations over the air, although Motorola is quick to point out in the user guide that this might be illegal in most states…
PDA-like capability/miscellaneous stuff
The e815 has a somewhat advanced (for a cell phone) PDA function. There is a calendar/datebook available which allows the user to enter meetings and the like as well as reoccurring items. I have used this to set birthdays and the like, but it will not replace my Dell Axim x50 for my planning and scheduling. The reason is simple; it cannot be sync'd with Outlook unless I buy a special software/cable pack from Verizon. (Surprise, surprise) While the concept of having my whole day on my phone, the lack of features on the e815 coupled with the extra charges associated with the software for syncing will keep me from fully utilizing this function.
An alarm clock is present which can be used to alert the user to multiple items throughout the day, although none are auto-reset. In other words, when you acknowledge the alarm it disables it, so it will not ring the next day. I was trying to use this as an alert approximately 15 minutes before the close of the business day to remind me to close up what I was working on. Unfortunately without manually enabling it every day it will not work. I instead set this as an appointment in my Date Book with a repetition of daily and it now works fine. For those one-time alarms that you need, however, this is easy to setup and very customizable (ringtone, etc.)
There is also a calculator with currency converter function, although this works less-than-optimal in my opinion. You need to set the conversion in a separate screen and then go to the calculator and enter the number. Choose menu, select converter and it will take you back to the calculator screen with the appropriate number. I have converted this function to be a tip calculator with a 'conversion' rate of 1.15 entered. I can then enter the price of the meal and 'convert' the value to get the appropriate amount to write in. I think this works, but again it isn't as easy as it could be…
Overall
The e815 is a great entry phone in the Verizon stable. The Bluetooth and voice recognition features make using the phone on the go a reality, and the speakerphone will serve as an intermediate to the BT headset. With ample memory, long battery life and camera/video options, this is the most complete entry phone I have ever seen. I highly recommend this phone to anyone considering a Verizon contract, and except for a few minor flaws this would be a five-star cell.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): free
Recommended for: Professionals On-the-Go - Internet and Email is a Must!
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