Motorola Timeport P7389 Review

Overall Rating

Tri-Band. Battery has long life. Relatively good reception. WAP (only if you really need that feature).

Worst menu system I have seen. So many buttons - so little functionality.

This text refers to the Motorola Timeport P7389. Apparently there is a whole bunch of mobile phones named "Timeport".
The best way to describe Motorola cell phones is "user hostile". I have been using all sorts of cell phones,
starting from Motorola "Alpha", "Flipper", "Elite" then I got to the Timeport. Well - they improve... Slowly.
When the Nokia 2120 had three lines of LCD text and a battery that snaps to place and remains there - Motorola still had a single LED line of text and a battery that would shut the phone down if you placed it in the back pocket of your pants.
I have been using other phones since then, Nokia 6150, Ericsson T28, got spoiled by intuitive menu systems, small size, downloadable ringtones and logos.
When Motorola came up with the Timeport I though this looks like a neat phone and thought that in year 2000 they must have improved the menu system and user interface to modern standards.
Since that was the only Tri-Band phone at that time (still is in that part of the world) - I got one just to find out that the "Battery meter" is still in the most logical place one should expect to find it: "Call related features".
The only logical statement about this phone is: The Timeport is Motorola's cell-phone engineers' way to tell their higher management "We do not want to make and sell mobile phones"!
Technology wise - this is a nice handset. From a user interface point of view - It's hard to make anything worse.
One thing for sure - the moment Nokia or Ericsson ship a Tri-Band phone will be the last day I use the Timeport.

Members' Comments onShahar Steiff.'s Review

• PUNK. on 24th Apr 2001

  This review is a prity good account of all the things that the timeport can be!. Take the advice, if your looking for a fone, don't but the timeport. If you bought it, then read this, take it back, or throw it away!

• Nick. on 3rd May 2001

  Generally a pretty accurate review. Also one even worse feature when you use the phone abroad at airports (as one does with a triband!!!) - You get many lost calls where the phone rings, people at the other end can hear you but you can't hear them. Of course when you are 'roaming' you are also paying for the priviledge of not being able to take the call. A nightmare of a phone. I will be back to Nokia as soon as my contract is up - even if they don't have a tri-band.

• Andrew. on 10th Jun 2001

  Yes, a downloadable ringtone/logo is make or break for a mobile phone these days. Pretty sad, that.
  
  I agree that the menu system is confusing. But I won't be making any ill-willed, sweeping generalisations about Motorola's engineers, unlike the author of this review.