Motorola has come a long way in recent years to improve their phones. The V120 is a big step in the right direction. For once Motorola has gone out of its way to make their new phone easier to use. This means more screen area and easier to navigate menus. In fact, the V120 uses the same menus as the V60c (the small $500 flip phone). This phone comes jam packed with features, many of which cannot be found on any other phone out there.

I have now owned the phone for about 30 days and I have no regrets about buying the phone. I currently have Verizon service and purchased the phone for about $150 WITHOUT extending my contract. By agreeing to another years service I could have gotten the phone for about $79. Being a Tri-Mode phone, you can use it anywhere in the country. Although I currently cannot use the phone in Africa (see profile).

I think the easiest way to review the phone to list the Pros and Cons. As you will see I have many more Pros than Cons. If you have any more questions please do not hesitate to contact me.

Pros

1. Tri Mode - Being a Tri-Mode phone I can use in anywhere on Verizons network. This phone is perhaps the best choice if you need a tri-mode.

2. Voice Activated Dialing - To use this feature you record someone's name when entering his or her number in the phone book. When you want to dial that person you simply hold a designated (for voice dialing only) button on side of phone and say their name. I have found this feature to work pretty well, although sometime I need to repeat the person's name twice. I think it works best to have very different sounding recorded names for similar sounding names or people. For instance, "Joe Cell" and "Joe Home" might get confused when you try to use voice dial because they sound too similar.

3. Two Way Text Messaging - Most people are familiar with what this is. Mototola's iTAP software for simplified text entry anticipates the word you are trying to spell when entering text in email, short messages or other edit modes. This helps speed up text entry. Of course this feature can be turned off.

4. Wireless Web - While many people can live without this feature, I really enjoy it. It is great for checking movie times and getting sports scores. Browsing on this phone is fairly easy with the two nav buttons up top. People will find that browsing on this phone is much easier than it was with a startac.

5. Phonebook - Phone will store 400 names. Also allows you to select a little icon corresponding to the type of number you are entering (home, cell, fax). Curiously you cannot enter in more than one number per person, thus some people will be listed more than once if they have more than one number. Thankfully, Motorola has improved they way people can retrieve numbers in the phonebook. Now all names are automatically alphabetized. It used to be that you had to give each name a corresponding number slot in the book. This meant that when you would scroll through your phone you would see each name listed not by the alphabet but the random slot you gave it.

6. Vibrates - There is no need to purchase a special battery in order to make this phone vibrate. The vibrating feature is built in. I have never missed a call because I could not feel the vibration.

7. Sync - Easily sync the phone with Outlook and other contact applications. I have never used this and cannot comment on this function. Although it is nice to do I have the functionality available.

8. Size and Weight - The phone is surprising light. Although the phone is not as small as a Nokia 8860 it is roughly the same weight at 4.5 ounces. The phone is small enough where I have no problems carrying it my pocket all day long. I sometime have problems catching the antenna in my pocket.

9. Talk Time - The talk and standby times of this phone are great! Motorola states 270 minutes of talk time and I believe every minute of it. My experience has shown thus far that the phone lives up to its claims. Not only is there a battery meter on the display but you can also get a more detailed battery meter by clicking through the menu's.

10. Signal Strength - No problems here. I have had dozens of phones and this seems to work like the best of them. Very few drop calls, although a lot depends on your service and the area you are using the phone.

11. Customization - Now this is one feature I have been unable to find on any other phones. This phone allows you to rearrange how you view the menu. If there is a menu feature you use more than others than just stick it up top! It also allows you change the two navigation buttons at the bottom of the display to whatever you want. Also, this phone allows you to create shortcuts. These work in the same way as shortcuts in Microsoft Windows. A simple key stroke such as "Menu" "7" could bring you to your ring tones setting.

12. Voice Record - Nifty feature that allows you to record personal messages to yourself. I use to it record the location of my car in a parking garage.

13. Ring Tones - Over 30 original ring tones to choose from.

14. FM Tuner Option - No other phone has this feature (except for the V 60c). You must purchase an accessory for this feature to work. I have yet to try it out. Perhaps people who have used it can add more at the end of reading this review.


Cons

1. Extended Antenna - the antenna raises out of the body by about a half and inch. I see no use for this. Signal strength does not improve and I never raise it. Yet, by making the antenna come out it is more prone to get caught in things and be damaged.

2. Phonebook - Overall I like the phonebook. I just wish you could add more than one number for each person.

3. Screen - The screen has a high resolution which is a nice touch. Yet, why can't Motorola just make the screen a little bigger? Other manufacturers have caught on why not Motorola? This would make web browsing much easier.

4. Keys - No big complaint here, its just that the keys are kind of mushy. Sometime you are not sure if the phone registered what you typed.

5. Profiles - Nokia does a great job with there phones in the way you manage your profiles. By profiles I mean the settings in your phone that manage the type of ring you want. For example whether you want the phone to just vibrate or both ring and vibrate. Nokia allows you to create profiles such as "Meeting" that stores how you want the phone to ring. Changing your phone to "Meeting" is very easy. In the V120 it is not as easy. The best thing to do is create a shortcut to this feature.

Overall I have been very satisfied with the phone. If you can afford it I recommend stepping up to the V 60c which is much smaller. Yet for the price this phone cannot be beat. I am glad to see Mototola is starting to improve the functionality of their phones. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND the purchase of this phone. On a scale of 1-100 I give it this phone a 88. The reason it does not receive 100 is because of the overall size of the phone and its small screen. Now if they only made this phone for use in Africa....

Other Phones I like:
Nokia 8260 (ATT)
Motorola V60c (Verizon)

NOTE: If you have still not bought service please stay away from Cingular, Sprint PCS, and Voicestream. It is my PERSONAL experience that these service providers are god awful. Don't let cheap service plans fool you. You get what you pay for. Cheap Plans = Poor or non-existent service and horrendous customer service.


Recommended: Yes

Amount Paid (US$): 150