I'm kicking myself for not doing enough research before buying this phone. Bought this V600 and a V300 on impulse based on 1) the VERY low prices, and 2) good customer satisfaction reports from Consumer Reports for T-Mobile: second only to Verizon. But I made a huge assumption that all GSM networks are created equal, so although I was switching from AT&T/Cingular's GSM network to T-Mobile's GSM network, I figured network coverage would be the same. Also, since Amazon advertises this as a "Quad Band" GSM phone I assumed it would be able to roam everywhere that there was ANY GSM signal. WRONG! First problem: T-Mobile only supports the 1900 MHz band in the US. The phone is actually only a Tri-band, and the missing fourth band is the 850 MHz band that is growing rapidly in the USA, especially in rural areas. So a couple of days after getting the phone I had the frustrating experience of driving for several hours in a rural area of Texas where my wife was easily conversing on her AT&T wireless V180 quad band phone, while my GSM phone had no service at all. Got home that night and started the research I should have done in the first place, to find out that T-Mobile has very limited roaming beyond major cities and interstates, and appears not to be positioned to support the 850 MHz band, which in addition to being the future of rural GSM, apparently has better reception characteristics everywhere (like penetrating deeper into buildings). So now I'm really ticked, but frankly it was just too much hassle to consider returning the phones, getting new AT&T/Cingular phones, and hoping to somehow port my phone number to the new carrier. Luckily I'm only committed to one year, so I can jump to Cingular if T-Mobile hasn't decided to support broader roaming by then.
On the good side, T-Mobile lived up to its reputation for good customer service. Pleasant and knowledgable CSR handled consolidation of my two Amazon purchased phones into one family plan, and the porting of my old AT&T wireless phone number to the new phone(took less than 12 hours). And the phone itself has been great. So if you don't care about roaming, this phone might be perfect for you.
Also, I learned how to enable the 850 MHz band of the phone with some "Seem editing" tools available widely on the internet, making the phone a "Quad Band" again (and you can make the V300 a quad band too!) -- but that doesn't really do any good unless T-Mobile starts supporting roaming onto the 850 MHz networks.
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Summary -The phone does everything I expect of a phone. Coverage in my area is excellent and T-mobile has installed a Cell in our office complex giving 100% inside and outside coverage at workplace. Camera is nice add-on and speakerphone works but may not provide sufficient volume for a noisy car environment.Since I already have a Notebook Computer, PDA, Video Camera and digital camera I was really interested in a phone that functions well as a phone and service that allows the phone to function in my home, office and area plus free roaming capabilities.After many years of TDMA service with a competitor I finally decided it was time to update to GSM. My carrier only offered the basic handset selection free to continuing customers. Even though I was out of contract and would have gone with a new contract if they provided the phone of my choice (equivelant to the v600) - NO GO - They lost a customer.Coverage -Good coverage in all major cities and transit routes. For my area, even though my home is shown on t-mobile's coverage map as merely "good", good equates to "excellent". I've found no change in quality with between full signal and 2-bars or 50% signal (Their coverage map actually allows you to check to street and address coverage - outstanding feature) Reception is excellent!The Phone -The Telephone offers Bluetooth (not sure I'll use it much though I did test it and it works), a digital VGA 640 X 480 camera which works just fine and a myriad of audio, video and gaming "eye candy". I generally think of a phone as a phone and this one is excellent as such. The fact that it provides a usable camera is a nice touch I'll use and I do use the speakerphone but the remainder of the features (AOL, text messaging, etc) are excess baggage for me.The audio quality of the phone itself is outstanding as well as the sensitivity. The menus are a reasonably intuitive though a little complex in order to support the extra features.For those wanting to use the camera for downloading photos to a computer, there is an optional USB cable and software kit available from Motorola and various aftermarket vendors. Download can also be done via bluetooth if your computer has bluetooth.Battery life may be an issue if you are heavily using the camera or doing ringtone concerts - but in normal phone use expect 3-4 hours of talk time and/or 3-5 days of standby time depending on your usage. For this class of phone, it's very good.Pro's: Phone: Good Sensitivity, good price (free after rebates), camera, speakerphone, Good voice qualityPlan: Good cost, free nationwide roaming, best in price for a nationwide shared plan.Cons: Phone: Speakerphone audio may not be sufficient for a noisy car environment, busy setup menu.Plan: Coverage may be spotty in remote or rural areas (but aren't they all?)The Service -The provider (T-mobile) has provided knowledgable and professional assistance through the purchase and start-up phase. This explains the excellent rating given by consumer reports. The coverage area for GSM appears to be similar to that provided by most other GSM services as most providers share service or site locations for a number of locations. As a company in #2 position they appear to be "trying harder" which is a plus for the customer.Be sure to check the coverage in your intended use area. Reasonable return policy if it doesn't work for you.
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