Helloooooo Moto! (Motorola V220)

Member Name: archiegirl

Product:	Motorola V220
Date:	30/01/06 (201 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Small, light and cute ( a bit like me!)

Disadvantages: not many gadgets

This is my newest gadget! I'm not technophobic but I do have a tendency to shy away from overcomplicated electronics and computers. (Apart from cameras....!) I like things to do the basics and do them well. I don't need all the bells and whistles that are becoming more and more common on products these days.

I was presented with this little gem as a reward for making my 2nd non-smoking anniversary and I must say I am very pleased with it. I chose a Pay as You Go plan because I like to be in control (!) and I chose the Orange network. Those are incidental bits of information and I'm not going into the benefits of either in this review. I will review Orange seperately at a later date.

So, the phone. I have previously had three Motorola phones, one Seimens and a Nokia. Motorola is by far my phone manufacturer of choice. The Seimens was faffy and the Nokia felt heavy and complicated. The Clam shell design is my favourite and this phone stood out in terms of price and design.

The phone is small and lightweight. It is mainly silver and has a black display surround on the outer shell. The display panel shows who is calling when the phone is closed and it also shows the time. Below that is a small mirror surrounding the camera lens. (I would really like to have done away with the camera, that's how prehistoric i am, but it couldn't be done) There are three buttons on the left side of the phone for ontolling volume and any other function you assign. There is a hot key on the RHS to control the camera when the lid is closed. You can take self portraits. Hmmm, shan't bother.

Upon opening the camera you are greeted by an electric blue backlit key pad. This is fantastic for those of us with slightly defective eyesight. It is also not so bright that it causes light pollution! The screen is large and clear, not the highest resolution possible, but more than adequate. You have a choice of Wallpapers, much like on your computer. You also get a wide choice of background colours, polyphonic ringtones and vibration styles. I always end up with the most basic, but you guessed that...

The courtesy light goes off after a minute or so of inaction. The menu is very simple to use and the keys are not so tiny that they can't be used without mistakes. There is a very simple and comprehensive instruction manual supplied with the phone and a quick read of this was enough to get me up and running without any tears or frustration or threats to "throw the thing out of the window..."

Making and receiving calls is easy. To answer, you just open the phone. If it is already open, you just press the green phone key. To call someone else, just tap in the number and off you go. Or store in your phone book and retrieve.The quality of calls is excellent. I have had a whale of a time ringing everyone I know to announce my new arrival and the quality of sound is so far, faultless. Texting is simple, predictive text is a godsend (yes, I CAN do it!) but you can change to tap entry method. There is also adequate memory to store up to five voice recorded dials.

There are virtually no extras with this phone apart from the .3 megapixel camera. No bluetooth, no infrared etc. But like I said, I don't want these. There are three games, Hungry Fish,OpeIT and a picture game. I won't be using these either but I have tried them out and they seem quite funny, they might fill in the odd half hour bus ride.

The phone cost £49.99 on Orange PAYGo but my partner obtained a £10 discount by turning in an unwanted phone and charger. A bargain I say!

I would recommend this phone to anyone who doesn't want to be dragged into the bluetooth era and have to spend all day navigating past the unnecessary features on ther phone before they can make a call. If you want to remain uncomplicated but not have to carry a brick in your pocket while riding your pennyfarthing then this is certainly an option. It looks fabulous and feels good but doesn't demand too much brain power!

If you decide you want to know something i haven't told you, let me know!

Cheers!

Summary: Nice, small, tidy phone, no faffy extras and gimmicky bits

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