Monday, November 17, 2003
The Honeymoon�s Over: A Month with the Motorola MPx200
Posted by David McNamee in "HARDWARE" @ 08:55 PM
Instead of doing the usual review that includes statistics about the phone's processor, dimensions, weight - all things you can get practically anywhere, I decided to live with his phone for a while and then share my Thoughts. There are plenty of pluses to this phone, as well as a few minuses. Let�s get right to them.
Instead of doing the usual review that includes statistics about the phone's processor, dimensions, weight - all things you can get practically anywhere, I decided to live with his phone for a while and then share my Thoughts. There are plenty of pluses to this phone, as well as a few minuses. Let�s get right to them.
Quality Construction
First off, this phone just feels nice in your hand. A lot of phones feel flimsy when you pick them up. The plastic feels cheap and you expect that the first time you drop the phone will be the last time you can actually use it. This is not the case with the MPx200. This phone, while being lighter than several phones I�ve used, has a nice weight to it. When you flip open the phone, most of the weight stays in the palm of your hand and you don�t feel like the phone is about to tilt backwards out of your hand. The clamshell also feels sturdy. I�ve handled some clamshells that I was afraid to open all the way for fear of bending them backwards and breaking the phone in half. I have no such fears with his phone. As a matter of fact, I�m guilty of doing the Captain-Kirk-flip-open-the communicator-to-have-Scotty-beam-me-up routine at least more than twice.
The casing is very susceptible to fingerprints, though. I also have a problem with the plastic coverings used to protect the USB port, the SD card slot, and the earphone jack. I like the fact that Motorola was thoughtful enough to provide them, but the only one that still remains attached to the phone is the one protecting the SD slot. The small cover that protects the USB port on the bottom of the phone has to be removed in order for the phone to fit correctly in the cradle, to be charged directly from the wall adapter, or to be connected to a PC�s USB port. I removed it the day I got the phone and haven�t bothered putting it back on. Having grown up with a very large collection of Star Wars and GI Joe toys, I know my history with small plastic things. I knew that this would just be one more thing that I would lose.
The plastic covering over the earphone jack was a completely different story. I like having it on the phone and tried very hard to keep it on. I didn�t expect it to be all that difficult since it is physically attached to the phone. Now, I�m the type of person who plugs in the earphone each and every time I get into the car. After two weeks of this, the plastic covering has come completely off. Needless to say, I was hoping for a little better quality from something that was designed to help protect my phone.
A Joy in Daily Use
Talking to people using this phone has been a lot of fun. Sounds come out of this phone more clearly and more loudly than any other phone I�ve used. Incoming voice is crystal clear and I�ve had several people think that I was talking to them from a land line. Listing to music on the phone has also been a nice experience. I�ve never considered myself a hardcore audiophile, but using the stereo headset I�ve been able to notice flaws in WMA files that I had never heard before. There is, however, something of an annoying pop when a track begins. I have not yet had the chance to determine if this is a problem with the phone, the headset, or the quality of the files being played.
Battery Life & Performance
I�ve also been able to do something with this phone that I could never have done with my other Smartphone. Twice now I have forgotten to charge the battery overnight. Both times, I was able to last two whole days on just a single charge. Now that�s 48 hours with about 90 minutes of talk time, about 100KB of data transfer, at least five games of solitaire. That kind of battery life, I can live with!
As a fully functioning Smartphone, the MPx200 has been terrific. Applications have been snappy and quick to respond. One of my favorite applications, Pocket SlideShow from CNetX, can open up very large PowerPoint files that have the ability to make the phone�s processor cry out for mercy. The MPx200 has handled two very large presentations that I�ve recently given without so much as a whimper. The phone�s screen is bright and sharp, and my presentations look wonderful in full screen mode.
Smartphone 2002? Not so Bad
One knock against his phone is the fact that shipped with the SmartPhone 2002 operating system. After using the MPx200 as my primary phone for a month, I�m less upset by this than I thought I would be. I would still like the improvements offered up by SmartPhone 2003, especially since I have more than one e-mail account that I need to pay attention to. However, the phone has dependably done the things that I needed most. Having my contacts and calendar in my phone has been incredibly useful.
Where to Buy
If you're looking to buy this phone and live in the US, Amazon.com is perhaps the best place to go. If you live outside the US, or are looking for the unlocked tri-band version, our affiliate partner store Tek 'n Toys offers the phone for sale, and will ship anywhere in the world.
In Conclusion...It's a Keeper
So after living with this phone day and night for a month, what do I have to say about it? I�m keeping this phone. Any phone that tries to replace it has a pretty high standard to live up to. If you're looking for a phone right now, the MPx200 is worthy of your consideration.
Pros:
Instead of doing the usual review that includes statistics about the phone's processor, dimensions, weight - all things you can get practically anywhere, I decided to live with his phone for a while and then share my Thoughts. There are plenty of pluses to this phone, as well as a few minuses. Let�s get right to them.
Quality Construction
First off, this phone just feels nice in your hand. A lot of phones feel flimsy when you pick them up. The plastic feels cheap and you expect that the first time you drop the phone will be the last time you can actually use it. This is not the case with the MPx200. This phone, while being lighter than several phones I�ve used, has a nice weight to it. When you flip open the phone, most of the weight stays in the palm of your hand and you don�t feel like the phone is about to tilt backwards out of your hand. The clamshell also feels sturdy. I�ve handled some clamshells that I was afraid to open all the way for fear of bending them backwards and breaking the phone in half. I have no such fears with his phone. As a matter of fact, I�m guilty of doing the Captain-Kirk-flip-open-the communicator-to-have-Scotty-beam-me-up routine at least more than twice.
The casing is very susceptible to fingerprints, though. I also have a problem with the plastic coverings used to protect the USB port, the SD card slot, and the earphone jack. I like the fact that Motorola was thoughtful enough to provide them, but the only one that still remains attached to the phone is the one protecting the SD slot. The small cover that protects the USB port on the bottom of the phone has to be removed in order for the phone to fit correctly in the cradle, to be charged directly from the wall adapter, or to be connected to a PC�s USB port. I removed it the day I got the phone and haven�t bothered putting it back on. Having grown up with a very large collection of Star Wars and GI Joe toys, I know my history with small plastic things. I knew that this would just be one more thing that I would lose.
The plastic covering over the earphone jack was a completely different story. I like having it on the phone and tried very hard to keep it on. I didn�t expect it to be all that difficult since it is physically attached to the phone. Now, I�m the type of person who plugs in the earphone each and every time I get into the car. After two weeks of this, the plastic covering has come completely off. Needless to say, I was hoping for a little better quality from something that was designed to help protect my phone.
A Joy in Daily Use
Talking to people using this phone has been a lot of fun. Sounds come out of this phone more clearly and more loudly than any other phone I�ve used. Incoming voice is crystal clear and I�ve had several people think that I was talking to them from a land line. Listing to music on the phone has also been a nice experience. I�ve never considered myself a hardcore audiophile, but using the stereo headset I�ve been able to notice flaws in WMA files that I had never heard before. There is, however, something of an annoying pop when a track begins. I have not yet had the chance to determine if this is a problem with the phone, the headset, or the quality of the files being played.
Battery Life & Performance
I�ve also been able to do something with this phone that I could never have done with my other Smartphone. Twice now I have forgotten to charge the battery overnight. Both times, I was able to last two whole days on just a single charge. Now that�s 48 hours with about 90 minutes of talk time, about 100KB of data transfer, at least five games of solitaire. That kind of battery life, I can live with!
As a fully functioning Smartphone, the MPx200 has been terrific. Applications have been snappy and quick to respond. One of my favorite applications, Pocket SlideShow from CNetX, can open up very large PowerPoint files that have the ability to make the phone�s processor cry out for mercy. The MPx200 has handled two very large presentations that I�ve recently given without so much as a whimper. The phone�s screen is bright and sharp, and my presentations look wonderful in full screen mode.
Smartphone 2002? Not so Bad
One knock against his phone is the fact that shipped with the SmartPhone 2002 operating system. After using the MPx200 as my primary phone for a month, I�m less upset by this than I thought I would be. I would still like the improvements offered up by SmartPhone 2003, especially since I have more than one e-mail account that I need to pay attention to. However, the phone has dependably done the things that I needed most. Having my contacts and calendar in my phone has been incredibly useful.
Where to Buy
If you're looking to buy this phone and live in the US, Amazon.com is perhaps the best place to go. If you live outside the US, or are looking for the unlocked tri-band version, our affiliate partner store Tek 'n Toys offers the phone for sale, and will ship anywhere in the world.
In Conclusion...It's a Keeper
So after living with this phone day and night for a month, what do I have to say about it? I�m keeping this phone. Any phone that tries to replace it has a pretty high standard to live up to. If you're looking for a phone right now, the MPx200 is worthy of your consideration.
Pros:
-
� Terrific voice quality
� Bright screen
� Decent battery
� It just feels nice
� Software is snappy and responsive
-
� SmartPhone 2002
� External port covers could be more durable
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