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The quad-band Motorola V600 cell phone features
Bluetooth connectivity, an integrated VGA digital camera, and MMS with
video clip playback. You'll also get "Situational Lights"--a feature
that lets you light colors for various types of calls--and much more,
all displayed on a large, high-resolution 176 x 220 pixel, 65,000 color
interior screen.
The basic Motorola clamshell format continues to provide a solid and
attractive option for any dedicated cell phone user. Its steel frame is
compact and attractive, (the faceplate-changing capabilities seem a bit
unnecessary) and it's loaded with all the essential features you'll need
for power usage plus a few bonuses. You may find the volume a bit high
out of the box, and it goes into hibernate almost as fast as you can
dial a number, but these are minor, adjustable quibbles on a truly
stellar phone.
Used simply as a cell phone, the V600 features a 4-way scroll key with
multiple dedicated function keys for easy menu navigation. Primary
calling features include voice dialing, integrated speakerphone, vibrate
mode, call timers, redial, missed call indicator, call log, any-key
answer, auto-answer, auto-redial, roaming indicator, speed dial, linked
(credit card) dialing, phonebook look-up, phonebook scroll, mute
control, no-answer transfer, one-touch 911, system select, usage alert,
and a phone book of up to 1250 entries, including picture caller ID
functionality. When the phone is closed, its external screen (two lines,
96 x 32 pixels) displays caller ID, date, time, and various status
icons, including text message waiting, voice message waiting, battery
and signal strength, and voice and message mail. There's even a blue
backlight for nighttime viewing.
The V600 sports well-placed, well-machined keys, and its compact size
does nothing to hinder dialing even for large-fingered users. The solid
scroll keys bring you to very intuitive menus presented nicely on a
single screen, marked by functional but showier-than-necessary graphics.
There are also dedicated external buttons for speaker volume, voice
recording, and ring volume.
The advanced MMS capabilities built in to the V600 enable users to send,
edit, forward, and receive image, text, audio, and video messages over
the wireless Internet, to and from compatible phones or PCs. (Messages
can run up to 100k in size.) You'll also get instant messaging
capability, messaging templates, SMS two-way messaging, conventional
email, and predictive text assistance. Beyond messaging, the V600's
Internet connectivity lets you access online services such as stock
quotes, road directions, airline information, entertainment, and more.
You can also download Java applications (version CLDC 1.0, MIDP 2.0,
100k per application limit) for which the phone provides 5 MB total
(shared) memory. High-speed data transfer and download round out the
package. The V600 supports digital TTY/TDD functionality for the hearing
impaired.
Organizer features include a calendar, calculator with currency
converter, date book with event storage, and voice memo. You can also
transfer this data to your PC wirelessly via the phone's Bluetooth
capability.
We found the V600's appointment scheduling to be in line with our fairly
basic needs. Other than the universal annoyance of pecking out
appointment details with the ten-key letter system (there's no QWERTY
keyboard here as you'll find on some of the more recent, albeit
early-adopter phones) this phone's organizer features provided enough
data entry space for any busy person taking these functions seriously,
but no more.
For fun, the V600 sports a built-in 640 x 480 pixel integrated digital
camera with zoom and brightness adjustment functions. Pictures taken
with the camera can be stored in the phone or sent to others via
multimedia messaging. The 5 MB of memory available for storing pictures
is also shared with whatever wallpapers, screensavers, ring tones, Java
applications, or games you may download from the Internet. The V600 also
features 24 chord ring tone capability. Users can assign different tones
for different callers in the V600's phonebook, and assign separate tones
to denote incoming messages, faxes, and reminders. Wireless multiplayer
gaming capabilities and two included games, "Bejeweled" and "Stuntman",
round out the entertainment perks with this phone.
We liked this phone's very basic camera. It was easy to use and
worry-free (nothing's going to break off), and the device can be
accessed instantly from the phone's top level screen menu. From power
on, it only took us a moment to take and save a fairly nice picture.
However, photo quality is only adequate; about as good as you'd expect
for a cell phone circa 2004, as opposed to a dedicated digital camera.
We also found the ring tones included with the phone to be generally
pleasant, and it was a breeze to assign a custom tone to a number in the
phonebook, thanks again to the easy menu system. The included games were
basic and fairly fun (at least once). In "Stuntman", the phone's vibrate
mode provided road rumble as a little car skidded around a bland, full-color
stunt course. But player beware! Once the game starts, the volume goes
LOUD and is not apparently adjustable. Finally, there is a nutty little
feature called Motomixer, which lets you modify various settings on lit!
tle songs that you can download, emulating a very rudimentary, miniature
studio console.
In all, we found the Motorola V600 to be a rock solid, highly effective
cell phone, with attractive and efficient graphic and audio
capabilities. We recommend the V600 without reservations for any serious
user.
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