Expensive must have! - revised
Written: Jul 28 '00 (Updated Sep 10 '00)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Smallest available, great function
Cons: Expensive, basic features
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| pkitch's Full Review: Motorola V8162 Cell Phone |
Spellbound by this mesmerizing marvel of miniaturization, I am the owner of the new Motorola v.8162. Weighing in at around 2.9 oz and measuring 66% in size of the Startac, the Motorola v.8162's initial appeal may also be its deterrence for some.
Having used a digital Startac ST7768W (see my review on this) for about 18 months, I was naturally looking out for a new upgrade. I have had my eye on this phone since it's initial release well over a year ago in its v.3160 Analog guise. I decided to wait for the digital version - much in frustration as it has been available in Europe, Asia and South Africa for quite some time, and with much upgraded firm/software.
Ergonomics: The phone IS small! Seeing is believing, and is will be sure to get your attention (and others). The form factor though is surprisingly useable, and the buttons are only slightly smaller than those on a Startac. The buttons are taller, but narrower and have a more tactile feedback than those on the Startac, but not quite as good as the rubber buttons found on Nokia's etc. and occasionally I have to re-press the button(s) again a little harder (usually the bottom row) to get the response.
Physical design of the phone is again like the Startacs; a closing clamshell that encloses the screen and buttons. Same goes for the software, with one useful addition, the phone has an alarm clock with a message. This can be set for daily alarm or a specific date. Useful but not an earth shattering addition. The screen occupies the top half of the shell, with the lower half occupying the buttons. Build quality is very good and has only a very slight amount of 'give' in the hinge (unlike the Startacs), allowing only a small amount of 'flex'. Metallic gray plastic and silver contrast looks classy. Having spent some time also eyeing the Samsung SCH-8500, you could feel that Motorola build quality does not quite measure up, especially for the high price. However, I personally felt that the solid ‘snap’ of the Samsung felt a bit harsh, whereas the closure of this phone feels more svelte – I think it is a matter of preference. Despite its diminutive size, you can still hold it between your face and neck, a feature that I have found very difficult with my other phones, and invaluable when scrabbling for that PDA, pen/paper etc.
The screen is green backlit, which when compared to the blue electro luminescent screen of some phones looks slightly less crisp, but does feature a ‘Holographic Optimax’ display. I’ll take the ad blurb for granted here, but I will say there are no problems reading the display under any conditions. The phone has the same number of buttons as the Startac and also has the dedicated message button and dual-purpose buttons for the mini-browser. The side of the phone has three buttons, volume up/down and a 'smart' button that primarily functions as a 'select' button and activates phone book and other functions, and this is my favorite function. I have heard criticisms of Motorola’s general access to their phone’s phonebooks – a crucial feature. I have owned the heralded Nokia 6190, and found its exposure to accidental button pressing, and in call menu features far fussier although admittedly more sophisticated. Flip open the phone, press the middle ‘smart’ (side) button and the phone book opens displaying the last name that you accessed. Press the first letter to access the number, or twice to access ‘Paul’ then ‘Peter’ etc. usual fare. You than have the choice of dialing one of the four numbers that you may have programmed for that contact. Press talk, or hold in the ‘smart’ button. Calls are terminated by closing the phone shut.
One-handed use is harder due to the distance your thumb (holding phone in palm) has to move 'inwards' to press buttons, and a voice dial feature (Sprint are now Offering this service for $10.00 a month, or you can choose it as a free option with new service or 1 year agreement), but with a little use becomes second nature. Useful features I like are the programming ability of calling card etc. and although a feature available on most phones, I fine works exceptionally well.
Performance is excellent. Although this phone is a single band only, I have not yet found this to be a problem in metro areas. To be honest, the analog ‘Roaming’ feature I had on my Startac caused me to deter from using the phone due to the outlandish roaming fees. It would also switch over to analog when there was still a weak digital signal (such as airports etc) causing me to ‘lock’ the phone into Digital anyway. This sounds like an excuse but it is simply my experience, and I am sure for some users this may be a critical disappointment. (The v.8160 model has the analog as well as digital bandwidth incidentally, but is not configured for sprint service). Reception is unquestionable, and the phone has the loudest earpiece I have ever heard, to the point where to listen to voicemail etc in a quiet environment I can set it on a desk and listen to it. Transmission is again excellent, and not once have I had people comment that I am on a cell phone, or ‘you are breaking up’ etc. Having used the phone for about 2 months now, I am confident of its performance and abilities, and in the rare incident that I hear crackle, I know it is far more likely to be a household cordless phone on the other end that this user. I would suspect though that the transmission is not quite as good as my old Startac, if that was 95%, perhaps this is 93% by sometimes sounding slightly less crisp than I was used to, but still comparable to a landline.
Battery life is again comparable to the digital Startacs; it is in fact the slim li-ion battery from the Startac used in this phone. You would be hard pushed to run it out in a day with 2-3 hours talk. If you are disciplined enough to charge it every night, it is unlikely that you would need a higher capacity battery which are available incidentally.
Overall it is hard for me to fault this phone. I would like more features; voice dial, bigger phone book, higher resolution display etc., but realistically that is more to my fascination with gadgets (let’s be honest that is most of us), and less due to actual need. I think I would prefer a stubby antenna as seen on the European newer models, and if it could be done a little more battery life. But for now, if you are like me in that the more transparent a phone or other life-simplifying gadget is, the more likely you are to have it with you and more often greatly enhancing its function and thus value. For me the price tag although not taken lightly, does justify the purchase, and if for no other reason; let’s not deny it is a cool phone.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
pkitch
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Member: Paul
Location: Orlando, FL
Reviews written: 10
Trusted by: 2 members
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