Motorola Mpx Test Report with Pictures

[Jon Westfall]

<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://www.worldofppc.com/HWTests/MPx.htm' target='_blank'>http://www.worldofppc.com/HWTests/MPx.htm</a><br /><br /></div><img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/2003/westfall-20050222-mpxcompare.jpg" /> <br />Andreas Erle has a write up including pictures of a production Mpx on his site, worldofppc.com, and was nice enough to let us know about it. The translation is a bit sketchy (<a href="http://babelfish.altavista.com/babelfish/trurl_pagecontent?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.worldofppc.com%2FHWTests%2FMPx.htm&lp=de_en">German to English Translation </a>) however, the pictures speak more than the words in this report. The question that I've wondered about with this device is "How much larger is it than a regular flip cell phone". Finally a side-by-side comparison shot, and quite frankly, I'm impressed. The device may have been bashed for its lack of memory &amp; processor speed, but it's alluring to me because it *looks* like a cell phone, and doesn't appear to be much bigger than a normal flip phone. Perhaps I'll give it a try if I can get my hands on one of those early engineer samples with 64 MB of RAM :wink:

[Vincent M Ferrari]

It is a bit bigger, and it's definitely thicker.

The right hinge gets in the way of typing.

The hinge is a bit awkward to flip around.

Those are the three biggest ergonomic issues I have with it having actually had a chance to check one out. Other than that, the form factor is great for a PPC. I wasn't enamored with it and still am not, however it's a great starting point for future PPCPE devices.

[zetsurin]

That thing is so godawful ugly, I can't understand what makes it appealing when you combine the tragic looks with it's tech specs. Talking into that thing while it's flipped open must look really silly methinks as well.

[dangerwit]

It is too bad... if this device came out a year or so ago, I think it'd be a different story.

*Phil

[carphead]

Did anybody hear a splash when Moto missed the boat?

[griph]

Did anybody hear a splash when Moto missed the boat?

I think the only thing that splashed was the MPx. That is one ugly .... &lt;expletive deleted> or words to that effect.

[dangerwit]

This shouldn't count toward my post count, but your post hit my funny bone, carphead. :) Good one.

[Abba Zabba]

Is anyone really still interested in this device :?: I don't understand why I keep reading any news related to this device. I don't want to play conspiracy theorist but here goes. does anyone think that maybe Moto and other websiteare still pumping out news to keep out appetites wet about a "new" mpx if and when it comes out :wink:

[Jon Westfall]

I'm trying to figure out exactly when everyone started hating this device. If I remember right, before we knew the price and RAM amount, the prevailing thoughts were that this device looked cool and interesting. Now with those two pieces of information, people seem to dislike everything about this device! 8O

Personally, I believe that this device is still viable for some users, particularly those who want to carry a converged device, and are not real pocket PC power users. My daily PPC usage is pretty limited to making phone calls, checking my schedule &amp; email, and occassionally playing a game or two. Obviously on special occassions, such as when I'm using my GPS on a trip, this device wouldn't work - however much of the time, it appears it would.

So that in a nut shell is why I'm still liking this device - it appears that despite its shortcomings, it may work just fine for me. And I guess I also have a real hard time listening to horribly one-sided comments and reviews - the rebel in me wants to prove people wrong :wink:

[cgavula]

I think the issue of memory and price triggered a horrible response for a couple of reasons:

First, the device took WAY to long to come to market from the first time it was revealed in public and since that time most PPCs now have 64MB or 128MB and WM 2003/2003 Se require a little more memory than PPC 2002. Additionally, VGA devices have also started coming to market. Lastly MOST new devices now have a decent amount of build in storage area. All of these things have changed the expectations since this device was first talked about. With the long development curve, I think people believed Moto would make modifications to keep up and they didn't. Even offering 64MB RAM might have been enough to make people feel differently.

Second, the price point is nothing short of highway robbery for a device with it's limited specs. Especially with 128MB devices like the PDA2K (and similar) being sold at a similar (or lesser) price point. The cool flip keyboard isn't enough to make up for the lack of other features for the pricepoint. There are simply too many other choices (like the PDA2K and the iMate Jam and others) that force you to make fewer compromises. Yes it's cool - but is it cool enough?

Bottom line - the curve has shifted in the time since this device was first talked about until now. The target moved and Moto didn't.

--Chris

[Jon Westfall]

I think the issue of memory and price triggered a horrible response for a couple of reasons

Good points. The form factor and actual buttons are what makes this something I'm interested in, and I'm willing to forgive some shortcommings because I find Smartphone OS just too limited.

[felixdd]

What's that third phone from the left?

[griph]

So that in a nut shell is why I'm still liking this device - it appears that despite its shortcomings, it may work just fine for me. And I guess I also have a real hard time listening to horribly one-sided comments and reviews - the rebel in me wants to prove people wrong :wink:
Let us know how you get on and whether you still feel the same way once you have had one for a while - as far as I am aware that hasn't happened yet.

But as most of us here are 'power-uses' to some degree I feel that the reaction to memory size is understandable - after all - I had an XDA with only 32mB and it was a problem - with most PPC's offering 64mB as minimum and even 128mB becoming common, there is no sense in producing a machine with such horribly limited RAM.

You have also missed previous comments regarding battery life. Unlike most mobile phones that will go days between charges, comms access etc will rapidly drain the limited battery capacity of this machine and you will be charging daily regardless of whether or not you are a power user.

Besides - its an ugly machine! As I keep saying! ;-)

[davpel1]

I've had a production MPx for about two weeks now, and feel compelled to defend this device.

First, my device history, so you get an idea where I'm coming from here. In the non-smartphone (small "s"), I've owned six or seven Palm OS devices and 2 or 3 PPCs (beginning with the Philips Nino way back when). As for converged devices, I used both the Treo 300 and 600 for about a year each. I've also owned an MPx200 and MPx220, and currently have an I-mate PDA2k.

Now, the caveat. If you need to multitask, then obviously, the MPx is not for you. Not even an option right now. The crappy processor and limited RAM make this a nonstarter for you. However, there are many, many people who use smartphones (small "s" again) in a way which typically does not require having more than one app open at a time, and I am definitely within this category.

I use the device as a phone first, PIM second, then to check e-mail via my exchange server and do some light browsing. Also, I use a news feed reader several times a day (yeah Newsbreak!!!). For my needs, the MPx is perfect and, given it's form factor (which I absolutely adore) it might be my favorite smartphone to date. The MPx certainly does everything the Treos can do (and more) and performs just as well.

As far as comparisons with other PPC converged devices, I only have the PDA2k as a reference point. Yes, the PDA2k is a more powerful device in terms of memory and processor. But given my pattern of usage, those features are somewhat superfluous. Both the MPx and PDA2k do what I need them to do. So for me, it all comes down to form factor, and here the MPx kicks the PDA2k's a*s all over the ring. It is so comfortable and convenient to use and actually looks and feels like a real phone. By contrast, the PDA2k is large, awkward to hold (I've dropped my device several times when taking it out of my pocket -- something that's never happened with the MPx or the Treos) -- and it feels like a damn brick holding it up to my ear. The keyboad on the MPx is also far superior to that on the PDA2k. The keys are large and response and just plain easy to use. The MPx also slips easily and comfortably into a pocket; you can put your PDA2k in a pocket, but you will never forget it's there, trust me!

In terms of bugs, despite what you may have heard about the MPx, my results thus far have proven the MPx to be MORE stable than the PDA2k. The PDA2k has been plagued with Bluetooth issues. Also, there is a strange bug which often prevents me from using the phone after a GPRS connection until I soft reset or manually close the data connection. In the two weeks I've had the MPx, I have had no lock-ups and have not had to soft reset the device once (other than after making registry changes when tweaking). The "freemem" app installed on the MPx makes the lack of RAM much less noticable. Again, as long as I'm not trying to multitask, I have no memory issues (BTW, I store all cache files, history, cookies, etc. on my storage card).

A few response to specific points raised in this thread:

1) Poor Battery life. The post above ripping the MPx's battery life is WAY, WAY off base. You simply cannot compare the battery life of a converged device to that of a regular phone. I've not used, nor am I aware, of ANY smartphone that gets battery life which even remotely approximates the battery life of a standard cell phone. I haven't benchmarked anything yet, but the battery life of my MPx seems to be pretty similar to the other devices I have owned, including the PDA2k and the Treos. Again, with all converged devices, don't expect to get much more than a day out of the battery if you are doing anything more than having a few quick phone conversations.

2) Ridge on the side of the keyboard is obtrusive. I'll be honest, this one mystifies me. Until it was mentioned in this thread, I had never even noticed this ridge, and it certainly does not get in the way of my use of the keyboard. Also, there are dozens of MPx owners on HoFo and, in the countless number of posts on that site, I have never read one complaint about this ridge. It is simply a non-issue as far as I am concerned.

3) MPx is ugly. To each his own I guess. This criticism comes up with just about every other device out there. Personally, I think the MPx and the Treo 600/650 are the two most beautiful devices on the market -- both comparable to the i-Pod in terms of elegance. IMHO, the PDA2k is rather blah, while the MDA IV, which everyone is yapping about lately, is just hideous! Features schmeatures . . . I wouldn't be caught dead with an MDA IV even if it could cook my breakfast and wash behind my ears!

In conclusion, I really think the MPx has gotten a bad rap in a big way. Is this device for everyone? No, absolutely not. Should Motorola be criticized for its choice of processor and RAM amount? Absolufrigginlutely!!! Is it overpriced right now? Of course, but that's what you get if you want to be an early adopter. When it is released here and the price drops, I think it will be the perfect choice for those who want a phone-first converged device and dont need to multitask.

David

[Copter]

I'm trying to figure out exactly when everyone started hating this device. If I remember right, before we knew the price and RAM amount, the prevailing thoughts were that this device looked cool and interesting. Now with those two pieces of information, people seem to dislike everything about this device! 8O

All this talk about 32MB seems a bit overworked. Its not that difficult to pick-up or even swap out another SD card that can be kept around for years. The curve might have moved but this phone has plenty of features that are still very hard to come by.

[jiri_havranek]

Hi davpel1,

I have the mpx for one month (the final product not the engineering sample) and I agree with you in most things you mentioned about the mpx. I can watch movies, browse the web, use it as organiser, send MMS and SMS, use it as GPS navigation and lot more. So far its o.k.
But I have totaly different experience regarding soft-reset. I need to soft reset at least once in 2 days. Even when i have all the IE temporary files moved to storage card. The RAM amount just goes down during the day. (From some cca 11MB available after soft reset to 8,5-9 MB) I found out, that is mostly due to "growing" processes.- For example gwces.exe (from 837KB to 1,9MB, device.exe and filesys.exe frome some 650KB to 900Kb etc). I know, that these are system processes, which cannot be terminated.
How did You managed to keep the RAM at the same size as after soft reset all the time? Do you use some special "cleaning software? (I have Memmaid installed).

Thanks

Havrda