Motorola V180 Cell Phone: A Combination of Technology and Simplicity (Updated 9/6/05)
Written: Feb 13 '05 (Updated Sep 07 '05)
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Pros: compact; lightweight; ease of use; modern features
Cons: expensive if you have to pay full price; Software issues; dropped calls a continual problem
The Bottom Line: Nice phone but it has its issues.
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| shantel575's Full Review: Motorola V180 |
I love being a T-Mobile customer. Every year I can upgrade and get a new phone, for really cheap or even free depending on the promotions they are offering. In the past I’ve had several Nokia brand cell phones but when I upgraded a few months ago, I decided to go with a more modern style flip phone and I settled for the Motorola V180 cell phone.
The Motorola V180 Cell Phone
This phone is small (measuring 3” x 1.5” closed; 6” x 1.5” when opened) and comes with a black and silver faceplate or cover. You can get a replacement cover if you want something colored or with a pattern but I think the manufacturer discourages this with the V180 since it requires special tools to replace it. I think the manufacturer's warranty is void if you replace the cover also. Anyway, the phone is very lightweight, weighing only a few ounces, so it is easy to keep up with and very portable. There is a short antenna that sticks out of the top part of the phone but it’s short and doesn’t get in the way. And there is no piece to pull out or anything like that I believe this style flip phone is called a “clamshell”.
When the phone is closed, there is a screen on the front that displays the time, strength of the signal and how much battery life is left. If the phone rings, the screen lights up in blue and serves as a caller ID screen.
When opened, the phone has an LCD color screen that is really neat. It looks like a mini computer screen! You can even customize your background with different wallpapers and colors. You can also set the phone up to go to a screensaver or standby mode.
The buttons are easy to understand and use. There are the standard 12 numeric keys like on any phone, and then there are a set of 6 other buttons that allow you to navigate through the phone’s menus, settings and your phone book (saved numbers).
The battery, when fully charged, provides about 5 ½ hours of talk time. It will also allow for 11 days of standby time. The phone comes with a lilon battery.
The phone comes with a charger that plugs in, but you can purchase a car charger separately for the phone. It also comes with an earpiece/hands free headset so that you can talk while driving or doing other things.
The service providers for this phone are T-Mobile, AT&T Wireless, Cellular One and Cingular Wireless.
Features
This phone seems to do everything! I love the Phone Book Feature, I can store up to 500 contacts (including names AND phone numbers) in this phone! You can also set up voice dialing for up to 14 numbers. Some other features include:
* 3 games: Billiards, Blackjack and Bejeweled (other games can be downloaded)
* AOL Instant Messenger and Text Messaging
* Download MegaTones/mp3 Ring tones, Wallpaper, Screensavers and Games
* MotoMixer remixable ring tones
* Alarm Clock
* Speaker Phone
* Customizable Ring Tones and Vibrating Alerts
* Animated Screen Saver
* Personal Information Manager (PIM)
* Picture Caller ID
… and many other features!
Using The Motorola V180
The phone is simple and easy to operate and I am really enjoying it. The reception is fantastic and I never have any problems with static or a bad connection, unless it is on the other person’s end of the line. The phone also comes with a hands free headset so you can put the earpiece in and talk without holding the phone. But I prefer the Speakerphone feature if I need to talk hands free. The sound quality is really good and I like that I can adjust the volume easily on the phone.
If you can read and push buttons, you can operate this phone. There are easy guides and menus on the phone so if you get lost, it’s easy to find your way out. There is also always a “Back” option if you did something you didn’t mean to do.
I’ve found that navigating the menus and features on this phone are simple, and surprisingly, quite similar to all the Nokia phones I had previously. I was nervous about switching to a new BRAND of cell phones but so far I’ve been really pleased with the ease of use. And I’m not really that good with electronic stuff, so the fact that it’s easy for me to use is saying a lot.
I’m impressed with the battery life on this phone. It lasts quite a long time. It’s recommended that you hook it up to the battery charger once the battery life is completely depleted. I only have to do this every other day or so. If I don’t talk on the phone very much, I can get by with only charging it twice a week.
I like the flip-phone style compared to my past style phones. The color screen is protected when the phone is closed so it doesn’t get all scratched up in my purse. And it doesn’t take up a lot of space in there either since it’s so small and compact.
Overall Recommendation
If you wish to learn more about this phone, or purchase your own, you can visit www.tmobile.com (where I got mine) or www.motorola.com (the manufacturer’s website). The phone retails for $140 but I got mine for about $30 from T-Mobile.
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UPDATE September 2005: I no longer have this phone. After months of use, and 3 exchanges (for the same phone)... it was determined that this phone had major software problems and was terrible at receiving a signal and I had continuous "dropped" calls (calls cutting off after about 10 minutes of talk time). TMobile no longer offers this phone.
Recommended:
No
Amount Paid (US$): 30
Recommended for: Professionals On-the-Go - Internet and Email is a Must!
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shantel575
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