Motorola E398
Finally, Motorola has made a comeback by launching the first phone to support a Trans-Flash Memory card and stereo ‘loud’ speakers. The highlight of the phone are the two 16mm built in stereo speakers, aim is at the youth market. The phone has a built in memory of 5 MB and includes a 64 MB trans-flash memory card. The phone also comes with a stereo headset, data cable and software. The software is the same as of the Vxxx series.
Built
The phone (black body) is made of a rubber type material, gives a really good grip to the phone. The phone is solid and won’t be harmed by a few drops now and then. The size of the phone is 108 x 46 x 21 mm (i.e., about a Centimeter taller than the k700) and comes into the medium sized phone category. The phone has a very casual look to it, and it quite different from all the new handset’s being launched by the major player’s in the cell phone market. On the top of the phone, is a 2.5mm headset connector, covered by a black rubber object, like on most Samsung phones. On the sides, 3 buttons are placed on the left side of the phone- Volume up and down, and a new concept of ‘smart key’, on the left side, there is a button for the built in VGA camera. On the bottom of the phone, the charger connector and the data cable connector are located. The phone has a 5-way joystick, which is quite hard. The keys are made of plastic, but lovely to use, very soft and are easy to press. Surprisingly, the call button is placed on the left side, and the end button is placed on the right side, just like all other phones. Another interesting thing to be noted is that the exterior of the phone can be easily changed, by unscrewing 6 screws and simply screwing back the new cover.
Pros-
• Solid build quality
• Good grip
• Very nice Keys
• Changeable Exterior Cover
Cons-
• Hard joystick
Screen
The resolution of the screen is 176 x 220 pixels; the screen is quite sharp and bright enough, viewable in the sun. The phone also has the option to stretch and tile the wallpaper of the phone, and screensaver option is also available. The display timeout can be set by the user according to preference, on display timeout; the whole screen is black, except for the time, which saves battery life.
Software
The software of the phone is same as the Vxxx series, quite easy to understand. A few hours with the phone are enough for an average user to understand the software. The only bad thing about the software is that it’s a little slow at times, otherwise completely stable. An interesting feature to be noted is the ‘lock application’ feature. With this feature, any application on the phone can be locked, and to open it…the user will require a security code, for say, you u want to lock your messages, it can be done by this option, therefore, no one ,except the people who know the code will be able to read your messages. The phone also has a built in MP3 player, which is the main highlight of the software since it’s a music phone. The phone supports .amr and .mp3 playback. The phone is capable of viewing .jpg, .bmp, .gif and .png format of images; the best part is that slideshow’s can be created within the phone. The software on the whole is quite customizable, it also feature’s themes and skins, which can be used to change the appearance of the phone, and give it a new look. A few bad things about the software are that while using the photo phonebook, the images of every contact have to be saved on d internal memory and not on the memory card, and for ring tones, the sound has to be on the internal memory and not on the memory card. Another thing is that the phone is slow in loading images stored on the memory card; it lags a little when the pictures are opened in the phone.
Pros-
• Easy to understand
• Advanced privacy features
• Changeable Skins
Cons-
• A bit slow
Connectivity
Messaging
Since the keys are really nice, messaging is a delight; the phone features Major European languages and some Asian languages. The phone has the ‘itap’ as well as multitap option for typing in text. The phone is capable of sending MMS, size is unlimited, operator dependent. The bad part about the messaging part of this phone is that incoming messages cannot be stored on the phone, they can only be stored on the sim card, and only outgoing messages can be stored on the phone.
Pros-
• Easy to type with keys
• No limit on the size of Multimedia messages
Cons-
• Incoming Messages cannot be stored on the sim card
Call Features
The phone features a built in hands free, the loudspeaker is louder and clearer than ones featured in any other phone of any class, this is because of the built in stereo ‘loud’ speakers. The voice quality of the phone is better than most of the phone’s in its class. The phone has a distinct feature from all other phones in its class, the Loudspeaker can be turned on before the call is connected, and i.e. the loudspeaker can be turned on as soon as the number is dialed.
Pros-
• Superior Voice quality
• Loudspeaker very effective
GPRS
The phone supports GPRS, and has a built in browser as well as an Instant messaging service, which I haven’t been able to use because it’s not active yet in my part of the country. The phone has in-built GPRS and MMS settings, but cannot receive them over the air.
Pros-
• Built in Instant Messaging Service
Cons-
• No Support for receiving settings over the air
Camera
The phone has a built in VGA camera wit flash. The quality of the camera is average, works better in sunlight and orange lighting, doesn’t work properly in the best of white lights. Good enough for outdoor photography. The phone has many settings that can be played with relating to the camera, like exposure, lighting conditions etc. The phone can stand on its own, on the side, which is helpful for taking photographs in the self-timer mode. Even though the phone has video recording capabilities, Motorola have for some reason not put video recording in the phone.
Pros-
• Built in Flash
Cons-
• Average camera quality
• No Video Recording
Sound
The most distinct feature of the phone, are the stereo loud speakers. The sound of the speakers is louder than any other phone, and very clear. With the built in mp3 player, play lists and categories can be created. The sound quality is just amazing, and oh so loud! , the sound can easily be heard in a crowded area, and with the ‘vibe sync’ function, the phone turns up the bass, and the phone can be felt if kept in the pocket.
Extra Features-
Rhythm Lights- Instead of the traditional LED, this phone has rhythm lights, on both sides. These lights light up whenever someone is calling or messaging, when Bluetooth is on (lights turn blue) and when the phone is being charged.
Application lock- Any application on the phone, from messages to the phonebook, can be locked and only be accessed by entering a security code, which is a great feature if you want to protect your stuff from others.
Conclusion
On the whole, the phone is awesome, after upgrading to the new .95r firmware, hardly any lags in the software can be noticed. The sound is the best part of the phone, the camera being the worst. I would recommend this phone to any music lover, at a price of Rs.14900 it’s a great buy.
Finally, Motorola has made a comeback by launching the first phone to support a Trans-Flash Memory card and stereo ‘loud’ speakers. The highlight of the phone are the two 16mm built in stereo speakers, aim is at the youth market. The phone has a built in memory of 5 MB and includes a 64 MB trans-flash memory card. The phone also comes with a stereo headset, data cable and software. The software is the same as of the Vxxx series.
Built
The phone (black body) is made of a rubber type material, gives a really good grip to the phone. The phone is solid and won’t be harmed by a few drops now and then. The size of the phone is 108 x 46 x 21 mm (i.e., about a Centimeter taller than the k700) and comes into the medium sized phone category. The phone has a very casual look to it, and it quite different from all the new handset’s being launched by the major player’s in the cell phone market. On the top of the phone, is a 2.5mm headset connector, covered by a black rubber object, like on most Samsung phones. On the sides, 3 buttons are placed on the left side of the phone- Volume up and down, and a new concept of ‘smart key’, on the left side, there is a button for the built in VGA camera. On the bottom of the phone, the charger connector and the data cable connector are located. The phone has a 5-way joystick, which is quite hard. The keys are made of plastic, but lovely to use, very soft and are easy to press. Surprisingly, the call button is placed on the left side, and the end button is placed on the right side, just like all other phones. Another interesting thing to be noted is that the exterior of the phone can be easily changed, by unscrewing 6 screws and simply screwing back the new cover.
Pros-
• Solid build quality
• Good grip
• Very nice Keys
• Changeable Exterior Cover
Cons-
• Hard joystick
Screen
The resolution of the screen is 176 x 220 pixels; the screen is quite sharp and bright enough, viewable in the sun. The phone also has the option to stretch and tile the wallpaper of the phone, and screensaver option is also available. The display timeout can be set by the user according to preference, on display timeout; the whole screen is black, except for the time, which saves battery life.
Software
The software of the phone is same as the Vxxx series, quite easy to understand. A few hours with the phone are enough for an average user to understand the software. The only bad thing about the software is that it’s a little slow at times, otherwise completely stable. An interesting feature to be noted is the ‘lock application’ feature. With this feature, any application on the phone can be locked, and to open it…the user will require a security code, for say, you u want to lock your messages, it can be done by this option, therefore, no one ,except the people who know the code will be able to read your messages. The phone also has a built in MP3 player, which is the main highlight of the software since it’s a music phone. The phone supports .amr and .mp3 playback. The phone is capable of viewing .jpg, .bmp, .gif and .png format of images; the best part is that slideshow’s can be created within the phone. The software on the whole is quite customizable, it also feature’s themes and skins, which can be used to change the appearance of the phone, and give it a new look. A few bad things about the software are that while using the photo phonebook, the images of every contact have to be saved on d internal memory and not on the memory card, and for ring tones, the sound has to be on the internal memory and not on the memory card. Another thing is that the phone is slow in loading images stored on the memory card; it lags a little when the pictures are opened in the phone.
Pros-
• Easy to understand
• Advanced privacy features
• Changeable Skins
Cons-
• A bit slow
Connectivity
Messaging
Since the keys are really nice, messaging is a delight; the phone features Major European languages and some Asian languages. The phone has the ‘itap’ as well as multitap option for typing in text. The phone is capable of sending MMS, size is unlimited, operator dependent. The bad part about the messaging part of this phone is that incoming messages cannot be stored on the phone, they can only be stored on the sim card, and only outgoing messages can be stored on the phone.
Pros-
• Easy to type with keys
• No limit on the size of Multimedia messages
Cons-
• Incoming Messages cannot be stored on the sim card
Call Features
The phone features a built in hands free, the loudspeaker is louder and clearer than ones featured in any other phone of any class, this is because of the built in stereo ‘loud’ speakers. The voice quality of the phone is better than most of the phone’s in its class. The phone has a distinct feature from all other phones in its class, the Loudspeaker can be turned on before the call is connected, and i.e. the loudspeaker can be turned on as soon as the number is dialed.
Pros-
• Superior Voice quality
• Loudspeaker very effective
GPRS
The phone supports GPRS, and has a built in browser as well as an Instant messaging service, which I haven’t been able to use because it’s not active yet in my part of the country. The phone has in-built GPRS and MMS settings, but cannot receive them over the air.
Pros-
• Built in Instant Messaging Service
Cons-
• No Support for receiving settings over the air
Camera
The phone has a built in VGA camera wit flash. The quality of the camera is average, works better in sunlight and orange lighting, doesn’t work properly in the best of white lights. Good enough for outdoor photography. The phone has many settings that can be played with relating to the camera, like exposure, lighting conditions etc. The phone can stand on its own, on the side, which is helpful for taking photographs in the self-timer mode. Even though the phone has video recording capabilities, Motorola have for some reason not put video recording in the phone.
Pros-
• Built in Flash
Cons-
• Average camera quality
• No Video Recording
Sound
The most distinct feature of the phone, are the stereo loud speakers. The sound of the speakers is louder than any other phone, and very clear. With the built in mp3 player, play lists and categories can be created. The sound quality is just amazing, and oh so loud! , the sound can easily be heard in a crowded area, and with the ‘vibe sync’ function, the phone turns up the bass, and the phone can be felt if kept in the pocket.
Extra Features-
Rhythm Lights- Instead of the traditional LED, this phone has rhythm lights, on both sides. These lights light up whenever someone is calling or messaging, when Bluetooth is on (lights turn blue) and when the phone is being charged.
Application lock- Any application on the phone, from messages to the phonebook, can be locked and only be accessed by entering a security code, which is a great feature if you want to protect your stuff from others.
Conclusion
On the whole, the phone is awesome, after upgrading to the new .95r firmware, hardly any lags in the software can be noticed. The sound is the best part of the phone, the camera being the worst. I would recommend this phone to any music lover, at a price of Rs.14900 it’s a great buy.
