Customer Reviews

Motorola Barrage V860 Phone (Verizon Wireless)

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

I was in the market for a new phone, and I had the following list of desires:
+ Tetherable wireless modem.
+ Ruggedized
+ Uses the same USB interface as my wife's and son's phones

I first ordered a different ruggedized VZW phone, because it was advertised with more features and was well reviewed. The problem was, the other brand of phone did not come with a USB cable, nor was one available. While I was searching around for the cable online, I tried out the extra features, such as the thermometer- it was off by 4 to 6 degrees Farenheit, making it pretty useless. The LED flashlight was nice, but not nicer than being able to surf the WEB surfside.

So, I exchanged it for this much less glitzy Motorola Barrage. I have already used it to get my email and upload documents far from any available Wi-Fi hot spots (cool!) and it has come in handy when I am in the shower and I get an important phone call (like from my wife). It also uses the same cord as the other cell phones in the family, which is great on trips.

It has some other surprisingly useful features. For example, I can make a call without looking at the phone because it pronounces the names of my contacts as I scroll through the list. Also, it is actually very useful to know who is calling without having to put down whatever I am carrying to look at the cell phone display. The voice recognition, e.g., "Call... John... Mobile," actually work on this phone for me and that is a first.

I already have several great digital cameras, so I always thought having a camera phone was sort of stupid. But the other day I bought something at the lumber store that didn't have a sticker. No problem, I just snapped a picture of the display tag, and the cashier keyed the SKU right in.

I put one of those 4 GB micro SD cards into the phone for $11 so I can transfer files back and forth from the phone to my laptop, or to other computers. That's when one gewfy 'feature' of the phone showed up. When you first plug it in to the USB cable, you get to choose between "Media Sync Mode" and "Modem Mode." Choosing "Media Sync" gives you the option to either download music, or NOT. "Not" mode does nothing... nada... Zippo... except to charge the battery. If you want to transfer files or photos, you have to go into "Tools" and select "USB Mass Storage." But even *that* is gewfy, because there are two menu items that have the phrase 'USB'. To transfer files, you want the one that results from, "MENU, Settings & Tools, 2. Tools, 8. USB Mass Storage," and *not* "MENU, Settings & Tools, 9. USB Mode." Pretty stinkin' ridiculous, eh?

The bluetooth pairing thingie works, but I can't get used to making or answering calls on a headset. Plus, people who walk around in public talking to themselves seem icky to me. I might get a car adapter someday, and I am confident this phone will work with it.

Other than that one weird menu glitch, I really, really like this phone.

The phone is a nuisance. The "voice command" function cannot be turned off and it is forever trying to talk to you. It will be in your cell phone pocket, get touched, and start in the "learning" routine for voice commands. It is a complete pain. The phone also is supposed to be military grade. It may be if you are in the military recruitment office. In the real world the first phone lasted only a little over a month before the flip section got broken off. The battery cover is virtually impossible to reseal so waterproof goes right out the window. The speaker phone worked for a short period of time before it started getting so garbled that it was useless too. Buy something else.

Since I'm a dummy, I've left 2 lightweight cellphones in my pants pockets that went into the washing machine. This phone has a little heft to it and should remind me to pull it out before I do the stupid human trick that has already cost me $$. It has a nice feel in my hand, has all the features that I need and, it's WATERPROOF!! So it says oh the specs, "submersible for up to 30 minutes". However, I hope I don't have to see if this is really true. It's already survived one drop with no problems. Maybe this phone was designed for a clumsy ox like me!!

I don't have big expectations for a cell phone. I ask only that it make and receive calls, stand up to a decent amount of rough handling, and not crap out when I get a little sweaty (talking while exercising). Yeah, it sounds silly, but I've had several that died from that small amount of moisture.

The Barrage has been good to me so far (about 40 days). It's my first phone with a data package and, if that were important to me, I'd go for a larger screen. This one is big enough, though, to handle an occasional look at my e-mail or a quick browse here or there.

As a "free" phone (for 2-year contract commitment) I'd say I'm quite happy with it. Someday I may spring the big bucks for a droid or some such (my wife loves her droid-x), but for now this is just fine.

Motorola Barrage - MOTV860

UPDATE 6 MONTHS LATER: Alright, so maybe this isn't such a bad phone after all. It is VERY simple and it STILL gets great reception compared to other verizon phones I've had. I still wouldn't call it rugged at all. But, for a penny- I think it is the best bet of all the 1 cent options, as it is still working great after 6 months and the fact that it weighs nothing and doesn't seem to contain any glass or metal as advertised has become less annoying as it has been consistently performing well. No problems since the early exchange for the dud. Maybe they just need to change their advertising angle as it isn't bad at all, but is NOT industrial grade.

Because of it's consistently very high talk quality and ease of use, I have upped it a star.

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UPDATE: two months later... Returned the original phone because the screen kept going blank. Had no problems at Verizon with the exchange because it had been purchased within 30 days and have had no problems with the replacement phone. The reception is still VERY good and the Battery life long.

But still... it is not a rugged phone by any stretch. There is no such thing as an industrial grade phone. Please Motorola, start making something in the USA!

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Maybe this was designed to military specs, but it is just a cheap plastic phone... toy even. I don't know where the metal and glass is on this consumer version of what may have once been an industrial grade design. The hinge doesn't seem to be metal, it seems to be plastic although it could be aluminum or some other inexpensive and light metal. The screen doesn't seem to be glass, but plastic.
screen goes completely white randomly, rendering it useless a good deal of the time.

Don't know that it would survive even a 2 foot drop, since it didn't seem to make it through shipping without getting messed up. The product description is a joke compared to what was actually delivered.

Looking for a rugged phone? Don't look to the Barrage unless appearances are all that matters. This phone should be heavy, it weighs nothing and feels cheap. I don't know that a truly rugged phone exists anymore. If Motorola won't make a quality product in the USA, there's no one that will.

The only thing positive about this phone is that it does seem to get rather good reception when the screen isn't white.

If Motorola wants to tout this phone as rugged, they need to use the original design components or change the description from metal and glass to thin plastic, made in China.

Bottom Line - Looks Tough, feels weak. Good Reception. Rugged? HA... All Hat, No Cattle.

I can throw this thing across a parking lot and it only gets minor scratches. I stuck it in a cup of water (completely submerged) for 5 minutes, wiped it off, and it worked like new. Definitely a phone to get if you need one that can stand up to the worse conditions. Only problem was with reception, but a roaming location restart through Verizon solved that problem. Also, the battery is moody. I always charge it overnight, and it gets me through the day, but some days it says 4 bars, and others it's down to 1 or flashing, with the same use. Overall though, a solid, rugged phone.

Verizon Wireless sold me the phone at their corporate location in Bloomington, Il. Within 6 months of having this phone I've had to replace the battery 2 times. The voice command still does not recognize my voice half the time. The largest corporate Bloomington does not carry replacement batteries. I am blind yet the Verizon store will not help me ship the old battery out (means I have to ask for another ride to get to a mailbox). The back cover did not fit properly after the 2nd battery was removed in the VZ store. They said this phone was up to/beyond Military specifications - that's funny. If I was using this phone in the military I'd be dead months ago.

The users manual for this phone is inadequate and tech support is non-existent as Verizon and Motorola push smart phones. The phone doesn't come with software. Motorola will sell you Motorola Phone Tools for another $50 but don't bother because most of the software's features won't work with this phone. You can actually use the phone's USB cable feature to upload music, ringtones, and contacts but neither the manual nor tech support will tell you how. Good luck figuring it out. It was a frustrating trial and error process. You can also find third party software to load your calendar for a lot less than $50 but Motorola and Verizon techs aren't allowed to direct you.

If you're on a job site that uses the PUSH to TALK function, it might be worth putting up with this phone and provider but there are better options out there - phones that are more rugged and waterproof and will actually let your use the phone's features.

Bottom line - I would never buy another Barrage and plan to change my provider asap.

My wife and I finally decided to upgrade our VZW phones but really didn't want or need "smart" phones. Unfortunately, most carriers have drastically reduced the number and quality of basic "feature" phones they carry - I suspect it's an underhanded effort to "encourage" customers to buy the more expensive phones and data plans. At the kiosk where we shopped - there were only 3 feature phones available and the Motorola Barrage seemed to be the pick of the litter. My Barrage has worked well since the purchase - however - I make very few calls during the day and the ones I do make are brief. On the other hand, my wife's Barrage was a disaster... she uses hers just a little more than I use mine - but is not, by any means, a cell phone junkie. Her initial charge lasted 5 days - GREAT! The next full charge lasted about 3 days - HUH? The next full charge lasted less than a day - CRAP!!! Verizon gladly offered to exchange the phone - but they were 'out of stock'. We waited several days for a replacement - only to learn that the phone was being discontinued and there would be NO new ones. A couple of these phones were finally located at a WalMart about 20 mile away - so, I made the trip and exchanged the phones. HOWEVER, her new phone was worse than the first.... the initial full charge lasted just a little over a day. I did an internet search and found this to be quite a common problem for this phone. I tried every posted "fix" to no avail. My wife grew tired of dealing with it and finally exchanged her Barrage for an LG Clout... which has performed flawlessly and gives her 5 days to a full charge. I'm just praying MY Barrage doesn't peter out now. Maybe I'm lucky and got a "good" one.

Other minor complaints.... the battery cover is hard to install properly - even the Verizon agent didn't know how. If the cover is not FULLY seated, the phone WILL NOT be water resistant..... you can find this discussed on several different websites as well. Once you learn a few tricks, it becomes easier to do. The MP3 player interface is the quite dated and clunky old Verizon "V Cast".... it's high time Verizon reworked this dinosaur into something a little more flexible. There is no graphic equalizer - heck, there's not even a basic tone adjustment - so you'll have to live with the fairly flat audio the player has. The headphone jack is 2.5mm - unfortunately, common headphones have a 3.5mm plug and won't work without an adapter (I finally bought a pair of BlackBerry earbuds with a 2.5mm plug on Amazon for $4 and they work GREAT!!!). The Barrage is a bit thick compared to other flip phones and may be uncomfortable to hold in smaller hands. The thickness also makes finding a suitable case difficult.

So - only 1 (out of 3) of these phones worked for us.... those are not great odds. I like mine so far - but I'm nervous that it won't last and I can not recommend this phone without some serious reservations. If you're seriously considering this phone (as Dirty Harry would say) you've got to ask yourself one question: "Do I feel lucky?" Well do ya, punk?

I love this phone. I work in a very busy office and I am always dropping my phone and getting it wet. This phone is extremely durable and water resistant or in my case coffee resistant. I can't say enough about this pone. Love it!!