The Motorola i730 is everything a top-notch phone should be; it's easy to use, as well as sturdy and feature packed. With Nextel's legendary Direct Connect walkie-talkie technology, speakerphone capability and a vibrant color screen, the i730 is the right tool for getting the job done.
Design
Click the image to get a closer look at the i730's features. View the rear of the unit in detail. |
The i730 is no ordinary clamshell. Like other Nextel phones, it's built tough for construction and utilities industry users. The phone sports a large 130 x 130 TFT color display with 65,000 colors. Meanwhile, the outside cover features a supplementary monochrome display that can display time, call information, battery and signal strength, and more. The speakerphone unit is located below this display on the outside cover, while the trademark Direct Connect and menu scrolling functions can be controlled from the side of the phone. An attached cover protects the unit's USB data, handsfree headset, and charging ports. The phone's control pad also features a five-way button that can control most of the phone's functions. The phone's software features one-touch shortcuts to phone features and easy, icon-driven menus.
Calling Features
The i730's built-in address book can store up to 600 contacts for quick and easy management of phone numbers and email addresses. The phone comes with built-in polyphonic ringtones plus a vibrating alert and you can assign unique ring tones to contacts for audible notification and caller identification during incoming calls. More polyphonic ringtones can be added via a Nextel Online add-on plan. Voice activated dialing makes calling your friends, family and associates as easy as saying their names. You can also speak numbers and control other phone features with the sound of your voice. Access the last 20 sent and received calls for quick call return or number storage via the recent calls list. A built-in speakerphone makes it easy to talk without having the phone to your ear, and the i730's GPS location technology pinpoints your exact location when you dial 911.
One of the key features of any Nextel phone is support for Nextel's Direct Connect walkie- talkie technology. The i730 fully supports the service, which allows for one-touch conversations with anyone else on a Nextel phone. It's like a having a CB radio with enough range to cover all of North America. The i730 also features a walkie-talkie private speaker button. This switches from the external speaker to the earpiece for private conversations or to minimize disruptions in quiet environments.
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The i730 is built tough and ideal for construction and utilities industry users. |
Messaging, Internet and Tools The i730 features MMS-based support for mobile-to-mobile or mobile-to-email text, graphics and sound messaging. T9 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.
Getting on the Internet anywhere is easy with the i730, as well. Nextel's optional Nextel Online package allows you to read and send e-mails, exchange instant messages and view your favorite web content on your phone. Nextel Online also features games, ringtones, realtime news and sports updates, virtual address books, and more-- all delivered to your Nextel phone.
The i730 ships with a datebook that lets you book meetings, plan events, and set alarms that will automatically turn on the phone if needed. You can store a phone number or Direct Connect ID and initiate a call from a datebook entry (datebook Does not sync with other software programs). There's also a voice recording application that can record phone conversations if you need to replay directions or meeting times. A time and date clock are included, as well.
Entertainment and Software
For those who want their i730 to match their tastes, the phone allows you to customize the idle screen with your choice of hundreds of available images. You can also download new wallpapers directly to your phone with any Nextel Online plan.
The i730 is packed with a number of Java applications. Pre-loaded applications include Advanced Calculator, as well as TeleNav 2.2, an application that provides audible driving directions. A demo version of WayToGo, a location service package, is also included. Both TeleNav and WayToGo take advantage of the i730's GPS capability and both require a subscription for full service. Meanwhile, games that ship with the i730 include a FOX Sports Football game demo, Bejeweled puzzle game demo, Zip Zavier adventure game demo. You can also download more games to the phone's 3MB of internal memory via the Nextel Online service.
Vital Statistics
The Motorola i730 weighs 5.1 ounces and measures 3.6 x 2.0 x 1.1 inches. Its lithium-ion battery is rated at up to 200 minutes of digital talk time, and up to 75 hours of digital standby time. It runs on the IDEN 800 frequency. The phone comes with a one year limited warranty.
What's in the Box
Motorola i730 handset, standard lithium ion battery, standard battery door, carry holster with swivel clip, black rapid travel charger.
1 Positive feedback
The I730 of mine has served me now for over a year and a half. I have never had any major problem. Due to me using it all the time and dropping it a few times I am now looking for another to replace it. I don't have any problems with internet service, cell service or two way radio, unless I go out of the Nextel tower area. Which for me isn't very often. I wouldn't trade mine if I had to.
2 i730 is not that bad
The i730 is a great phone, but I still think sprint is better. I gave this phone a rating of 3 because it doesn't recieve service everywhere you go. that's CRAZY! I thought nextel recieved signal anywhere. Currently I attend Wayne State and my phone rarely has service. On the other hand if I'm at home my phone never drops calls. Nextel really needs to step it up a notch, buI guess I can't say much about it because sprint will be buying them out soon.
3 Not a bad phone, but the cheaper model gets better signal.
I don't own this phone. I own the cheaper Motorola (Nextel) i710. I have many friends who own this phone though, although a few of them have since "downgraded" to the i710.
The main reason I chose the i710 over this i730 was signal strength. the i710 consistently gets better signal the the i730 no matter which of my friends phones I compare it too. All my friends are on the same wireless plan from Nextel as I am, so I know its not service, it is definitely the phones.
I can have full bars on my phone (5 including the little antennae icon) and my friends phone held right next to mine will have 2 or 3 bars. My phone gets signal in places their phones are "Out of Service."
Now you might say that maybe my friend just has a dud phone. Well I have 4 friends who have the i730, 5 friends with the i710 and one with the i860, all from Nextel, and the i710's always have better signal compared to the i730's. The i860 gets as good a signal as the i710 (but its significantly more expensive too).
I am not sure why two phones based on the same hardware and software have such drastic differences in signal. The only thing I can think of is some hardware added to give the i730 an external screen somehow interferes with the antennae hardware somehow.
Other than signal strength compared to the cheaper and basically identical (except for external screen) i710, the i730 is a pretty good phone. Lots of features, solid and durable construction and good battery life. For me signal was more important that a silver case an an external screen but if you like those things the i730 is a decent phone to use.
4 Old Verus New ; i730 compared to i90c and i95cl
First of all, I would like to make distinction with regard to service - customer service specifically. Nextel has been GREAT!!! Just before Nextel, I was with Alltell. Their customer service at the local level was HORRID to put it mildly! It was so terrible, that I paid the $200.00 early termination fee after only 6 months. In a two year agreement, I would have paid out more than $1800.00 over the next 18 months for customer service that was frankly non-existent. You do the math. The carriers count on you not switching until your contract expires, but do not let them railroad you into believing that you have no choice but to "take what they give you"!
With that said, on to the phone. I initiated service with Nextel over a year ago. I wanted the i95cl, but was told that it was discontinued and that the i730 had replaced it.
At first glance and with little knowledge, it seemed to make sense. It's smaller, shinier, has more capacity with respect to contacts (600 instead of 250) and Java apps, it can hold longer names, has more screen resolution, and I could go on. BUT, after only two weeks to a month of use, other people began asking me to repeat myself while on the phone with me. They would tell me that I was "breaking up" while I was talking. Although I could hear them fine most of the time, this was almost always the case for the other party. Then, I began to notice that my signal strength was almost never constant, but often fluctuated - even standing still in the same spot. I took it in to service centers for software and firmware updates, I had microphones replaced, the unit replaced, etc., but to no availle. Nothing really ever solved the problem. There were also some quirks with the internet.
I would also like to mention that the battery didn't last a full day on most days. In all fairness though, I do contracting and maintenance work and I do talk alot, but my Motorloa v60 with Suncom lasted two(2) full days with the same amount of talking.
Finally one day about 2-3 months ago, an associate gave me an i90 that he no longer wanted. He had purchased an i830 and had no use for the i90. I was told that the i90's and i95's were the "work horses" before they were pulled, so I decided to use th i90 instead of the i730. IT WORKED!!!! I had absolutely NONE of the problems that I had with the i730!! Of course, like any cell phone, there are a few problems here and there, but they are ABSOLUTELY MINIMAL compared to the i730.
So began my journey for the i95cl. After some trial and error I quickly became an expert on ebay. I now have four (4) i95's in almost new condition. Two of these I traded my i730 for. With the exception of a few features and size, the i95cl is everything the i730 is and more. I still get the web, check the news, email, etc. with no problems at all.
For the average consumer wanting Nextel, the i730 is packed with everything you could ask for - without being a camera phone. But, if you need a phone and rely on call quality, I suggest checking into some of Nextel's other phones.
5 It's ok.
While this phone worked well for the first couple months I owned it, I now have problems with service. I rarely have full service where my old sprint phone never had a problem. I am also really annoyed that the 2-way radio feature will sometimes malfunction and my phone also randomly shuts off.
6 Why does everyone hate this thing?
I have been using cell phones since before (the now defunt) AT&T Wireless was around, that was 1992 or so. I used an analog phone at the time and then switched to PrimeCo (before they became Verizon Wirless) and then SprintPCS. Up to that point I had no complaints about phones -- some had a better UI than others, but they pretty much did the same thing.
I then switched to Voicestrea(before they became T-Mobile!) because I needed the international roaming feature, and they had the best rates on the market, and I could use the same handset, wereas with the CDMA providers I would have to pay for an additional service. This is were my cell-phone fun began. T-Mobile service was not bad at all, but I don't think that in the 2 or 3 years I was with them I was ever satisfied with my phone -- the volume was too low, the speakerphone was a joke, the phone was too big, reception was horrible, it kept on dying, etc, etc.
I then switched to Nextel because I was tired of the billing errors involved with handsent replaments (out of warranty fees -- when the phone wasn't even 3 months old, re-stocking fees for phones I "didnt return" according to T-Mobile, etc, etc). I have been using this phone since late October or early November 2004 and I am glad to say I have had no major problems. The reception is great no matter where I go (I travel incredible distances in the state of Florida alone -- 15,000 miles since January, and that's just by car), the speaker and speakerphone are loud enough, and the phone is a decent size. In addition I can take the SIM card out of the i730 and place it in my GSM world phone for my trips to Europe, although the Nextel rates are a bit higher, they are about the same as what AT&T used to charge, and what Cingular charges today.
Another great feature on this phone (and all the Nextel Java-enabled phones if I am not mistaken) is the navigation function provided by TeleNav. Not only can it tell me how to get to point B, it also has a business finder, based on my current location as determined by the GPS reciever that is built into the phone, but it even has a handy "Gas by Price" function, although it only can sort the listing by lowest prices on regular or 87 octane gas, which I cannot use in my vehicle, it will display the prices for premium or 93/91 octane gas as well.
7 Not as Bad As You Read!!
Ignore all the exteme negativity regarding Nextel's i730. I have been with Nextel and have had the best service, compared with my former carriers, Cingular & Verizon. Now that they are merging with Sprint, I am sure it will only get better. The customer service, although not the fastest is very efficient and open until 1am EST.
As for the i730, this phone was recommended to me by numerous friends/coworkers who own it when the antenna broke on my i60, after three years of use with little problems. This phone is easy to set up with the manual, if you are literate. Calling customer service to transfer my SIM info was easy, except for it took a couple of times to get the address book right. This phone has alot of features that are easy to use and although it may not be the flashiest trendiest phone (if that's what you're into) it is still pretty sleek. The ringtones/wallpapers are easy to download from Nextel.com, although I wish Nextel offered more options.
Most of the complaints I read regarding this phone seem to be from people who are either too clueless, too into having a trendy phone, or too into the tech stuff and need their cell to mimic their home PC. My only complaint is that sometimes I hear myself echo through the earpiece even when I have full signal, but this occurs so rarely that it doesn't really annoy me. The phone holds a charge well, I don't even own a car charger.
Overall, I recommend this phone for someone whose main concern is owning a reliable cell phone with a few cool features.
8 Good but not Great!
This phone is good, but not great. I've had it for about two years. The second year the datebook started malfunctioning. No matter what date you would enter for future reminders, it would ring at 7AM the day before. For ex., If I wanted the alarm to ring at 2:30 pm on March 25 and set it under the custom 90 minutes, it would ring on March 24 at 7AM. I also didn't like the fact that this phone only holds datebook data for 3 weeks. What if you need to check back in 6 months for reference to appointments. They are erased! If you can stand those annoyances then the phone is good, not great.
9 a general statement
it is not the phones fault if your phone has no reception unless you have no sim card or a broken antenna. it is 100% where you live. thats y people are saying that they have the best reception ever and the worst reception ever on the same exact phone. so in all further reviews, leave out the commments on reception.
10 Great phone
I've read some of the reviews on this phone and I am laughing. These people have lemon phones or something. I've had my phone for over a year. It's been dropped, talked on, and toyed with by my 2 year old and it has always and still works perfectly! Nextel itself has kinks in their services, but that is not the phone's fault. I love my phone and I would highly reccomend it again and again!!!
11 Good little phone
The i730 boasts features that are in demand in today's high-tech world. This flip phone
boasts a color screen, Speakerphone, One Touch Direct
Connect, Voice Recorder, and Voice Activated Dialing.
Additionally, you can customize this phone with
downloadable wallpapers and ring tones.But had ordered it off of Nextels site. They even gave me a code that saved me $50.00. Here it is for you all to share (CL897L) case sensitive. On the shopping cart page in the promo box. It is like an invoice thing. But I think it is a very good phone. You will enjoy the phone. Happy shopping.
12 Decent phone considering the lack of reason to be better
I switched to Nextel from Sprint about a year ago and purchased this phone as it was the best one offered. The phone for Nextel is nice, however the newer phones seem better, however if this phone was on any other service it would be very sub-par and would never sell. It is because Motorola has a monopoly on Nextel phones that they are not pushed to do any better.
Pros:
-Good java execution.
-Good screen brightness and color.
-I enjoy the way the contacts allow you to easily flip between multiple numbers for one person
-Nice flexibility for the shortcuts
-Nice speaker phone
-can place calls without even opening the phone
Cons:
-Huge phone by todays standards. No real need in the phone being that large
-Small screen compared with most of todays phones
-Must go online for text messaging
-Metal piece covering ear speaker falls off constantly
-Poor reception inside any building and around tall structures
-From time to time the phone will randomly shut itself off. It goes through stages though, for a week or so it will shut itself off almost every hour, then it will not do it again for several months.
Overall not so great of a phone, however it is not like Motorola really has any push to make phones much better. Now that Nextel has merged with Sprint I'll be back on Sprint again and I will just go back to Samsung phones which I love this summer when the deal is complete.
13 This Makes The New Rating Of 0 Star
This is truly a terrible phone, don't let the new, long overdue features fool ya! Sure its about time they make a phone with a color screen to keep up with everyone else, and the new features are handy. But tell me.... What use are they if you cannot use the phone???? Every other call is a dropped call. And its annoying and embarrassing especially if you take business calls on them. Within about 8 months I went through about 9 phones. Their service department is pretty cool and is aware of the issue so they gave me no problems switching out the phone, they just never had any in stock! For those out there that are experiencing dropped calls, take it into a service center and let them put in a internal antenna they had to make for these units. It does help a little, any less dropped calls is an improvement.
The Worst parts are of the phone:
Is never having a signal, I can't even use the phone in my house anymore! Not at work and I am on the 15th floor, I have to stand on 1 baby toe to get 3 bars.
The speaker phone blows out. When you download ring tones, they are too loud even on the lowest volume level. And when you use the speaker, it cuts in and out.
Each time you download something, since the phones are so crappie, you have to keep getting replacements. They don't save your ring tones or anything you downloaded from IDEN. SO now I am just out of luck on the money I have spent on the past. Although they don't use IDEN anymore, I still was cheated!!
The screen gets jammed sometimes. Very rare but true. I have to close the flip and re-open it.
How about the phone just cuts itself off. Power Zero! Battery fully charged. Do warning or nothing.
It ruins the Jarba earbuds. I have had to buy 2 of them because whatever is the problem, when you plug in the ear piece, it zaps it and the earpiece will no longer work. And you can't return those! So you are just our of $40+
They refuse to recall the phone. The customer service reps, the service centers,managers, you name it from Nextel themselves has said they phone is "No Good" that "Everyone is having the same problem" and there is nothing they can do. When I disconnected my service the department that handles that offered to take $150 off the price for the i830 but I heard the reception on those were worse.
Customer service doesn't know what the error codes are. If you call and report back to back dropped calls and tell them the code... They don't even have the reference guides to tell you what the code means.
Oh and be careful when you change your package!! If you Upgrade or Downgrade it signs you up for another year to your contract. Don't do it. Stay where you are so you can get out.
One positive thing I will say is that the rate plans are good depending on how much you use your phone and even though customer service is terrible, they don't say no. You just have to be patient over and over again until they fix it. Also be prepared to call at least 3 times back to back to make sure they handle the issue, that they did make the adjustment/credit. Each representative will tell you something different I promise you. They don't know the system, they don't notate accounts properly, and their knowledge is very minimal. I want a Pro on the phone I can look in the users guide myself. So get yourself a good book and prepare to wait.
Myself, I have left Nextel for good. I was looking into Sprint but now since they merged.... I am sticking to plan A to the Verizon Wireless. So all of those people out there that are saying the phone is great, don't leave that area, and give it a few months. You will be changing you review. Because I too at first loved the phone.
14 I LOVE THE I730
I recently received the i730 for boost as a present and I love it. The push to talk connects you in under a second. This phone is just incredible! I highly reccomend it!
15 good phone, poor, poor, poor customer service
Iam with Nextel on the third yrs now, and i have just buy another nextel phone for my BF who live in Ohio, and i am in Chicago, so i active the phone with nextel with 2 different area code but the phone still under my name only, but nextel never told me if i do the direct connect with my bf is cost by each min if i dont paid $10 each month more for coast to coast,(then they told me the unlimte service is only local to local area) never never offer me the service until i see my first month bill over $450, so, please becareful with nextel service plan. (who ever work for nextel customer service, if u see your custom have 2 different area code under the same account, can u be more smarter to offer your custom with any other option plan?????? )
16 Worse phone I have ever owned
Do not buy this phone if you are thinking about it. I have had this phone for less than a year and the antenna has broken 3 times, calls are dropped at random, now the phone will not call out or let calls come in, and this is the worse phone I have ever owned.
17 Great Cell Phone With All Of The Perks
This is a great cell phone. Quality of the calls are great. Screen is easy to read. The phone features are easy to learn and remember. Only downfall is that the phone is hard on batteries. The screen chews up the batteries pretty quick making it a phone that has to be charged nightly.
18 not as good as I expected
I got this phone a year ago, so I know the phone preety well, and one thing that comes out when i look at it, is how much trouble it brought to me. The phone after all is preety good, it has some nice features and most of the time they all work well. It is easy to get some neat wallpapers and ringtones from internet for free if you have the cable, and they are good quality. When i first acquired this phone the secound week the screen and the speakerphone started going bad, so i sendet it to motorola and they fixed it in a week or so. Motorola has good quality service and i was happy that my phone was finally fixed. What i was dissapointed with, was the quality of service from NEXTEL which was atrocious, they could not fix my phone (didnt wanted to) even thou i had the replacementplan. I am still unsatisfied with NEXTEL, there are tons of drop calls and my associates can not reach me because the service is so poor. I will NEVER GO WITH NEXTEL again, even Cingular was better than this. In conclusion NEXTEL SERVICE BAD MOTOROLA OK
19 Great Phone
The Nextel i730 is the best phone that I have had in a long time. I recently had some T-Mobile phone which really wasn't that great. The service was very limited and wasn't that strong. With the i730 I have been getting better service and I'm even getting service where I have never had it before.
The battery life with this phone is great. My battery can last about 2-3 days without even charging. Another great thing about this phone is how you can personalize it in many ways. I like the way that you can have so many ring tones put on these phones and they sound great. I recently put a few songs on my phone with the words and the quality of sound is phenomenal.
The casing for this phone may be a little plain with it just being a solid silver. But don't worry because the cases for this phone are sweet. With the certain case your phone can be just like you. You are able to put so much into this phone and for a low cost. If you don't want to pay so much money for each ring tone or wallpaper then go buy a cable to hook up to the computer from your phone to get everything you want.
Along with everything else for this phone just the overall quality is good. Everything you need in a phone is in this one. As long as you don't want to take pictures this is the phone for you.
Finally the i730 has been a great phone for me and even most of my friends. If your looking for a good quality made phone with great service and battery life then I think this is the phone for you.
20 Splendid phone for a cool customer
The i730 by Nextel is one of the first phones Nextel made to be convenient for consumers. The phones new look attracts the younger generation of cell phone users. The phone is not as bulky as the other Nextel phones, which makes this phone easy to fit in your purse or pocket.
This phone contains many attractive features once the phone is flipped open. The color display I think is the best part. For people who like to customize their wallpaper this is the phone to do it. Direct connect is the most common feature among all Nextel phones, and with this phone it is easy to find your friends to two- way. The i730 comes with a phonebook that can store up to six hundred names and numbers.
Some of the programs on this phone include a calculator which comes in handy when you want to calculate a tip at the restaurant. Another program on this would fit those people who love games on their phone, mostly because of the sharp graphics, which are present.
Like every phone there are some glitches. From my own experience the speaker that allows you to hear people talk just stops working. This came to my knowledge just recently when I read the reviews on it that other people were having this same problem. The only other problem with the i730 that I have noticed is the battery life is not as strong as the other Nextel phones, which can be a problem when you are traveling.
Overall this phone is very durable, and will last a long time if taken care of. The features and the looks of the phone definitely make it a must have.
21 Way to go Motorola!
This is the only cell phone I've ever owned that I didn't have a major gripe. Excellent signal strength. Good looks. Nice display. Speaker phone. What else do you want? Some people want a cell phone to walk their dog and park their car, I just want the phone to ring and be able to hear the person at the other end, the i730 does that and more. Keep the charger handy though, the battery life is shorter than most. Of course with a car charger who cares...
22 Nextel's Best
I am a new Nextel customer, and I recently purchased a Nextel i730. The i730 is my fourth cell phone, but also my first Nextel. So far the i730 is the best phone I've ever bought.
Before I bought a new cell phone I had an idea of what features I wanted on my phone. The i730 has all of the features I wanted plus many more. Features include: AOL instant messenger (AIM), unlimited direct connect (walkie-talkie), text messaging, and web access.
You can download a real song or a polyphonic song for your ringtone. Something else I love about this phone is that you can download games. There are hundreds of games to choose from on the website, or even from your phone. Games are $5.99 for unlimited use. The phone comes with four demo games, and an awesome calculator. Also for an extra $10.00/month you receive unlimited text messaging, website access, and AIM. Web access is great for situations when you need to know the weather, movie times, news, or even if you just like to chat through messaging.
The design of the i730 is very unique. I think the i730 is Nextel's best looking phone. There is a very modern look to this phone. When you receive an incoming call the circle around the speaker will flash different colors such as red and blue. The i730 has a full clear color screen with different wall papers you can chose from, or if there isn't any you like you can download one off of Nextel's website or from your phone.
I get excellent reception with my Nextel. I travel all over the Michigan area and haven't had any problems with reception, I always have a connection. My battery life is also very good. I always have my phone on and I can go about three days without charging my battery. Although, when I do have to charge I can get a full battery in less than two hours.
I strongly recommend this phone whether you're using the i730 for business or personal use. Nextel also offers really great rate plans. With the plan I have I get 1000 whenever minutes, unlimited direct connect, and free nights (after 9 p.m.) and weekends for $55.99 which I think is a really good deal. Again, if you're looking for a durable nice phone with all of the features you need chose Nextel's i730.
23 Great phone!
I've had this phone for awhile now and it has become one of my favorite phones. I know it doesn't have a camera but I don't need a "camera phone". I needed a good, durable phone for business and personal use. Besides it being a great phone with PTT (walkie-talkie), web access, AOL IM, Two Way Text Messaging, and more - Nextel has a great network. My experience with Nextel's customer service has been outstanding! I highly recommend this phone and also Nextel service. NOTE: If you're looking for a Nextel phone to fit in your little pocket, go look at the ...I think its the i830. They also make a camera phone.
24 THIS PHONE SUCKS!
This phone has TERRIBLE reception. I have had it for about 8 months now, and I can't get through to ANYONE! Nextel was supposed to recall this phone, but never did because not enough people complained about the problems they were having! Alot of People in my area (West Palm Beach, Florida) have the same problems with the i730. I'm upgrading to the 830 or 860! DO NOT GET THIS PHONE!
25 Not what i Expected
My sister and father both had the i730 before me and i thought it would be cool to get one since we could direct connect each other back and forth. But the phone isn't that great. Heres's the details.
What I Like:
* Voice recorder- cool for diff. stuff
* Speaker Option- Great for not wanting to always have the phone on your ear
* DC or Direct Connect
What i don't like:
* Whack Options for wallpaper
* Whack Ringtones
I can't even download a free ringtone like most phones. If you don't buy internet your screwed. The phone is boring.
26 I'm upgrading to the i860
The i730 is okay, but it's not what i thought it would be. I was disappointed. It can't download real tones off of the phone like most phones, it can only download polyphonic. That is whack! Polyphonic tones are last year, people want tones that sound like real songs. This phone is whack compared to the sprint phone. It has the walkie-talkie like the i730, but it has a camera on top of that! If you guys haven't seen the i860 yet, look it up. This phone gives the sprint phone competition. It has a camera, video recorder, everything. It makes the i730 look like a big chunk of metal.
27 nextel updates for i730
I live around Jacksonville, FL. I get about the same coverage i got when i had at&t. I've had my i730 since April of this year. I used to have a lot of problems with the phone dropping calls, but over the past couple of months, it has improved substantially.
I would recommend to everyone to go to nextel.com, type in gps in the search area on the homepage, and see if your phone meets the criteria for a software upgrade. Through this, you can also get motorola to send you a free data cable. I took my phone to the nextel service center and not only did they put the new software on it, they also placed a grounding disc inside the phone. Although, i get a little more feedback, the speaker is louder, and my reception has improved. GOing to work out in the boondocks at Raiford, I used to have three or so dead spots, but now i only have one. also, with the new software, the i730 is now capable of ringing and vibrating at the same time. i found that out on accident playing with the ring tones.
for the people out there that complain about having to sign a one or two year service contract, keep in mind that the companies are in business to make a profit. if you don't like signing a contract, get a pay per use cell phone.
also, you can use telenav for free, w/o it giving you directions. just unzip it (it should already be on your phone) and just use the basic compass. It will tell you how fast you are driving, where you are, and what direction you are going. it was also tell you how many satellites you are using too.
I also enjoy paying only $3.50 to access about 80+ sites on the wireless internet on this phone. that is unlimited access. My friend has Mmode, and he has to pay per kb used. Also, i pay $59.99 for unlimited incoming calls, and 400 anytime minutes. that is a lot cheaper than when i had at & t and they charged me a lot for going over my minutes. So, to sum it up, it's easier to pay ten dollars, for the free incoming than it is to pay one hundred dollars going over your minutes paying for incoming and outgoing calls.
28 Ok by me
I recently upgraded my nextel from an i90c (I dropped it in the water) to the i730 back in early August 2004. So far I love it almost as much as my old i90.
The design itself is excellent, very sleek looking. It's alot easier to "personalize" this phone because you can replace the little front cover thing for fairly cheap (I changed mine to a NY Yankees symbol for only $5) instead of changing the whole case, which you can also do. You can change the background, get real songs as ringtones, etc. I also love the mucical light around the front speaker (wish it played with actual song ringtones instead of just normal musical ringtones). The only complaint I have is that it can be exetremely loud when it rings, even on a lower setting.
My reception is fairly good with this phone, not as good as my i90 but much better than my old Nokia. I have heard that you can get a patch for the i730 that helps with the reception. The only times I don't have good reception is in some of the classrooms at my school and in the back rooms of my dorm (all of which are 2/3 concrete). I also don't get much signal out in the boonies but that's to be expected.
The software on it is great. You have more than enough space for all your contacts, 600 or so. All the programs are great, the calculator is as quick anymore, you actually have to select what you want to do (+,-,*,/) instead of using the scroll buttons, but that's superficial. You also don't get any full games, only demos but I don't think your going to buy a phone based on the games you get.
The battery life is the only real problem I have with the phone. I can only go for about 2 days without charging and that's if I don't make any calls or use it at all. The charging is really fast though, usually under 2 hours for me. The only other complaint is that the call buttons are reversed from the i90's so that took a little getting used too.
Sorry if this is long but I think its a good phone in general. The only reason it got 4 out of 5 from me is the reception and the battery issues. Hope this helps.
29 DO NOT BUY THIS PHONE!!!
I have only had the i730 since September 2004 and I am ready to through it in the nearest river. I will try and be fair in my review so the next reader will be more informed than I was. My expereince with this phone has been horrible!!
First of all the phone rings when it wants to. I have been told people have been trying to call me all day but my phone hasnt rang.(mind u I have full signal strength during this time)I then would take my Verizon phone, and with my nextel sitting right by me, call my nextel and the darn phone didnt even ring.
And then I would get many, many dropped calls becuase I didnt have the signal strength. I am constantly getting a call failed error message that says 341 or something, (whatever that means) And when I tried to use my call switch, to go from one call to another the phone wouldnt let me switch in between calls or go back to the first line call. Again, there goes that error message again. Very frustrating!!!
And I like to see how long I have been on a call sometimes, and with the i730, you cannot do that (at least I have been told by technical support that u cant) i know thats a pretty small complaint, but hey sometimes its the little stuff that counts. Now mind u I have switched this particular model phone out 3 times and I still am experiencing the same problems.
**Note, I have found that if u power your phone off and wait about 5 minutes or so and then turn it back on, you may start to be able to get calls again or make calls if u were having those problems.
As far as battery life, not really a problem for me since I charge my phone every night anyway. I mean I talk, when the phone works, very much and as long as i cahrge it at night, I dont even have a need for the car charger.
The only reason i gave this phone 1 star is because the design is fine and as far as the options, those are ok to. I wish u could download better ringtones, the ones i downloaded suck. They dont even sound like the real music from the songs. But thats more Nextel and not the actual phone. Also, with Nextel, i also was given a long distance phone # that they didnt tell me was long distance until after the fact. That sucks.
But overall, as far as the actual phone goes, if it gave me better signal coverage, rang when it was supposed to and didnt drop so many calls it would probaly be an ok phone. But as far as phone features, it does have pretty good feautures.
Ps. I was told by the people at Nextel, that they have had ALOT of complaints about the i730 and the problems are actully with the phone and not the service.
We'll see, I have upgraded to the 860 today so we'll see.
Sorry so long but I want people to know all that they are getting into with this phone.
30 Battery life approx 1 day
I am constantly charging, switching between 4 batteries. Too much work.
31 ONE HOT MESS!!! THE ABSOLUTE WORSE NEXTEL PHONE
This phone has to be the worse out all of the Nextel phones. Because I work in a quiet atmosphere, I usually use "Private" (turning the speakerphone off) when I am on Direct Connect calls. The earpiece got so bad on the phone, that I could never hear what the person was saying when using the feature. Then the earpiece went completely out on the phone. I was livid because this phone wasn't even 3 months old when this problem started. The phone is horrible. Just overlook all of those 5-star reviews because you would just set yourself up!!! The only thing that is good about this phone is it is pretty!!!!
32 i730 Review
The advanced electronic features are awesome! I have hundreds of contacts in the address book with several numbers each (office,home,cell, etc.) plus direct connect lines. The speaker phone feature works great. The batteries hold a full day's charge for me. I sell real estate and receive and make about 40 to 50 calls a day. Rarely have had to go to a 2nd battery in the same day.
Physically it has tremendous appeal. I think it is really sharp. Operationally, it has a lot of terrific features and is easy to use. (Although it does frustrate electronically challenged person like me.)
There are several things, like email & voice activation for numbers, that I haven't had time to learn how to use but overall, the features are practical and work well.
However, the phone is less reliable at keeping it's signal. I used an i1000 for 5 years and had to trade in a damaged phone or two but had superior service as far as connections go. This phone drops call, fades in and out, more dead spots and rough direct connect spots.
Also, structurually, this phone is more fragile. The battery compartment cover takes a beating from the constant flipping I do of the phone. And the flip part is getting a little "loose" on its hinges. I will probably have to trade it in soon.
In April, my 3rd or 4th i1000 cratered again and the Nextel rep I use felt that I would have to upgrade that phone because I had been traded a re-built i1000 just a few months earlier. Since the i1000 was out of production, even the re-builts would not survive much longer.
So, after 5 months' use, while I love the genius of this phone, the look and feel, etc. I would have to rate it a 3 star for reliability and durability.
Our Nextel rep is good technically with the phones, but the floor people are not real familiar with what to recommend to people so I hope you can pass this along and maybe find out if Motorola has a Nextel phone that might address the problems I am experiencing with it.
Thank you for your time.
Bonnie Black (Virginia B.)
Multimillion Dollar Producer with Re/max at the Beach in Calabash, NC
33 Very Versatile
This phone has many options available to personalize it. You can go on e-bay to find just about every knid of phone cover that you can htink of and you can also go to e-bay to find computer hookups to download full songs and new games. The screen on the phone is very clear and easy to understand and this phone also offers a direct conect walkie talkie feature. I think that this phone is great for any age. It can be used stock for and adult or a teenager who had it has the option to make it more like them with covers, ringtones, and games.
34 STAY AWAY FROM NEXTEL
Please take my advice and stay away from Nextel and the Motorola i730 phone. It drops calls constantly (error 841), and direct connect is always marginal on transmission. Nextel says "it's motorola's fault". I had to send a brand new phone to motorola with no loaner. Get it back and it's still won't transmit right. Now my bill is jacked up from all the dropped call re-calls and they won't credit it. STAY AWAY FROM NEXTEL AND TELL EVERYONE YOU KNOW ABOUT THIS MESSAGE. It's time consumers take a stand on the BS "contracts" of carriers. They are the number one contributer to bad credit hits.
35 Great phone
You know it's funny, I almost didn't buy this phone because there were so many negative comments, but all in all I've been very happy with it. Usually the signal is great, service is helpful (I've been with Nextel for 2+ years and never had a problem), sound quality is good... The buttons are a bit recessed, but I haven't found that to be a problem. I've seen complaints about getting the battery cover on/off, and plugging it in to the charger - I've had no problems.
As for the GPS, even professional units (I do this as part of my job) do not always get a good signal, cannot work from inside, and sometimes take a half an hour for the satellites to be high enough in the horizon to be of use. It changes day to day - there's a website you can go to that will tell you when the best PDOP (good satellite coverage) will be. The more satellites there are, the more accurate your locations will be.
My only complaint was that the day after I bought my phone, a tower was down, which meant I wasn't able to make any calls for a couple of days. Very frustrating, but it was over a holiday weekend (I called on the Saturday before Labor Day), so I'll give them the benefit of the doubt.
All in all, I've been happy with the purchase so far - it's NOT that heavy, the battery lasts 2-3 times longer than my old phone... All told, I would buy it again.
36 BE CAREFUL-BE SURE YOU READ BEFORE PURCHASING
I purchased a used Nextel i730 under the assumption that if I owned my own phone, I wouldn't be locked into any sort of contract with Nextel. I WAS WRONG!!! Whether they give a free phone for signing the contract, or you pay cash for a used phone, YOU MUST SIGN NEXTEL'S CONTRACT!!! NEXTEL WOULD NOT LET ME ACTIVATE A PHONE I OWNED OUTRIGHT WITHOUT A ONE YEAR CONTRACT!!! Looking back, I would have never paid cash for the phone. There are hundreds of internet cell companies that will give this and almost all phones available for free if you sign for the alotted contract term. NEXTEL TOLD ME THEY WILL NEVER ACTIVATE ANY PHONE WITHOUT A MINIMUM ONE YEAR CONTRACT!!!
37 Nextel i730
Great phone by Motorola - leaps and bounds over the previous user interfaces. I use the speakerphone all the time, along with the two-way text messaging. I also like the different profiles, which enable you to quickly switch profiles for meetings (i.e. vibe only). Believe it or not, I don't even use the direct connect features, as no one I know really uses that feature for personal use. We just use text messages most of the time. More than anything, I recommend buying the body glove cover/clip ... search for "Body Glove Scuba, i730". It's like a tuxedo for your i730.
38 Exceptional Quality
I've glanced at a few reviews and looked at the overall review for this phone, and think it's a little underrated. I've had a couple weeks to try out mine, and the battery life with my usage is 3-4 days, and I use the phone for short calls about 5 times a day. The phone doesn't squeak when squeezed, and all of the construction is tight (even the flip screen doesn't wiggle much). I saw a few complaints about the weight of the phone, and even a complaint about the metal battery panel. It's called quality, sometimes quality weighs a little, and if the phone makes your pants fall down when it's hooked onto your jeans, buy a belt. The phone employs java applications, so you can download programs to fit your needs from nextel, at a cost. You can also get them from third party sites, also ringtones, wallpaper, etc. The phone uses GPS, can locate your approximate position for free, with software it can give you directions from one location to another for free (navigational software), called telenav. The quality of the speakers and microphones on this phone is great. The speakers can be loud enough to hear in different rooms of the house, or quiet enough you can barely hear them. The sound is crisp, even on direct connect. Also, an answer to the slams against nextel itself, don't listen to it. The only problem is their tech support does not operate 24/7, other than that their customer service is as good as any service based organization I've ever worked with. This phone is full featured, it isn't exactly a PDA phone, but it's software capability and 65k color screen make it perform many of the same functions as a PDA. Great phone, if nextel services your area, you won't be disappointed.
39 Phone broke, Nextel service is the worst.
My employer made everyone purchase a Nextel phone. After 5 months, the ear speaker quit and Nextel wants $55 to fix. Per the service rep, this is a common problem with the 730. Service is non-existant at the house and very spotty around the US. I'm going to eat the contract fines and go with another wireless provider.
40 Phone is heavy, and nextel sucks
My Employer made us go to Nextel for some stupid reason, and I hate the service. The i730 is a good enough phone not great, very heavy, and the battery life is VERY SHORT!!! One or two business calls and you better find a charger quick. Direct connect is worthless. Want a walkie talkie buy a walkie talkie. All other carriers have free mobile to mobile calls. I think this is much better then a walkie talkie. Call someone, talk normal (No push to talk and both people can talk normal) or leave message. The Nextel coverage and quality is horrible here in south Louisiana. I have had more dropped calls, busy systems, and crappy quality then I ever had with cingular. Don't even think Nextel will care or do any thing about it. I can not recommend Nextel service to any body.
41 Nice features, bad design
The features on this phone are awesome, but the design of the phone is terrible. The direct connect speaker is located on the back of the phone, so when you're using it, the sound goes directly into the palm of your hand. This wouldn't be bad, but he direct connect microphone is located on the opposite side of the phone. It just isn't near as loud as my I90C. If you're buying it to look good and put a trophy on your belt, this is your phone. If you're buying it for functionality and to actually use it in a real world environment, consider another nextel.
42 Nextel is a mess
I recently moved to Phoenix, Arizona, and thought it a good time to get a new mobile phone. A friend recommended Nextel, saying we'd use the direct connect function. Cool. So I ordered an i730 from Amazon. After charging and activating and waiting the required day, I called to get my phone number. It was a Palo Alto, CA, number!? That's over 700 miles away! An 11 hour drive to the next state. No way close to a local number. Nextel did not seem to understand or care. "It's the closest we have." "There are no 602 area code phone numbers left." I begged for maybe a 480 number or anything that is a local call from here in Phoenix. Nothing doing. After a few more days and a few more calls to Nextel that went nowhere, I called Sprint (who have not been customer service stars to me in the past) and within four minutes had a local 602 Phoenix number working on my current Sprint phone. I canceled the Nextel service. They are charging me $35 (expected) plus $11.53 in taxes, fees and assessments "we can't change" for a couple of days when all I called was customer service.
If you buy the phone, I hope Nextel has a local area code for you, because if they don't you are stuck for $46.53 and an Amazon return. It was a pretty color screen though . . .
43 Just Terrible
I switched over to Nextel from Sprint and purchased this phone. After the first month, I began having problems with having "no service" and with the phone redialing when trying to place calls. In addition, I was unable to hear through the earpiece when talking on Direct Connect using private. Those i95, i90, i88, and i60 owners, do not upgrade to this model. It is a waste of money.
44 Too good to be true.
This phone is too good to be true. It has a lot of good features. But every phone has some kind of flaw. This phone has a mega flaw in reception. I can't get a good singal. Even in metro Tucson it's kinda hard. It's an awesome phone, with bad service. Don't get me wrong. Nextel is good, just not their reception.
45 hot phone, best nextel phone out there
this is the only nextel phone that looks nice for it's price, less price for nice, it's like rice for it's price.
46 Great service, Very good phone
Before the I730 the knock on Nextel's was they were too big. This phone takes care of that and still delivers the great Nextel service. One feature I simply cannot do without is speakerphone, and the 730 delivers it well. 600 number storage, assigning multiple numbers to each entry, voice dial, color screen and some pretty neat games to boot. OK, It doesn't take pictures, but honestly, do you want to with your phone?
I'm going to upgrade all my phones to the I730 when my Verizon contract is up this fall.
47 not worth the money
when i first recieved this phone i had no problems with it. however after having it now for 4 months its nothing but crap. calls get dropped just sitting at my desk. loss signal in area's that i normally have great recpetion, and the cover constantly flips open when its attached to my hip. the biggest agravation is when i am in the middle of a call the call gets dropped and theres an error message on the screen. In addition the back cover is a cheep piece of metal, instead of plastic which it should me. i have sence invested in the i530 and love it.
48 Execelent Phone, Good Features & Good Coverage
I Recently purchased this phone and service. Overall i am very impressed. great features. I have no problems with coverage, It is at least 5 times better than my AT&T (TDMA/Digital) Coverage was. My only gripe is that the GPS is abit finiky (dosent always get a good fix, takes time) and there is no outright alarm clock, although the datbook 'workaround' makes up for it.
The iDEN network is awesome, it is extremely fast; for example, an IM sent from my phone reaches the computer within 2 seconds, no lie!
If you like a feature filled phone, and great service, I would make this the phone to get.
49 Great Phone
Just read Nick Cherney's review. I've had little dropped calls. But you need to know the area you are in for the signal. I took a trip from Battle Creek, MI to Cedar Point, OH, great signal too and back. Now at Cedar Point when their is more than one costers together I had no signal or near their superstructures walking up to them my signal would come an go. But away from the costers my signal was 3-4 bars. But overall the phone its self is great. When Nextel has a newer phone I'll think about upgrading.
50 A High-Tech Redneck Phone!
Just like any other phone there are problems. The area I live in causes me to lose signal when bad weather roles in. I lose it just like my home phone. It has annoying ring tones which I download new ones weekly just so I can find the thing. The disco lights are blinking reminders of how much my service plan is a month. Too much.. Though I never go over the minutes it is all the taxes that get to me. I radio works wonders. I never thought it could be so useful especially when I see so many rednecks on four-wheelers using them. I can actually think of at least 10+ people locally that I call when my service is down. We have our own network and the same phones. Nextel does not reconize a outage unless 6 people have report it. Our small town becomes total choas when our radios do not work. Overall.. This is just another cell phone and it does not float per Buddy who went fishing with it. It is something to be handle with care. The buttons are small and the graphics are great. The ring tones and beeps are just getting worse. I suggest you go and look at one before purchasing it.
51 THE BEST PHONE EVER
This phones is perfect for any kids who want to look cool with a phone but not really flashy. One that won't say, look i want to be the coolest kid here because that just causes more of being un cool. There is only a couple down sides. It scratches kind of easily and the games are not the best unless you want to pay more money to download them. Another thing is that you have to pay more money a month to text message!!! I would say now that i have a sprint you have easier text messaging and better games. Overall, in my top five for best phone (it is the third best on the list, I LOVE PICTURE PHONES MORE.
52 Do not Waste Your Money
This is my second Nextel phone. I upgraded for a smaller phone and this one seemed to have all the features I needed. This phone has a terrrible signal reception and drops calls / and or service 12 -15 times a day. I have already had the phone looked at by Nextel and Motorola and they say nothing is wrong with the phone.
53 i730 - nextel's flashy iDEN that will rape your wallet.
GOOD:
-Attractive
-Durable
-Battery Life
-Great inovative 'Profiles'
BAD:
-Scratches Easily
-GPS Supported - However, does not work well at all
-Most Useful Java Apps require additional Nextel Net Access Plan (expect to pay 10+/mo at the LEAST) ontop of your monthly rate plan
ok so you have nextel service, your new sex looking motorola i730 (specific to nextel only), & an affordable plan (well somewhat).... and like every person out there, you want your shiny new nextel phone to be customized with ringtones for each contact and wallpaper for each profile (standard, car, sleep, morning, office, etc) - "CHA-CHING!", shouts nextel. At 1.99 per ringtone or wallpaper, this phone is hardly worth the idea of customizing.
For the price of monthly WAP Access, you'd think they would throw in unlimited ringtone and wallpaper downloads. I mean, come on, $10/mo ONTOP of your monthly plan of $49.99 of 500/minutes a month, is pretty steep already. Not only that, but just to afford the phone - you'll most likely be signing in for a year contract or two.
54 Oy
God am I sick of this phone. I've never experienced such poor coverage. I was previously with both Sprint and T-Mobile, and though they had their flaws, I was able to live with them. I cannot make a phone call on the road because of the constant drops. It's amazing how awful this phone is.
55 Beautiful phone
Good feature
(1) Beautiful phone
Bad features
(1)Does not ring and vibrate at the same time
(2)Alarm clock function should not be in date book
(3)Service plans are between 20-50 percent higher then other wireless providers.
(4)Other carriers are more competitive on price and have a wider variety with good phones and cheaper accessories.
(5) Service does not have best coverage area
56 great phone
i was iffy about going from an ATT GSM phone with supposedly nationwide coverage to a Nextel phone which mainly followed interstates. This phones coverage truely amazed me. Ive never had a dropped call, the features are awesome, the size of the phone is good (just big enough to fit commfortably in your hand). Customer service has been great too. Nextel even gave me a 10.00 credit for answering a ten second survey.
57 the best
I have one question I love my phone but I like to used europe. I can do that or which phone I can used over there.
thank you jessica Gordon
58 Nextel is awsome
I love nextel. I know they dont have the best overall coverage area but in the area I am in (and throughout the state) I have found to have had 2-4 bars (service bars) 90% of the time. I have the i730 and love it. The main thing I do not like (that my last nextel phone had) was that it no longer (that I have found) has the loud ring and vibrate capability (as in ringing and vibrating at the same time) The only service draw back is that is that all the plans are between 20-50 percent higher then other wireless providers.
59 This phone is tops!
If you're going to get the best service provider, you might as well get their best phone (the blackberry 7510 is in a category all by itself). This phone boasts some of my favorite necessities: 600 phone number storage capacity, GPS, and a color display, voice activation, and speaker phone. I also enjoy the name specific ring tones and color flashes it comes standard with.
I read through some of the feedback on this phone and was wanting to clarify some of the ignorance that is being stated.
1) The battery life is typical that of the other Nextel phones. Not better and not worse. Charge it every night and you'll be fine (and I talk 4000 minutes a month). A Nextel phone uses more juice because the phones are setup to "actively seek out a signal." Other carrier's phones are programmed to sit in a dormant state until the signal "comes to them." I'm sure you can figure out these advantages on your own...
2) The games are decent at best that come with the phone. What's important is that you can buy or "obtain" hundreds of games because the phone is java enabled. A key thing to note is that Nextel's are buisness tools in nature. Hence, you can note the focus of buisness tools on the phone. If you're looking for some cheap play toy, you're looking at the wrong carrier. If you're looking for a status symbol, read on...
3)The "No Alarm Clock" feature that I've seen posted is not true. Think outside the box. The useful organizer/date book that is included in the phone is there for a reason. Set an appointment in it for when you want to wake up...
4)An account setup fee is typical. A first month proration fee is also typical among cell companies. Also, taxes are taxes--you pay the same high percentage no matter who you have.
5)Coverage, it depends where you are located. I'm guessing in the deserts of Arizona you'd have bad coverage. However, of the 20 or so states I've visited, Nextel has had SUPER coverage. Just recently I can vouch for about ever Vegas Casino ;D. Oh, did I mention there is never roaming charges with any plan?
6)If you have a tendancy to hit the Walkie Talkie button while it's on your side/in your purse, hit 'menu' then 'star' and lock lock the keypad. Don't worry, it unlocks auto when someone calls. Nuff said.
7)There is a Vibe/Ring Feature. Vibe 3 times then ring 3 times.
8)The Sprint/Verizon Walkie Talkie's suck. If you don't believe me try them. Nextel uses 2 systems in their towers (a duplex and a simplex-one for voice one for 2way). On a user end, a person 2waying from Florida to Hawaii will note instant connection. Verizon/Sprint only have 1 system in their towers. The way they 2way is using 'packets' from the cellular. What is unavoidable is the packets having to go through the landline telephone network. Put it this way, make a call and see how long it connects. Umm, average 5.7 seconds (according to the studies I've read). Now picture hitting a walkie talkie button and waiting 5.7 seconds for each response. Again, nuff said.
9)Telenav TRACK is incredible and DOES work. Ask to get a demo and use it like I did. It talks to you telling you where to turn and even recalcules directions on the fly if you miss an exit. A+++
Well, there was my 2 cents. If you're curious as to how I know all this stuff, I'm an electrical engineer and like to know everything about the toys I buy...
60 I need more information
May I have your phone number to ask some questions.
61 THE BEST PHONE @ BOOST MOBILE
I LIKE THIS PHONE AND I REALLY WISH THAT IT IS MINE BECAUSE IT IS A NICE PHONE THAT MAKES ALL THE SELLS.
62 Did not come with holster. Long distance from home......
No holster as stated in the bottom of the "phone data" link(...)Components:
Battery, Battery Door, Phone, Holster, Welcome Guide, User Documentation )
To activate the phone, Nextel first transfered me about 6 to 8 times. They could not provide a phone number that was local in my city (pop. of 40,000). I knew of 2 cell phone number prefixes that were local in my area with Nextel, but they said that no more numbers were available in them. After dealing with nextel on the phone (many, many phone calls) and trying over 6 phone numbers prefixes that all ended up being long distance, I went to the local Nextel dealer and they set it up right away with a phone number prefix that the 800 number people said was unavailable.
Overall a major pain (...)to activate over the phone. It is nice that the phone will be free after rebate minus the cost for another holster ~ $15.
63 Mobile gps, weather, email, web, everything.
I have been a Nextel customer for 2 years, just starting my third, with this phone. I bought the phone from Amazon and it works great. The My-Cast service is great, although a little bit more expensive, but provides GREAT weather including full motion color radar for people on the go. The GPS works great. Tele-nav has a free compass feature, and if you want maps and full spoken driving directions they offer that for a little bit more cash. To the person who said no text messaging? That is a service issue and not a phone issue. I guarantee this (and every other nextel phone I've used) is THE BEST for text messaging. It just depends on the type of online service you get. If you get the messaging package, it's $10 a month which gives you unlimited AIM, and unlimited text messages (to and from). I use the text messages mainly for forwarding important emails to my phone, in addition nextel also offers Mobile Email which allows you to connect to other mailboxes. As a third option there are java applets that let you browse any page, including SSL pages, and let you connect to any email server, IMAP, POP, etc... but those require a "total connect" (which allows java applets to use the internet) plan.
If you like games, the best I've found for this phone are Tetris Deluxe and Pitfall (yes, the same one I played on my atari 2600, full sounds and all).
In short this phone does everything you need and probably a whole bunch you don't. Direct Connect (Walkie), Phone, Mobile email, Mobile weather, Mobile GPS, Mobile browsing.
64 No Alarm Clock
This phone is pretty nice to look at, and has a bunch of cool features...except one of the most useful to me - an alarm clock. This feature isn't available for this phone - even from iDen.
65 The i730 RULES!
I have had 5 cell phones in the past 10 years, starting with the original MOTOROLA FLIP-PHONE. Then I moved over to a NOKIA phone, which was okay, but I was not satisfied. I moved over to the NEXTEL phone service for my next phone, which was the MOTOROLA i1000 and a couple of years later I bought the i90, which was the phone I have been using until I recently upgraded to the i730. I have been with NEXTEL for the last 5 years and I am completely satisfied with their professionalism and outstanding service. The trade-in/buy-back program is wonderful and it definitely the best way to upgrade your phone. NOW........on to the i730.......WOW..........what an awesome phone!!!!!!!!! I can't begin to tell you that NEXTEL offers the best MOTOROLA phones then any other carrier. I have looked at other phones from other carriers and none compare to the i730. If this is your 1st MOTOROLA phone purchase, you are in for a real treat. The instructions are well-documented and it doesn't take rocket-science to navigate through the i730 software. The biggest treat for me is the COLOR screen, the sleek-ness of the phone and it's overall aesthetic beauty. So if want to be the envy of all your friends, please do yourself a favor and pick up this phone. Also, once you experience the NEXTEL service, it will definitely be your last and only phone carrier. PROOF: I have successfully moved over many friends and family members to NEXTEL and I haven't heard any compliants. ENJOY!
66 nice phone but could use some improvement
Well this is my first time having a nextel.here's what i thought about the whole process:
1. Amazon- i got a good deal on amazon. it was $170 with $150 back in mail in rebate. so it ends up costing me about 20 dollars instead of the 300 dollar retail price! they are also a really good company and quick to send the phone(i got the free shipping and it came 6 days instead of 8-10 days). no cmplaints.
2. the i730-
positives) nice phone. disco thing is cool. eally loud speaker phone, i can keep the phone on my belt clip and talk regularly and people can hear me fine! huge phone book. ok battery life it lasts about 3 days with adverage (30min-1hr.) talk time. there is ring tones that actually sing the song, so it isn't just the music it is the person singing the song, like a sound clip of the song.
negatives) no real games. there are a few trial games but they cost 5-6 dollars for the full versions of the games. no text messaging!!! the bad thing is you can get text messages but you can't find out who sent it, and you can't respond (unless you pay an extra 10 dollars a month) so basically text messaging is useless!! the numbers that you dial show up too small with no spaces. for example most phones make the number you dial look like this:555-555-5555. but this phone just puts them like this:55555555555. which is really confusing! also there is no way to have vibrate and ring at the same time. you can set it to vibrate for 2 rings then ring for 2 rings. to download ringtones you need a connector cable to the computer with costs 30 dollars and according to a local nextel store they have been sold out for over 2 months. :(
3. nextel company- there coverage is ok! nothing more nothing less. in buildings it is really hard to get a signal. especially new building because they have all this electrical interference. also nextel bills you for the month in advance which is fine but it was suprizing to open my bill and find out it was 113 dollars. 35 for the activation and 70 for the service 1 moth prorated bill and 1 month of full service. the 8 dollars or so in taxes. the direct connect thing is really cool. the other companies are starting to come out with it but it isn't as advanced as nextel's. thier customer service is quick and efficient. my plan is good too it is: 500 day minutes, free nights and weekends, and unlimited direct connect. overall this is a nice phone but could use some improvement. and so could nextel. i am satisfied with the phone for now but when my contract expires who knows...
67 excellent nextel phone
If you are in the market for a nextel, this is the one to get - it has just about everything. The call quality is excellent both with cellular and direct connect, the screen is incredibly clear and rich with color. Motorlola also incorporated an accessory cover to protect the charging/data port from damage. I would recommend a usb cable for downloading any java apps, wallpapers, and ringtones via web or other sources. GPS works very well, speakerphone and voice-activating dialing features are excellent, and the phone is not as bulky as other nextel models.
68 Looks cheap, feels cheap and acts like cheaper
I intended to replace both mine and my wife's aging i90c phones with i730.
Purchasing and delivery was OK directly from Nextel but then the fun began.
First impression: Cheezy, cheap looking flimsy construction. Battery cover thin sheet of Al, difficult to open and close, data/charger socket covered with a rubber piece which is difficult to open and gets on the way of the plug. Very annoying...
Initial Setup: This is where it started getting awkward. I charged both phones overnight and unplugged both of them next morning. They were both fully charged. During the charge, they display "Device Attached" sign. When it was first turned on, searched for the service but since they were not activated, couldn't find the service but dismissing the tab shaped logo covering entire display took some effort to figure out to be able to change settings etc.
One of the phones completely drained in less than six hours with no use what so ever. I plugged in to recharge but phone starting it's funky light dance and finally after several plug/unplugs recognized the charger. Called the tech support, they said it was faulty. In order to get the replacement, I had to be charged for the replacement, call the finance office of Nextel to dispute the charge once I send in the non-working one. Otherwise it takes two months credit to be given back to my account. That's more than annoying!!!
Then next day, when I was ready to activate my wife's phone (once she came back from out of town), I discovered that that phone went crazy as well. Dancing lights and turnig on/off by itself and finally "Incompatible device" sign for the charger.
That was it for me. I decided to return both and be over with it. It is going to be a painfull experience to sort out billing problems I fear.
Overall, i730 fells like, looks like and acts like a cheap version of i90c with color screen and shinny skin! I pass....
69 battery life sucks
the phone seems to die every night if i dont plug it in.
70 What a POS!!!
I used to be with SprintPCS. I started out using the Motorola StarTac and owned many different Samsungs, LGs and Sanyo's. Well Nextel rolled around with a good plan so I switched to them after being a customer with SprintPCS since 1997. I went and bought a I730 and I95c. The I730 is the biggest piece of crap I have ever owned. I have had it for 3 months and the darn thing is falling apart. My so called Smart button has fallen off one day and I don't even know where it is. The phone's reception is horrible. Everyone around me with other phones get great reception and I get "NO SERVICE" all the time. This phone is over priced and not user friendly at all. Don't waste your money! I would have given it 0 stars, but 0 stars does not exist.
71 Good Phone bad price..
This identical phone is available through Nextel for $149 dollars. Why would you pay 50 dollars more this quality phone here.
72 Awesome!
Games, Talking Directions, Customize and download you own ringtones for free if you know how. This phone is amazing!
73 Best Nextel Phone
I think its a good phone. I am happy I have it. Before I had the i95 and I thought it was too bulky and this phone has better java apps. The assigned ring-tone feature is good. The only thing thats confusing is the buttons. The buttons can get confusing because I was soo use to the i95 and the send and end buttons are reversed on the i730. I would reccommend this phone.
Also, get a Usb cord so you can download games, ringtones and wallpaper free from certain sites.
74 Hard to access features
nice phone, but the 3way feature is definately a hassle. you have to keep going into the menu options for each step of the 3way call rather then just typing in the number, hitting send to call, and then send again to connect all parties.
when you go to a menu option, and you select one, then press back, it takes you all the way back to the wallpaper, rather than back to the main menu, or previous menu.
reception is pretty good in areas that i used to have terrible reception in. however, it tends to drop calls. dont know if its my side, or other caller's phone, but happens from time to time. battery life isnt so great. guess with the color screen and all, it drains the battery pretty quick.
also, with the phonebook, if you enter a telephone number into the phonebook without the area code, and that person calls, their name doesn't show up on your display, because technically it isn't the same number calling that is in your address book. its that number plus an area code on your caller id. with every other phone i've had, as long as its the same area code as yours, it doesnt matter what you have it saved as, and then name you have it saved under, will show up when that person calls.
the phone is pretty much for looks. my first nextel phone, and it was satasfied with the look, but the features that i mentioned, i wasnt satasfied with.
75 Still room for improvement
I've had this phone for a little over a week, and while it performs good enough, there is room for improvement. First is the poor battery life that other reviewers have mentioned. Even when I haven't made any calls, it still drains about fifty percent daily. Secondly, it doesn't seem to be as well made and as sturdy as my old Samsung 850 phone. For the price, Motorola should have a product that is not so flimsy.
But that being said, I still like the phone. The display is bright and clear; and it performs better than my previous phone. So if you're considering buying one, make sure you buy a spare battery and extra battery charger. You'll need it. And if you need a phone that can take abuse, I would look at the i530 with the rubberized exterior. It's not as slick as the i730, but it looks like it is designed more rugged use.
76 zaphod beeblebrox phone
If zaphod beeblebrox owned a phone. chitty chitty bang bang, this would be the one. the 40,000 mile/5 year warranty is the best in its class.
77 Bigger than what I thought it would be
Folks this phone is nothing like the new range of samsung flip phones in the market. It is very chunky and looks lot like a old discountinued model. Only good thing about the phone is loud speaker phone. I bought it but after playing with it for a day I am returning the phone and I think I would settle for a samsung. The LCD screen is not as sharp and bright as the samsung as well. Make sure you see it physically before buying so that it saves your time shipping it back.
78 Great phone
Missing status light was a huge drawback until now<...
This app lets you cusomize your external display and the colors of your disco light as the signal strength changes.
The color screen is very bright, but you might have a little trouble reading it in direct sunlight. The clip doesn't show it off too much - I prefer the bodyglove cellsuit swivel - that works really well. Most swivel clips jab me in the side when my shirt is not tucked in but the bodyglove cellsuit has smooth edges.
79 bought from amazon about a month ago
really like the phone and nextel's d/c. yesterday the speakerphone and ringer's stopped working. it cost me $35.00 at the service center to have a new phone cleaned. tech said there was some manufacturing corrosion. alternative was to mail it to motorola and be without a phone for who knows how long. if this is the only problem my rating will remain high for amazon, nextel and motorola.
80 Needs brighter display, BETTER BATTERY LIFE!!!
I've had this phone for 3 months, and Nextel for 3 years. I like the service, but inability to roam can be bothersome when traveling. For emergencies, I remedied this with a tracfone(.com) and just buy a 1 year card each year.
Now, for the phone....It's got close to as sensitive reception as my old i1000 plus, which had AWESOME reception. The speakerphone on this model is EXCELLENT, definitely an improvement over the other Nextel models. Battery life is STILL on the "fairly horrible" end of things...charge it every night or you'll run out in the middle of your workday on the 2nd day, especially if you use data features a lot like I do. Luckily, recharge time is VERY quick (under 2 hours with mine) with included rapid charger.
As a delivery driver in Michigan, I'm out in all types of weather, no problems yet with this phone, but I wouldn't suggest using in a downpour! (Nextel does have models specifically for those types of conditions...)
The screen tends to be too dim to read in bright, direct sunlight, and the light "sensor" seems to add to the problem. A non-reflective coating would have been nice on the display. Very useful 600 entry contact list, which can store ALL of a contact's info (home#, work#, cell#, fax#, email, etc.) Phone has a handy notepad and will take vocal notes, also. Calculator, games, etc are included on phone. Wish it had an alarm clock (if it does, I haven't found it yet..I'll keep looking) for those long drives. The little disco light is kind of funny, too (almost a disco party in your pocket!).
Interface is maddening to get used to, if only because it's similar enough to the i1000+ (which I had for three years) that it can get confusing, as it's not the same. Color display is sharp. All volume levels can be set from whisper quiet to LOUD LOUD!
Minor gripe: waaay too easy to hit the direct connect button in its holster...make sure you've switched "one touch direct connect" OFF if you're moving around a lot, and once you've finished using DC, hit the STOP button (on top in the middle) to get it back to phone-mode, or you'll have to be apologizing all the time for accidentally two-waying somebody!
EXTREMELY handy is the "profiles", which allow individual volume, behavior and wallpaper settings for different situations, i.e., "Truck" "Work" "Meeting" "Movie" or what have you.
All in all, a very good phone, especially with all the customization you're able to do with the feature settings.
ADDENDUM: another minor gripe: the "stop" button in the center top position of the phone is too easy to bump when removing the phone from its holster-I've accidentally ended several incoming calls this way.
**********NOTE: instead of always buying a new car charger for your latest, greatest cell phone and adapters for your newest laptop, simply buy a power inverter which plugs straight into your vehicle's cigarette lighter. Make sure it has a built-in surge protector. Voila! Vehicular power utilizing your "home" charger (cell) or plug (laptop). The best plug directly into the cigarette lighter socket without a cord (the units can get hot, a cord can allow the unit to move all over in the car.) Can power many other things, too...can't find one labeled "surge protector" on amazon, but BB sells them.
81 This phone rocks.
After years of loyalty to the Motorola Startac, I decided I needed a phone with more functionality. At the same time I was tired of Sprint's horrible service and bad plans. I got the I730 with the Nextel Nation 1000 Connect plan. It's great; perfect coverage and the phone is worth whatever you pay for it. It's less than my first Startac ($399 vs $499) and I am very happy with my Nextel Service (much more clear than Sprint). A definate recommend for those who require a quality phone rather than something made by Samsung, LG, or Sanyo. If I could change one thing it would be the battery life, if I forget to charge it at night and I am talking quite a bit I may get a low battery the next day. I don't complain about that too much though because I am usually connected to AIM all day long and often use my GPS TeleNav on my phone.
82 i730 a great phone
The Good.
1. Good reception in the greater L.A area (actually Nextel is overall pretty good service provider anywhere from what i hear). But what you do get is signal everywhere. The great thing is I'll be talking
2. Sturdy construction. It simply feels like a solid phone. This phone is however not tiny like many of the phones offered by Sprint or T-Mobile.
3. Speakerphone option is great. Also digital 2-way with Nextel.
Bad (not so bad)
1. Battery Life. I had the Sony-Ericsson T68i before this phone and that thing would go days before dying. This phone is about 1.5 days of standby with moderate use. You just have to charge it more often I suppose
2. Small screen size. But then again, I don't use a phone for games or taking pictures. For me, those are for PS/2 and digital cams repectively.
3. No vibrate and ringer at the same time.
83 The Best Phone I Ever Owned!
One of the best phones i ever owned! I have owned a Nokia 3390 which was a piece of crap I had to get it fixed 9 times untill i said this is crazy just buy another phone. So then I purchased a Samsung r-225-m and honestly that was a pretty good phone thinking how bad the Nokia was. All of the Nokias are crap except for the Nokia 5165 that was one of the phones that were the best of Nokia. All the new nokias suck. After i purchased the Samsung a year later i have bought a Motorola v60g and that was by far the best phone I had yet. A year after that I purchased a Motorola T720 which was a nice feature phone but my Motorola v60g was a better phone. Then a couple of my friends had Nextel and they have great service so then i switched from T-Mobile to Nextel and that was the right move. the best thing i did. I got rid of T-Mobile because they are the worst cell phone company ever right up their with AT&T wireless. I never got good service with T-Mobile. I would highly suggest everyone to stay away from T-Mobile. Nextel has the best servioce in my area that i know of. Verizon has good service also but not as good as Nextel. So when i switched to Nextel I purchased the Motorola i730 and that phone is even better then the v60g! I would highly recommend this phone to anyone! Its a great phone.
84 It doesn't suck
The phone is much slimmer and sleaker than the other phones that Nextel offers. The speaker quality of this phone is outstanding. Also, the disco light is a neat little add on that makes this phone fun. The quality of the reception is good and the features of the phone are very cool. The price is high, but I think it was worth it.
85 Great Phone
This is a great phone. I had AT&T and switched to Nextel. I was not sure about the phones since Nextel does not have as many phones to chose from as AT&T. Well I love the i730 phone. I have had this phone for over a month. You can upload midi and wav files for ringtones. Customize the wallpaper. The price is high but if you do the rebate it is well worth it.
86 Nextel is garbage!
Nextel's customer service is the worst ever. They aren't open on the weekends and close at 9 PM CST everyday. Hold time ranges anywhere from an hour to a couple of hours. Their service is not great at all. The phones are bulky and expensive. Verizon and Sprint offer walkie talkie as well. I think Verizon is a better buy. Nextel even costs more. Nextel is TRASH!
87 i730
I received the new i730 as a gift for Christmas, one of my many impulse wants :). LOL I have to say the phone is GREAT, I LOVE IT!!! It has many cool features, like GPS, assigned ringtones, light up front and much more. Another thing I noticed is that the speakers are a lot louder compared to the other phones. I also feel like I get better reception with this phone opposed to my i90. There's nothing really bad to say about this phone. If you are a nextel user I'm sure you can agree it is much better than the i90 and the i95. The only thing that I dislike is the way nextel runs business. I think it is ridiculous that they will not cut an existing user the same deal as they would a new user when purchasing the phone. Any other company you go to will honor the same price for an upgrade as they would for a new contract. Instead they think that they are giving you a deal by making you sign another 2 or 1 year contract, and you'll receieve the phone for $250-300 instead of $400 with no contract. It's just something you have to deal with if you want to upgrade the phone and stay with the service. Just something to prepare those who are thinking about signing up with Nextel.
As for the service itself, it's pretty good, I never really had a problem with it except when in wooded areas. A plus to this service is also the nationwide direct connect. You can get chirped(walkie talkie) from someone a different state. I say if you have the money get the nextel service and the i730, it's fun to have, but a little pricey :)
I LOVE TO LOVE MY I730!! :)
88 battery life
is anyone having problems with battery life?
the most standby time i ever get from this phone is about 12 hours. im not a happy camper. except for that, the phone is perfect.
89 very happy
Other than the high initial cost (I got it before they put in a promotion, duh), i really love this compact and stylish phone. It's the best Nextel has offered yet, although there's rumor that a camera phone is coming out soon. If you can wait, wait a bit longer, otherwise for walkie-talkie style cellular, Nextel is the best. No delays like with Verizon (up to 30 seconds!) or Sprint (10 secs). Walkie-talkie that actually works where there's coverage. I'm a happy customer.
90 this phone is sick, i love it
people, this phone is the best phone ever created. i simply love it. i didnt really plan to get this phone but one night i lost my i95 (which was a great phone) and decided to buy the i730 since it was the newest. The features i love about this phone is the slim size, the 65k color screen, the disco lights that light up when you recieve a call, the gps feature, the arrangement of the buttons, the 600 number phonebook, assignable ringtones, the arrangement of the menus, the style of the phone and also the talk time. the phone is the best phone on the market and its on the best network in the country which is of course nextel. with the nationwide walkie talkie you cant go wrong. i also have one of the best plans that they have ever offered which includes 1000 mins, unlimited night and weekends,and unlimitied walkie talkie for $54.99. so basically im nextel for life, holla!!!!!!!
91 Great Phone, Amazon unreliable!
I busted mine up while biking and ordered a new one from Amazon, well it's been 5 days and it still hasn't even been shipped. I'm discovering the hard way that Amazon doesn't really care about customer service as they have not answered any of my email inquiries as to where my phone is. I receive items like cd's via USPS, so in other words they get left at my doorstep and stolen by the first dishonest person to walk by. I wish there was an alternative to Amazon with the same selection but used more secure means of shipping. Oh yeah, the i730 is the greatest phone for you Nextel users!
92 Awesome GPS and beautiful color screen
This phone is the choice for you if you want to spend a little more to be cool! Love it. Nextel's Total Connect plan enables you to take adantage of the gps chip inside and track the phone with online map. TelNav's Tracking works most of the time for me, with a small amount of monthly fee. There are also other free tracking services you can try such as accutracking.com. The fine screen is comfortable for eyes if you are a game fan, plus there are tons of free and demo games availale for download.
93 Great Phone with just a few minor exceptions
I have previously owned a Nextel i550, i90 and an i95cl. I just upgraded to the new i730 mainly because of the size factor. Second, Nextel is phasing out the i90 and i95 so I like to make sure I am staying up with the technology as it expands. I use this phone a LOT, mostly for work, but also for personal use.
My only main issues with this phone are the battery life and the size of the screen. I was used to the huge screen of the i95, but I have to admit the color is MUCH better with the 64k color screen of the i730. Battery life seems to be an ongoing issue with Nextel phones, but with all this phone does, I guess it is to be expected. It is odd that Nextel finally switched the "make call" and "end call" button positions on this phone. My guess is that it was in an attempt to make their positions on the keypad standard with the other cell phones on the market. Before this phone, they were always backwards compared with other cell phones. I do miss the "service indicator" light, but it isn't a major issue. The buttons are set up a bit different than my previous Nextel phones, but like with anything else, you get used to it pretty quick. One thing Nextel got away from was the ability to use a home charger and car changer from the old phone, with the new one. They changed the ends so you cannot use the I90 or I95 powercords with the new i730. They do include a home charger with the phone, but be prepared to buy a new car charger when getting this phone.
I like the sleek feel of the case, the thinner profile, the color screen, the ability to (finally) assign ringtones to each caller and the GPS service. A nice touch is the cover that flips over the bottom of the phone where you insert the charger. It may seem a silly touch to most people, but I work outside for my job and I was always concerned with water or dirt getting into the phone and causing damage to the circuit board.
All in all, if you can afford to get this phone, BUY IT! Nextel service, like everyone elses, has their good and bad points but I will stay with them for the long haul. I have had Sprint, Verizon, Blackberry and still currently carry T-Mobile in addition to this Nextel. (only because my company is cheap with their anytime minute allocation! *lol*) If they turned Nextel service off tomorrow, I would immediately go back to a Nextel office to set it right back up! The direct connect feature is addicting and doesn't take away from your cellular minutes. Don't waste time with Verizon's pseudo direct connect. Go with the people that invented the technology...Nextel!
Hopes this review helps. *S*
94 5 stars, gps is cool
The perfect phone. Telenav works great (at least out in the burbs), hacked into it and changed my wallpaper to a family photo, great phone all alround, powers my laptop's net connection too...
95 Don't do it for the GPS - TeleNav does NOT work
In Chicago, the GPS NEVER works (and yes I went by the window dozens of times). In the surrounding suburbs, it worked once about 30 miles north of Chicago, so I know it's not broken, unfortunately. TeleNav, the company that sells the GPS mapping service for Nextel phones, will charge you by the kilobyte, which is very mysterious, but comes out to about twenty-bucks a month, in addition to a "total connect" service that Nextel will need to add (for GPS to function), for another ten-bucks monthly. The kicker is when you figure out that your GPS hardly works at all, and you have already signed up for a year's Telenav service, TELENAV WON'T REFUND YOU A SINGLE DIME. "Too bad for you" it didn't work in YOUR area. The Nextel tech that I spoke to (in cancelling "total connect") said TeleNav told them that they should not gaurantee TeleNav to ever function. "There are not enough satelllites at this time". What a bunch of fargin iceholes.
Otherwise, it must be stated that I do like Nextel service and the web browser is the best of it's kind. You'll never call info with a "People-Finder", equivalent to White Pages and also a "Business-Finder". Movie times and all that other stuff as well, and "SNOCOUNTRY" tells you the amount of snow at any hill in America. That's nice.
96 A little expensive but Nextel service makes up for it.
This is the best phone that Nextel offers due to its thinner profile and awesome color screen. It has a ton of great features for those who are like me and love to fool around with all the extras on any electronic gizmo that I get my hands on. I do have some getting used to as I was a 2nd generation Nokia user, but the fact that I can actually make a phone call on the i730 makes up for everything else it may lack. Yeah, there are many other cell phones out there that have cameras, PDA's, MP3 players, portable game consoles and whatever else they want to throw in but what it all boils down to is whether you want a Digital camera with PDA functionality or a phone. Me, I chose to have a phone because I don't want to pay $50+ a month so I can make calls in the corner of my house standing on one leg carrying a re-shaped wire clothes hanger just to get enough reception to make a phone call on a nifty game-console/mp3-player/pda/digicam/mediocre-phone.
Bottom line, when you're done fooling around with all the latest "toys" that Nokia and everyone else is putting out there and are ready to actually make wireless phone calls again, the i730 is what you're looking for.
97 idiots rating this phone poorly
The i730 is the best phone on the market with the features it has. Nextel is the best carrier i have ever had. I have never gone anywhere and not had service. In fact i have had service where verizon does not. As for the idiots who say nextel is not competitive in prices. i just bought two new contracts for christmas got the i730's for 175.00 each and got 1000 anytime minutes unlimited night and weekend, direct connect, long distance and roaming for 39.99 per month. There is no phone carrier that even comes close to this deal. All anyone has to do is figure out that you buy a new contract in december when the prices are the best. if you have existing service sign up for a new contrat on your existing account and then drop the old line of service. come on people this is not rocket science
98 Great Phone
When the i95 came out, i thought it was amazing. I thought it was durable and easy to use. Then i got the i730 and I am very happy with it. A couple of my favorite features is that it's alot thinner and half of the size of the i95. The speaker in the front of the phone lights up for an incoming call. It has very precise color. The only problem i had when i first used it was the bottons are close when choosing things from the menu or the scroll up. I got used to it, in like 3 days. Now, i am loving this phone. By far the best phone that Nextel has come out with. I heard they are getting one w/ a camera soon but i dont think i want to change, this phone is perfect!!!
99 Poor User Interface and High Electronic Interference
So I've had my new I730 for a month or so now, and here's the GOOD and the BAD about this phone.
The Good
1. Best of the Nextel phones. A lot of Nextel's phones are clunky and have bad form factors.
2. Backgrounds. There are a number of appealing backgrounds such as a sailboat and sunflower that are quite nice.
3. This phone is tough and feels well-constructed. I feel like I could drop it on cement and nothing would happen.
4. Speaker-phone. The speaker-phone is loud and clear. Direct Connect (Push to Talk) is great too.
The Bad
1. Poor user-interface. Motorola has a long way to go before they can match up to the usability of Nokia's. Also, the icons are small, poorly drawn, and have no labels until highlighted so you can't quickly scroll to the needed icon. So, you waste time trying to get to what you need to use.
2. Doesn't recognize shortened numbers with Caller ID. My previous phones would recognize numbers even if they had missing area codes or, a calling card sequence before it, but this phone cannot do this. The solution to this is to record all number combinations under the same name, but this is tedious.
3. Limited ringtones. Motorola really needed to put in some better sounding ones in their phones. Just because you can dowload more doesn't mean that they shouldn't have done a better job of the initial ones. They sound just plain horrible.
4. Small screen. I think I was spoiled because my previous cell phone had a large screen and clear fonts. This Motorola has a tiny screen. Granted, other cell phones also have small screens, but the phone doesn't make use of the full potential viewable screen space on the front part of the flip.
5. Lots of interference. When I use the phone in front of my computer. The screen begins to get all flickery and the speakers begin to do strange drumbeat sounds. I wouldn't be surprised if this phone has higher radiation than other phones. My previous cell phones never did this. As a result, I can't use my phone directly in front of my computer.
Bottom line: I had to get this phone because of direct-connect, but given the choice, I would use a different phone.
100 Dissapointed
I now understand Moto's loss of wireless phone market share. The interface is not easy to use and the screen is too small.
