Nextel i605 review

Introduction

One of the latest additions to the Nextel's line of devices, the Motorola i605 offers some unique improvements over the pervious models. Even though the device can not brag about fashion appeal or ergonomics, it should be welcomed by most users because of its high resolution screen and Bluetooth capability. Even though this is not the first device to offer Bluetooth (Blackberry 7520 was the first one), the i605 features regular bar style which should appeal to more people. With a price tag (at the time of writing) of about $299.99, the phone is considered pricy.

Design

With measurements of 4.9 x 2 x 1.1 inches with weight of 5.9 oz, the i605 is definitely considered bulky and unwieldy. The phone's gray-and-black cover is made of plastic with black hard-rubberized sides. The phone adheres to the Military 810F specification for resistance to shock, dust and vibration and should be ideal of people working in outdoor/extreme environments. A big step forward is the large 176 x 220 pixels TFT display with 262,000 colors. The screens offers excellent contact (adjustable), but the brightness (non-adjustable) was a little on the dark side. Nevertheless, the screen is easily read indoor/outdoors. Just below the display are cramped 5-way navigation pad, two soft-keys, power on/off, main-menu, SEND and Hang-up keys, all made of hard plastic. Given the large phone's dimensions, I would also expect the keys to be larger. I also disliked the way the keys clicked when pressed – they were too loud and hard to press. The keypad lighting is automatically switched on and off depending on the lighting conditions – there is a small light sensor next to the keypad.
The easy-to-reach rubber volume rocker switch is located on the left side of the phone, just above the large push-to-talks button. The 2.5mm headset jack is located on the right side and it covered with plastic lid. The private/grous/SDG call speaker is located on the top of the phone, right next to the STOP key which ends calls or sends incoming calls to voice mail. The speakerphone is located on the back, just below the battery cover.