Overview Compatible with Cingular service, the quad-band Motorola V400G cell phone features an integrated VGA digital camera, MMS with video clip playback, high-speed data transfer, and more, all displayed on a large, high-resolution 176 x 220 pixel, 65,000 color interior screen.
Calling Features
Used simply as a cell phone, the V400G features a 4-way scroll key with multiple dedicated function keys for easy menu navigation. Primary calling features include voice dialing, integrated speakerphone, vibrate mode, ringer profiles, missed call indicator, call log, and a phone book of up to 1000 entries, including picture caller ID functionality. When the phone is closed, its external screen (two lines, 96 x 32 pixels) displays caller ID, date, time, and various status icons, including text message waiting, voice message waiting, battery and signal strength, and voice and message mail. There's even a blue backlight for nighttime viewing.
Messaging and Internet
The advanced MMS capabilities built in to the V400G enable users to send, edit, forward, and receive image, text, audio, and video messages over the wireless Internet, to and from compatible phones or PCs. (Messages can run up to 100k in size.) You'll also get instant messaging capability, messaging templates, SMS two-way messaging, conventional email, and predictive text assistance. Beyond messaging, the V400G's Internet connectivity lets you access online services such as stock quotes, road directions, airline information, entertainment, and more. You can also download Java applications (version CLDC 1.0, MIDP 2.0, 100k per application limit) for which the phone provides 5 MB total (shared) memory. High-speed data transfer and download round out the package. The V400G supports digital TTY/TDD functionality for the hearing impaired.
Organizer
Organizer features include a calendar, calculator with currency converter, date book with event storage, and voice memo.
Fun and Games
For fun, the V400G sports a built-in 640 x 480 pixel integrated digital camera with a self-timer feature. Pictures taken with the camera can be stored in the phone or sent to others via multimedia messaging. The 5 MB of memory available for storing pictures is also shared with whatever wallpapers, screensavers, ring tones, Java applications, or games you may download from the Internet. The V400G also features 24 chord ring tone capability. Users can assign different tones for different callers in the V400G's phonebook, and assign separate tones to denote incoming messages, faxes, and reminders. Wireless multiplayer gaming capabilities and two included games, "Bejeweled" and "Prince of Persia", round out the entertainment perks of this phone.
Vital Statistics
This phone weighs 4.34 ounces and measures 3.50 x 1.90 x 1 inches. Its Lithium Ion batteries are rated at up to 5.25 hours talk time, and up to 175 hours standby time. It runs on GSM 800/900/1800/1900 mode.
1 Bad Phone
my husband had not one, but two of these phones in less than a year and they were both lemons! The first one he had, the person on the other end could not hear you talking at all - it was like no one was there! The phone was brand new! He had it replaced with the same phone and this one you could not hear anything on it! He finally sent it back and just got a totally different brand of phone entirely. I don't know if we just got two bad phones or if this phone is just not a good phone. Either way, we'll never have another one!!!
2 Disappointing phone...
I purchased this phone last year sometime and have been using it since. I am not very pleased with the phone for numerous reasons. Let me break it down in list form.
PROS:
1) Small, compact, light
2) Good LCD screen, bright, good colors
3) Pretty decent camera
4) Good layout of the buttons that are inside the phone (not the exterior side ones); easy to press
CONS:
1) Side buttons get mashed inadvertently when stuck in your purse or pocket. This causes it to make a sound as it changes your settings. Very annoying to have to reset it back to what you had it to before
2) Intermittent freezing of phone. I'm not sure if it is the phone's operating system or if it is just a defective unit. Either way, it is annoying for me to have to open and close then try to power off and power on the phone to get it to respond again.
3) Slow response to buttons being pressed
I am looking at other phones to buy to replace this one. If I were you, I'd look into other phones with similar options and features.
3 Motorola has the WORST support. AVOID MOTOROLA
Phone was all right, no real complaints, but then the earpeice stopped working and I had to send it in to Motorola to get repaired. 8 Days after I they got the phone they sent me a confirmation that they got it and then 2 weeks later they sent me the phone back unrepaired. Several hours talking to an Indian tech support person yielded me the fact they they did not repair the phone because of water damage??? even though the phone had never been exposed to water. Now its junk and I need to buy some other phone. I will never buy another motorola product as long as I can avoid them....
4 Good graphics, lousy phone
I share the concerns of others with this phone. I was very impressed with the picture screen. It has vivid color and clarity, although it is worthless in bright light conditions. It is also an attracive phone on the surface. But, that's where it ends. The phone starts up very slowly when going through its initial diagnostics. The response time for the function buttons is also quite slow, even when dialing a phone number. The side buttons are an absolute embarrasment when they go off in your pants or jacket. They are also very useless. The ringer is not loud enough. The outside plastic lense covering the clock easily scratches if you get the phone near change or keys in your pocket. Even blue jean material will scratch it easily. The picture screen also scratches easy and always holds your facial oils. Finally, the function buttons are poorly lit to be useful in dark conditions.
Unfortunately, I ignored the naysayers on this phone when deciding to go ahead and purchase it. They were right and I was wrong. My friends and family made much better choices and I can't wait to replace this disaster. Motorola: please listen to your customers or you won't have any.
5 Good features, but...
Just got my phone back from service. The screen went dark. I was told by the store that it was a common problem with this phone. Otherwise it is a good phone.
6 Good Phone..Just A Few Minor Things
I brought my phone October of last year from the Cingular website..This is my very 1st flip phone & only reason I picked this phone was because it had really good features, its cute & it has mobile IM which is AIM & YIM..I was happy it had both of those on this phone because I love chattin with my friends soo I could be on both even when I'm on the go..However it has very bad reception..I give it 4 stars tho because it does not work inside buildings you have to talk outside & thats something I hate, but they have antennas for that, that can boost up your reception which I brought soo now I have no problems I can talk on my phone in buildings soo really I have no complaints..Its a good phone has great volume & a good camera just gotta constantly keep the lens clean otherwise your pictures won't turn out clear..I can't speak for others but I'm very pleased with my cell phone those are the only problems I had but I fixed it sooo overall I'm happy
7 Overall Good Phone
I've had the phone for almost a year, and it's not bad at all. The camera works well, and all the features are great. However, my biggest complaint (and why I'm in the market for a new phone) is the volume! The volume of the ringwer (even on loud) and especailly the volume of the speaker during the calls is HORRIBLE. It's really hard to hear people you're speaking to and hearing incoming calls. The speaker phone works wonders for this..except calls you don't want broadcast to everyone, and you can't connect the speaker until after the call's been connected. So overall not a bad phone, but I've gotten to the point where I can't deal with it. Hope this helped.
8 An amazing mobile phone!
I have just recently started using all of the features of this phone. I was tempted to get one after I saw my friend's V300 with T-Mobile. I have AT&T Service and this phone was only unlocked to Cingular Wireless so when i bought it (second hand) it had to be unlocked by a 3rd party company for $25. Other than that, this phone has been amazing. The data cable is great for getting MP3 ringtones, keeping up with my Outlook data and also sending pictures I take to my computer. All of the memory on this phone is great for storing pictures (the camera has great quality) as well as MP3 files, contacts and Microsoft Outlook calandar data. I highly reccomend this phone!
9 sweet phone
i like this phone a lot. very easy to use. camera feature works solidly. lots of personalization/customization. speakerphone too! also comes with prince of persia, one of the best looking mobile games ive ever seen. the outside screen lights up with a super spiffy neon blue color. the only wacky thing about this phone is about once every few weeks the screen starts acting up. but i just simply turn it off and turn it back on, and its good to go.
10 Good phone with some problems
This was my first flip phone, so I can not really compare with other flip phones, but after having this phone for a pretty long time I can not say I am unhappy with it. Has one of the best screen resolutions and most vivid color (especially compared to some top selling non motorolla bluetooth phones). Very sturdy body (I have dropped it numerous times, including once from the second floor. Have some scratches, but works perfectly). Great reception (even when you remove the external antenna). I have used the phone in multiple countries. Since this phone comes unlocked, one just needs to change the SIM.
Now about the drawbacks. One is of course the constant beeps when the battery runs down - even on vibration mode. Second is the position and functionality of the side buttons. And it is not very easy to open/close the phone with one hand, although after some practice, it can be done :)
Bottomline: good phone, but could be improved. Definitely recommended.
11 Good Looks and Specs - WORKS POORLY in REAL LIFE! AVOID
I was looking for a quad-band GSM phone that I could use anywhere in the world (OK, most places). Though I was not particularly interested in the camera functionality, I chose this phone as it was the one which seemed to have the specs I needed.
But within a short time, my perception of this phone degenerated into the realization that the actual usability and performance of this phone leaves a lot to be desired (and gives you repeated opportunities to improve your inner self by curbing your irritation at things that don't deliver as promised :-) I have had this phone for about 6 months now and I will change it at the next opportunity.
Ok, kidding aside, some of the many things about this phone that don't work properly (design flaws) are -
* Traversing the menu for even simple things is a pain. Slow response. Many levels - for even frequently used items.
* Lack of basic call history information (if the same caller calls twice, their earlier call info. is overwritten!)
* NO TOTALLY SILENT MODE - Cannot silence the low battery alarm (though it can function fine for another 24 hours without charging)
* Cannot use the phone if the battery is discharged even when it is hooked to the charger. Must wait several minutes before you can even switch it on and ~15 minutes to make a short call.
* Side buttons constantly get pressed while inside trouser pcckets (and your hands - or anyone else's are no where near).
* Side button functionality (such as changing Ring tone level) do not work as you would expect.
* Speakerphone function seems great but you cannot switch on the Speakerphone until AFTER the call is connected - resulting in an awkward pause.
I could go on. Bottom line, this is a poorly designed phone (unreliable/bad personality) that is hoping to impress you by it's good looks and it's camera "feature". I think you get the picture - at least the smart ones reading this! Even the 4 and 5 star reviewers have mentioned numerous problems - they should really be at most 3 star reviews.
AVOID - there are many other better options from other manufacturers.
P.S. Also, be WARNED about Cingular resellers - they will LIE outright to get your business. And Cingular seems to not care very much.
The trend you support today becomes the norm tomorrow. Hope you choose wisely.
12 So-so......so you might buy another phone instead
First and utmost, let me tell you that the manual is total crap!It is the worst manual ever written in a product's history. Now some good features SpeakerPhone:works OK. Camera:so so. Features:OK Setup:fairly EZ. Is this phone worth what I paid for it....NO! Why?Too many quirks I don't like...Usleless buttons on the side make picking it up a hassle. Camera resolution is poor. Usless pictures the phone came with take up space, and you cant delete without special software. Look for a better phone is my advice. I'm stuck with it you're not......yet
13 webmerch
1- The worst manual(documentation) i have ever seen for a cell phone
2- Side-mounted buttons that make it difficult to so much as pick up the phone without inadvertently activating something
3- Gave it to my kids as a toy since this is absolutley garbage. No wonder you make money by choosing this phone(Rebate)!
4- I can not believe Motorola makes junk these days!
14 Great Phone
Have had this phone for about 1 month. The reception is very good. The built in camera works great. Overall it's a very well made product that is easy to use. Have had 3 other Motorola phones in the past and all have been well made and have never failed even with a lot of abuse. Made the mistake of buying a Samsung last time and was not happy with its performance or quality. Glad to return to this great phone!
15 Nice features, slow response
This is my first flip phone (with Cingular) and overall, it's pretty good. It's light and fits well in any pocket. However, the buttons (or software) don't respond quickly when pressed. My friend has an older Motorola flip phone and any time you pressed a button, it responded quickly. Not so with the V400. Sometimes it takes almost 2 full seconds before your button press gets a response. For example, to pull up the list of previously-called numbers, you press the SEND button once. That always takes over 1 second before the list is displayed. It gets annoying after a while. I'm still used to my old Nokia 3600 (?) model that responded the instant I hit any button.
Also, it's annoying that you can't just turn on speakerphone prior to making a call. You have to wait for the call to be completed.
Overall a good phone with tons of great features. I think they just packed far too many features into the software.
16 GREAT... BUT NOT THE BEST
I bought this phone for full price and it works great. The camera takes good pictures and the ringtone quality is awesome, even mp3. I love the speakerphone but you can only get to speakerphone once a call has been connected. Also The phone is a bit on the large side, but the keys are great size and spaced out perfect. this has been rated one of the best phones for Cingulars GSM 850/1900 band network for its reception and call quality. The screen is also great but id like to see it have an external color LCD for photo caller id and as a photo viewfinder.
17 Motorola V400
The Motorola V400 is a phone that combines both elegance and business into a simple easy to use device. The v400 comines with a spacious color display and VGA camera. It takes high quality photographs that you can send to friends or family or assign to a picture to a person so that when they call, their picture appears. With mp3 ringtones, a built in song mixer, and Multimedia Messaging the v400 is the perfect phone for any person.
18 v400 is a good stable phone
This phone is excellent, especially for the price! The camera is very good, the best I have seen on a phone. The reception is great too, while other Cingular phones have no service, my phone is still working. The screen is gorgeous! The only complaint is that the battery life is merely average.
19 I guess it works
I bought this phone new and had it for 1.7 months and the camera software broke somehow. I had to send it in for repair, seeing as how I had photos and ringtones I needed very much. I don't think it's a very durable phone on top of that, but I knew that when I wanted a flip phone, also the external phone is nice for the time and changing ring options, but I'm constantly getting in and out of my car and scratching that little screen happens alot considering that I put the phone in my leg pockets.
Aside from focusing on the bad. It does have a nice color screen and many other little options that make this phone fun to use. I guess my phone is in repair right now so I'm kinda hard to remember what thay all might be
20 BEST PHONE FOR A 11 YEAR OLD
THIS WAS THE BEST PHONE THAT I GOT FOR MY BIRTHDAY LAST WEEK.MY PARENTS PAY HALF THE BILL AND I CAN CALL ANYONE I WANT. I CAN CALL IN PA OR FL OR ANYWHERE THIS IS THE BEST PHONE TO GET IF YOU ARE 11-DEAD. ITS SO EASY TO USE
21 The V400
This phone is great. I would reccomend it to anyone who is looking for a phone. I have Cingular and the coverage is great. I have never had a problem with Cingular. I have only lost coverage a few times in the middle of nowhere. If you are looking for a phone this or the Motorola V220 with Cingular are the best ways to go in my opinion.
22 Cingular service 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.
23 Excellent phone
I just got this phone..
Here is what impresses me the most about this phone
1) excellent voice quality
2) awesome speakerphone
3) outstanding display and camera (bright at night too!!)
4) quad band global phone
The bad that i really wonder how motorola missed is IRDA connection - a musct for any phones in this age..
24 talk to the phone
this provides a perfect excuse for not talking to someone. simply pretend to talk into the phone when peron A walks near. when person A walks up to you, show him cell phone B, person A should walk away.if not, the phone's 4 ounces could easily show him who's boss. you can also get games for it, providing the ultimate in office cubical entertainment. oh yeah, you can also talk to people with it. very nice thing for anyone to have
25 do NOT buy this phone
I have had this phone for about 5 months now and I'm getting rid of it as soon as possible.
It drops calls when I have full service.
It randomly just won't ring when I have service, just beeps when someone leaves me a voicemail.
On a clear day, if I stand in the exact same spot the service will go from 5 bars to 0 bars and then back up to 5.
I have the media text messaging and that randomly won't work.
After I've fully charged the battery I'll receive a 10 min. phone call and all of the sudden the battery will go dead.
My husband is on the same plan as I am and has a Nokia phone. He has never had any problems, so we know that it's not the service.
My advice to you is not the buy this phone...my husband has had 2 different Nokia phones in the past few years and has never had a problem with any of them. I have had 2 Motorola phones and have had continuous problems with them.
26 Very Complicated Phone and Terrible Reception
I have now had my V-400 for a year. I still don't know how to use most features because they use a icon system that is not intuitive.
I have dropped calls all the time and most calls are garbled.
I would not buy this phone again.
27 Cool Phone
This phone is cool! After shopping phones, service plans, and prices, I choose the Motorola V400 with Cingular service. I upgraded from a Motorola V120, and was also looking at the V600, but Cingular discontinued this one due to technical problems. I also considered the Nokia 6820 with AT&T Wireless (Cingular now owns them).
Plusses: crystal clear reception (I do a lot of traveling), quad band (works anywhere in the world), easy to use, large keys, bright and clear screen, relatively long battery life between rechargings (big improvement over my V120), clear speakerphone, useful secondary screen when folded, external ringer adjustment, multimedia capabilities, excellent zoom camera for a cell phone, attractive design, excellent personal organizer, and compatibility with many inexpensive accessories. Also, Cingular's multimedia messaging service (MMS) works very well with this phone.
Minuses: no bluetooth (like the Nokia 6820), no foldout querty keyboard (again, like the Nokia 6820), no hands-free headset (purchased separately), phonebook only holds one number per person, and slightly too thick in size.
There is not much that Motorola could do to improve this phone. It does most things flawlessly, but I would like to see the next generation phone include those minuses (very minor) I mentioned above.
The bottom line is that this is a cool phone that I would highly recommend. The phone offers a multitude of features at a moderate price, and, with Cingular service, works very well. The Nokia 6820 with AT&T Wireless was my second choice, but it was much more expensive overall, and the phone was lacking some of the features and performance in this phone.
28 BAD BAD Customer service, trying to rip you off!!!
I wanted to switch my provider from ATT and still keep my number so here's what i did:
1. I called up cingular and asked them if my number can be ported. the customer service rep was very eager to get my order and said he could have the phone(he also said he could match any price online) shipped with the number within 3 days, however, my plan wouldn't expire for a week, so i said i'll call them back.
2. the day after my service was to expire i called Cingular again and asked for a new plan but this time the representative said that they do not match online prices, so i'd have to pay couple of hundred for the phone i could get for $25 here. So I asked her how i could get a phone online and still keep my number and she redirected me to another phone number.
3.I called up the Tech service number that handles number portability and the guy adviced me to go ahead and order the phone on amazon and change the number when i receive the phone.
he also asked me not to cancel my old provider till the porting process was done.
4. I received the phone 5 days later and i activated it. I called the customer service number rightaway and asked them to have my number ported. the person warned me that there is a $35 service charge for changing numbers (which i was never informed about) and directed me to a different number.
5. I made up my mind to pay the $35 and get the number changed but when the tech support guy answered the phone, he had a whole different story. He said that i can not change the number cause my phone has already been assigned a phone number. When i informed him about my conversation with a person from the same department he asked me for the number i called from and said that the computer doesn't show any information regarding the conversation.
After couple of arguments, he started implying that i was lying which pissed me off and i told him to cancel the phone.
He said that I would be charged $170 for cancelling the contract 2 hours after i activated it under the false impression that i can have my old phone number.
After an arguing for 30 more minutes, he finally agreed to cancel my contract without any charges.
I moved to T-mobile since and i have a better phone and the same coverage as cingular.
29 Great phone, but not perfect...
I've had this phone for a month or two, and I like it a lot. The screen is fantastic; I was surprised by how sharp and bright the image was. The external display is very nice as well. My friend has a different make of phone with an color external display, but the words on it are so small that they can barely be seen. The keypad is easy to use, except that the blue button in the middle of the directional buttons is a bit too small. I like that you are able to change the ring mode with the side buttons, without having to open the phone.
The ringtones that come with the phone are not very impressive, but that was also the case with my previous phone (Nokia 3560). I think they really, REALLY want you to purchase lots of new ringtones.
I have not used the camera a great deal, but what pictures I have taken look fine. I have yet to view any pictures I have taken with this phone in full 640 x 480 resolution. The camera automatically adjusts fairly well to low-light conditions.
This phone comes with a hands-free speaker phone, but I have not used it much because the sound output is somewhat tinny. I have tried using it in my car, but could not make out anything that was said to me (this could be the fault of my car, though!). I will soon purchase a headset for in-car use.
The instruction manual is pretty much useless. It tells you how to get to different functions, but not how to use them (such as the iMelody ringtone creator).
The reception on this phone is decent, but not exceptional. The battery life on this phone is not as long as I expected... but I must admit that when I first got this phone, I was playing with it A LOT. Also, I work in an area that does not have good cellular coverage, and I would leave the phone on while at work. These two factors surely affect the longevity of the battery.
Now for the main reason I did not give this phone 5 stars: the earpiece volume. With my previous phones, I never had a problem hearing through the earpiece. With the v400, I am frequently straining to hear, even with the volume all the way up. I don't know if it is how I am holding the phone or what...
Otherwise, this is a great phone.
30 pleasant surprise
I have my V400 hooked up through my T-mobile SIM card and I am glad becuase it allows me to compare this phone with my old phone(nokia 3360)with the exact same service provider. This phone blows the nokia away with its reception. I have one of those houses that cells always loose signals in...not any more.
The speaker phone is not that loud and as the reception bars go down it gets lower in volume as does the earpiece, but it is not a big deal.
The camera is great and I just ordered the data cable to transfer the pictures and mp3s to my phone and to my computer.
The rings that the phone comes with are not too great (there are only 4). But like I said, upload mp3s or download some rings. Game capapibility is awsome, Prince of Persia (1) is addictive. The phone has 5mb of disk space that it shares between games, pictures, ringtones etc. which is a nice feature. The calender is great and you can even download applications just like a computer. Battery life is good, I get about 2.5 days while playing with phone costantly.
I highly recommend it because of its programmable menus, completely customizable features and becuase it can expand any way you desire it too via games, apps, rings, screen savers.
31 Great Phone
I have had this phone for about 5 months now and i have never had any problem with it. I great reception all the time. I also have wireless internet, text, multimedia, and instant messaging. Not to metion the great games i get and the great sounding ringers from cingular.
32 Better than the V600 with Cingular
Although the V600 is a great piece of technology, it has not been working real well on the Cingular GSM network because of excessive static. I've heard Cingular is not selling the 600 right now because of software defects--supposedly a newer version is coming out that actually works. Anyway, the V400 has basically the same features, a much lower cost, and far less static interference than the 600. Definitely the way to go
33 One of the best phones out right now
I've had this phone for about 2 weeks now. I bought it new and unlocked online through Amazon's Marketplace for about $235 (excl. s&h) but saw it on Ebay for $155 and I just thought, "Ugh. I could've had such a better deal". But anyway, before I bought the phone, as a "gadget freak", I've done a lot of reviews on it. Let's start with the phone's PROs and CONs.
PROs:
1) I love the front design and colors of the phone.
2) The 176x220 display is absolutely beautiful! (unlike the Samsung E-105 phone that I had before).
3) The speakerphone is very clear, but I wish it could be somewhat louder.
4) The voice dialing option is quite useful, even though it tends not to work around noisy areas.
5) The camera's pretty good since you can't really expect a "high-tech 2mp+ digicam" out of a cell phone (maybe in a couple of years, but not now).
6) The mp3/polyphonic ringtones come out very true and not so "muffled" if you know what I mean.
CONS:
1) The loudspeaker and speaker overall could be louder.
2) It would be so much nicer if the speaker isn't located in the back of the phone because once you put it down, the volume isn't as loud (that's why you should place it down on the front instead of on the back).
3) It would be nice to use the speakerphone whenever like for a example, when playing a voice recording.
There are a lot of "would'ves" and "could'ves" and "what ifs" but you can't and shouldn't expect a phone to be perfect.
If you were to compare the v400 with the v600, then there really isn't much of a difference besides the "external blinking lights" to tell you which group the person calling you is in. Big deal. It's just a flashy addition to the caller ID option - mainly to "show off". Also, the v600 and the v400 are about the same size - same for its memory capacity. If you're thinking about buying a V600 retail, then you're better off buying the v400 and saving the extra $100 for something else.
Lastly, I'd recommend signing up with 3GUPLOAD.COM for ringtones and downloads. It's only $10 for unlimited downloads a year and you can always share the account with friends that have the same phone (or display resolution) as you! As for free downloads, you can try MY-JUJU.COM even though there isn't as much to choose from compared to 3GUPLOAD.COM.
34 Moto v400
The motorola is Cingular's best offering (right now). the phone has a very high resolution screen (176 by 220) . I love the sound quality and even speakerphone has good sound and the other party can hear me. The mp3 ringtones are fun, but often expensive. The camera resolution is normal ( VGA or 640 by 480 ) In general this is a solid phone that I would strongly recomend, please e-mail me with any questions, ( DrSmile2@aol.com)
35 business manager
great cellular. photos are pretty good and signal easy to manages
36 EH
I LOVE THE PHONE. BUT EVERY GOOD PHONE HAS ITS UPS AND DOWNS. ( I JUST HAVENT FOUND THE DOWNS YET )
37 Love / Hate relationship
I too have had my V400 from Cingular for about 6 months. I absolutely love the features - the variety of menu options, the phone book, and especially the high resolution screen (it definitely has a "WOW" effect with an American flag as the background. It's also extremely rugged, given that it's dropped to the sidewalk in the park multiple times.
What I don't like is the software that runs the phone. Either it is extremely buggy or the phone's processor needs to be faster. More often than not, disconnecting from a phone call will be delayed 2-3 seconds after hitting the "End" key. The scroll rate through the phone book is extremely slow as well. Even though it is seldom, the phone "freezes" and nothing but taking out the battery solves the problem.
38 Nice phone but ...
I have had this phone for about a month and I really like it for all of its fun features but I find the screen hard to read. Maybe I need glasses but I can hardly see the battery strength in the right corner and I REALLY have a hard time reading the signal strength in the top left corner. I do regret getting this phone but not because of the phone itself but for the coverage in my area. The signal stinks in my area and probably 85% of the time when I go to use my phone I have no signal or I get the call failed message.
39 Consider it carefully
I have owned this phone for about 6 months now and am ditching it. Before this phone I was a strong believer in Samsung phones, and now, I am even more. By far, the worst part about this phone is not the physical quality of it, which is fairly good, but rather the digital part, which is total crap. The software is buggy and unreliable. It is slow and clunky. I can't tell you how many times I've had to remove the battery just to end a call. Sometimes it refuses to dial out, and other times it just won't do anything at all. It is not reliable and truthfully, it is not trust worthy. There are several nice things about it though. The screen is very nice, big, bright, and sharp. It also has a speakerphone that works well and a built in e-mail client (which I will miss). In the end, after 6 months, today I ordered the Samsung SGH-E317 and though it lacks the high resolution screen, email client, and speakerphone, it should be a phone I can trust. What's the point of having a phone if you can't trust that it will be there when you really need it?
40 An o.k. phone, but nothing to write home about
I've had this phone for 4 months now. It looks cute and feels good, but there are major shorfalls: the battery life is really short (one or two days even when not making calls), the camera is nice but my service (Cingular) has no way of getting the photos out of the camera, and the 2 out of three calls gives me "Call failed. Retry?". I have had another Cingular phone (the V60, which I really liked until it went through the washing machine) which gave me much better success at making calls.
41 Having difficulties ordering too...
I tried to order the phone as well and getting declines from Amazon, even though I have excellent credit history and I'm an existing customer with Cingular.
Does anybody know the number at Cingular where I can call and get an approval for Amazon's order?
Thanks!
42 I love the phone... but
as with all phones, it's got issues.
- needs better ringtones, to buy some, go to www.motorola.com (of course, if you're paying a fortune for a phone, you should get some good ringtones, but not with this one)
- the games... well, one is ok, and common in new phones, the other, I can't stand. To get new ones, (if you're using Cingular), go to Cingular's website, they offer better games than Motorola's site.
- also, I wish the phone was entirely constructed of metal, instead of just the part on the front cover that is. With a 4 month old in the apartment that has recently learned to grab at everything, I would've liked a more durable phone for my money.
Otherwise, the phone is great! Great resolution, looks nice, 4x zoom on the camera, picture caller ID, and other great features.
43 Next best thing to Bluetooth
The picture quality is excellent for a camera phone. You can upload your own pictures and ringtones to it if you want to. The ringtones sound great and it can play MP3s.
It is a very easy-to-use phone for people who might not be technically inclined.
Cingular has MMS, which means you can send pictures, ringtones, voice recordings, etc... to other cell phones and/or email addresses.
You can browse the internet, check your email, do voice recordings. The Screen is the best I've seen yet on any phone.
It has everything except bluetooth.
44 BE AWARE!!! The service plan is untrustworthy
The phone is great, but order the service through Amazon is terrible. I had a similar experience in which Amazon contacted me via email and explained that more info was needed to process the application...., just like the other two reviewers, although the email from Amazon indicated that they had automatically canceled the order due to insufficient information. They DID NOT refund my money to my credit card. I have contacted Amazon but gotten no response yet....
Be aware to order the service through Amazon, you might end up giving ALL your information through internet for a credit check but get hassle in return.
45 Great phone...
I love this phone... you can hack the heck out of it by reading up at howardforums.com and change the volume settings and remove any restrictions put on by your wireless carrier. Cables are available on ebay for less than a dollar in most cases.
It's got great reception, great features. I even like the weight and size, as its not the type of phone you see in the movie Zoolander.
Good stuff all around
46 Watch out for order problems
Yeah the phone itself is ok, but the real problem with this whole offer is ordering through Amazon.com, as noted by another review already. I had a similar experience in which Amazon contacted me via email and explained that more info was needed to process the application....so when you try to "Revise the order" the operation times out when attempting to contact Amazon servers. In short, you can't update the order with whatever credit info that they claim is needed. I contacted Cingular directly and was approved in about 2 minutes, and after placing another order with Amazon I actually got the phone. But the other funny thing is, you can't cancel the original order because the operation keeps timing out when contacting Amazon's servers again. So I emailed them and have gotten no response as of yet. We'll see what happens on that, so caveat emptor for all ya'll.
47 Great Phone
This phone has been nothing but great to me. It provides good connection, up-to-date internet access, and cool downloads and features. The camera isnt bad and the quality of sound when it rings is clear. The phone is easy to understand and easy to use.
48 COMPLETELY Untrustworthy - Beware!
I tried ordering this phone from Amazon.com but I was sent an e-mail telling me that Cingular could not approve my order due to "insufficient information". Amazon.com then sent me an e-mail telling me that they were cancelling the order because of this reason. It was not specified what information was missing and when I tried contacting Amazon.com, they never replied to me. A month later, I open up my credit card statement and wooooo! There it is: a charge for $177 for a phone and service I never received! HOPEFULLY, now that I've contacted Amazon.com, they'll remedy this situation asap. I find this outrageously irresponsible and crafty of both Amazon.com and Cingular and I'm very unhappy. Please watch out... I think it would be a better idea to go directly to a wireless/cell phone store than to risk unnecessarily exorbitant charges on your credit card... for nothing.
49 Pretty Good Phone
This is an ok phone, but needs to have more ringtones available, with a louder setting for use in noisy areas. I signed up for the Family Talk plan through Cingular, and so far it's been ok. I do have some issues with Cingular's customer service though. In short, it stinks!(unless you're lucky enough to talk to someone who actually knows what they're doing). Overall, the phone itself serves its purpose pretty well. One more thing...I tried to speak to the manufacturer (Motorola) about some of the features--bad idea. I was connected to someone in ARGENTINA!! Of course he was unable to help me. SO, it was back to Cingular. No real issues with the phone except the ringtones and the volume.
50 OKay
This is a good phone, no joke. I've been with Cingular for ages and completely love their service. I must say thought that while the Nokia is much more unattractive, I did recieve better reception on it. I love this phone though! The reception is ok. But all the other features are completely incredible. Battery life is great. I charged my phone on Sunday and it lasted me until Wendnesday. The phone looks classy and professional. And the blue display screen is nice as well. I like the internal display screen as well (very colorful and crisp).
This is the best camera phone on the market for this price. The resolution ROCKS!! And the phone has a bunch of storage.
My favorite features are the MP3 ringtones and the picture caller ID!! Over all I love the phone! If I gotjust a little better reception it would be perfect.
51 GOOD PHONE...BUT!!!
When I got our phones I did not like that they were not set up for internet or multimedia use, a technician talked me through setting up my husband's phone and it worked perfectly. Mine was another story. I never got the same technician to set up my phone and it would never go to the internet. Just connect forever but showed up as a connection on the bill. After talking to Cingular till I was purple in the face I took it to a technician 100 miles away who replaced it for another phone (not a new one)
This phone worked for three months then would not send or receive multimedia messages. It would just freeze and have to be turned off or the battery removed to do anything. I had to go 100 miles again for another phone. I did not really mind that I was not getting a new phone each time,however, Cingular customer service was AWFUL!!!!
When my phone is working it works really well.
My husband's phone had not had one bad day for six months. I give his phone a perfect rating.
The pictures are great, the batterly life long, connects to the internet easily, has a calculator, battery meter, date book can receive reminders from e-mail and the features are beyond what was expected. Be sure to save information to the sim card and the phone because if the phone has to be replaced the sim card can be changed from one phone to the other, no problem. Do not allow this phone to get wet, to be played with by a child or dropped.
If there is a way to transfer pictures from the phone to the computer without sending each one in a separate multimedia message ($0.25 each without a plan) this would be great.
Buy or get the phone and use it wisely. I would rather not have another phone and when I finally figure out how to use even more of the features, I will be more excited.
52 Phone has more features than advertised
I recommended this phone to my price-sensitive friends and family members, but chose to buy the V600 for myself because I wanted 4x zoom and web access. Both phones have this functionality. The V400 has a larger phonebook than the V600. The only benefit that the V600 provides is that it has Bluetooth functionality... if you need that feature. It is also a slightly more attractive phone. The V600 looks a bit too oblong. They are essentially the same shape, but the lines on the V600 create an illusion of clunkiness, whereas the the textured finish of the V400 is more refined... sort of like a Cadillac versus a BMW.
Both have great reception and take great pictures. Both are easy to navigate. However, both are somewhat sluggish to respond when quickly scrolling through the phonebook. This effect is somewhat mitigated if you switch from "icons" to "list", but the sluggishness is a problem with the phone's memory/processor/software/whatever. Another complaint I have is that it doesn't have the full set of TAP Extended characters in the alphabet. For example, it doesn't contain Scandinavian letters such as "A" with a circle over it ("AA"), "A" with an umlaut ("AE"), or "O" with an umlaut (OE). It seems to have all the other TAP extended characters (eg: "I" with umlaut, "U" with umlaut, "AE", "OE", "C" with squiggly thing underneath, "N" with tilda, vowels with accents in both directions, "Euro" & "Yen" symbols, etc.).
My only other complaint has to do with Cingular Wireless. Their voicemail system sucks! You are forced to enter your password EVERYTIME you call, even from your mobile handset. T-Mobile didn't require this. The transition from T-Mobile to Cingular was a snap by calling Cingular's Number Porting specialists (888-898-7685). However, until they get the voicemail thing figured out, I recommend you stay with your other carrier. T-Mobile and Cingular (at least until recently) share(d) mobile towers and coverage is identical. When AT&T's network comes onboard in October, the coverage area should increase.
53 Awesome Phone- Attractive
This is a very attractice phone....you know...friends and family all wanting to check it out saying its cool and stuff....you wouldnt find that in a nokia.....you know people would say oh well...just another nokia (my opinion...) No disrespect to nokia. Some are Cool. Back to the phone. I dont know why people are complaining. For me, battery life is great, i messed around with the camera taking pictures and deleting them for about 4 1/2 hours and not one link on the battery went down. Amazon shipped this phone to me in 2 days with the free shipping. Totally Awesome phone. Nice color display. My only regret is to download ringtones (some you actually enjoy) cost $2.50 to download one mp3 ringtone! thats crazy. I would recommend this phone to anyone who has any doubts about buying it.
54 Great phone, but buy it elsewhere
This is a wonderful phone. Great color screen, great external display, great reception, great camera, great look overall. It's full of memory to store pictures, wallpapers, screensavers, etc. It also has all the fun caller ID features and settings everyone wants. It comes with two addictive games (they drain the battery...don't play too long). The ringer is a little quiet and the vibrating is short and unnoticeable. My only real complaint is that the battery life is much, much, much shorter than advertised. However, I would strongly advise everyone to buy the phone from another company, not amazon.com. There are much better deals on the Internet, and I already regret buying from Amazon. You can find this phone for free on many other websites that are very reliable with FREE 2-day shipping (Amazon charged me a good $12 on top of the sales tax I had to pay). Though Amazon SAYS it includes a hands-free headset, it actually does NOT come with a headset. Cingular includes one Motorola travel charger; Amazon includes NO accessories. This phone deserves accessories (hands-free headset/case) and NEEDS a car charger. Order elsewhere and get them for free! One final tip. A lot of people complain about the battery meter. I agree that the battery reader displayed on the external screen is not very accurate. However, there is a more reliable measure inside the phone. (Settings-Phone level-battery meter)...click that to see where your battery REALLY is). Anyways, overall, this is the best phone for the money I've ever found. It's amazing that such a nice phone is free--buy it while you can!
55 Cool, little phone
I love, love, love this phone. I've only been with Cingular for a week but its service in Alabama is above par in m opinion. I just left T-mobile after a year and a crappy phone (SE T300). To me, Cingular and T-Mobile are pretty close as far as service goes, but Cingular goes a step above with free mobile to mobile and rollover minutes.
Now on to the phone:
Pros:
Comfortable to hold (Not to big, but not to small)
Beautiful large display (65000+ colors)
Loud MP3/Midi Ringtones
Fast Web Access
Downloadable Games
Decent Camera w/ easy access!
Clear External Display
SPEAKERPHONE!!
Reasonable price (Free!) for such features
Subdued (though beautiful) look
Like all phones, there are a couple of things that stand for improvment:
--comes with few ringtones (4 MP3, and a handful of basic polyphonic tones)
--the battery doesnt last too long (after extensive use, lasted for 1 day)
--polyphonic rings a little on the soft side
--speakerphone can only be activated after a call is connected.
Overall I'm very happy with this phone, and with the ability to take pictures that are actually viewable on the screen, download new MP3 tones, games, and wallpaper, its the almost perfect phone for me. If you don't need bluetooth (MOTO V600) then GET THIS PHONE! :) It's awesome!
Actual Rating: 4.45 stars
