Before I review the phone itself, a few words about Verizon. Their new plans count peak time till 9PM, not 8PM as it used to be. Even if you get more minutes, you're effectively loosing 20 hrs or so a month, and virtually eliminate night-time savings when calling East Coast M-F from the West Coast. This information is well hidden from prospective subscribers. Calling voicemail costs air-time minutes make sure you program the phone to dial it automatically for speed. Their customer service has been easy to contact and pleasant to deal with, but there were numerous problems and mistakes that needed to be addressed when activating the phones and when reviewing the bills. Read your bill carefully.
This stylish phone is quite well designed when it comes to integrating the variety of features it offers. There is, however, one glaring (no pun intended) flaw: the color screen is completely useless in daylight. I don't mean that it is difficult to read. It is impossible to read at all. No matter how you shield it with your hand, or try to find some shade; if there is more light than what you normally find indoors, the display simply looks as if it were turned off. There is no brightness adjustment, so it's not a question of setting the phone correctly. The only thing to be done is to find direct strong sunlight and then manipulate the phone just so, and maybe you will get a reading from this display as the sun rays reflect from the display's surface. Once indoors, or at night, there is no problem. The display then looks quite impressive and is functional.
If outdoor viewing is rather handicapped, you do get compensated with a choice of wallpapers and screen savers for the display!
Don't get excited about taking pictures with this phone. They are extremely poor quality. And yet, this is a gimmick pushed by both Motorola (the manual explains picture taking before anything else!) and Verizon, which wants you to pay some eight bucks a month to send up to 20 of these to other people. Someone is apparently joking around here.
I have two of these phones. One of them has a somewhat brighter screen than the other, which makes manufacturing tolerances questionable. Again, brightness is not adjustable only the duration of backlighting is. One of the phones initially had a problem with the display, but after wiggling the cover several times, the contacts apparently mated and now it works fine. However, the button backlighting turns itself off when you hit a key now and then, on either phone someone working on power management has opted for reversed logic.
The speaker phone cannot be turned on if the headset is plugged in. This makes it inconvenient if you want someone else to hear the conversation while you are using the headset. If you have the headset plugged in, folding the phone does not drop the connection the phone disconnects only when it detects the other end of the line terminate the call. Be carefull and use the END key.
Entering text can get complicated, even though Motorola tried to make it easy with their we-will-guess-as-you-type smarts more confusing than useful. But once you get used to the basics of text entering, it's not too bad (except for that disapearing key backlighting I mentioned).
Voice dialing works poorly the phone usually does not recognize what one is saying. My old Samsung did much better than this unit (to put it simply, Samsung was useable, while this one is not). Also, it takes longer to dial with voice: you have to state a function first, than a name, each time having a little "conversation" with the phone's synthetic ego. A nice demo-level functionality, but quite useless in the field. The exercise gets even rediculous if you enter a person's name that's not common in English: the phone will insist that you pronounce it the way the voice synthesizer chooses to pronounce it, which means you either have to intentionally misspel it or else intentioanally mispronounce it. My old Samsung simply asked you to record your own pronounciation of an entry and then tried (quite reliably) to match it when you spoke it again while voice dialing.
The selection of ring sounds offers a bunch of MIDI tunes that sound absolutely horrendous. Try using some of the more basic choices or else risk being taken for a moron by the public around you. Again, the corporate types want to steer you towards downloading more sounds and tunes for additional money.
On the more positive note, the phone is stylish and convenient to use in other ways. The keypad and navigation buttons work very well. I like the single key speed dialing but you have to dig deep into the manual to discover this feature. I also like that you can browse contacts, etc. while talking on line. In the dark the unit looks impressive and menus are thought out well. The speaker phone mode actually works. The contacts database is well designed, and you get a calendar and a calculator for good measure. The interface is quite customizable.
But keep in mind that the plethora of functions can be overwhelming. This is not a gadget for technically challenged people.
The reception quality is fine. Typically, you can hear people better (actually very well) than they can hear you. The headset that comes with the "Essentials Pack" works well and is easy to wear, but keeping the plug close to the ear canal can be a bit problematic. The leather cover looks nice and fits well, but has a tendency to quickly collect moisture between the display's surface and the transparent plastic that goes over it.
I am giving it only 3 stars for taking a giant step backward in display usability and substandard voice dialing capability, both of which were implemented better three years ago on other phones using less advanced technologies. Cheap thrills driven by greed are unbecoming and embarrasing. If you can live with these limitations, go for it, you may actually end up enjoying it a lot for other reasons.
I bought the Motorola V265 phone with Verizon service in May on sale on Amazon for $99, with a $50 Verizon rebate and a $150 Amazon rebate. So this phone rates super good as far as cost is concerned (assuming the rebates come in OK, which is a big IF). 1 year contract, 450 minutes for $39.99/month.
For comparison, my old phone was a Nokia 5165, with AT&T Wireless (now Cingular) as the provider. I'm a low minutes user, but this is mostly because I got horrible reception at home.
I live in Falmouth, MA. The region isn't well-covered by cell towers, and is moderately hilly with dense tree growth. Add to that, the fact that I live at the edge of a bay. So cell strength is a big deal for me. I spoke with co-workers and cell phone accessory retailers and most said that for the street I live on Verizon had the best coverage, although it still wasn't that great.
==== Phone Minuses ====
-It seems to have a short battery life, although I plan to test this with more rigor and see how it stacks up to the advertised specs.
-The sound quality is a little tinny. The Nokia was more far-away and hollow sounding. The sound quality can't stand a candle to even a cheap corded land-line phone.
-The camera is pretty awful, but I didn't expect much. Plus you have to pay extra to get your pictures from the phone to your computer.
-The extendable antennae doesn't seem to add too much to the signal strength, and seems like it would break easily.
-The volume and speakerphone buttons are in an inconvenient place on the side and they are always in the way of my thumb.
-The buttons are too small and I'm a person with small hands, too! Other button configurations have seemed easier to use. I liked the raised rubber-ish buttons of my old Nokia better, and even some of the flat-ish buttons that rocked a little.
-There's no protective cover for the camera lens.
==== Phone Pluses ====
-Lots of features to delve into, many I will probably rarely ever use but it's nice to know they're there.
-I absolutely love the speakerphone feature.
-A must-have feature for me is an external phone jack. A lot of phone models I looked at in stores, while they had the port for the external jack, the actual electronics weren't connected. Having this jack means that I can go to an electronics store like Radio Shack and buy an external antenna (and the proper connecter) and get a better signal. So far, Verizon's signal is OK as compared with AT&T/Cingular.
-I like the external display; having the black & white contrast helps readability but like most screens I've tested doesn't do well in direct sunlight.
==== Verizon Service Pluses (as compared to AT&T Wireless/Cingular) ====
-They seem to take more of an effort at making sure I'm satisfied. We'll see how long this lasts. I have my doubts.
-I was able to port my existing phone number without hassle and the procedure took about a half-hour taling to a customer service person on the phone.
-The signal strength at my house is much better. With AT&T Wireless/Cingular, I could not make outgoing phone calls sitting on my living room couch. With Verizon, I can actually make calls, although the clarity is not great. Because of restrictive zoning laws here, most companies share towers, so I suspect the difference is a matter of one critically placed tower.
==== Verizon Service Minuses ====
**** Verizon started charging me monthly fees BEFORE the phone arrived in the mail! ****
Apparently, if you buy the phone through a third party like Amazon, they deem service to start at the date of purchase, rather than the date the phone is actually turned on, presumably because Verizon can't control the actions of the third party. I asked a Verizon customer service person nicely, and they agreed to prorate the bill for the difference between the date of purchase and the date of delivery. The refund did show up on the next bill.
-The billing cycle for the monthly service charges is for the month ahead rather than the month just prior (as AT&T/Cingular had done). This is likely to cause problems when I decide to end service (see below).
==== FOR AT&T WIRELESS/CINGULAR CUSTOMERS ====
I have had tremendous problems on the AT&T/Cingular end of the porting process.
First, the customer service number (800-888-7600) that's on my bill keeps spitting me into the Cingular phone menu. To get around this, one customer service person said, at the prompt to enter your wireless number enter a dummy number (like 000-000-0000) to get into the AT&T service area. There is one other hitch. Apparently the AT&T phone menu dumps you into the GSM department. If you have digital service (like I did), you will need to find a way to get to a person in the Digital department (I never was able to do that using the phone menu options).
***** Second, AT&T/Cingular billed me for a full month's montly service charge even when I ended service in the middle of the billing cyle!!! *******
I called several times, most times not even able to access a person who could deal with AT&T accounts. So I did some web research.
I found that in March 2004 AT&T Wireless was sued in a class-action lawsuit for doing this very thing. In the lawsuit AT&T Wireless was accused of violating the Federal Communications Act and imposing an "unjust and unreasonable" charge by assessing the full monthly charges after switching to another provider before the end of the billing month. Apparently, just recently (in May I think) AT&T Wireless settled out of court. I think this would have been huge had it gone to trial.
So, with this information at hand I managed to finally reach a customer service person who could handle AT&T accounts. I asked nicely to have the bill prorated. She said no. I told her about the lawsuit, explained that I'd like AT&T to do the right thing, and she finally relented. She later confided that making the change to have the bill prorated was up to the discression of the customer service rep (!!) so be nice and polite when you ask.
On a side note about Verizon: people at my office have had problems with Verizon billing them multiple times for the same call, so be sure to check your statements.
==== FOR EVERYBODY ====
Depending on the terms of your agreement, you may be liable for a full month's service charge when you change services, even if you stop service a day after the new billing cycle begins. Keep this in mind when you port your old number.
*** Be sure to read your service agreement with a fine-toothed comb. You will probably need to spend a couple hours to fully understand it and it will feel like you're back in school in a foreign-language class. BUT YOU NEED TO UNDERSTAND THE CONTRACT. If you don't understand something, get a customer service person to help you. Just like with credit card companies, if it's in the contract, you gotta pay it. ***
Buy Motorola V265 Phone (Verizon Wireless) Now
What i like about this phone is it's excellent sound quality. The speakerphone is incredibly good. It's even clearer than using earphone. However, the digital camera sucks. You'll never use it. But if this is not what you want, it doesn't matter. Someone criticize v265 that the backlight of key pad sometimes doesn't light up and think this is an error. Actually, this is because the phone is set to power save mode, which automatically turns off the backlight of keypad if there is sufficient light.
The LCD screen is bad. You could barely see what it shows under sunlight.
i rated 5 stars since the phone is the best in all fundamental qualities of being a cell phone, such as the sound quality & reception.
Read Best Reviews of Motorola V265 Phone (Verizon Wireless) Here
This phone is smaller and lighter than the more expensive v710. If you don't need bluetooth, a higher megapixel camera and video capability, then the v265 is the phone to get. Keep in mind that in order to e-mail the pictures you take with any camera phone, you will need to pay extra on your Verizon account for this service. Verizon makes money on this but it doesn't mean you have to pay for this extra service if you don't want to use it.
The Motorola v265 phone does what it's supposed to do and I agree that the Verizon network is the best in many areas of the USA. The analog capability of this phone is a real plus if you like to take road trips away from major metropolitan areas. You'll still have service where digital only phones and providers will be totally useless.
Small and light, works well and priced right. In many ways, it's even superior to the much more expensive V710; it's smaller and some have even said the audio quality/reception is better with the v265. In fact, I can hardly believe how good the mic quality is. People I call can often not even tell that I'm on a cellphone! This is a huge improvment over my old cellphone and I'm a happy camper. A good value in my book.
Want Motorola V265 Phone (Verizon Wireless) Discount?
This is a great little phone for the money. I originally had the same problem with viewing the screen in the daylight but resolved it by changing the background wallpaper to none and changing the color scheme so the background is now white. This makes the screen easy to read in all but direct sunlight. Turning my back to the sun is sufficient to see the screen well.
Good price does what it says Cusomer support was excellent was able to use the old wiring and cameras recommended
