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I Love My Vader!
Pros
Small, light, extremely sturdy and well-designed
Cons
Poorly designed antenna should be replaced
Recommended it?
Yes
I was persuaded to buy a cell phone about three years ago when a change in job responsibilities dictated that I be "on call". Given the choices, a cell phone made more sense to me than a pager. I had originally bought a StarTAC for a couple of reasons. Digital service in my home area is poor to nonexistent, so that dictated an analog phone. I wanted something small and light, and, at the time, the StarTAC was about as good as it got.
I mention this at the outset because the Vader (V3620) is essentially a souped-up StarTAC in a modified form factor. The LCD screen has been moved from the main portion of the handset to the ear-piece, a simple but brilliant alteration that allows the size of the phone to be substantially reduced without appreciably sacrificing usability.
Like most Motorola products, the Vader is sturdy, well-designed and reliable. The keys are small, but easily usable (and I have extremely large hands). The display is crisp and has the nice feature of turning itself off after several seconds if the phone is left open to conserve power. Sound quality is very good, modulo the strength of the local cellular signal.
The standard lithium-ion battery gives close to 24 hours of stand-by time and three hours of talk time. An auxiliary battery is available as an option.
The Vader has several nice features, including a 99 entry directory with a "smart search" feature, several programmable timers, and an answering machine that can hold several short messages. A vibrating ringer feature is also standard.
The Vader is extremely light, and easy to carry and use. The one deficiency is a misfeature it shares with the StarTAC: the whippy extensible antenna which is standard on the phone constantly gets bent. I eventually snapped off a couple and finally replaced mine with a stubby after-market fixed antenna. Cost twenty bucks, works as well as the original and now I can throw the whole phone in my pants pocket.
In addition to its excellent functionality, the Vader is just plain whizzy. This is a phone that will definitely impress your friends.
I mention this at the outset because the Vader (V3620) is essentially a souped-up StarTAC in a modified form factor. The LCD screen has been moved from the main portion of the handset to the ear-piece, a simple but brilliant alteration that allows the size of the phone to be substantially reduced without appreciably sacrificing usability.
Like most Motorola products, the Vader is sturdy, well-designed and reliable. The keys are small, but easily usable (and I have extremely large hands). The display is crisp and has the nice feature of turning itself off after several seconds if the phone is left open to conserve power. Sound quality is very good, modulo the strength of the local cellular signal.
The standard lithium-ion battery gives close to 24 hours of stand-by time and three hours of talk time. An auxiliary battery is available as an option.
The Vader has several nice features, including a 99 entry directory with a "smart search" feature, several programmable timers, and an answering machine that can hold several short messages. A vibrating ringer feature is also standard.
The Vader is extremely light, and easy to carry and use. The one deficiency is a misfeature it shares with the StarTAC: the whippy extensible antenna which is standard on the phone constantly gets bent. I eventually snapped off a couple and finally replaced mine with a stubby after-market fixed antenna. Cost twenty bucks, works as well as the original and now I can throw the whole phone in my pants pocket.
In addition to its excellent functionality, the Vader is just plain whizzy. This is a phone that will definitely impress your friends.
