mpx200 / 220 vs e200

[Guest TSCRYPTO]

After discovering the poor battery performance of the e200 (see here: http://www.modaco.com/viewtopic.php?t=104141 ), I had a chat with mcwarre who says that the mpx200 is by far a superior phone.

I have only had the e200 a day and the battery life is woeful. I have seven days to send it back, and am thinking seriously about it.

Comparing the mpx200 to the e200, does anyone care to comment on how one might be better than the other? Any info or anecdotal evidence will help me make my mind up over the coming weekend.

Cheers

tSc

[Guest peekie]

ok first the e200 battery is no good nor is the mpx200 if you play mp3's for a period but the moto wins on that.

system spve200 is 2003 far better than the 2002( i have an spv ver1 as well as an e200 )

the e200 has its problems but in holland it was nearly 3 months delay because of software problems before we got the moto and then only with 2002 and no chance of a FREE upgrade

both have there + and - it really depends if your a clamshell person or a normal style phone person in one magazine it says the moto is a gals phone and the e200 a mans in the end its choice and not what a stupid magazine says :wink: :wink: :wink:

[Guest Smoovey]

It really depends on exactly what you are after... :lol:

If you want a phone to dominately make calls; then it would seem the Motorola MPx200 is a 'better' choice. It has a longer battery life and from what I gather 'superior' quality sound. However, the lack of bluetooth, camera and enhanced-aspects of Windows Mobile 2003 means it is fundamentally a flip-version of an original SPV. Personally I find the MPx200 to have a very dimly-light screen. So playing games or looking at it for extended periods visually could be a problem.

Meanwhile, the E200 just does virtually everything you could want from a mobile entertainment device. In a sense I am bias having choosen the E200 personally. However, it'll play Windows Media Series 9 files fine, has a great OS, useful built-in camera and can do so many things. If you want more from your phone, the E200 is a clear choice.

There is one thing I think everyone might have missed out on with the E200: conditioning your battery. For the first six charges I've left my E200 to slowly-charge for 24-hours per go. Yes, I wanted to use it but patience is a virtue. Each additional slow-long charge I got better battery life. At this point now, I can listen to two-hours of music, have a thirty minute phone conversation and play a game for half an hour before my battery gets to a 'low' point - i.e. 10% or less charge. This seems to be a LOT more than many other people are finding. I have an SD card in all the time and without playing music and just making calls, the E200 lasts several days without charge.

In the end it is upto you though :D Good luck!

[Guest peekie]

how do you get the slow charge going on the e200?? i have a e200 and if i could extend the battery life more i would be happy.one thing i noticed is the battery life is longer now without my simlock :wink: :wink: :wink:

[Guest TSCRYPTO]

Thanks guys - much appreciated :lol:

I bet mcwarre will be glad to hear that he has a girls phone, he he .

As far as my usage of the phone goes - its always been less calls and more gprs based email and web access and of course music / video...this was the main reason I got my first spv in early jan last year.

And yes, an mpx200 almost seems as a waste of time, given that the 220 should be out soon with 2003 OS.

Is there something that needs to be done in order for a 'slow charge'? Or is this just a phrase that has been used to indicate leaving the phone charging for an extended period of time. (Note - my e200 has been on charge for the last 4 hours - the light is now out which says to methat its 'full')

The point about the sim locks effect on battery performance is interesting, although I am strugging to think how this could occur.

Cheers

tSc

[Guest peekie]

:wink: the simlock is not far of and also the orange update for the E200 problem for orange is they do not want the phone unlocked and the problem for the simlock remover groups is the update will it lock out the unlock ( like a new sky card ( uk members know this ) ?? ) a group are busy in holland but only with the current rom and cannot say if it will work with the updated rom ,look at the spv/e100 update ? you could probably get your e200 unlocked only to find its locked a week later with the update !!!!and in the end the choice of phone is what feels good in the hands a clam shell or the spv and when the new moto is out the e200 will have to look out i think :wink: :wink:

[Guest Smoovey]

Hi guys :D

Sorry if my explaination was a bit vague :lol: By a 'slow charge' I do mean literally just putting your phone on the cradle or connector and leaving it, without being turned on, for an extended period. The way I have done it is by using the extension adapter and ensuring my phone battery is 100% drained before charging again. You can check how much battery life is left in the Task Manager program and going into System Info from there.

I know it might sound silly but totally draining the battery, then turning it on a few times to make sure every little bit of energy has gone really seems to have helped :shock: What I do is turn the phone off, take my SIM out, put it into my old E100, let the E200 charge for 24-hours, then swap them over. It seems to have helped both phones but of course conditioning the E200 battery from the beginning has meant it can hold a charge better overall.

If you can stand to do it, doing this several times in a few really seems to help. I can't promise it will on your phones but it has for my E200. After doing it four times, my E200 sat on stand-by for three days and I made half an hour of calls on it too. As previously mentioned that was with an SD card in too!

Good luck - I hope slow charging does help for you. Remember even when the light goes off - let the battery charge. It will stop once it is fully done. The light just goes off after a 'fast charge' of the main battery source is finished I think.

[Guest Pulse]

What about watching a video on it?

[Guest Smoovey]

Hrm, haven't really done that... yet :)

If it's any consolation I have played Jawbreaker and listened to music at the same time... which is going to be very similar to video usage. I've done that for over an hour at a time and it has only wiped off a bar or two - in real terms less than 25% battery use. However, that is just what I recall. Let me do a proper test and run a video :D

[Guest Pulse]

I will try your charging method when I get it then. 24 hours as soon as you get it, yeah? And then let it drain fully each time, and then 24 charge again for another few times?

[Guest Smoovey]

Yup!

I have done it five times so far... it is really frustrating to see the phone laying there and turned off. But when you do get to play with it, I think you'll have even more fun due to the anticipation. It is like waiting for Christmas to come around :)

Today I finished my fifth charge doing it this way - I am considering doing it one or two more times. So far I have made half an hour of calls; listened to music, none stop, with a high-level volume for two hours and played Jawbeaker for a quater of an hour and there is still 65% battery life left - i.e. over two and a half bars in theory.

It really does seem to make a difference; I have no idea why. My friend has an E200 too and hasn't charged his in the same way and after playing music for an hour he is down to the same battery level!

Good luck on charging it up over a day.

[Guest Pulse]

Cheers smoovey. Should be getting one today, all being well.

[Guest TSCRYPTO]

mcwarre's thoughts on the mpx would be welcomed here.

I too, am taking smoovey's advice re charging.

[Guest peekie]

http://www.mobiletoday.co.uk/artman/publis...ticle_373.shtml

from the following website came this verdict

The panel is disappointed to see the MPx200, a potentially worthy addition to the smartphone family, fall below the standard of its rivals.

‘It could’ve been great,’ says one dealer, who praises the striking clamshell design, considering that no smartphone has strayed away from the candybar format so far. In fact, most of the panel say it’s probably one of the best looking smartphones on the market. ‘The black design looks the business,’ says one.

However, being a smartphone, it is judged on more important criteria, most notably its features. So fundamental is the omission of Bluetooth on the smartphone that it has apparently led to many dealers and customers casting it aside without further examination. It drew similes such as, ‘…like a car without wheels,’ from one bemused dealer.

An integrated camera may not appear to be an essential tool for business users but when rivals are all equipped with cameras and even include video recording, it’s a blow not to have one.

The panel sum up the MPx200 as a clamshell version of the SPV. Both run on the Microsoft operating system. Although some welcome the competition to the ubiquitous Symbian OS, usability on the MPx200 is seen as cumbersome. In particular, the panel had problems with the phone freezing.

‘Everybody thought the SPV was a nightmare, you’d think they’d have made it simpler for this one,’ says one flummoxed dealer.

Motorola will have to offer many more features (and make the MPx200 more robust), if it wants to offer a serious threat to the far superior Xda II, Sony Ericsson P900, Siemens SX1, says the panel.

VERDICT: a miss

The panel

Mark Dermody, Communicate Better, Manchester

‘I was surprised we sold one and even that came back a few days later.’

Asim Haseez, Fonetastic, Streatham, London

‘There’s no point making a smartphone that hasn’t got Bluetooth or camera.’

Graham Donald, Internity, London

‘Microsoft’s reputation for things going wrong is well-known.’

Rob Strange, MPC, Newcastle

‘The first three we sold all came back. New batch is better though.’

:wink: :wink: :wink:

[Guest TSCRYPTO]

Interesting read - cheers peekie.

With the 220 on the horizon, thinking about a 200 seems silly.

A couple of good charges (thanks smoovey for the advice) should help - Indeed, I have already noticed a difference with just one good (24hr) charge on a battery with 10% left.

Today: 1hr gprs / 2 hours mp3 / 20 min doom - battery is at 1/3 - better than it was last week, as described in my whingey thread in the e200 section :)

[Guest mcwarre]

Peekie,

I saw that article and I must say that whilst some of it is true, much is complete b*llsh*t. The MPx200 and SPV may share the same *basic* OS but they are leagues apart. It's like comparing the Premiership with Division 3. The SPV whilst innovative and ahead of its time was, IMHO, unreliable and a beta model; whereas, the MPx is everything the SPV should have been. It’s faster, more stable, longer battery life and everything that the SPV should have been. I had to hardware reset the SPV about once every three weeks (if one lasted that long, I had 6 replacement ones!). I had to soft reset it at least once every 2 days. I have had the moto for 3 months now and have not had to even soft reset it!

Lets look at the article in depth, and remember they are comparing it to a normal phone, not another smartphone.

‘It could’ve been great,’ says one dealer, who praises the striking clamshell design, considering that no smartphone has strayed away from the candybar format so far. In fact, most of the panel say it’s probably one of the best looking smartphones on the market. ‘The black design looks the business,’ says one.

Fair enough

So fundamental is the omission of Bluetooth on the smartphone that it has apparently led to many dealers and customers casting it aside without further examination.

Yeah BT is an omission but because it runs the 2002 OS BT is not a possibility. This quote is also misleading; not everyone wants BT so it’s non-inclusion is not a problem for them. If I wanted BT I would not consider the MPx, however there statement is horsetrash.

An integrated camera may not appear to be an essential tool for business users but when rivals are all equipped with cameras and even include video recording, it’s a blow not to have one.

Not all rivals are, however it would have been nice to have an integrated camera.

The panel sum up the MPx200 as a clamshell version of the SPV. Both run on the Microsoft operating system. Although some welcome the competition to the ubiquitous Symbian OS, usability on the MPx200 is seen as cumbersome. In particular, the panel had problems with the phone freezing.

Why do I bother? the difference between the SPV and MPx is as wide as the distance between this guy’s brain cells (all 2 of em) :)

‘Everybody thought the SPV was a nightmare, you’d think they’d have made it simpler for this one,’ says one flummoxed dealer.

They have….

Motorola will have to offer many more features (and make the MPx200 more robust), if it wants to offer a serious threat to the far superior Xda II, Sony Ericsson P900, Siemens SX1, says the panel.

MPx200 does not compete with the XDA; this review should have been based on it’s rivals i.e. E200, Mio 8390 etc.

Mark Dermody, Communicate Better, Manchester  

‘I was surprised we sold one and even that came back a few days later.’

Ermm, which one has the most sales around the worls the MPx or the E200/X-Phone/Qtek 8080?????

Asim Haseez, Fonetastic, Streatham, London  

‘There’s no point making a smartphone that hasn’t got Bluetooth or camera.’

Orange naughty people, you shouldn’t have made the SPV!!!! :D

Graham Donald, Internity, London  

‘Microsoft’s reputation for things going wrong is well-known.’

And your point is………………………..

Rob Strange, MPC, Newcastle  

‘The first three we sold all came back. New batch is better though.’

Probably some truth.

Peekie,

This article does not accurately rate, or compare, the MPx200 with its actual rivals. I am probably biased toward the MPx but look at coolsmartphone and you will see that Gears prefers the MPx over the E200.

I wonder what Paul’s opinion / verdict is.

Let’s be honest do you really want to take around a long extension lead with you to power the E200 if you regularly use even 20% of its capabilities? I know that I wouldn’t…………….

[Guest Smoovey]

Interesting read - cheers peekie.

A couple of good charges (thanks smoovey for the advice) should help  - Indeed, I have already noticed a difference with just one good (24hr) charge on a battery with 10% left.

Today: 1hr gprs / 2 hours mp3 / 20 min doom - battery is at 1/3 - better than it was last week, as described in my whingey thread in the e200 section :)

Thanks for trying the theory out and doing a full charge - I have just started another one a few moments ago :D It might be I am looking too much into it but every-time a full charge is done this way, there seems to be a bit more life left. Not that I expect we will get hours more out of it but this does seem to help, definitely :wink:

[Guest Smoovey]

Let’s be honest do you really want to take around a long extension lead with you to power the E200 if you regularly use even 20% of its capabilities? I know that I wouldn’t…………….

I am so used to charging any SPV phone regularly, it makes no difference personally :D From a personal opinion, I want to enjoy my phone to the maximum and the E200 has features no other Microsoft Smartphone offers right now. So the concept of carrying a charger around; if I needed too, overnight, would be fine... it isn't like you need the cradle too. Plus there are other ways to charge an E200, via the Mini-Sync USB cable and such. The Mini-Sync USB cable is very portable and useful; pending you are near a computer :)

There is never going to be a hard and fast answer about which is better. You will get some people who will appreciate the MPx range for what it offers over an origianl SPV; then others who are into functions and gadgets, so love what is offered by an E200. It is really down to personal choice and that is what makes the world interesting 8)

[Guest awarner [MVP]]

Right lets look at a few things with the MPX and E200

Also lets get the record straight you cannot compare the MPX as a "repackaged SPV" anyone who quotes this has not done their homework. The MPX is comparable to the E200 in regards to processor and memory, it's nothing like the SPV at all :roll:.

1, Extra features the E200 has this compared to the MPX but it's only useful if you actually use those features. Everyone worships bt but as I do not have anything bt in my pc setups then it's wasted for me.

As for the camera how often do yo actually use it? I used the SPV occasionally and it's one feature I would like to have on the MPX but not desperate for it.

2, Battery life, now we all know the MPX has better battery life but is this the fault of the E200? simply put the answer seems to be no and the main problem is due to poorly written software, examples of this are having to remove the SD card to improve battery life. This means that the phone is constantly reading the card instead of only when it needs to.

One comment earlier on in this post saying the SPV had similar battery life to the E200 I find strange as I and most SPVE100 users had a usual battery life of around three days which is similar to the MPX.

3, Display, another comment in this thread saying the MPX screen was dull, for the first time user this does seem to be the case but the key point with the MPX display is it has a small viewing area which is designed for privicy. If you hold the MPX in the correct viewing angle the display is actually clearer and brighter than the E200 (only slightly but if you have the two side by side you can see the differance.

4, OS versions now some people can be classed as over zelous concerning 2003 as if it's the next coming but do we really need it?

In my opinion the answer has to be yes but only due to being able to move with the times. A simple question, does the MPX do the things you want it to? answer = yes where its nice to have the mpx does not really need 2003.

One note to think about is, at this moment in time the MPX (with it's 2002) runs faster than the E200 with it's uptodate 2003 :) this is due to a larger cache being utilised.

another thing with both phones and charging you can get a USB car converter or even a mains converter to USB. this should cure anyones

problems with how to charge a phone on the move.

Final verdict is what do you want the phone for? if it is for camera and

bluetooth then the E200 could be more for you but if you want a more

reliable phone with better battery life and also more compact then the

MPX is a better choice.

As the saying goes Horses for courses.

[Guest Pulse]

I think bias is always going to come into anyone's opinions when they own one of the phones, but a lot has been said already, so I dont see point in adding to it.

MPX, wish I couldve got it, but I wanted the camera, because I miss my sagem myx6. I love taking snaps everywhere. I'm a picture person. That is the one and only reason I chose the E200 over the MPX.

[Guest mcwarre]

Pulse,

I thought you were binning the E200? Look here

[Guest peekie]

to be honest you can look on many sites some love the e200 some dont and some love the mpx200 others dont it really comes down to choice and you read so many peoples questions on which phone to buy, now if they both looked similar then this would be a good question ,but they dont one is a normal style phone and the other a clam shell , ok one has 2002 and the other 2003 well when the next moto comes out it will be 2003v2003 in the end it comes to choice do you want a clam shell phone or a normal style phone IN THE END YOU PAY FOR THE PHONE IT COMES DOWN TO LOOKS AND CHOICE as there is as awarner said alot of difference between them ( both have there + and - points put them both in your hands and try them out ,you will soon know which one is your one..one final point from the spv bashers if there was never an spv you would not have that nice moto in you hands now as motorola would never jump into this type of phone if they did not hink it would be worth it and a profit to them , so choose the one you like if bt ect is important and you like the clam shell then wait and get the next version it cant be simplar than that :wink: :wink: :wink: :wink: good luck on your choosing of your investment ( a years contract is that so choose what you want and what feels good to you) :wink: :wink:

[Guest Pulse]

Pulse,

I thought you were binning the E200? Look here

mcwarre, do you use the irc channel? I was pi**ed off that I couldnt get vids from mine or any E200 to play on my pc. I've found a sh**ty codec to play them now, so that'll have to do. I was considering either cancelling, because it was annoying me, or changing for an MPX, but I'll keep the E200 now.

[Guest mcwarre]

mcwarre, do you use the irc channel?

Nope, sorry.