The Motorola MPx 220 is not a new phone to the market, in fact it is a couple years old. Old does not always necessarily mean bad because this phone can offer some of the same features that new phones offer. The MPx 220 in my opinion is one of the most beautiful flip phone's to be released thus far. The chrome panel on the front of the phone makes it stand out like no other. The MPx 220 is a Windows Mobile Smartphone and runs the 2003 version. The MPx comes in two colors; silver and black.
The MPx 220 has an excellent design and looks awesome. The front of the phone has a chrome panel which makes the phone stand out. The phone comes in two colors; black and silver. The black version is not quite black but very dark maroon which looks black. The flip mechanism on the phone is great. When you open or close the phone you can hear a clicking sound which makes it secure. The camera is located on the front flip beside the LED flash.
The MPx 220 has all the basic features you need in a phone. The phone has built in alarm clock, MP3 ringtones, text and mms messaging, task manager and more. You can also have photo ID and the picture will display on the external screen during an incoming call. The MPx has built in Java application so you can play all your java games and run many java programs.
The MPx has a 1.3 mega-pixel camera but has a lot of issues. The camera is not sufficient to replace your digital camera and takes low resolution, unclear pictures. Many Windows phones do not have good cameras and this is one of them .The MPx 220 does not have built in Wi-Fi, but the good news is that you can add Wi-Fi via mini SD card. Wi-Fi mini SD cards are fairly cheap now and you can find one on the internet for under $100. The MPx does not have EVDO, HSDPA or FM radio.
The MPx 220 has two displays. The external display is meant for caller ID and phone status. The outer display is 96x24 pixels and if you resize images to this resolution you can customize the wallpaper. The external display shows you the phone's signal, battery life, Internet connection, time, date and missed calls. The main display is fairly good and has a resolution of 176x 220 pixels. It is a good idea to get a screen protector because when you close the flip, the keypad tends to scratch the screen.
The MPx 220 is an old device so it does not have stereo over Bluetooth technology. The phone comes with Motorola stereo headphones which you can adjust volume and answer/end calls. The phone comes with Windows Media Player built in and works seamlessly with MP3 and WMA formats. You can add up to 2 GB of songs and videos with the mini SD card.
The MPx 220 has endless possibilities for entertainment. The best way to pass time is to watch your favorite movies/videos. With a program called TCPMP for smartphone, you can watch any type of video including DIVX and AVI. The best thing about Windows Mobile is that you can have all sorts of games and software for free. There are so many freeware and shareware games available that you will not have time to try them all.
The MPx 220 only has standard GPRS and does not support EDGE, 3G and HSDPA. The Mpx 220 does not have built in Wi-Fi but can be added with a Wi-Fi mini SD card. The phone comes with internet explorer smartphone edition and works very well. Since the phone is not available from my service provider, I had to input the internet settings my self which was a bit of a hassle. MSN messenger also comes pre-installed which is excellent if you have an internet plan with your service provider.
The mpx 220 has 64MB built in. 32 MB is user accessible and the rest is taken up by the OS. You can also add expandable memory via Mini SD which are fairly cheap now. The MPx 220 comes with a USB data cable so it is very easy to send files back and fourth from your computer.
The MPx 220 has Bluetooth but the version is a bit outdated. The Bluetooth version is only 1.1 which nowadays is way too slow and range is limited. The MPx 220 does not offer new features like A2DP stereo over Bluetooth. Another downside is that the USB connector port is the old Motorola style and not mini USB.
The MPx 220 has excellent build quality and feels very durable. The flip is very secure and clicks into place when opened and closed. One downside to the construction is that dust sometimes gets into the external display, so it is a good idea to get a carrying case.
Overall the MPx is a great Smartphone with excellent reception. The phone is quad-band GSM and works anywhere around the world when unlocked. The phone is excellent but the OS does have a lot of bugs. It is a good idea to upgrade the software to the newest ROM where various issues have been resolved including the camera quality.
I wish Motorola makes a newer version of this phone because it has a lot of potential. Motorola had abandoned two out three phones in the MPx series. The MPx 100 and MPx 300 were not released however you can still find the MPx 300 on the internet. I agree the MPx 100 was a good idea to abandon but the MPx 220 and 300 are excellent phones. I hope in the future Motorola makes newer version of these phones with top of the line features and most importantly with Windows Mobile 6.
