Review rated by 8 Ciao members on average: helpful
This review received a counterstatement by a party concernedRead Comment
This is my fourth phone, my third flip and my second Motorola.
The E550 is quite a snazzy phone. The first thing you notice is tactile soft 'skin' on the cover. The cover is black trimmed with chrome and silver and there is a blue backlit outer display on the front of the phone, that is reminiscent of a Volkswagon Dashboard. When you open the flip, the keypad is clean, simple and well designed with the ubiquitous cursor keys.
The main screen itself is reasonably large, bright and clear and shows off the camera - which seems much better than that from the Motorola C series and Nokia 6610i. This is my first polyphonic phone, but the sound seems no better (or worse) than any other. However, a definite plus is that the sound from the ear-piece and speakerphone is very clear, helped no doubt, by the ever-strong reception and signal strength.
The menus are very intuitive and easy to navigate through, allowing you to access most functions within a few keystrokes -frankly, I have always found the Motorola's to be easier to use than, for example, Nokias. There are two levels of menu, a simple four-option menu on the main screen (fully customisable), and a more detailed menu, which is accessed by pressing the special menu button. A nice touch is the ability to 'hide' the simple menu, which stops the screen looking cluttered whilst still leaving all four functions available immediately by pressing one of the cursor keys.
Overall, you get the feeling that they have given some thought to the design and materials, and that this phone is not going to fall apart after a few weeks. The keys give a satisfying clunk/click when pressed and in particular, the hinge is fairly thick, with very little play between the screen and keyboard. This is especially important because there were problems with the hinge cracking on previous Motorola flips - I know of three V66 phones where the hinge failed completely after about 12 months.
The only vaguely negative thing I have to say about this phone is the Battery life is not as good as some others (e.g my previous Sony-Ericcson). This is obviously subjective and dependant upon use, but it generally lasts 2-3 days (4 days if its standby only) before the battery is exhausted. That is not ideal considering I don't make/receive that many calls. However, frankly, that is a relatively minor complaint on an otherwise very good phone.
I'm a Motorola flip phone fan too, having had a V66, and then a V300. I have just upgraded to this phone, but I am having difficulties finding a few things. If you know how to change ringtones, or how to use the T-Mobile on-line area on this phone, I'd really appreciate a note in my guest book, as these bits seem different from the V300. How have you found the video and camera?
Im about to get this phone any minute now! Literally! and I would have appreciated it if you had told about the msg holding capacity and other such details of the phone. But other wise a good read. If you update this review, let me know and I'll come and rerate you for it! x
I'm searching for a new phone, tried a C650 for a week before the camera stopped working. Was worried about the flip part, you've given me something to think about, S
![Elekratek Motorola E550 Battery [ BAT_V30 ]](http://picnicb.ciao.com/uk/78263147.jpg)
![Elekratek Motorola E550 In Car Charger. [ CCH_V66 ]](http://picnicb.ciao.com/uk/76780013.jpg)
![Elekratek Motorola E550 UK Mains Charger. [ MCH_V66 ]](http://picnica.ciao.com/uk/76782458.jpg)
by (63%):
by (13%):
19.05.2005 00:08
I'm a Motorola flip phone fan too, having had a V66, and then a V300. I have just upgraded to this phone, but I am having difficulties finding a few things. If you know how to change ringtones, or how to use the T-Mobile on-line area on this phone, I'd really appreciate a note in my guest book, as these bits seem different from the V300. How have you found the video and camera?
26.01.2005 11:55
Im about to get this phone any minute now! Literally! and I would have appreciated it if you had told about the msg holding capacity and other such details of the phone. But other wise a good read. If you update this review, let me know and I'll come and rerate you for it! x
23.12.2004 14:55
I'm searching for a new phone, tried a C650 for a week before the camera stopped working. Was worried about the flip part, you've given me something to think about, S