The Mobile Phone Saving Network

Motorola i355

Wireless/Mobile Phone/Cell Phone

Rated 3.0 out of 5

With a military-grade, ruggedized exterior and support for Nextel's legendary Direct Connect walkie-talkie service, the i355 makes no compromises. If you need a phone that can handle your rough and tumble world while keeping you in touch at all times, this handset is for you. Additional features like a speakerphone, access to mobile web and email services, and voice activated dialing make it a companion you won't be able to live without.

Design
The i355 is candybar phone on steroids, built extra-tough for construction and utilities industry users. In fact, it conforms to military standard 810F for blowing rain, humidity, and salt fog. That means it's designed to withstand exposure to rain, sleet, and snow. The rubber encasing, interior linings and seals protect the phone's antenna, speakerphone, keys, battery door, and accessory connections against water intrusion.

The phone sports a large, 128 x 128 TFT color display with a 65,000 colors. The speakerphone unit is located on the rear of the phone, while the trademark Direct Connect and menu scrolling functions can be controlled from the side of the phone. The phone's control pad also features a five-way button that can control most of the phone's functions. There's also a 2.5-millimeter headset jack for connecting a hands-free headset.

Calling Features
The i355's built-in address book can store up to 600 contacts for quick and easy management of phone numbers and email addresses. The phone comes with built-in polyphonic ringtones plus a vibrating alert. More polyphonic ringtones can be added via download from the Nextel Online service. Voice activated dialing makes calling your friends, family and associates as easy as saying their names, while a built-in speakerphone makes it easy to talk without having the phone to your ear. Meanwhile, you can access the last 20 sent and received calls for quick call return or number storage via the recent calls list. There's even an "airplane mode" that allows you to turn off network connections while still using programs, games, voice record features, and the datebook. And if you have an emergency, the i355's GPS location technology pinpoints your exact location when you dial 911.

One of the key features of any Nextel phone is support for Nextel's Direct Connect walkie-talkie technology. The i355 fully supports the service, which allows for one-touch conversations with anyone else on a Nextel phone, or with entire groups of Direct Connect users. It's like a having a CB radio with enough range to cover all of North America, Canada and Latin America. With the i355's powerful Direct Talk function you can also communicate in walkie-talkie mode when you're not even connected to the network. The system works anywhere, anytime between compatible phones within a range of up to 6 miles (range will vary based on terrain and conditions). Direct Talk provides a reliable back-up communications tool in times of emergency, network outage, or when traveling to remote areas not under Nextel coverage such as hiking, cruise vacations or inside buildings. And last but not least, the i355 features a walkie-talkie private speaker button. This switches from the external speaker to the earpiece for private conversations or to minimize disruptions in quiet environments.

Messaging, Internet and Tools
The i355 features MMS-based support for mobile-to-mobile or mobile-to-email text, images and audio messaging. T9 text entry, which is a technology that makes it easier for people to enter words and text on handsets, is built into the unit-- a plus for mobile email and text messaging users. Getting on the Internet anywhere is easy with the i355, as well. Nextel's optional Nextel Online package allows you to read and send e-mails, exchange instant messages and view your favorite web content on your phone. Nextel Online also features games, ringtones, realtime news and sports updates, virtual address books, and more-- all delivered to your Nextel phone.

Another Nextel innovation supported by the i355 is Nextel Direct Send. Simply push a button and instantly send all your contact info to another Nextel phone. It's an easy way to get people into your contact list fast. The i355 ships with a calendar, as well as a voice recording application and a time and date clock.

The i355 is packed with a number of Java applications. TeleNav for audible GPS-based driving directions is included, as is Road Pathway for fleet management and tracking (both require a subscription). Preloaded games include demo versions of Tetris and JAMDAT Bowling. More game downloads are available via the Nextel Online service.

Vital Statistics
The Motorola i355 weighs 7.02 ounces and measures 5.1 x 2.4 x 1.4 inches. Its lithium-ion battery is rated at up to 270 minutes of digital talk time, and up to 240 hours of digital standby time. It runs on the IDEN 800 frequency. The phone comes with a one year limited warranty.

What's in the Box
Motorola i355 handset, high-capacity lithium-ion battery, high-capacity battery door, accessory port dust cover, rapid travel charger, user's manual.

Features of Motorola i355:

all weather and rugged design certified to military standard 810 f for dust, shock, vibration, temperature extremes, low pressure, and solar radiation
direct connect enabled - the walkie-talkie service that instantly connects you to all other nextel users
gps feature allows you to view your approximate location and when making 911 calls helps emergency personnel to locate you
hands-free cellular conversations are always available with the built-in speakerphone
voice-activated dialing for your frequently used numbers

Reviews:

Great Phone -- No Complaints

Rating: 5

I work for a local trucking company as a driver, and I drive a dedicated shuttle. However, this means that I am constantly dropping one trailer and hooking to another. I am exposed to ALL of the ellements.

This phone, and it's older brother, the i305, are tougher than tough. Manufactured to military standards for toughness, the phones will withstand just about everything except for an 80,000 pound tractor-trailer running over it. We had one phone that did get run over and it still worked (the LCD screen broke, so the contact list could not be accessed, but it would receive and make calls fine). We had another phone that got dropped during a storm, and it stayed submerged in a deep puddle for about an hour before it was found, and it still worked. These phones have been dropped from 6 to 8 feet up, bounced off fuel tanks and battery compartments, kicked, slammed, sat on, leaned against, and in general sent through electronic h*ll. They keep working.

We have had no problems with Nextel's service and repair work. If a phone goes down, we have a replacement within 24 to 48 hours. Of course, we've purchased the optional insurance (which the complainer below probably did not).

I was so pleased with the ones at work that I bought one for myself. I had a Spr*nt phone, and I called customer service because I was elligible for my 2 year trade up credit. They rolled my accout over from Spr*nt to Nextel with no hassel, applied my credit to the new phone, and I had my new i355 less than 24 hours after I called. The stores won't do this. You must call Spr*nt and deal with them directly.

The contrast with the LCD screen isn't the greatest in daylight, so it is a little hard to see, but not so bad that it is unusable. If the phone is tilted in just the right way, the screen is actually quite readable. This was an anticipated problem and therefore does not factor into my 5 star rating.

Warranty? What warranty?

Rating: 1

I had been very happy with my Motorola phone until the battery started losing its charge within a day, even when the phone was turned off. The friendly but incompetent customer support kept me on the phone for an average of 40 minutes for the repeated calls trying to figure out the problem. After the phone had finally been sent to their technical service center, they returned it to me that the phone was irreperable "due to customer abuse." I have done nothing to that phone that could have caused any damage (unless using it to make phone calls counts as "customer abuse"), but got the same comment, without explanation after I had sent the phone in for a second time for reevaluation. It seems that Motorola is just trying to get out of fixing or replacing the phone free of charge under warranty. You'll be fine with a Motorola phone as long as it works. After that, you're on your own.

Maybe not for the everyday phone user

Rating: 4

I work for a utility company and we just started getting these phones to replace old phones. I love it, but the features are what I like best. The net capibilities are great. We do all of our "paperwork" with these phones. We open and close jobs, do equipment swaps, get directions to houses etc. And they are strong phones. The shell is almost rubberized. I would probably think different if this was my personal phone though, they're big and heavy but I don't feel I have to be gentle with it. For work, I highly recommend it.

By Motorola