Motorola V551 / V330 / V547 / V555 / V557
Average Ratings
V551 - Cingular - Chicago- Awfull
Pros -
Camera, colour, speaker phone.
Cons - No signal in downtown Chicago!
My wife and brother both have Nokias with Cingular and chat away right beside me when I have NO signal.
Both Motorola and Cinguar blame each other. Result- I have to purchase a new phone!
Call Quality Nightmare
Pros: The phone appears to be built well. A little bulky, but not bad. I like the clear display, great color.
Cons: Call quality is horrible. I have had problems in areas that I never have before. Callers complain of voice breakup, cannot hear me well and the same for me is true. Horrible call volume, I'm sure it is due to the poor reception quality. I have never dropped a call with AT&T until I switched to this phone. I had a Sony Ericsson T616 before and it was great. I never had reception problems until I started using the Motorola V551. AT&T sent me 2 phones and still the same problem. Also, another little gotcha is the manual reboot feature. If you go through the setup feature on the phone and change the phone skins, the phone reboots. Horrible speaker phone quality.
Giant step backward for functionality
I thought my v60 had bad menu layout....Motorola proves they can exceede that! I'm still hunting for settings, and the manual is useless.
Bad reception in my truck, makes me wish I had the v60 [TDMA] back. Interference with my truck radio, home audio, LCD screens....the list grows. [My wifes v180 is almost as bad]. On phone #2 so far, the first was unusable, this one's close.
If you want style over substance, go for it. If you depend on your phone for work, forget this one.
I will allow the screens nice, but battery life sucks.
Time to blast my corporate account rep and get rid of this pig.
very promising on paper, confusing when you actually use it
I have mixed feelings about this phone. Keep in mind this review is written by someone who is a light to moderate cell phone user, you could even call me a technophobe.
Pros:
-Every feature in the book, as other reviewers have already noted: bluetooth, video, camera, speakerphone (this feature is actually very useful unlike some of the others listed).
-the blue rubber casing prevents the phone from sliding around inside your car or your hand. Nice touch.
-Commendable reception. Though reception is not perfect, keep in mind that I am surrounded on three sides by multi story apartment complexes. My previous AT and T phone would not allow me to dial out at all most of the time from within my home. So this GSM phone is a huge improvement.
Cons:
-very, very slow scrolling through the menus. The lag is even evident just dialing a phone number. geez....
-extremely confusing menu system. It's required a week or more just to become familiar with how to use various basic functions, such as the phone book, if at all. For example, I am still learning how to use voice recognition, which is very difficult to implement, in between the confusing menu on the phone and the ridiculously unhelpful manual. What's the point of including a comprehensive feature set if it requires hours, days or weeks to learn how to use them? Cell phone features should be designed to SAVE a user time, right?
-why does every sound on the phone have to be preceded by a popping noise? Every time you press a key, or play a sound, there is a noticeable 'pop.' Turn off the key volume and you have to rely solely on the screen--annoying if you need to dial and not look at the phone's screen (such as, ahem, when you are in a moving vehicle--I don't recommend this).
In summary, a more user friendly menu, quick activation of functions when pressing keys rather than the current stuck in molasses feel, and a better written manual
would be necessary to recommend this phone.
Moto V551 Right for me, and right for you too
Ok so this phone is amazing. I just switched from Verizon to Cingular and am so happy i did. This has got to be the best phone i have ever owned.
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Pros-
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Speakerphone
Price
Bluetooth
Video
Speed
Look
Zoom
Buttons
Motomixer(ringtone composer)
I Haven't even looked at the rest of the phone but there are minor things that bug me:
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Cons-
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Adress Book Is strange
Speed dial automatically changes to 1
Security in Settings is strange
Overall i highly reccomend this phone, its a steal.
its good
this phone is great. i like that i can lock parts off my phone, like the phone book and internet. i like the grip. my reception is great, i right out side of wash dc so its a busy area. 1,000# phonebook is helpful. i like that i can close my phone when on the speaker phone.
i don't like the instruction book. unlike my SE616, this phone does not tell me what certain things are for; the book is not that great. But the more i use the phone the more i learn on my own.
all around the phone is a great buy. when my friends and i compare phones (who's the best) i have lost of things to say this phone has.
Best Cingular phone for Cincinnati
I received this phone as a Christmas gift. I've been with Verizon the last two years, though never quite happy with their phone selection.
I tried a Sony Ericsson T616 with Cingular, and the reception was horrid. However, with the V551, I have twice as many bars. Yes, Cingular did raise the bar with the V551.
Pros:
Feels great- the blue rubber on the outside feels great to touch and hold.
Great quality- the buttons feel tactile and the hinge opens quietly and doesn't feel as if it will break off
Customizable- customizable menus, buttons, phonebook, settings
Speakerphone- quality speakerphone, though a little quiet, even at full volume
External display- I'm glad it's not color and it has a really nice blue color scheme, and shows up without pushing a button. Can be seen in daylight
Bluetooth- works well and able to pick up my Bluetooth devices quickly
Reception- best reception of any Cingular phone I've tried, in the Cincinnati area. Full signal at my house
Battery- although many have said the battery life is bad, I think it is quite good. I'm able to get about five hours of talk time. My mom's been using her V551 for several months, and gets the same. Perhaps it is the excellent reception in our area?
Cons:
Main menu- many useless icons. Not able to change the items
Phonebook- entering names is tedious, when saving to the SIM card. Saving to the phone is MUCH easier (but I won't do this)
Ringtones- not enough standard (non-music), resonable tones for business situations
Bluetooth menu- buried in the Settings menu
I can live with the few cons. Try out this phone before posting a review! You'll enjoy the way it feels in your hand and you'll enjoy good reception (tested in Cincinnati, Orlando and Sebring).
You can do better
I have cingular service in the NY. long island area, had att before it's OK. Got the phone for $50.00 plus a $50.00 rebate.Love the looks and feel of the phone it's solid. Had nokia phones in the past i wanted a flip phone this time, what a mistake.As for the pros: it's solid, rubber looks good. Cons: speaker phone sounds cheap, like it has a cracked speaker. Hard to download ring tones, navigating is difficult. Poor manual. Battery life is a joke, two days and it needs to be charged and i hardly talk on it, i charged my nokia once a week. To bad nokia doesn't make a great looking flip phone like Motorola.
$29.99
I just got this phone at BB for $29.99
Was $149.99 less instant $70. rebate and then a mail in $50. rebate from Cingular. 2 yr contract. The Cingular store across the street are selling it for over $200 w/ a 2 yr. contract!!!!
Traded In
We ordered 3 V551 for our company. One constantly locked up and was exchanged for a new one. The new one as well as the other two lock up while in use. The screen goes white and the phone is locked, both while trying to view missed calls and during telephone coversations. You must close and open the phone to reset it. The ringer volume is also very difficult to hear. I have exchanged one for a Samsunge317 three days ago... opinion is still out on that one. The other two will be exchanged shortly.
