It's the interface, stupid...
Written: Dec 22 '01 (Updated Dec 23 '01)
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Pros: Lightweight, small footprint, extended features
Cons: Awkward, complicated interface
The Bottom Line: A small, lightweight phone with many advanced features, which all comes to naught when you actually try to use its complicated, clunky interface.
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| garlanjones's Full Review: Motorola Timeport P8767 Cell Phone |
As a technical professional with no land line at home, my cell phone has become the center of my gadget universe. When I recently upgraded to a new mobile service, I spent some time researching phones, and eventually settled on the Motorola TimePort P8767. Its thin profile and advanced features looked promising, and I especially liked the fact that it was small enough to fit into my shirt pocket (yes, even though I'm a tech, I refuse to wear a belt o' gadgets).
That said, what I didn't pay much attention to in my research was the actual interface design. The menus on my previous three mobile phones were fast, simple, and very intuitive; therefore, I expected the same from a more expensive model.
Bad move on my part. First off, this is very definitely a slow, two-handed phone. There are buttons on both the side and front of the casing, and most of them need to be pressed to get anything done. Needless to say, you don't want to make a call with this while you're driving, unless you can afford a hands-free speech module. Even when you're not driving, having to switch hands to wrangle the buttons is both awkward and frustrating.
Secondly, the actual menu interface is extremely confusing. There are two main menus, both slightly different yet with enough similar features to leave me scratching my head as to their purpose. For instance, if you want to look up a number, you can do one of two things:
1) Press the side menu button twice, then press the side scroll buttons to reach the number.
2) Press FUNCTION and MENU on the number pad, scroll through the lookup options with the side scroll buttons, choose the lookup option with the side menu button, then enter the appropriate information using the keypad.
Whew! I enjoy an occasional technical challenge, but this phone has me humbled. Don't expect to accomplish much without an in-depth study of the 150-page manual.
As for the product design, it *is* sleek and impressive looking, but that doesn't make up for its inherent clunkiness. For those people for whom the look is a determining factor, here's a tip: that old "let-me-flip-out-my-expensive-cell-phone-to-impress-this-girl-walking-by" thing has never - not once in recorded history - actually resulted in a man being able to date the woman of his choice. Sorry.
Although the phone comes with many advanced features (web browser, timers, etc.), and comes in a very small, lightweight package, the poor interface design really knocks it down a few notches, especially when you consider the high price. There is a saying amongst product designers, "The interface should make the product invisible", meaning that a product should be so intuitive and easy to use that the customer should never have to think about it. This phone definitely requires some heavy thought.
Recommended:
No
Amount Paid (US$): 219
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Epinions.com ID:
garlanjones
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Location: Stamford, CT
Reviews written: 1
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