OMG it has been nearly 2 years since I last visited! So glad I can still view the site, though doing...
OMG it has been nearly 2 years since I last visited! So glad I can still view the site, though doing it via mobile so bear with me . . .
Member since:09.07.2001
Reviews:69
Members who trust:150
So what does that title mean?
Gay / Straight / Both? Left wing / Right Wing / Green? Cats / Dogs? You know the answer to that one!
The reason for the title is that at this precise moment in time I am not sure about my thoughts on my Motorola V2288e mobile phone. This isn’t because I am a new user of the handset – it’s just due to the fact that I’ve had so many pros and cons during our fourteen months together. Usually when posting a review to the Ciao database, I know that the product or service deserves and merits the rating that I will give so freely at the end of my review. This instance is different though….throughout my piece I will be using my thoughts to help me to decide whether or not I will recommend this product to a friend. You will therefore find a compact for and against list at the very bottom.
CIRCUMSTANCES OF PURCHASE
Until the beginning of the year 2000, I fell into the category of mobile phone user who rarely makes an outbound telephone call. I paid BT Cellnet (as they were known then) in the region of £17 per month for the pleasure of having a phone for emergency use only.
I then got started a new peripatetic role which meant that I was provided with a Siemens C35 mobile phone through work. I am unable to make personal phone calls from it but can use it in an emergency. Great! That meant I could cancel my BT Cellnet contract and save myself the monthly subscription. However it was not so great, as I realised the benefits of having a mobile phone at hand and got used to carrying one with me. This meant that I felt the need for my own handset that I could use freely to talk to friends and family – hence the need for a pay as you go Orange Just Talk V2288e.
INITIAL PURCHASE PULLER
I walked into Dixons after trawling through various stores in Bournemouth. I tried to compare service providers and their rates but in the end I went for the best and most ‘different’ looking phone that I could find for £50. As this review is about the phone as opposed to the service provider (in this case Orange) I shall not be expanding upon their tariff, customer service and other details.
The v2288e is exactly as depicted
by Ciao in the product picture – except that mine is white! God that Orange looks awful doesn’t it?
I love to have lots of gadgets and buttons on things that I use! God that sounds odd doesn’t it…. The reason that I was drawn to the v2288e is that it had WAP and Radio facilities all included for under £50, which I thought to be a great bargain in comparison to some of the other phones I had seen. In my opinion Motorola is a good name and I felt that the phone would provide me with good service.
GETTING IT HOME, UNPACKED AND CONNECTED
I’m always like a big kid whenever I get a new toy and this was no exception. I arrived back into my hotel room and eagerly unpacked the box. The contents were packed inside very snugly and instead of using plastic packaging the items were held in ‘cardboard egg box’ holders – much more eco-friendly than many of today’s bubble wrap protective cases.
There were two items enclosed that I have only unpacked today – yes today – fourteen months later. They were two hideous looking handset protectors / covers. Are you familiar with ‘jelly shoes’ that young children and some adults where on the beach? That is exactly the same material that the ‘oh so trendy’ mobile phone covers are made out of. One is a bright pink colour and the other is purple / deep blue. The texture is nasty – very, very squidgy although I can understand how the texture of the cover would provide good grip for people who permanently have a phone to their ear and in their sweaty little palms.
Still on the subject of the plastic cover, it does not protect the whole phone but acts exactly as those jelly shoes do. It grips the front of the phone and has a band that stretches around the back to keep it in place – Ugh sorry but these aren’t for me.
As with all mobile phones the initial installation involved inserting a SIM card and then registration with my service provider. This process was very straightforward and I found the phone to be very user friendly in this respect. The back of the phone is silver and off-white. The off-white section is the battery cover and has six ridges in it to enable the operator to easily slide of the battery case. I thought this to be particularly useful, as I’ve seen many people struggling to ‘unclip’ or release their battery case.
When first peering into the battery area, a black latch is apparent for housing the SIM card (phones number memory and identity). The latch is very easy to open whilst at the same time being sturdier than my Siemens at holding the card in place. This is very important, as if you drop a phone and the SIM is damaged, it is awkward to rectify.
THE BATTERIES
Once I’d inserted the SIM Card I looked at where the battery would fit! This is where I got a bit of a shock! The three batteries resembled the AA type that are available and they were in my box with the other accessories! Uh oh, this didn’t look too good. Thoughts of how they’d hold the charge zoomed through my mind, as I had not seen this before in a mobile phone. I've learnt that although they look like AA batteries they are special phone batteries of a different specification.
The batteries are red and green and the mobile phone has stickers inside which indicate which end of the battery goes where (a nice touch). I had absolutely no complaints at all about this alternative method of power until after eleven or so months my phone started to fail. It intermittently cut out and wouldn’t hold its charge.
Upon reading the instruction booklet I quickly identified that the 3 1.2 NiMH batteries needed replacing at twelve months intervals. They certainly don’t under promise and over deliver on that do they?
I tried to buy more batteries at local mobile phone shops but the sales agents kept on referring me back to Motorola. This led me to try accessing the company website www.motorola.co.uk. I was quite surprised to find that not all Motorola phones use this type of small battery as the idea of them still feels strange to me. I was able to order replacements quickly via the website and made the payment of £15.88 with my Switch card. Delivery was prompt and took no more than a couple of days.
The reason that I am recording this as a con in my summary list below, is that many people dispose of their instruction books and I suspect that many users would assume that the phone was broken, when all that is needed is new batteries. I very nearly acted this way myself, and to be honest I was not 100% sure that the new batteries would actually solve the problem.
NAVIGATION
The v2288e (e indicates the phone is provided through the Orange brand) is quite easy to navigate. The main functions that I use are the phone book, text messaging service and answer-phone service. The phone does not have an ‘Office’ menu so has no capacity for showing the date or time; neither does it have an alarm facility or calculator. I’ve picked up particularly on these functions as my Siemens work phone does have those abilities and I use them frequently.
Navigation is through the menu-based options. Pressing the MENU button on the front of the handset allows the user to scroll through the main options that are:
Access Internet RSA provide the Orange WAP facility. Despite my initial high hopes for WAP capability I am quite disappointed with what is actually offered by the facility. It is my personal belief that WAP provide less information than a television Teletext service. As this is something universal that affects all phones I will not hold this specifically against the v2288e. Needless to say – I do not use the function.
Phone Book Having the ability to store up to 90 personal numbers with a twelve-digit name field capacity, this phone has more than met my needs. Within the phone book menu is the option to view your last ten calls made and received and to check your own phone number. This is great except that if the last call received had the caller’s number withheld the phone doesn’t record that in anyway. So I’ve often seen ‘unanswered call’ on my mobile screen, entered into my last ten calls missed menu and phoned back the last person, just to realise it wasn’t actually them who phoned me. Oops!
Call Related Features This section consists of three functions. Battery meter is very erratic and does not give a true reflection of the power in the battery. Even the permanent battery symbol on the main screen is unreliable and I find it’s pretty much pot luck as to whether or not I have enough ‘juice’ to see me through the day. Restrict my phone number function is great for those situations where you wish to be a phone pest and in turn the call barring facility works well when in the opposite position and on the end of the abuse.
Messages This is awful. Only holds ten in messages in the mailbox although they do not automatically delete. I have messages stored on my phone from November last year, and do nothing to retain them there. Whilst I can send pictures such as the ‘old thumbs up’ or ‘birthday cake’ from my Siemens, I am not even able to receive them on this phone – pretty disappointing really, especially as this adds to the frustration of no ring tones or logo downloads being accepted.
Radio One little gimmick which is quite nice is a built in radio facility which is accessed by connecting an earpiece to the side of the phone (similar to an adaptor hole). It is an FM radio that is tuned by using the menu arrows. Reception is quite good for all the of the usual Radio 1 type channels. Volume is not very load though and usage can drain battery power. Overall though I find it more useful that WAP!
Reception and Volume I initally though that the volume control was for the ring tone (one of a few which are preset into the phone) Instead the volume switches on the right hand side of the phone controlled the sound through the ear piece! I spent many conversations wondering why I couldn't hear the caller!
PROS Was the phone with more features than any other in the price range Good support from www.motorola.co.uk - accessories and manuals available online Cheap in comparison to other phones with the same gadgetry Ability to store those extra special SMS messages for posterity – but only up to ten messages mind! Radio is a nice little gadget.
CONS Two not so trendy ‘jelly shoe’ mobile phone protectors Runs on 1.2V NiMH Batteries which require changing every twelve months Paying for WAP function isn’t worth the money at the present time Unable to accept mobile ringtones, logos or SMS text pictures
CONCLUSION
With five good points versus four bad, this phone has come in as pretty middle of the road. Which explains why I struggled to find which way to swing with my recommendation. Bearing in mind that the phone is quite large and bulky in comparison to the recent releases I feel that this can only be recommended as a ‘once in a blue moon / emergency’ phone – which is what my intentions were at the beginning.
I think that my relationship with the Motorola V2288E was one where I outgrew the phones capabilities. Writing this piece has made me appreciate that whilst it served my initial needs, my use of gadgetry has meant that I need something different now.
I therefore recommend the phone to people whose needs are for an occasional handset with a few gimmicks, as opposed to regular daily users.
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Nice opinion. I've had mine for almost 2 years now, and the batteries still hold good charge, a tip is to let them fully run out before recharging, a pain I know, but seems to work.
I thought the covers were more like a phone condom myself for safe text !
stevo83 05.11.2002 21:37
what a brilliant review there keep up the good work :0) , stevo
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Advantages: Siemens, Small, No ariel, WAP, Battery life, Customizable, easy to use menu Disadvantages: Does not have GPRS but is not in the price range
matty4donna 15.06.2002 (23.07.2002)
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