Customer Reviews

TMOBILE POSTPAID MOTOROLA V330

5 star:		(29)
4 star:		(24)
3 star:		(13)
2 star:		(14)
1 star:		(32)

 

 

I was a Nokia user for a few years with 6610 as my last handset, and I was little hesitant to buy a phone from a different brand, so I ordered the V330 through T-mobile ($100 upgrade) after I was sure I could return it (within 14 days). When I got the phone I was pleasantly surprised that I liked and I was able figure out and use the most useful features at once, so the phone stays! I will give my detailed reactions to the phone to the paragraphs to follow based to my last phone (Nokia). It is a lengthy review, but you can go directly to the features that interest you.

Phone Manual: Covers only the basics do not expect to learn everything from the manual; I was kind of frustrated at first but, as I was discovering features of my own I had a discovery satisfaction.

Sound Quality: I will only say that I get the filling that the other person is next to me! The speakerphone is not super, is just ok. The volume for both modes is sufficient.

Ring Styles: You can select vibrate, vibrate and ring, vibrate and then ring, soft and loud.

Ring tones: I have tried it with midi and mp3 songs. The midis are always excellent, however, with some mp3 the sound is not that good, probably because of the process of converting them to smaller file size for the phone, and I plan to find a good mp3 editor to edit my mp3's for the phone. If you upload a regular song the sound is great, but probably it will use most of the phone's memory. The volume of the ring tones is loud enough but compared to my Nokia is not as loud; however, I never used my Nokia to its maximum anyway but it is nice to know that you can.

Personalization: You can personalize the wallpaper, colors, screen saver like most phones, but what I liked most is that you can personalize the home keys (cross in the center), left/right menu keys, and smart key functionality: You can assign them anything you want from the main phone menus like: Phone book, AIM, Ring styles, phone status, e-mail, Bluetooth etc. With that feature I have very fast access to the features I need most.

Shape: I like the clamshell design, I really like it when I use games, t-zones or any feature because I can hold its keypad horizontal with my fingers and have a pleasant view to the screen.

Screen: Very bright and clear screen.
Outside Screen: Blue letters, I like that I can easily see the time. I wish if the ringing mode was shown on the outside screen as well.

External buttons: With the volume key and the smart key when the phone flip is closed you can change the ringing style by pressing the volume key first, and then the smart key. In addition, when the phone is ringing and you press the volume key the phone goes to a silent mode of ringing, that's useful because sometimes I might not be able to answer it and I might don't want to reject the call.

Camera: VGA: 640x480, nothing to be exited about.

Java: You can install java games and applications, there many free on the internet, so if the phone misses a feature you would like to have, there is still hope that it might be a java program for that. I install mine either using Bluetooth or WAP, it took me a while to figure it out. If you want to send a java game or app to game or app to your phone from your computer, somewhere in your pc's Bluetooth application it should have an icon named: OBEX Object Push on "Motorola Phone", where "Motorola Phone" is the Bluetooth name of the phone. The only thing you have to do is to drag and drop the ".jar" file to that icon and follow the prompts on your phone to accept and install it.

Internet: You can even have an HTML browser on Java (there is one available on the internet to buy), but you have to have the Internet plan in order for that to work. In my opinion it does not worth it to have the internet plan just for that, but if you have it anyway is not a bad idea. By the way, you can access many useful sites just with t-zones like: mobile.google.com, mobile.yahoo.com, in addition to them there many other sites if you do a search for them. For the t-zones e-mail to work you have to have the "T-mobileWeb" feature on your plan which I believe is the same as the paid t-zones option T-mobile used to have.
The phone is listed to have its own POP3 email capabilities, but there is not dedicated application for that, I am not sure if it is something on the messages area.

Messages: I am not a heavy text messages user but I have send a few regular SMS and MMS and I liked the messages application, however I think this phone (I wasn't able to find it) does not have delivery notifications option for SMS, however, there is for MMS.

Bluetooth: Is a nice to have, you can transfer files and use wireless hands free. I have tried hands free operation by connecting my phone to the computer as a head set but the sound was not stable, it will be ok for 1-2 minutes, and then it will be terrible. However, I tried my phone with HS-850 and the sound is great, in addition, I am using the HS-850 with my computer for internet phone conversations and the quality is also excellent. It seems soundwise my phone and my computer are not a good much, it's not a problem anyway I just wanted to test it out of curiosity.

Networks: Quadband (850/900/1800/1900) which works with all the GSM frequencies available. In addition, you have the option to select the mode manually (instead of auto): either 850/1900 or 900/1800. In that way I believe you save power because it only scans in two bands instead of four. I have mine in 850/1900, the USA bands. The reception is as good as my Nokia's, maybe slightly better. The nice thing about V330 is that you can attach an external antenna on the back, this is very useful for me because on the office I have 1-2 bars and I have to be still whenever I am talking to the phone, which the external antenna I am expecting things should much more better.

Battery: It takes 3-4 hours to charge when it is empty. In terms of battery life it lasts a day or two but keep in mind I used the phone a lot for calling, wap access and Bluetooth usage so I believe will last much longer after I settle a little and I don't "play" that much with the phone. I am a little bit disappointed for the battery status indicator, is only three bars, I wish it had more steps like in the phone status, battery information which has six bars on there.

Phone Book: Not as good as my Nokia, but is ok. If you want to add more information to a name make sure you transfer it to the phone's memory, you can have more numbers for each person but you will have his name appearing as many times as its phone number's. The good thing there is an option to group the same person's numbers when you go through the menu.

Voice Dialing: I don't use it much, but seems to be fine.

Calendar: It's called date book and is has what is expected from a calendar, does not have a birthday mode like my Nokia. I think this phone does not have to do lists (some sites list it that it has, at least I was not able to find it).

That's my experience with V330 so far, thanks for your patience reading my review.

I like this phone. It feels well made and has a beautiful quality generously proportioned screen; a definite plus for folks who like games on their cells. Although the Amazon listing calls it a Tri-band phone, it is in fact Quad-band. Most importantly for me, it speaks Mac. Using a data cable ( pick up a cheapie on ebay ) it functions flawlessly with iSync for iCal and Address Book. The only thing that I'm not very pleased about is that contact email and addresses don't seem to transfer to the phone ( the only reason I gave it 4 stars instead of 5 ). There might be a way to accomplish this, but I haven't been able to figure out how to do it.

But what I really like about his phone is that it functions quite handsomely as a wireless bluetooth modem. My phone uses the T-Mobile network, and combined with the " all the data you can eat " program ( around $20 a month ) and my iBook with a D-Link BT adapter, and I'm good to go. The set up is a bit complex, but the nice folks at T-Mobile supplied me with the info.

It's controls are very easy to use and it looks great, I live in a signal challenged area, but I have found that the V330 works better then any other cell I have ever owned. The photo quality isn't anything to write home about, though the zoom feature is pretty effective. Generally speaking I like my cell phones to have data card capacity, particularly for photo storage, but T-Mobile has a nifty Album feature which lets you store your pics online. I was also impressed by this little phone's sound.

The V330 is a real winner!

I've had this phone for a couple weeks now and I must say that it is one of the best phones T-Mobile has to offer. Its Quad-Band, which means you can take advantage of improved coverage as T-Mobile signs roaming agreements nationwide. Its got a decent camera that performs very well in low light situations (which is important because there is no flash.) Bluetooth works flawlessly and is easy to set up.

The jury is still out on the soft-touch finish, mainly because I am unsure if it will hold up over time, but so far, so good.

The menu took a little getting used to as some of the items aren't logically placed. For instance, to adjust the brightness of the screen, you have to go into the "Settings" menu and then a submenu called "Initial Setup" and then choose "Brightness", rather than a simple "Display" option in the Settings menu.

But, once you're used to the menu, things like that aren't really an issue.

Speaking of the display, it is very bright and sharp, one of the best I have seen. Its not quite QVGA, but its definitely one of the better screens on the market. It shouldn't disappoint.

The keypad has generously sized, well spaced buttons and makes for comfortable and speedy text messaging. Be advised that this phone does not have T9, but a similar text entry technology called iTAP, which works a little differently than T9 does. I got used to it within minutes, so it shouldn't be a problem for anyone that regularly sends lots of text messages.

Reception has been pretty good, as it holds a usable signal pretty well. Call/sound quality is okay, but not as good as the K700i that I used to have. The speakerphone is okay, but the sound crackles a bit at high volume.

And as it was said before, ignore any review that says they've had the phone for "about a year now" or for several months, as the phone was released in the second quarter of 2005, May to be exact. They're reviewing the physically similar, but older version of this phone, which is the V300- a model that lacks bluetooth, has an unorthodox keypad and has an older and slower menu than the updated V330.

Thanks

This was my first clamshell phone, and I like that aspect of the phone, but that's about it. It seems to have worse reception than my previous phones (all Nokia bar type) in the same coverage areas. The biggest issue is definitely the battery. I am NOT a heavy cell phone user so I like to just leave the phone in my car or gym bag and not worry about it for a couple days. This phone will drain in 8 hours to 36 hours - with MINIMAL USAGE. I don't know why it drains so quickly or with what seems to be random speeds, but it is extremely frustrating. Also, I am not thrilled with the intuitiveness (or lack thereof) of the menus, but I am sure I would have become familiar with them in time. I won't have a chance on this phone since I am looking to return mine ASAP.

CONS:
POOR Battery Life
Worse reception than previously owned phones
Not comfortable to hold

PROS:
Looks good
Compact

This is actually a quad-band mobile phone which makes it a true 'world phone'... more so than the common tri-band devices.

World phones are generally equipped w/ both 1900 and 1800 frequencies. Together, these frequencies cover Europe, much of the U.S. and many other countries. Most tri-band units, however, are usually equipped with either 850 or 900mhz.

850 fills in the 'rural gaps' in The States. 900 allows for roaming in New Zealand and Australia. Whereas both T-Mobile and Cingular operate on GSM frequencies and therefore can offer world phones, Cingular operates on the 850 and T-Mobile on 900. They allow each other to use their frequencies for instances where they don't provide a needed frequency... provided you device is equipped w/ both 850 & 900 mhz as is the Motorola V330.

How is T-Mobile? Truth of the matter (as with any mobile phone service) it comes down to the region you live in as well as what building your in and the area that building is in. Sorry, there is no across-the-board answer. As soon as one gets great reception, his/her neighbor curses it.

Visually, this phone is indistinguishable from just another flip phone, but it offers rather large and well-spaced keys. The screen is vivid and bright. The ringtone gets plenty loud. For these reasons, it's a great phone for seniors who still want a modern phone. I just got one for my mum.

Of course, being a quad-band, video, camera, multi-zoom, bluetooth, infrared device w/ browser, the general ease of operation can only be so easy. That 'said,' many a senior probably couldn't be bothered w/ messing with it all or putting to test call quality in rural U.S. and New Zealand.

That you get all of this and at such a price makes the V330 an eyebrow-raising steal.

One more thing - That it's blue, not the de riguer black or silver, I like.

A quality phone packed w/ a host of goodies. Go 'head on, Motorola.

I've had the phone for 14 months. It's been very reliable. I've dropped it many times, got some chips and scratches on the cover, and the phone keeps performing at top grade. The battery life is getting shorter over the time tho. I start to charge it every day, when I used to charge it every two days.

Voice quality is superb. Menu is easy to follow (I never needed to read the manual.) What I like most over other phones is that it captures absolutely beautiful pictures with nice colors and reasonable details. I also purchased a data cable to tranfer pictures onto my laptop, easy!

Unfortunately, the signal reception is poor at my place. Before you buy this phone, check the reception of T-mobile in your area. This is a great phone if you are lucky to live at a 5-bar region. Otherwise, get ready to apologize (to the other side of the line) over and over again every time your call gets dropped. :P

By the way, I'm not sure if this is sth. about T-mobile or the phone-- summer daylight saving time doesn't get adjusted automatically, you have to restart the phone (twice a year).

The two V330 phones are working great in all functions for three months, then one of the LCD screen went blank. However..All functions are intact and i can make calls.. use bluetooth.. speaker phone... just that the screen is all white. Called T-mobile.. its under warranty.. and will be replaced soon. HOWEVER.. TMOBILE USED TO HAVE FREE HANDSET EXCHANGE PROGRAM, NOT ANYMORE !!! IT WILL COST YOU $9.99 TO SHIP THE REPLACEMENT PHONE EVEN IF ITS UNDER WRARRANTY AND THE PHONE IS DEFECT.

If you get a good phone without defect... Good for you..
if you get a bad phone... be prepared to spend 10 bucks to exchange a likely refurbished phone (Yes, replacement may be new or refurbished according to Tmobile).

I got the V330 and at first I was greatly disappointed. The phone wouldn't hold a charge for more than 24 hours. I called T-Mobile and they sent out a new battery. The phone still didn't work. I called back and they decided to send out a new phone. Still, the new phone would not hold a charge. I called again. They sent out a new charger. The new phone was not working well and cutting out which other reviewers have written to complain about. Well, I called T-Mobile again and they gladly sent out another phone. Finally this phone is perfect. I love it and it stays charged, the camera is great, the speaker phone is great. No worries. Yes, it took me working with T-Mobile, but the customer service was amazing. I never had to pay a cent and in the end they solved each and every problem until I was happy.

I have a small criteria that a cell phone must measure up to:
1. must work at home
*where I do most of my calling
*my parents can hear me very clearly
*not full signal since I live more on a hill
2. must work at work
*full signal strength
*is also get good signal around town in San Francisco
3. must have bluetooth
*wireless headset is a must...we live in the 21st century...wires are no good!

The V330 so far meets all of that criteria. So far so good!

I have an Apple powerbook and just upgraded to Tiger. The iSync did not recognize the V330 which is *not* a big surprise since it's so new but this phone is just like the V551. So I found this link:
http://www.macosxhints.com/article.php?story=20050520214153122

I followed the instructions and added the configurations found at that link. So now the V330 syncs up with my iCal. yah!

I don't really care about features like camera or video recording. Yeah it works...blah blah. My only gripe which is common with other users, the menus are not intuitive. You have to dig deep into the menus to turn on or off the bluetooth. Lame. The datebook is not super easy to get to. The color screen is nice, but hey I've been staring at a black and green screen on an old Samsung phone for the past 4 yrs...so anything color is nice.

I switched from a Samsung E715, which was a great phone. As this is my only phone, I need reliability, so I did quite a bit of research, and went ahead and bought it.

Pros:
Cool looking phone, sets itself apart, for sure.
Bluetooth, I LOVE wireless headset feature!
Nice screen, sound quality is fine.

Cons:
Hard to find a good case for it other than the dang puches.
Speaker for ringtones and speakerphone is on the back. If you lay your phone down (or put it in one of the stupid "pouches") you will muffle the volume considerably.
Takes forEVER to charge. Allow at least 4 hours every time.

Overall, a good solid performer. I haven't experienced any of the issues the negative reviews stated, and am very happy with the phone.

The BT headset I am using is the Cardo Scala 500, and they match up well.

I have been a Tmobile customer for three years, and while I can get better coverage elsewhere, I have been spoiled by Tmobile's customer service, so they keep my business.