A Mixed Bag
Written: Jul 01 '01
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Pros: egronomic shape, inexpensive, loud ringer, several accessories included, fm tuner, minibrowser
Cons: pointless phone wraps, horrible keypad, no clock, subpar audio quality
The Bottom Line: In the best case scenario, I can only be neutral with this phone. It has its own thing, but it's missing some others.
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| bonka's Full Review: Motorola V2282 Cell Phone |
I myself do not own this phone, but I have had access to this model from several of my friends and can make a pretty sound opinion about the v2282.
Phone:
Well in Canada, this model is offered by Fido, and at this time, there is a rebate on this model. The v2282 comes with a plethora of accessories, from a headset to v2282's unique "phone wraps". The rest is pretty much standard for all cellular phones.
Build:
The immediate feeling of this phone is cheap. Most, if not all, the exterior is made of plastic. The phone feels very egronomic as it molds to the hand better with its peanut shaped curves. There are no creaks or loose fittings when placed in a tight jean pocket or when grasped. However, due to its plastic exterior, a several falls here and there may dent the phone a little easier than other makes. Overall, I like the design, although it took some time getting use to.
Screen/Display:
With whatever usage I was able to accumulate with the v2282, my feelings with the display is a rather mixed one. The resolution is very good, however, I had a hard time reading the display in sunlight as the actual screen inside sits so far back from the plastic screen outside, the glare of the sun made it tough for glancing. The backlight is below average. The screen is lit unevenly. Some spots have a high concentration of light, others have little. It may provide some problems at night, but should still be good enough to be read. The font used on the v2282 is very nice. It is not a fixed display font so the font size adjusts accordingly. At best, the display on the v2282 is adequate.
A big downer was the lack of a clock. Something like this should be standard on all phones, however, Motorola decided to disable this feature. From what I've heard, there are hidden features in the v2282. With the help of either some data cable and software, or a "cloning card" that I've heard about, you can enable the clock, as well as other features which I forget. These features should'nt have been disabled in the first place, so I don't know what the deal was with that.
Keypad:
The keypad on the v2282 is similar to the keypad on the Nokia 5100 series. They are below average. The v2282's keypad does sit high up, but, the keys in no way offer alot of tactile feel to it. Little clicking is known when pressing the keys; feeling more mushy than anything else. It requires more pressure than usual to activate a key because many times, I found that I pressed a key, but nothing responded. I can't offer anything much higher than average for the keypad.
Battery:
The v2282 comes with a 700MaH NiMH battery. At first, I thought it was your basic AAA batteries, but on closer inspection, they were longer than the AAA batteries. It offers about 130hrs of talk time and about 200hrs of standby.
Phonebook:
The phonebook on the v2282 is similar in operation as the Nokia phonebooks. However, like all GSM phones, or phones with SIM cards, the capacity of your phonebook is limited to the amount that can be stored on the SIM. Unless you have collected strangers' phone numbers, the phonebook should offer more than enough storage.
Ringers:
I can't remember how many ringers the v2282 has, I think it was about 11 or 12. These ringers are very loud and is on par with the other makes in terms of ringer volume. There are several oscillating ringers to choose from, although I found it peculiar to identify a ringer with a country (ie: british tone). Nonetheless, very nice ringers.
Network:
This phone works via 1900 GSM digital. However, as with many Fido phones, no analog is available. There is no analog module that I know of for this model. So, expect to use this phone in the city or be prepared for fashionable paperweight.
FM Tuner:
This feature I like very much. I wish this was implemented with many other phones rather than purchasing an adaptor. Anyways, the built-in radio tuner offers FM frequency. I was a little disappointed that AM was not added to it as well. Nonetheless, the FM tuner was very easy to use. Although tuning stations took a little longer because it would only change in 0.1 increments, however, the audio quality was very good, as good as your radio tuner at home. Since the v2282 does not have a speakerphone, the FM tuner is listenable only through the included headset piece. The tuner also allows you to preset your favourite stations for quick tracking. Overall, a very nice extra.
Audio Quality:
Whatever the v2282 looses in physical characteristics, it somewhat gains it back with audio quality. Incoming audio was very good, very natural sounding, comparable to the Nokia 5190. However, I found the volume to be a little lacking. A high on the motorola would be about a medium on other handsets. It may pose a problem when used in noisy situations. Background hiss is not really noticable since the volume is rather low.
Outgoing audio was something else. People I have talked to with the phone confessed to choppy audio, and very noticable background noise. I have heard the outgoing audio myself, and it frustrated me even when I was at home in a quiet room.
When using the headset, volume was the same as the receiver, not very loud.
In terms of signal strength, the v2282 does a good job at hanging on to that digital signal. Some underground parking lots do posess a problem for the v2282, but this is moreso likely a network thing.
SIM Card:
Since this phone requires a SIM card, there are 2 opinions about it, you either like it or hate it. It provides simplicity and convenience as it stores all the important info, such as your settings, phonebook, and account info. If this phone suddenly dies, simply remove the SIM and put the card into another GSM phone with SIM card. The same phone number is kept as well. However, it works against you just as easily, anyone can use this phone. Theives can easily steal one, and replace it with a their own SIM card and the phone is working for them. Your call here.
Conclusion:
As mentioned in the title, a complete mixed bag. On one hand, you're getting all these extras, 2 phone wraps, headset, FM tuner, belt clip, etc. On the other hand, many physical aspects hurt the phone and the audio quality is rather disappointing for a GSM phone.
Is this a buy or what? It's up to you to decide. I'm not really sure that you get what you're paying for, because of some omitted features and some pointless ones included (minibrowser). However, I would say it is a good buy namely because the price for the v2282 has dropped to under $100, and with Fido, you can get it rebated to $0. The prepaid bundle is also cheaper at around $125.
If you were deciding between the Mitsubishi G310 or the Motorola V2282, I would be hard pressed to choose either of the two; both do not have a clock! However, is audio quality is important to you, opt for the G310.
Recommended:
No
Amount Paid (US$): 0 w/rebate
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Epinions.com ID:
bonka
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Member: Warren
Location: Vancouver
Reviews written: 7
Trusted by: 1 member
About Me:
The Swedish chef says "borgy, borgy, boo."
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