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
Phenomenal Phone!!!! Motorola is Officially Back!!!!!!
This phone is absolutely amazing. There are so many features that simply make this phone a must have for everyone. Especially at the $99.99 price (Free for NE2 eligible subscribers).
Pros:
Bluetooth (More functional than my V710)
V-Cast/EVDO
Signal Strength (Best of any phone on VZW network)
User Interface
Camera
Very Responsive (Press a key, and the function happens without delay)
TransFlash Card Slot
MP3 Player
Speakerphone
Cons:
Slight Echo when using BT headset
Phone Randomly Resets (But this is due to my phone needing to be manually programmed since I ported my number originally).
Overall, I would recommend this phone to anyone. It completely blows the LG VX-8100 away. It is amazing for any price. I can't believe VZW can sell it at this low price. But I'm not complaining as that is the only way I was able to afford it.
2 days with the E815
I have owned both Moto & LG, my most recent phone before I updated to the 815 was the LG6000, before that Moto.
I waited and waited due to my NE2 with Verizon, I let the 710, 6100 and the 8000 pass because I wanted to make certain I got the latest technology and the best phone possible after all this time. I knew both LG & Moto were coming out with these new and improved specialty camera phones with everything on them.
After reading the reviews, I finally decided to get the 815. Nice phone, a little big with some quirks, but okay.
Pros:
Programmability of the 815 & Moto's in general.
Reception seems to be good.
Large internal screen.
Easy shortcut options. (love that on Moto's)
Good battery life.
Nice selection of quick access external buttons.
Good voice menu, without having to train it.
Cons:
Occasional Echo on the earpiece & speakerphone, for both parties.
Vibrate just plain sucks!! Why have it if you can hardly feel it??!!
Phone book quirky - deletes entries when changing storage location.
Won't allow you to send a call to VM immediately, just stops the ringing.
Camera very bad - blurry! Zoom x4 is a waste of time!
External screen just okay.
I know there's a lot of people on this site who say that if you want a camera go buy one, but with the technology we have at our disposal today, why can't we have a decent camera in our phones. It's not like they don't promote the s#%t out of that feature, they sell it because we ultimately want a phone that does everything a phone should do and have it's second most prominent feature work very well!
I must say, after all this time I expected more from both companies! I don't know why we fall so far behind Asia when it comes to cell technology, it's frustrating! I think I am going to try the vx8100 to see what that one's all about, otherwise it's back to my old 6000 and wait for new models to come out in 2006.
FANTASTIC PHONE!!
I have been waiting for almost two years to dump my Kyocera SE47 Slider for a Motorola clam shell phone again (before the Kyocera, that was all I ever owned). But the V710 just didnât do it for me. I hated the feel & look. When I heard last week that Verizon was releasing there new Motorola E815, I rushed to the nearest store to see it. The moment I held it in my hand, I knew I was going to buy it.
Only had it for a couple of days, but WOW!! Everything about this phone is phenomenal. The voice quality is exceptional. The strength is far better than my Kyocera! I used to have a dead spot in my kitchen!! Not any longer!
If you like to access the internet for News & Weather, this phone is for you (I usually donât, but may continue the service). The Bluetooth works amazingly well with their HS850 headset!! The new voice recognition works rather well (although must be clear when speaking the commands) & itâs great that you donât have to train your voice!!
The only con (for me) is that Motorola has never organized contacts under one name with multiple types of numbers. Instead, if your friend Joe has four numbers, you have to see his name four times in the contact menu (versus most other companies which show one name with multiple numbers).
All in all, this is the BEST Cell phone I have ever owned!!! And I have had too many to count!!
Best Phone I've Every Had!
PROS
Reception
Screen
Reception
Speakerphone
Reception
Voice Commands
Reception
Bluetooth
CONS
Didn't have it sooner.
Wish it had a stub antenna
It's not free (OK I'm reaching)
Bluetooh limited
I think this is a great phone. If you couldn't tell, the reception is phenomenal. I would not worry about no analog. It's not perfect, but it's good. I would have given it a 4.9, but that is not available. In my opinion, this is the best Verizon phone for the money, and one of the best on the market. If the Bluetooh weren't crippled it would be better.
P.S. Search howardforums.com for instructions on how to consolidate the contacts where one name has all the numbers and info. It's easy, but I won't explain it here.
Don't purchase this phone, i want the hotness to myself.
Phone service is exceptional. Had the phone for a few days now and I don't know what the searching for signal screen looks like. It's hard for me to comprehend when comparing to any other phone that I've owned. HOT!!!
Pros:
Service/reception
Free w/ NE2 otherwise $100
Camera is great for a phone, 4X zoom.
No sound when picture is taken.
Blue-tooth seamless so far.
Fast menu.
Big screen
EVDO streaming video and news.
Cons:
Streaming Video is a little slow and kinda delayed. Mouth moves, words come later.
No analog but I seem to be fine without it.
No stub antenna.
Phone is kinda big.
All in all, Do not purchase this phone because I want to be the only one with it. j/k
Great phone, great features, great price, but it's just OK...lol.
Nothing is Perfect head to toe.
PROS
1) Menus are quick and simple. Similar to the LG's.
2) Camera is good as is the video option.
3) Stock ringtones are amazing. Going through them, you shouldn't need to purchase extra for a few months depending on how obsessive you are about switching every day or so]
4) Camera flash stays on, not just when the picture is being taken. Allows for using the phone as a small flashlight.
5) Voice commands are inherent and DO seem to get better. Using a particular name several times does initial the phone to recognize it better.
CONS
1) Phonebook is somewhat buggy. Contacts seem to find a way to disappear after being edited and then eventually come back. Also, overwriting a contact's speed-dial number results in that contact being deleted. Beware. This is simple and should be fixed with future system upgrades.
2) Screen isn't allowed to stay on all the time when the phone is open. 50 seconds is the limit.
3) Internal screen light stays on even when the flip is closed. Obviously the illumination for the outer screen is the same as for the internal one.
All in all, this phone is perfectly fine. None of the cons are worth NOT getting the phone for. For anyone with a NE2, this is a great free phone. Everyone else, $100 isn't all that bad considering its potential.
Best phone so far!
This is one of many phones i have been using from verizon wireless. This phone does everything i couldent ask for more. The phone is stylish with a sleek look.
Excellent reception everywhere I go, battery power so far is amazing since i am always on the web and using vcast, vcast is the best thing i have seen on a phone so far, it looks like a mini TV the picture quality is by far the best ive seen on a cell phone.
Bluetooth I havent really used it that much i tried to connect to my friends phone but we couldn't figure that out. the 1.3mp camera is really good compared to other phones. The inside LCD is very large and bright the external is not as good as quality as the inside one but still a decent size.
The reason i choose this phone out of the other vcast phones is the overall appearance. its not as bulky and ugly as the other phones but not the smallest and not the largest. It only took me one day to figure out the whole phone and its features. without the manual. oh and a external memory card for more storage.
PROS-
Looks Professional
mp3 Player
1.3 camera
vcast
battery life
speaker phone
bluetooth
Screen Size
external memory
large internal memory
CONS-
Kinda bulky (not too much)
Vcast coverage not everywhere
large antenna about 1 inch
front LCD could be better
does not come with extra memory card
Overall this phone is the best phone i have boughten and i have had experiences with all diffrent manufactures so if you want a really good phone and don't mind spending a little extra and want a vcast phone choose this one
good reception
I just got this phone today and will write more latter.
I've owned:
StarTAC
LG6000
moto E815
By far the best reception yet.
I was driving home from buying this phone at Circuit City (for $99 with my 2 yr rebate) and I drove by the same spot on the freeway at at a hilltop where my lg6000 would always drop the call yet this e815 maintained 4 bars. And at home I only have 1 bar or less ,I now have a solid 2 ,none of my neighbors can use their cell phones. So far quite pleased.
pros--RECEPTION
sound quality
loud ringer
cons--none so far
First time Moto user> Very Happy!!!
This is my first Motorola phone and so far I love this thing. I'm not going to mention what I was using so people don't think that this is a "fan" post. I was looking for a phone with a camera and good battery life. The camera seems to be fine. It works as advertised and the pictures are good for a camera phone. The battery life was one of my major concerns. There were other posts that say how horrible this battery is. I find that not to be the case. I am not using V Cast, Bluetooth etc. and am getting 4 days on a charge. That is very acceptable for me. As far as the phonebook goes, I think that it is user friendly. If you have any experience with cellphones you can easily figure it out. The signal strength is outstanding. Dropped calls are no longer a problem as they were with my previous phone. Give it a shot, I think you will love it as much as I do.
Thank you Motorola!!!
Went to Verizon having a pretty good idea of what I was looking for. Phonescoop was helpful, but for obvious reasons I had to test the two phones out that I was interested in. The LG VX-8000 and Motorola E815.
The Positives....
Better reception
Better sound
More features
Better camera
Nicer design
Better speaker phone
Better voice dialing
Easier mp3 player
Plenty of options with Trans Flash memory card
Nice video shots
Durable construction
The Negatives.......
Haven't found one!!!
