Nextel fans finally get a phone with some drool-worthy features, including a 2-megapixel camera, an MP3 player and GPS with TeleNav software. But does the i880 still manage to handle the basics?
Design
Nextel phones tend to be a bit buliker than most, but the Motorola i880 has a very sleek look, owing to its slimming purple and black color scheme and almost complete lack of right angles. The ruggedized phone pops open with an assured click when you press a button near the hinge.The external display had a distinct screen-door effect, but the internal display was easy to read, and both displays are bright and colorful. The i880 has two sets of stereo speakers -- below the external screen and under the hood -- as well as dedicated music controls on its face.
Calling - Good
During our tests in New York City, non-PTT voice calls on the i880 suffered from a disconcerting amount of static. Also, unless we had full signal strength, callers complained our voice would drop out during calls. However, push-to-talk calls sounded loud (very, very loud) and clear,and the microphone was sensitive enough to pick up mumbles from waistlevel. The i880 supports all the standard Nextel push-to-talk functions, as well as Direct Talk for off-network walkie-talkie use.Though the phone packs an MP3 player, you can't use your music files as ringtones; instead, you are limited to polyphonic rings or tones purchased through the phone's WAP browser. The contact list was capableof storing more fields than we knew what to do with -- including,believe it or not, IP addresses -- as well as while-you-type searching,though the interface to edit contacts was cluttered and a bit dated looking (typical for Nextel phones).
Messaging - Very good
The Motorola i880 sports plenty of messaging options. The generous, raised and rubberized keys made for comfortable typing, though the quirky keyboard layout hampered access to some messaging functions. The menu key is off-center, but its corresponding on-screen icon is between thesoft keys. Soft-key functions were also inconsistent, occasionallyacting as a delete key, though sometimes we had to use the dedicated delete key instead. SMS performance was solid, presenting a full 160 characters for incoming messages, though just under 120 characters outgoing. Instant messaging through AIM, MSN and Yahoo is available aswell.
Odds and ends
Unlike most Nextel phones, the i880 packs in loads of features, though most of these feel tacked on. The music player, which uses some of the loudest stereo speakers we've heard on a phone, handled MP3 and AAC files, but not our WMA files. A 64MB microSD card was included in the box, supplementing the paltry 20MB on the phone, but no headphones were included. The 2-megapixel camera, the highest resolution on a Nextel phone, takes average-quality pictures, and lags between shots and zoom levels by a couple of seconds. TeleNav comes preloaded, taking advantage of onboard GPS. Finally, the i880 is one of the first Motorola phones with AgION antimicrobial paint to cut down on bacteria and mold, though this only protects the phone, not the user.
