Beam Me Up Scotty!
Written: Mar 14 '01 (Updated Jun 06 '01)
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Pros: semi-small size, great sound quality, 4 different usage options
Cons: flimsy flip top, uncomfortable against the ear, elaborate programming methods are confusing
The Bottom Line: great if you are going to take advantage of at least the majority of the functionality, if not I'd look into something else
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| manky's Full Review: i1000plus Cell Phone |
I got the opportunity to use the Motorola i1000plus (also known as the Nextel i1000plus through a small business setting. Preparing myself to possibly sell and promote these contraptions, I threw myself into getting to know everything about them. Unfortunately, there is absolutely so much to know and figure out about this mobile device, that even I was at times confused and baffled at the possibilities.
First things first, this phone was made specifically for service with Nextel. Therefore, I can't hardly explain many aspects of the phone without at least touching in on the service end of things... you won't be able to use the phone with any other service, so this added information shouldn't distract you from the review of the phone itself.
Featuring such technological innovations and depth, this phone comes in a nifty welcome pack. Inside this pack you'll find a manual similar to those you may remember from your high school or college scientific calculator (so big you don't even want to go there.) Also important is an introduction video... although somewhat slow and simple, I'd seriously encourage anyone with this phone to give it a whirl at least once, especially if you refuse to look at the manual. Don't forget that you get a wall charger, and hard plastic click case with belt-clip (not to handy for quick answering, but it does the job if you don't want to buy another one.
Phone:
Here you have the capability of storing up to 100 phone numbers, including 10 for one touch dialing (holding down the specified number for a moment. This feature is actually a longer, more cumbersome hold-down then my Nokia 5190) Unlike many phones, names are stored in all caps, no upper and lower case allowed, plus the name length is considerably shorter than some.
If you take the time to read through a bit of the manual, you can figure out how to, and take advantage of, the last 10 calls made and received feature as well. This makes for quick redial capabilities, and storing of frequently used or received numbers.
Caller ID ties into your phone book, as usual. If you have a named stored in, it will tell you that name of the caller, otherwise it will simply post the number calling.
Direct Connect:
This is the best feature of this phone that I can see. Here you can directly connect with fellow co-workers, friends, family, and business associates who are using the Nextel service in your local area (wide coverage areas) and are connected with your same network. Depending on the service that you have, these calls are unlimited, or at the least at a much lower rate than your actual phone minutes.
These calls are made in a ham radio/walkie-talkie type fashion. You hold down a button, wait for the beep, then talk, letting go when done to hear the other person. If the two of you happen to try to talk at the same time you'll get a louder tone telling you they are already talking. This service is especially helpful in a work or family setting, where almost constant communication is necessary, even for small amounts of time, quick questions, etc.
Direct connect can happen with the flip cover closed, and using the speaker phone on (this is especially fun to do with other people around, everyone wants to know what's going on) or in private mode, where you have the phone open and up to your ear. Either way, your conversation in secure through the airwaves due to the scrambling circuit that Nextel sends the signals through.
Group Calling:
Not to be confused with three-way calling (which is available with the standard phone end of things,) this is where a business owner, manager, etc. can program in a number of people they may need to contact with a message or a meeting. We never actually used this feature, so I can't tell you any more than what it's supposed to do for you.
Wireless Web:
I found this part of the phone especially nice while waiting for a friend during her hospital check-up appointment. Bored with all the magazines around, I flipped open my phone, looked into buying flowers from FTD, checked up on my latest amazon.com order, read through some headlines, and checked my hotmail account.
At this point you can only reach MSN information, and selected sites they've chosen. However, you can go online to personalize what you see on your phone. I was especially impressed with the news area. When the Seattle area recently had an earthquake, information was available almost immediately, not just at the end of the day.
As I mentioned before, there is a substantial speaker phone inside of this somewhat small phone. I find this especially nice for driving and talking on the phone, or checking my messages. With the exception of bad reception areas, I had no one complain of the lack of ability to hear me any different through the speaker phone, plus others can easily join into the conversation.
Unfortunately, many of the functions of the phone cannot be accessed without actually opening the flip-cover of the phone. A few of the simple actions can be done with it all closed, but I found myself needing to open it more often than I'd have liked.
Unlike many of the cell phone out right now, this one has simple digital rings, no songs, nothing special, so don't look for that sort of flashy bell or whistle. It does come with internal vibrate, making the need for a vibrating (read: expensive) battery nil. Placing the entire phone on silent (web, direct connect, group, and phone) and to vibrate is easy (press *#9.)
My biggest complaint is the battery life and size. The packaged battery is bulky making the phone an odd cumbersome shape. Yet this big battery is lucky to last you 2 days if not only 1 1/2 with out some sort of boost in charge. If you are constantly in communication (as anyone with this phone should be,) this can be a problem. A car charger would be highly recommended... and don't plan on long wilderness trips and still stay in contact... Plus, worst of it is that if you're battery is low, even if everything is set to silent/vibrate, your phone will begin to incessantly chirp. This will cause you to need to actually turn the phone off at this point if in a movie, play, etc.
With the right mix of contacts using this same service, a great deal of patience and technical know-how, and the right plan... this can be a real plus to a road-warrior, construction business, large family, small business, and more!
Epinions Note: This phone is listed twice here at Epinions (once simply as the "i1000", once as the "i1000plus, I have contacted them in this regards. Once the two areas are merged, I will remove one of my duplicate reviews (each placed only once under each title)
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): -
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Epinions.com ID:
manky
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 - Top 1000 |
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Member: Amancay Maahs
Location: Hood River, OR
Reviews written: 85
Trusted by: 45 members
About Me:
Young woman from Oregon... spent time in Argentina learning the language, and to love life!
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