Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with motorola

If you were a G1, and you were born today, what cell phone would you be?

Greg Nog — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 12:10:38 -0800

I would like to buy a nice new cell phone with a physical keyboard to replace a broken G1. Please help me with any knowledge about the Droid or the Cliq or any other suggestions you may have! So my G1 recently died a horrible death, and although I quite liked both the phone itself and the Android OS, I'm wary about getting another G1 to replace it, given the age of the product.

I liked the G1 mainly for the easy access to my gmail account, the web browsing, and the easy access to Google Maps, which I used pretty much daily and which I was utterly delighted by, whenever they added new bells and whistles to it.

I've looked into the Droid (which seems like a nicely high-tech update), but I find typing on the keyboard to be unpleasant; the keys are all flat and flush, leading me to accidentally push buttons I didn't mean to press with my GIANT APE FINGERS. Is there some way I could mod these with, like, a tiny dab of clear epoxy on the center of each key to lift and separate them? (I realize this sounds like a five-year-old's solution to the problem, but that's generally how I roll in this lifetime.)

Another alternative might be the Cliq, but if my basic research is right, it's on the earlier iteration of the Android OS, yes? Will it be updated to Android 2.0? The keyboard looks much better on the Cliq, although I don't really care about all the social apps and whatnot that it seems to excel at. And if all I want is an old iteration of Android with a comfy keyboard, wouldn't I be better off getting the cheaper G1?

I'm also receptive to a caution that I should just wait; that soon enough, some new Android device will stroll along to replace the Droid, and that it may well have a better keyboard and physical push-buttons on the front.

I'm out of my t-mobile contract now (FREE, FREE), so I'm happy to switch to any carrier that will do a nice job of being good to me.

Motorola S9 Headphones - Hard Case?

intrigued — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 11:51:59 -0800

I need a hard case for my Motorola S9-HD Wrap Around Headphones. They came with a cloth pouch, but I need something solid to protect the headphones from being crushed while in my bag. Does anyone in the MiFi crowd have these headphones and a hard case, or know where I could buy one? I would even be willing to pay to have a case made.

All thoughts are welcome!

- - -
Photos of the headphones:

Here is a link to the Motorola site:

http://www.motorola.com/staticfiles/Consumers/global/flash_content/microsites/s9hd/index.html

And a few random google image results of the headphones:

http://images.google.com/images?hl=en&rlz=1C1GGLS_enUS315US320&um=1&sa=1&q=motorola+s9+hd&aq=f&oq=&aqi=&start=0&imgtbs=z&imgsz=m

How to put a new cell service & phone number on a Motorola Razr

cuddles.mcsnuggy — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 08:59:03 -0800

How do I delete old data on a MotoRazr Maxx cell phone which was formerly on Verizon, and set it up as an extra for someone who uses Alltel? My mother uses Alltel as her cellphone service & she's new to having a mobile phone. Mom thinks she's accident-prone, so she has asked if she can have one of our old phones as a backup in case something happens to hers. We have several outdated phones around the house and I'd like to give her my husband's old MotoRazr Maxx. Problem is, we use Verizon, and his old address book and photos & such are still on the phone even though he doesn't use it and it has no active service (we have Blackberries now). My questions are:
- How can I delete all my husband's data from the phone? The manual from Verizon doesn't explain this.
- How to set it up so Mom can use it with Alltel? Can I "install" her phone number on it myself? Or is it easiest just for her to bring it to her Alltel store & have the magical cellphone elves do it there? (is that even possible?)

I've already searched AskMefi & google but didn't really find what I was looking for. Thanks!

iSync and RAZR V3xx

dondiego87 — Tue, 26 May 2009 10:47:34 -0800

iSync 3.0.2 won't sync with Motorola RAZR V3xx. Looking for a fix. So I recently got my Motorola V3 replaced with a V3xx through my carrier's insurance program. I had used iSync all the time to sync the phone's calendar with iCal and its contacts with Address Book (also both ways). However, the V3xx is unable to sync with iSync 3.0.2. When I try to add it as a device, I get an error message saying "This device is not supported by iSync."

I have found two plugins for iSync that allow it to sync with the V3xx (at http://tinyurl.com/pjrbpp and http://tinyurl.com/qlelxz), but unfortunately neither of them work with iSync 3.0.2 (which I have on my Macbook running 10.5.7). When I try to start up iSync with either of those plugins in the "PhonePlugins" folder in my library, I get an error message saying "The following plug-in doesn’t work with this version of iSync."

Does anyone know of a plugin for iSync 3.0.2 that would allow me to sync with the Motorola RAZR V3xx? Or alternatively, does anyone know how to modify the plugins I found to work with iSync 3.0.2?

Motorola E815 Replacement?

sandmanwv — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 07:18:42 -0800

Any good Motorola E815 (Verizon Wireless) replacements? I love love love this phone. Although I've had issues with it, the non-Verizon interface is top notch, the texting is the best I've ever encountered, and the signal quality/sound quality is great. I've been simply buying them on Ebay, but was looking for other Verizon options made in the last 4 years. Price: Cheap.

Cell phone trouble

amro — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 07:40:10 -0800

Frequently, when people call my cell phone, I hear it ring at my end but they don't at their end. There's just... nothing. This has been going on for about the last month, and I'd say it happens on about 1/3 of the calls to my phone. Is the problem with my phone or with my service provider? It's a Motorola W490 and I use T-Mobile, if that makes a difference. I think the phone is about a year old.

I think I made a bad impulse purchase. Help.

kbanas — Sat, 17 Jan 2009 15:05:41 -0800

Can I make my new Bluetooth headset not suck? I think I'm pretty much screwed, but I figured I would ask. Today, on a lark, I bought a pair of Motorola S9-HD Stereo Bluetooth headphones. I'm using these with a MacBook Pro, dual-booting Vista and OS X.

In both OS environments, when the headphones are paired, I get two services - one called "stereo headphones" and another called "headset".. This seems to be an either/or proposition - I can either connect them as headphones, or connect them as a headset.

When I connect them as headphones, I get great stereo sound quality.

When I connect them as a headset, the sound quality goes from stereo to mono. I realize this is by design.

The problem is, I'd like to use them with Ventrilo when I play World of Warcraft and for stuff like audio chat when I'm killing zombies in Left 4 Dead.. but I don't want to hear the games in mono - I want to hear them in glorious stereo!

Is there a way to.. I don't know... enable both Bluetooth services at the same time? Or, in other words, use the mic functionality of the headset while preserving stereo output?

Cellphone for Grandma

msalt — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 16:03:13 -0800

Which of 3 cellphones should my mom (75) pick -- Motorola Moto W755, Samsung SCHU430, or LG VX8360? Her carrier (Unicell) is folding into Verizon, and those are her 3 free choices. She wants the simplest, and as her technical help desk, I heartily agree. (To be fair though she is not scared of tech and is game to learn new stuff.) She will probably use this only for phoning, texting and as an address book.

I realize there was a similar previous question but the models and user needs are different.

Turn my Q into a Curve

trbrts — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 10:53:49 -0800

I've got an aging Motorola Q on Verizon. Someone just gave me a Blackberry Curve that was on ATT. How can I use the Curve? I want to stay on Verizon. I thought I could just drop in the SIM from my Q. But, I don't see a SIM card behind the battery. The Curve has one though. What's the best way to get this curve working on Verizon's network? Thanks for your help.

How can I install a game on the Motorola RAZR2

Solomon — Tue, 21 Oct 2008 13:06:40 -0800

Did you ever install an application on your RAZR2 V8? If you did (or know how to), could you please tell me how? I have an unlocked Motorola RAZR2 V8, in the UK. I've tried several programmes to install a .jar game on the phone, but nothing has so far worked.

Getting the game onto the phone isn't the problem. Installing it is. I get a warning that the file in question (I've tried about 20 different .jar games/apps) isn't a signed application. I click continue, and get a message saying "installation failed".

I've spent hours Googling, and trying various different methods, but they all seem to assume that getting the game to the phone is the problem.

What am I doing wrong?

BlackBerry 8330 vs MOTO Q9c vs Palm Treo 800w

spikeleemajortomdickandharryconnickjrmints — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 12:27:54 -0800

Will the BlackBerry 8330 work for me? How useful is wifi connectivity (which the 8330 doesn't have)? Is there a significant difference between this phone and the Motorola Q9c? My Motorola Razr v3c is at the end of it's life and I'm eligible for a 2-year renewal discount with Sprint. Aside from basic phone stuff, I use the Razr for:

Checking twitter (the browser won't allow sending messages to Twitter; I have to do that via txt message)
Checking Gmail (easy to read, very hard to compose a message though)
Listening to music (before I got an mp3 player)
Google Maps (getting directions when I'm lost)
Reading MetaFilter

I'd like my new phone to do all of that, and it looks to me like the BlackBerry 8330's interface would make sending txt and e-mail much easier. . The only drawback I see is that it can't connect to a wifi network (it uses Sprint's EVDO network). How big of a drawback is this? My current phone can't do this and sometimes websites load painfully slow, or time out completely.

The Sprint rep I chatted with online told me that the Palm Treo 800w can connect to wif, but for that I'd pay $250, which is a little more than I'm comfortable with right now. I can get the 8330 for $100, which seems like a good deal for what I'm paying for.

The 8330 and Moto Q9c are both the same price. Has anyone used both of these phones? I understand that the functionality of them differs a little between Sprint and Verizon. Do you know if these phones will work well for what I'm needing, or should I be looking at something else? I imagine they should handle what my Razr does, only much better. Am I wrong?

Normally I would research the hell out of this on my own but I'll be getting on a plane tomorrow morning, and I need a replacement phone quickly.

How can I transfer my calendar from a Motorola Q to an iPhone?

Reverend John — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 15:16:31 -0800

How can I transfer the calendar from a Motorola Q to an iPhone, without Outlook 2003? I have a new iPhone, and I want to transfer my calendar info from my old Motorola Q to the iPhone. I have Outlook 2000, which unfortunately won't sync with the iPhone. Not really a big deal to me, except I want to transfer my calendar info from my old phone.

The service on the Motorola Q has been canceled so I cant access the web with it. I can still connect it to my pc and sync it, upload or download programs and files, etc.

Alternately, is there any way to legitimately get Outlook 2003 really cheap?

Motorola PVR FF driving me nuts!

jimmythefish — Sun, 20 Jul 2008 10:33:44 -0800

Motorola PVR fast forward freezing, and no ability to jump when it makes me go back to the start. Argh... I've been recording the Tour de Fance on my Motorola DCT3416 PVR. I'm using it through the Shaw Cable service in Calgary. I'm sitting here watching my recording of today's stage (5 or so hours). When I fast forward through the commercials and/or through flat/boring bits the playback regularly freezes and then asks me whether or not I want to delete the recording. I don't, of course, and I've found no way to do anything but go back to the beginning of the program and then fast forward through to my spot. During a 5-hour feed this can take more than 5 minutes. It's driving me crazy. So...

1. Is there a way to continue playing, even when the 'fail' dialogue box comes up asking me to delete, rather than starting from the beginning?

2. Is there a way to select a given time in the program to jump to? Say, if I enter 255 on the keypad it'll take me to 2:55? This seems too obvious, and yet I can't do it.

Thanks...

"Ultimate" Bluetooth Frustration

Kadin2048 — Sun, 15 Jun 2008 11:34:48 -0800

How do I get this Bluetooth headset working with Skype on Windows Vista? The S.O. is leaving tomorrow on a long trip, and I said I'd install and set up Skype with her Bluetooth headset (a Motorola H700) so she could use it while abroad.

I've done this without problems on my Windows laptop, which runs XP. Once I paired it, the audio seemed to basically just work after I set it in Skype's options. Unfortunately, she just got stuck with a Vista machine, and I can't get it to work. I can pair the headset with the machine, but it always reports itself as "Disconnected" in the 'Audio' tab of 'Bluetooth Devices.' Hence, nothing happens.

The machine is a Dell M1330 running Vista Ultimate 32-bit, the headset is a Motorola H700. The machine's BT chipset is a "Dell TrueMobile 355", which Windows says is running the latest drivers (6.0.6.6000.16682, dated 6/21/06). The "Bluetooth Hands-free Audio" device appears in Device Manager and claims to be working properly; it's also using what Windows says is the latest driver from Broadcom (6.0.1.3100, dated 11/3/06). The Broadcom Bluetooth Update page hasn't been of any help either; it's apparently XP-only.

I've found a few other people reporting problems getting BT headsets to work under Vista, but no solutions. I know next-to-nothing about Vista, except that it's apparently a royal pain. I've tried rebooting, deleting and re-pairing the device, invoking various gods, all to no avail. Is there anything I'm missing, here? Or is this combination just broken?

Alternately, does anyone out there have a Bluetooth headset that works under Vista that they'd like to recommend? I'm under a very tight time crunch, so one that I could acquire in the DC Metro area on a Sunday afternoon would be preferred. I'm not averse to spending money if that's what it takes (unfortunately solutions involving a new laptop, or ~~down~~upgrading this one to XP, aren't practical given the time I have left).

Need help charging my mobile phone

korres — Sun, 08 Jun 2008 21:23:34 -0800

I have a Motorola V188 mobile phone from the U.S. I'm in the Netherlands with no charger, and I really need to charge the phone ASAP. How? I was thinking about trying to find a place to buy a new battery, instead of trying to find a way to charge the current one. But I don't know if that's a good idea (or if finding the right battery is harder than I imagine).

My service provider is T-Mobile, if that helps at all.

Which of these smartphones is best for me?

iamisaid — Sat, 05 Apr 2008 20:16:47 -0800

I'm finally making the jump to a smartphone, and am looking for advice on choosing the right model. I'm an AT&T customer and have narrowed it down to the following: BlackBerry Curve 8310, Motorola Q, Blackjack II, Palm Centro. I'm mostly focusing on the Blackberry and the Motorola, as I'm much less familiar with the other two. Each of these models costs roughly the same with my upgrade discount from AT&T. I do not plan to use the phone for any sort of enterprise/office functions...I'm more of a power personal user. My needs:

-Personal email, preferably of the "push" variety. Easy access to my gmail is a must. I've used the java gmail mobile client on my current phone and it works well enough, but I want instant notification of new messages, whether that involves using a blackberry.net address, IMAP, whatever.
-Rough ability to browse the web when in a pinch. The more intuitive and less clunky, the better.
-Moible AOL Instant Messenger that functions similarly to the Windows client (the version of AIM available on my current SE W810i is rather unimpressive).
-Ability to interact with social networking sites (namely Facebook) would be fantastic. It appears that Blackberry has a dedicated Facebook app - I'm unsure about the others.
-A QWERTY keyboard that feels intuitive.
-A relatively small form-factor. If it fits in my jeans pocket, even better.
-Ability to run java games (I'm guessing they all have this) and take photos (video is optional). Playing MP3s is not so important, although ability to use MP3s as ringtones would nice.
-Last but not least, decent functionality for voice calls.

I'm not interested in an iPhone at this time, but if you have other AT&T smartphone suggestions besides the four above, I'm all ears. Full list here. If you have used one of the models above, please let me know your experiences. Thanks.

Yet another cellular-data phone recommendation question.

Kadin2048 — Mon, 08 Oct 2007 22:50:59 -0800

Can anyone recommend a phone for tethered EDGE data use with a PC, and basic voice calls? GSM, T-Mobile, Motorola preferred but not absolutely required. I've done some research but I'm a bit confused. I've decided to join the world of mobile not-quite-broadband, and I want to get a phone that I can tether to my notebook (sometimes a Mac, sometimes PC) and use for Internet access. I've actually gotten the tethered-data thing working with my current phone, a first-generation Motorola Razr V3, but it's GPRS-only and almost unusably slow once I get the office VPN up and running. All I want is to do email and light (image-disabled) web browsing, plus phone calls. I don't care about the other features, and I don't care about looks as long as it's small enough to fit into a dress-shirt pocket.

I've heard that EDGE is a step up in speed from GPRS, and the best I can really do right now on T-Mobile's network. (Or so I've been led to believe. Feel free to correct me if I'm wrong.) And for that, I need a new phone.

Aside from the slow data, I'm very happy with my current pairing of Motorola phone and T-Mobile as a provider. (I've used Motorola phones since they came with shoulder straps, and have never had a problem.) Plus, I got tethered data working on my non-EDGE Motorola pretty easily. Therefore I've been mostly looking at Motorola phones, but I'm open to other suggestions in the same price range.

According to what I can find, the Motorola phones that support EDGE are the newest Razr model (the V3xx), the KRZR K1, the RIZR Z3, and something called the W510. They all seem to retail for about $200USD, unlocked. However, I've read some anecdotal reports that EDGE support in some models is disabled, flaky, or non-functional. Can anyone vouch for them? If you have one, do you like it? Do you wish you'd gotten something else?

I've read their spec sheets and they seem to support different 'versions' of EDGE (e.g. the V3xx is EDGE version 10, the KRZR is version 12); should I care?

Also, I'm not sure if I should be buying a phone today that supports 3G data (HSPDA? UMTS?) so that I won't be repeating this business next year.

As you can probably tell, I'm in a bit over my head. Help me get squared away, MeFi! Thanks!

P.S.: I've read the past threads on this topic, but none seemed to discuss phones with this particular set of requirements.

Where has all the freeware gone? Mobile freeware to be exact.

TomMelee — Sat, 06 Oct 2007 21:17:25 -0800

Just got a shiny new Moto Q. Help me find free software! I've got it all set up and running well, gmail is working after I figured out the hack, oggsync is keeping my calendar up to date. What I need now are some softwares...specifically:
1. An all in one IM program, or at least w/ AIM/GChat/MSN/Yahoo
2. A checkbook register-style finance program.
3. Anything else that looks fun or promising.

I just don't want to PAY for these things, because I just KNOW they exist in a free-form somewhere. Bequeath unto me your wisdom of the smartphone softwares, MeFi!

Blackberry and Motorolla F3 Questions

Mid — Tue, 11 Sep 2007 16:42:36 -0800

Should I buy an unlocked blackberry and/or cellphone? And should I wait for the "3G" Blackberry that I am told may come out soon on AT&T? And what about the whole Motorola F3 thing from a while back? I have two mobile device issues:

(1) I lost my work-issued Blackberry. My employer will replace it, but does not want to buy any new Blackberries right now because, supposedly, a new 3G Blackberry will be coming out soon for AT&T. The thing is, nobody is sure what "soon" means, and some gossip sites are full of posts saying that the 3G Blackberry will be delayed into 2008. If I want a Blackberry without the wait, I need to buy an unlocked one on my own dime -- the Curve looks pretty cool, but would I be an idiot to spend $300-$400 now when the 3G thing might be right around the corner?

(2) Sort of relatedly, I'd like to get a new cell phone. I've decided that I am so tired of two-year contracts and carrier nonsense that I want to go pre-paid and with an unlocked phone. I'm thinking of buying a Motorola Fone F3 off of Ebay and then hooking it to an AT&T pre-paid plan. If I do this, how do I get a SIM card for AT&T? Do I just pick one up somewhere, or do I need to sign up for a prepaid "plan," take the cheapest phone possible, and then switch the SIM into my new cool F3? Is there some obvious pitfall to going this pre-paid/unlocked route that I am missing?

(2)(a) There was a thread earlier this year where a bunch of people were talking about buying F3s for use in the U.S. Did anyone ever do this? How did it work out?

Thanks.

How to sell cell phone on ebay

Moistener — Wed, 05 Sep 2007 17:40:18 -0800

I no longer need my near-new Motorola SLVR L7C from Cricket. I want to sell it on ebay, but what should(n't) I do to maximize the resale value? Should I unlock the phone via unlockitnow.com? If I do, how do I write my ebay listing? (Will it work on any CDMA network? Or will it only work on Cricket? Which are the CDMA networks?)

I'm looking for a little hand-holding here. I just want to sell this phone without pissing a) away my cash or b) off whomever buys it.

(whimpering thanks)

Oh, please help Me(fi)!

tmcw — Mon, 27 Aug 2007 11:57:00 -0800

So I thought I knew computers... but this network is killing me. I can connect, full strength, etc. But I can't actually connect to the internet. My IP is 192.168.10.32. Using an 850G (motorola) WAP, Cox SurfBoard modem. Other computers (this one, which is 192.168.10.28, connect fine, it seems. There's no encryption on the network right now. I'm connecting to the right one. One thing that's in the mix is that I'm using a Thinkpad that, since the last set of changes that I've done, uses Windows to manage wireless connections, not Access Connections. Access Connections seems to do some things though, but it can't detect networks at all. Ipconfig is intermittently giving me a device error.

My laptop connects, as I said before, but can't get out to the internet. I don't know what the f is wrong. Any clues as far as which device should be the DHCP server? Any settings that are default / recommended, standard?

Yes, I know it should have encryption. But I'm desperate, and I just want a connection any way that it can work.

And school starts in two days. I'm pretty pissed. Any help?

I need an option other than "Yes, always ask".

bartleby — Fri, 03 Aug 2007 12:21:20 -0800

On my phone's browser, I need an option other than "Yes, always ask". Help? T-Mobile USA carrier.
Motorola RIZR Z3.

I've dismissed the weak built-in T-Mobile browser for the phone and installed Opera Mini, which is is perfect for me and works great on the phone.

BUT...

Every time I change the URL (by clicking on a link, choosing one of my bookmarks, etc.) I get the following screen:

URL:
http: 195.189.xxx.xx:xx

() Yes, Always Ask
() No, Ask Later
() No, Never Grant Access

I would really like there to be a "() Yes, Always Allow" option. Going through the Allow sequence every time I change pages is getting old.

Any help? Is it T-Mobile, or Motorola, or the java code for the browser, or ?

Motorola productivity

Knigel — Wed, 18 Jul 2007 22:55:19 -0800

I've just bought a new Motorola Q because I am keep on organisation; however, the tasks and calendar seems horrible and there doesn't seem to be any note function. Am I just stupid or is this thing totally lacking in functionality? I am moving over from a Blackberry 7250 which I was getting upset with, but this seems so much worse. Are there third party apps that I might need? I do not like outlook, but at this point I would like to get as close as possible. I use David Allen's GTD system, so I would like something that can help me get my computer and pda connected properly.

I am thinking about returning the phone and getting another one from Bell (I'm in Vancouver Canada)

It seems my only choices are:
Motorola Q
BlackBerry® 8830 World Edition
BlackBerry 8703e
Palm Treo 700p
Palm Treo 700wx

Should I stay with my current Motorla Q and find some new software?

Should I return it and then just wait for something better?

Should I switch phones?

Or am I missing the best solution to this problem?

I did a bunch of research beforehand, but now I do not think it was enough.

Can't bluetooth contacts from Mac to Cellphone...

Manhasset — Wed, 20 Jun 2007 06:20:56 -0800

Problems syncing (bluetooth) Razr (cellphone) with Mac. So I got a Razr yesterday. I sync'd it to my Mac to get all my contacts. It worked! However, it added an entry for everyone in my phonebook and another entry for everyone in my phonebook with an email address, a fax/work number, etc. So I ended up with 3 entries for each person.

I went back into isync and unchecked the "fax" and "email" boxes so it should just send phone numbers. I then checked the box that said "erase info on device before syncing".

Then I sync'd again.

It erased all the data and sent over only 1 contact from my address book (the one I'd added earlier in the night).

It seems to think that other info is still on the phone but it ain't.

I tried multiple times. I deleted the device from isync and re-added it. I deleted the device from osx's bluetooth section and re-added it. Nothing works. I even renamed the device after deleting it and then re-added it. Nada.

How do I tell my computer to send the data to the phone?

Unlocking a cell phone that doesn't allow buttons to be pressed?

Manhasset — Sun, 06 May 2007 17:31:21 -0800

I have a locked Motorola phone that I bought while on vacation 'cause I liked the phone and it was cheap. Now that I'm no longer in Mexico, I'd like to continue using the phone. I bought an unlock code based on the IMEI and was told to punch it in with a SIM from a company that the phone isn't locked to. However, whenever I put a SIM in from another company, the display reads "No Sim" and doesn't allow me to press any buttons. Any suggestions? I've talked to a few unlocking companies and they all told me the same thing--that I punch the number in with a foreign SIM. (I tried it with the native SIM as well but nothing happens.)