Review Motorola V330 – Cellular phone – not specified – GSM -$0.00
The V300 is a tough act to follow, but Motorola has a winner on their hands with their V300 successor, the V330. With welcome additions like Bluetooth, quad-band GSM and high-speed EDGE data capability, and a VGA camera with video capture, the V330 packs a powerful new punch.
Take a closer look at the V330’s functions. You can also see it in action.
Design
The V330 features a sleek clamshell design with a large, high-resolution 176 x 220 pixel, 65,000 color screen. The outside cover of the handset sports a supplementary 96 x 32 monochrome display that can display time, call information, battery and signal strength, and more. Up and down buttons for volume control are placed on the left side. Most of the phone’s features and on-screen menus are controlled by a five-way center button on the handset’s control pad. A USB-capable data port is housed on the unit’s top edge, and there’s a standard jack to accept universal hands-free headsets.
Calling Features
The V330 supports polyphonic ringtones as well as MP3 ringers, allowing you to use portions of your favorite songs to alert you to incoming calls. You can also assign pictures and ringers to your most common callers. A number of ringtones come preloaded on the phone and more ringtones can be downloaded from T-Mobile’s t-zones service. There’s even an included application, MotoMixer, that enables you to mix your own ringtones.
Speed dialing, which allows you to call pre-programmed numbers with one button is built in, as is a vibrating alert. A speakerphone makes it easy to talk without having the phone to your ear. Meanwhile, voice activated dialing makes calling your friends, family and associates as easy as saying their names. The V330’s phone book can hold up to 1000 contacts; if you have that many friends and colleagues, more power to ya’! Lastly, the phone’s Bluetooth connectivity means that your favorite Bluetooth headset is fully compatible.
Messaging, Internet and Tools
The V330 has all the bases covered when it comes to messaging and Internet connectivity. The phone features support for AOL Instant Messenger (T-Mobile messaging charges apply), and there’s also a built-in web browser for t-zones downloads and mobile web browsing. T-Mobile’s t-zones service lets you receive and send emails, read news headlines, get weather updates, download games and ringtones, and more.
The V330 comes with a built-in email client (with support for POP3, SMTP and IMAP4 email standards), and traditional text messaging, as well as video, picture and sound messaging are also supported. iTap text entry, which is a technology that makes it easier for people to enter words and text on handsets, is built into the unit– a plus for mobile email and text messaging users.
A number of handy software tools are bundled with the V330 including a voice memo recorder, a calculator, a calendar and an alarm clock. You can also use the phone’s Bluetooth capability to set up a wireless link with a Bluetooth accessory or connect to a computer or hand-held device to exchange and synchronize data. The phone supports the SyncML PC synchronization standard, which can be used with Motorola’s Mobile Phone Tools PC application to manage and synchronize contacts, calendar and other data with your PC.
Imaging and Entertainment
With 5 MB of internal memory storage, the V330 shines in the entertainment department. The phone’s VGA (640 x 480) camera features a 4x digital zoom, image quality options, and an auto-timer so you can be in your pictures, too. Capture stills and then send them to your friends via MMS messaging or email, or to your PC via USB or Bluetooth. The V330 adds video capability, too, meaning you can capture short video clips and, just like photos, share them how you see fit. The phone also supports custom graphics for wallpapers so you can dress up the phone to suit your fancy.
If you’re into mobile gaming, the V330 has you covered. The phone ships with a full version of Pinball, as well as trial versions of Bejeweled and NFL 2005.
Vital Statistics
The Motorola V330 weighs 4.3 ounces and measures 3.5 x 1.9 x 1 inches. Its lithium-ion battery is rated at up to 425 minutes of digital talk time, and up to 235 hours of digital standby time. It runs on the 850/900/1800/1900 MHz GSM/GPRS frequencies. The phone comes with a one year limited warranty.
What’s in the Box
V330 handset, lithium-ion battery, travel charger, user’s manual.