With video playback, gaming, multimedia messaging and a VGA camera with digital zoom, the Motorola V220 is an affordable and powerful way to get in on all the mobile fun. It's the perfect companion to Cingular wireless service. What's more, it's a quad-band phone with global coverage support.
Design
Click the image to get a closer look at the V220's features. |
The phone features a sleek clamshell design with a large 128 x 128 color display with 65,000 colors. The outside cover of the handset sports a supplementary 96 x 32 blue monochrome display that can display time, call information, battery and signal strength, and more. The VGA camera lens is housed below this display. A stub antenna is placed on the top right side of the unit. Volume buttons are placed on the left side, as is a USB port for data connectivity. Most of the phone's features and on-screen menus are controlled by a five-way center button on the handset's control pad. There's a standard jack to accept universal hands-free headsets on the bottom of the handset, next to the phone's charging port.
Calling Features
The V220 allows you to assign pictures to your most common callers. It also supports polyphonic ringtones as well as MP3 ringers, allowing you to use portions of your favorite songs to alert you to incoming calls. A number of ringtones come preloaded on the phone and more ringtones can be downloaded from Cingular's MEdia service. There's even an included application, MotoMixer, that enables you to mix your own ringtones.
Speed dialing, which allows you to call pre-programmed numbers with one button is built in, as is a vibrating alert. A built-in speakerphone makes it easy to talk without having the phone to your ear. Voice activated dialing makes calling your friends, family and associates as easy as saying their names.
Messaging, Internet and Tools
The V220 features support for instant messaging applications (Cingular messaging charges apply). There's also a built-in web browser for MEdia downloads and mobile web browsing. Cingular's MEdia service lets you receive and send emails, read news headlines, get weather updates, download games and ringtones, and more. Traditional text messaging, as well as picture and sound messaging (MMS) are also supported by the phone. When used in combination with the phone's built-in camera, MMS opens up a whole new world of messaging fun. iTap text entry, which is a technology that makes it easier for people to enter words and text on handsets, is built into the unit-- a plus for mobile email and text messaging users.
A number of handy software tools are bundled with the V220 including a voice memo recorder, a calculator with currency converter, a calendar and an alarm clock.
Imaging and Entertainment
The V220's USB connectivity can be used to transfer pictures, sounds and graphics to the phone's 1.8 MB memory from your PC. Screensavers, themes and wallpapers can be set to your tastes. The V220 is Java enabled, meaning it supports games and application downloads written on the Java platform. The phone ships with a single game, Bejeweled, and additional games are available via the MEdia service. For extra gaming fun, the phone is haptics enabled, meaning the phone's vibrate system is activated by crashes or other events in games. The V220 also supports MPEG4 video playback. Load video clips from your PC or download them from a wireless web provider and enjoy video on the go.
The phone's built-in camera features VGA (640x480) resolution and a 4x digital zoom for getting great shots on the go.
Vital Statistics
The V220 weighs 3.76 ounces and measures 3.29 x 1.73 x .94 inches. Its lithium-ion battery is rated at up to 7.2 hours of digital talk time, and up to 380 hours of digital standby time. It runs on the 850/900/1800/1900 MHz GSM/GPRS frequencies. The phone comes with a one year limited warranty.
What's in the Box
Motorola V220 handset, lithium-ion battery, power supply/charger, user's manual.
1 This phone is terrible
I have had this phone for 6 months and it has been nothing but trouble. I have Cingular service and they have replaced this phone 3 times for me - with the same phone - V220. It drops calls EVERY time I try to use it. It is really frustrating. Now they are telling me to turn it off every day for 3 minutes in order to receive upgrades... this isn't working either. I am now looking to BUY a Nokia phone. I never had any problems with my old Nokia phone.
2 I love this phone!
This phone is great!.... it's compact, feels solid, and has great reception. Yes, the screen is SLIGHTLY smaller that a few other phones but if you want a phone to actually make and receive calls, this is a great phone... What I especially appreciate about this phone is the volume in loud areas.... I got rid of my previous phone, an LG brand phone, because its battery did not hold a charge, it often made me restart it before I could make a call after exiting a building, and because it had low volume... The Motorola phone is plenty loud and has great reception. Some people complained about the lack of included ring tones. Well, that's a valid complaint, but ALL Motorola phones are like that...spend the $1.99 to buy the ring tone you really want from Cingular - big deal.... If you want a phone to perform as a phone, then get this one.
3 This phone SUCKS and so does Cingular!!
I've had my phone for 4 months now and have had nothing but trouble with it. The reception is terrible...where I used to receive calls with my AT&T plan and my cheap little NOKIA, I cannot get with this phone and the company that is "raising the bar!" I am constantly losing calls and get bad or distorted reception (if any at all) under electrical lines, around appliances, etc. If I could go back, I would, but my whole family switched at the same time.
When my contract is up, I'm dumping the phone and the company and not looking back!
4 I want my Nokia back ....
This phone is the worst. Cingular gave it to me for free. I got what I paid for. It turns off randomly. The screen is way too small. The camera is a joke. And the menus are very akward. Can't download pictures because they didn't supply a CD or drivers. When I asked the guy at Cingular about this - he said you had to e-mail them to your computer. But, of course, they charge for the e-mail. Forget it.... I want my Nokia back ....
5 Won't turn on!!!!
This thing, I am seriously fed up with it. I don't know what the deal is but every few days I go to turn this phone on and it won't! It will flash and then go off. I seriously spent about SEVEN minutes this morning contstantly pressing the power button again and again and again until FINALLY it turned on. I do not recommend this phone, whatever deal you're getting it's not worth it to spend minutes a few times a week getting the thing to turn on. The phone I had several phones ago might be a dinosaur now but at least it was reliable.
6 v220 lack alot
I have always had a motorola cell phone but the v220 is a big let down. It looks, feels, and operates like a cheap phone.
7 A so-so phone
I think David Estalote is overreacting a little bit. You can easily change the ringer volume on the outside of the phone very quietly. Now turning the ringer back on is quite a bit loud.
Here is my impression of this phone (I have had it for a month):
* I like the screen on the outside. Displays the time and callers.
* The screen is OK unless you are in the sun. Then it sucks...bad.
* Volume is OK, but comes with really crappy ring tones. If you download the music tones from Cingular, they sound pretty good.
* The camera is OK. It's my first camera phone, so I don't have much to go on, but it's OK.
* I have a lot of dropped calls and can't even use the phone in certain areas. If I'm anywhere near any electronics then my phone will not keep a signal. I usually have to go outside to make calls. That blows.
* There are way too many menus. It's hard to navigate when you first get the phone. But once you are used to it, it's not that bad.
* I hate the multiple entries in the phone book.
Overall, I wish I would've kept my LG. It didn't have a camera, but I never use it anyway. I get the same reception with both phones. Plus, I had a better rate plan, etc. with AT&T. I would like to switch everything, but I'm not willing to pay the $150 cancellation fee and most of my friends and family are Cingular. So , I guess I'm stuck with this phone. Boo-hoo!
8 PACKED WITH NEEDLESS B.S.
I tried this on the free 30 day deal from Kingular, and returned it in 6 days. Ugh!
$50 to download pictures is a complete ripoff! Full of idiotic features for the hipster: IM, pictures on a teeny display, useless. No charging cradle! keyboard verging on too small. I could go on . . . .
I did like the speakerphone.
I'm keeping my trusty 'ol Moto T720i.
d
9 Ok I guess
I've had this phone for about 3 months, i got it because it was the only one with a camera that was free.
I hate the fact that you have to buy extra software to get the pictures into your computer, the cable alone wont help, I have a cable from my palm, I plugged it, and my computer recognized it but that was about it.
It has very few ringtones and even fewer games, you have to buy everthing separate.
Aside from that, reception is good, although I have had a few dropped calls.
The menu is kind of hard to get used to after having used a Nokia for so long.
10 Terrible in so many ways.
I recieved this phone for 50 bucks with a 2 year contract and wow this is just terrible. I'll start with the few pros, there is a good deal of features but nothing that lg or samsung phones don't have. Now the cons, the camera is fuzzy overall bad, there is a very low amount of memory. usb driver costs a whopping 50 dollars from cingular, so transferring the pics is a big wallet drainer.The battery meter is terrible, it indicates 4 bars out of 4 then goes 1 hour later to one bar. It completely defeats the purpose of having a meter. U can't record ur voice and use it as a ringtone. Coverage is terrible on Cingular's gsm network, number of dropped calls is amazing with this phone. (I live in CT) Now for the worst part of this phone that should make u not buy this, whenever there is a ring, data exchange of any kind, the phone creates extreme disturbance with nearby electronic devices. Particularly speakers, if you like music, forfeit this phone, the crackling increases the amp volume and eventually kills your speakers. My brand new harmon kardon speakers for example, were victims of this, now the right tweeter continues to make a constant crackling sound, Not only is this phone terrible as phone, it manages to ruin the speakers of my house. I had to unplug my intercom system because of this thing. The crackling sound is a very annoying high pitch problem. Even if your volume is set low, it manages to increase the amp volume. At this point, I don't even know if this is legal for a cell phone. If u get this phone, get a lawyer while ur at it.
11 Not very loud
First things first. For those of you that don't know already, the phone book can hold multiple numbers for one entry without creating multiple entries. You just have to set the phone book to view primary contacts instead of all contacts. That will solve the problem of having multiple entries displayed.
Secondly, yes the Motorola menu system is not very intuitive and confusing for anyone not familiar with a Motorola cell phone, but it is very powerful, with a lot of options that many other cellphone manufacturers fail to include. Especially since this is a very cheap cell phone. How many cell phones include the type of features in this price range?
Well now that that's out of the way we can discuss the more important details of this phone. The one thing that bothers me about this phone, and the one that ultimately led me to returning it, is the fact that the earpiece volume is not very loud. I use my phone in a lot of crowded places, and the fact that I have to ask everyone to repeat theirself when talking to me is annoying. My Sony Ericsson candy bar style phone has a much better earpiece.
The display is not terribly impressive, but that's to be expected, they had to cut costs somewhere. It is usable in every sense. The screen is somewhat small, but very adequate. The camera is VGA quality, and the screen cannot reproduce the sort of detail you would like, but just send it to your computer, and it looks just as good as any cellphone with a VGA camera.
The reception quality is good, better than the Sony Ericsson I have. I can receive a signal where even my Sony can't. Of course, Cingular's network is very extensive.
The only problem, like I mentioned before, is that the earpiece volume is not very loud. That is its' greatest flaw, as what else is the main purpose of your cell phone but listening and talking on it.
12 ideal for me
i think this phone is really great,its sleek and compact,just the way i want my phone to be,it serves all my needs,im not really a phone person but my wife got this for me,a change from my samsung x427,however she went thru a lot with cingular customer service,i think they have the worst CS ever,they where totally cluless about how to migrate us from att to cingular,they advertise phones and dont have them in stock,it just sits down there on back order and nothin is done,the retail stores r not a great help to,one guy just gave us an extension and told us to call cingular CS and sort the matter with them,imagine AT A RETAIL STORE,i had just about given up but my wife was very persistent,after been on the phone for 6 days none stop,eventually some nice gurl,about the only person in cingular who knows wats shes doing,finally helped us out,and shipped out the phones,it was tasking believe me,but well here i am now with my phone,sometimes i think was it really worth it? well looking at it now i can say YEP!!!!
13 Phone is bad but Cingular is worse
I ordered this phone and was pretty unhappy with it. The address book doesn't let you add multiple numbers to one contact, it simply makes two entries for that contact. The menus were difficult to navigate. I returned the phone within one day.
What followed was even worse. I was an AT&T customer (now Cingular). For a month after my return I attempted to upgrade to another phone, only be transferred, told to go online, told to go to the store, told to call, etc. In one month of trying to work with Cingular, not ONE single solitary person helped me in any way. I was finally told I needed to just keep my current phone because they couldn't figure out how to upgrade me.
Today I left Cingular and I've never been happier. By far the worst customer service I have encountered in any industry.
14 I miss my Nokia!
I recently bought the v220 when when I renewed my contract because I thought I wanted a cute little flip-phone, but I am sorely missing my old, standard Nokia. The reception isn't too bad but I've found the v220's usability and functionality to be horrible and its user manual to be worse. It doesn't do a lot of basic things my old Nokia did and what it does do takes too many steps to get to. I pretty much hated it from minute one, but decided to give it some more time to see if I got used to it. Unfortunately, the place I bought it from lied about the length of my trial period and now I'm stuck with it. But now, to the point:
Pros:
-multiple alarms
-mp3 ringtones
-multimedia messaging
-customizable shortcuts and home keys
-standard data port
Cons:
-VERY confusing for a first-time user; original setup is not logical
-awful manual; missing some instructions and many it has are just plain wrong
-menus upon menus upon menus
-causes MAJOR interference with speakers (mine does so with any speakers I'm around, and not just before and during calls, but on almost an hourly basis)
-outside buttons are too easy to push, causing problems like changed ring type and erasure of missed calls notice (keyslock does not help, as it just displays "enter unlock code" and you don't get a missed calls display at all)
-occasionally changes assigned ringtones to "none" (haha, funny joke, Motorola), and so calls from that person are missed
-small screen/hard to read (visibility goes to almost zero in sunlight)
-vibrate option is not very powerful
-speakerphone is awful
-volume in general is low (rings, speaker, everything)
-comes with no good rings
-very low amount of memory
-I'm sure there are more, as I find something new to complain about every day, but everything else escapes me for now
My advice: get a Nokia instead! Much more user-friendly...
15 V220 freezes for no reason
It worked 2 days after I purchased it and Freezed for no reason.
Removing SIM made it start the first time.
Next time when I switched it off in church, it never came back.
Tried removing battery /sim etc and thought it must be battery charge and charged for a whole day. But nope. Got to take it back to Cingular this weekend.
-Alex
16 Way above expectations -- Superb phone!!!
I was very skeptical about the ATT/Cingular merger, and this phone. I got it anyway because i'm biased toward Motorola, and i didn't want to go through the hassle of service changes just yet, without giving Cingular a try. (Plus i got an ATT rep, who tends to be quite competent.) To my delight, both the phone and the service have been terrific. The signals are clean, the phone is goodlooking. It has silver plates and lighted keypads. The phone charge lasts five days for me. There's a great moto-tune ring that makes me smile, and helps me distinguish the phone in a crowd. The signal quality in general, is far superior than the GSM sony ericsson and Digital motorola flip phone I'd been using. There is a constant 5-bars. Before I got a varying 3. For me, this has been one heck of a nice surprise. Good work, Cingular/ATT!!!
17 Great all around phone
This is what most people like to say as the most bang for the buck i love this phone and i will keep it until my contract is up. I had a Razr phone and found this one to be alot better as in it last longer and is stronger also its so cheap you dont care if you break it. The camera is good and it has a very strong signal all the time. Great speaker phone for when your in the car or just dont want it by your ear. Highly recommended.
18 VERY VERY NICE PHONE!
All of you people who say that this phone didn't charge after you got it, my phone charged over-night and was ready to use. It fits anywhere I want to fit it! You have to buy the games, but it's worth it! It didn't break at all so far and I've had it for 2 years. The face plate in changable, which is very cool. I have not incountered any problems WHATSOEVER with this phone. Although the buttons and a bit confusing, you'll get used to it after a couple of days.
Overall it's a great phone, it's compact, and sturdy.
19 Terrible phone, bad service
I've had this phone for less than two months and it is completely dead. Friday morning I turned it off before going to work and nothing happened when I attempted to turn it at lunch. Went to the store and they put a new battery in it and it is still dead. Still under warranty, but I have to wait a week for them to mail me a new phone because despite there being a Cingular store on every corner, you can't exchange the phone at one of these stores. As much as people use their phones, this seems absurd. I wish I'd never "upgraded" to this phone and to Cingular. I had my very basic Nokia 3300 for three years with AT&T and it may not have all the "fancy" features this has... but it WORKED. Besides, even when this phone was working, the menu is a hassle, I have to hit three or four buttons just to get to my list of names. With my old phone, it was one button, scroll down, hit send, call made. There is something to be said for simplicity.
20 NICe...NICe...NICe
it works great for me so far, and i have no complaints about it.... trust me guys i've had a phone for the last 5 yirs....this works great me, and I highly recommend this..
dont bother the people below bcoz it depends on the person who uses it....
battery life = great
pictures = average
signal = good
internet = dnt bother, this is expensive..
i'm satisfied with this phone...
21 Terrible User Interface
The user interface for this phone is among the worst I've ever seen -- for any device. A herd of monkeys could do a better job than Motorola did with this phone.
The biggest complaint I have is that the buttons on the outside of the phone cause it to beep at full volume even when it is closed. This terrible design has plagued Motorola's phones for years. There is absolutely no reason the buttons on the outside of the phone should make noise when it is closed. If the phone is closed and in your pocket or on your belt and the buttons get bumped for whatever reason, your phone beeps at full volume. It's fine for the external buttons to do something (i.e. display the time, activate the backlighting, etc), but not to cause the phone to make noise.
When you press (or accidentally bump) the outside buttons when the phone is closed, the display toggles between displaying the time and the ringer volume. On the first press, the ringer volume is displayed (i.e. "Style: Loud"). And on the second press/bump, the display toggles back to the time of day, accompanied by a loud beep noise for everyone within a ten foot radius to enjoy. What the display should do is silently backlight the display for 3-5 seconds when the button is pressed. Or at the most, silently display the ringer volume for 3-5 seconds (or however long it takes the average person to read two words, "Style:Loud"), and then silently toggle back to the time. Most people are more interested in knowing what time it is than having "Style:Loud" shown indefinitely on the display.
Changing the ringer volume is another glaring user interface problem. There is no way to silently turn the ringer volume down or off. When you open up the phone and press the volume up/down buttons to lower the volume, each press is accompanied by a loud beeping tone. So if your phone volume is on 6 and you realize that you want the ringer turned off, it will take no less than 5 beeps (plus an audible vibration) to get the ringer turned off. Of course, this isn't a problem, assuming that you have 100% flawless memory and never once forget to turn off the volume BEFORE you're already in a meeting/church/movie theater/symphony concert/etc.
Turning off the phone completely is a less-than-ideal workaround. When the phone is off, it doesn't log missed calls, so you have no idea who tried to call you or what time unless they leave a voicemail message. If you could just turn the ringer volume down (without making a lot of noise), then the phone could keep a list for you of who tried to call. Unfortunately, the bone-headed user interface doesn't give you that option if you forget to turn off your ringer ahead of time.
Considering how cell phones are a such a common annoyance in public places, this problem should have been fixed by Motorola years ago. It's a high probability that in any situation where the user wants the ringer turned off (i.e. in a symphony concert, a meeting, etc), that they also don't want the phone making lots of noise while they try and turn off the ringer. Therefore there should obviously be a way to silently turn off the ringer. This is something Motorola would have anticipated if they had thought about it for even a brief amount of time.
What's especially ironic is that part of the phone's boot-up greeting is a message telling you to "be courteous." Too bad the phone's abysmal user interface design makes that impossible in many common situtations.
The phone has an assortment of nice features. But Motorola should place a higher priority on making the phone adequately fulfill its primary purpose as a telephone before they add bells and whistles to beef up the feature list on the side of the box.
If you're looking for a good cell phone with an easy to use, intuitive, non-frustrating user interface, Motorola isn't what you want. (I've used some of their other phones and they all have the same problems.) I have a Samsung phone that stands head and shoulders above this piece of junk.
22 Don't bother with the V220
My roommate and I bought the same plan from cingular three months ago, but we got different phones - she chose a Samsung phone and I chose the Motorola V220. The biggest problem I have with my phone is that it doesn't like to ring when I'm getting a call, and even when it does ring it doesn't ring long enough for me to answer. I always end up having to call the person back. Also, the V220 often has a very weak signal in places where my roommate's phone will have a full signal, and I frequently have calls dropped. This is my first motorola... and most likely my last. Don't bother buying the V220.
23 $$$$BIG WAIST OF MONEY$$$$
It has a washed out screen and has absolutly no camera features. Even in broad daylight, The pictures were dark and hard to see. The one games that is on there is extremely confusing and pointless to play.When it first arrived at my house it had to charge for 3 days before we cold do anything to it. I dropped it on the table on accident and the cover came of as the battery did too. It is NOT reliable in any way shape or form. It is a piece of junk and $$$$$A BIG WAIST OF MONEY$$$$ YOu could get a better phone for free!
24 Hmmmmmmmmmm.................
THIS PHONE IS OK. NOT THE BEST OUT THERE, BUT DECENT. DONT GET IT FOR THE CAMERA THOUGH. ITS VERY LIGHT AND FEELS LIKE A TOY. ITS GOOD FOR THE PRICE THOUGH. THIS IS NOT ONE OF MOTOROLLAS BETTER PHONES, BUT I THINK ITS PRETTY GOOD BECASUE OF THE SPEAKER PHONE. AND THE SIGNAL IS MUCH BETTER THAN T-MOBILE!!!!!
25 I took it back the SAME day!
If you're looking for a good quality picture phone I wouldn't recommend this phone. If you want to see if you're battery is charged or if you have a full signal I wouldn't recommend it. The screen is waaay tooo small and the picture quality is horrible. My husband picked up the phone for me after I told him I wanted it. I played with the phone for about an hour and then decided it had to go back. I took it back and paid the extra money for the motorola v551 which is da bomb all around!! Oh yeah, Motorola instruction booklets are the worst!
26 Ok phone.
This is an ok phone but if you are buying it for the picture quality forget it . the camera is'nt that good the pictures are blury and it only works in moderate light. I bought it i was happy at first but then i noticed how bad the pictures were and i wish i would have gotton a differant picture phone , now im stuck with it for a year with cingular. Overall its an ok phone.
27 Good phone, decent features, lousy support
This cute little clamshell phone does it job. It opens to a small color screen and a traditional keypad lit by blue light. Features include a speaker phone (great for the car if you don't have your headphone attached), camera, voice-activated dialing, international capability, IM, web browsing, alarm, date book, calculator, as well as the more standard caller ID, address book, and call log information. The camera is slow - don't expect to catch anything in motion - but adequate.
The worst feature is the ring tones, as it comes with very few (compare to Nokia's). On top of that, the volume is not high enough to hear the phone from the bottom of my purse. If you want a distinctive ring tone, you'll have to pay to download tones from your service provider. Although the phone has a mini USB connector port to download your own music/tones and to upload pictures, you need to find a driver that will work on your computer. Don't expect help on how to find one. The Motorola site is useless, and my service provider salespeople didn't have a clue it was needed. The thick manual that comes with the phone is barely helpful, as it shows key strokes to access features without explaining crucial information; for example, it tells you how to access new melodies without telling you how to actually accomplish the download. In general, the manual looks helpful without actually being of use.
As of the writing of this review, the phone seems to be too new for electronic accessory companies to have come up with a non-brand auto charger and headset. You'll have to pay your service provider rates if you want these.
On the plus side, the flip phone style makes it small enough to fit into my palm. The sound is good, and the international capabilities (check with your plan) make it more versatile than some of its competitors. I love that I can create my own wallpaper and screensaver with just a few intuitive key strokes. Eventually, the sound features, with Motomixer and personalized ring tones, will also be great - as long as I find a driver.
For a relatively low-end camera phone, its performance is surprisingly good despite the nonexistent support. Since this phone is often heavily discounted or free when signing a contract, it is well worth considering.
28 OK phone
I needed a basic free phone for my teenager. This phone is fine in the features category. In fact I was very happy with all that she could do with it. However, it is very "plastic-y" and isn't capable of withstanding the wear-and-tear that teens can burden it with. I've already called my carrier to have it replaced when she dropped it and the display screen went partially black.
29 two days of battery life and impossible to download pictures
So far the phone works, but there are two major dissapointments:
* The battery life is only about two days. Yes, I followed the instruction and went through a couple of full charge cycles.
* There is a camera in the phone and the USB port. But Motorola decided to squeeze more money from their customers, so they do not provide the drivers that allow you to download the pictures from phone to your computer. What is the purpose for having the camera if you cannot use it?! You have to pay separately to purchase the drivers from Motorola.
30 Great Phone
I've owned just about every brand of cell phone you can imagine. I found that the V220 is a tremendous bang for the buck. Don't get me wrong, I am not saying this phone is perfect. It does have it flaws, but the amount of features you get for the price can't be beat.
Pros:
Great looks
Great bang for the buck
It comes with all the right features
Cons:
Camera picture quality is poor
Screen is small and hard to see in sunlight
It could use more memory
31 V220 Good or Bad? Cingular?
The V220 is a great phone. With a camera it makes up for the small colour screen. By the way read the return policy on www.cingular.com, if you cancle withen three (3) days you get all the activation fees that you paid back. So the phone and the provider are great. For the low cost go for it.
PS- MP3 ringtones are great!
32 This Phone Is Great!
I tried the V220 out at the store and I don't want to wait to get it.
Pros-
Camera (good pics)
Music Tones (Real Songs)
Speakerphone
Color Screen
Flip Phone
AOL Instant Messenger
Download Games, Ringtones, Graphics
Cons-
No Good Ringtones Built In Phone
Other than that it is a great phone.
I wuld reccomend buying this phone.
33 Cingular is deceptive!
My review is on Cingular. I bought a phone w/service and was told I could return for full refund and only charged for any air time used. THEY LIE. THE PHONE DID NOT WORK IN MY AREA AND I CANCELLED THE NEXT DAY. THEY ARE CHARGING ME FOR ACTIVATION even though it never worked in my area. If you are uncertain you will keep the phone and service, DON'T BUY from Cingular. Amazon will also do nothing to reimburse.
34 Overkill...
I got this phone becuase it was free with an upgrade. I had read reviews and thought it would be worth the money (none) to upgrade to it. It's a good phone. I've had it two days and the battery is still going strong... they say it takes a few rechargings to get the full potential out of the battery.
On the plus side:
I like the front screen that shows caller ID. It makes for a quick check to see if I want to answer or not.
I also like the calendar. I can pull it up and quickly look at appointments.
I haven't bought the data cable yet but plan to do so soon.
I like the navigation disc... it's easy to get around in menus although the menus themselves are sometimes tricky... the cancel/exit/ok buttons switch sides on some menus.
The Shortcut option is great... the menu on this thing is extensive so it's nice to be able to quickly get to often-used menu options.
My biggest pet peeve people who let their phones go off in public places where they have no business answering a phone... so I love the vibrate option built into this phone.
Speakerphone!!
On the downside:
I'm left-handed and the side buttons really are a pain. I can't hold the phone with my left hand for long. It'd be great to be able to disable the side buttons... or change their functions.
The phone becomes very uncomfortable on my ear after awhile.
I don't understand the need for the side button that allows for voice-calling since I must have the phone open to use that functionality anyhow. It's just in the way.
The camera is pretty sad... I never understood the need for a camera on a phone in the first place and 640x480 is basically useless.
Often times I've been entering contacts and I accidentally hit the hang-up button instead of the save button and PRESTO... I lose all my entered info!
I want to be able to put my name on the front screen since my wife and I have identical phones... can't do it. Can't do it on the inside screen either (It'd be nice to take off my service provider's name too). I've been looking for a hack but haven't found one yet.
35 Affordable item!! But no Motorola Support. =o(
This is a great phone for those on a budget (like me!) It's one step down from the v400. So if you can afford it, get the v400 instead! The v400 has a ton of included themes and photos, and more memory (5 MBs) compared to this phone, which is sort of "bare bones" (1.8mb). Both have the same quality camera and photos, although the v400 has a better screen. Both phones can have .mp3's playing as ringtones.
The v220 has very clear sound quality, great screen and excellent battery life. My only problem with it is that there is NO SUPPORT from motorola for a data link cable. The V220 connects via a small USB plug, but you have to order the datalink software & drivers from motorola before you can use it (another fourty bucks! And Cingular didn't stock it, only Motorola does, on a very remote part of their site). I got my software on a file-sharing program because I've NEVER heard of a company charging money just for DRIVERS!!
All-in-all I'm loving my new phone (I've had it for several weeks). I've been able to get rid of my palm pilot because it holds 1,250 contacts (with the Simm Card). One note - if you add your contacts to the phone's memory (as opposed to the Simm's) you will have to set the ringer for each contact or else it defaults to no ring). The motorola software also allows you to sync to your Microsoft Outlook contacts and calendar, and it was truly easy to use!
This phone is a great way to feel like you've got tons of money, because it's basically just a "baby" version of the v400 (which retails for about $150 more usually). It's a good buy, and on Amazon right now with their rebate, you actually get money BACK for buying the phone!
If you have any questions about the phone that I haven't answered here, feel free to AIM me at WinterGetsMe. If you like my review please vote for it! ~ Michele
36 Tons of features, but still needs some work.
Pros - Tons of features. You can download ring tones and pictures from your own computer with USB. The outside caller ID is also nice. The battery life is good and I have no complaints with the reception.
Cons- The hinge is not as good as Samsung. The display is not as big as other phones. The default ring tones and games are horrible.
I am very happy with the Motorola V220. I paid $50 for this phone and got features that usually cost 2 to 3 times more. I will start out with some background.
I signed up for a family plan and I bought the V220 for myself and got a Samsung X427 for my wife. I am a gadget freak without a big budget. What sold me on the V220 was the USB port. I wanted to be able to make my own rings and transfer pictures without sending it to e-mail. This feature by far sets this phone apart from others. Motorola does not support the USB, but with a little research and Mobile Phone Tools it is possible to connect your phone to your PC with a mini-USB cable. The V220 also has a caller ID display on the outside. This is important because if you are in a meeting you don't have to open the phone to see who is calling.
This phone also has voice dial which is cool. I believe it has speakerphone, but I have not used it. I also love how the menus and buttons are fully configurable. So you can setup your phone the way you like it. The screen is good and the battery life is much better than my old Sony-Ericcson T306, and I thought the T306 had decent battery life. I have never had a dropped call (after 2 months of ownership). The signal is strong with this phone, and I always had dropped calls with the Sony-Ericcson. I wanted to throw that phone out the window. The camera is also a nice feature for a phone in this price range.
Now, the bad. The screen on my wife's Samsung is much better because it is bigger. Her phone is also a little smaller. I am disappointed with the default ring tones on the V220 and it doesn't come with a real game. My biggest complaint is the hinge. It creaks when you open it and doesn't feel near as solid as my wife's Samsung. However, the Samsung does not even have a caller ID display on the outside. The speaker on the V220 is not so good. When you make your own ring tones you have to be careful because the speaker cannot handle any bass or songs with a lot of instruments.
When it comes down to it, this is a great phone for the money. This phone was perfect for me because I can do a lot with it. The Samsung was perfect for my wife because it is simple and elegant. The V220 has more gadgets. Motorola needs to work on the hinge design, but I would definitely buy this phone again in a heartbeat.
37 I would recommend this phone to anyone.
I've owned just 4 cell phones since the late 1980's (2 Nokia and 2 Motorolas) and while I am somewhat "technologically challenged", I've found this phone to be fairly easy to navigate and setup. I purchased the V220 about two weeks ago (1) for its size; (2) the keyboard lights up in a neat blue color making it easier to read than some that do not - if you need glasses to read this is a plus! and (3) the camera. I really don't care about downloading games, sounds, etc. so I cannot comment on those elements.
I used the camera immediately and you can zoom in or out to make a picture clearer. It's easy to save a photo or delete one. I change or add photos for wallpaper and enjoy this feature. For me, the sound is good and using the speakerphone and voice dial are great, no problems.
One negative is the manual that comes w/the phone. I couldn't setup voice command using the "instructions" ... it is virtually non-existant. The cellular agent did not know how to set it up either. Apparently, on previous models it was explained better. After calling Motorola (very good customer service, by the way) the rep. walked me through it. He accessed the manual for my model online even telling me what pages in the manual the instructions were on, then realized why I was having a problem. He even admitted after trying to find the instructions in the V220 manual, that there was no way I would be able to set it up unless I had had a previous model and had setup voice dial before. After walking me through it I have no problem adding names and numbers. Another negative is paying attention to the symbols on the menu. Remember, I don't care about going online w/the phone. There are a few menu items w/a symbol next to the item (a globe or the Cingular symbol). If you hit those and don't have a plan for net access, etc., you will be charged for the time. It is just a matter of being more careful for me, but probably for most of you, the reason you are getting the phone is to access the net etc. so it won't be a problem.
Other than the two items above, I really like this phone. It fits in the palm of my hand perfectly. It's very attractive and functions well. My favorite things are voice command and the camera. Personally, I would recommend this phone to anyone.
38 Motorola makes the best cell phones
I have had several types and brands of cell phones. Some examples are Nokia, Samsung, Audiovox, Kyocera. I've used calling plans and pre paid. I purchased this phone from Cingular about a week ago and I definitely think it is the best I have owned.
The phone is incredibly easy to use and I love that the quick keys on the phone can be set up as shortcuts to certain parts of the menu. I have mine set up where the right soft key is Address Book and the left soft key is Recent Calls. I have my menu settings hidden on the wallpaper but they are easily accessed by hitting the keys the arrow keys. You can also assign what icons come up and their locations can be rearranged. Then access the basic menu screen itself you can hit the Quick Task button in the top middle on the round button inbetween the arrows.
The camera is easy to use and is easily accessed in a number of ways. Easiest is the smart key on the side of the phone underneath the two volume buttons. I think the pics have good resolution and the color screen and graphics of the phone are awesome. I love taking pictures with the camera and using them as wallpaper or screensavers.
The phone book is easy to use. You can save entries to the SIM card or to the phone itself. I recommend saving to the phone because then you can personalize the ringtones for the callers and add a picture to identify the caller. The speakerphone is excellent quality and easy to use. You can download ringtones that are actual songs and sound great.
I don't understand how anyone can say this phone is hard to use. The Samsung I had was difficult to use and I had it for a good while and still wasn't sure how to do certain things. With this phone I was pretty sure how to do things with it from the get go but I quickly glanced over the manual to be exact and from there I have not had to look at it again. This phone is the easiest but the most satisfactory all around that I have ever used or owned. I am definitely a convert to Motorola from now on and I am terrificly pleased with this phone.
39 Don't get this phone if you use voice dialing!
I don't like this phone. It's too small to use, even with the programmable buttons I can't get it to work the way I want. And the voice dialing feature is terrible. Either it won't save the name when you try to set it up or it can't find it when you try and use it. Also very slow to actually dial the number when it does work. I've returned the phone to Cingular thinking it was just a faulty phone, the next one worked for a few days and then started screwing up too. Can't return any more to Cingular, so went to Motorola. Their solution was to reset the phone, which removed all the programming, but did make the voice dialing work for 5 minutes. The I found you just had to turn the phone on and off to get it to work, but that's not really a solution now, is it?
And it's not just my phone that does this, my kid's phone, my husband's phone and at least one other teen we know with this phone have the same problem!!!
Phone also comes with practically no ringtones, no games,
On the plus side, the camera and speakerphone are good. I was impressed with how good the pictures turn out after you send them to a PC.
40 so far so good
I got this phone only about two weeks ago and so far I'm pretty impressed. The screen is slightly smaller than my previous phone (Samsung x427) but the memory capacity more than makes up for it. I ditched the Samsung because it quickly ran out of memory but I've downloaded a ton of stuff on the Motorola and all of it plays fine. Anyways, here are some pros and cons:
Pros: memory capacity, sharp screen resolution, using the camera and sending pictures is VERY easy, being able to switch ringer betwen volumes or vibrate without opening the phone is nice, downloaded ringtones sound much clearer than on other phones, the speakerphone works well also, games load fast and play well, the battery life is also pretty good
Cons: although there are games available for download, the phone doesn't come with any preloaded, so don't be surprised, the outer display scratches a little too easy and would be better if it was more durable, the camera, while easy to use, doesn't have very good resolution and really needs a flash, the screen size is adaquate although it would be better if it was bigger
Overall it's a very good phone. For people looking for a good phone for ringtones and games, it's great, but for the best resolution on the camera, it's nothing spectacular.
41 Hello Crapo
This phone was a huge dissapointment. The screen is small and you can barely hear any of the ring tones. Even though you can set up the quick keys to your liking nothing seems accessible because the phone is really cramped.
Perhaps a person with dainty hands and lot of time to navigate through the sub-standard menu navigtion would love this phone. I do not.
The camera does take decent shots with adequate lighting.
I was a faithful Motorola customer...
