Motorola Gleam Review: Is This Basic Phone Worth Your Money?
Motorola has been pumping out smartphones, with big names such as the Droid and Droid 2. Recently Motorola decided to take a
different path and go back to their roots. This is where the Motorola Gleam comes into play. The Gleam is similar to what the RAZR was back in 2004, bringing back the original flip phone look, with some upgraded features of course. People may be turned off because of it being an older looking phone and everyone wants the newest smart phone, but this may still be a solid choice for a mobile phone.
Exterior (3 out of 5)
The Motorola Gleam’s casing is where the name originates from because of the shiny exterior of the phone. One thing that I have not really seen before is a screen that is camouflaged into the front of the phone. Whenever you receive a call or text message there will be a symbol on the front of your phone that makes it look as if it is printed directly onto it. Users are also able to use the front panel display to put up messages that they would like shown as well. The end and talk buttons are also located on the top left side too, which gives an ease of access to answer the phone. There is a 2.0 megapixel camera located on the back of the phone. It is kind of disappointing on account that most cell phones now have 4.0 megapixel cameras or higher included.
Interface (2 out of 5)
The interface is nothing special and does not really compare to what other cell phones are providing today. With almost every single smart phone coming equipped with a touch-screen, the Motorola Gleam does not compare in any way. For people that enjoy having a phone that does not have all the bells and whistles that a smart phone has, this may be their best choice. The home screen is exactly how people would expect if you have ever owned a RAZR at one point. A Menu and Music button are both available on the bottom left and right of the screen. Right above these options is a digital clock showing the time, day, and date. The keypad looks like an updated RAZR keyboard because of the connected numbers and identical layout.
Features (3 out of 5)
For people that are expecting a large amount of groundbreaking features, this phone is just not for you. There are features that have been seen in flip phones ever since 2006, but this does not mean that they have not been upgraded since then. Coming with
5MB of internal memory is just enough for this phone since there is really no applications that can be added to it. Music can be downloaded from the Motorola music store, but there is only a limited amount that can be downloaded with the little memory that comes included. Odds are if someone is buying a phone like this then they may just want it simply for calling and texting, not adding music and applications.
The Motorola Gleam comes with a loud speaker for speaker phone, a headphone jack, FM radio, MicroSD card slot, and java games. Features are usually one of the biggest reasons as to why someone would buy a new cell phone, but with this phone everything has already been done before. FM Radio is a nice addition to because the minimal space to download music will not be a problem while streaming music directly to the phone. MP3 ringtones can be downloaded for crystal clear quality ringers, but every phone today is able to do this.
Luckily for people that need a cell phone to answer email messages on the run, the Motorola Gleam has this option. The small screen is not ideal for answering or composing long emails, but it is at least there for people who need it. Also for the phone being affordable, it may be the only option some people have when heading out to the store for a new cell phone. For people who love text messaging, you will have enough room to save up to 500 messages and the keypad is exactly like the RAZR, which many people had become adapted to. Talkers will have about 6 hours of talk time and 8 days of stand-by. This is longer than most smartphones available because of the power required by them.
Final Verdict (2 out of 5)
I would honestly have to say that this phone is not impressive to say the least. For people that are looking for a phone to get them by until they have enough money, and have an upgrade, then they should buy this phone. Also people who do not like all of the extras that come with a smartphone would love to have this old school styled cell phone. Tech lovers are going to have to leave this one behind and not waste the money.
