Moto MPx200 - thoughts?

Mr E

Looking around for a new phone at the moment, and the MPx200 has really caught my eye. Apart from having an older version of the MS Mobile OS, are there any other downsides to this phone?

(I searched boards, and there was only a post from DubWireless about the launch)

Has anyone played about with one? Whats the verdict?

- Dave.

ondafly

presume this is the phone ?

http://www.expansys.com/product.asp?code=107705&asource=MOTOR

nice review on mobileburn.com


I've been considering buying this phone for sometime now, but I've been afraid to take the plunge !

The SD card option looks great, and with pocketTV you can watch mpegs on the phone - which is nice. I have seen also SD cards that incorporate 802.11b WIFI nics, but unfortunetly these are only compatible with windows pocket 2003 (think its pocket) whereas on the Moto , its 2002.

Apparently a revised version of the phone is to be launched , known as the MPX220 with 2003 installed. I've also seen review with 2003 installed on the MPX200 - somehow the chip was flashed.

So to put it short, if the phone had 2003 , and could use the WIFI memory card - this would be the ultimate phone for me.

Mr E

Know when the 220 is out? I see that the MPx100 is out in Q3/Q4 this year... I'm guessing it will be around the same time?

ondafly

motorola never seem to be too accurate with their release dates and at present the mpx220 is rumour, unless Dubwireless can confirm for us - the V600 took an age to go on sale too. I wonder if upgrading the phone (mpx200) to win2003 would be possibility.

Mr E

I would love an explanation of how the OS works.... It seems similar to standard MS operating systems (programs menu). However it looks like there is no way to close an application (apart from opening it in the task manager and killing it).

Also, how does the contact list work? Does it use Pocket Outlook, or is there another way of accessing contacts on the phone?

Mr E

From browsing reviews, I have figured out 2 things -

1. Don't go with AT&T if you are in the States!
2. The battery life on this phone is terrible. Some cases of having to recharge every 8 hours? Yikes....

Lots of reviews on Amazon here. I'd love someone to tell me otherwise, but the crap battery has just singlehandedly put me off...

- Dave.

flywheel

the MS Smartphone has one of the nicest / smoothest Outlook Syncs on a phone I've experienced (compared to Symbian/proprietary handsets)

main gripes I came across were the 2002 OS doesn't include native Outlook notes sync and you can only have one email account configured - however 3rd party developers supply apps that sort this out such as: Smartphone Notes for Outlook notes sync and MailCenter for multiple email accounts...

haven't used a MPx200 so can't say how good/bad the battery is, but as with all Smartphone handsets there is a potential to do so much with them - those that do end up recharging more... I have an i-Mate (same model as the Orange SPVs) and can get through a day of general/heavy use no problem - but I wouldn't want to head away on a short weekend without a charger - however that would be the same for any high-end smartphone/pda device I use...

hard to say what the battery life of the new models will be like - battery performance on these devices can be such a personal thing depending on what features/functions the owner uses (and how often)...

the MPx220 has been rumoured for a long time with no official date for release - but keep an eye on the main smartphone sites and you'll know as soon as anyone else [e.g. www.modaco.com www.smartphonethoughts.com www.ppcw.net www.coolsmartphone.com www.msmobiles.com ]

now MS have some of the major manufacturers producing/announcing models, such as Moto, Samsung and Panasonic (rather than just the Far East ODMs who have been the initial producers) you should see some decent models coming out

BrianG

Mr E

Thanks for the info, Brian.

Great review (and lots of user comments) here. No mention of crap battery life.

Its my birthday on Thursday, so I think I'll treat myself

- Dave.

ondafly

TmB - if you buy it , can you let us know how you get on ?

Mr E

Yep, I have it ordered. Hopefully I'll have it before Friday. I'll post a review at the weekend if I get it in time!

- Dave.

IrishMike

i had an mpx100
thing was really cool
mp3 player
being able 2 watch films etc etc
but for a finish i sold it
drove me insane with all the crashing
really REALLY slow and laggin responses to keypresses
battery life wasnt as bad as the sites say
then again if u were watchin video etc i can imagine it would drain pretty fast
i also found the screen a total nightmare as regards scratching
it came with a leather case granted
but the case made the fone Really bulky and its allready pretty big

overall its a great fone with a few bugs
maybe the 200 doesnt have those
if it doesnt then it will be a great fone

flywheel

Originally posted by IrishMike
i had an mpx100
...
drove me insane with all the crashing
really REALLY slow and laggin responses to keypresses
battery life wasnt as bad as the sites say
...
i also found the screen a total nightmare as regards scratching
...

could that have been an SPV E100? (Moto MPx100 isn't available yet)...

I got an non-operator version of the same handset but it just had the vanilla MS OS on it with no operator customisations or locks, the last ROM update for that model was very good (compared to when it first came out!)... found that a task manager was a must though (e.g. Task Manager or XBar)

the first thing I did was make a screen protector for it (as no 3rd party made one for this device) - Arne on PPCW.net also put a tutorial together, although I used Scotch Tape rather than Duct Tape to create the template

the MPx200 is a clam shell so shouldn't be as much of an issue for screen protection compared to a candy-bar handset

BrianG

hshortt

I had myself an MPX200 for a few months. Great phone, rings loud, can use wav files for ring tones, highly customisable regarding looks, colours and themes. Great OS and excellent syncronisation with Outlook using Active-sync.

Battery life was fine, once cradled at your desk, it automatically charges so maybe you'd need to charge it once over a weekend if you are away from your desk.

Great screen, great form factor and pleanty of software - games and apps.

I found the signal strength to be an issue, in my house there is low coverage with any Nokia but the moto would be dead.

I finally sold it, to a board member here and bought myself an XDA II. Haven't looked back yet.

Cheers
Howard

Mr E

OK, I've had this phone for 24 hours.

First impressions? I love it!

Its about an inch and a half shorter than my T610, and an inch thicker. The build quality is top notch - the phone feels solid, and there is no danger of the hinge breaking. The OS (Windows Mobile 2002) is fun to play about with, but takes a bit of getting used to after the icon based T610.

In the box:

The phone
USB charger (also used for syncing)
Mains charger
Cover (pretty flimsy - I'll have to invest in something better)
16mb SD card
Manuals, CD etc.

Setting up was very easy. I synced the T610 with outlook, swapped the sim into the new phone, and synced the phone with the MPX200. Syncing via USB literally took seconds (for over 100 contacts). When you plug in the USB cable, it will automatically sync with outlook (calendar, inbox and contacts - you can opt NOT to sync something if you don't want to - I didn't sync my inbox).

Supplied software: Standard mobile 2002 applications - calendar, inbox, tasks, task manager, solitaire, file manager, photo browser (even though there is no camera), Windows Media Player (has to be installed from the CD - haven't done so yet).

The contacts system works really well. Type in a number as you normally would. However, as you type the numbers, it will try to match the letters to a name in your contacts, so pressing 3 will show all contacts with a D,E or F in their name. Pressing 5 will match J,K and L following the D,E and F. So in my contacts, 35 shows Flanagan and Fleming. Its like an autosearch, or intelligent filter, and its well implemented. (The difference between this and other implementations is that it searchs for strings within the entire contact, not just the beginning of the surname). Its a nice touch.

I've made/received a couple of calls since I got it, and the sound quality seems better than my T610 (it seems clearer). I've had no problem with reception (on Vodafone in Limerick).

All in all, I'm very happy so far...

- Dave.

hshortt

Theres a couple of different firmware versions available for this phone.

You can ask about them at www.mpx200.org

Cheerio
Howard

flywheel

just be (very) careful about what ROM 'update' (firmware) is loaded on an MS Smartphone, there can be several versions available for each Smartphone Model, the possibility is there that the handset can end up operator branded and with some models/versions even operator locked... have a read of this.

not sure what support is offered for the non operator version of the MPX200, but hopefully Moto would offer those customers updates directly... the likes of i-Mate get you to register your device and make upgrades available from time to time...

BrianG

Mr E

Thanks for the tip, Brian.

As you are a seasoned smartphone user, do you know of any apps for customising the "homepage" on the phone? I've seen some custom homepages that layout the homepage in a different configuration (but usually have some crap LOTR pics in the background or something like that!).

How do I create a customised homepage?

ondafly

glad to hear you like the phone TMB

Where did you end up buying from ?

Recently found that mpx200.org site too, and saw a thread about win2003 installed. I must say though, after reading you can install a NES emulator - thats made it pretty darn tempting !

1 quick question - what colour is the illumination of the outer screen, and what does it display ?

Mr E

I bought it from Expansys.

The outer screen is mono LCD style, which glows green when active. The screen itself is configurable from the settings on the phone (there are 3 different configurations for the screen, showing 3 different layouts for the screen - the different displays show analogue clocks, digital clocks, date etc.)

I was looking at emulators myself.... there are emulators for Megadrive, SNES, NES, Speccy, Arcade (MAMECE3), and even mobile ScummVM.....

flywheel

Originally posted by TmB
How do I create a customised homepage?

have a look here: SmartphoneThemes.com and here: Theme Changer

BrianG

Mr E

Thats exactly what I was looking for, thanks Brian.

Next question.... I was having a look at this thread where you outlined how to set up GPRS on a smartphone. I tried copying these settings, but I can't access the internet. Are the settings different if you are a post-paid user? (The settings listed were for prepaid).

When I try to access a webpage, the title bar of IE says "Dialling..." which is quite strange... surely it should say "Connecting" or something like that?

I used my current SIM to access GPRS on my T610, so the SIM should be fine.

Any help would be appreciated. Thanks in advance...

flywheel

i find it best to stick with the ISP (rather than WAP) GPRS service with the Smartphone (but Voda pre-pay don't have access so that was the only route) - take it you're on Voda postpay?

you may need to contact Voda Data upport to have this isp.vodafone.ie GPRS Accesss Point enabled (1850 287 000)

if you are planning (or end up) using GPRS a lot make sure to look into their current GPRS Option package with has 3MB inclusive data.
http://www.vodafone.ie/dataservices/gprs/prices/index.jsp


* Vodafone ISP GPRS

---

Programs
Settings
Data Connections
Menu > Edit Connections

GPRS Connections
Menu > Add

Description: Voda ISP GPRS
Connects to: The Internet
Access point: isp.vodafone.ie
User name: vodafone
Password: vodafone
Primary DNS: (leave blank)
Secondary DNS: (leave blank)
IP Address: (leave blank)

Press Done

On the Data Connections screen set:
Internet Connection: Automatic (or set Voda ISP GPRS if you want to set this as default)

Press Done

These are two apps I's use a lot on the 2002 handset:

MailCenter which can handle multiple e-mail accounts, as the 2002 OS is limited to only one email account http://www.sunnysoft.cz/en_clanek.php?clanekid=136

World Off-Line which allows you to set up a list of sites to store on the phone to look at later (and save GPRS costs) http://www.sunnysoft.cz/en_clanek.php?clanekid=133

You'd download the content when the Smartphone has an active Active Sync connection with your internet connected PC. Making sure that the 'Pass-through' Data Connection is used though DON'T SYNC this app via GPRS...

SPB Software house are in beta with a GPRS traffic monitor app at the moment so keep a look out for when it is released to keep tabs on your GPRS usage - and avoid any scary phone bills...

Hope that set's you up ok
BrianG

Mr E

Nice job, Brian... that worked perfectly!

I'll check out those apps in the morning.

Not sure if I need the 3mb... I might wait for my next bill and see what happens. :cool:

flywheel

Originally posted by TmB
Not sure if I need the 3mb... I might wait for my next bill and see what happens. :cool:

unfortunately with no built-in GPRS data counter in the OS it can be hard to gauge how much is being used (unless using a 3rd party app)... devices like Smartphones make it easy to consume a lot of data - so be careful - nothing worse than hearing a mobile bill thud as it arrives through the letter box :eek:

keep an eye on your 'My Vodafone' Account Details on-line it can help you gauge your usage as the month progresses...

BrianG

Dr. Dre

Nice one TmB.

First thing you need to do is get a big ass SD card for movies, themes, mp3s, wavs etc..
As you've experienced, Dubwireless is great with Q's regarding smartphones, he helped me out no end when I got mine.
Failing that here are two sites that I find excellent;

http://smartphone.modaco.com/index.php > Excellent forum with all the latest news and apps/themes written by the forum members - who are very skilled.

www.coolsmartphone.com > more news and apps/themes here.

As previously mentioned, the NES and Atari emulators are great!
You should also get a registry editor for messing about with some of the tweaks that you'll discover.
Enjoy.

Mr E

Brian: Thanks for the info. I'll keep an eye on My Vodafone.

Dr. Dre: That modaco site is excellent... thanks!

Dathai

Does anyone know anywhere in Dublin or in town that I will be able to buy the Motorola mpX220 when it is released?

Mr E

It probably hasn't been passed by the networks yet, so its to early to say. Expansys.ie or mPhone.co.uk are probably your best bets.

flywheel

if you are looking for it SIM free I'd stick with an on-line route from the UK (cheaper than off the street here at launch, and usually cheaper thereafter too) as TmB says the likes of mphone.co.uk and expansys (compare the .com and .ie though) and also livetelecom.com

if you aren't in a mad rush you'll probably save a bit if you can hold off for the early adopter fleecing to pass

as for picking it up from an operator here... time will tell... one would hope Moto were working hard in the background while they were keeping the existence of the MPx220 so 'quiet' for the last few months...

BrianG

Dathai

Bah!! Nobody in my house has a credit card although my mams friend works somewhere similar to 3g and she can get phones real cheap do you think I might have a chance in ordering it?I would hold on until say...January to let prices drop...or am I waisting my time?

flywheel

mphone.co.uk (ref: T&C 3.5) and expansys say they accept alternative payment methods e.g. bank transfers, so you aren't stuck with having to use a credit card

if you can hang on for up to 5 months then would hope the early adopter pricing has passed by that stage (if it is released in time and supply is flowing)

BrianG

Dathai

My cousin has an American express card so I'll get him to order it and give him the money if my mams friend cant get it.

Mr E

Looks like it is now possible to put Windows Mobile 2003 on your MPX200 yourself. More info and success stories here. You have to hack the registry to change the language to english.

(Note - I'm not posting links to ROMs, so this post should be OK. Mods - if you want to remove the links to the articles, I don't mind).

I'll watch the Modaco thread for another few days just in case, and then I'll attempt the upgrade next week.

- Dave.

Mr E

Upgraded to WM2003. No hitches, no problems.

Battery lasts longer, IE is faster, native support for multiple POP3 accounts, cleartype, better implementation of T9 .... glad I did it.

- Dave.