50 : 50 (Motorola V525)

Name: carly_pussycat

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Product:	Motorola V525
Date:	09/01/05 (2657 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: camera, speakerphone & clear reception, clear screen

Disadvantages: battery time poor, poor phone book, flip annoys me

A few months ago I was offered a free upgrade to a Motorola v525 with my Vodafone contract. It had all the features of my Sony Ericsson t68i plus a camera and a few other bits and bobs so I thought I’d give it a go and sold my t68i on eBay….so I’ll share my experiences with you!

I was fairly pleased with the phone when it arrived as it looks pretty stylish; predominantly silver with a metallic midnight blue section on the front (which actually is metal). The only complaint I’d have about the appearance is the aerial – I didn’t have one on the t68i so initially it felt more like a downgrade. As with most (if not all?) Motorola phones the v525 is a flip phone, which opens to reveal a generously sized keypad on the bottom half and a decent sized screen on the top. I had never owned a flip phone before this one, and when it first got it I liked it as it was something of a novelty.

The keypad has the standard layout but at the very top there are three keys: one ‘menu’ key enclosed by two ‘soft’ keys (ie. select keys). Below that are the send and receive call buttons and a ‘joystick’ which enables you to move up, down, left or right in a menu and then press the middle button in to select.

I will briefly list the menus below as it may help you to understand exactly how the phone is laid out. By pressing either the menu key at the top or the select key in the center of the joystick you’ll get the following icons:

1) CONTACTS – Just a standard phone book system. From here you can add names, edit entries, call people, add pictures to their profiles, add voice commands, personalise ring tones and also add a picture to their profile which will appear when they call you.

2) MY ITEMS – Pictures, sounds (ring tones), themes, games, and MotoMixer (device for creating your own ringtones).

3) CALL LOG – Received calls, dialled calls, notepad (I believe this is numbers you’ve tapped in whilst on the phone), call times, and data times.

4) MESSAGES – Whether it’s SMS (text), MMS (picture), voicemail or email you’ll find it here. Something I also find really handy here is the ‘Quick Notes’ section as I write things in there that I need to remember but that I wouldn’t set an alarm for.

5) CAMERA – Click this and you’ll go straight into camera mode with the screen as a viewfinder. From this screen you can also access the photo album, auto-timer and general camera setup. The camera has the ability to adjust brightness and also zoom in up to 4x.

6) APPLICATIONS – Vodafone news groups (which I don’t use as you have to sign up and pay for it), favourites, alarms, chat, calculator, dialling services (quick dial), voice recorder (always good for a laugh!)

7) CALENDAR – Standard calendar which can be viewed in week or month format. Quite useful for remembering appointments etc.

8) SETTINGS – Personalise (within the sub menu are all the important features to make your phone your own…wallpaper, screen saver, that kind of thing); ring styles; connection (Bluetooth); call divert; in-call setup; initial setup; phone status; headset; car settings; network; security; and Java settings. If you’re anything like me you’ll find yourself in this menu the most for the first couple of days.

9) VODAFONE LIVE! – Everything you could possibly need for using the Vodafone Live! facilities (something I never touch).

I will list the full specifications of the phone here because for this review to be truly helpful it’s good to have everything listed in one place:

SPECIFICATIONS

Internal Memory 5MB
Dimensions in mm (H x W x D) = 89 x 49 x 24.8
Weight 123g, Volume (cc): 86
Display: Internal: 65k TFT Colour (176 x 220)
4 Lines of Text and 1 Line of Icons
Display: External: 2 Line (96 x 32, with blue backlight)
GPRS (2u/4d) AMR
WAP Browser version 2.0
Connectivity Bluetooth® wireless technology (1.1) / CE Bus (USB/Serial)
Bands: Quad Band (900/1800/1900/850 MHz)
Standard Battery: SNN5704 battery min 650
Standby Time 120-200h
Talk Time 180-390mins
Calculator and Currency Converter
Date and Clock
Datebook with Reminder Alerts
PIM Functionality
MMS (Picture / photo + text + sound)
EMS 5.0
SMS Chat one-to-one
Mobile Concatenation
Predictive Text (iTap™)
Nokia Smart Message Receive
Instant Messaging Support: (Wireless Village 1.1) Embedded client
Email: STMP, POP3, IMAP4
Caller Group Profiling (Ringer & Icon)
Phone Book: Up to 1000 entries
Picture Phonebook
Time and Date Stamp
VibraCall®
Voice-activated Dialling
In-built Hands-free Speakerphone
21 Embedded Polyphonic ringtones, 4 MP3 Ringtones
22 Khz Polyphonic Speaker, 22 Chord support
Downloadable Themes
J2ME Games: Stuntman™ & Monopoly
Integrated Digital Camera



EASE OF USE

After waiting for the phone to charge up initially (for approximately 16 hours) I set up my phone. I never read the manual for electrical goods until I get stuck so I just started messing around and sure enough managed to set everything up okay (taking pictures, texting, setting themes and backgrounds etc.) I would say it is a pretty self-explanatory phone to set up…unless of course you’re my mum and you end up launching an internet browser. If you’re young and pretty savvy with the internet or things like that I’m sure you’ll find it a piece of cake. The manual is pretty helpful for the few things you cant figure out as it’s laid out in a logical manner.

The first things you start messing around with (after taking a few stupid pictures) are generally ring tones, and god help anyone who’s in the house at the time…but actually, they’re not bad! The ring tones are quite bearable as the quality of the polyphonic chords seems remarkably high (ie. you can decipher tunes without having to think for about a minute what it’s supposed to be). In addition to this, if you choose a good tone (like one with some high notes) the volume of the tones is just right so that you can hear it ringing in your bag/pocket but not so loud that it deafens you when you remove it. Some of the embedded ring tones are good but if you don’t like those then (providing you have Bluetooth connectivity between the computer source and your mobile) it’s very easy to transfer an mp3 file to your phone. The Bluetooth feature works very effectively and the phone can actually perform other tasks while receiving items which can be useful.

After sorting out my ringtones I re-ordered the main menu (the list above is my menu order) as I like the icons set up my own way – I appreciated this feature as although you generally adapt to their order it’s always better to have your own. I just wish you could re-order the whole load of sub-menus because given the choice I’d have placed some things in different places.

The camera is simplicity itself – you just select the camera menu option and then point and shoot. You don’t have the option of an alternative viewfinder as you just use the screen as a guide, which is not a problem for me. When in the camera screen you have a small guide at the bottom informing you of how much memory you’ve used. I have taken a fair amount of pictures in the several months I’ve owned this and I have still only used 17%. Admittedly I haven’t downloaded any games or themes but I think if you use the phone as I do and just save a few pictures you’ll probably never run out of space.


SPECIFIC THINGS I LIKE ABOUT THE v525

Camera picture quality/screen resolution – In my (limited) experience of camera phones it is the best so far. I expect there are better ones coming out now (Dec2004) but this certainly isn’t disappointing. If you catch the subject in a decent light then you can achieve some quite clear pictures, some even good enough to transfer to the computer. As well as this, the screen resolution is quite impressive so small text doesn’t appear ‘blocky’.

Speakerphone! – woohoo! Okay so I don’t use it all the time because I forget but it really is a useful addition. I sometimes use this if I’m speaking to my sister and she wants me to look something up on the internet as I then have both hands free. The quality is decent as you can talk at about the same volume, no shouting required.

Voice recorder – Another thing that’s not infinitely useful but I found it rather amusing doing Peter Kay ‘Garlic Bread!?’ impressions with my workmates into it.

Predictive text – I never thought I’d convert to this but Motorola seem to have struck gold with their iTap entry method. It’s a lot more accurate than any other I’ve used (Nokia, Sony Ericsson) so I always have it switched on.

Network reception – So there is an advantage to having a stupid little stub of an aerial: it increases the clarity of the call. I was really quite impressed when I first made a call and I very rarely get the ‘no network’ sign either.

Smart key – I love this little beauty. It’s located on the side of the phone just next to the volume button (also used as menu up/down key). You can program this key to do WHATEVER you want! No I don’t mean wash the dishes, I mean it can link you to anything: camera, missed calls, Bluetooth connectivity, battery power remaining…anything you choose! I chose mine to be ‘favourites’ because then I have a link to lots of things that I need.

Voice dialling – In the past I’ve always though this was a bit pointless as you had to say the name about 20 times before it recognised your voice but Motorola must have somehow fine-tuned theirs because if I choose to use mine it generally works okay after one or two attempts.

Quiet keys – I despise keys that click or feel ‘hard’ when you press them. The keys on this are nice and soft and don’t make any noticeable noise.

Beep for text/missed call – If you don’t hear a text or have a missed call then your phone will beep every few minutes so you’ll hear it and look at it.

Covert pics – this is just a stupid one really but I do like the fact that it’s a flip phone so you can look like you’re texting when really you’re taking a secret picture with your camera haha.



SPECIFIC THINGS I DON’T LIKE ABOUT THE v525

Flip – I know I just said I liked it but that really is the only reason I’d choose a flip. I find mine annoying as sometimes I have one hand full and want to answer it one handed but can’t as it becomes fiddly. Recently I’ve also experienced a problem with it switching itself off when flipped shut.

Battery time – It’s not a terrible inconvenience for me to have to charge my phone every 2-3 days but for someone who couldn’t access a charger all the time it could be a pain. The battery life is probably not great because of all the features crammed in like a camera, colour screen, screen savers etc. If you anticipate that you’ll mess around with it 24/7 then expect to charge it nigh-on every night.

Inconvenient phone book – This is quite a major gripe. Who really wants three separate entries for Mum at home, on her mobile and at work? Other companies seem to manage a multiple number profile so why can’t Motorola? For older/poor sighted users you may have trouble deciphering the small icons for Home, Mobile and Work.

Beep when changing profile – When switching from Silent to any of the audible options with the flip closed you’ll hear an annoying beep at the level you’ve chosen. Some people may like this so they know the volume it’s set at but personally I hate it. I know what profile I’m choosing, no need for a stupid noise.

No automatic SMS delivery – When sending SMS/text messages I like to know they’re delivered so I set delivery reports for always on but the v525 doesn’t have this option so you have to manually select a report each time.

No warning for long SMS – If you go over the limit for one text it doesn’t tell you you’re writing a 2 page text so you only know once you’ve sent it (meaning you could have spent double the money rather than just shortening it).

No on-screen note function – On the t68i I had the option of displaying a digital Post It note to remind me of things on the main screen (ie. buy bread) but this doesn’t exist on the v525 which disappointed me.

Ring tone = text tone – BIG GRIPE! If you personalise the ring tone for one of your contacts not only will it be their ring tone it will also be the tone that plays when they text (it wont continue, just rings one cycle of the tone). I hate this as I always think people are ringing me. It is such a basic function and I was utterly disappointed when Motorola informed me that it was not actually a problem with my phone.



COST

The Motorola v525 costs around £185 to buy SIM free but as most people don’t buy phones like that check www.carphonewarehouse.com for the latest deals as some networks give it free on a contract.


OVERALL VERDICT

As the title says, I’m 50:50; not entirely against it because it has some great features but certainly not totally for it because in my mind it has some glaring faults. Being a girl I generally carry my phone in my bag so size isn’t too much of a problem but I would imagine a bloke who likes to wear quite fitted clothes could find this a bit of an issue because it’s not the smallest phone around these days and it’s not the lightest either (I’m not saying it’s a brick though!)

All things considered I won’t be sorry to see this go and I very much doubt that I will have another Motorola or another flip phone. It’d be a good mobile for someone who likes to be quite up to date with the latest technology but isn’t too bothered by minor details like the ring/text tones. The Sony Ericsson t68i was a hard act to follow, and as it was supposed to be an ‘upgrade’ I’m not entirely sure the Motorola v525 is up to the job.


carly_pussycat - dooyoo UK ©

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