Motorola W385 Cell Phone Review

Motorola W385 Cell Phone Review
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Introduction

The Motorola W385 is an entry-level phone but offers plenty of basic features like a calculator, world clock, calendar, notepad, etc. This model by Motorola is for those who are looking for a phone without unnecessary bling. The phone resembles its counterpart, the Motorola RAZR V3, and offers an easy to use interface, two color screens (internal and external), packed in a decent housing.

Design (5 out of 5)

The Motorola W385 offers a very sleek design and ships in black or silver, adding to its overall smart outlook. It looks

Motorola W385

modern, stylish and is very lightweight; hence it doesn’t feel bulky at all. Its dimensions of 1.77 inches wide by 4.0 inches tall by 0.72 inches thick are small enough for the phone to be carried around comfortably. The exterior is made of rubber and feels very sturdy in the hand. It also has a good grip so it won’t slide out of pockets or cases easily. The elegant external display of the Motorola W385 is rectangular, has a small size (96 by 32 pixels), and the resolution is monochrome. The fonts are a bit small, but easily visible, as they are colored gray on a blue background. The internal display is sized at 1.79 inches, and only has a small resolution of 160 by 128 pixels. The fonts and graphics hence appear small, but bright and clear.

User Interface (5 out of 5)

The keypad and navigation buttons of the Motorola W385 are housed in smooth and solid material, like the rubber exterior of the phone. It feels quite nice and comfortable to use. The navigation buttons are on the top of the keypad and the OK button is in the centre. The clear button, end/power buttons, 2 soft keys are located at the left and right side of the navigation buttons. A shortcut for the camera is also there and you can define your shortcuts too.

The keypad and the navigation buttons are both backlit, so you can easily see and use them in the dark. On the left spine of the phone, there is a volume rocker, a speakerphone shortcut and a mini-USB port. The right spine only contains the voice dialing button.

Features (5 out of 5)

The Motorola W385 offers text and multimedia messaging, a calculator, calendar, speakerphone, world clock, notepad and an alarm clock. The phone book of the Motorola W385 can store up to 1000 contacts, which is quite good. The phonebook allows you to store contacts in the form of groups, as well as pairs. You can also assign them different ringtones of your choice. The phone supports MP3, Midi and AAC audio formats, so if you have your favorite music on your computer you can copy that onto the phone, and then assign it to the contact normally. The phone supports WAP 2.0, Bluetooth, USB 1.1, Push-To-Talk (PPT), voice commands, and includes a free GPS application, called VZNavigator. The phone also offers some games for its users. You can use these games for fun or to make your spare time enjoyable.

Performance (5 out of 5)

The Motorola W385 offers superb call quality and reviews suggest that this might as well be the phone’s best feature. The battery life is also quite good as you get 4 hours of talk time and 18 days of standby time, after a full charge. The VGA built-in camera is not superb, but it will do for a phone of this type.

The Verdict (5 out of 5)

For those who have an inclination towards a good old phone that has minimal features, the Motorola W385 fits the bill rather perfectly. The sleek design, along with excellent call quality makes it a good choice for anyone looking for a budget phone under US $40.

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