Review: Motorola A835 3G mobile phone

Motorola A835 Review

Phone rating:

The A835 is Motorola's follow up to the A830, the company's first 3G phone available in the UK. The main enhancements are an integrated camera (instead of a detachable one), video calling, a 65k colour display (instead of 4k colours), larger internal memory, "haptics" (lighting and vibration effects), and a 5-way navigation key. The A835 also weighs a full 55g less than its predecessor!

The A835 does address many of the problems present with the A830. The new 65k colour screen is much higher quality, video calling has been added, the memory is now a useful amount (generous even). The addition of haptics and a new navigation key are minor additions. The A835 retains the features that made the A830 useful: video recording and playback, MP3 playback, downloadable Java applications, Bluetooth wireless connectivity. However, the biggest bugbear with the A830 was the terrible battery life. So has the A835 fixed this problem? Well, on paper at least, the battery life of the A835 has been improved, but in practice it is still dire, needing to be charged every day if you use the phone a reasonable amount.

Features of the Motorola A835 include:

• 65,000 colour hi-res display (176 x 220 resolution)
• Integrated digital video camera
• Video calling
• Voice recorder
• MP3 player
• Polyphonic ringtones / MP3 ringtones
• Java applications
• SMS, EMS, MMS
• Predictive text input (iTap™)
• E-mail (POP3)
• In-built hands-free speaker phone
• Integrated Stereo Headset Jack
• Bluetooth™ wireless connectivity, Infrared data port, USB port
• Games
• Voice Activated Dialling
• User customisable softkey functions, main menu and shortcuts
• Organiser: Calculator and currency converter, date and clock, datebook with reminder alarms
• PIM functionality
• Picture phone book
• Internal memory - 64 Mbytes
• WAP, GPRS
• Vibration alert
• Tri-band (GSM 900/1800/1900)
• Size: 137 x 56 x 27 mm
• Weight: 155g
• Talktime: up to 2 hours
• Battery standby: up to 9 days

Motorola A835 Consumer Reviews

Love your mobile? Hate it? Please share your experiences to help other people choose the phone that's best for them. Please do not review this phone if you have not used it. This is a review site, not a forum, so please don't just ask questions. Please do not use swear words or offensive language, and please, no advertising!

Average rating from 100 reviews:

Reviewed by Enaruni Ifidon from uk on 22nd Aug 2005
Possesses everythin that could possibly fit in a handheld device... and believe me, this is not a light weight gadget... virtually weighs a ton. Has a good camera and relatively large internal memory...but sadly, it is prone to system failures, the camera has a mind of its own and of course, the battery life is laughable for a phone packed with so much functions. More suited as a back up phone in the office...
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Reviewed by matty from uk on 17th Aug 2005
this phone is rubbish ok, the phone itself is huge, maybe it does have a few good features on it but it is still rubbish the camera is not at all that good and neither is the video, the phone alweays seemed to crash for me i had thi sphone quite some ago but i still reccomend that knowbody buys it unless they are not bothered about the camera or the video feature or the actual size of the phobne, but as far as i am concerned this phone is not at all one to buy
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Reviewed by Tamika Wilson from Australia on 7th Aug 2005
This phone is extremley embarasing and the only people i would recomend the phone to is brick layers. The camera is garbage makes me look fuzzy and battery life last for about a day and takes forever to charge. Thank God for ebay (i cant belive someone is goin to buy it from me hahaha)
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Reviewed by sapphire from USA on 3rd Aug 2005
I dont understand why you think this phone is 'rubish" or whatever you said... I have had this phone for 7 months and it has worked amazingly..... I have dropped it twice (nothing major though) and I have let my sister use it and she has dropped it multiple times and it still works great. the memory capacity is awsome I have well over all of the following: 300 pictures, 20 videos, about 10 costum ringers (which the phone had to be Hacked to have put on), and 8 costum wall papers. the only problem with the multimedia that I have found is that it does take a bit longer to load than most phone do, but then again I have alot more photos on my phone than anyone I know.... as for the battery life, I have had this phone been fully charged and USED quite a bit and still had it last for 4 days so this bad batterie life is junk It works beautifully so maybe its just the battery you have....and on top of that, this phone has been complimented on my every person I have met and they people say it is better than there phone which include Blackberry's, slidders, Razors, and many otheres.... so what if its big. it is big because it has more features....so I think its a great phone and it is a great phone but not for someone that more concerned with taking high quality photos.... If you want hi quality photosm, bye a camera you idiot!!!
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Reviewed by nene from - on 31st Jul 2005
oh come on!!! this phone is just disappointing....the camera quality is so poor it may as well not be a flipping camera.......there are no games....its the BIGGEST BRICK YOU HAVE EVER SEEN!!! i hate it...i cant bare to be seen with it in public
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Reviewed by manuel from portugal on 31st Jul 2005
good.
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Reviewed by james from Australia on 13th Jul 2005
this Phone IS sHOCKING!!! where do i start, put simply do ot bye this fone, unless you want am always dead brick that does not fit in your pocket or if it does, looks like you have your office sqeezed in there.
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Reviewed by Sc4n from Melbourne on 2nd Jul 2005
Umm, I dont know what to say to the people who said this phone is a rubbish, etc. For me personally this Phone, well it's not that 'rubbish' it's ok. The fone, it has quite a good network and have quite a lot of features in it, and I can make sure this fone is really strong (trust me, it really is. Why, well... think about this, i accidently dropped this fone twice from my 2nd floor house stairs when im playing with it and it hit walls and the stairs couple times until i get my hand on it on the middile of the stair floor, it wasn't broken at all and it's still working as before, and to make its day, that was not the only thing this fone got 'hurts' by my hand). But yea, the down things of this fone is, It's quite big, and the camera is not that good, especially when you take a pictures off in the evening, it's blurr, and the Battery life was not good too.. it's just hold on about a day with minimal use, Half day with many uses. Other than that, this fone is ok. Suggestion: Dont buy this fone IF there are better looking fones and features.
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Reviewed by Elliot from England on 29th Jun 2005
Completely rubbish phone, its absolutely massive, (more like a bomb than a phone) Camera - rubbish Battery life - can last less than a day (or worse) Bluetooth/ir - very hard to connect Navigation - hard to navigate Network - Expensive, with hidden traps Its really not worth getting this phone, the phone is rubbish, the network is rubbish and its too big!
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Reviewed by Jonathan Bond from England on 28th Jun 2005
This phone had 3 faulty items that were the reason for buying the phone! The MP3 player wouldn't work, the e-mail didn't work or the "3 triangle" key button. It is being sent for repairs now, so hopefully it should work EVENTUALLY... =(
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Reviewed by BOB from UK CHELMSFORD on 26th Jun 2005
I GOT THIS PIECE OF RUBBISH 10 MONTHS AGO AND JUST SOLD IT TO MY DAD FOR A TENER. IT IS A PIECE OF RUBBISH THE FIRST DAY I GOT IT. ON 3PAY PAY. I PAY I £50 FOR IT. ITS A BIG PIECE OF RUBBISH FOR £50.THANKS DONT BUY IT
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Reviewed by Donald Barclay from Scotland on 18th Jun 2005
This phone is fantactic! I've had the A835 for 8 months now and nothing has ever gone wrong with it. Firstly the camara/video quality is brilliant and if your video/picture memory is full you can easily transfer the videos or pictures to your computer! BUY IT NOW!!!!!!!!
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Reviewed by Ben Sinfield from England on 8th Jun 2005
This fone is brill, it has a gr8 camera a 5x zoom and all da features that you need, the only downside is that u cant expand da memory, but this fone haz mp3 bluetooth digicam email WAP Gr8 games and it may b good but 4 £29.99 (www.three.co.uk) it is amazing!!!
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Reviewed by Leebzie from United Kingdon on 14th May 2005
This phone is not as bad as most people are saying, for its flaws it was a damn cheap phone with a lot of functionality throughout most of its life on the market. I bought it when it was 75 GBP (Around 13 Months Ago), and I do feel I've had my moneys worth (75 is/was cheap for a phone of its functionality then), however sadly the central naivgation joystick is ruined and i'll have to get a new phone now. Screen : Quality is great. If you know what your doing with PaintShop/PhotoShop you can make some incredible backgrounds. Navigation/Menu System : Perfect, you'd be hard pressed not to understand this. Communications (IrDA/Bluetooth/Email): No problems detected, however dont like 'having' to reveal urself, there needs to be an always on facility Battery Life : Pretty pathetic, but not as bigger problem as everyone makes out, I charge every night, or other night. My phone goes dead for around three days a month due to battery life. The biggest problem I have found is the INCREDIBLY annoying beeping 'beepboop' when the phone goes into low battery mode, and it does that an awful lot ! I have actually become well known for consistently beeping around people :/. The charger lead etc is complete junk because the pins on the bottom of the phone are way too exposed, and the pins on the charging plug are way too exposed too, resulting in black grimy buildups that act as insulators. Often you wake up in a morning to find the damn thing hasnt charged after casually plugging it in the previous night. Regular contact cleaning with alcohol/solvent is required. Memory/Music: A pretty generous amount of memory to store a good amount of MP3's , Pictures, etc. Sound playing quality is pretty nice, and pretty loud. Camera/Video: Good but has a major, major flaw, If you do not persistently lock your phone (I dont 'always') if the 'easy use' camera button on the side gets pressed down a few times in your pocket this thing goes insane and takes loads of blank pictures, which soon cripple the loading of your 'pictures' folder. A problem which has so badly crippled my phone I never use the camera for pictures. Network : I find 3 is a fine network if you use your phone a lot. When using my phone just around enough to burn a £15 a month top up I felt I was getting a reasonable deal, I am not up to date on this topic though, so Ill have to check. 3 Has got a lot better over the year ive used it, and improves a service or so every week - fortnight. Size : Large but quite satisfactory. Small phones get on my nerves though because of the tiny buttons. Weight : Who cares ? How on earth does the difference between a 50g phone and a 250g really infulence purchasing, what, afraid to carry 200g more ? oh no ! Thats the majority of main categories, there are a few things ive never understood about this phone tho, the 'haptics' function is described as your phone making light and sound to attract your attention. From the description you'd expect flashing or patterns. Actually, can you say a phone has 'haptics' if all it does is light up when its ringing (screen and buttons are lit, do not flash or anything), because thats all this phone does. If I were to buy a phone a year ago, I would still buy this one, however, I would not now, as there are far better deals available far more easily, this phone has had its day.
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Reviewed by david from uk on 12th May 2005
the a835 is rubber phone it got a useless battery life,only 1 thing its good on the phone it had 64mbs of memory,its on a rubber network, the camera is rubber, had it for 10mths and it rubber phone now i got a 6230 and its got one of the best camera i have seen on the market. its rubber phone dont buy it.
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Reviewed by A_man from UK on 10th May 2005
I think its the network rather than the phone that overall spoils the phone. The 3 network is poor, which means the signal is bad sometimes. The battery life is very poor and it makes that annoying sound. And when the battery is finally dead...BOY it is dead. I got the phone when it came out last year January but i regret it. The phone is big, the video quality is ok when the phone is still but the moment you move it gets blurry. The bluetooth is excellent but no radio and yet another disater from Moto. The fact that the phone comes on three only makes it worse.
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Reviewed by umairalisiddiquiinlondon from england on 7th May 2005
none of the functions are working. the bluetooth does not even work neither does the video or camera
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Reviewed by David from Australia on 21st Apr 2005
This Phone is AWSOME, It is one of my favourites and has great features! :)
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Reviewed by JUNAID MIRZA from PAKISTAN on 13th Apr 2005
I like this mobile because it has a very professional look and outstanding result.
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Reviewed by bob from usa on 10th Apr 2005
Motorola a835 is a fantstic mobile phone.I am really satisfied with this great phone.
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Reviewed by Andy from England on 9th Apr 2005
sadly the phone is TO technical and the software cant keep up, its too big and can be to complicated to use. i had 2 phones in less than 7 months and the 2nd phone kept going wrong and the repair department couln't fix it so i cancelled the contract. i've known a lot of people with the same problems. not very good for a phone with so much hype....my thoughts....make your own mind up
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Reviewed by David Hillier from England on 30th Mar 2005
When I bought this phone, I looked at the features for quite a few phones and the prices for them. To be fair to the poor old A835 it is an impressive phone on paper. The battery life isnt as bad as it was, there is a good camera (tho this is looking quite dated now with the release of many 1.3 megapixel camera phones) and the ability to use video, MP3 and Bluetooth(TM). The problems are present however. For the style concious amoung us, having a phone that is the size of a small blue whale and heavier than your average American trucker is a bit of a no no. There are also the technical problems. Mine for instance has a tempremental camera. Trying to use it results in the rather comical response of "Busy, try again later". At least the engineers have a sense of humour. It is also a shame that the battery isnt as good as it could be. While on paper it is a significant improvement over the previous model, the realities of life paint a different picture. If you get the A835 to stay on for more than 36hrs then you dont have enough friends. Overall, it is worth the 3 stars thanks to the low price and good tech specs but there is certainly room for major improvements.
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Reviewed by jimbo from uk on 20th Mar 2005
AVOID THIS PHONE AT ALL COSTS. Mustaghees, you said this phone was 'a good phone' My only explanation for this is that either a) you are a fool or b) you are a phone salesman trying to shift the hundreds of these phones left collecting dust in your horrible little phone shop I am not an idiot. This phone is rubbish. Goodnight
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Reviewed by - from England on 19th Mar 2005
The phone is alright but not great. It has great features but The receptions poor unless you live in a major city.
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Reviewed by mustaghees from rochdale on 12th Mar 2005
Really good phone it is quite chunky and dont beleive the idiots that gave it 1 star it is truly a good phone it has all the ffeatures what else do you need. dont get put off from the other reviews. they are all mainly rubbish. GREAT PHONE !!!!!!!!
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Reviewed by jimbo from uk on 9th Mar 2005
terrible terrible terrible phone, worst i have ever owned by some distance. how this phone averages 3 stars i dont know. the chumps who gave it 4 or 5 stars are really having a laugh, pathetic. i agree with one review i read saying it was the worst telecommunications device ever. alexander graham bell is turning in his grave.
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Reviewed by Pete from UK on 8th Mar 2005
This phone should never have been released. Even 1 star is giving it too much credit. Poor coverage, poor quality, poor durability all in a brick that'll cost you a nice bite once a month. I'm sure someone out the there has built a house from the number of these phones that have broken and been sent back! After a 1 year prison sentence of owning this phone, all I can say is don't do it to yourself.
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Reviewed by Gianfranco Motorola from England on 2nd Mar 2005
Where does one start with the A835. This phone and it's enormous mass, instantly attracted me via it's own gravitational pull. The A835 sports many subtle, useful and inventive functions. A particular favourite was the A835's ability to reduce my monthly call charges. It ensured that I could keep my daily calls at a minimum at around three calls a day and loudly and proudly warned me that my three calls were at their end. Rest assure this is a force to be reackoned with. During my 14 month relationship with the A835 however, I have sustained permanent, although minor, knee problems carrying the A835 in my pockets. This is possibly the only major flaw i can think of, and a small price to pay for this otherwise fantastic piece of modern equipment. The phone is highly economical and requires only 2 hours to fully charge for those with a fast lifestyle. This, in turn, promotes physical exercise on the users part, carrying around the generator/charger with them. This highly fashionable and sophisticated communications device proved to be of upmost rigidity and strength. Approached one night by two youths, obviously attracted to this fashionable, expensive and obviously, much coveted device, I nearly had to part with my Motorola. The A835, however, proved 100% successful in rigidity tests against bone. There was, of course, mess, but the A835 was an unscathed success. The phone has an air of independence about it and, when sporting it, gives the user a sense of identity. People most certainly know who you are with this phone. Of course, to a human, unappreciative of sarcasm, this may come accross as an astoundingly positive review. The harsh reality is that the Motorola A835 is almost certainly, the single worst communicator in universal history. It's recent demotion on the pay-as-you-talk range, with an impressive shelf value of...10 whole english pounds!!!!!!!???!!!, would signify that the A835 is far from Tesco's best and very much on the 'blue & white' range. Rest assured, this is a rank phone and should be avoided at all costs. On the plus side, It makes for a fantastic doorstop! Yours faithfully.
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Reviewed by Marsha from England on 26th Feb 2005
I have gave this phone 1 star because I have had to. I don't know which is worse, the 3 network or this phone. Where do I begin:- 1. Needs charging almost after every time you use it. 2. Took some photos which are now just black. 3. Spends most of its time on emergency call only. 4. If it's not on emergency call only, it's locked itself so I have to take the battery out to turn the damn thing off. 5. It's huge! 6. The button in the middle don't work. 7. The quality of the photos are rubbish. 8. Cuts out in the middle of calls. 9. Comes up call failed regularly even though reception is good. The list is endless. Just got to say though that it is the worse phone I have ever had.
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Reviewed by MARK from ENGLAND on 26th Feb 2005
The worse phone I have ever had the misfortune to use. It spends most of its time being charged up. When it is charged up it either cuts out in the middle of calls, goes to emergency use only or the whole thing freezes and the all it will let me do with it is switch it off. Utter rubbish!!!!! Got so sick of it, threw it at a wall yesterday and smashed it. Best thing I did.
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Reviewed by CALVIN HONEY-JONES from UK on 21st Feb 2005
THIS FONE IS HEADING FOR MY WINDOW, I AINT HAD A BAD PHONE EVER IN MY LIFE, I SHOULD COLLECT LOADS AND BUILD A HOUSE! STUPID BRICK, I PULLED IT OUT IN A CLUB AND I NEARLY GOT THROWN OUT! BOUNCERS THOUGHT I HAD A BAT WITH ME, LOL (JOKE)
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Reviewed by dave from england on 20th Feb 2005
THIS FONE IS A BRICK
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Reviewed by nATHAN tESSLER from UK on 18th Feb 2005
This phone is the worst i've ever bought. It's too big and 3 is rubbish
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Reviewed by James from England on 18th Feb 2005
Wow! Never realised there was so many people out there for who, like me, this phone has just been a nightmare! Where do I begin?! 1) Battery life is horrendous, that low battery "bu-du" noise haunts my dreams, why does it still do it even when the phone is on silent! Not good when your in lectures... 2) Why does the backlight just not turn of sometimes?! Normally at night so it keeps you awake! 3) Why does it say 'call failed' when I apparently have full signal! 4) Why does it just lock up everynow and again? 5) Why does it take ages to sodding boot up when you turn the thing on! 6) Why didnt I read this website before I bought it!?!!?!?! Could go on forever but won't, got new mobile phone last week, a samsung D500. Thank the lord, the brick will be consigned to the bin now.
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Reviewed by Jummy from London on 16th Feb 2005
The only reason i gave this star a rating of 1 is because im feeling a little happy today. When i gpt this phone i thought it was going to be really good but boy was i wrong i charged it to the fullest the next thing i knew it was on 2 bars. The phone is a brick and i knew it was going to be big but i thought that with all the things it could do it was worth it the phone is big for nothing! when i record clips it takes like 10seconds before it stops taking a picture is a nightmare the screen is blurry i thought it was just because it was night time but it was like that in the morning aswell its hard to get the back cover off and bluetooth keeps on playing up. By the way i got the phone a few days ago and it still has not been activated so only God knows how messaging is like. I have to many things to say about this phone so i don't want to bore you i can't wait till i go back to the shop tomorrow to see if am going to get a refund or replacement, p.s my dad spent almost half the petrol on going up and down to the shop and 3 is useless.
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Reviewed by dave from uk on 15th Feb 2005
its not even worth 1 star, its a pile of junk, it would be more useful being used as a brick or a weapon because it hurts when you get smacked over the head(so i've heard). its really slow, keeps crashing, and the camera is all blurry. so if you get angry with the fone just throw it at someone or something, it doesn't break the brick.
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Reviewed by matt h from england on 10th Feb 2005
THIS IS A BRICK , I KNOW PEOPLE SAY PHONES ARE BRICKS WHEN THERE QUITE BIG BUT THIS FONE IS THE SIVE OF A BRICK STAY AWAY
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Reviewed by mike from england on 9th Feb 2005
fones rubbish .dont bother byin it. cameras all blury and you know what three phones are like.just one word to explain it, rubbish.
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Reviewed by Arun Mandalia from England on 28th Jan 2005
Great fone. brill
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Reviewed by Sim from England on 22nd Jan 2005
Hello, I would like to just point out a couple of things about this phone...... It's RUBBISH!!!!!! I can't wait to get rid of it! It Freezes, doesn't send messages when I want it to, the charger socket is really badly designed - started to go wrong after the first three months, Cut's off calls, hardly ever picks up a good signal, the joystick thing just about works, and I have looked after the phone, there are many moments when I have wanted to run over it in my car or get a baseball and smash it, but nevertheless have restrained myself! The main reason though for my absolute contemptment for this phone is the awful, and I mean awful battery life, made even more irratating by the really loud battery warning noise that you can't turn off, in fact it's doing it right now!!!!!!!!!! Only a few more weeks and the contract runs out, wwwwoooohhhhoooooo!!!!! I strongly reccomend NOT getting this phone. I suppose I should find something good about it and that would be the free memory space, which is a lot! and the size doesn't bother me, you don't lose it that's for sure.
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Reviewed by clifton from australia on 21st Jan 2005
Price of the phone was cheap and it is an improvement on the A830 however the battery life is still poor, and when the phone is connected to a bluetooh headset, the phone will only ring via the headset. If you remove your bluetooh headset you can't hear your phone ring. The phone is very sensitve if your are carrying it in your pocket or the case and have to put the phone on lock to prevent your battery from running low.
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Reviewed by Jeff from UK on 19th Jan 2005
Not sure which is worse, the phone or the '3' network. After 8 months the battery now lasts about an hour from full charge (if you can actually get a signal to make a call in the first place). Drops calls & frequently hangs. Only phone/network I've known where you can't get a signal in Central London ! If you've any sense and intend to actually use the phone to make calls, avoid like the plague. There's a reason they're available on 'cheap' deals. In 4 months it's 'Farewell to our Network', roll on April !
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Reviewed by mike from uk on 18th Jan 2005
I bought this phone because it had everything. I t was also cheep. £75 at the time. The reason it is so cheep is because 3 make their money from calls. Out of the £15 minimum credit you can only spend £1.50 on stuff you really want. That means if you want to make a phone call, a text and download a game on most networks you could do that for £6 but on 3 it will cost you £20 as you have to buy add ons at £5 My message is dont buy this phone just because its cheep. Do you really want to spend £20 a month?
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Reviewed by Caz from Uk on 18th Jan 2005
I recently brought this phone UNLOCKED on ebay.<<
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Reviewed by Holmesy from uk on 15th Jan 2005
The worst phone i have ever had the misfortune to use. Camera pathetic, keeps loosing signal and needs charging every day.
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Reviewed by richard thorne from uk on 11th Jan 2005
Thank god my contract is up.worked fine for 1st 3 months then down hill from there.Very poor reception.Battery life needs charging twice a day.Been for repair 3 times.phone reads battery unable to charge.3 said new charger on its way.28 days with out phone. rang up every other day 15 times in total.Each time they said lost in post we will send you a new one. not one arrived.with 1week to go they have sent lg8120 replacement.my wife has lg8110.brilliant phones.have just taken out 2 new contracts with 3 have i done the right thing
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Reviewed by aj from nigeria on 11th Jan 2005
i just bought this phone and its wonderful! its got quite a lot of features,nice camera(better than sony ericssonT610)4 sho!Video cam! thats off the hook!just the battery life!wel thats normal with all moto phones..get a spare battery at all times
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Reviewed by andrew from england on 9th Jan 2005
very good loved it, best phone inda world
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Reviewed by ali from UK on 3rd Jan 2005
i am so happy as my contract is coming to an end, YES.. this phone was a big mistake, reception is very poor, you miss half the other side speaking, battery is 1 out of ten. and it feels like a brick in your pocket. good buy to 3 soon, and i can not wait.
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Reviewed by Karl from England on 17th Dec 2004
Absolute Junk, DO NOT TOUCH this phone on 3 about to get my solicitor to write a letter to them! Been back 4 times now not been able to use it in 3 months. DO NOT TOUCH THIS PHONE or 3G
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Reviewed by matt from england on 16th Dec 2004
I would have actually given 0 stars if it were an option, the phone itself crashes very frequently and is also far to big to fit in your pocket, the real prob lies with the network however, it drops calls more than i have ever experienced in my whole life..as a courier i explained this to 3 they were not interested in the shameful way their network operates i boxed it back up after a month or 2 and sent it back to them they returned it to me , it sits here in its box worthless, i have been on the O2 network ever since then with not a sniff of a problem on a V600....avoid this phone but more importantly avoid 3 like the plague.
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Reviewed by Thomas from England on 15th Dec 2004
i got this phones a few days ago and its great, by far the best phone for its price (£30). it does absolutely everything and the size is brilliant as well as the size of the screen. a good camera, 3 minutes video, 64 megs memory, blue tooth and mp3 is not found of any phones under at least £100 apart from this one. is has unfortunately been discontinued in the shops and replaced by the motorola c975 which has no blue tooth a fraction of the memory and a smaller screen; great replacement! you will have to order it over the phones but its worth it anyway i highly recommend it.
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Reviewed by myfa from Poland on 13th Dec 2004
It's OK. The battery could be better, but in general it is a realy good phone. If you are not affraid by it's size surely I can recomend it.
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Reviewed by Paul from newcastle on 11th Dec 2004
Absolute rubbish! Very poor quality ringtones. Bad screen. Although its very cheap to buy as are most 3g phones. I find 3g VERY unreliable and have since moved on to orange with the new samsung D500 which i get on monday. If anyone is looking for a phone with an EXCELLENT camera, look no further than the SHARP GX30!!!! AMAZING. Infact, I doubt I will be happy with my samsung d500 now ive tatsted the sharp gx30. Might be going back to it. Only problem is that its exclusive to vodaphone. Yes its unlockable. Fair point!
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Reviewed by Paul from UK on 10th Dec 2004
One word - don't. Thank God my contract expires on this phone in the next few weeks. If someone offers it to you "Just say no". The phone exhibits some of the most bizarre behaviour I have seen in a mobile. The navigation is always a few seconds behind, and the logic of the Motorola software is simply...American at best. 3 as a network is (as you may have guessed from other reviews) pants. No disrespect to the no doubt hardworking helpdesk operators, but you are never going to get swift resolutions to problems (which you will get) if neither party can understand each other are you? Stick with a Nokia phone on Orange for your sanity.
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Reviewed by sutty from england on 8th Dec 2004
dis fone is phat me n mi homies always rave 2 mi bangin tunes on it dis fone is wikid
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Reviewed by SUPER SEXY7 from THE WORLD on 6th Dec 2004
dis phone is wikid eathen da bulk is cool because it carrys a big screen with it!the mp3 is da bomb and so am i of couse and the camera is of the hooosie man i tink the price is wik aswwell shame for 3g though £15 30 days naaaa
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Reviewed by Jean-Paul from UK on 28th Nov 2004
1 star is too generous for this phone and the 3 Network. They are a complete joke. First of all, the user interface is not intuitive at all. The phone also takes about 20 seconds to boot up!! On the 3 network, making outgoing calls is OK, although voice quality is substandard with this phone, ie, I can't hear the other person's voice clearly. However, I only receive 50% of the calls others make to me immediately without errors. My friends always complain that they can't get hold of me. I'm glad my minimum contract is coming to an end. The 3 Network can't even get the basics right... sigh.
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Reviewed by Andrew from UK on 26th Nov 2004
Message to whose people who complained about the size and weight of phone: Did you not see the phone before taking a contract out on it? Whats the point of complaining NOW that its too big and heavy! No one forced you to buy such a bulky phone.
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Reviewed by Rob from uk on 22nd Nov 2004
I love this phone for its great mp3, with a loudspeaker on the back so you can play it without headphones, great out on a picnic, on the beach etc - you dont get that with dedicated mp3 players. Also the photos are pretty good and it comes with the pc software and cable you need to load the pics/mp3s. I don't like the 3 network (poor reception even in London, high cost, only access to 3's dull wap service - all else blocked), so got the phone unlocked and use a Virgin sim card, and it works much better like that, with crystal clear call quality and with Virgin its good value for money. I hear alot of complaints about its size, but i find the extra size pleasant to use and i love the big screen and how the phone looks. The infrared and bluetooth are very useful and work extremely well, very powerful. My only gripe is the unnecessarily small text on such a big screen, and i find texting rather slow and painful compared to how it is on my other phone, the nokia 3200.
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Reviewed by JON PRITCHARD from UK on 21st Nov 2004
WORDS CAN NOT DISCRIBE THIS PHONE. THE WORST PHONE I'VE EVER HAD IN MY LIFE. I PURCHASED THIS PHONE FOR MY NEW BUISNESS THAT I HAVE SET UP,I CAN HONESTLY SAY ITS COST MY FIRM ALOT OF MONEY. VOICEMAILS COME THROUGH DAYS AFTER THEY HAVE BEEN SENT,THE E-MAIL HAS NEVER WORKED THE PHONE CRASHES CONSTANLY. I AM CONSTANTLY APPOLOGISING TO MY CUSTOMERS WHICH IS'NT GOOD FOR A NEW VENTURE. FORGET IT DONT BOTHER WITH THE PHONE OR THE NETWORK
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Reviewed by Barry from UK on 18th Nov 2004
I was very pleased when I got this phone. It seemed to have everything you could want, and although it's a lot bulkier than most others, the size of the screen, the video and mp3 features and large memory make up for it. But after just four months, it started playing up. It seems to have worn out - particularly the navigation key. It does have a tendency to crash when online or running some Java applications. Also, the bulk can no longer be justified in relation to newer phones coming out now. A phone that had a lot of potential, but was rapidly overtaken by competitors. Still, with 64Mb, it can function as a basic mp3 player if nothing else!
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Reviewed by lil stew from England on 17th Nov 2004
I was looking forward to get this fone for ages, the specs are brilliant and so is the price, but when i got it i was so dissapointed. Firstly the phone is so bulky you cant even fit it in your pocket and the network (3. To anybody who is finking about buying this phone, DONT
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Reviewed by Mark Underwood from Plymouth,UK on 17th Nov 2004
Got this phone as part of the 3G contract. Crikey its like a brick in terms of size. Original battery was useless so got the extended battery which greatly improved battery performance. Then my troubles started! Go out of signal and then the phone wants me to enter my pin on re-entering a signal area! What a nightmare. Also the phone has frozen several times and the software seems to have a mind of its own...like I get about 40 messages in the inbox instead of one!The phone has been sent back via the retailer 4 times in 6 months. On getting the phone back the last 2 times either 3G or Motorola have failed to fix the faults that it wernt in to be repaired for. There in the shop the camera would not work nor the video plus when the phone was taken to the back of the shop, it lost the signal and then when in signal it asked for the PIN! This all despite my retailer (JAG Communications who are excellent by the way) having asked to ensure that the phone go thru Quality Control. I was even shown the QC sheets....what a load of waffle....my 8 yr old could have done better. 3G finally agreed to providing me with a NEW phone (LG u8120) but als after 9 days they are having difficulty in sending one to me!!!!!!! I have now decided that it is time to go back to Orange and get a simple plane jane phone that I know that will work and will last. Good ridance 3G and Motorola A835
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Reviewed by phil from cornwall on 14th Nov 2004
had the phone for 9 months now, although its never let me down be prepared to place it strategically on a cup to get it to charge, expect "unable to send message" when you try to txt, the most annoying bleep which carries on forever (even in silent mode) to inform you of low battery which is every day. but the good thing; if your ever attacked you can use it to beat off the assailant!!!!
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Reviewed by matthew from england on 12th Nov 2004
best phone
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Reviewed by Aaron from Andrews on 5th Nov 2004
I love this phone, it has everything i want but it is a bit bulky but it needs to be for what it needs to do.
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Reviewed by Michael from Australia on 2nd Nov 2004
I bought this phone before the good 3 phones came out and before 3 offered pre paid phones so i feel really ripped off seeing as this phone is a brick and i am locked into a contract with about 14 months left on it, it has failed on me once and they sent me a "refurbished" one which just means that it is someone else's old one that they fixed up and i think this one is about to fail on me again, i hate this phone and i am currently pondering whether i should get a nec e616 for AU$195 or a LG U8120 for AU$324, what do everyone think i should get?
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Reviewed by Nathan Preece from Wales, UK on 31st Oct 2004
I personally think that this phone is great; it has many advanced features that many phones lack. However, the 3 network is a huge rip-off and really brings this rating down. Shame on 3! (But you can still get this phone unlocked in your local phone shop for about a tenner, and put your Virgin, etc SIM inside!)
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Reviewed by clive from uk on 31st Oct 2004
have had this phone now for about 8 months.It may be a bit of a brick but look at the features that you get-large colour screen,polyphonic ringtones,reasonable camera,good on board memory & bluetooth.the mp3 player is excellent and also the video clips.The battery life is reasonable. The only thing that lets this phone down is the sketchyness of the 3 network and the total lack of customer support but then that is not a problem with the handset.overall a good solid workhorse of a phone
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Reviewed by steve from england on 29th Oct 2004
I have owned this phone now for 5 months and know it inside and out. First off, battery life is poor and does have to be charged everynight just make sure you have the backlight turned on for only a minute and forget the screen saver. Picture quality from the camera is poor as well, even if the resolution is turned up to the highest. The phone does lose calls and sometimes resets itself. To fix the signal coverage of the phone go into settings network avail networks let it search and pick an avail 3 network and all of a sudden you have full coverage again. Good points with the phone are, lots to do with it, the gps works fine, as does the mp3 player, its external speaker is great for picking up messages while the phone is not at your ear. The internal memory is second to none, my email works fine as does the computer generated voice at telling me my message contents of the email. I have downloaded lots of ring tones videos and so on and still have lots of memory left...It com es with the hands free for driving and the mic seems to work fine while driving. Over all if you want a phone with all the goodies lots of memory have a charger near by everynight and you are in a good area of coverage I would recommend the phone.
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Reviewed by Outcast Aussie from Uk on 21st Oct 2004
I am a long distance Truckie, when I first got the phone I found it received MUCH better than my works Nancy Nokia .. (Everyones got one), receiving a good signal in Northrepps (Cromer to you Lamers) So I was quite impressed. I quickly setup email addies and was very happy with it ... Excepting, of course the pathetic battery life. Things change !! First thing to go wrong was if you selected "Delete All" from the txt menu the phone would lock up. Only removing the battery would free it. Signal. All of a sudden it started to get rubbish ?? So off I went to Superdrug (Where I got the phone & contract) and handed it over for repair. Stating the above problems. One week later and I get it back .. Software problem cured, Although for the life of me I cant get email working again ? (Complete software re-install wipes all your settings). Signal. If I go one mile out of Peterborough (Where I live) I get "No Service" or "Emergency Only" on the screen. In fact, Sitting here in my house in Westwood (P'boro) I hardly have a signal .. WTF ?? I have been getting so angry with it lately !! I am going to cancel the two £5 extra services I have on top of the £25 base package and just sling it in a cupboard. Contract can't end soon enough (Still got six months to go). AVOID THIS PHONE AT ALL COSTS. Asking around ... (Thats why I'm here) Everyone who has this phone is having problems. Says it all really !! Paul Peterborough
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Reviewed by Andrew from UK on 20th Oct 2004
Well what can I say about this phone, Thank God my contract is up, 12 months of hell. This phone has been returned more than once, is super huge and weighs a ton. The Batterie life is so bad. And the picture video quality is so very poor. Can I also say that 3 Customer services was poor and would never go back with them. All in all I have told all my friends and family never to buy from them. If you own this phone you have my sympathies.
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Reviewed by Gordy from Scotland on 19th Oct 2004
Ok let's start with the postive aspects of this phone. It has lot of internal memory about 64Mb of storage. If you use Nokia Media Converter 2.0 on a PC then you can shrink AVI.files to become MPEG4 (3GPP) files. you can then stick on a 2 hr movie or 4 Episodes of The Simpsons as I had. Very good for boring train jorneys. It also comes supplied with a 2 ear headphones which is useful and all the leads,and most software comes supplied. Now for the bad 3G have locked the phone so any content,movies,ringtones,wallpaper etc you have to get from 3G. Pretty unfair. I have heard a lot of moaning about the lack of signal,I have figured out that this is caused by the phone switching from 3G to 2.5G in areas of poor signal strength. So not really the phones fault. 3G's call centre is in the back of nowhere in Asia(good luck there).Now to the phone itself. It weighs a ton, the camera and video recorder are pretty poor and the battery life is absolutley shocking!! I have the phone fully charged and after a 5-10 min call its knackered. I kid you not this is a terrible battery. I have to charge the phone nightly.The phone annoyingly cuts out for no reason and half the 3G services dont work. Oh and the email has never worked. So do the positives outway the negitives? no. save your cash for when a decent 3G network and moblie phone maker get the act together!!
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Reviewed by dave from united kingdom on 19th Oct 2004
the phone is ok because it has blue tooth and infered and the phone does loads of things
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Reviewed by Hannah Treweek from England on 18th Oct 2004
I hate this phone, it's big, heavy and the picture and video quality is rubbish. It is never fully charged and the battery goes down so quick. It cuts out half way throught convosation s and text message. One good thing you can record for 3 minutes, which is good. But in all i would tell no one to buy this phone.
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Reviewed by Glenn from England on 18th Oct 2004
I brought this phone on contract in April and didn't have a problem with it until now. 6 months seems the average life span for this phone.They have claimed they have fixed it but no such luck. I have sent it back three times to 3. They are now going to replace this phone with a Motorola A925 which I'n hoping will be a lot better. The customer service needs more attention as they lack the skills. I'm not sure if I'm calling England or India. Overall I am pleased with the 3 network. My friend has the same phone and again it lasted around 6 months.
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Reviewed by Debbie Miller from UK on 17th Oct 2004
Once I'd found my way round the many features on this phone it was pretty impressive, however, the battery life is awful, and I've started having problems charging it up. The phone says it's charging even when you unplug the charger, and then it starts to overheat because it's been on charge so long and the battery is still flat. I contacted 3 customer service - what a joke! The guy couldn't understand a word I said, asked for the password for my account but couldn't spell it, couldn't pronounce it, then told me to call back during normal hours - who's normal hours, UK or India?? Motorola need to take up the state of customer service with 3, otherwise they're going to lose customers - guilty by association, I'm afraid. I'm going to attempt to contact 3 again this week, but if I don't have any success I'll follow the example of another reviewer and cancel the direct debit, maybe then they'll understand me!
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Reviewed by Darwin from England on 16th Oct 2004
had the phone for a couple of weeks, and despite the battery life, which is fine if you keep the screen off when not in use its a great bit of kit! I hav never got credit for it, so the cost doesnt bother me, you can use the email service to email messages to your family, friends and everyone and send video free also if you att the file:) A good gadget, but not a great phone!
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Reviewed by Ryan Henderson from UK on 16th Oct 2004
Would have got 5 stars but the battery life IS awful,unfortunately.Despite that,it has some fabulous features such as an effectively loud speakerphone and a side button to instantly switch to camera mode to take pictures.The MP3 facility is excellent and can store quite a few songs.Voice dialling and blue tooth,together with infrared are all present.The size is acceptable,but it would be nice if it could be as small as the NEC e228.
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Reviewed by Mike Burgess from England on 11th Oct 2004
If i could give this phone a 0 star rating i would. The picture quality is rubbish, the battery is short, it's too big and heavy to fit in my pocket, text messages don't send, it never has a signal and when on the rare occation it does it cuts out before the end of the phone call.
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Reviewed by lewis from england on 7th Oct 2004
iv got this phone and the memory has crashed and it is toooo big!!!!!!!!!!
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Reviewed by Duncan Maile from United Kingdom on 30th Sep 2004
ok this phone has great features but this is now the 5th replacement i have had! prepare for "unable to charge" messages. Latest fault: my charger literally blew up!!!!!
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Reviewed by Steven Archer from England on 27th Sep 2004
I have had my phone since April..first bought it cos it was only £75 on pay as you talk. i has loads of good features- football and other downloads,decent camera and screen but has many many problems. the battery life is totally rubbish...has to charged up every night and some times more.whats the point in having all these features when they run down the battery so much. after the first month the phone started causing problems...would turn off and back on during a call and now only sends one or two txts before stopping..only solution turn off and on again. as for the network...signal is terrible and always drops calls!!! you can be stood next to a friend with the same phone and they will have full signal and you have nothing. plus what they dont tell you about all these advnaced internet and download features is you can only use in a "3g area" which means more often than not. if you plan to use the phone to send mms to another network dont bother..spoke to customer advisor from half way across the world who informed me this has not yet been set up on the 3 network. customer services are awful to get through to and then when you do they cannot help...all they can do is read from a manual AVOID!!!
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Reviewed by Jason from UK on 24th Sep 2004
TOO BIG,TOO COMPLICATED,TOO MUCH OF A DISSAPOINTMENT!
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Reviewed by jamie713 from England on 18th Sep 2004
this phone is da best phone ever da mp3 player is brilliant u cant buy a better phone than dis...
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Reviewed by JJ from England on 17th Sep 2004
this fone is bludy amazing i mean itz got evrything a paerson can wish 4 and at a good price too. Who could go wrong!! MP3 is wikid amazing cyrstal sound an da camera is more then average. It mite b ab big fone but hu cares 4 Godz sake ppl r soo stupid wen they say oooo u got a brik!! i h8 that itz A goood fone simple as that!
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Reviewed by Michael from USA on 18th Aug 2004
I am giving the A835 the higest rating and now I'll tell you why. Even though the size is a bit larger than many other models...who cares. How much of a wimp can one be to complain about size? It's not like one would be using a spoon to eat soup and also be holding the phone in the same hand.So who cares about size for pete sake. What I care about are the features and the quality therein. This phone is so good...I bought two of them. With the tri-band technology I can use it anywhere, which by the way I do.Here in the USA and also in Australia. The video to video part works well providing that #1 you have purchased a service to support it. and #2) that you are not much further away than the sercvice area. Which brings me to service...3G sucks. I'm not sure what their problem is but it borders on being a monopoly. Forget that company and seek out one that is reasonable. People on here complaining about button locations and not being able to download assorted ring tones or use the cam or figure out their way when using the software or whatever other lame-O things they can come up with...well, all I can say is...you should have stayed in school and not dropped out in the 5th grade. This is the 21st century people and most of this stuff is quite elementary.I notice that most of the people with complaints are coming out of the British Isles and parts of europe. All I can say is that all of you may want to consider just forgoing anything resembling high-tech and just use a land line. Do more drugs and fantasize about Pamela Lee or whatever it is you people do over there. Obviously you don't understand the particulars of telecommunications.
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Reviewed by salman sheikh from uk on 18th Aug 2004
this model is excelent i hav had this phone since april 12th 2004 and i think its superb camera quality is good its got high technology real music as tones an mp3 cheap service high colour qaulity nice slee look
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Reviewed by Steven from Scotland on 14th Aug 2004
Earlier in the year I reviewed the phone and gave it 4 stars but now I have different aspects on this phone because it has broken twice and when I sent it to three they just sent it back again!!!!!!!!I went mad at three on the phone and they've finally decided to send me a new LG U8100. It's arriving on Tuesday and I can't wait because people I know who have the LG say it is EXCELLENT!!!!
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Reviewed by Will from England on 14th Aug 2004
I have had this phone for six months now and i have to say as a phone it is very good it is jam packed full of useful features, camera, video, mp3s, bluetooth, infrared... the list goes on. I haven't had any problems using this phone everything has worked as it should, but the reason i am choosing not to keep it is the big issue of its size. Compared to most other phones it is usually twice as big, not to mension a lot heavier, i am always wary of scratching the large screen. this phone leaves little room in my pocket for anything else. if it was only a little smaller and lighter then i think this phone would be unbeatable. To say the user interface is complicated is ludicrous some people are just used to the usual nokia menu system. if u dont mind the size and are willing to wear a belt this phone will keep u entertained. <('-')>
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Reviewed by jonathan levine from united kingdom on 11th Aug 2004
terrible phone . i know i have three and they all have terrible battery life, only solution is to get a car charger if your main use is in car. totally agree 10 minutes of use and its dead.Should be a trades description prosecution case
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Reviewed by Steven from Scotland on 31st Jul 2004
Good camera. Video Quality is ok and it can record up to 3 minutes! Three service is rubbish in Scotland and so are their ringtones (but they are only £2!) Wallpapers are great because they fit the full massive screen on the A835 and are also only £3! But my favourite feature on this phone has to be the mp3 player. ITS GREAT!!!!!!! The sound quality is excellent and it can go quite LOUD!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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Reviewed by Chris(sooty) from UK on 25th Jul 2004
I have owned my a835 for about 5 months now and I still think it's a great phone, the only problem I had with my first one was that the joystick came loose but the replacement handset has been fine, yes...it is quite a big phone and it does eat battery life, I leave my phone on overnight & on standby it lasts 2 days without re-charging, but when using the phone on wap or talk, re-charging is needed every night. Other than these two niggles, it's a great phone. The MP3 & ringtones are excellent, record video for 5/10 seconds or 3 minutes, short video's can be sent over MMS but not the 3 min ones. I bought this phone new for just £75, an absolute bargain, no other phone for this price has the features of this phone, the one down side is the 3G service, it's ok but u are locked to 3G & cannot use any other wap sites, u also have to top-up with a minimum £15 a month & any credit left @ the end of the month is lost, unless u know someone who has a video messaging phone this feat ure is useless so I had my phone unlocked
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Reviewed by matt from wales on 20th Jul 2004
Don't bother, the worst phone ever!
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Reviewed by bob tomlinson from uk on 18th Jul 2004
theri s nothing you can say about this brick well nothing nice
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Reviewed by Robin from UK on 15th Jul 2004
A battery eating brick!!! Oh, one star for a good camera and screen
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Reviewed by Matthew from england on 14th Jul 2004
I got the phone recently and i think that it is really good, It as not as big as every body makes out. so if u r planning on buying on but you are put off because every body says that it is big, Please get 1 because they are a tiny bit over sized but the things they do are amazing, -Built in digital camera (exellent quality) -Built in video camera (exellent quality) -mp3 player (exellent) -Quick Map (Good) - and lots lots more.... And when you are down loading rintones or logos from the internet, you can listen to them or if they are logos u can view them before you purchase them, This is the phone for everybody.....definetaly a 2 thumbs up! ....MATTY....
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Reviewed by Jan Newmarch from Australia on 9th Jul 2004
This is the worst phone I have ever bought. Loaded with features and almost unusable. The central navigation button (up, down, left, right) has an accuracy rate of about 25% to my fingers, which means that I can never successfully scroll down a list of 4 or more items without a detour to somewhere else (left, right or up). That in fact seems to be the phone's major feature: the ability to take you somewere you don't want to go, you don't know where it is and often it can be hard to get back to where you want to be. Some tasks are simple; others that should be simple take an excessive number of keys. There is a big button on the left that does something strange - I haven't figured out what, or how to turn it off, but I know that I keep hitting it by mistake. Even sending text messages is hard: to enter a '0' I tried pressing the zero key - no good. There is a table in the user manual that I need to stick to the back of the phone for such "funny" keys. Usable? Altogethe r, there are 8 keys that control actions, and the sequences to do anything seem to be almost random at times. I am seriously considering going back to my pre-3G phone that is much more user-friendly!
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