Motorola T900: Convenient, reliable messaging
Written: Jul 05 '02 (Updated Jul 05 '02)
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Pros: Full keyboard, email support, reliable send and receive
Cons: Battery cover and pager leash connection break easily, no synchronization
The Bottom Line: I highly recommend the Motorola T900 Talkabout pager for convenient, reliable messaging. However, use a pager leash and stock extra battery covers.
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| jiwhite's Full Review: Motorola Talkabout T900 2-Way Pager (Black) |
The Motorola Talkabout T900 2-way Pager is standard issue for communication in my department at work. It is very reliable and convenient for sending and receiving numeric and text messages to support a 24X7 operation.
I don't know how much my department pays for T900s through Arch Wireless. Retail prices for the T900 can be as high as $199, but they can be found at auction on ebay for under $25.
Hardware
Even though the T900 includes a four line flip up screen and a full qwerty keyboard, it is only slightly larger than the average pager. Although the buttons on the keyboard are very small, I have no problem typing messages fairly quickly. The keys include the entire alphabet, which can be typed in lowercase or upper case, a full range of special characters available via the lock key, a delete/clear key, a menu/spacebar, enter key, four arrow keys, and an escape key that can also be used to turn on the backlight. The four-line display is easy to read in daylight and at night, with the backlight on. Changing the single AA battery is easy. The battery usually lasts two to three weeks, receiving and sending several text pages per day and news. I don't use the Message Acknowledge button because I normally keep my alarm set to Chirp and Vibrate.
The parts of the pager that I have the most difficulty with are external features. I have lost my battery cover twice. Now, I just carry the pager with the battery exposed. The pager fits snugly in its holder in one direction and the corner pager-leash connection breaks easily, so I tend to drop my pager quite a bit. I managed to crack the screen of my first T900 by dropping it, but given the number of times I have dropped my T900s, they are very resilient.
Features
The initial screen shows the date and time, message send and receive status, and volume and alarm indicators. The main menu consists of Mailbox, News/Info Inbox, Send Message, Address Book, Personal Folder, News/Info Folder, Delete Messages, Preferences, Vital Signs and Power Off.
Receiving Messages
The Mailbox receives incoming text and numeric messages. From with a message in the Mailbox, you can go to the next message, forward the message, move it to the Personal Folder or delete the message. When you receive a message, you will go directly to the message by pressing any key. You can do the same with News/Info messages, except that they get moved to the News/Info Folder. When you have a News/Info message that you have not read, the News/Info Inbox icon will blink. Delete Messages allows you to delete all read messages. Vital signs lets you know how much battery and message memory remain, and technical transmission settings under About.
Preferences allows you to set the Mailbox Alert, News/Info Alert, Set Alarm, Quiet Mode, Set Private Time, Set Time & Date, Alert Volume, Key Click, Reminder Alert, News AutoPreview, Signature, and Transmitter Off. Most of the time I keep my pager set to Chirp and Vibrate because I can miss just a vibration and I don't want to overly disturb meetings by receiving pages. When I'm On Call and need to be woken from a sound sleep, the Standard alarm does the trick. I use my laptop and PDA alarms for reminders instead of my pager. Also, I don't bother to Set Private Time because I just leave my pager in my purse when I'm not at work or On Call.
Sending Messages
Each Address Book entry can hold a name, wireless address (pager email address), pager number, email address, home phone, work phone, mobile phone, fax/other phone, and notes. Because the T900 cannot be synchronized with my computer, I keep minimal information in my pager. The first entry is one that says "Call if lost." The others are my boss and a few co-workers.
Sending a message is easy. First, select the address. You can use an existing Address Book entry or manually enter the email address or pager number. Then, write the message using the keyboard. Finally, select Send Message.
It is very convenient to be able to send and receive via email, but be careful if you are being charged by the character. Our department's communication costs skyrocketed when we started using these pagers because they didn't make this clear.
Bottom Line
I highly recommend the Motorola T900 Talkabout pager for convenient, reliable messaging. However, use a pager leash and stock extra battery covers.
The complete User's Guide is available at http://216.87.173.24/manuals/T900_User_Manual_E4.pdf
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): NA
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Epinions.com ID:
jiwhite
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Member: Janine White
Location: Chandler, AZ
Reviews written: 194
Trusted by: 142 members
About Me:
Criminologist turned Software Engineer
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