I have owned several Nokia and Motorola cell phones for personal use over the last several years, and was recently issued a Motorola i1000 at work. My first impression was.. "I HATE this phone!" I almost wrote my opinion then, but decided to wait and give it a chance.

It's been a couple of months now, and.. I HAVE CHANGED MY MIND! Despite a few annoying flaws in design, this phone meets or exceeds the quality and functionality of my Nokia 51xx and 61xx phones. I am a computer consultant, and use this phone while on the road - in my "mobile office", and also on site.

Pros:
Speakerphone
This is GREAT! I love this feature. Initially, I bought headsets for both this phone and my Nokia. Now, I use the speakerphone on the Motorola almost exclusively. (I even find myself annoyed that the Nokia doesn't have this feature natively.) The sound is excellent, and the volume level can be controlled by two buttons on the side of the phone. It operates with the cover open or closed, and can pickup my voice with excellent clarity, even when placed in the console cubby on my Ford Explorer. Even with the engine and road noise, people say I am coming across loud and clear.

Also, this feature is great if the call involves participation with several people around you, or when you find it awkward to hold the phone. Put the phone in the middle of the desk, and everyone can speak to and hear the person at the other end of the call.

Two-way radio
Another great feature. Everyone where I work at is on the same "two-way radio network", so we can all talk to each other whenever we want, without calling them on the cell. You can beep one person, or a group. (I haven't had the need to use the group function yet.) We call these the "beepy phones", and they are exactly that. Like a walkie-talkie, you press and hold a button on the side of the radio to talk. To just beep someone, (in case they are busy and you don't want your voice to interrupt something), just press the button once. Beep! Then, the recipient can look at the display and see who it was, and then return the beep.

Although you can only beep someone within your own "network", I've heard that Nextel is working on expanding this feature so you can beep someone outside of your network. Now, THAT would be great.

See-though flip cover
To be honest, I was initially annoyed with the see-through display flip cover. The buttons that "work through" the cover didn't make sense initially. Like most everyone, I hate reading manuals, or having to mess around with something to figure it out. After spending some time playing with it, I have found that you can do everything with the cover closed as you can with the cover open, except dial a unique number. Under the see-through display, there are two buttons whose functionality changes depending on what mode you are in. (Modes = phone, radio, net.) You can peruse your phone list with the help of the buttons that normally function as volume controls, and then dial and use the speakerphone feature.

One word of advice, tho - I took a couple pieces of clear tape and put them over the outer display. I've dropped the phone several times, and have put a couple scratches in the display. Hopefully the tape will keep it from getting worse.


Cons:
Keypad buttons
What I like about the Nokia over the Motorola is that the buttons are raised, and are easy to push when holding the phone with one hand. The Motorola's keypad buttons are very flush to the face, and I find them difficult to push without pushing directly downward with the tip of my finger, or the edge of the fingernail.

Workaround: I try to program often-dialed numbers into the phone book, therefore I don't need to manually enter them when making a call.

Holster
The holster clips to your belt, and the phone slides into the holster, with the display against the back of the holster. Personally, I'd rather have the phone facing outward, but with a few battery choices which vary in depth, I can understand Motorola's design decision. I find it also awkward to remove the phone from the holster, as you have to push against the antenna to release it. (I've been told by another Motorola i1000 owner than the area around the antenna cracks easily, so I have been careful with the pressure exerted when removing it from the holster.)

Workaround: I picked up a $4.99 adhesive button and belt clip from Best Buy. The button sticks to the back of the battery, which then allows the phone to be clipped into the belt clip. The belt portion has a button that allows you to release it, meanwhile keeping it secure and safe from falling out. I like this MUCH better than the holster.

Reception quality
I find that my Nokia has better reception in buildings than the Motorola. Standing closer to an outside wall or standing up rather than sitting down sometimes helps the reception. This is apparent in both cellular and radio modes. Sometimes, in radio mode, voices come across garbled if the reception is poor.

The coverage area is much better on my Nokia through US Cellular then the Motorola/Nextel. If this is concern of yours, you may want to check Nextel's coverage maps to see if it will fit your lifestyle.

User Interface
This took some time to get used to. Not as intuitive as the Nokia, wading through the menus to find functions takes a little more patience. Also, a friend of mine noted that you cannot erase individual calls from the history: you have the erase the whole thing. Ok, maybe he has something to hide. :)

Other features worthy of mentioning:
Paging
Using Nextel's web site, you can send a text page to the phone. Or, you can send a page to it directly by email. The phone beeps when a page is received, and several lines are viewable at once on the screen.

Volume controls
On the side of the phone, above the "walkie-talkie" button, are two buttons that control the volume. If you are viewing a phone list, you can use these buttons to scroll through the list. They are placed very well on the phone.

Size
Although not one of the smallest phones on the market, it's size is comfortable and is actually smaller than the Nokia 51xx and 61xx series. I've found that holding a Nokia makes you feel like you need to hold it down a little on your cheek, but the Motorola is designed with the perfect design, and I don't feel like I need to fidget with the positioning.

Net
Since I am not subscribed to any of the Net features, I cannot comment on them fully. We do have one person in the office that does have the service, and he uses it to check his stocks. His comment is that it is text-based, and limited, but inexpensive as compared to services available on other devices, such as a Palm VII. Personally, I use a Palm VIIx for the web needs on the road, so I have no use for this feature.

Recommended: Yes

Amount Paid (US$): 100