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"One problem after another" on by Daisy22
Pros: good looking design and user friendly
Cons: not functional
Summary: I have had a V551 for 7 months and have had nothing but problems. The first one I received when I bought my phone had numerous buttons that didn't work. I traded that in for a new one that lasted about 4 months before the ear piece no longer worked. I could only make calls using speaker phone. Cingular sent me another V551 and this time the outside display didn't work (so there was no caller ID or clock). I am sending this third phone back and planning on getting a Nokia. The Nokias don't look as cool but I have rarely had problems with them.
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"Good phone so far" on by luncheon
Pros: Bluetooth, battery life, reception, softkey
Cons: Few games, Cingular multimedia is expensive
Summary: I've only had the phone for 3 months, but so far so good. I get good battery life, but I don't talk on the phone much. I charge about every 5-6 days. When you first get the phone, charge the battery for 24 hours without turning the phone one. The initial charge is key to its lifelong performance. I get good reception and call quality. Friends say its much better than my old phone (Motoroal T720). If you save your contact info to the phone and not the SIM card, you can have multiple numbers under one name. Just go to Setup in the Phonebook menu, and choose View: Primary Contacts. The numbers on the SIM card, however, are listed separately. I like using the softkey to switch the ring mode to vibrate or silent when I go to a movie. If you get the Motorola software, you can make your own ringtones (someone I know downloaded it for free from a Spanish website). Cingular charges a fee for the ringtone and for data transmission adding up to $5/ringtone. I wish there were more games on the phone, but I don't really play any. The camera is kind of fun, but I don't use it much either.
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"Versatile phone for the average user." on by dj_diplomat
Pros: Stylish phone with a wide array of features
Cons: Some software glitches and reception is questionable
Summary: In shopping for a phone that would be rich in features but wouldn't be high in cost, I had seen the Motorola V551 as a neat phone with a great deal of potential.
In terms of styling, I felt that of all of the phones that were similar to it, more notably the Motorola V600, I had liked the trimed and rounded edges of the blue and brushed silver highlights. The phone has a bit of bulk compared to other phones in it's range but overall, I felt that with what the phone had to offer, it was justifiable. The keypad layout is good except the side buttons proved to be a problem every once in a while as they would trigger unwanted beeps and ringer style changes in my pocket.
In terms of features, the phone has a lot to offer. It has your standard phonebook, calendar, caculator, alarm clock, voice recording, camera and web browser as you would expect but has other more interesting and useful features like integrated AIM, Java, Video Recording, Bluetooth and MP3 Ringers. Here's the kicker: While I'm not exactly well versed in the bluetooth functionality of other phones, but for the V551 it's a gift. Bluetooth connectivity with a PDA allows you to upload (and download) photos, ringers, and short video clips. Which means that I could sample a song, convert it to an MP3, and I have my own personal ringtones in all it's original glory. Not to mention the fact that I don't have to pay a cent for this great perk. Additionally, I took it a step further and designed my own wallpapers. With Adobe Illustrator and a little patience, I custom made my own nifty wallpapers for a completly personalized phone which I feel is great for those who, like me, want to have unique content on their phone.
Of course, this phone isn't without it's woes. For one, the reception isn't all that great, especially when I'm indoors. Though as much as I could blame this on my service provider, I haven't had as many reception problems with other phones with the same company. What's unique about these problems is that fact that the problems in reception actually lead to malfunctions in the phone's software and at times can be a real pain. The software itself isn't perfect as it's not as responsive as I thought it would be and, at times, glitches. For instance, if you decide to change ringtones and you delete a ringtone that was assigned to more than one ring style, you have to turn the phone off and back on after you make the changes or else the ringtones that you would use will not register and at times will not switch your ring styles either.
Another problem I've had are the odd times where the phone doesn't register the close position. This is due to a tiny button that gets pressed when the phone is closed. Which means that if the phone don't close properly, the screen light will stay on and will inevitably drain your battery and you wouldn't know it until it's too late. There are also other reported problems about the battery being drained by other instances as well.
In any event, most of the time the phone works well enough for me to not want to get another phone and with the versatility of using bluetooth and partnering the phone with my pda, it makes for a great phone with longevity. -
"Great phone!!!!" on by tech-geek
Pros: Display, features, connectivity
Cons: None that I can find.
Summary: I was trying to decide between this phone and the v3, and I have to say I made the right decision. I still don't know why people have problems with dropped calls. I have never had it happen and usually have great reception when others do not.
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"Read This!" on by mareenv
Pros: Speakerphone, Camera, Text Messaging, Voice Dial etc etc
Cons: Buttons on sides a problem, manual not clear with instructions
Summary: I read many of the poor reviews of this cellphone before buying. I got it anyway (all phones seemed to have some problems). I'm totally impressed with this phone....(once you know how to use it)! As for dropped calls...that's a cingular thing since my friend bought a new Nokia a number of months ago and had many of the similar problems. It's NOT the phone. Actually I've had no problems with it and would recommend it. Now I'm not technical enough to play the downloads or bluetooth but I'm sure that would drain the battery more (think of your computer slowing down). One of my fears was with the battery. Well I have no problems like I had with my older but better Nokia. I did follow Cingular's instructions to drain and fully recharge it 3 times before partially charging or using the car charger...This may have made a difference. Anyway....I just love the phone and the camera so go on...buy it and enjoy. All gadgets will have something we don't like...as long as it's not major.
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