Motorola Timeport P7389 mobile phone (Triband)

Global Connectivity
The Motorola P7389 is among a growing number of phones that offer connectivity around the globe. This candy-bar-style tri-band phone is designed to operate on all three global GSM frequency bands: U.S.-based 1900 MHz bandwidth, plus the 900 MHz and 1800 MHz GSM frequencies in the rest of the world. To use the phone outside the U.S., you need only change the band option in the phone's menu.

More than a one-trick pony, the P7389 phone is feature-abundant and its Web access and great sound quality make it noteworthy. If you're not interested in Web access, there are other "world" GSM phones available, such as the identical Motorola P7089, which only lacks the Web capability. The Ericsson dual-band (1900 MHz U.S., 900 MHz elsewhere) T28 and similarly dual-banded Nokia 8890 will soon be available.


Features

• tri-band, single-mode

• Web-enabled

• lithium-ion battery

• holographic screen

• voice-enabled dialing

• VoiceNote digital voice recorder

• vibration alert

• 4-line display

• user-definable music ring tone

• power-saver setting

• 100-number phone book

• 11 ring tones

• iTAP text-entry software

• IrDA connection port

• Starfish PC sync software

• data/fax capability

• 2-3.5/40-150 hours talk/standby time

While the P7389 may look fairly ho-hum, it's loaded with features. For starters, it's Web-enabled and can send and receive email.

The phone uses Motorola's iTAP text-entry software for typing emails and inputting contacts. Unlike Tegic's T9 software, which assumes the word you intend based on context, iTAP supplies a list of possibilities based on the inputted number sequence. For instance, to input "etown" via the keypad simply hit 3-8-6-9-6.

Motorola's innovative holographic LCD display uses ambient light to make the screen appear backlit. The other prominent features on the P7389 are its voice-recognition capabilities. The phone supports voice-activated dialing, and you can leave yourself short verbal reminders using the VoiceNote digital recorder.

Like other Motorola phones, the P7389 has ring-only, vibrate-only and the unusual "vibrate then ring" (which does exactly what it says) options. There are 11 ring tones to choose, and the phone rings loud on all of them. If you're so inclined (I wasn't) you could edit the "music" tone to play any chirpy melody you compose on the phone's keypad.

The P7389 phones use a replaceable lithium-ion battery pack reminiscent of a cordless phone battery: It's an actual battery pack that slips into a covered compartment. This makes the battery a bit awkward to swap out in case you carry a spare.

The phone also has limited PIM functions and syncs to a PC via the phone's infrared port (Starfish's TrueSync software is included). I got a pre-release phone without the manual or software, so I couldn't test this functionality, but it is designed to operate with most Windows-based PIM packages, such as ACT! and Outlook.

Connectivity
In case you want to talk hands-free, there's a headphone jack for an optional earplug or headset. The phone also has an infrared port that allows you to use the phone as a wireless modem with a suitably equipped portable device. I could not test this capability, however, so my rating is based purely on its availability rather than actual performance.

Look & Feel
The P7389's style doesn't differ radically from other candy-bar-style phones. At 3.5 ounces it is on the lighter side, and its petite 3-ounce charger will be welcomed by frequent travelers. It has a solid nub antenna, rather than a breakable telescoping type. There are six non-numeric raised buttons that aid in Web and feature navigation (which was cumbersome).

Another drawback was the slightly concave earpiece shape, making it difficult to center the phone on my ear correctly. It would seem right in one placement, but then I had to reposition it to hear the other party. Not a major problem, but unexpected.

The holographic reflective display makes the 4-line screen easy to read, and text and icons appear vibrant. I did find about an .13-inch lip between the display and the window. As a result, the top row of icons is sometimes shadowed, obscuring the battery and signal strength meters, but you can still see them.

Performance
I did not travel overseas, so I could not test the tri-mode capability.

Here in the States, though, the phone sounded clear and it didn't lose signal strength or sound quality while in an elevator. Battery performance was good and I could go two days without recharging.

I had a hit-and-miss experience with the voice recognition feature (although I didn't have the manual). While I found the feature nifty, I could have dialed the number faster using the speed-dial function.

Surfing the Web was on par with other Web-enabled phones -- awkward. Both iTAP and the phone's email software felt like works in progress. Plus, the phone added extra characters in the email subject line.


Value
This is Motorola's first Web-enabled tri-band phone, which means you can expect to pay a premium for it -- initially anyway. It's certainly not as sleek as either Ericsson's tiny T28 (priced about $200 less) or Nokia's 8890, both of which are dual-mode GSM phones. But the P7389 has more features than other "world" phones available.

If you order more than 100 pieces price will be between 20 - 30 % cheaper

We only sell this phone by wire transfer payment in advance