Motorola V3620 Cell Phone

If you need of an analog cellular phone and are only three feet tall, then you may have a viable option in Motorola?s Vader V3620. The flagship of Motorola?s analog line, the V3620 is ultimately the tiniest phone that I have had an opportunity to use, literally half the size of my Motorola Startac 7868.
If it were not for the size of this phone, I would find the Vader to be the perfect analog alternative for those who cannot use a digital phone in their area.

Size
The V3620 is the smallest cellular phone on the public market, that I am aware of. At only about 1.5 inches wide and 3 inches tall, the Vader is roughly the size of the auxiliary battery on the Startac phones. Talking on this phone for any sort of extended conversation is not a comfortable prospect if you have anything like normal size hands. This phone is so narrow it forces you to hold the phone on the tips of your fingers, with no support available to the palm of your hand. For myself, any calls that last over a few minutes result in some strain in my hand. Adding the optional auxiliary battery does nothing to remedy this problem as it does with the Startac. All adding the auxiliary battery does do is add additional weight, yet it does not provide enough size to help with the support holding the phone. I recommend that if you are to use the Vader for any extended conversations, that you invest in either the optional headset or a hands-free kit for your vehicle. My biggest complaint with the size of the Vader, is the fact that when they put their phone on a diet, it shrunk the buttons on the phone so much that it is quite easy to ?fat-finger? many of the keys. I often hit the * instead of the 9, or I would hit both buttons. Near the end of my tenure with this phone, I was so frustrated with the size of the buttons, that I had gotten to the point of using a ball point pen to hit the numbers at times.

Usage
The usage functions on the Vader works like most other Motorola phones, and identical to the higher end Startac models. As with most Motorola phones, you can access most of the phone functions by going through the FCN 1 menu access. In addition, the Vader uses the ?smart menu? system that Motorola is starting to incorporate into their phones. Basically, this system allows a phone user to toggle through the menu options using the buttons on the side of the phone. The Vader uses an alpha numeric display, not common for analog phones, that is quite helpful in navigating your way through the menu on this phone.
The Vader also has an alpha numeric address book, allowing you to associate a name with each number you have stored into its 99 number memory. The most convenient part of having an alpha numeric address book is that when I scrolled through all of the memory locations, I would see a name, and not just a number that I would have to try to guess who it belonged too. If you have a name stored in the address book, with a number, and someone calls you, your caller id (which this phone is equipped with) will display the name of the person calling, not just the number.

Of course, the reception of the phone has a lot to do with the service carrier that you have. Being an analog phone, you should not expect the crystal clear reception, however, analog phones generally will work much better in rural areas where there may not be a digital service for a few miles. Depending on where you live, having analog cellular service may still be a necessity due to the newness of digital services, and the fact that there are so many different types of digital service, the one in your area, may not work with your phone. The V3620 is compatible to work with the caller id systems that most cellular carriers have. The Vader also is capable of doubling as pager if your carrier has the service available.

The battery life is nothing to shout about, lasting only 8 hours on stand by mode, and about an hour of talk time. Motorola does offer an auxiliary battery which will double the battery life. While these numbers are very good for an analog phone, however, considering that the shortest battery life on digital phones is three or four times that length, it is just one more undesirable component of this phone.

Durability
The V3620 would seem to be a fairly durable phone considering its solid weight in relation to its small size. The flip on the phone covers the entire face to protect the buttons from any accidental pressing or dust getting into the phone. When you open the flip, it actually feels as though it locks into place, even though it is easy to close. This phone does not feel flimsy when you are using it, however, I do have one major complaint in regards to the durability of the Vader. Instead of using one sold battery, as other Motorola phones do, the Vader uses a small battery that is located behind a cover. This cover clips on like a battery, but is only a thin piece of plastic. I have actually had this break twice when removing the cover from the phone. If Motorola would create a sold battery for this phone instead of the two piece set up, this would help with the long term durability of the Vader.

I can say that the short while I had the V3620, I was only moderately pleased with the performance of the phone. While it was excellent quality for an analog phone, considering the other alternatives available, and the five hundred dollar price, I would only recommend purchasing a Vader V3620 if your location prohibits the use of a digital phone.