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View Full Version : One Man's MPx220 Journey


Jerry Raia
12-01-2004, 10:00 PM
I thought it might be of interest for those trying to follow the several threads and those just tuning in to summarize my own experience. In addition maybe we can get all the discussions into one thread.

I bought the MPx220 the day it showed up at Best Buy. ROM version 0.325. Shortly thereafter the reports came flooding the boards about all the problems, the volume, the camera etc. By the time the next version came out (342) I was out of the 30 day period and Best Buy did absolutely NOTHING to help even though they had the new version. Cingular, who I must say have been more than helpful during all this, sent me out a replacement overnight. Unfortunately it was another 325 ROM.<!> I don't really hold this against them as it was early in the game and they probably didn't know what was up yet.

I even thought the phone I got from them was louder! I really wanted this phone to work! Well it wasn't and after a week it was obvious there was no improvement. As a side note, my Sprite backup did not restore successfully even on the same ROM version but different physical phone.
Everything showed up but I could not connect to the internet at all. Maybe someone here has some insight as to why.

At any rate I called Cingular again and by this time they had more knowledge of ROM numbers. Even though I hadn't yet returned the first MPx220, they overnighted me another one. This time the 1.30 ROM arrived. Again my Sprite backup did no good with the same results as above. In addition I had to reformat my mini SD card before some reinstalled programs would work. I couldn't just install over the old files.

I have to give Cingular A+ on this one. They were very nice and seemed only to want me satisfied. They hardly asked me any questions, just sent the phones out and sent me an email with the FedEx tracking number.

I never went to Motorola so I can't comment on them. Best Buy, although they probably did me a favor by not swapping me into a 342 version, gets a BIG FAT F. Not only was there service in this whole thing horrible, their attitude was one of "It's not our problem".

I left out a few of the twists and turns in this summary to keep it brief. So far the 1.3 ROM is a great improvement. The ring volume is much louder. It startled me the first time I heard it. The ear volume is also much better and while still not as loud as other phones I've used, I actually had to turn down the volume in a call :)

james840a
12-01-2004, 10:15 PM
Too those who read this Topic my journey has been the same as Jerry's. With all the hasle and phone calles. I have to give Cingular A+ on this one too. And as for Moto and Best BUY both get a BIG FAT F from me. I know this x-mas season best buy lost me as a consumer.

Jerry Raia
12-02-2004, 03:06 AM
I continue to experiment with this 1.30 ROM. One of the camera issues seems to be resolved. Even with BT on, the highest resolution pictures do not scramble. A little experimenting with the lighting settings gave me some acceptable pictures in darkened conditions. Definately better than the 325 ROM was capable of. :D

Kris Kumar
12-02-2004, 03:56 AM
My journey was tougher...

I didn't have Cingular by my side. Cingular gets "NA" for "Not Applicable", because I am on T-Mobile.

Cingular would not even entertain my call. Best Buy pushed me around. Moto the creator of all this trouble, sat in the corner enjoying my pain. And now it says it can help me if I am willing to part with the phone for 14 days. :-(

Anyway, I have to agree Cingular made a quick recovery, from initially stating that MPx220 is not a Cingular supported model - to - eXchange by mail. They sure made their customers happy.

Jerry Raia
12-02-2004, 04:30 AM
Motorola should take a page from the Cingular play book. Send you a replacement and let you send the paper weight back to them after the fact. They could take a CC number for security if they are worried about a person keeping the phone. Cingular can bill my account if I don't return the phone.

From what I'm gathering, Motorola gets a D grade so far.

mindspin
12-02-2004, 04:45 AM
I called Cingular today and they were aware of the probelm. It appears to actually be in their Knowledge base now. I was on the phone for about 10 minutes with them. Here is the kicker..... ROM .342 does not appear to be on the recall only .325 is(I said seems). I told them I had .325 and they immediately said they would send me a replacement.

It costs 7.99 to overnight, which will appear on your next cellular bill, and free for standard shipping. My replacement should be here tomorrow.

I was not told if the firmware would be 1.30 or not, but from all the posts I have seen here and on other forum, no one has sent their's back and got a .342. I will keep my fingers crossed on that one.

Will post more info after the phone arrives.

Jerry Raia
12-02-2004, 04:51 AM
I'm sure you will get 1.30. When I spoke to them they said that the new phones were 342 and above. They sent me 1.30. As this was my second return they sent it overnight for free. I have to give Cingular lots of credit. They are doing the right thing. Let us know what you get.

cellu_girl
12-02-2004, 11:15 AM
I am still very interested in getting this phone, however i have three issues
1. on the best buy web site they stated that the mpx220 does not have a mp3 player and i was under the impression from moto that it does
does anyone know?

2. I want to get the phone from cingulatr so i can get an extra discount
but the phone does not seem to be coming in
does anyone know when the phone will be available at the store or on the phone?

3. should i still wait longer to get the phone so all the problems are fixed mostly the camera
i like being able to click and send photos anywhere :roll: :rotfl:

Mike Temporale
12-02-2004, 12:08 PM
1) Yup, all Windows Mobile devices have a MP3 player built in.

2) word is that Cingular is going to start selling them in the store very soon

:)

Ned
12-02-2004, 12:30 PM
The Moto MPX220 is now being sold by Cingular on their web site as of yesterday. It's going for $300 plus a 2 year contract. They always charge more for phones, at least in the beginning, than their partners, Best Buy and Amazon. Amazon's price is $200 after rebate.

Supposedly the Cingular stores will be carrying the phone today.

Jerry Raia
12-02-2004, 04:05 PM
I have already seen the phone at a Cingular store in San Diego.

A little side note here. Because of all the reinstalling and hard resets and going through 3 phones my copy of ALL-locations ALL-Calculator had used up all its installations (the product is activated over the internet). I sent them an email and explaining this and they quickly reset it for me. Nice when a company helps its customers isn't it?

ARE YOU LISTENING BEST BUY?????

PPCMD
12-02-2004, 07:31 PM
Come on Jerry after the WSJ article BB feels we are all "Devils" for returning defective phones they could careless about us. However Cingular is really stepping up now and thats what matters more to me. :D

Jerry Raia
12-02-2004, 07:41 PM
Well BB is right about one thing....

I am :evilbat:

Cingular is definitely on my Christmas list though :)

dollardr
12-02-2004, 09:02 PM
My corporate Cingular rep brought me an Mpx 220 today. Its nice and light compared to my Samsung i600 that's for sure. However, I made call to my office voice mail while walking down a busy street with sirens ( I work in a hospital) and I could barely hear my message.

Made the same call with my Samsung and the call was about 10 times louder and the clarity was significantly better.

I have Manufacturer ROM version 1.30.0.0 and Operator Version 0.250.1003.0 - are these the "fixed" versions? If so I can't imagine using this phone.

Jerry Raia
12-02-2004, 11:43 PM
Yes 1.30 is the fixed version and it is louder than the original .325 version. While it is louder it could be more so. :?

mindspin
12-03-2004, 12:14 AM
I recieved my replacement today from Cingular. It was just over 24 hours after I made the call.

The ROM version was 1.30. The camera is, in my opinion, way improved. It is not going to replace my digital camera by any means, but it as least usable now.

The volume (earpiece, speakerphone, ringer) is a lot better. The ringer actually startled me when it rang today. It is also nice to see a ROM version that is over the number 1. :wink:

I have to say that this phone is still not a loud phone. I had a nextel i730 which was extreemly loud, so maybe it is not a fair comparison. My wife has a Sony T637 and the MPX220 is as loud or louder.

I will give Cingular credit. They are doing the right thing. I just have to wonder who the genius was that gave the OK to release this phone when they did. It must have been someone who never used it :D

Jerry Raia
12-03-2004, 12:20 AM
I second everything you wrote.

james840a
12-03-2004, 12:51 AM
I second everything too.
Wonder if the person(s) that gave the OK is looking for a new jobs with this blundering mess he or they created

PPCMD
12-03-2004, 01:40 AM
You folks are making me drool on this ya know. As for volume I have noticed with my V710 I need to make sure its in the right spot to hear it loud enough. But we can still use the outdoor mode in loud situations. Maybe there is a yet to be offer final ROM that will address all of this. Someone did post that Moto was working on another ROM that would possibly be updated and a d/l for us next year. I also didn't realize that Cingular doesn't have techs that can do software updates, is this true?

Jerry Raia
12-03-2004, 01:47 AM
I wonder at what point a ROM upgrade will no longer solve a volume problem and becomes a pure hardware issue.

I have heard the rumor of another ROM update but I can't confirm it yet. As to who is doing the flashing I don't know.

runbuh
12-03-2004, 02:19 PM
And here I sit with my AT&amp;T MPX220 with .343 and no hope (yet) of an upgrade. Calls and emails to multiple sources indicate that there is no firmware upgrade available for blue MPx220's. I'll inject a "yet" at the end of that last sentence, because my glass is half-full today.

Jerry Raia
12-03-2004, 04:17 PM
Seems like the AT&amp;T folks really got caught up in the gears on this one. :cry:

PPCMD
12-04-2004, 04:17 AM
I guess you found a reason to move to Cingular after all.

me
12-04-2004, 06:49 AM
I second everything too.
Wonder if the person(s) that gave the OK is looking for a new jobs with this blundering mess he or they created

Nope, he's probably been promoted! :lol:

me
12-04-2004, 07:00 AM
I guess you found a reason to move to Cingular after all.

Changing carriers just to get a particular phone is not at all a good idea, no reason at all, IMO. You sign a two-year contract to get the phone you want, and you are stuck with that carrier for two years, even if you get bad reception and coverage in your area with them. And if the monthly charges are higher than your current plan, the amount you pay more per month for two years will be much more than the difference you would pay to buy that same phone unlocked.

Before changing carriers you need to investigate what kind of reception that carrier gets in your area, etc. (Look at Internet newsgroups and other forums about that carrier, etc.) And compare what kind of plan you can get with them-pricing, what's included, etc. You should only consider changing carriers if you would consider changing to that carrier anyhow, if it looks like better service and/or price, etc. If both carriers are completely equal in all other respects (highly unlikely), could one consider changing carriers to get a particular phone at a discount.

k2times
12-04-2004, 08:24 AM
I am stuck with the .343 as well as an ATT customer, convinced that I would get the new firmware when I ordered last week. No word yet on an upgrade, and the 30-day exchange is a-wastin...

The upshot is that this phone rocks. I've had no problems with bluetooth - I've synced with ActiveSync and used the phone as a BT modem on dial-up with my laptop and taken pictures at the same time without any problems with the picture quality. The 'quality' that I refer to leaves much to be desired, but not enough of a problem to throw out the proverbial baby with the proverbial bathwater. I also really haven't had a hard time with the earpiece volume, even though I initially (and still) thought it could be louder. My only problems remain the lack of ability to voice dial from a BT headset, the keypad backlight not syncing with the screen backlight, and louder earpiece and ring volume. Perhaps more advanced users than I can find more significant bugs (beyond the basic windows software malaise) but this is rapidly becoming the best phone I've every owned.

Bottom line, more than enough phone to enjoy until the exchange or flash upgrade becomes available... :D

Jerry Raia
12-04-2004, 08:30 AM
I wonder what changed from 342 or 343 to 1.3 then :?:

Kris Kumar
12-05-2004, 04:39 PM
Was browsing the pile of unread WSJ daily editions. Anyway, saw this interesting news story in WSJ dated Nov 8th. :? Wonder how I missed it, have been keeping busy at work and home. But reading a month old newspaper. Luckily had only 6 unread issues to clear out, and now it is sitting in the recycling bin. :-)

Motorola Promises On-Time Delivery This Holiday Season

Some wonder if the Grinch is about to pay another visit to Motorola Inc. The company has ambitious plans a year after its fortunes hit a new low during 2003's critical holiday season because of delays in delivering enough popular camera phones to wireless carriers...Motorola says there won't be another snafu....says Ron Garriques, executive Vice President.."Last year we struggled in getting enough phones to the market. But we have no issues like that this year-we are hitting on all cylinders."

The VP goes on to talk about things like Moto is planning to introduce 20 new phones in the final quarter. And most of these phones are sophisticated and high end ones. And that introducing 20 high end models is a big challenge when it comes to quality control. [Now we know] ;-) And this I thought was the most interesting point - "..Nokia typically staggers the introduction of such high end phones, bring them out just one or two each quarter...".

Well we now know that Nokia is smarter than Motorola. And that Samsung has overtaken Motorola as the number two handset maker in the US.

Looks like Moto was under a lot of pressure to put the defective MPx220 on the market. Pressure from Samsung. And last year's fiasco.

Moto, I hope you learnt some lessons!

Jerry Raia
12-05-2004, 06:18 PM
I don't think they have learned a thing. Have you seen the latest on the MPx over on PPCT?

http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=35071

If they want last place bad enough they may very well achive it.

Kris Kumar
12-12-2004, 08:42 AM
Update on my journey..

Got a call (yes for some reason they took pity on me and decided to offer to call me and no, I was not calling them everyday) from BB stating that they have the new MPx220's in stock. They had no clue about the version.

So I went to the store, and went to the wireless counter. Spoke about the call. And that I wanted to exchange mine. The guy said, "Hey you have the latest one. You have the box with the orange sticker." I said, "But I know that Moto has issued a new firmware." The guy then compared the SW version on the stickers on the back of my phone and the in store phone. They had the same .342 version on the stickers under the battery.

Okay so the boxes have Orange stickers and same version info on the stickers under the battery. :-(

I requested the guy to power up the phone. I said lets see what the phone reports rather than the stupid stickers. Luckily the guy agreed. He powers it and I check the version, it is 1.30..WooHoo. Now the guy is surprised and powers up my phone and notes that mine reads .342. He scratches his head and walks me over to the customer service counter.

So now after two exchanges in two months, I am hopefully on the latest and greatest ROM. &lt;fingersCrossed>

PS: I think all the in store employees know me now. I see a weird grin on their faces when I walk in. I hope I don't have to make another return.

Jerry Raia
12-12-2004, 01:47 PM
Congrats! Let us know what you think of it. My second replacement (1.30) from Cingular has the 325 sticker under the battery. They just flashed the phones and didn't bother with the stickers. Except the orange sticker....

or was it the brown one?




Blue??


:roll:

PPCMD
12-13-2004, 01:36 PM
They should know the sticker concept is fine if they actually (a) change the revision sticker under the battery (b) they put a different color stick (wait wasn't it supposed to be black) to signify FW1.3.

Oh well the local store is ordering one for me today, should finally get one later this week. The good news for me is I found out I get 50% off hardware due to my companies partnership.

Mike Temporale
12-13-2004, 02:00 PM
The good news for me is I found out I get 50% off hardware due to my companies partnership.

NICE. That sure makes buying these toys easier. Do you just submit the receipt at the office after purchase? or do you wave a fancy badget at the time of purchase? Just curious. I've never been luck enough to have a company I work for buy me, or pay for in part, my gadgets. :(

malibio
12-18-2004, 01:01 PM
I was wondering if the new F/W upgrade resolved the issue with using voice command via a bluetooth headset (lack-of). At the moment, I have the .325 version (contacting Cingular for an upgrade), and the only way to use voice commands is via the sequence: Flip-open, press and hold volume key up, and speak through the phone itself (not via BT Headset). On my old V600, I can simply press the BT button, then speak the name. Any experience with this?

Jerry Raia
12-18-2004, 03:37 PM
It's still the same. Doesn't do it.

sopure
12-19-2004, 05:32 AM
I just my 220 back from motorola a few days ago.
It does have the 1.30 f/w version. My issues are clearing up with this
version (volume, etc), but I noticed that I cant get "full screen" mode to kick in. :cry:
Does anybody have the same experience with screen size in mediaplayer?
I have contacted moto about this, but no response yet.

As for the BT voice command issue, it still doesn't work (as mentioned),
but there may be a weird way around it. Cingular has voice command option
(you have to pay 4.95/mo) and the 220 WILL dial last number called (on BT). Just make sure you have set your last number to voice command.

:roll:

Jerry Raia
12-19-2004, 06:02 AM
Full screen worked for me ok.

Are you saying it will only call the last number dialed? No others?

sopure
12-19-2004, 06:20 AM
When I press and hold the button on the BT headset, it will do a redial only.
If that particular re-dial is the one you want you are in luck, otherwise, you must initiate the call from your handset. The mpx 220 states that voice command wont work on BT.

How did you get the full screen (landscape mode to work?) I've tried several methods of formatting the video I shot on my sony camcorder. I used moviemaker 2 and exported the movie as a .wmv file at 320 x 240, but the moto machine will only display it small screen. :(

any thoughts???

Jerry Raia
12-19-2004, 06:47 AM
When the video was playing, I went to Menu...Full Screen. That was it. Went right into landscape full screen. Did you try to do it before the video started?

Maybe a file format issue though, I'm not too well versed in this area.

PPCMD
12-19-2004, 03:34 PM
The good news for me is I found out I get 50% off hardware due to my companies partnership.

NICE. That sure makes buying these toys easier. Do you just submit the receipt at the office after purchase? or do you wave a fancy badget at the time of purchase? Just curious. I've never been luck enough to have a company I work for buy me, or pay for in part, my gadgets. :(

Actually I got the discount at point of purchase at the Cingular store. I didn't even know about it. Turns out my coworker was in right before me and they found the discount option for us. Sad part was I couldn't get my MPx220 at that store (blue store) I had to goto the main corp store. Then they get word they would be carrying it a week later.

So I got (2) V551 for $25 each with all the rebates and the MPx220 for $175.

sopure
12-20-2004, 06:01 AM
I hate to change gears on you guys, But I just saw the MPx300 on ebay
for $327.00. I bought one! I hope it not a rip off. The seller is in New York.
I keep you posted. He pays for shipping too. WTF???
:?

me
12-20-2004, 06:25 AM
I hate to change gears on you guys, But I just saw the MPx300 on ebay
for $327.00. I bought one! I hope it not a rip off. The seller is in New York.
I keep you posted. He pays for shipping too. WTF???
:?

Yes, a completely different topic than this thread. Rather than "hating to change gears", why didn't you just start another thread with this post?

I'll reply to it anyhow, however. WTF, you just lost $327!

:oops:

Don't be so gullible next time! Going for an offer like this is an example of "extreme suckerdom"! Hey, I can sell you the Brooklyn Bridge for less than that! A much better deal! Just send $300 to my PayPal account.

1) The MPX or MPX300 is not in existence yet. It hasn't been released, anywhere in the world. The seller cannot sell you something that does not exist.

Either---he has no such phone, and will send you nothing, after he gets your money. Or--it's possible that he got his hands on a prototype of the phone--one made to show at conventions, send to reviewers for pre-reviews, etc., or a testing model, before the product is finally finished and ready to be released.

If the latter, it could have a lot of problems and bugs. There is a reason that the product has not been released yet, although it earlier had been predicted to come out in 2004. The reason must be, that there are still problems being worked out. That prototype version could be full of problems!

The unit will be totally without warranty! Neither Motorola nor your carrier is going to cover a phone that hasn't even been released yet. You might get something that doesn't work at all, yet you have no recourse.

Of course, we will all be curious to hear about the phone when you get it. Next time do not write about it in a thread about the mpx220, however, a completely different phone. Make a new thread for it.

SassKwatch
01-27-2005, 05:48 AM
As a side note, my Sprite backup did not restore successfully even on the same ROM version but different physical phone.
Everything showed up but I could not connect to the internet at all.
Have you had reason to restore a backup to the same device on which it was originally created? Just curious how that has worked on the 220.

Jerry Raia
01-27-2005, 05:56 AM
Great question. No I haven't. I'm being a coward as far as doing it just as a test. So I suppose I have no way of knowing until disaster strikes. Sprite just came out with a newer version that has scheduled backups but alas, it doesn't work on the MPx220 (at least not on mine). So now I'm really scared to try a test restore. :lol:

SassKwatch
01-27-2005, 06:18 AM
Great question. No I haven't. I'm being a coward as far as doing it just as a test.
Can't say that I blame you. After reading all manner of discussions over the last couple weeks about security and locked, or partially locked, devices, I've already begun to wonder if purchasing a backup app and using it is worthwhile.

Kris Kumar
01-27-2005, 01:06 PM
I use the Sprite Backup a lot. It is a time saver.

I have only tried the Restore with the same Same ROM and Same Phone of course. (It claims to restore from one device to another. But I would not trust that). But when it comes to the same device (same ROM). It works great.

Because of Sprite, I do not mind doing a hard reset at the first sign of trouble. :-)

Jerry Raia
01-27-2005, 01:17 PM
Did it work on your MPx220 Kris?

Kris Kumar
01-27-2005, 01:31 PM
Did it work on your MPx220 Kris?

Everytime...for the same ROM version (and same hardware unit).

Jerry Raia
01-27-2005, 01:36 PM
That is good to know. I've been backing up even with the "restore to a new phone failure" on the chance the problem was different hardware.