Motorola E815 Review - Introduction and Design

Reviewed by: Allen Tsai - Jul 08, 2005

Introduction

Americans love clamshells. Nokia and Sony Ericsson have dabbled in folding design, but are far better known for block form factors; often struggling with the trade-off between keeping the size small while fitting a large screen. For the majority of flip phone enthusiasts, many converted in the late 90s with the introduction of the StarTac, there's no substitute for a Motorola clamshell.

The latest Motorola device is the E815. Releasing its predecessor - the Motorola V710 - last year, anxious fans gave it mixed reviews. Unfortunately, its wonderful design and robust multimedia features were overshadowed by the crippled connectivity features.

As the latest Verizon Wireless release, the E815 relies on functionality and features, strong imaging and audio capabilities, and its broadband EV-DO high-speed transfer rates, hoping to win over the consumer market yet again.

Design

From the onset, the Motorola E815 looks nothing like the V710, covered in a conservative metallic casing. Measuring 94 x 50 x 23 mm and weighing 126 g, both feature a typical form factor, neither razor thin nor overly large.

Motorola E815 Closed When closed, the 1.3-inch external screen conveniently displays time, signal and battery strength, and phone status information.

Pressing the Camera Key on the right edge activates the 1.3-megapixel lens located above the external LCD. Allowing for low-light conditions, bright and clear photos are possible by trigging the built-in flash positioned on the lower left edge of the front cover.

Volume, Voice Recognition, and Speakerphone Keys along the left and right sides initiate voice and handsfree functions. With Motorola's ObeyMoto voice recognition system, users can easily dial and issue convenient voice commands at the press of a button.

Should users run out of internal memory storing photos, an expansion card slot along the top accepts TransFlash memory for an additional 512 MB of removable storage, though SanDisk reportedly is releasing a 256 card. Also incorporated within the top, a 2.5 mm jack is used for wired handsfree access.

The charger is plugged into the Connector Port on the bottom, along with optional accessory attachments that may be purchased.

Flipped open, a state-of-the-art 2.2-inch internal LCD is revealed, able to produce a vibrant array of colors. While navigation and directional keys are surrounded by Send, Camera, Menu, Clear, Power / End, and Left and Right soft keys. Well designed, a numeric keypad utilizes iTAP predictive text to provide quick and convenient text messaging.

Out of the box, the Motorola E815 comes with a standard 1030 mAh Li-Ion battery, travel charger, software CD, and user manual.

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