Inspired By Nature - Designed By Motorola (Motorola PEBL U6)

Member Name: Teena2003

Product:	Motorola PEBL U6
Date:	09/03/06 (4538 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: sophisticated, smooth, rounded design, durable, unusual shape

Disadvantages: camera, flimsy seal on charger connection

DISCLAIMER: I am an everyday (light) user and my review is based solely on my experience with the phone. I am aware that the phone is capable of a lot more and I make no claims that I am able to mention all of them, have used them or know how to. I therefore will not cover features I do not know anything about, nor do I explain in detail what they might do to bulk out this review. However, I will cover features I have used, like or dislike. END

I have a mobile phone on contract. The tariff was taken out so long ago that you don't get anything close to the deal any longer - the company (Vodafone Connect) doesn't even officially exist anymore. But I am allowed to upgrade my phone every 12 months.

I normally upgrade in summer (July/August time) but last time was different. I didn't fancy any of the phones on offer. The V3 (or RAZR) looked interesting until they brought out the pink version, so not sophisticated anymore. But I had seen advance advertising for the U6, a.k.a. PEBL in a Carphone Warehouse brochure as far back as August and I was determined to have one. It arrived in the shops in early December 05 and the moment I saw it I knew I had to have it.


=== THE LOOK OF THE PHONE ===

The PEBL is designed without any harsh corners or edges. Just like a pebble you find at the beach, all nice and round. It is beautifully rounded everywhere and when you hold it in your hand it feels smooth and warm. It's not designed from cheap plastic or aluminium but warm and 'squidgy' neoprene. It doesn't have a pouch or belt clip, the only other accessory you will get with it is a leather wrist-strap.

Connecting the phone to the plug or the computer is a little fiddly. The connector is near the hinges at the top and a little rubber button seals the hole. Up until now I could use most of my Motorola chargers as they fit all phones, this one is different, it is tiny and you will need to you the proper accessories and cannot borrow from someone unless they also have a PEBL. Charging the phone depends very much on where you charge from, the plug is fastest, only about 3-4 hours when fully discharged but if you charge through your computer it can take a little longer.

The rubber seal button is very flimsy to say the least. I had the misfortune to lose it in my coat pocket once and it took me ages to a) find it and b) reattach it to the phone. I don't know if it makes any difference if the seal is on or off, but at least it keeps dirt and other foreign objects out. I reckon the loss would have been more esthetic than functional.

I was surprised that the phone actually came with a little instruction sheet explaining how to open the phone. There is a little trick to it and once you have mastered it with one hand a slight thumb action it does look very sophisticated and smooth.

The phone kept closed by magnets and only when you gently dislodge them will the phone open smoothly. Of course, you can open the flip phone the normal way by pulling it up at the base but be aware that the top half is pretty heavy and can unbalance the phone and it can fall out of your hand. And as I said, doing it the proper way looks so much cooler.

NOTE: While the exposed magnets used for the flip can be demagnetised when they are kept too close to other magnets and the phone will not close anymore, you can also accidentally wipe the information off your bank and credit cards if you leave them too close to the magnetic lock on the phone.

When the phone is closed the front panel shows the time, reception quality and battery. You can set the clock to show either digital (numbers only, two in each line) or analogue but I found it almost impossible to tell the time when I had the phone in analogue, the dial just didn't show enough detail.

When a call comes in then the display on the phone will show you the name of the caller (if stored in your phone), number or it will say 'private call'. It will also tell you missed calls and new text messages but does not reveal any other information.


=== USING THE PHONE ===

The keypad certainly takes some getting used to. After you mastered the single-handed opening of the phone this shouldn't be too difficult.

Buttons have been eliminated, just like the RAZR but with a difference. While the RAZR (and the new SLVR) has sunken lines or grooves, the PEBL feels almost like Braille with its raised lines. You can run your fingers over but have to guess where the letters are as there are no real push buttons. During the day you can easily identify the different keys, in the dark you will notice that the raised lines are lit up and make pressing the correct number or letter easy.

The top buttons (left, right and menu) have been replaced by "dot - dash - dot", more raised lines tell you where the 'buttons' end and you will also find two separate keys for the www service and to open the text messages. The tiny joystick can be programmed with your favourite functions so you can decide what opens when you push up, down, left or right. It makes life a little easier.

I only very recently noticed that my phone had a button on the right side of the phone. I had seen the ones on the left, adjusting ringer style and underneath the button to automatically open 'office tools' where I can adjust settings without having to go all the way through every option and not find it because I couldn't be bothered.

The button on the right hand side is slightly different, it is used for two things, one is the voice note option, you press the button and you can make voice notes you can listen to later. The other option I only discovered by pure chance when I pressed it when I had the phone open. It prompts you for a voice command. There are a number of options given and they do not need training. As long as you speak clearly the phone should recognise the words like "camera" (and the camera does open), redial, number dial or voicemail.

The voice quality when using the phone is great, crisp and crystal clear in even a reasonably good reception area. I noticed when I took the phone to Germany over Christmas and the area where I stayed I rarely had more than a one bar signal on my other phones but I had no problems at all getting three bars. I never had problems hearing the person on the other end of the phone and I have not heard any complaints about the quality of my voice when I speak to them.

I noticed that I can fit long text messages on the screen which is fairly large for a mobile phone but as I do not use the phone for much else than calling and texting I do not need the best screen. Having said that, the colours are great, clear and vibrant from what I can see and the small photos that you can display as background or wallpaper look very classy.

The PEBL is not only a dual or tri band phone, it's one of Motorola's growing number of quad band phones and can be used virtually anywhere in the world. I had it in the USA with me and it automatically switches bands, no more fiddling around, trying to find the setting for the USA as it used to be with a lot of older tri-band phones. Last time I took my mobile to the USA I still had to manually switch from 900/1800 to 1900, the US setting.

I have a bluetooth headset from my last phone and while it is compatible with the phone, I have only used it once. I don't like anything sticking in my ear at all times of the day and I never answer my phone in the car anyway. There's nothing so important that it can't wait, and if it's important they can call again - I don't have voicemail activated either.


=== SOFTWARE PACKAGE ===

The PEBL comes with computer disk, containing a programme called "Motorola Phone Tools". I had computer disks with mobiles before but they required infrared. The PEBL comes with USB cable and can be plugged into any computer easily.

There are a number of interesting features when you connect the phone to the computer. I don't use all of them but it does come in handy when you are working at the computer and the phone is right there next to you.

One of the advantages is that while the phone is plugged to your computer it is automatically charged, almost like you get with Apple's iPods. You don't need the plug to get a little bit of power into the phone. The phone charges whether or not you open the software that comes with it.

The software allows you to connect with the Outlook calendar, tasks and contacts and synchronises both so that you are always up to date with all your dates on both, your computer and the phone. The transfer works both ways, to and from the computer to phone.

I love the idea that I can synchronise my text messages, they will appear on my computer for easy access, without having to check my phone. When a new message arrives it automatically downloads to the computer and alerts you. You can also send text messages directly from your computer via the USB connection and your mobile to anyone without having to touch the actual phone.

I use the software's Multimedia Studio mainly for loading wallpapers and mp3 ringtones onto the phone. The software allows you to crop your favourite song and place it on the phone as your ringtone. I also managed to load a number of new wallpapers on without expensive download from the Internet to the phone, very handy.

I never really bothered taking photos with the phone camera. There are various reasons, one is I never knew how to get the photos from the phone to my computer without expensive MMS, Multimedia Studio does it for you, just open the folder on the phone and copy the photos over. The quality of the camera is still very limited and there are phones out there that have much better cameras but I tend to have a proper digital camera on me and would only use the phone in an emergency. With only 5MB internal memory I doubt I will be taking many high quality photos or even video. It may look alright on a small screen, the moment you are trying to make the picture or video larger it will blur.

All in all, I really enjoy the software that came with the phone and can't fault it one bit. I have yet to find a fault with the phone, the standby (up to 250 hours) and talk time (up to 400 minutes) may not be the most you can get but it is more than enough for me. I don't use the phone that often and I have not yet run out of talk time while on the move.

My PEBL is SIM-free, I never before had a SIM-free phone and so far have not added any settings for the GPRS on my contract. I rarely use that facility anyway, only used it to download ringtones but as I use the software package for that I don't really need it anymore. I prefer real tone to polyphonic or the standard ones. I tried sending a couple of photos from my recent holiday to friends but couldn't, I haven't set up the service, no email, no MMS at the moment. I have the codes and everything but I feel that I might compromise the SIM-free status and have decided against it for the time being.

I reckon everyone has their preferences when it comes to phones and mobile phone producers. I have always been a Motorola person and only once ventured into the world of Nokia. I also like my flip phones and if you ask me, there is no better company than Motorola out there at present time with the best flip phones available. But that's personal opinion and doesn't necessarily mean anything.

Three months down the line and I must say it was worth the wait. To me mobile phones have always been a necessary evil. But I love the PEBL so much, I really want to show it off. I haven't seen many around yet, maybe the strange key-pad is putting the younger people with their text messaging off a bit but it certainly looks great, feels fantastic for a phone and is just so sophisticated, it should only be sold to people who appreciate the beauty and style of it.

I hope I have covered most of the functions I use, I will update in case I do find more uses for the phone. This is by no means complete but as I mentioned at the beginning, I did not plan on copying the specs from the web, that's something everyone interested in the phone can look up if they want.

Further information can be found on the Motorola website www.motorola.com

© Teena2003/Minnitee

Summary: Motorola's PEBL will stand out amongst the thousands of similar phones

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