Motorola E1000 - Sleek in Black

Motorola E1000

Motorola E1000

With the current craze and hype over 3G, we have finally got our hands on a Motorola E1000 for a test drive. The E1000 is one of the earlier 3G phones, launched by Motorola last year. Unfortunately, I do not have access to a 3G network currently, so this review will be based on the GSM capabilities of the E1000, and of course, how it functions primarily as a phone.

The E1000 is a Dual Mode phone, featuring WCDMA (2100Mhz) and tri-band GSM (900/1800/1900Mhz) operation. The E1000 is capable of switching automatically between bands and modes.

Physical Aspects

The E1000 has a bar style form factor, but has nice rounded edges. This makes the phone look sleek, and the nice touches of black and silver, and a matt gray battery cover add to the phone’s attractive design. Measuring 114mm x 52mm x 23mm (4.48” x 2.04” x 0.9”), the E1000 is definitely not a small phone. Its design does make it look smaller than it really is, though, which is an advantage. The E1000 does not appear too bulky, or too large for a woman’s hand. The E1000 is no lightweight at 140g, but it’s no issue to me as it slips nicely into my pocket.

On the front, you will see a huge TFT screen, which is capable of displaying 262,000 colors, and has a resolution of 240x320 pixels. The high-resolution screen makes fonts, icons, and pictures appear sharp, and a joy to look at. The screen is bright and readable under sunlight. You will find four keys lined vertically on each side of the screen, very much like the Siemens SX1. Don’t worry though, as unlike the SX1, the numerical keypad is found in the usual spot under the screen, so usability is not compromised. I like this design as it leaves more space for the keypad, thus making each key bigger, and easier to press. On the left side of the screen, you will find the volume buttons, video call key (which brings up your last dialed numbers if you are not in 3G mode), and voice call key (which functions as the usual Call key found in every other phone). On the right side, there is a Browser key (which launches the web browser), Video Camera key, Clear key, and End key (which also functions as the Power button). It took me a few days to get used to the placement of the Call and End keys, and I found myself fumbling for the Call key to accept an incoming call.

Above the screen, you will find the earpiece, which is located behind a silver Motorola emblem. To the left of the earpiece, you will find the front camera, capable of taking photos at a maximum resolution of 352x288. Why Motorola didn’t incorporate a VGA camera instead is beyond me. However, the design of this front camera is quite well thought out. It is deeply recessed, and the lens is angled to get the best view when making video calls. Compared with the front camera of the Nokia 6680, the lens on this camera will not easily be smudged by face oils.

Below the screen, you will find the Left and Right soft keys flanking the middle Menu key. The 5-way navigational joystick is placed in an awkward position between the 2 and 5 keys. While this allows for extra space for the display, as a dedicated row of space isn’t needed for the navigational stick, I did not like the joystick at all. In fact, it was very difficult to use, as the joystick was set almost flush with the keys. I had to use my thumbnail to move it sometimes, and there were times when pushing it left or right registered as a centre key press instead.

Moving on to the keypad, the keys have a very nice size, and although they do not have any physical borders separating them, the keys were not wobbly. It was comfortable using the keypad, and it had very good feedback. However, the placement of the joystick in between the 2 and 5 keys made these two keys a little smaller than the rest. It took me some time to get used to this as I had a knack of accidentally pressing the joystick instead of the 2 key. The keypad has a white backlight, making it comfortable to use in dimly lit conditions.

 

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