Motorola E815 / E816 Hollywood
Phone Scoop Review
Oct 11, 2005 by Eric Lin
In-depth review of Motorola's first EV-DO phone for North America, the E815 for Verizon. read review ›
User Reviews
Average Ratings
Much better than Samsung 910
Love the phone. i had the samsung a910 and took it back because reception was no better than my old phone, it had 4 terrible ring songs (no actual rings), and you could not customize anything!
this is the last phone that verizon has not ruined with their standard menu garbage, and it gets THE best reception i've seen. I almost never lose a signal. my old phone (samsung a610) would not work in my basement, and this never even loses a bar.
also the camera is just as good if not better than the samsung A970- and i tried them numerous times at the store and sent them to my home computer, not just another phone. also the camera is fast. if you don't like the picture and you want to erase it, it's gone, no waiting for the camera to reload.
if you buy the card for it (which the new razor does not offer) you can take over 500 pics.
i'm thoroughly satisfied, and I'm very picky. also, the voice recognition is unbelievable and the blue tooth hook up is really strong.
the only real con to this phone is the old school antenna- BUT THE HARD WIRED ANTENNAS ARE JUST NOT READY FOR PRIME TIME- THEY DON'T WORK WELL YET.
get this phone and you will not be dissatisfied.
This is a Great Phone!
I have had so many problems with LG phones that I decided to give Motorola a try. The E815 was a great choice for me. It had all the features that I wanted in a phone as well great reception.
Pro's
Big colorful screen
Great speaker phone
Great Reception
Fantastic Battery Life
V-Cast is awesome
User friendly menu
Loud ring tones
Perfect size
Cons
Vibration mode could have been better
All and all this is a great phone, thanks Motorola!
Complete Satisfaction
I used the review from others to make up my mind; so thank you all. The phone met my expectations. I could only compare it to the phone I had-Samsung a670 (please don't laugh, its old-ha!).
To the point:
PROs:
1. Speaker phone feature is great! What a convenient idea, especially when your bluetooth needs charging or in conference. The sound is not compromised. The parties could hear each clearly. I wonder if its my carrier: Verizon.
2. The camera is super! The megapixels on this camera make the picture come to life. Example: I took a picture off my TV screen and it looks like it was done in person.
3. The range meets my expectations! This is very important. The Samsung could not reach places I must have contact. Now I feel confident wearing it and making the call.
4. I just got the phone, I have not learned about all the features but so far I look forward to learning more.
CONs:
a. The phone is slippery. I was trying to slide it in my pocket after activating my bluetooth, when it took a fall to the fall from thigh level height. For a brief, my heart stop (NO!!). I lost the bluetooth connection, but moments later it was back to full function. I need nothing but kept count of my heart rate.
b. small glitch - it is not a big deal to me - after I set the calender "event", "date", "time", etc. I discovered they moved to different dates (huh).
Finally I am looking forward to adding an accessory from hellomoto.com-Motorola phone tools 4 I think would take my worries that verizon does not carry.
best PHONE out there
Verizon phone selection sucks. This phone is butt ugly in every way, but its the reception and clarity which makes this a must buy. All digital phone makes a connection no matter where I am....somethin my old v60s couldn't do.
Im not into all the toys like the juvenile delinquents out there. This is a great phone first and toy second. Bluetooth pairs great, speaker phone is superb....but all the other junk I could give a damn about.
Now, if they just could make this phone more attractive, I would give it 5 stars. Don't know if this will last the 2 years given its ugly appearance.
E815 is Fantastic
As my E815 was purchased in Canada and on the Bell Mobility network full functionality is in place and operating perfectly. Reception has been excellent with no dropped calls or dead spots. Display is bright and very easy to read with the exception in sunlight it becomes somewhat of a challenge. The MP3 player is exceptional however, it would be beneficial to have greater volume control. Trans flash 512MB holds about 100 songs and works flawlessly. Buttons on the phone are large and easy to use and aided with a bright back light in dim light situations. My phone did not benefit with a firmware upgrade so the vibrate function is very poor almost unnoticeable (let me be clear it sucks). It would sure be nice to have additional information fields in the contact section.
Overall I am very pleased with the E815 and it's MP3 player capability. Great phone, great signal strength and solid build.
Pros
Bright large Screen
MP3 Player
Blue Tooth works great with MPT
Camera provides reasonable picture quality
Excellent signal quality
Excellent in call sound
Cons
Vibrate function is useless if not in your hand
contacts information could allow more information fields
No missed call notification once flipped open
E815
I have had the E815 since the day it was released, where I waited until Circuit City opened it's door, along with 10 others purchasing this phone. I am an adult buisnessman. If you are looking for a "toy", this is not the phone for you. If you are looking for a phone that works this is it. This is without a doubt the best phone I have ever used. I have been w/Verizon since they were Bell Atlantic Mobile. This phone works flawlessly. The phone never locked up and always get a good signal. The other day I reflashed the firmware and the vibrate is actually better. After the reflash the phone still works perfect. I highly recommend.
815's the Way to Go!
Great phone! Coming from the V710. I travel between Mass and New Hampshire. Carrier is Verizon. Hardly ever experience dropped calls.
All the same pro's you've been reading. Two cons: vibrate could be stronger and side buttons move too easily when in holster, this can be solved by locking the KEYPAD; you'll still be able to answer calls this way and it will relock after ending call. Actually found a couple of software issues that will hopefully be resolved by Moto. If you for some reason delete ALL quick text messages, voice dialing will be disabled; this can be fixed by adding one quick text back. Also, there have been reports of echo while using both speakerphone and bluetooth. I actually did have one or two people say they heard themselves echoing while I was on speaker. Simply turned speaker off and the earpiece of the 815 sounds great. Will be getting pro carkit for handsfree, eyesfree while driving. Bluetooth works will with this unit also.
Have used Moto's for some time as I am very impressed by the ability to lock most applications to keep anyone from accessing information. I keep important info on my phone as I don't carry a daytimer or other calendar book.
V-Cast is also very impressive. I read reviews about too much pixelation, but from what I've seen, it was crystal clear.
Also available is an extened battery that will add time onto an already great battery life. The trick will be finding a case that accomodates the extra space on the phone.
Other than a few minor glitches listed, the 815 is an awesome phone! I researched both this and the Razr and was very disappointed with the Razr. With all the hype and the price of the phone, it definitely seemed like it fell extremely short of what it should be doing, and is not. Seems more showy as opposed to functional.
If you are thinking of getting the 815, you will not be disappointed.
Ok so far!
I've been using this phone for only a few days. Reception is great.
Cons: Motorola nor my service provider can help me with the security code.
There is only one game and you have to download it for $5. No card games!!
Voice dial: When entering names in my contact list, the phone automatically reads the names in a funny way specially French names. For example I entered "Michel" the phone reads it as " Michael". When calling that person using voice activation, I have to say "Michael". I wanted to override that option and record the names myself like my old Samsung phone, but I called Motorola and my service provider I didn't get a satisfactory answer.
That's all I have discovered so far.
E815: A good choice although overpriced
I chose the E815 as a replacement for my LG 4600. In all respects, the E815 is a superior performer, IMHO. Main strenghts of the E815 include:
1. Signal strength in weak signal area-no dropped calls where the LG dropped frequently
2. Large high res screen.
3. Excellent speaker phone and audio
4. Superior voice recognition
5. Large easy to read keypad
6. Bluetooth, MP3 capability
The main weaknesses include:
1. EVDO is default setting and drains battery.
2. Need to use test mode to disable EVDO
3. Extendable antenna is easy to bend
4. Large size
5. Battery replacement is not as easy as LG
The strenghts clearly outweigh the weaknesses. I highly recommend the E815.
E815....great phone for me!!!
I have had the e815 for about a month and a half now. i haven't had any huge problems with the phone. my last phone was the moto v120. from that basic, basic, basic phone coming to this "high-tech super awesome camera/video phone" i was in complete awe! i have always liked cell phones and have always been really interested in them and this is the perfect one for me!
Pros-
-Speakerphone!- very loud and clear!
-Bluetooth- haven't used it but its cool to have!
-Camera-on the 2nd to lowest resolution, it took a better picture than my 3.6 mega pixel camera usually takes!!!
-No dropped calls!
-A lot of memory built in, but also has an expansion card you can buy separately!
-Get it now...ringtones sound awesome!! haven't downloaded a game yet, but have had trials that are great! waiting for my freecell/solitaire to come to the phone!
-ringtones...downloaded ones sound great and the built in ones are cool too!
-theres more too!
Cons-
-video...cool to have, but the resolution isn't great, but its fine for me!
-mp3 player, i think I've figured it out, but it took a while!
-cant figure out the screen saver, maybe its just me!
-no camera lens cover-no big deal though!
-if your in a low coverage area, your battery gets sucked down fast. i left mine in my locker at school with a full battery, and i checked it hours later to find an almost empty battery!
-bulky size, but only if you want to carry it in your pocket!
well..overall its a really great phone and its very simple to use! if you want a really nice phone but are willing to pay about $100 for it, this is a great one to pick! its a sturdy phone and it holds together well...it doesn't feel like its gonna break if you open it a little to hard!
i would definitely recommend this phone! hope i was helpful!!!
