vB Easy Archive - Thinking of MPx200: Any long-term users have comments..?

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Thinking of MPx200: Any long-term users have comments..?
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Posted by: wirelessandy

Thinking of the Moto MPx200. On and off, I've read tidbits about people complaining about this and that, etc.

I believe that bad news travels faster than good news, and I'm sure the same is true on phones!

So, all MPx200 users! Any comments on:

1) Speed. Some say because it's 2002 (not 2003), the MPx200 is slow. Is it really that bad?

2) Caller ID: I've read that it's very slow to display Caller ID on the external display. True? or a function of how bulky your phone book is?

3) Carrier Customizations: I am on Cingular. I don't intend to buy an AT&T version and have it "flashed". There are a few place to find an "OEM unlocked" MPX200, but are they truly customized-free? Example, I once bought an unlocked Sharp GX20, which worked on Cingular, but my voicemail icon notifications were all garbled and the phone was PACKED with Vodaphone logos inside and out.

Another example: I once bought an OEM unlocked Ericsson T39m, and it came with a HEBREW keypad. Bugged the living *$&% out of me.

4) Build quality: From what I've seen in the stores, the MPX200 seems solid. Any comments?

I don't want to wait for an MPx220, since I'm doubtful it'll have a black and white external LCD. I dislike color exteral LCDs...! And, I prefer clamshells as long as the hinge is strong without any wobble! (Flip wobble drives me BONKERS!)

Posted by: delerium

I used mine for a bit before I sold it...

Quote:

Originally posted by wirelessandy

1) Speed. Some say because it's 2002 (not 2003), the MPx200 is slow. Is it really that bad?
It's a bit sluggish at times. Switching between T9 and tap input for SMS was not intuitive and slow.

2) Caller ID: I've read that it's very slow to display Caller ID on the external display. True? or a function of how bulky your phone book is?
I had a relatively short addressbook (~40 contacts) and it was fine. I've heard if you really shouldn't sync your entire outlook if it contains alot contacts.

3) Carrier Customizations: I am on Cingular. I don't intend to buy an AT&T version and have it "flashed". There are a few place to find an "OEM unlocked" MPX200, but are they truly customized-free? Example, I once bought an unlocked Sharp GX20, which worked on Cingular, but my voicemail icon notifications were all garbled and the phone was PACKED with Vodaphone logos inside and out.
AT&T customizations weren't that bad. You could remove most of them by editing the registry. Uncustomized firmware OEM phones are available... plus it is tri-band (900/1800/1900) as opposed to the AT&T dual band (1800/1900). If you're going to be using this phone on Cingular... make sure you're not in an 850 band area (since the phone doesn't have it).

4) Build quality: From what I've seen in the stores, the MPX200 seems solid. Any comments?
Build quality was good... plus the flip seemed very durable. Two compaints though... the shiny black plastic was a fingerprint magnet. Also, the back battery cover was a little rattle-y.

Hope this helps!

Posted by: RWreck

It is a bit sluggish. Sometimes it's hard to tell you really push a button as you're waiting for the display to change. I do have a large address book as I sync with my business email. I never did see the id in the external display, maybe for that reason.
I won't be affected further because the reception was enough to drive me crazy, so I'm exercising my 30 day return on AT&T.

Posted by: Silver5

I'm using the phone right now with T-Mobile and can say that it is very good. It is not at all slow, as others have stated. Caller ID on the external display shows up sometimes, other times it just lights up. Since I can't cancell incoming calls without opening the flip, I don't have the active flip active and just check ID that way. I do have alot of contacts in the phone, a few hundred. The build quality is quite good, though the battery cover is squeaky.

Posted by: wclo

I had one for a short time and ditched it like a hot potato.

The current version is so buggy (Caller ID not showing up, Ghost SMS, and the list just goes on and on ... )

I would wait for the next version (MPx220 or whatever it is) if I were you.

My $0.02

Posted by: aristoBrat

Depending on what you do, the phone *can* be sluggish. Just depends on the programs that you're running, and how much switching between them that you do.

My experience with two early MPx200s was that the RF reception wasn't the best. Where I sit at work, the T-Mobile signal is only so-so. My Nokia 3650 and Orange SPV e100 Smartphones had no problems getting enough to signal to work great, but the MPx200 would always say "No Signal" and then sit there, chewing up the battery, trying to find one. Outside it worked perfectly. Some posts on here say that flashing the OEM "generic" ROM helped reception, so that's always a possibility.

I wouldn't pay extra to get an unlocked tri-band version -- it's the same hardware. I'd get the AT&T version (for a lot cheaper) and flash it with the OEM "generic" ROM. That makes it tri-band and takes out all of the AT&T logos/customizations.

Posted by: barjohn

I have had one (actually 4) for 6 months or so. I can't reccomend the phone for several reasons. First the 2002 software is very slow. I flashed one of the phones to the generic software and that is a bit faster but still too slow. Often you push a button and nothing happens so you push again and again and then suddenly it executes all the pushes so you are not where you wanted to be in the menu.

Reception is very sporadic. I have the phone on ATT and their coverage is very spotty (Location Riverside, CA area but I travel a lot and it isn't great anywhere I have been), Some is due to the carrier and some is due to the phone's radio. Calls frequently drop for no apparent reason and breakup of ausi is frequent. When it is good it is very clear. I carried a Treo600 with me for comparison and the Treo always had a good signal and very few dropped calls. However, even on good connections it didn't sound as clear.

The speaker phone distorts at high volumes and those just aren't that high. Compared to Nextel speaker phones, well...there isn't. The Treo 600 speaker phone is even worse with lots of rattles and buzzes,

As a PDA it is good in that it captures your contacts and calendar but it is very hard to edit or do much without doing it on Outlook on your PC and synching. T9 or multiclick data entry is just for teenagers. Email is awful and mostly doesn't work. The Treo 600 beats it in all of these categories even though I prefer the MS OS to the Palm OS. The screen is just gorgeous and is probably its biggest selling feature. The Treo 600 screen is bright but the poor resoultion hurts it in todays market. The Treo's keyboard is only marginally ok. It is hard to use, even though I can type like a demon on the Blackberry 957.

The build quality seems to be very good and probably better than the Treo's. Its size is easier to live with as is its weight. I was getting good battery life at first and then it has suddenly gone down. Others in my organization using it have had similar experience. In one case the battery just died.

My reccomendation (especially with the 850MHz) issue is to wait for the next generation. I have been recently testing the Blackberry 7230 on T-Mobile and so far it impresses me more than any of the other phones I have tried. (Also tried SX56, Kyocera 7135, & Samsung SPH-i500) The best PDA phone lacking convenient data entry, with good phone capability is the i500. GSM coverage in my area is just not up to either Sprint or Verizon. If you need 1) reasonable size, 2) decent phone capability (note: to get this on Blackberry 7230 you need latest software upgrade), 3) great email capability, 4) resonable PIM functionality, and 5) solid reasonably bug free operation the Blackberry is just hard to beat. (I never though I would say this.)

Unfortunately, neither the Palm OS or the MS OSes are solid enough at this time and reboots are frequent occurences. They both support far more applications but let's face it, trying to do serious work on a 2 to 3 inch screen is very difficult. It is hard enough on a 17" screen (I use a 23" screen at home for serious work). While games are nice on occasion, my phone has to be a serious business tool first and foremost. If it fails that test, no games can save it. The blackberry isn't perfect. It lacks in two areas that are important to me. One is tha lack of a speakerphone and the other is a brighter and better screen. I understand that the newer 7730 has a much improved screen, however no speakerphone and the Nextel version has the speakerphone but doesn't have the improved screen. I need the phone to work overseas so that excludes the Nextel (plus it has the protruding antenna). Camera's are a no-no so I don't care about camera's in my phone and while bluetooth would be nice for wireless headsets, I haven't yet found one that I could live with as far as sound quality.

A little long winded, but I hope it helps.

Posted by: ToadX

Quote:

Originally posted by Silver5
I'm using the phone right now with T-Mobile and can say that it is very good. It is not at all slow, as others have stated. Caller ID on the external display shows up sometimes, other times it just lights up. Since I can't cancell incoming calls without opening the flip, I don't have the active flip active and just check ID that way. I do have alot of contacts in the phone, a few hundred. The build quality is quite good, though the battery cover is squeaky.

You can cancel incoming calls without opening the flip I think. Hold down the down volume button.