Help - I'm Open to Communication (Motorola V2288e)

Member Name: hakkved

Product:	Motorola V2288e
Date:	19/09/01 (253 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Simple to use, No fuss

Disadvantages: the pink rubber wrap

In this age of mobile mania, I believed I would NEVER succumb to the fate of owning my own phone. But for whatever reason a few months ago I went against all my previous reservations and became open to the world of communication.

Of course deciding to buy one is the easy part, but choosing a particular model is where it can get tough. I’ve got to thank my ever-tolerant bruv for trailing around all the phone shops with me. As it turned out I bought the Motorola V2288e which he recommended I get in the first place, but I didn’t know that at the time.

Me and my wee phone are inseparable nowadays, and we’ve grown quite fond of each other. Although less hi-tech than say a Nokia, the V2288e carries out all my communication needs with ease. Weighing in at 140g, it’s a fairly small, sleek beauty with 3 hours talk time and 5 days standby.

The Just Talk – Pay As You Go package is accompanied with accessories, which include 2 rubber wraps to personalise the phone for individual moods. What mood I would need to be in to use the pink wrap I’ll never know. So as it is, my phone is either sleeved in blue or wrapless. Interesting idea though.

Finding my way around the phone is fairly simple. Thanks in main to the quick access menu. This gives instant access to the most frequently used features – whether it be the text inbox, message editor or ringer on/off – the choices belong to the user, all just by pressing the upwards arrow button and the correct number corresponding to the feature. However, sometimes I find myself mildly lost in the depths of menus hidden deep within extended menus.

While ring tones have become a major fashion these days, the V2288e keeps things limited and simple with just 11 ringtones to choose from. There’s nothing especially exciting here with the choice ranging from standard tone to British, French and German tones and the cringeworthy music to
ne (yeuch!). The one thing that tempted me to get a Nokia at the time was the prospect of putting favourite rock ring tones and icons on it, but to spend double the price just for this privilege would be kind of dumb - well that’s what I told myself anyway.

The phonebook set-up is nothing too complicated either. It’s just a matter of adding the entries, but each entry is also given a location number. This can cause problems when sending text messages if when locating the entry using the location number, you happen to have a momentary brainfade and choose the wrong figure, because the text message sends immediately without waiting for a confirmation of the telephone number. For this reason I don’t use this feature.

The V2288e has access to multi media services via WAP, allowing the user to be kept up-to-date and interactive with current world information. Having said this, it’s a feature I’ve barely used. Apart from the cost (Orange WAP services – 10p per minute) I don’t tend to need information that I can get elsewhere for free (i.e. Internet). Although I did get distracted on a rare WAP visit, reading a whole bunch of exciting facts about Mika Hakkinen that I already knew – but hey it was fun! However, if I was stuck in the middle of nowhere I’m sure this WAP service would come in useful. Choices of info on the Orange menus include news and weather, sports, transport, entertainment etc. WAP also provides access to games which might be useful to those who are disappointed with the V2288e’s lack of games.

The V2288e also boasts an in-built FM radio. The blurb advertising this ability describes it as “the chance to listen to favourite music while on the move”. Now considering that the only time my fave type of music appears on the airwaves is after midnight twice a week for a couple of hours – then the chances of radio overuse seems unlikely. But its n
ice to know it’s there – even if it does drain the battery. Now what would have been clever, would have been a MW radio to allow me to hear Radio 5 Formula One commentary on the rare occasions I’m not plonked in front of a tv screen. Oh well can’t have it all I suppose – although having the radio means a personal handsfree kit is included with the phone.

Niggly little jibes I have are only really that on a few occasions I’ve managed to accidently dial the Answerphone with a simple slip of the finger by lightly touching the direct dial answerphone button. The battery compartment is ever-so-slightly loose meaning that my batteries have been knocked out and have lied to me about having no charge an hour after fully charging them.

Despite this, we’ve got on well and I’m slowly coming to terms with the fact that I’m extra contactable now than ever before. And with the purchase of the additional Orange Out Here package (one-off payment of £15 for Pay As You Go phones only) means that I can send 5 free text messages per day every day. Within a month of first buying this the cost of £15 is covered and you’re left texting for free 5 times a day until the phone packs in. Nice!

Summary: