Motorola PEBL U6 Unlocked Phone with Camera and Bluetooth--International Version with No Warranty (Graphite Black)

by Motorola

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 3.4 x 1.8 x 0.9 inches ; 1.1 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S. and to APO/FPO addresses. For APO/FPO shipments, please check with the manufacturer regarding warranty and support issues.
• ASIN: B000E93M4I
• Item model number: PEBL
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (51 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #30,937 in Cell Phones & Accessories (See Top 100 in Cell Phones & Accessories)

Product Description

Amazon.com Review

Motorola's PEBL U6 is the second model in Motorola's high-end "four-letter word" line, following the super-popular RAZR V3. The PEBL takes some of the same materials and technologies used in the RAZR and packages them into a completely different kind of clamshell handset. While the RAZR is all about thin, sharp angles, the PEBL is more about design, making use of soft curves and smooth lines throughout.

Screen shots from the PEBL.

The graphite black finish on the smooth, rounded exterior of the PEBL U6 manages to very glossy while still having a visual texture to it. The effect is very cool in person, but the downside is that the phone is an absolute magnet for finger prints. But that's just the cost of high fashion, isn't it?

The PEBL's biggest claim to fame is perhaps not its shape and look, but its unique opening mechanism. A series of custom hinges, a dampening device, and some magnets allow the PEBL U6 to be opened up one-handed in a very smooth, elegant manner. When holding the device, you simply use your thumb to pull the top cover towards the bottom of the device a bit, which releases the magnetic latch that keeps the spring-loaded opening mechanism at bay. At that point you simply move your thumb out of the way and let the spring do its job. The motion is smooth and slow enough not to cause the device to become unbalanced.

Once open, the PEBL's unusual keypad is ready for use. The directional controller and its center select button are very typical of mobile phones, but the rest of the keypad builds on some of the design elements we saw in the RAZR's keypad. The PEBL's keypad and softkeys are completely flat. The actual buttons are hidden behind a single sheet of metal that has a bit of give to it, allowing finger pressure to make its way to the switches underneath. Thin strips of translucent material let light filter in from behind, just as they do on the RAZR's keypad. The net result is a very distinct-looking keypad that probably sacrifices a bit too much in the name of fashion. Individual keys are simply much easier to find and press, even if they don't look nearly as sharp.

The inner workings of the PEBL U6 seem to be stock Motorola. The handset comes in two variations, each of which supports three GSM frequency bands and EDGE data. The North American version supports the 850, 900, 1800, and 1900 Mhz bands. The internal display is a 262k-color unit with a pixel resolution of 176x220. The battery should be good for over 6 and a half hours of talk time, or up to as long as 10 days of standby time according to Motorola. Bluetooth support more than makes up for a lack of infrared connectivity. The only aspect that seems a bit dated is the PEBL's VGA camera. For a high-end handset like the PEBL, you certainly would expect more resolution in the camera, but at least it's capable of recording MPEG4 video clips.

Other highlights include 5 MB of internal storage that can be used for MP3 or MIDI ringtones, photos and video clips, and downloaded Java games and applications. The addition of speaker-independent voice dialing and voice commands is welcome, and the PEBL's relatively low weight of 3.7 ounces (110 g) makes it quite pocketable.

Pros:

• Unique design
• Automatic opening mechanism
• Bluetooth

Cons:

• Low-resolution camera
• Difficult keypad

Motorola's PEBL U6 is a unique handset. Where it goes, stares and longing gazes will follow. It might not have the full range of high-end features inside, but for the see-and-be-seen crowd, it probably has everything to get the job done.

--Reviewed by Michael Oryl, editor in chief of www.MobileBurn.com

Product Description

Inspired by nature’s smooth curves and organic lines, Motorola PEBL is the essence of mobile sophistication and stylish simplicity. Hold it in your palm and you’ll understand its mysterious pull. Enjoy both form and function, with complete imaging, video capture and playback, and voice recognition features. Design at its most breathtakingly simplicity, Motorola PEBL reshapes the way you view mobile communication. No hard edges. No fussy lines. Just a sleek and smooth contour with an evolutionary single-touch open hinge.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

80 of 80 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Impressive, September 24, 2006

By 

Jeantet Fields (New York, NY USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Motorola PEBL U6 Unlocked Phone with Camera and Bluetooth--International Version with No Warranty (Graphite Black) (Wireless Phone Accessory)

Motorola was floundering in the cell phone market until they came out with the RAZR. Worldwide, it made a fashion and technological statement, which catapulted the manufacturer from a dismal afterthought to a leader in the cell phone market. Then they released a candy bar equivalent (SLVR), and then improved on the RAZR's lines with the stylish clamshell PEBL. This review is for the Motorola PEBL.

After using the PEBL for a few days, the first thing that impressed me was the sound quality. Recently, I have played with Sony/Ericson, PalmOne, Nokia and Samsung phones, and must say the Motorola sounds best. First of all, the volume in the earpiece is loud enough for me to hear while walking on a busy New York city street, with cars, trucks and buses all creating a deafening noise. Second, the volume control button is well placed to allow you to easily adjust the level. Third, and best of all, the phone is intelligent enough to filter out much of the loud background noise, so that the person you're speaking with can hear you without struggling to make out what you're saying. I have found that Nokia is good at this too, while Palm, Samsung and Sony/Ericson phones don't do this well at all, with Sony ironically at the back of the pack. Also noteworthy is the speakerphone. While it's not as loud as an office phone's speaker, it is plenty loud, for example, to participate in a conference call while driving. And with the background noise reduction virtues of this phone, I was impressed. Also, it has voice recognition - based solely on the spelling of your contacts, the phone will recognize what you're saying and be able to voice-dial.

It may seem odd to make such a fuss over sound quality in an age of smart phones, but as a designer recently explained to me: form should follow function. So let the PEBL first and foremost be a good phone. Then you can add the bells and whistles later. Attention to this principle is what earned the PEBL five stars from me.

A note about carriers: GSM is worldwide, so you can use your phone overseas as well as in the USA. However, this limits you in the states to Tmobile and Cingular. Having used both, I feel that Tmobile sounds better, but Cingular has better coverage. It's a tradeoff. Both carriers offer a 7 or 14 day "trial" period during which you can test the network's performance. I recommend use that trial, and don't hesitate to bounce back and forth while keeping your number.

I have four major pros for the PEBL:

1. Motorola is pioneering the cell phone market by making all of their latest models "quad-band" GSM, which means the phone will work well in the USA (850/1900 Mhz) as well as the rest of the world (900/1800 Mhz). Most GSM phones are Tri-Band (850/1800/1900) so while they'll work great here, but performance abroad will be touch and go, with the phone performing poorly indoors. None of the others (Nokia, Ericson, Samsung etc.) offer quad-band GSM as a standard, and until Motorola's recent offerings, you could only find Quad-Band phones in massive PDA smart phones.

2. Battery life: All cell phones give estimates in standby time and talk time. But the realistic factor is how long will this thing last between charges for the average person? My answer: 3 to 4 days. With moderate use (about 10 calls a day, totaling between 30 and 45 minutes), I needed to charge the phone after the 3rd day.

3. USB port: the phone's connection to the world is via a standard mini-USB port. The charger fits this, or you can plug it into your computer with a standard USB to mini-USB cable. This is the same cable that connects most digital cameras or certain mp3 players (at least the ones that don't use overpriced proprietary cables). Chances are you already have one of these cables and if you plug it into your PC, two things will happen: the phone will start to charge from the USB, and the PC will detect a new device. Download the drivers from Motorola (if you didn't get the CD with your phone). In addition to phone drivers, there is a "Phone Tools" application that lets you to synchronize your contact list and calendar with Outlook, or you can simply backup the phone's contents. You can synchronize your photos, ringtones and SMS messages as well. Here's the best part: the phone is also a modem. Make sure you have a data plan before connecting to the internet, and you no longer need a hot spot. GPRS will give you a little more than 2x the speed of dialup, EDGE will take it up to about 4x.

4. The phone has an alarm built in. In fact it has several, and you can name them, and if you turn the phone off at night, the alarm will still work, and ask you if you want to turn the phone on when you silence it.

Other noteworthy items: the screen is good, the camera produces reasonable images and videos, and there is enough memory to snap over 100 shots at the phone's highest resolution. That is a nice touch.

And now, three Cons:

1. For the longest time, I have not cared much for the Motorola contact management interface. Nearly all phones now allow you to have multiple numbers / addresses per contact, but Motorola hasn't caught on yet. If you have a contact with multiple phone numbers, that contact will exist multiple times. This makes dialing slower with Motorola phones because you'll have to scroll through a longer contact list; searching for numbers is not nearly as intuitive as with Nokia or other phone brands.

2. The phone allows you to assign custom ring tones for certain members of the address book; however, for contacts with a custom ringtone, the phone doesn't differentiate between calls and text messages, so if a contact with a custom tone sends a text, the phone might play an entire minute-long song rather than a quick beep beep, which can be annoying in the middle of the night. Just avoid using custom contact/ring tone assignments and you'll avoid that problem.

3. The shiny dialing surface and screen will pick up grease from your face and require regular cleaning if you want to avoid your phone looking "icky".

In conclusion, I was happily surprised with the PEBL. It is a very sexy phone, and it sounds great. It is the perfect phone for the audiophile, or for a person who wants a device that just works without having to cope with all the secondary bells and whistles phones have these days. Historically, Motorola was known for producing good hardware - a virtue that is clearly stated with the PEBL. If you intend to use all the fancy features of modern cell phones (SMS, MMS, etc) - in other words if you plan to use the software features, expect them to be less intuitive than with other brands of phones. As much as Motorola is known for producing excellent hardware, their menus and navigation can be bewildering at times. I think they should get the folks who designed the hardware to redesign the software interface. Then, the Moto range would dominate. In the end, it's a good phone, it's solid, it's small and light enough to fit in comfortablty your pocket, and above all it works.

26 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Cool New Phone, January 4, 2006

By 

Andrea K (Manhattan NY) - See all my reviews

I just got the PEBL and I love it. I had been waiting for its release for several months and it was well worth it. Many of the ticky-tack features that I didn't like in the Motorola RAZR have been corrected here. While not as thin as a RAZR, the PEBL is lightweight. The black cover has a rubberized feel and the oval shape means that it sits comfortably in your hand. The hinged mechanism to open the phone is great - and one of its most distinctive features: One flick of the thumb and the phone gently flips open. The sound quality is great, from video clips to HiFi ringers to speaker phone. It's loud and clear. The camera and video features are decent. Overall, it operates like any other Motorola - the menus are standard. If it bugged you that the Call and End buttons were flipped right to left in the T722 models, Motorola has returned to its senses and placed the Call button on the left and end on the right side. As for fingerprints, they do show up on the cover and key face. The PEBL is still no v60, but it comes pretty close. If nothing else, it definitely has the Wow factor.

27 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Very slick, but not the best phone., June 23, 2006

By 

mhnstr (Christchurch, New Zealand) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Motorola PEBL U6 Unlocked Phone with Camera and Bluetooth--International Version with No Warranty (Graphite Black) (Wireless Phone Accessory)

I have had the PEBL for two weeks now and it really is as slick as everyone says. Bluetooth and very good battery life are two of the pluses. However, as other reviewers have cited, there are flaws:

- The directional button is already missing paint in a few places from the screen sliding past it when the phone is opened. If I am seeing paint missing after only two weeks, I shudder to think what will happen after a few months.
- The inside is definitely prone to getting dirty with fingerprints.
- The magnets require you to keep the phone away from your credit cards as well as items such as your computer.
- The first PEBL I received rang only intermittently. Sometimes it would ring and others it woudnt do anything. In these cases, I would only know that calls had been missed once the voice mail indicator showed. The replacement phone I received now rings with every every call.
- Connecting to the Bluetooth headset requires a sequence of six or so steps and therefore must be done before turning on your car if you are going to talk while driving. No way can I connect the headset while paying attention to the road. I have always used corded headsets prior to this and I find this to be annoying.
- It took a few tries to get the hang of the voice commands. I would say "name dial" and it would keep asking me to repeat the command or tell me that the command could not be found. However, then I noticed that there is a beep after which you say the command. As long as you wait for the beep, the voice commands work fine.
- The phone opens when dropped.

In summary, if you want a very cool looking, eye catching phone than the PEBL is for you. However, if you are someone who does not care about the appearance of the phone, I would recommend looking at other models because all of the problems with the PEBL make it only about looks.