Priced right but . . . Review on Motorola C115

Motorola is known for its low-end solutions with acceptable functionality, good quality and competitive pricing. I went in for this model when I lost my Nokia 2300, so that I could wait for a good one to become more affordable.

It wasn't time for me to buy a cell that had a camera, radio, mp3 player, voice recorder, microwave, washing machine, toaster, etc. I was looking forward to a good quality phone that must call, stay connected, work as long as possible, have only the most necessary functions and be comfortable. C115 did everything right, other than the last aspect (Comfort). And if you are the one who is looking for the very latest in phone gadget then you will hate it. However, like me, if you want a phone that you can call people on, then this is the mobile phone for you.

The phone is targeted only at first time users and anyone who has used any other phone should never go for this one unless your budget is bare minimum. I bought this piece for a mere Rs. 1698 12 months ago (now at Rs. 1300). Let's quickly check out the good aspects of this phone:

1. Small and looks neat (this was the most important criteria) Sagem should learn a lesson or two from Nokia and Motorola on style. C115 has a very 'pocketable' design.

   
   




2. It's alarm is smart. You can set multiple alarms at one go. So if you are the one who can't get off the bed easily, you can set the first alarm to go off at 5:30 am and the next one at 6:00 am and the next one at 7:00 so that you can eventually get up before it’s noon. But anyway, the snooze feature is also listed. And yes, you can name your alarms with the time factor and therefore, if you wish to be waked up at the same time everyday, set the time for once and all you just have to do is activate it everyday. Some Nokia phones can also be activated for an everyday event.

   
   




3. Battery life: 5 days if you are into average talking. I felt it pretty adequate. 400 minutes talk-time and 340 hours of standby time is what manual states.

   
   




4. Profile feature enables you to select between silent, ring etc. modes.

   
   




5. It's a light weight model and the only other phone on the same weight category would be the sleek Sony Ericsson T105. Even the Nokia 1100 is heaveir than this phone.

   
   

That's it. The phone for Rs. 1698 has come to an end when it comes to good features. Rest of the features and aspects are not great.

1. The keypad will give you RSI symptoms if you are a heavy user.

   
   




2. It does not have a SMS delivery receipt feature (so valuable, Sony Ericsson and Nokia users will vouch for that)

   
   




3. Makes a noise (tone) when switched off in ring mode.

   
   




4. Games are worthless (RSI chances will increase 10 fold times if you play games)

   
   




5. Has a ring tone creator, but unless you are a Rahman, that's rocket science for most.

   
   




6. You must choose the name of the person before typing an SMS. That’s stupid.

   
   




7. Can’t insert ‘auto’ text once begin creating an SMS. Avid SMS users value this feature.

   
   




8. The incoming SMS has the name of the person/phone number at the bottom. So every time you get an SMS, it’s like a riddle that you have to solve. Read and then keep guessing who could have messaged until you read and scroll to the end. But this drawback has made me understand the messaging habits of my friends (something like SMS graphology). I can now judge which friend could have messaged as we have an unique messaging style.

   
   

i. A decent friend never forwards you messages that can make you look like a fool

iii. Someone in your friends’ circle would never use short forms and types in complete words. (That’s good mobile phone etiquette. Species that does that is on the verge of extinction)

Coming back to the negative aspects, I still went for this, as all the bad features are not applicable to me completely. In reference to point number 3, I switch off the mobile only in the silent mode, especially in public places.

Other usual features include:

1. Calculator

   
   




2. Currency converter

   
   




3. Stop watch

   
   




4. Calling phone book entries by just pressing a number for 3 seconds. You can set a number to link to a specific entry

   
   




5. Ring styles are just usual, nothing funky but then, most of the funky tunes from other mobiles usually irritate others

   
   

The bottom line is, if you do not wish your phone to cook food, click snaps, etc, then it's a good phone. An ideal user of this phone is an SOS user. A mobile phone for the sake of emergency calls alone, the way I do. Rest of the calls goes via the landline for one good reason. My father pays the bill.

And yes, the looks of the phone are what matters the most for the price you are paying. Earlier, 'less expensive' meant compromising on looks. Remember, how Bajaj Boxer looked 4 years ago when it was introduced for Rs. 30,000. It was a shabby looking bike. And check out the new Boxer, the looks can give Hero Honda's Splendor a complex. And the pricing is still the same! The same goes with the C115.

The only concern: the market is changing ever so rapidly; the prices of some good phones are also coming down. So, it’s good to play the wait and watch game.