Motorola MPx220 review: Perfect for business

Flashes and says nothing

Let's have a look at the elements that we can find in a closed position of the phone. The older Motorola MPx200 has a front monochrome display, at the Motorola MPx220 we find passive color display. It is good enough for indoor use, but not well seen when exposed to sunlight. With the display, you can select from two styles, depending whether you are more interested in operator's name or the actual time. You can put wallpaper on the small display. When shooting it can also be used as a viewfinder for the camera.

Small display and shiny front label

Small display traditionally shows caller's number or name, a picture can also be displayed. By an incoming SMS, the display just flashes and switches off in a few seconds. This is really unpleasant feature and I missed an important message due to that. The same stands for missed calls - you will not notice them if the display is switched off.

Various states of the small display

On the front part of the phone, we can also find a lens of the integrated camera and a lighting diode. On the left side we can see a slot for handsfree or headphones connection: a rubber plug protects it. Regrettably, it is a miniature jack and hence without a reduction it is not possible to connect normal headphones to the phone. On the side, there is also a rock switch button for volume control. Holding it up-way activates a voice control, holding it down-way turns on a voice recorder. At the bottom on the left, there is a main switch button.

Camera and lighting diode • main switch • volume control button

 

Non-standard USB connector

On the right side, we find an individual button for handling the integrated camera. By pressing it, the phone starts the photo application; it also works as a release. Below the button, there is an infrared port and a memory card slot above it. It is possible to exchange the cards without switching off the phone. Regrettably, Motorola uses less prevalent miniSD format. I don't have an original package available so I don't know if you will possibly get a memory card straight with the phone.

Infrared port and the camera button • memory card slot

On the back, there is an interesting plug, protecting a connector for external antenna connection, as well as an eyelet for a wrist strap. Motorola MPx220 is short of a standard USB connector and it is no more possible to use common cable, which also could be used for charging the phone. It is a Motorola type connector and if you would like to connect the mobile to a PC via cable, you have to pay to Motorola. However, it is possible that the cable will be included right in the package.

Motorola logo and a plug above the external antenna connector • now without a standard USB port

Under a plastic cover, you will find a Li-Ion battery with capacity 1000 mAh. Regarding duration of the battery, I can write only official data: up to 260 hours on standby or up to 440 minutes of call.

Look under the battery cover

 

Sensor on the keypad

The main display of the Motorola MPx220 is surprisingly smaller than the one at Motorola MPx200. It's size is 32 x 40 mm - compare this to 34 x 44 mm at the older model. Resolution remains the same - 176 x 220 pixels and that makes the display being very sharp. It displays 65K colors and it is TFT, of course. Nevertheless, it is useless on direct sun, you will see nothing; I was taking some of the sample pictures without much help from the display.

Display is of high quality, but the color representation changes by looking from different angles.

Keypad is divided into two parts. In the lower part the numeric keys are sorted to a right-angled matrix; very simple from a design point of view. Keys are big enough and I enjoyed typing with them. If you don't feel comfortable with the keypad, try to go to the settings and change the time the mobile waits until it skips to the next character on the same key. It sometimes distinctly improves the feeling during typing.

Numeric keys are really well done

Upper half is reserved for function keys. Main control element, a four-way button with a blue confirm push button in the middle, is perhaps unnecessarily big. There are two keys above the main button; you can see their functions on the bottom row of the display. Below the four-way button, there are keys for return a step back and return to a standby display.

Functional part of the keypad takes too much space

The pair of keys with red and green headphone is a bit lower. Their symbols are not clearly visible and sometimes I'm not sure which key to press. White legends on the numeric part of the keypad are more clear. Keys are blue illuminated and Motorola can save power thanks to a sensor in left bottom corner of the keypad. It illuminates the keypad only in case when it is dusk or dark (in the worst case it's always possible to block the sensor with a finger).

Keys illumination (keys with headphones are almost invisible •
light sensor is in the corner, quite in the bottom part of the picture

Camera: just horrible

Even though I already read some articles, which criticized quality of the integrated digital camera, I was surprised. Motorola MPx220 is the worst megapixel camera phone - LG T5100, which was "the leader" until now, is moving to the place before last because it can do at least good macro pictures. Pictures from the Motorola are terribly fuzzy and we didn't tolerate such quality not to the first camera phone. Considering the other reviews I read I don't believe that new firmware can do something good with it.

The possibilities of the camera are above-average. Besides the highest resolution 1 280 x 960 you can choose from five other formats; the camera features 4x digital zoom that can be set in sixteen steps. Manual exposure compensation, white color balance, self-portrait or sequential shooting - all these functions are available. It's possible to add a date imprint. You can use the lighting diode to light-up a scene but to reach some effect objects must be very close.

Environment of the shooting application

Sample pictures

Digital zoom

Close up pictures: they aren't so bad, the text is readable, but it can't correct the overall impression

We can view pictures in an Album. Program also can work with them: rotate, crop, add text, frame or clipart.

Album

Motorola MPx220 can also record a video in format 176 x 144 pixels. In the settings, you can choose whether you want the video size to be limited up to 95kb due to sending it in MMS or if the record will use whole shared memory. Like for the shooting you can select the phone memory or the card.

Recording a video • video clips overview • video playback

 

Windows

From time to time, we can hear an opinion that Microsoft mobile operating system is the best for the users of personal computers because it is Windows too. However, this is a truly nonsense. Windows Mobile is from the control point of view so far from the Windows as e.g. Symbian or any other mobile OS.

The cooperation with Windows PC is excellent. Just install ActiveSync program to a PC and you can enjoy advantages of continuous and extremely fast synchronization. It is possible to get to the phone memory directly from the computer; there are also plug-in modules for the most common file managers. Symbian Series 60 has improved also very much in this respect, but Windows Mobile is directly connected to Outlook. Motorola MPx220 supports Bluetooth; therefore, I wanted to connect it wirelessly to a PC and ActiveSync. I spent about two hours with that and now it's clear from discussions on the Internet that it hasn't been only me who was having difficulties. It works now, but it was really hard to set it. I tried so many ways that finally I don't know, which one was the right one; but I can offer you several hints:

• First, make sure that the port for incoming serial connection in a PC is ready (it's necessary at least with Microsoft Windows XP drivers)
• Do not start pairing from a PC but from the phone
• It is suitable firstly to start the connection via infrared port or cable and then select in ActiveSync settings a port that is ready for Bluetooth
• When everything is ready, initiate the connection from the phone; PC can't find and connect the Motorola by itself

When you will be successful, you will be able, besides the synchronization and the phone memory access from the computer, to use also a PC internet connection. Instead connecting the phone via GPRS Bluetooth the phone asks the computer via Bluetooth and it uses e.g. its ADSL.

It is necessary to activate the connection from the ActiveSync application in the phone

 

What do you want to see today?

Microsoft is not wasting space and you can see right on the main display what meeting is ahead of you in the nearest future. The Today screen, known from Pocket PC computers, was modified for smaller display usage but it will show you more than if you have it on a Symbian smartphone where you can just look at a picture.

Main screen settings • samples of standard themes

It is great about Windows Mobile that main screen is made in XML. It is not only possible to change a color wallpaper but also to pick up single elements, which you want to have on the main display, also set their place, font and other parameters. It is a bit more difficult for a normal user but if you want to play with it, you can make a main screen according to your ideas.

Main Motorola display can look like this

Excellent feature is for example a list of recently started programs, which you can then easily get also from the main screen. But as I have already written, you can choose exactly, which elements will be displayed on the main display, so you won't have the icons of recently used applications in all themes.

Speed, controls, telephony, MP3 ringing

The phone speed is very good, especially the work with the menu; some of the applications however might seem a little slow. For example opening the messages takes several seconds (if the application is not loaded in the memory). In most cases, it is not possible to close programs manually, applications running on the background are terminated by the system itself when it requests for the memory. Control is not difficult, just a bit unusual. In some cases it should be more consistent - key for return back is not working everywhere, in some applications you have to press another key. Main menu, from where you can get to the applications, should be made in different way. It is a long list so you have to scroll it because there can be only nine items on one display. It is not possible to influence the order in a list of applications and thus is useless to try to remember all numeric shortcuts, due to the change in the numeric order with every new installed program.

Four displays with the main menu • next level menu, the settings

It is possible to assign a key shortcut to each of the applications to run it fast - by holding a numeric key. There can be 99 shortcuts for the applications, in case of double-figure shortcuts you press the first number and hold the second one.

Overview and setting of key shortcuts

Voice control is also excellent. You do not have to teach the phone how do you pronounce single commands - it can recognize them by itself. You can dictate phone numbers, let the phone search contacts in the entire phone book, also it is possible to run the applications like that.

Voice control application communicates in English and some other world languages

So, what about the memory? Right in the phone there is 32 MB available for the user, as at the MPx200, and also capacity of a memory card. For programs there is reserved perhaps 23 MB of memory.

 

Great phonebook

Let's have a look how it is to call with the Motorola MPx220. Sound during calls is very good. I read a reproach that the sound is feeble; also at the integrated loud handsfree. I cannot really agree with that; the volume is sufficient. In addition, I didn't realize any problem with supposedly less sensitive microphone. During tests I heard the opposite side properly - when the person spoke to the MPx220 directly or from a distance.

The phone book was synchronized with Microsoft Outlook within a while. It is possible to have up to 44 different items at every contact; including details like wife, children or the name of the assistant. It's simply MS Outlook in a mobile version. To a name, you can also assign an individual ringing tone and a picture (which is regrettably not synchronized). By the way, you can choose if the phone will display both phone books: from the phone memory and the one on a SIM card.

Editing information at a contact

Searching in the phone book is perfect. Like with T9 dictionary you press keys with letters - just press once each. To find a name Novak just pres 6 (N) - 6 (O) - 8 (V) and at that time I can usually see the person on the display. Possibly I can also press 2 (A) and it is almost 100%. For searching, it is not necessary to look for the phone book, just write a name straight from the main display. Or a last name, the phone doesn't care, it searches in both items. I recommend this way of work with the phonebook, it is quite addictive one.

Searching: 4x press keys to find "infoline" •
during a call • contact details • calls register

 

Rings with MP3

So we've found Mr. Jan Novak, but there are more of his phone numbers in the phonebook. One of them is set as default and you need just to press the green headphone to call it. You can get the other numbers pressing the left and right arrows; you will see their abbreviations on the display: like "m" as mobile, "p" as personal. Alternatively, it is possible to display all name details and pick up desired number from the list.

Motorola MPx220 offers ringing profiles, which you can modify by yourselves. One of the profiles turns off the transmitters, so the phone can be used in a plane (but I am not sure how to explain this to the stewardess). Groups are copied from Outlook address book and by them, you can filter the phonebook. The phone does not allow you to specify, which groups can reach you on the phone and which cannot.

Two views on the ringing profiles

I guess that you will not probably even touch the 40 voices ringing tones because the MPx220 can use for ringing MP3 files. It has just to send them to the phone via Bluetooth - do not forget to allow reception of the incoming files beforehand. The ringing is loud enough but if somebody really needs power, he can use the legendary sounds that Motorola used 10 years ago to threaten the neighbourhood. MPx220 also offers a vibration; for that, you can select in profiles settings whether the mobile has to vibrate only before the melody or also during the playback. This is set globally; the profiles influence only the volume and similar parameters.

Setting the MMS is hard

Let's approach messaging functions. New version of Windows Mobile comes up with a radical innovation: now it's not necessary to use only one email box and select whether you'd rather synchronize with Outlook or access via POP3/IMAP4. Text messages are not mixed with emails in one folder.

Messages menu: SMS, MMS and email accounts

Firstly, let's talk about the normal text messages. I have already written that the application for messages handling starts slowly and you have to wait a few seconds until you can start using the editor. To send an SMS you can just enter a phone number of recipient or select it from the phone book, like if you make calls. During typing the phone counts down written characters and displays on how many parts the text will be split. There can be more than fifty of them; at the fiftieth, I stopped counting.

Writing a text message • select a recipient as it works with calls

Motorola uses iTap dictionary for fast typing in the messages editor. The dictionary seems to me better than at normal Motorola phones but the work with it is very difficult if it does not know some word. I could not find how to add a new word to the dictionary. It is quite probable that you will leave the iTap and type without it. The phone keeps in memory the last setting of the way of typing, so it is not necessary to turn off the dictionary every time you want to type.

Delivered messages overview

Motorola supports delivery reports that you can set either permanently or individually at each single message. In the delivery report, you can see a phone number, which successfully received your message. Regrettably it is displayed in an incorrect form without a "+" character in the start of the international prefix, so it is not possible to dial it shortly and find out from the phone book to whom it belongs.

Individual delivery report request •
phone number in a delivery report is not in a correct form

I was fighting for some time with MMS settings. Finally, I succeeded and also admit that I haven't seen such a chaotic setting of data profiles for a long long time. However the MMS editor is pleasant and fast; besides the text it is also possible to send pictures, video and sound files. The editor supports pagination; you can set timing to every picture.

 

Much better email

Email client in older Motorola MPx200 disappointed a bit. Mainly due to a fact that it was possible to use only one account and with that you were short of synchronization of emails with Outlook. Windows Mobile version 2003 solves this problem; besides the synchronization with Outlook it supports up to five POP3 or IMAP4 accounts.

Email messages in the mailbox

Setting of remote email box parameters is more sophisticated than before. Now it's possible to use SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) connection, SMTP server verification or you can select how old messages will be downloaded. Emails can be downloaded complete, just a header or something between: first 500, 1000 or 5000 characters. Email client can also regularly check the mailbox content - every 15 min, 30 min, every hour, two, six or once a day. Email client is really usable. If it cannot read an email in HTML format exactly as it would be displayed on a PC, it picks important text information. It can handle attachments: pictures, video, sounds or text files. Current smartphones version of Windows Mobile OS doesn't contain office applications. You have to install necessary program to read Word documents or look at Excel sheets.

Email in HTML format • it's possible to open a MID attachment •
Motorola can't handle office formats

You can reply to an email straight from the mobile, forward it or move it to other folder. Also you can use the iTap dictionary, like at the text messages. If you want to attach pictures, video or other objects to the message you have to do it with a file manager and select a choice Send as email. Another standard component of Windows Mobile system is a program MSN Messenger for instant messaging. If you'd like to connect to ICQ, try for example Agile Messenger.

Title screen of MSN messenger • after login • Agile Messenger

Motorola and time

Alarm and clock are hidden deep in the menu. Alarm is repetitive but it's short of any advanced setting possibilities; for example to select days when it has to go off. And it definitely should be better accessible.

Clock settings • alarm settings

The calendar can be viewed in a day, week or month view. Here the excellent synchronization comes again - it counts with such details as a status, which the colleagues can see in their calendars when they want to schedule me a meeting.

Daily agenda • detail of an event • week and month view

Somebody can get scared that the calendar doesn't ask you of an event type during entering new event. At normal phones we can select whether we want to enter a meeting, note, birthday or other item. In Motorola MPx220, just a detailed form is enough for everything. As with the phonebook, I am not going to describe all items in detail, but you can find here everything you should need and want. And best of all, everything synchronizes.

Older items are grey • editing an event in the calendar

Considering a possibility of remote synchronization, which means that a smartphone with Windows Mobile operating system is able to connect directly to a Microsoft Exchange server, I would appreciate one more function - the scheduler. The possibility to work with meetings of other team members straight from the phone is one that also deserves attention.

To-do list is too simple compared to the calendar. Producer counts that the user will synchronize everything from the computer. Right in the phone, you will be able to enter to the to-do list nothing but a simple note. The smartphone does not have a special function for notes - only a voice recorder; I could not find if the record length is limited by something else than by free memory. Nevertheless, it is sure that it is not possible to record a call in progress.

Voice recorder can be used also as a stopwatch

 

No EDGE, does it make sense?

We classify data functions of Motorola MPx220 as good. Modern smartphone should not be short of EDGE and also it would be nice to have missing timeslot for upload at GPRS class 8. Moreover, the MPx220 does not have a data transfer counter; the user has to install it additionally.

The phone can be connected to a PC via cable, infrared port or Bluetooth and it was the last technology that I chose for testing the connection to the Internet. At the first time, it seemed that it does not work because in application for the modem in the phone there are only USB and infrared port selections. Finally, the connection was established as easily as in all other cases.

You can also find an integrated Internet Explorer, an internet browser that can connect you also to the WAP pages. For work outside the office, I was using the GPRS but when I was close to a PC I shared its connection via Bluetooth. Unlike quite difficult setting of data profiles, it was very simple: just enable this possibility in ActiveSync and select a given connection in the phone. Do not forget to initiate bluetooth connection between the phone and a PC.

Internet pages on the Motorola MPx220 display

We can browse through web pages in three modes. Either as on the computer, where it is necessary to scroll the page also horizontally, or it is displayed in columns or the text without special formatting. The browser is not the fastest one and many people would certainly appreciate bigger font.

Setting displaying of web pages • same page in three different modes

 

Other functions

I have not written much about multimedia features of Motorola MPx220. The phone plays MP3 files in Windows Media program but I do not have headphones or a reduction for miniature jack, so I cannot verify if it plays stereo. It is claimed everywhere so let's trust this. The loud speaker is mono.

Multimedia files overview • playing video • playing MP3

Motorola MPx220 supports Java and it is hellishly fast. In jBenchmark test the phone reached results 13198 (version 1) and 675 (version 2). If you will have a look into the database of all results, you will see that in this respect it is one of the fastest phones. There are two Java games and two other are native Windows Mobile applications.

Java applications and games • two games in Java • two games for Window Mobile

Now I am just browsing through the menu of the phone and looking whether there is something I haven't written about, for example an integrated file manager. It is very important application because without it you just cannot access the directory structure and work effectively with files. Calculator is too simple for a smartphone.

File manager • it's possible to send files straight from the file manager •
simple calculator • memory manager • SIM Toolkit

 

Change on the throne?

Motorola MPx220 is a rival to Nokia 6630 or Sony Ericsson P910 and compared to these phones it comes out very well. We cannot say that one of them is the best. Each one has its benefits and drawbacks, for the Motorola MPx220 this is the camera.

Motorola MPx220 is a business mobile phone. I do not recommend it to the people who want to play with the mobile - they would rather appreciate Symbian Series 60. MPx220 is a business phone for people who want to use its organizer functions, demanding excellent cooperation with Microsoft Outlook … and who don't want a big communicator.