Motorola V551 / V330 / V547 / V555 / V557
Average Ratings
v551
i love this phone, its better than my v400, if you want a good flip phone then go to cingular and buy it i promise you, you want me disappointed...
Great Decision
I picked one of these up today at cingular for $250...without the 2 year contract cus im already involved with one. Well the phone is very sturdy and has great speaker phone. The signal is great and edge is the best. I havent tested the bluetooth but i hope to soon. The camera quality is good but the video capture is only subpar. I had the lg1400 before this and the v400 before that. If you r looking for an awesome phone pick this one up its the best phone ive had to date. For those of u still waiting for the a630 dont waste ur time i played with it at tmobile and fell asleep. V551 is an awesome phone. Oh and the techno menu is the best menu ive ever seen. Oh and basically my only con is that the phone isnt really loud and i like phones I can hear good this one is only soso.
I LOVE THIS PHONE !!!!!!
i just got my moto v551 and i just love it i had the moto v3 razor at first but was not at all impressed with it the v551 has much better features like video-which is great, edge-which is very fast for internet, and i also think that the camera on this phone is much better also. if you are the type of person that just likes phones for their looks then the v3 would be a good phone for you if you don't mind paying that much for a phone with just good looks. i have to say that i am much much more happy with the v551 and i actually saved money and still think i lucked up with a better phone.
All that glitters isn't gold
I just switched to Cingular in the Ft. Lauderdale, FL area and got the V551. Now, that the initial period of marvel at this triumph of technology is over, here is my humble opinion:
* Nice screen size, good color and definition. The option to add and customize onscreen icons is well conceived and helpful. Little choice of wallpapers and screensavers but it's forgivable. A bigger problem is the fact that the screen is virtually invisible and thus useless and annoying in bright sunlight - not a good thing in the "Sunshine State".
* The camera and video are nicely done. Easy to use and adjust. Good clarity and color.
* Software and interface - here we start getting into troubles. I do recommend reading the user manual in its entirety as I have, even if you are technically inclined. You will eventually figure out how everything works but you'll need patience. The menus are a little tedious and counter-intuitive. You will find yourself looking at the screen and fumbling with the buttons a lot. Something as simple as switching between calls when you have a call waiting, can test your dexterity. The software is a little sluggish and reaction times seem to vary depending on "moods".
* The phonebook is good. It supports multiple numbers per listing and is easy to scroll through and edit.
* Speakerphone volume and clarity are good but I really wish they had included a dedicated external button to activate it. Voice command works OK as long as there's not too much background noise.
* RECEPTION. Here I really have to express my disappointment. Outdoor reception is good but indoor reception is terrible. I'm not sure if it's the phone or Cingular but I think it's the phone. Very weak, unreliable signal inside buildings.
I think I'm being as objective as possible in this review. Overall, once you get over the hype and other cool but otherwise less useful features of the phone, it's just an "OK" phone, nothing more. Worth $150.
Motorola V551
I'm new to the world of cell phones but I have to admit that the V551 has impressed me greatly. This is an awesome starter phone, I just wish it had a few extra features like I have seen on other phones.
Pros:
the feel of the phone is wonderful, not to heavy, not too light. The blue stuff feels awesome.
Phone clarity is great if your in an area without great interference.
Mp3 Ringtones
Voice Dialing is simple
Overall the phone is easy to use.
Camera works well. If you're looking for a digital camera with hi res then buy one, a cell phone is a spur of the moment type camera feature not something u would want to replace a real camera with.
I thought I wanted a blue backlight for the keypad, but the white has turned out to be quite classy.
1000 phone book entries
Cons:
Would have loved some applications or games aside from the moto mixer and the trial of bejewled.
The internet button is right next to the other buttons and u can easily accidently log on to the net if u have big fingers.
Verizon was nice to at least have a warning screen come up first before letting u incur charges.
I would like an extendable antenna on the stub.
Would also like some more customizable features for the phone itself, more color themes, color ID, like verizon offers on their LG phones.
Wish the phone was expandable.
Limited number of recording allowed for voice dialing. Phone book capacity is 1000 numbers, voice memory holds less then 30.
The pros outweigh the cons and for 99.00 and a 2 year contract I feel I am getting my moneys worth. I have had the phone a week now and I thought I wanted to grab the V710 cause of the camera but I am more than thrilled with what I have.
I recommend it!
great affordable video phone
I absolutely love this phone, it has all the features i wanted in a camera phone plus more. Now ill get into actually reviewing this phone.
pros:
camera/video camera
reception
style of the phone
menu systems are real easy to use
bright screan
key pad has large digits
The only cons i have is motorola switched the power/off button back around after i was so use to them being reversed. Besides that I enjoy this phone.
Toylike, bug-ridden, and S_L_O_W.
I really wanted to like this phone. In a lot of ways it represented a serious step up from my previous phone (an archaic Nokia 8265) in terms of its feature set..... but, in terms of the actual, day-to-day and minute-to-minute usability of the phone in its primary capacity (i.e., to MAKE PHONE CALLS), the V551 turned out to be an amazingly disappointing leap backwards.
PROS: Zippy color screen will impress your friends (or at least, those friends who are still using 3 year old Nokia phones with monochrome displays like I was). Built-in camera and video recording/playback capability is kind of interesting (even if the visual quality pretty much sucks).
CONS: Where to start...
1) SLOWEST phone I have ever used - this thing seriously can take upwards of 2 SECONDS (!!!) to respond to button presses sometimes. Scrolling thru your phonebook entries takes FOREVER. Absolutely maddening. (Recently I switched on my ancient Nokia to access some old numbers - why is it that this MUCH OLDER phone feels infinitely snappier and quicker to respond than my shiny "new" V551? Why???)
2) Even with its so called "quad band" GSM, this thing gave me WORSE voice quality and more dropouts than my decrepit old Nokia. (I'm on Cingular/previously AT&T for whatever that's worth).
3) Frustratingly short battery life. Again, another big step backwards compared to my Nokia, which could last upwards of 5 days in call standby mode on a single charge. The V551 will die after a day and 1/2 or so. Lame.
4) Owner's manual is a joke. Who wrote this thing anyway? I had to figure out all the phone's features thru trial and error - the manual was virtually useless.
5) Camera image quality sucks - but what do you expect from a built-in camera.
I could go on, but I'll sum up by saying that I would be hard pressed to buy or recommend another Motorola phone based on my experience with the V551. Hopefully someone else will read this and learn from my mistakes. Good luck!
Eat this Nokia!
I was a former AWE employee and when we became Cingular in my market, we were provided with Motorola V551's.
It will be widely available to the public once the V400 stock has been depleted.
I dont know what it is, but with Motorola's Vxxx "rubberized" series phones (eg: V300, V400, V505) The company seems to have just gotten it right!
The V551 continues this trend. It takes the wealth of Multimedia functions prevalent in the other models and expands on them with edge and video capture.
Otherwise, outside of new styling and a couple of extra shortcuts geared towards the camera and internet it is the same.
Many of my co-workers were just so scarred by the V600 and bent over their Sony Ericsson T637's or overrated Nokia 6620's that they were weary of the phone at first.
Everyone is on the same page now :)
Instead of Pros, let me list WHY it is better then Sony or Nokia.
- Edge! (Not available on current Sony models, 6620 has it, but the phone cost twice as much!)
- Camera. Sony's is low resolution. In fact half resolution. 6620 is more difficult to use for most requiring more buttons to access.
- Audio quality. Sony doesnt do MP3 right now. Nokia does, but the 6620 is so soft in volume, it is basically USELESS.
- Design. It's a flip!! Sony isn't and Nokia not only isnt...it's much larger and MUCH uglier.
- Display. Larger then the Sony and much more crisp. It has more USEABLE space then the Nokia. (I define that, as the banners and status bar on the 6620 take up more then half of the working room!)
- Quad band. Sony and Nokia??? HA HA HA HA! Forget it.
Cons
- Video capture. SUCKS! very very choppy compared to Nokia.
- No expandable memory. 5 MB is just NOT enough for video clips and MP3s and games. You quickly run out of room.
- Contacts. OK, so its not a palm. But when will Motorola understand that most high end phones require a hierarchical contact list? no one likes entering the same name for multiple numbers.
Like the phone, but has issues.
First, I moved from AT&T to Cingular, I saw this phone, and I thought Finally, a good phone with Edge AND Bluetooth. What a deal to. Priced just right.
Pros:
Bluetooth
Edge
Decent Look, Feels solid
Cons:
Bluetooth range seems far too low.
Connecting from PDA or LAPTOP seems either too difficult or impossible. Phone connects fine. My SE T637, and Nokia 6230 work fine with my sim, No connection possible after hours on the phone with Cingular.
Not Important (to me)
Camera. It has one, it's not the best, it's not the worst. (For the worst, see the mpx220) I never care about the camera, and would probably like the phone more without the feature.
Overall, its a nice phone for people looking for a good phone, good price, and many features. I'm going to stick with my Nokia 6230 for laptop/PDA support.
I was a Skeptic, but now a Believer!
I paid through the nose for my last Motorola- (which was the only thing keeping me from smashing it!) I hated that phone and I swore I'd never buy another Motorola. But after reading the great reviews, I thought I'd give the V551 a try. I had it three days now and I love it! I'm a migrater from AT&T to Cingular. I live in north-eastern PA. I had no service at all in my house, and now have 3 bars! Now I can actually enjoy a conversation without having to stand in the same spot!
The picture is clear and bright and the video really isn't that bad (if you keep in mind that it is a 'phone').
The only CON for me is the ringer/speaker volume. I'd have given the phone a 5 if it went two notches louder. I keep my phone in my purse- not around my neck! The speaker is also on the back of the phone, so if you lay it down you muffle the sound. You can place it on its side, but I really would rather a front speaker. It appears to me that the phones Motorola make for Nextel have a much louder speaker. (My boyfriend has one and it's much louder than mine.) The pre-installed ringtones are lame, but you can download your own.
I can't fairly speak of the battery life yet. It seems to wear down quickly, but when I get a new toy I can't stop playing with it. I imagine that when I use it for a phone (and not a toy) the battery will last much longer.
I don't recommend trying this at home, but my son dropped it three times and it held up fine.
It's a good, sturdy little phone with some fun additions. I am pleased!
