PCanzona

 View profile
 Send mail

A superlative Smartphone marred somewhat by difficult to install and quirky PC software

Feb 26, 2008

Rating: 9 out of 10 (Spectacular)
Pros: Sleek, great performing phone with loads of useful and cool features
Cons: PC software is difficult to install
Opinion:
I was a previous owner of the Motorola A768i and loved it. The Motorola Ming (A1200r), which I purchased on mainland China for $285.00 (2080 yuan in February 2008), exceeds any and all expectations I had of the phone based on my previous experience with the A768i, as well as the many reviews I had read.

Aside from the fact that this phone is sleek, relatively small and lightweight (can easily fit in a pants pocket comfortably), the phone is a sheer pleasure to use and is chockfull of useful features. Unless you need a full-featured PDA (which I donÂ’t), the 1,000 contact capacity phone book (with numerous fields for multiple phone numbers, e-mail addresses, URLs, and even notes), in addition to the calendar (which allows you to enter events and tasks with reminders), as well as the ability to save notes, should more than satisfy all but the most demanding PDA users. This phone even includes the ability to take cropped snapshots of business cards with built-in OCR software that then writes the information into a new contact in your phonebook. In regard to the calendar and scheduling events, I wish Motorola had included the ability to create oneÂ’s own categories (but the current selection of ten choices is more than adequate).

Of course, you can add new ringtones to the phone and assign specific ringtones to any caller you like (a feature I take ample advantage of so I know whoÂ’s calling before I ever retrieve the phone from its holster). I think it would have been more convenient (even useful), if Motorola had included the ability to assign a specific ringtone to each user-defined phonebook category (e.g., a specific ringtone for family members, friends, etc.), but one can accomplish the same result by individually assigning the specific ringtone to each contact. A wonderful repository of truly free ringtones and wallpapers for your phone can be found at www.zedge.net.

I would have preferred it if Motorola had kept the slot for the stylus on the left-side of the phone, as it was on the A768i. Previously, I would simply slid the stylus up with my left forefinger and retrieve it with my right hand. Now, when I place the phone in my left hand (in preparation for using the stylus with my right-hand), I have to bend the phone downwards in order to literally pry the stylus out with my right thumb (and it is a very snug fit, perhaps snugger than it should be). I personally preferred the longer and wider stylus on the A768i: It felt considerably more substantial in my hand, like one was holding a slightly undersized pencil, instead of an ultra thin and short piece of metal. Unlike the A768i, only one stylus is provided.
I donÂ’t use my phone for sending e-mail messages, but if you do, you should know that the current built-in software does not support any SMTP port other than 25. For those who have POP accounts with, for example, Yahoo and Hotmail, this will not pose any problem, but for Gmail users, the software will be unable to connect via SSL SMTP port 465. A relatively simple workaround for this is to use the web browser to connect to www.gmail.com or to install another Smartphone e-mail application and subscribe to a dedicated e-mail service such as those offered by Whoosh or Movamail. In addition to e-mail applications, you can download a truckload of other free Java applications for your phone at http://www.getjar.com.

For those who are tech-savvy, you should definitely visit www.motorolafans.com (probably before you buy the phone). This website contains a lot of useful information about the A1200, including firmware revisions for the three different firmware tracks currently in use (with extensive and detailed information about how to do just about anything you may care to with your phone). I changed the firmware for my phone (using the 30p-c2_oent_emea_l4_00_mis “C2-track” firmware revision) so that the China Mobile branding and Chinese language were removed (this new firmware also considerably improved my battery life and significantly increased the speaker’s volume, but completely disabled the phone’s voice recognition feature, which I never use anyway. I have also noticed some distortion in the way the callers’ photos are displayed until I lift the phone’s cover but, overall, the tradeoff was well worth it). You can read all about the pros and cons of each firmware revision so that you can decide for yourself which one is best for your particular needs.

The only significant complaint I have about my purchase has absolutely nothing to do with the phone, per se, but, rather, with the PC software that is provided with it. The standard edition of the Phone Tools (MPT) software package, provided by Avanquest (BVRP), is extremely difficult to install and often requires multiple attempts before one is successful (I had the same problem when I owned the A768i). Before buying the phone, you may want to navigate over to AvanquestÂ’s support forum for its Motorola software and read all the nightmarish stories users have had trying to install the package (www.bvrpforums.com/motorola/). I am a Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer (MCSE) and it took me two tries and a system restore from a Ghost backup file before the application was up and running properly. For the greatest chance of success, do not install the software from the provided CD. Instead, go to the motorolafans.com website and follow the links to the latest version of MPT (currently 4.5.6a, as of February 2008) and Motorola Driver Tools. Install the software from the most recent version only, install the Driver Tools, then launch the application, and do NOT connect the phone to your USB port until instructed to do so. Only versions 4.5.1c and higher support Outlook 2007.

Aside from the challenge of properly installing the software, MPT has several noticeable quirks. For example, the synchronization application curiously lacks automatic mapping of the notes field (which exists in both the phone’s and Outlook 2007’s contact databases). There is no way to save images that have been modified other than by selecting a different image, at which time you will be prompted as to whether you want to save your work. Perhaps this is all just a “clever” ploy to force users to cough up the additional $29.95 for Avanquest’s deluxe version of MPT.
The handwriting recognition software is still a bit quirky as it was in the A768i, but, with a little bit of practice, you’ll be able to produce the letters you want to (although there still is no way to get the software to distinguish a comma from an apostrophe on the first try—you will have to write a comma, and then select the second choice which is an apostrophe).

Other than these few minor peccadilloes, and completely aside from the Herculean task of properly installing the PC software, I love the phone and can recommend it to anyone who is in the market for an outstanding, compact, lightweight, and very “smart-looking” Smartphone with lots of great features.