ThinkPad X200 Tablet Save Extra 5%Motorola i580 - black (Nextel)
Manufacturer: Motorola Part number: i580BLKSPT
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- Editors' review
- User reviews
- Specifications
- Product series
- Accessories
- Manufacturer info
- Bottom Line:
- The Motorola i580 isn't pretty, but it packs an excellent feature set and decent call quality in a durable design.
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CNET editors' review
Motorola i580 - black (Nextel) price range: $149.97
- Reviewed by: Kent German
- Edited by: Jill Whelchel
- Reviewed on: 07/27/2006
The good: The Motorola i580 offers a rugged design and a respectable set of features, including Bluetooth, a megapixel camera, an MP3 player, and a Micro SD card slot. It's also one of few cell phones from a U.S. carrier to support two separate phone lines.
The bad: The Motorola i580 is bulky and has a small external display. It lacks external music controls, and the battery life is a bit short.
The bottom line: The Motorola i580 isn't pretty, but it packs an excellent feature set and decent call quality in a durable design.
From the outset you know the i580 isn't for sissies. This is a burly phone through and through, from the rubberized, two-toned gray exterior to the solid construction of its oversized hinge. It's not about style by any means but all about being functional and useful. To that end, Motorola and Nextel added some unusual touches. Perhaps in an effort to emphasize the phone's durability, the middle of the front flap is covered in a tactile pattern that resembles steel plating. Even external features, such as the Micro SD slot and the headset jack on the right spine and the charger port on the bottom, are covered with rubber flaps, while the stubby extendable antenna has a solid construction. Nextel continually boasts that its handsets are certified to military specifications for blowing rain, dust, shock, and vibration, and the i580 is no exception.
All that ruggedness requires some trade-offs, however. At 3.8 by 2.2 by 1.1 inches and 5.1 ounces, the phone is big and bulky. It won't slip into a small pocket and will leave a sizable lump in a bag, but it feels comfortable to hold. That's all part of the game for Nextel fans, but slaves to fashion should steer clear. Also, the rectangular external display is relatively small (96x32 pixels), and the tiny font size isn't changeable. It's also monochrome, and though you can't change the backlighting time, a flick of an exterior button will brighten the screen again. Displayed information includes the signal strength, battery life, date, time, and caller ID (where available). Above the screen are the camera lens, a self-portrait mirror, and a tiny flash, while the right spine holds a volume rocker and a Direct Connect button. On the top of the phone are the speakerphone key and a button for sending calls to voicemail and accessing the recent calls list when the phone is closed. All keys are coated in durable rubber.
The internal display is one of the better design touches on the i580. Measuring 1.8 inches (176x220 pixels) and supporting 262,000 colors, it vividly displays text and graphics with eye-popping colors and sharp object outlines. We're also pleased the phone supports Nextel's newer animated menu design. You can change the backlighting time and the font size but not the brightness or the contrast. The border surrounding the display resembles the aforementioned patterned exterior on the front flap.
Below the display are large and tactile navigation controls. A four-way toggle doubles as a shortcut to four-user defined functions, while an OK button sits in the toggle's center. There are also two soft keys, a dedicated camera button, a camera shortcut control, and the talk and end keys. The backlit keypad buttons are quite large, and we like that they are raised above the surface of the phone. It was easy to dial by feel and in dim situations. The power key is located just below the keypad buttons and is set in a rubber casing that extends from the outside of the phone.
The i580 has all the Nextel business-friendly offerings you'd expect. The 600-contact phone book has room in each entry for seven phone numbers, an e-mail address, an IP address, and a Direct Connect number. Contacts can be organized further into a variety of groups for regular or push-to-talk (PTT) calls, and you can pair them with one of 12 monophonic or 3 polyphonic ring tones. Other features include a vibrate mode, an airplane mode, a calendar, mobile e-mail support, voice dialing, call and voice memo recording, a memo pad, text and multimedia messaging, a speakerphone, and onboard GPS.
Since there aren't a great number of Nextel phones with wireless capability, we were glad to find the i580 supports full Bluetooth for connecting to a headset or sending data to another Bluetooth device. You also get Nextel's Direct Connect walkie-talkie service (including Group Connect, which lets you chat with up to 20 others via PTT at once) and Direct Talk, which gives you out-of-network walkie-talkie chat with another Direct Talk handset at a range of up to six miles. A newer feature is Direct Send, which sends PTT contact information to other compatible Nextel phones.
Perhaps the biggest news, however, is that the i580 supports Nextel's second line service, which allows you to add a second line to the phone with a different phone number--perfect for users who want separate digits for personal and business use. Nextel was one of the first U.S. carriers to offer the functionality. It will cost extra, of course, but you can have separate ring tones, separate billing statements, and even phone numbers with different area codes.
Nextel was relatively late to the camera phone game, but it has begun to catch up. The i580 joins the Motorola i870 in offering a solid 1.3-megapixel camera. You can take pictures in six resolutions from 128x96 to 1,280x1,024 pixels in either Fine or Normal quality settings. Settings include a 4X digital zoom, a flash, and a self-timer, but absent are the picture color effects, brightness adjustments, and white-balance controls that you find with most VGA camera phones. Picture quality is decent, with better color saturation than we've seen from other megapixel shooters, though it still can't compare with a digital camera. On the upside, the i580 follows most Motorola handsets in including a handy memory meter in the camera application that shows the available space.
The i580's video recorder shoots clips in two resolutions (176x144 and 128x96) with sound. Clips meant for multimedia messages are capped at 15 seconds; otherwise you're limited by the amount of available memory. Clips were nothing special, with a grainy, pixelated effect. Once you're done with your snapshots or videos, you can store the files on the phone's 25MB of internal memory, which is on the low side, but you can always save these files to a Micro SD card. You can also use images for picture caller ID, though they won't show up on the external display, or as your phone's wallpaper, and you can send them wirelessly to friends.
The i580 has a rudimentary but serviceable MP3 player for listening to your favorite tunes. The interface is beyond basic, with nothing in the way of album art or graphics. That said, the external and internal displays show the artist and song name and elapsed time during playback. Features include shuffle and repeat modes and Rock, Pop, Jazz, Classical, and Bass EQ presets. On the downside, it plays tracks only from TransFlash cards, so you can forget about direct-to-device music transfers, let alone over-the-air downloads. We also wish the i580 had external music controls, though we realize they might compromise its durability.
You can personalize the i580 with a choice of wallpapers and themes. If you don't like what's on the handset already, you can always download more options with the WAP 2.0 wireless Web browser. Alternatively, you get a fair choice of Java (J2ME) applications, including three game demos (Vijay Singh Pro Golf, Bejeweled, and World Poker Tour); 1KTV, an on-demand pseudo-TV service; and the Trimble Outdoors and TeleNav subscription-based navigation service that takes advantage of the i580's GPS support.
We tested the i580 in San Francisco using Nextel's service. Call quality was very good, with fine voice clarity and volume. We had no trouble getting a signal and experienced little interference from other electronic devices. Callers reported similar conditions and said they had no reception problems on their end. Speakerphone calls were mostly clear with very loud volume, and we had no issues when we made calls with the Plantronics Explorer 320 Bluetooth headset. Music sounded better over headphones than the external speakers, but the volume was quite loud either way.
The i580's rated battery life is relatively short at just 2.75 hours of talk time, though we did manage to get 3 hours of talk time in our tests. It still has a measly standby time of 2.9 days. According to FCC radiation tests, the i580 has a digital SAR rating of 1.02 watts per kilogram.
User reviews
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The best phone for me
by kevin_upd on August 1, 2006
Pros: Bright, colorful display; camera and spotlight; MP3 player; rugged phone with comfortable feel; accessories (belt clip, micro SD card, SD adapter, charger) included; bluetooth
Cons: Motorola's navigation
Summary: I looked at a variety of phones and carriers before I purchased the i580. I was looking for a phone that was rugged, but also had some useful features like ...
Summary: I looked at a variety of phones and carriers before I purchased the i580. I was looking for a phone that was rugged, but also had some useful features like a camera and an MP3 player. Although I've only had it a few days I am very pleased with my choice.
Most poeple seem to want the smaller, more compact phones. I like the fact that this phone has some "meat" to it. The rubber texture makes it feel like a quality phone, and you don't have to worry about tons of smudges and fingerprints. If you like smaller phones then this phone will seem large to you. But in reality it's not much larger than a lot of the phones that I looked at.
One of the things that I really liked about this phone is that it came with a belt clip, micro-SD card, and a card adapter. When I looked at phones through other carriers these items tended to be "extra".
I gave this phone a "9" because it needs some improvement with it's menus. It also lacks a calculator and external controls for the MP3 player. Otherwise it would be a 10 for me!8 out of 8 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Best Nextel phone ever!
by studly3404 on July 28, 2006
Pros: Large colorful screen, great battery life, very durable, MP3 functions
Cons: none found yet
Summary: I believe this phone is much better then any other nextel phone there is, I've had about every phone other then a i710, this phone is much better then ...
Summary: I believe this phone is much better then any other nextel phone there is, I've had about every phone other then a i710, this phone is much better then the i870, much better battery life and much better durability...I've had this phone since the day it was released, and i have no complaints against the i580...Great Job NEXTEL
5 out of 5 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Love This Phone
by wdishman1968 on August 2, 2006
Pros: feels great in your hand-rubber-can drop it and not worry
Cons: small external screen
Summary: I really like this phone ,I have had the 870-930-560-and this phone is so far the best phone I have seen from Nextel
Summary: I really like this phone ,I have had the 870-930-560-and this phone is so far the best phone I have seen from Nextel
4 out of 5 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Extremely Rugged & Great Features
by MikeGratis on April 3, 2007
Pros: Rugges, Water Reistant, Great Features, Works As Advertised
Cons: Would like to see customization software (add wallpaper, ringtones, etc.) included.
Summary: I've been a Nextel customer for 7 years (i1000, i550plus, i700plus, i60, i90c, i730) and this is the best phone from them yet. I was thinking of switching to ...
Summary: I've been a Nextel customer for 7 years (i1000, i550plus, i700plus, i60, i90c, i730) and this is the best phone from them yet. I was thinking of switching to an i355 for connectivity & durability issues; but my Nextel Rep. talked me into giving the i580 a chance, speaking very highly of it and offering to trade it for an i355 if I didn't like it. Well, I've had NO connection issues (...I seem to get a good signal no matter where I am), the sound is both loud & crystal clear, and this is one truly rugged phone. The addition of a camera, which I originally viewed as a gimmick, turned out to be a real plus when I found I needed to document something and didn't have any other camera available. The microSD memory card allows a wide variety of possibilities in addition to phone options - I've also used it as a "flash drive" to transfer files between computers. I am VERY happy with the i580 and have no intentions on trading it in. Thanks, Nextel!
3 out of 3 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Very nice phone, Full of features
by DT645 on October 1, 2006
Pros: Sturdy design, Camera, Bluetooth, Lightweight ...
Cons: LARGE, Hard to navigate menu, No Calculator ?!, missing basic features
Summary: I got this phone (9-23-06) to replace my i90c. I chose the i580 over the i870, because I didn't like the push button flip activation of the 870. This ...
Summary: I got this phone (9-23-06) to replace my i90c. I chose the i580 over the i870, because I didn't like the push button flip activation of the 870. This phone has all the features I was looking for (camera, assignable ringtones, picture caller ID, large color display, front speaker...), except for size. After using my i90 for so long, this is like going from a Yugo to a fully loaded 4X4 Dodge Ram.
As mentioned in the Pros section, this phone appears to be built to take a beating. This also causes the phone to be larger than I'd like (Good with the Bad). The menu navigation is confusing. The manual has most of the information, but why not list everything in the manual instead of putting other features only on the enclosed CD? I'm still trying to decide which Bluetooth headset I'll purchase. The manual suggests the H700.
No Calculator? Gee that should be a basic feature (it was on the i90), huh? Also no tip estimator. I've noticed that the date is missing on the recent calls list. My i90 listed both the date and time the call was received. I'm not a heavy user and found that I've only had to charge the battery about every third day (be sure to have a car charger). This phone is also very light for it's size and rugged exterior. As Cnet stated, with it's rubber exterior, it will not just slip into a pocket. I have a leather/elastic belt case, which takes two hands to get the phone out of.
I would rate this phone a 7.8 for my needs.
Overall, this is a very good phone. If you work out in the elements and want/need a full featured phone that can take the abuse, THIS IS THE PHONE FOR YOU. I'm pleased with my purchase, but just discovered that Motorola is coming out with the i880 (11/06). Same features (+) as i870 & i850 but much slimmer than the 870, which is what I was really looking for. : )2 out of 2 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Good for a nextel phone but not that great.
by djspydersponge on May 18, 2008
Pros: none really I guess ok interface
Cons: battery slips out of place and powers off, internal speaker is broken so have to talk using speaker phone.
Summary: This nextel phone lasted about a year which is a better track record that my previous phones. But pretty disappointed that the military specs still did not stop my phone ...
Summary: This nextel phone lasted about a year which is a better track record that my previous phones. But pretty disappointed that the military specs still did not stop my phone from becoming half functional.
1 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Very pleased with my purchase
by pk509 on September 17, 2006
Pros: Packed with features; ruggedized.
Cons: Dismal battery life; no alarm clock (?!); only demo games on phone.
Summary: I bought this phone and switched from Sprint to Nextel because 1. This phone has all the features I've been wanting in a phone and 2. Nextel has better ...
Summary: I bought this phone and switched from Sprint to Nextel because 1. This phone has all the features I've been wanting in a phone and 2. Nextel has better coverage than Sprint in the areas I work.
My previous phone was a Motorola v60v for Sprint service. This phone is lightyears ahead in quality and feature content. It has Bluetooth, a 1.3MP camera that'll take both stills and video, speaker phone, walkie-talkie, GPS, it's ruggedized, and will play MP3s. I haven't used the MP3 player yet, but all other features work great. The phone, while bulky, is surprisingly light - lighter than my old phone. I like having the external button to send a call straight to voice mail. I also like the way the phone feels in my hands. Not tiny and fragile, but solid and substantial despite its light weight and faux metal inserts. It's very easy to email pictures and video (up to 15 seconds worth max) with the phone. You have to go through a few more steps to save pictures/video to the phone or card as the only options you're given upon taking pictures/videos are "Send" and "Discard".
The phone comes with a 64MB memory card, SIM card, a memory card adapter so that one could remove the card from the phone and download (or upload) photos, videos or MP3s, and pretty nice belt clip that holds the phone with the back facing out to protect the small external screen.
Nits to pick:
Battery life on this phone is just dismal. Granted, I knew this going in from reading the Cnet review and other user reviews and still bought it. Still, why can't Motorola install a standard battery that will last longer than a couple hours talk time? If you plan to use this phone a lot, you'll either need to buy the heavy duty battery available for the phone, the car charger or both.
I have been unable to locate any type of alarm clock feature on this phone. What's up with that? Perhaps another user can help me out, but if I can't find it by going through all the submenus and the user's guide, it must be pretty difficult to find.
Speaking of submenus, there are a lot of them. Some are rather confusing and not necessarily intuitive to use. If you fool around with the phone a lot like I have, you'll figure it out. It's not that big a deal, just something some users might have an issue with.
The camera is good and I'm pleased with its performance. What I don't like is that the default settings are Normal picture quality and Medium picture size. I've been unable to figure out a way to change these so that I can set it to default to something different.
My last gripe is that all the games on this phone are demos only. If you want the full version, you have to buy it. That's just plain cheap. You'd think for a phone that runs $450-ish before contract rebates and such, games, at least one full-version game, would be included.
In closing, I am genuinely happy with this phone and I enjoy using it. I've had no buyers remorse at all and would go so far as to recommend this phone to others that are looking for a similar feature set. It's not perfect, but it's as close as I've found to it.1 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Great Phone
by parkmyungbok on August 22, 2006
Pros: Rugged phone
Cons: Battery life
Summary: I am hard on phones and that is why I chose this phone. However the only dissappointing thing that I have is the battery life. Other than that, I would ...
Summary: I am hard on phones and that is why I chose this phone. However the only dissappointing thing that I have is the battery life. Other than that, I would recommend this great phone.
1 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Love the phone, but battery life is way too short.
by debbiesthemes on August 14, 2006
Pros: Very rugged, good camera, sharp display
Cons: battery life, a little heavy, menus are difficult
Summary: Everyone loves the look of this phone. I need a phone that can take wind and rain, and this phone fits the bill better than any other I've seen. ...
Summary: Everyone loves the look of this phone. I need a phone that can take wind and rain, and this phone fits the bill better than any other I've seen. The display is also very readable and sharp. The camera is ready at the touch of a button, and the pictures are decent. Adjusting the size and zoom of a picture is also easy. I love the extra storage card that comes with the camera for media.
The reception is average. I was spoiled by my Nokia's battery life and reception. In my opinion, the Motorolas and LGs that I've owned just don't come close to the quality of Nokia. The free IDEN Phonebook Manager software that's available from Motorola doesn't even come close to the quality of Nokia's PC Suite.
When it comes to the cons-- battery life is way up on my list of dislikes. I find I need to charge this every other day and I'm not a heavy user. I need to keep a charger at work now since this has died on me at critial times. The menu also tends to frustrate me. I have to check the pdf manual often. It's easy to find the right icon for what I want, but the button to press to accomplish a task isn't always easy. Items that should be on the submenus aren't there. In other words, you have to know a function exists because key functions are hard to find. The settings icon is a prime example of menus and submenus that need to be improved.
If you don't read the manual on the CD you will miss a lot of the many cool functions of this phone, because of the poorly designed menus. A case in point is the wonderful spotlight for camera use. The camera is super easy to use, but turning on the spotlight for those darker shots requires several clumsy steps.
Overall, I really like the phone, and the ruggedness of the phone makes it a hands down winner for my needs, but it does have it's limitations. I rated it an 8, but only because of the ruggedness and easy to use camera.1 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Not as water resistant as it claims
by ddkg on August 2, 2009
Pros: Bright yellow makes it easy for my teenage son to find. Nice display inside.
Cons: Not at all water resistant
Summary: When we purchased this phone for our son we were told it was water resistant (not water proof), which was important to us because our son plays soccer and golf ...
Summary: When we purchased this phone for our son we were told it was water resistant (not water proof), which was important to us because our son plays soccer and golf which means it would sometimes be exposed to rain, which we were told wouldn't be a problem as long as it wasn;t submerged for any length of time. Water was spilled on the table were our son keeps his phone when he's home and it flowed onto the phone. The phone was in no way submerged nor was it even completely wet and it was dried off immediately (within seconds of the water being spilled), back and battery removed. We put it in a bowl of uncooked rice which is supposed to help dry out the rest of the moisture. Well, the phone is dead. We paid more for this phone because it was supposed to be water resistant and it most definitely is not. Very disappointed.
Specifications
- Manufacturer: Motorola
- Part number: i580BLKSPT
- Description: When it's time to get to work, rely on the i580 that's built to go. It's got durability you can depend on even in the harshest of environments, meeting Military Specifications. When it's time to relax and play, the i580 is also a perfect mobile multimedia companion with its digital camera, video recorder, and MP3 Player. Enhance your productivity with new Send via PTT features and even connect wirelessly with Bluetooth technology to improve convenience via handsfree communications. The i580 truly helps you work hard and play even harder.
General
- Product Type Cellular phone With digital camera / digital player
- Service Provider Not specified
- Width 2.3 in
- Depth 1.2 in
- Height 3.7 in
- Weight 5.1 oz
Cellular
- Technology iDEN
- Band iDEN 800/900 (Dual Band)
- Phone Design Folder type phone
- Antenna External
- Vibrating Alert Yes
- Polyphonic Ringer Yes
- Voice Dialing Yes
- Call Timer Yes
- Conference Call Capability 3-way
- Voice Recorder Yes
- Caller ID Yes
- Speakerphone Yes
- Wireless Interface Bluetooth
- Additional Features aGPS, Picture phonebook, Push-to-talk mode, Video clip recording, Intelligent typing (T9)
Phone Memory
- Phone Book Capacity 600 names & numbers
Messaging & Data Services
- Short Messaging Service (SMS) Yes
- Supported SMS Functions Concatenated SMS, SMS MO (Mobile Originated)
- Data/Fax Capability Yes
- Internet Browser Yes
- JAVA applications Yes
- Messaging / Data Features Text messages, Multimedia messages (MMS)
Ring Tones
- Ring Tone Formats MP3, WAV, MIDI
Multimedia Features
- Downloadable Content Games, Ring tones, Wallpapers
Digital Camera
- Sensor Resolution 1.3 megapixels
Organizer
- Alarm Clock Yes
- Calendar Yes
- Reminder Yes
Display
- Type LCD display
- Color Support Color
- Multi-language Menu Yes
- Features Backlit, Wallpaper
Display (2nd)
- Type LCD display - Monochrome
Digital Player (Recorder)
- Supported Digital Audio Standards MP3
Connections
- Connector Type 1 x Headset jack, 1 x Data port
Power
- Type Power adapter
Battery
- Technology - Lithium ion
- Talk Time Up to 200 min
- Standby Time Up to 100 h
Product series
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Motorola i580 - black (Nextel)
Manufacturer: Motorola
Specs: Nextel, iDEN 800/900 (Dual Band), Up to 200 min, With digital camera / digital player, 5.1 oz
Accessories
- Motorola S9 Bluetooth Active Headphones (red) (32363768)41.99 - 44.99
- Motorola H700 Bluetooth headset (Silver) (31629880)29.99 - 79.99
- Motorola H375 (black) (32735374)9.90 - 45.00
- Jabra BT8010 Stereo/Mono Bluetooth Headset (32327768)13.97
- LG Bluetooth Stereo Headset HBS-200 (32559289)20.00 - 24.99
- Motorola Crocodile Case - holster bag for cellular phone (32560703)14.99
- Motorola V3 Fashion Case - holster bag for cellular phone (32560641)9.99
Manufacturer info
- Motorola
- Manufacturer profile
- Browse Motorola products on Shopper.com
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- Website: http://commerce.motorola.com/consumer
- Address:
600 N. Highway 45, Suite AS342, Libertyville, IL 60048 - Phone: 847/576-5000
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