Smartphone Thoughts: Clam Shell Beauty: Motorola MPx220 Smartphone Reviewed

Photo Shoot
Motorola has done a superb job when it comes to styling; it is a guaranteed head turner. The build quality is top notch. The hinge works well, after all Motorola started the clam shell craze. I like the spring action in the hinge. My friends who have tried out my Smartphone have commented on the solid feel of the phone, the quality of the hinge and its style.

The clam shell form-factor does make it bigger than some of the newer Smartphones. But I found that the bigger size helps me to hold it more comfortably.

Let�s check out the phone from various angles.


Figure 8: MPx220 from the front. Click on the image for a higher resolution image.

The silver panel on the front makes it difficult for taking pictures. I had to constantly adjust the lighting in the room to cut off glare. You have to see this phone live to really appreciate its beauty. External LCD, the camera and the flash are on the front. The speakerphone grill is a carry over from the MPx200 style book. Check out the detail lines and curves on this Smartphone.


Figure 9: Another picture showing the front. Click on the image for a higher resolution image.

The MPx220 sports a color external screen. Its main purpose is to display the clock and basic phone status indicators when the phone is closed. The Bluetooth indictator is missing. Motorola engineers have gone beyond the basic usage and have baked in the PhotoId feature into the external screen and it also acts as the viewfinder when taking self-portraits with the camera.

Unlike the main display, the external screen cannot be customized much and shows text in white always. Another thing that bugs me is that the external screen has a time out and turns itself off to conserve battery. And I am used to having the external screen on my clam shell phones always on, displaying time and status indicators. With the MPx220, anytime I have to check for mail or missed call indicators, I have to tap the volume button to wake up the external screen. Since the screen goes blank at timeout, there is no easy way to tell if the phone is on or off or if the battery got drained. I must add that I am not too impressed with the quality of the color screen, especially in bright light.


Figure 10: External Screen. Click on the image for a higher resolution image.

In the following photo, you will notice that the battery lid is smaller and it blends into the side of phone at an angle. This rounds the back of the phone and enables a good grip. The phone feels lighter and sleeker in my palm because of this contour.


Figure 11: MPx220 from the back. Battery lid on my unit is a little loose. Click on the image for a higher resolution image.


Figure 12: MPx220 right side. Has Infrared port, camera capture button and miniSD slot. Click on the image for a higher resolution image.


Figure 13: MPx220 left side. Headset jack, Volume and Power buttons. Click on the image for a higher resolution image.

MPx220 is a quad-band GSM phone which makes it a true world phone, compatible with GSM 850, 900, 1800 and 1900 bands. In America the 850 and 1900 bands are used. If you are a travel for work or pleasure, you should definitely check out this phone.


Figure 14: MPx220 top. Proudly displaying the quad-band badge. Click on the image for a higher resolution image.

Motorola has decided to use its proprietary connectors for USB and charging. I personally did not like this move. The microphone is located to the right of the connectors.


Figure 15: The connectors at the bottom. Click on the image for a higher resolution image.

But it makes sense from Motorola�s point of view to standardize the accessories across all its products. Also current Motorola phone users will also benefit from the move. When I bought my Motorola Bluetooth headset, I found that the charger for the headset works with the MPx220 and vice-versa. So now I have a charger for work and home.


Figure 16: The power connector. Click on the image for a higher resolution image.

MPx220 does not use the mini-USB connector for the sync cable. I am not particularly pleased with the snap action of the proprietary connector. A couple of times it has come loose because I haven�t properly snapped it in, and the connector is a little stiff. I was able to the use the USB sync+charge cable in my car to charge the phone using a USB car adapter.


Figure 17: The USB data sync + charge connector. Click on the image for a higher resolution image.

One of the benefits of clam shell design is that it offers more surface area and Motorola design team has used it well for the keypad but for some weird reason chose to use a smaller 2 inch screen, even though there is room to fit a 2.2 inch screen.

Keypad/Joypad has big buttons and are nicely spaced. The contours and indentations on the buttons made it easy for me to figure out the buttons without looking at the keypad. Also check out the Cingular logo at the base of the keypad.


Figure 18: Inside the keypad and joypad are well laid out. Check out the contours on the buttons. Click on the image for a higher resolution image.

MPx220 has an optical sensor to detect whether the phone is being used in the dark or well lit environment. This helps the phone to conserve battery during daytime, when the backlighting is not needed. I noticed a minor imperfection, the keypad lighting fades at the rightmost edge of the keypad. Regardless the backlighting is more than adequate.


Figure 19: Keypad backlighting. Click on the image for a higher resolution image.