
Aged Design But Still Going Strong as Basic Phone
Review created: 05/22/08(updated 05/22/08)
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.
Pros:
Durable, reliable, good audio quality, and strong signal
Cons:
Aging style, weaker camera by today's standards, limited in more advanced network features compared to current phones, and not the best for text messaging
Need an inexpensive (or likely free with contract) basic phone for voice use? Not into using phone as camera all the time? Don't need phone and PDA in one device? The Moto V3m is a strong contender. For me, a camera is a camera, not a phone or PDA. Likewise a PDA is a PDA, not a phone. While the V3m is now a backup and I switch my account to it when doing something that might risk cell phone damage, it does what I want a phone to do, make reliable voice calls, and it does it very well. That and its current "contract" price are likely why it's the most ubiquitous phone seen where I work. While there are a few phones mechanically more robust like the KRZR and maxx Ve I have, and the V9m my wife currently uses, the V3m is more than sufficient, and still fares better than many others I've handled from other phone makers. I don't recommend it for most kids who tend to physically abuse phones, nor for anyone else that believes a phone should also double as a hockey puck. It won't take it, but with reasonable care it will last a very long time.
Two more dislikes, but they're related to Verizon and the phone as it comes from Verizon out of the box, not Motorola or the V3m. It's the UI (User Interface), which is not Motorola's generic UI (found on most other CDMA carriers' V3m), and how Verizon cripples numerous features Motorola built into the phone. However, unlike many other phone makers (e.g. LG or Samsung), the Moto phones can be converted back to what Motorola originally intended in its design by flashing it with either generic Motorola (development team) firmware, or the firmware used by one of several other CDMA carriers, and then service programmed for Verizon's network (and one's own account with Verizon). Takes a little work, but it's not horribly difficult. Converted back to Motorola's user interface, with various features re-enabled (e.g. ability to use USB cable to upload and download ringtones, music and photos), it's a marvelous phone.
Review ID: 10000000007252652

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