The Phone That Launched A Thousand Clones

The Motorola V3 was released way back in 2004. When you consider how far the mobile communication world has moved in those two short years it could come as something of a surprise that the V3 remains almost as popular now as it was when first released. However, the anodised aluminium finish and ultra slim, ultra sleek design has helped the V3 claim the hearts of cell phone users around the world.

Ultra-Thin And Ultra-Sleek

Being just 14mm wide when closed, the clam shell V3 defies all odds by being packed with features that are still included in top of the range phones now. The 65k colour display is still breathtakingly clear and even the small, external display features an impressive 4096 colours. A lot of cell phones released today don’t include two screens with that much clarity and quality.

Visual And Connectivity Features

The VGA camera that is built into the phone really benefits from the screen quality, although more powerful Megapixel cameras are included in the later models of the phone. Connectivity is achieved via a mini USB port or Bluetooth for close range communication, while WAP and JAVA enabled browsing is also standard. Picture quality and connectivity aren’t the only areas where the V3 stands out as one of the best mobile phones.

Audio And Storage Features

Both Polyphonic and MP3 ring tones are included with the phone, and you can choose to download more via your mobile browser or make the most of the ability to listen to MP3 playback through the headphones. With MPEG4 video playback the V3 is bordering on a multimedia playback device as well as a cell phone but it is slightly disappointing that you can’t record videos as well as play them back. All of these files are stored on the 5.5MB internal memory without the need for flash cards or other external storage devices.

Technical Details Up Close

GSM Bands : GSM 850 / GSM 900 / GSM 1800 / GSM 1900

• Dimensions : 98 x 53 x 13.9 mm
• Weight : 95 g • Primary Display : 176x220 pixel 65k colour TFT
• Secondary (external) Display : 98x80 pixel 4096 colour CSTN
• Construction : Aluminium • Polyphonic/MP3 Ringtones
• MP3 Playback via headphones
• Photo Phonebook • Internal Memory : 5.5MB
• GPRS : Class 10 (4+1/3+2 slots)
• Data Speed : 32-48 kbps • Messaging : SMS, EMS, MMS, email
• Camera : Integrated VGA-quality (640x480) digital camera
• Java MIDP 2.0
• Full Bluetooth v1.1 compliance
• MPEG4 Video playback
• T9 Predicitive text input

The Bottom Line

In all honesty, some of these features are starting to look a little OAP now when compared to modern counterparts. The 5.5MB storage isn’t that much, especially when storing MPEG4 video files but still ample for storing pictures. The camera is also a little outdated, namely by its own advanced line of phones. It also lacks some of the features of modern phones, but then that’s why it has been “replaced” by later models.

The V3 still does an incredibly good job of combining a sleek design with reasonable functionality and changed the way that mobile phone manufacturers thought – for the better. The price is right for users who prefer to buy their phones, it's stylish, gets the job done and hard not to recommend if you don't need all the whistles and bells of the latest models.

Pros

• Looks incredible
• slim design means it can fit in any pocket
• big display
• good quality dual display
• Light weight
  

Cons

• No video record function
• Average camera
  
• Small memory

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