Motorola V710
Average Ratings
Not real pleased
I wanted the phone because it is the only phone that Verizon Wireless had with Bluetooth capability. Motorola had a service to send me an email when the phone was available. They sent the email on 8/4 and the phone was available at the Verizon Wireless store until 8/11. At the same time, Motorola was running a special where the first 710 people would get a free bluetooth headset. Well, when I called Verizon Wireless and Motorola on August 10, the promotion was over. Complained to Motorola and they did send a headset. Bought phone on 8/11 and tried to pair it with my mac. Well, it paired, but wouldn't sync with my address book. Seems Motorola left that out. Well, called Motorola on 8/12 and questioned how they could leave such a feature off. No answer from them except that they would send me the data cable. On 9/2 I heard that Verizon Wireless had the feature disabled, 'for business reasons'. Basically, they want their quarter when you send a picture - like sending a picture 30 feet is cool. Who cares? It's my picture. I complained that it's the only phone they offer with bluetooth and it's almost worthless because they disabled the crippled the bluetooth. I didn't want a camera, mp3 player, or some other quasi-phone. I want a phone that has full bluetooth and that's all. Shame Verizon Wireless doesn't carry one. Of course, I may start looking around at other carriers with a bluetooth that works and dump both Motorola and Verizon Wireless. Verizon Wireless did say that an 'update' is due out in November. Maybe I'll wait until December and see what the update brings.
Pros: Everything thinks I've been assimilated with my bluetooth headset.
Cons: Partial Bluetooth support. And I wish it had a name/number announce when receiving a call through the headset.
As for all the other features (camera, video clips, mp3 player, web browser, etc) - IT'S A PHONE, not any of those other things!!!
Quick Summar y -- More to follow
I bought this phone for myself and the LG VX7000 for my wife so that I could really compare the 2 head to head. I've only had each for a few days, so I will not write a long review until I can fairly assess each, but here's my summary for those who are trying to decide between the two phones:
- If Bluetooth is important to you, or even if you just think its a cool thing to have for occassional use (like me), then the 710 is a no-brainer, since there is no other phone that has it on Verizon's network. And it works, and it works well -- despite not being 'fully functional' for all Bluetooth applications, its great for wireless headset (I have the hs820). Also, if speakerphone is important to you, again the 710 is the choice b/c the 7000 doesn't have one (though the 8000 will) -- and again, it does work well on the 710.
- If Bluetooth and speakerphone are not important to you, then get the VX7000 -- in practically EVERY other category, the LG appears to be superior. As I said, more details to follow, but here's a couple things that stand out about the 7000 over the 710:
- Camera -the 710 camera is a horrible joke -- a very big, very bad insult by Motorola.
- Menu system- come on Moto!
- Keypad layout/ergonomics - puh-lease!
- Customization capabilities
- Construction/perceived durability
- Many other minor niceties (to follow)
As I said, detailed review to follow. I'm keeping my 710 because I love the Bluetooth. But if LG made a Bluetooth phone like the vx7000, I'd return the Motorola in a heartbeat -- which is disappointing, b/c I really wanted Moto to hit the mark this time.
I didn't get into much detail here, so in summary, definitely go to a VZW store and spend some time with each, side by side and decide for yourself.
Please...Don't Spend Your Money!!
I just bought this phone today from Verizon Wireless and I had just had it after 3 hours. I bought this phone for the full retail price of 420 dollars. And now, I am going to return it first thing tomorrow and get the VX7000. I always get Samsung, Nokia, or LG and I tried out Motorola. Well, it didn't work for me!!
Pros:
Good Speaker Phone
Nice Ringtone Quality
Cons:
The camera always shows blue grains no matter which quality...I got a better pic with my VX6000.
The flash is useless.
The Video Recording is Useless.
Not very userfriendly
Looks like it is very easibly damaged.
Voice Digit Dialing is not that great.
Basic Idea:
I would not recommend this phone to most people. It is not at all user friendly and the camera is horrible. It is not worth the price at all. It is only good for people who want a good speakerphone.
Correction from Post: V710 - VZW - Don't bother
Re:
V710 - VZW - Don't bother
by omsoft Dec 5, 2004
I dont work for Verizon, nor Motorola, but I will say I love thier service, and have been with them for years. They will do practically anything to help me out, and no I do not take advantage of that by returning phones endlessly.
I recently bought the V710 and love it, anyone who has a color phone with all these features cannot expect the battery life to last as long as older style phones, c'mon people get real. That is why right off the bat I bought the extended pack, cause i learned my lesson from my T720, and now can go for 2 days with no problems.
However that is not why I am writing, I will agree the "flash" sucks, and hopefully someone will come out with an aftermarket one to help. But the comments listed in that post stating you can't transfer pics/files from phone to pc, and the other way around, are totally wrong. With Motorola's "Mobile Phone Tools" you can do just that, and more. So people should research before they state incorrect facts. Motorola phones are by far on avergae the best phones I have ever owned, I have swayed from that brand twice, and regretted it every time. I had a Kyocera 7135 which was the worst phone I ever had, returned it 3 times for serious problems, then an LG-VX1, and again NOTHING but problems with that. One time it was sitting there doing nothing, and just shorted out. The Star-tac, and the Timeport, and 720 were the best phones, hopefully the 710 will hold up to that.
And if you talk to your friends you'll notice that all the other carriers, charge for the same services Verizon charges for in one way or another, so dont slam one company for being more upfront about thier charges, my friend who is on Spring complaints about hidden deductions from minutes, all the time.
-Thanks,
David
Great Phone
I'll start by saying I'm not a big cell phone user. My first cell was a Kyocera Smartphone which I used for a couple of years as a car phone. Never used the 'smart' features and was too embarrassed of its gigantic size to carry it around with me much. So, when it was time for an upgrade, I first picked the LG6000 which I had for a couple of days before returning it to wait for the V710. After owning the latter for a few weeks now, I'm very happy I did wait considering all the great features of this phone...
Pros:
Inner Screen - Big and colorful enough to play some games on while passing time away from home.
Reception and Call Quality
Speaker Phone - I use it in the car without the need for a headset.
Voice Dialing
Expandable Memory
Camera - I've only used it a few times but, so far, the pictures seem decent to me.
MP3 Player - I haven't used it yet but certainly a nice feature with a set of stereo headphones.
Size and Design - Nice looking without being too bulky
Cons:
Camera Flash - A joke.
Verizon Data Transfer Limitations - BS. I will never pay extra for a Verizon service that enables me to do something the phone should be able to do on its own.
Neutral:
Get It Now - I don't mind using this service but I'm waiting for more of a variety of software to choose from.
Bluetooth - I don't use a headset but it would be nice to link with Mobile Phone Tools without a wire (a firmware update should allow a limited ability to do so by the end of the year).
Keypad - It's a cool design but a bit awkward; metal buttons would probably have been better.
Video - I love the ability to take video clips of up to 3 minutes with a transflash card but playback quality is poor when viewed in a large window on a PC.
Well, that's all I can think of for now. Overall, I'm very happy with the phone.
Can't Decide What to Do
I wish I found out about phonescoop prior to purchasing the V710. I just got the V710 last Monday after anxiously awaiting for Motorola to come out with a new cool phone for Verizon. I had the V60 before and never had a single problem with it, but felt it was time to upgrade to a more modern phone. Right now I feel that even though the V60 is so tiny, it was so much more durable and better made and I feel that I should have not switched to the V710 yet.
Pros:
-Speakerphone
-Bluetooth sounds cool but I don't know too much about it...perhaps in the future I will use it
-Ring quality is great...so loud it can almost scare you
Cons:
-My biggest gripe is the ear piece. I can't hear a thing on it whereas my V60 was crisp and clear.
-I was so used to the keys on the V60 and Moto flipped the softkeys...immediately noticeable and takes a while to adjust to.
-Camera picture quality is poor...all the photos are dark.
-Verizon hasn't given many choice for this model yet in terms of Get It Now. I was so excited for ring tones but you have to pay all this money for it and only 3 providers are listed.
-External and internal display goes off and you have to press a button to see the time.
-I can't get my wallpaper or screensavers to work.
-I changed where it says "Verizon Wireless" on the internal display to my name but it rarely ever shows.
-I can't figure out the IM feature.
-Instruction manual is horrible. Most people don't need that much info on how to make a call. Meanwhile there are all these high tech features on this phone with NO explanation on how to use them or what accessories you need to purchase in order to have the full functionality of the phone.
-Very pricey..even with the New Every Two and rebate.
-Phones gets all greasey and seems likely to scratch.
-Antenna is flimsy..it is bound to break.
So basically, I am torn. There really isn't another phone out there that I am crazy about. Not sure if firmware updates will fix all these problems.
Defect already
The phone that I bought from Radio Shack has a defective screen. Radio Shack was great about chasing down another but it will be a couple days. Still, has anyone else experienced or heard of a defective display issue? The problem I am seeing is that the display does not light. Cannot see any entries made. Can place and receive calls.
Higest tech, and very impressive
I am very happy with this new Motorola v710.
As you have read before, the camera is not the greatest when you see the photos on the phone, but it shouldn't be a substitute for a 3 or 4 meg camera.
The voice recognition is the best I've ever used. It actually reads phonebook entrys to you aloud if you have the speakerphone turned on! I wish it had brighter keyboard lights at night, but with the voice recognition, you really don't need keys much. I got mine at Radio Shack, as Verizon in central Indiana won't have these in stock for a couple more weeks.
The reception , so far, has been flawless, as has the battery life. Three days of playing with the options and the phone is still fully charged according to the meter.
A full overnight charge makes a big difference. You'll love this unit, but shop around and get it for about $320 with activation, then send in the $70 dollar rebate.
V710 - Bluetooth is crippled
Got the phone at RS. First impression: nice screen, like the V600 but bigger and since I have been on a AT&T tryout for 30 days with the V600 I felt right at home navigating the phone. But relatively cheap contstruction vs. the V600. My biggest reason to shell out $$ for this phone was BlueTooth.
However, as some of you mentioned on the forum, this phone's bluetooth features are somewhat crippled. I could not pair it successfully with my BMW bluetooth car module. Then trying to pair to the Powerbook, I discovered that it does not support file exchange profile (which the V600 at least did). This just means that unless you use Verizon pix service or a wire with their software (which cost $$) there is probably no way to get the files, video, music, tones, off or to this phone. Not to mention to lack of bluetooth sync. Yikes, that sounds like crippling to me.
So finally, I have decided to return this phone. At $250 + Tax (which is on top of $520 by the way), this phone is not worth the money.
I ended up getting the Sony Ericsson T637 phone from AT&T - yes, the service is a little more spotty then Verizon, but that phone, is clearly not even in the same league as the V710 - it paired with my car np, it synced with the Powerbook - and, after a nice discount, I paid $99 for it.
Verizon has clearly something to learn here. While the phone probably will be improved with the new firmware and may at some point expose the cripped BT features, I don't have time to fight this battle for Verizon.
Good luck to you people ....
That's just my opinion, I could be wrong :-)
