Customer Reviews

Motorola A630 Phone (T-Mobile)

5 star:		(21)
4 star:		(36)
3 star:		(10)
2 star:		(11)
1 star:		(12)

 

 

Since first time i saw this phone on-line I was craving for it. Finally I got it and I am using it for last one month.
This is my first Motorola phone and I do agree with people that UI is hard to master. After a month I am comfortable now.
I have owned Sony Ericsson and Nokia phones before and they have excellent UI no need to read user manuals.
So What do I like and I don't?
Likes:
1. QWERTY Keyboard - Excellent. I felt early that no extra keys for numbers may be issue but not a big deal.
2. Excellent size - I thought it is very small for my hand but after using it for month my hands are used to it.
3. Speaker phone - Excellent speaker phone and even better than my Nokia 6800 (another QWERTY) CNET review says that
speaker phone does not shut off when flip is closed but mine does get off. I like the feature that you can use
speaker phone even when flip closed and also the mute function.
4. Camera takes much better pictures than my SE T610 earlier. But I don't care much anyway. Only thing is you need
to hold camera vertical to take pictures correctly else they appear 90 degree left side tilted.
5. Excellent Bluetooth capabilities. I do not use bluetooth headset as headsets are annoying and nerdy solution. But I
use it to sync up my outlook calender/contacts and also transfer photographs and ring tones. With Mobile PhoneTools
Software from Motorola.
6. Email and web capabilities are great but I do not use much of them as I do spend almost 10 hrs a day on my laptop.
7. Tri-Band phone so I can use anywhere in world.


Dislikes: (This list is bigger though)
1. Most important is it do not have auto key lock. this size of phone I am not carrying in my hand all time will prefer
to keep in pocket. Since I may forget to manual lock it accidental dialing in pocket is possible. If they can implement
screen saver why they can't implement auto key lock. It's same software anyway.
2. Annoying Phone book: All developers in Motorola should use SE phones to understand what is phone book is. I am not able
to sort out numbers from SIM and Phone so I see same number at least 4 times. These developers must be fired right
away. Don't understand what are they thinking. Only was I was able to straighten them using the PC software which is
ridiculous as I have 186 contact in my address book. There is no "Delete all" for contact so that I can delete all
contacts from my SIM. I had to use Nokia phone to do it.
3. Motorola PC software is not free. Motorola have stupid managers. Why on earth I should spend $40 dollars for PC software
when I am buying $300 phone.
4. The flip is LOOSE. After a week the flip starts making noises while opening and closing. Although it works fine but
it gives the indication that Motorola did not do any testing of this phone and used cheapo Chinese materials to build.
My Nokia 6800 flip and my old Ericsson T28 flip was million times better.
5. Motorola Chargers are flimsy as they are very cheap design. I though SE charges are cheap but my Ericsson T28 charger
is still working great even after 4 years of rugged use. A630 charger is poor and when you move phone (even little)
while charging it stops charging. Motorola needs to talk to customers what they really want. Also charging time is more
than 3 hrs and nothing close to 2 hrs mentioned in specs. Liars.
6. Games are not so good wish they had simple Tetris or Nibbles. But loading Java games is nice option.
7. Only one After Market case from Krussel which is 25 dollars.
8. There is no simultaneous ringing and vibrate options. If you change the ring style from loud to soft ring tone
also changes. Vibrate and ring option vibrates phone twice and then only ring tone plays which might be unnoticed while
at noisy place and if phone is not in hand.
9. No IR port. I wish it had IR port along with Bluetooth which helps to connect with laptops who do not have BT adapters.

I bought a v600 and a630 at the same time. Both are essentially the same phone, but the a630 is more for people who text message or write email a lot. I loved the v600 because of the functions, but because I write so many text messages, I found the a630 to be more my style.

A few things I found could be improved:
-AOL Instant Messenger is SMS based, not GPRS, which is T-Mobile's fault.
-The email function is very lacking, it took T-Mobile a while to help me out to set it up. The software only asks for email address and password and somehow automatically sets it up. I would rather have manual settings
-Larger memory space...5mb fills up FAST! Especially when I am texting multiple people at times. I have to empty the in/out message boxes constantly.
-No video playback. This is the largest difference between v600 and a630. No ability to watch mpeg4 movies. Both phones would benefit if there was video recording.
-No elemental lights. Would be more attractive with those cool multicolor lights! (ok ok ok, just needed something to gripe about)

Things I love about this phone:
-The size, this is the BEST QWERTY phone I have owned, because of the compact size. My Sidekick is now a paperweight because of this phone.
-Battery life. This thing stays charged! Can go through 2 full days of text messaging before needing a plug in. Talk time is pretty decent too.
-Bluetooth! Extremely easy to use, fast transfers, and lots of cool free ringers/apps.

Last comments:
If you like texting, get this phone. If you like the features of this phone, but dont need the keyboard, then get the v600.

Most of Motorola's offerings lately have been getting a bum rap (and with the many software bugs, for good reason). However, the A630 is a stand-out and a great phone. I have been looking for a small phone with a keyboard and think the Treo, Sidekick, etc are just too big to carry around for everyday use. The a630 is much smaller and about the size of any other clamshell (it just opens landscape style and is a bit thicker due to the keyboard, etc) - still very carryable. I had the old Motorola T900 2-way pager and this is the exact same size. Also if you used one of those, the keyboard layout is the same and just as easy to use.

First thing is it turns heads. The 'wow' factor of this phone is high. RF is great. Battery life is good - 2 days no problem with heavy use (camera, texting, phone). The phone-like pad on the outside is a great feature and capable of basic phone stuff like text msgs, phonebook, change ring style, etc. On the inside the qwerty keyboard and full phone capabilities are revealed. The camera is good enough for day-to-day snapshots. Bluetooth implementation is much better and I had no problems transferring apps, rings, photos, and using the phone as a bluetooth modem for my laptop, etc. w/ the built-in winXP bluetooth support. If you want more customization buy an OEM Motorola data cable and Phone Tools CD (much much cheaper on Ebay) Either way, the transfers are flawless. If you are a tinkerer, Motorola phones are some of the easiest to modify and upgrade yourself. There are several websites that will walk you through this and I for instance, was able to quad-band the phone and boost my earpiece, speakerphone volume, etc.

My only nag is the phonebook! Motorola's implementation of the phonebook has to be the worst. Just like everyone else mentioned, if you have more than one # for the same person it will show as a seperate entry. The only way I found around this is to load all your #'s, but then filter the phonebook to show the primary number only. This way you only have one name displayed. Other people have complained about creaky plastic feel but I felt build quality was pretty solid. However, I don't think it would survive a drop test as well as other phones. My only other wish is that AIM was GPRS based and not SMS. You'll need a SMS package from Tmobile if you use this phone to it's fullest. Email implementation is also crippled by Tmobile and the a630 is goood for light email usage but is easily outperformed by the Sidekick or Blackberry for heavy use. If you are a corporate user and need real HTML and email, I would consider the Blackberry 7100t instead.

Overall - The a630 is more fun than business and a great phone worthy of 5 stars but I could only give it 4 due to the phonebook. This is a better and more functional phone than any of the other Vxxx line from Motorola. I wouldn't take a V3 razor over this. That thing is a waste of money. THis is all IMO of course.

Over the past two years I have gone through Verizon, T-Mobile, And Cingular Wireless. By far, Verizon had the best coverage, Cingualr had some of the best features (ie. Rollover), and T-Mobile has the BEST RATE PLANS & THE BEST CUSTOMER SERVICE, which I didn't realize make sthat much of the difference until I canceled my Verizon contract and went with T-Mobile.

I have had several phone swith each carrier from the LG VX 6000, LG VX7000, Moto V300, and four V600s. By far this is is the best phone to date.

The build is solid, the design is smart and sexy. The features are on target and I am thoroughly impresed. Like most new motos the software lags slightly and the camera isn't the best. However, those are the only two real shortcomes that make little difference at the end of the day.

The Speakerphone is loud and clear, the internal speaker works great. The Bluetooth is solid as is the voice dialing and other features.

The menus are difficualt at first to understand, but after a day they became easy to manuevor and you can personalize the phone so much to your taste which really helps you tailor the A630 for you.

I love how you can open the phone and speakerphone turns on automatically and every says I am very loud and clear. THe games are decent and the office tools come in handy: calculator, voice recorder, alarm clock, etc.

LAstly, the syncing kit is awesome and fun to use. THe phone has all my own ringers, outlook contacts, and backgrounds!

OVERALL: This is a solid phone that is much better then Motorola's other new phones which are VERY buggy (V600, V300, etc.). The features are awesome, the build is solid, and the design is cool. The keyboard and menus take some getting use to, but after a day or two of practice and some personalization this phone exceeds ALL expectations!!!

I recently bought 3 A630s. This phone is a lot smaller than I thought when I first looked at the pictures. I was able to turn some heads at school while using this phone since the model is so new and unique. The battery went out after 1.5 days of heavy use. I didn't make many calls but I took some pictures and was constantly using it because it was hard to get a feel for this phone. I'm constantly messing with it since it has way more features than I'm use to handling.

Cons:
1. The volume when the phone is closed is very very poor! I was very disappointed because I was in a somewhat a noisy environment and I had a hard time listening to the other person on the other line. Compare to other phones I've used, this phone stays at the bottom for volume. It is so hard to hear.

2. The phonebook was hard to get use to and very confusing at first. I had to mess with it for 30 mins. before I knew what I was doing. But after a bit of training, things got a little easier.

3. The voice recorder was bad. Like I said before, the volume on this handset is very poor! I cannot listen to my voice recordings unless I put it up next to my ear while the phone is flipped open! What was motorola thinking? It seems like a toy to me having it flipped out like that while trying to listen to a voice record.

4. I was using the headset today that came along with it and it seems to have a lot of static. Cheap headset?

5. I wish they had a little more games. 2-3 don't cut it. ; )

Pros:

1. The only thing that is good about the volume on this phone is its speakerphone. The speakerphone on this phone is great! I can leave this thing 2-3 ft away and people could still hear me. I could also hear them loud and clearly as well. I've use other speakerphones before and this is so far one of the best I've yet to encounter.

2. Size, design, color, lights! This is one unqiue little fellah that can attract a lot of attention.

3. I'm beginning to like the Voice Dial on this phone, although, you'll have to speak fairly close to it for it to work.

4. I love the qwerty keyboard. Its a lot better than t9.

5. There are plenty of options on this phone. I'm thinking of getting a bluetooth headset later. This phone has a ring tone composer but it was hard to understand how to use it. I still do not know how to use it yet. = (

6. The reception is fairly good. I have not have any dropped calls yet. I live downstairs and I get 2-3 bars. With my samsung n400 with sprint, I constantly lost connection. So basically, I'm very happy with it.

7. I can access my phonebook from the external lcd. It lights up blue and looks great. "The screen is blue and the keys are white."

8. I love the way the alarm clock is set. I can set up multiple alarms at different hours and days.

The only major drawback of this phone was its volume and microphone. I just wish it had sound a little louder. = ( It is annoying when I hear people and I say "huh? what did you say?"
Overall, I thought this phone was great. Its something I can mess with while I'm bored. I gave this 4 stars because this is one of the most unqiue phones I've yet to see that is affordable.

I upgraded to the Motorola A630 from a Samsung e715, a phone that I loved. When evaluating, I was trading off the bluetooth, speaker phone, and keypad features vs. the size and weight increase.

For the good stuff I wanted:
(1) The bluetooth is fantastic. The signal is clear and the battery life is reasonable (~1.5 hours).
(2) Speaker phone is an absolute delight. I've actually used the speaker phone during a conference call, and it worked suprisingly well.
(3) I found the keypad to be really convenient for sending short messages and for general entry of names and phone numbers. I am 6' tall and about 200 lbs, so I thought the keys would be too small, but I haven't really had problems typing on them.

Now the bad stuff:
Initially, I thought that a tenth of an inch here, two tenth of an inch there, an ounce heavier... no problem. Well, I first found myself constantly being aware of the extra bulk in my pocket. Now, I just take the phone out of my pocket whenever I am sitting down. I carried the Samsung e715 in my pocket for over a year without ever being conscious of it. I am now trying a nerdy solution with the A630: carrying the phone on the belt...

Unanticipated cool stuff:
(1) Menu shortcuts. You can easily program shortcuts that quickly turn on the bluetooth only when you are using the headset to conserve battery. You can also create shortcuts to calendars, alarms, whatever...
(2) Button lockout. Something that used to annoy me about my old Samsung is that one of the side buttons would often turn the camera on in my pocket and fill the memory with pictures of my pocket. The A630 has a button lock that prevents this.

Unanticipated bad stuff:
(1) The battery charger does not take 2 hours on my phone as advertised. It is more like 3+ hours. You really have to charge it every night.
(2) The built in camera is worthless. The delay between pushing the shutter button and the detector capturing the image is long enough to make it useless except for static shots. If you are counting on this camera phone capturing precious moments of your kids in action, you might be disappointed.

Summary:
This is a great phone, but it is not perfect. Inspite of the extra bulk and other weakness, I found the extra features (bluetooth, speakerphone, and keypad) worth keeping and giving a high rating of 4 stars.

If you are like me and love email, chat, and SMS and do not want to compromise phone functionality this may be just the device for you. I am very happy with it!

I have been waiting for a device in this form factor and with the performance for a long time. The keyboard is very useable and makes sms, chat, and email a breeze when out and about. The ringer is good a loud and I love being able to play "London Calling" by The Clash when calls come in from overseas! The phone works great, easy to hear. The spekerphone function comes in handy when I need to listen and take notes. The T-Mobile POP/IMAP email service works as expected. I can get alerts when new mail comes in and the phone is triggered to retrieve the mail messages on the account.

There are some annoyances though:

It is not supported by iSync on the Mac - Bummer.
The bluetooth seems to be disabled for anything other than a headset. I have yet to be able to get in and exchang files between my OS X mac and the A630. The Alarm function is kludgy compared to my Sony/Ericsson. I loved the recurring alarm settings where I could seet what day I want the alarm to go off on. (a nit)

Other than those things... it is a real winner. As long as you are not counting on it working with iSync and exchanging files with a mac (forget Salling Clicker for now) I think you will be happy with this phone.

This phone is good for the price, but if you really want a good mobile email solution, get a Sidekick II.

Positive:
The A630 has good sound quality, and absolutely fantastic sound quality if you use a bluetooth headset. T-Zones service is an inexpensive way to gain access to your POP3 email accounts. It has a keyboard. You can download pictures to and from your computer using a bluetooth connection (I did this using my Mac).

Negative:
The built-in email software is very poorly designed. It is sloooowww. It requires way too many key clicks to accomplish common tasks. The most common email commands are buried in the menus, the least common commands occupy the prime spots. Someone didn't think about this enough. It takes me 7 clicks to delete a message -- that's too much. They don't take advantage of the keyboard enough: The keyboard has a Delete key, but you can't use it to delete a message. That's a waste. Likewise, you have to scroll through your emails one...line...at...a...time. Why not use the space bar as a quick scroller, like in Outlook? To issue a command, you have to use the menu and arrow keys. They should have assigned letter or number keys to each menu command so you can navigate more quickly with single keypresses. (My old Sony-Ericsson phone had this feature)
The case is pretty, but because it's perfectly symmetrical, you can't tell which end is up by feel alone. The keyboard is so slick that you can't dial by feel either -- you need to look. These are safety issues. (but if you have a headset, you can dial by voice)
So far, the battery doesn't last more than a day with below-average use.

The A630 is best for people who want bluetooth, and who primarily talk or text, and who use POP3 occasionally, or not at all.

I got this phone a few days ago, and dont get me wrong, i have tried this phone out extensively. QWERTY keyboard, Bluetooth (which is most likely my favorite feature), email capibility (setting up a pop3 account isnt the easiest thing, but after its set up, there is nothing hard bout uploading emails instantly), AIM, Great Small design, and a Camera with average picture....what more do people want? Yes, a few functions arent as perfect as can be, but who cares? This is one of VERY few phones with all these capabilities in your hand at the same time, take advantage of it!!!

Disclaimer: This is a first two weeks of use review.

A630 with T-mobile service to this point seems like a very good phone. I ordered both a V330 and an A630 through Amazon. They both came in as expected. From the beginning I noticed a strong signal difference between the two phones. The V330 had excellent coverage throughout my house. The A630 would barely work. I was able to get to function in my house with an external antena(?sp). It worked marginally outside with frequent dropped calls. I contacted Motorola early on. The technician felt that I had a defective phone and that I should contact Amazon. I have heard some horror stories dealing with them so I was a little skeptical. I sent an email first. They said that they would definitely take care of it, but that there might me a software update that would fix it. I contacted T-mobile and my issues did not match the software fix (the fix would come from Motorola). So I sent an exchange request to Amazon. They sent my new phone out 2nd day air the day I requested the exchange and provided me with a return shipping authorization (I have 30 days to use) to send the defective phone back. The new phone has just as good a signal as the V330 my wife is using. I am quite pleased. I would have given 5 stars except for the defective unit.

As for the function of the phone. It is very good. I think the navigation on the V330 is a little cleaner, but the typing capabilities of the A630 offset that for me since I want it as a way to respond to email. I have purchased the datapilot software and the calander and phonebook functions work great. The bluetooth connectivity is nice and works well. I can't wait to try out a bluetooth headset.