The Motorola E815 is the successor to the V710, and like its predecessor, it is a premium phone which shares a large number of similar features, including:
- 1.3 megapixel camera with LED flash, 4x digital zoom, and self-portrait capability, video clips up to 3 minutes
- Video capture and playback (3GP)
- TFT LCD with 176x220 pixels supporting 262,000 colors.
- Integrated stereo MP3 player
- 40 MB of internal flash memory
- Expandability via TransFlash / microSD memory cards (up to 1 GB in capacity)
- Full-duplex speakerphone
- Speaker independent speech recognition with voice digit dialing
- High-Speed Data Technology: cdma2000 1xRTT, EVDO
- GPS Localization
- Bluetooth 1.1: HSP, HFP, DUN, OPP, OBEX (Alltel) and FTP profiles
- USB to PC Sync
Other technical data include:
- Form Factor: Clamshell
- Stub/Extendable Antenna
- Battery Life: Talk: 4.67 hours, Standby: 280 hours (11.7 days)
- 2.5 mm jack
The E815 also supports picture and ringer ID's, up to 6 numbers per contact, using MP3's and MIDI files as ringtones, Openwave WAP 2.0, EMS/MMS/SMS picture messaging, voice memos, alarms, calculator and calendars.
The E815 is known for having superb reception and has received a warm welcome from many phone enthusiasts disappointed with the shortcomings of the V710.
Verizon has pulled out all the stops with its latest V Cast handset. The handsome, clamshell-style Motorola E815 not only supports Verizon's high-speed EV-DO network but also packs in a 1.3-megapixel camera, Bluetooth connectivity, a TransFlash card for extra memory, an MP3 player, and even a speakerphone. Like other Verizon 3G phones we've tested, the E815 is a bit on the bulky side, and we're peeved that Verizon continues to disable Bluetooth file transfers. That said, this probably is Verizon's best V Cast phone yet. If you want to jump on the 3G bandwagon and you live in Verizon's EV-DO coverage area, the E815 is a tempting choice. At $200 (or $99 with a two-year contract and an online discount), the E815 is more affordable than most multimedia handsets. With its smooth lines and tapered curves, the clamshell-style, silver and gray Motorola E815 looks small and slender compared with the other 3G phones we've seen. But looks can be deceiving: When we broke out our tape measure, we discovered that the phone is just as big at 3.7 by 1.9 by 1 inches and slightly heavier at 4.6 ounces. The handset's overall size and stubby, retractable antenna make for a tight fit in a jeans pocket, but it has a solid feel overall.
The Motorola E815's media player does a decent, if not exceptional job of cranking out your tunes. Once you've transferred some MP3s to the phone's TransFlash card, you can set up playlists and listen through the phone's stereo headset. Repeat and shuffle modes are available, and you can scan forward or reverse within a song, although you can't hear the music while you're scanning. You can keep listening to your music after you've flipped the phone shut, but there isn't a play/pause button on the front cover, as on the CDM-8940.
As expected, customization options on the Motorola E815 are good. You can change the wallpaper and screensaver using either a preexisting image or one of your snapshots; switch the menu's color schemes to Scarlet, Techno, or Moto; and choose from the 10 polyphonic ring tones and two MP3 tones that you can assign to your contacts. Our phone had "Eye of the Tiger" and "Get it Poppin"; you can download more from Verizon's Get It Now service. The handset also comes with a pair of games--S.W.A.T. and Swerve Basketball--although gaming junkies will probably want to try one of the 3D V Cast games (the first-person Need for Speed Underground 3D was our favorite).
We tested the dual-band (CDMA 900/1900; 1xEV-DO) Motorola E815 in New York City, and our voice calls sounded crystal clear. Our data connectivity was another matter, however. In the signal-rich environment of Manhattan, we got a steady EV-DO connection, but in nearby Brooklyn--a borough in which we had steady service with Verizon's other V Cast phones--our test phone kept flipping between EV-DO and the slower 1xRTT. If you live on the outskirts of an EV-DO-served city and you're considering the E815, consider a test-drive before snapping it up.
The Motorola E815's photos looked excellent for a camera phone's; images were reasonably sharp and detailed with rich colors. Those looking for images worthy of a standalone camera are bound for disappointment, but barring Sprint's new 2-megapixel camera phone, the Samsung MM-A800, these are some of the best handset snapshots we've seen.
Motorola promises more than 4.5 hours of talk time and 11 days of standby time from the E815. In CNET Labs' tests, we got 4 hours of talk time and just a litte more than a week of standby time. According to the FCC, the E815 has a digital SAR rating of 1.24 watts per kilogram.