Moving from the i1000 plus I found that the i85 was a pleasant change.

The i1000 plus requires that you constantly change "modes" when you want to get into Direct Connect. With the i85 you enter the Direct Connect ID of the person you are attempting to communicate with and you are able to instantly connect (Assuming that person is within your home area. Nationwide direct connect is supposed to be coming 2002).

The unit is small and lightweight. I find the battery life to be about a full day of use. The screen contrast is very good with easy readability in all types of lighting.

Sometimes your keypresses on this unit seem to have a delay. I don't know why this is but think maybe they went a little overboard with the software programming of this phone. I know they were hyping the use of the Java programming language (which I still haven't found a use for) and don't know if they tried to integrate that into the phone's operations.

Nextel is a cool service that has several features that competitors don't. You can use the phone as if it were a walkie talkie and depending on your plan get unlimited connect time. Their wireless internet plans are unlimited and do not eat into your wireless time as do all competitors. They offer unlimited incoming calling plans which makes their monthly rate cheaper than competitors for heavy users.

Hopefully the i85 is just a glimpse of the cool phones that could be coming for Nextel. It would be nice if the phones were made by someone other than just Motorola though. A little competiton never hurt!

Recommended: Yes

Amount Paid (US$): 149