Hands-on with Motorola MOTOFONE F3
[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
korey @ Aug 4th 2006 11:18AM
yeah anyword on a color one i dont need a camera i do however need bluetooth so wuts good?
strider_mt2k @ Aug 4th 2006 11:25AM
I, as a Radio Shack employee had approached both Radio Shack, Sprint, and Cingular reps about adding phones for the elderly. They want a cell phone but don't want the extras and NEED easy interfaces and displays.
They have money to spend and they walk away, "leaving money on the table" as Rad Shack is so fond of saying.
All they do is say "give 'em the Nokia whatever" and blow it off.
They blow off the same segment that pretty much IS the voting population of this country.
Would someone please like to make some money?
Vince @ Aug 4th 2006 12:10PM
i thought one of the target audiences for the MOTOFone lineup was just that, users who require a simpified UI and easy to use feature set. This is a smart looking phone that looks good enough for my granny to tote around, whilst drivin' too fast in her Camaro, and picking up younger men...on second thought, maybe we can leave this phone off the list and get a nice simple Sanyo or something.
Sam K @ Aug 4th 2006 12:13PM
After watching my 72 year old father struggle to use the Razr that my step mother got him for father's day, he could definitely use a phone like this.
I agree with strider_mt2k post. My dad has trouble reading the small fonts on the screen, using the Motorola interface/menus and using the Razr keypad.
christopher @ Aug 4th 2006 1:06PM
How can any one struggle to use a phone? it's this simple, xxx-xxx-xxxx (send), done talking? (end) or in the case of the razr xxx-xxx-xxxx (green circle key) done talking? (red circle key)
So what if a phone has a ton of features.... don't use them.
-_- @ Aug 4th 2006 1:07PM
nifty! etch-a-sketch like display, you say... hmm. i'll bet if moto ruggedized the phone and added a playskool themed cover to it, they could finally reach that 8-and-under set, which has been so completely ignored that fewer than 1 actually own their own phone. matter of fact, you could probably get the 99-and-older group with a larger display and bigger buttons that clicked like those dog training clickers.
so, congrats, moto, on making an interesting phone for tykes and old people that, with a little tweaking, can encompass the ENTIRE age spectrum.
what's next? a dvd player designed for three year olds? oh, wait, there's already one of those...
strider_mt2k @ Aug 4th 2006 1:34PM
christopher,
Maybe if you get older or aquire some sort of empathy you'll understand.
Avi Greengart @ Aug 4th 2006 2:02PM
I spent some time with the MOTOFONE in Libertyville, and there's no question it would be ideal as is for segments of the U.S. market. Older Americans often shun products designed for "old people," but the MOTOFONE is super-stylish and is more about simplicity than stupidity. In that sense, it should appeal not just to seniors but to anyone who wants basic voice and a minimum of confusing menu trees.
The screen, though... well, it looks cheap. Easy to see in the sun? Yes. Easy to see indoors? The sample I used could have benefitted from some backlighting, but it was certainly visible under conference room lights. However, when you put it next to the slightly thicker SLVR, there was no contest: the high color, high resolution LCD screen on the SLVR was an order of magnitude more attractive. I do wonder whether even older/simplicity-focused U.S. consumers will look at the MOTOFONE and say, "black and white? Are you kidding me?"
-avi
Destro @ Aug 4th 2006 3:08PM
I really dig how Motorola applied the signal and battery strength indicators. That's really clever.
-_- @ Aug 4th 2006 3:09PM
well, chris, it's kinda hard to use a phone for a simple task (such as the one you gave as an example) when the numbers on the display blur together because your cataracts have taken over most of your eyes, and it's impossible to dial because it's really hard to tell where the etches are on the razr keypad. plus, when your hand-eye coordination makes it hard to drive let alone punch buttons on some piece of crap you have a hard time holding in your hand, you wanna chuck it up against a wall or run it over. the motofone is an excellent solution because the keys and display are easier to see than an lcd with those super-bright backlights (or crappy ones, whatever the case may be).
i'm not trying to rag on old people here, i'm just trying to get you to figure out how difficult all these newfangled electronics are to them; talk to one of your older relatives for a day, and you'll realize that it isn't so easy to be old.
ccutlip @ Aug 5th 2006 1:40AM
I'm not convinced that this fone (err...phone) is as simple as it's made out to be. In creating a simplistic UI, they've also alienated almost all existing cell phone users. The lack of a center OK button and traditional softkeys would, if anything, confuse me, rather than enlighten me. In fact, in PhoneScoop's hands-on, the writer says that he never could understand how to use the menu, which is comprised of the static images across the bottom of the display.
@-_-:
Yes, the MOTOFONE F3 displays numbers in large font, but PhoneScoop found that the Etch-A-Sketch nature of the screen made certain letters almost undecipherable. Also, wouldn't the F3 pose more of a problem for old folks than the RAZR V3, considering that it it is harder to hold (6mm thinner), has smaller buttons (a necessary evil of a candybar design), and no spacers between number keys (as opposed to the rubber spacers between every RAZR key)? Also, what if someone were to want to make a call at night? With no backlighting, this is almost impossible.
Granted, this phone is not designed for the U.S. Rather, it's designed for third-world emerging nations. However, the supposed $50 USD asking price is still too great for the vast majority of people in these countries (suitable shelter and food come first). Also, how many developing nations have far-reaching GSM networks? And even with the supposed epic battery life provided by the bare minimum display, how many households in these countries have electrical outlets to charge this phone? It will eventually run out of juice.
Motorola may have good intentions with the FONE F3, but the design of the handset needs more thought. Hopefully, future SCPL entries will resolve these issues and Motorola can make handsets that are marketable to consumers that are ready for the implementation cell phone technology.
Joey @ Aug 5th 2006 8:17AM
"...might have been designed with users in places like New Delhi in mind..."
^^ funny. lol
Jason @ Aug 5th 2006 10:30AM
Does it have a backlight?
hanny @ Aug 7th 2006 8:54PM
looks cool, i say congrats to motorola..
i have a slvr, and wouldnt mind to have that phone..
but once many people start buying it cause its cheap, i dont think i would want it.. also,, i think it needs to have bluetooth, just to sync to your computer and stuff..
also does it vibrate and/or have mp3 ringtone capability??
Danny @ Aug 30th 2006 6:35AM
Generally, I love this phone! Simple, nice-lookin' & that's it. So far I was used to have high-end (expensive) phones... but now I realizing, that the only thing I do expect from my mobile is calling & messaging. Motofola FONE F3 is going to be my next mobile!!!:) Some ideas about the price?:) Thx.
Danny (Czech Rep.)