What you are looking for is not always what you see. (Motorola V66)

Member Name: macutmore

Product:	Motorola V66
Date:	04/08/02 (3897 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Compact, Stylish design, Performance

Disadvantages: No infrared or Bluetooth connectivity., Complex user interface; poor key layout., Alarm clock really just a ?scheduler?- won?t wake you with it?s short ?beeps?.

The V66 was to become my third mobile, but only for a short while. I had admired its charm and form whilst browsing the local high street mobile merchants, and always wanted to actually own one.

My feelings of this kind actually began way back when the Motorola 'Startac' models were around, (also then the smallest of their kind).

I remember seeing the V66 prototype picture in the leading national press before it came to be. It really was like something out of Star trek perhaps, a mobile that could virtually be used anywhere in the world (even the USA and Canada, as well as Europe). A mobile that was so small, but that also had the power to browse the 'world wide web'.

Motorola claim that whenever you want to communicate in style, then the V66 phone is the way to do it. I certainly say that the phone does look absolutely gorgeous. The first thing you'll notice about this phone is its smooth, silver or blue/black casing (It's supposed to be available in two colours, but I've only ever seen it in silver), that gives it an overall sophisticated look- especially with its interchangeable front cover inserts, some of which are absolutely stunning.

This really is one hell of a sexy phone. The curvy lines are reminiscent of a woman's powder-compact but this is definitely not just a mobile phone for the girls. A nifty new addition to the classic curves is the removable front bezel, which reminds me of the Star Trek badge. It can be swapped for a bezel in different colours and designs. Also you don't have to fiddle about taking the battery off to load your Sim card.

The cardholder is hidden beneath the stylish bezel or 'interchangeable cover'. These are a 'must have' with this phone, since it is designed around a showpiece high fashion statement. They can't cost more than 50p each surely? ? Whoops wrong again- they are sold in packs of three at about £15!!!!!!!

So the
V66 is a very nice phone to look at and is remarkably small and thin, even by the standards of Motorola's seminal V50 flip phone. It's a nice touch, the arrow-shaped bezel on the front they supply, which covers the SIM holder. This is in fact really handy. It can literally be removed with your fingernail, but it won't fall off. It means that underneath this interchangeable cover, the SIM card can be replaced easily. Handy if you?re on a couple of different networks (as I am), and do have to change SIMS occasionally. Be warned though, the SIM holder looks extremely flimsy. At least the battery and back cover is a neat one-piece affair, even if it is fiddly to remove.

Travelling and working around the world (now we all do that sort of thing, don't we?) should be easy then? The phone has tri band capabilities, so you can make and receive calls across five continents. There is also a currency converter and calculator to help you keep track of your money. And if you get a sudden flash of inspiration when you're on the move, you can even record a voice memo into the phone for up to three minutes or even a complete telephone conversation. (That's if you can hold the button that long).

A clever designed leather case and belt clip is included with the phone. This enables unobtrusive storage and good security, since it seems difficult to snatch from ones belt, but still easy to remove by the user to accept calls. A great pose buckle! You even walk around actually feeling like Captain Kirk!

The phone can also work as a modem with your laptop and is able to support the GPRS (Global packet relay service). With continuous access to the Internet, you can send and receive information when it suits you, but only pay for the information you download, saving time and money. Ok this is the same as WAP (Wireless application protocol), but it's always on, so, things happen much faster when you browse those stupid text lines they cal
l the 'mobile internet' ? (not a patch on the real thing is it?)

There's an organiser too, with a Personal Information Manager to remind you about appointments, a 'TrueSync' function that allows for synchronisation between a PC or laptop, and voice activated dialling, so you don't have to lift a finger to make a call. (That's if you can get it to work). Just like the voice word processor, in the perfect world things really do work first time every time, of course. No such luck with computers though, so why should a mobile be any different?

Great, an alarm clock! No Sorry its really part of the scheduler that beeps a few times to give you a reminder or two on a certain date you might go to all the trouble of setting. It will never ever wake you up. Arrrrrggh!

OK so if you're looking for a phone that lets you communicate with style and advanced technology, this is certainly the kiddie to be seen with, and the features are in fact, really pretty surprising, I guess, considering its extremely compact size.

It is certainly lovely, -the smallest 'clamshell' design on the market with a good sound quality, voice memos and voice dial, personalisable ring tones and more.

Hang on a minute though there are a couple of ergonomic problems: the flip cover doesn't open enough to comfortably hold it to your ear, the hang up and answer keys are inverted, keys are hard to press and the function keys at the top of the keypad are too small and hard to reach. Or is it that my fingers are too big? One tries to blame this in ones heart on it's small size, but somehow it just seems like hurried design.

Then there is that annoying bold stub of an antenna. Fortunately its a bit less obtrusive when the little phone is open, but when its shut it becomes just a sore thumb.

Some aspects of the software are also deceiving. For instance, the melody composer is quite limited and the games
are just downright boring: paddleball, blackjack and, maybe the most interesting, mind blaster, a Mastermind type of game. But there are just three levels, so after 20 minutes, the excitement and challenge is gone.

Along with its multitude of the latest features, the V66 responds to your voice and brings the 'Internet' to your fingertips with a fast-flow, five-line text display and animated graphics. (Sounds good doesn't it, -but all it means is that scrolling through lines and text looks smoother than a step scroll would). Its display is not brilliant either. Not really vivid or bright, more like the old LCD watches of days gone by. It seems almost inadequate by modern standards for WAP viewing.

Not only is the display small?which can be excused by the small size of the chassis?but also it is difficult to see at the best of times. The backlight can be changed to orange or red, (now I could not see how to do this, - I think the software in my version was too old), - I got 'one to one' displayed when I should have got 'Virgin'. I couldn't even read the display at all in bright sunlight outside.

The four-way controller had me whizzing around the screens in no time, in this instance, Motorola's designers don't seem to have taken full advantage of the available space. Despite this, up to five lines of text can be viewed at once, which is more than adequate for the majority of WAP users.

Petite as it is, however, its wealth of features sit somewhat uncomfortably in what's best perhaps regarded as a 'fashion' phone. Although the instruction booklet is a nice handy size, and in one language, it is only fairly written, giving no real explanations of the technology or of what everything really means.

The silver casing on the V66 looks like it is sprayed on. If you put it in your pocket along with your keys it will, without doubt, scratch and mar. (Perhaps one should choose the
blue/black model for this reason- I?m not sure if that one is sprayed). Best of all though the phone is not as chunky as its predecessors so there is no telltale sign when you slip it into your pocket. In fact you have to be careful it doesn?t slide out of your pocket without you noticing.

In use, its tiny soft-keys and menu button seem too close to each other and the hinge of the flip for anything but the daintiest of hands. The innovative four-way navigation key arrangement would be great if only it was not so cramped. It is also under-utilised in most options and does nothing when the phone is in standby.

This phone would have been useful as a GPRS modem for a handheld or laptop, given its restricted screen. But since it features neither infrared nor Bluetooth, you will need to invest in a data cable if you want to do this?network operators permitting.
The sheer complexity of the WAP setting entry and the clunky Openwave browser implementation would put off even the most determined user. Even sending SMS seems more of a chore than on phones from Ericsson, Nokia or Siemens.

When using the GPRS there is no clear indication that you are online or even using GPRS instead of a circuit-switched connection?a common failing in the first crop of GPRS handsets. Then you only have three lines of WAP page to view, with status information filling the lines above and below. On the plus side, I found the V66 particularly quick to establish connections and process pages under GPRS.

Certainly buy the V66 for its physical design then (looks), but bear in mind its usability is heavily compromised by a poor key layout and unintuitive menu structure and lack of a colour screen, and infrared or Bluetooth connectivity. This should seal its fate for more serious use.

Call quality indoors as well as outside is exceptional. You can be heard loudly and clearly whether you happen to be in a heaving bar or on a busy London street.

>To focus just on its classy looks, however, is to do the Motorola V66 an injustice. While it might be tiny (84x44x20mm) and tips the scales at a mere 79g, it is certainly no lightweight in the performance stakes It is the first mini-phone to support GPRS (general packet radio services) for high-speed WAP browsing.

Connect to the mobile 'Internet', leave it on as long as the battery lasts and you only have to pay each time you transfer data. This has the benefit of cutting down on constant scrolling through screens. Simply download the information or page, for example that you want and go back as often as you like. Business users, for example, can leave their email open and check it throughout the day. So when you whip a quick email off to colleagues then it's going to hit you in the back pocket, otherwise you can stay connected for the whole working day in order to receive messages to your email account.

So, overall the Motorola V66 is a mobile phone that, once you've got it in your hands, you won?t want to put down. Its easy to use, incorporates enough features to keep even anoraks (like myself) fairly happy and its really sexy as well.

It's taken some time, but Motorola has come up with a classic union of form and function for this clamshell phone. It is certain to be near the top of everybody?s wish list. I think it really will become a classic museum piece.

Sadly though, I have decided to return my sexy V66, in exchange for the Sony ericsson T68i, but that's another story!

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