Customer Reviews

Motorola V710 Phone (Verizon Wireless)

5 star:		(29)
4 star:		(35)
3 star:		(23)
2 star:		(16)
1 star:		(26)

 

 

I went through three or four Motorola 270-C's waiting for a new CDMA Verizon Bluetooth-enabled phone to come out. I bought this one. As far as phones go, there's not much to complain about...Motorola makes a great phone. The v710 has the best reception and sound quality I've found in a cell phone.
That being said, I'm sure the reason this "high-end" phone is now inexpensive is Verizon's miscalculation when they disabled most of the v710's Bluetooth capabilities. Currently, there's a lawsuit pending against Verizon for this very reason. I see Verizon is now giving away a free Bluetooth headset with the v710 to make you focus on what their Bluetooth will do, because it won't OBEX (object transfer) ...or much else. And, if you want a ringtone or music or anything on this phone, you have to Buy It Now from Verizon. Not me. Ever.
"Verizon: We're Always Working For Profit."

I am one of those that gets a new cell phone every year so I have to have the latest and greatest. I also require the phone to do a little bit more than just simply allow me to make calls, although that is the most important thing.

Let me start off by saying that this phone is the best phone I have ever owned, hands down. Yeah some people on here are crying about how the Bluetooth is "crippled" or that the battery life isn't all that great but I haven't had a problem with either. As far as BT is concerned I only use the headset function so the rest doesn't matter to me. I bought a transflash card for $25 with the phone and use that to transfer songs and pictures, real easy. The battery life is great. I can go four days in between charges even when playing music, taking pictures and talking on it all the time. No other phone I owned had a battery that lasted that long. Learn how to "condition" your battery people, it will make it last so much longer.

As everyone has said the picture quality leaves a lot to be desired but hey, it's a camera-PHONE what did you expect? It's great for snapping shots when you just don't have your digital camera around (like if you get into a fender bender or something). The internal display, on the other hand, is amazing! This is my third color phone and it is by far the best display ever, so vivid and crisp. I actually uploaded high quality pics from my computer via the transflash card and use that for my Picture Caller ID and the display is wonderful!

The media player is great with the 128mb memory card. I am able to store more than 30 songs on it and the sound quality of the external speaker is excellent. Yes, it does not allow you to assign mp3's on the memory card as ringtones but I just use a free utility called MPTrim to make 20-30 second clips of all my favorite songs and then transfer them to the phone's memory. Then you can simply assign those as ringtones and since the files are only about 20 seconds long (which is longer than the time for the phone to ring before forwarding to voicemail) it only uses up about 250kb at CD-quality sound so you can still fit dozens of them on the phone's 10mb internal memory.

The speakerphone isn't as lound as my last phone (Nextel i730) but is still loud enough to use in a room with a reasonable amount of noise. It's definitely loud enough to use in a car with the windows up or in an office environment.

The phone's menus and buttons are so easy to use and well thought out that it will only take a matter of minutes to get used to. I also like the fact that you can customize the soft keys and the shortcut buttons to your liking. Makes it even easier to navigate through.

There are a few very very minor issues that I have found and I will tell you about those so that you know I'm not some sort of Motorola rep trying to increase sales. One thing I don't like is that you can't adjust the ringer volume with the phone closed. I think that's an important feature when you forget to shut the ringer off when you're in a meeting and you get a call which begins playing that new mp3 ringtone you downloaded. You also cannot disable the "Low Battery" warning beep (which doesn't happen often but when it does can get annoying). To me it seems like it defeats the purpose to have a loud beep every two minutes when your battery is low since that in and of itself uses up energy. I also haven't been able to figure out how to ignore a call without opening the phone, which if set to do so could actually cause you to answer the call (forgive me if I missed the section in the manual that shows you how to do this).

As far as the service goes I cannot be happier with Verizon. I work in a large office building and I park four levels underground. No carrier, other than Sprint, get's coverage down there and with Verizon I can make calls sitting in my car. There were also two dead spots that I would always run into with Nextel on my commute home and with Verizon I have at least 3 bars in both areas. I also called their customer service three times since receiving my phone just to ask simple questions about my plan or about features and never had to wait longer than 3 minutes. With Nextel and ATT/Cingular (wife's phone) I had to sit on hold for over 20 minutes each just to cancel service, goes to show how much they care. And every time I've called in their reps were polite and got my questions answered quickly.

After going from LA Cellular to AT&T Wireless to Airtouch to Verizon back to AT&T Wireless to Nextel and then back to Verizon I really think I have found the provider I am going to stick with (at least until someone else comes out with a better phone and better coverage :p ).

Through my employer, I get a 22% discount on Verizon plans and equipment, so I really wanted this to work out. I wanted a phone that could sync my contacts, calendar, and ToDo list, so that I can ditch my PDA. A camera would be nice, and I would like to listen to FM radio for the morning commute and MP3s for the evening commute. I can get an FM radio headset that works with the V710, so I thought that I had found my solution.

The Motorola V710 is available only through Verizon, I believe. Unfortunately, as you may have read, Verizon has disabled many of this phones features, except when you "Get It Now" through one of Verizon's many additional charge services. I received an email from them acknowledging Bluetooth capability is a specialized function of this handset, not a feature of Verizon wireless phone service. They promised that they are reviewing the possibility of providing a software update for the V710 that will re-enable the file transfer capability. They claim to be working to provide a suitable solution, however, they further acknowledge that their version of the Motorola V710 software removes the ability to transfer audio files such as MP3 files from the T-flash memory card to your wireless phone. While you will still be able to listen to MP3 files, you will not be able to transfer them directly to your handset. In other words you can listen to MP3 files, but we have removed any method of getting them into the phone except buying them from Verizon $$.

I was born at night, but not last night. I have read that there is a class action suit against Verizon for disabling phone features so that they can gouge customers with extra charges. Maybe the pending litigation has something to do with their new promises to re-enable the features. I am not holding my breath. I am "GETTING OUT NOW" and exercising my right to cancel within the allotted 15 days. I am returning the phone and Trans Flash card to Amazon.
Do yourself a favor and steer clear of Verizon. The phone itself is not bad. Yes, it's big, but not too big. The battery life was okay for the few days I used it. Verizon's menu is not intuitive.

I am back with Cincinnati Bell with no contract. My new phone is a Nokia 6230 with FM radio, MP3 or AAC music via MMC or SD, (available everywhere at reasonable prices), bluetooth, VCA camera, and all the phone's features are enabled. I will review it in a week.

Pros:
- Excellent reception
- Easy to navigate menus
- Excellent speakerphone
- Excellent voice command system
- Bluetooth from Verizon!!!

Cons:
- Size is a little large
- Manual doesn't explain several menu options

I've only had the phone a little more than one week, but I'm extremely happy with it so far. First, I'm ecstatic that Verizon has a bluetooth enabled phone (that's not a PDA). And I only wanted the bluetooth for the headset feature, so I have no complaints about it being "crippled".
I traded up from an Audiovox 8900 that was an OK phone. The menus from Motorola are far better, and the reception--while not bad at all on the Audiovox--is amazing on the Motorola. In places where the Audiovox had no signal, I get 1-2 bars on the Motorola.
Also, I think the voice command system that requires no training works perfectly. I've had no problems whatsoever. I didn't choose the phone for this feature, but it's turned out to be one of my favorites.
As for the battery life, it's about what I expected and have seen from other similar phones. Today, I used the phone for 3 calls totaling 2.5 hours before the battery indicator even dropped from "full charge". I made several more calls which dropped the battery to about 50% before I bothered to charge it.
I've also been very pleased with Verizon reception and service for the 10 months I've used them. They replaced my Audiovox twice with no hassle. (Once the phone kept telling me to power cycle and wouldn't do anything else. The second time, the headset jack deteriorated, so that you couldn't touch the phone without setting off a static storm.) The reliability issues are the big reason I switched from the Audiovox after only 10 months.
My only (mild) compliants about the V710 are 1) the manual that doesn't provide details on some of the deeper menu options and 2) the phone is a little larger than the Audiovox.
Overall, I'm a very satisfied V710 owner.

As others have mentioned, in an attempt to force customers to use their "Get It Now" service, Verizon has crippled the Bluetooth so its only function is to let you use a cordless headset. In other words, Verizon is targeting this, their first Bluetooth phone, to teenagers who spend all their time talking on the phone and all their parents' money downloading silly ringtones and graphics. Working adults who want a phone they can use to store information and transfer it between devices should choose another carrier and another phone.

You can find a good overview of the phone's pros and cons--as well as a breathtaking sample of Verizon's arrogance and uncaring attitude towards its customers--at http://www.nuclearelephant.com/papers/v710.html.

FIRST OFF, IF YOU OWN THIS PHONE, AND WOULD LIKE TO SIMPLIFY YOUR ADDRESS BOOK, TO SHOW ONE NAME WITH MULTIPLE ENTRIES UNDER THAT ONE NAME, THEN DO AS FOLLOWS...

1. Access your phonebook.
2. Enter phonebook menu (top most middle button)
3. Scroll to the bottom and select "set up"
4. Scroll to View (at the bottom of the list) and select.
5. Change view setting to "Primary Contacts"
6. Exit

This will allow you to view your phonebook with only one entry appearing for a person, and allow you to scroll through that entry if the person has more than one number, much like other cell phones you have had in the past. This will not interfere with you voice dialing settings

Pros
1. Outstanding signal strength, and call quality. I have had Sprint, Cingular, and Nextel. Verizon is leaps and bounds above their so-called competition.
2. Certain media applications are superior. Real ringtones sound outstanding. The larger buttons, make game and application navigation easy.
3. Bluetooth connection blew me away. Serving only as an earpiece to keep your hands free, the 710 functions very well. The name dial options once programmed performed admirably, and calling a person with several entries means having to say an extra word.

Cons (this is where it gets messy)
1. Standard battery is completely inadequate for a heavy cell phone user. A two hour conversation will exhaust your battery. The extended battery (highly recommended) will increase you talk time to about 5 1/2 hours.
2. Software, software, software. The phone can lag behind from menu screen to menu screen for 30 or more seconds. The phone will lock up. I cannot access my security functions after having been to the verizon store twice for software upgrades and servicing.
3. YOU WILL HAVE TO HAVE THIS PHONE SERVICED. I have not known a single person who has this phone that has not had to spend a bit of time in the Verizon store, waiting for their phone to be repaired. Software problems, external caller ID problems ect, ect.
4. Camera stinks. I do not use it much, probably bcause I do not need photos of colored blurs, and hazy photos. If you are the type of user that likes a quality camera phone, THEN AVOID THIS PARTICULAR PHONE AT ALL COSTS.
5. This phone will seem huge, but that is why the buttons are easier to use. But I have not had a phone this large and cumbersome since 1999.

For the one who would like a reasonably priced, aesthetically pleasing, crystal clear and dependable PHONE, then buy without hesitation. If you need a multi media hot rod to do everything but make phone calls, then run from this phone as fast as possible.

This V710 phone has had terrible reviews because of its many bad features and numerous problems. Verizon will be releasing Motorola's new EVDO E815 phone to replace this phone very soon. I urge people not to buy this V710 phone anymore and wait for the new replacement. The E815 looks very similar but has an improved keypad, better bluetooth capability, better quality camera and a new version of the speech recognition software. The E815 has been previewed at this month's CES electronics expo in Las Vegas with great reviews. Here is something you can read: http://www.mobileburn.com/news.jsp?Id=1038.

Verizon is expected to release the E815 by May 2005.

One great thing about the cell phone industry in this country is that your contract expires in one year. This means that every year you can get a new phone, often at a great subisidized price if you choose to select a "new" contract. You might need to give up your old numbers (unless you are switching betwewen the carriers) but for those who don't care it's a great way to try out lots of new phones at very little cost. Keep this tip in mind when you are buying this phone.

To get the good news out first, one thing great about Verizon phones is that they all have great reception. This more likely is due to Verizon installing more cell phone antennas everywhere than the phones themselves, but to the end user it's all the same. As a travelling consultant, reception is the single most important aspect to look for in a phone. When I am out in rural areas and a client wishes to speak to me, it's imperative that I am able to talk to the client without interruptions or static. This is the part which this phone and Verizon excels at.

Sadly, the V710 does not excel in anything else compared to its peers. As other posters have complained, the bluetooth functionality is limited because Verizon decided to disable file transfer capabilities. That way Verizon can force the users to download ringtones and other goodies instead of people copying files from their computers via bluetooth. The way to get around this is to get the 128MB transflash card, which I did buy. This worked out great as I was able to transfer songs and music from my computer to the phone with no problems.

Some other useful (if not standard) features in this phone include a standard 1 Megapixel camera (4x zoom), a video capture (which allows you to capture 15 sec clips with full sound, whoopie), speaker phone (a very nice feature which is missing from Samsung phones), and voice dialing (good feature if you drive and talk a lot, something which I find to be extremely annoying when others do it).

Now onto the ugly part. Motorolla continues to implement the annoying loud beep when the phone is low on batteries. I don't know how to turn this off and embarassed myself over at a client's site because of this. This is also one of the very few phones which does not come with a headset (Samsung, Nokia, even the Sidekick II packages give you this for free). Even if you do get the headset, it comes with only 1 earbud so you cannot get stereo quality sounds which the mp3 should be able to give off.

In summary, if you are a casual user and reception is very important to you then get this phone or at the very least go for Verizon phones. If you are looking for features (which are actually implemented well) to show off to friends then you should probably go for the Motorola Razor from Sprint, or maybe a Samsung or SonyEricson. If you are looking for phone to do text messaging (especially AIM) and web browsing then be sure to get the SidekickII. If you want a business phone for Outlook sync and messaging then go for one of the Blackberry phones.

Update: I just found that there are in fact stereo headsets for this phone, it's just that Amazon does not carry them! From Howardforums (the hardcore phone mod community) people are also complaining about the V710's new firmware which disables audio transfers from the TransFlash card onto the phone. Yes, Verizon wants to make that extra buck from ringtones THAT badly. The upside to the new firmware is that the camera quality is better and the bluetooth is finally working with some cars.

First, the cons:

The camera isn't what I was expecting. I didn't expect Ansel Adams quality, but it's not what I get from my old 1 mp camera, either. But it's useful for taking snapshots.

The video is pretty useless as well.

The fact that Verizon forces you to pay to send these crappy videos and photos makes sure that you'll never use the camera (see more below)

A bit spotty for Mac OSX users

Verizon's software update further cripples phones usability (greedy bastages)

Pros:

Great sound (although you have to remember to keep the speaker over your ear). Truly great speakerphone- I've had friends have no idea that I was on a cell, much less a speakerphone. I think that between the speakerphone and the bluetooth headset, Moto actually almost meant for you NOT to use the handset in the conventional way

MP3's as ringtones are fun, but you have to work around Verizon to do it. (copy them to the optional transflash card from your computer, then to the phone)

Seems to have great signal strength, at least here in LA. I have very few drop-outs in areas that my old V8160 was really reaching for a signal.

Color screen is gorgeous inside, very nice outside.

Bluetooth headsets are a godsend! I can dial, talk, and hang up merely by touching my right ear.

General: Even with Verizon trying to wrestle the last quarter out of your pocket, it's a great phone. If you get one with the earlier software, you can get around Verizon by using the translash card and a card reader to transfer images and MP3's to and from your computer. I've heard that the later software removes some of that functionality. Which is why I am not flashing my phone.

OK, I'm sick of all the people that buy this phone and expect it to slice their bread and wash their laundry, then rip on it for not doing that.

Maybe I'm just cynical, but I have been very pleased with this phone. Yes, it has a camera; yes, it plays mp3s; yes, it has bluetooth. But it's not a digital Elph, it's not an iPod, and it's not a PDA. It's a phone. No, it's not perfect, but it works well.

Some weaknesses:
-The "1.3 megapixel" camera takes 1280x960 pictures, but it is not a digital camera replacement. Pictures in bright light turn out well. The camera is effectively useless in low lighting, the LED light doesn't help.
-Some people would say it is oversized. I like its size and weight.
The external "color" screen is not very high resolution, and does not have very bright colors. Picture ID's are very small. (unlike many screens though, it is visible in sunlight)
-Battery life is uninspiring. It comes with having such a huge screen and so many features.
-mp3s work well, but to use them as a ringtone, you must put them on the phone's embedded memory (10 megs) instead of being able to play from the transflash card (I have a 128 meg card).
-Bluetooth is pretty much only useful for a wireless headset. Know this before you buy it: No bluetooth data transfer. Get a transflash card and reader to transfer pictures, movies and music.

Some strengths:
-Excellent reception, the best of any phone I've ever used.
-Huge, high definition screen.
-Strong phone speaker, mp3s sound good.
-Takes good pictures with plenty of light.
-Very customizable interface and software: You can choose the commands for both soft keys and all four directional keys. Some people are confused by the menus, I personally like customization. This might not be the best phone if you are not somewhat tech savvy.
-Speakerphone is loud and works well.
-Superb digital voice recognition, even with quite a bit of ambient noise. I have a lot of names in my phone book, making calls is so easy when you just have to push one side button, then say the rest.
-Other little bonus features are great. A battery-saving one that I like is that the phone senses how bright surrounding light is, then will light the keypad only if necessary.
-Durable, attractive construction. It doesn't look or feel like many of the flimsy, lightweight plastic phones out there.

My experience with this phone has been great. Verizon seems behind the technology curve when compared to some of the other providers, but this phone has helped level the playing field a bit.