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Motorola Timeport 270c Review 91

Posted by Hemos from the rolling-out-new-products dept.
ioman1 writes: "Designtechnica does a review of Motorola's first ever cell phone to use the Bluetooth technology. "With a variety of features including speakerphone, voice recognition, and voice activation, the Timeport 270c pretty much allows you to have the conveniences of a pager, cell phone, and laptop all in one little device." 'Course, the problem is getting all your devices to communicate using Bluetooth, and passing the data in a readable format. I will say, the sooner it works the happier I'll be - having to input all my phone numbers into a new cell phone *sucks*.
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Motorola Timeport 270c Review More

Motorola Timeport 270c Review

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  • Useful?? (Score:2, Interesting)

    by nate1138 ( 325593 )
    Yeah, finally a Bluetooth product makes it to market, but what's it gonna talk to?? Maybe a PC with a Bluetooth expansion module, but not much else right now. Wait a year or two for the price to come down, and Bluetooth to expand into other devices, then shell out for it.

    • I'm personally waiting for the bluetooth sd card from Palm. This along with this phone would be pretty cool. Here's a link [palminfocenter.com] for more information on the SD card.

    • Re:Useful?? (Score:5, Informative)

      by jandrese ( 485 ) <kensama@vt.edu> on Friday September 14, 2001 @02:17PM (#2299914) Homepage Journal
      It's the old Chicken-and-Egg problem. Nobody feels particularly inclined to get their Bluetooth technology to market because there are no other devices to talk to.

      I expect Bluetooth to be like USB. Pretty much useless for a couple of years except for the bleeding edge folks who don't mind buying technology before it's really ready. Have you seen the current bluetooth PCMCIA cards and their related software? Talk about a work in progress! I have one piece of software which will remain nameless where the Outlook like gui has widgets for all sorts of useful applications (LAN and Dial up access for instance) that don't actually work. If you dig aroudn on their site for awhile you discover that they don't work because they are implemented yet, the rest of the software crashes frequency and busywaits (I just love watching my OGR rate drop to 0 when the stupid BTEvents daemon starts up).

      Still, until companies start biting the bullet and releasing these devices you won't reach critical mass and they will never come down in price. Fortunatly companies aren't doing this, they're going ahead and realeasing their devices now even if they are uselese so that in a couple of years you will be able to use your cell phone to sync your PDA and print out slides for a meeting. Just remember the old jokes about how USB used to be "Useless Serial Bus", and now people are looking at getting rid of PS/2.
      • Lol, I guess we will have to wait until Apple makes its standard on their next low end computer. Hmm, usb, firewire, airport... I wonder what tech they will mainstream next?
    • Can't you use simply use a PCMCIA-PCI adapter like they use for wireless ethernet to use the bluetooth adapter?

      I have also seen drive-bay mounts for PCMCIA cards at a place I used to work at.

  • Get a GSM Phone (Score:3, Insightful)

    by Frankus ( 38740 ) on Friday September 14, 2001 @02:08PM (#2299862) Homepage
    having to input all my phone numbers into a new cell phone *sucks*.

    Fortunately those of us with GSM phones haven't had to deal with this, since user data is stored on the SIM card.

    • The only downside is with many phones, including Motorola, other features require the user and phone number to be stored in local memory.


      For example, on my v3682 it has to be in local memory for you to be able to use voice dialing. Of course this allows for lots more storage by using the SIM + local flash memory combo.

    • having to input all my phone numbers into a new cell phone *sucks*.

      Then quit buying new phones! The Walkie-Talkie's and 30lb backpack power supplies of yesteryear weren't bad at all. You kids these days... Sheesh!

    • I have a GSM phone, and I used to have Verizon (CDMA). If you're the sort of person who never leaves downtown, GSM service is fine. However, I've found that the GSM (1900Mhz PCS) coverage in the US is such that you can't really use your phone in any of the places where you might actually need to. As soon as my Cingular contract is over, I'm going back to Verizon with its analog backup coverage area.

      PS: A SIM chip is no good for storing your data if you lose your phone. PLUS, Cingular will charge you $30 to replace it. Makes taking your locked and useless Ericsson T28 World Phone overseas and then losing it a very expensive and frustrating event...
    • Further, many newer high-end phones (e.g., the Nokia 8290 [nokiausa.com]) have infrared capability. I just have to put my 8290 near my computer's infrared port, put the phone in infrared mode, and my computer instantly recognizes it. Nokia's PC Suite software (and many third party programs) lets you copy entries to and from your phone's address book.

  • Correct Link (Score:5, Informative)

    by Foochar ( 129133 ) <foochar@gma[ ]com ['il.' in gap]> on Friday September 14, 2001 @02:09PM (#2299865) Journal
    Here is the Correct Link [designtechnica.com] for the lazy. With some stuff on the end to get around the lameness filter...
  • Use the Preview Button! Check those URLs! Don't forget the http://!

  • How? (Score:4, Interesting)

    by haroldK ( 96625 ) <{harold} {at} {princessharold.net}> on Friday September 14, 2001 @02:09PM (#2299870)
    After reading the review, I'm still unclear how they can make the claim that it incorporates the functions of a laptop. I can see phone and pager, and maybe PDA, but not laptop.
  • Isn't Bluetooth the loser in the wireless wars? I though 802.11(?) was the one that looks like it'll succeed.

    • Re:Wireless Wars (Score:2, Informative)

      by rkischuk ( 463111 )
      Isn't Bluetooth the loser in the wireless wars? I though 802.11(?) was the one that looks like it'll succeed.

      Different technologies, different uses....

      Bluetooth is low power, lightweight, and suitable for embedding in almost any device (if you ignore the technical problems it has had).

      802.11b is more robust and high speed, but has higher power requirements. For many applications, wi-fi is overkill - like using a firewire port for a mouse.

    • Re:Wireless Wars (Score:1, Informative)

      by Anonymous Coward
      bluetooth and wi-fi are meant for totally different applications. They are not competing technologies.

      IIRC, bluetooth is a replacement for IR. It's meant for small devices. wi-fi is for making wireless LANs.
    • Bluetooth and 802.11b are for entirely different purposes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

      Let me see you have a mobile phone headset talk to a mobile phone via 802.11b. Do you use ethernet to plug your mouse/keyboard into your PC?

      Cheeeerist, that bloody Intel twit has a lot to answer for.

  • From article:
    Timeport(TM) 270c pretty much allows you to have the conveniences of a pager, cell phone, and laptop all in one little device.

    WOW! I can play Q3 on this baby!?! And I can compile my little C and Java apps. I bet the resolution of the TV in from my TV tuner will be fantastic! Why on earth did I spend so much money on a laptop when I can get it all for less in the plam of my hand?

    F-bacher

  • Until I actually read the article and found out that there really isn't the functionality of a PDA beyond storing addresses and emails (for the odd reason that you might want to put your email into a dead-end device to read. The DNRC Newsletter, maybe. ('Dogbert's New Ruling Class')

    Guess I'll still be waiting for a good Palm/PocketPC cellphone integration with Bluetooth support.

    .sigh.

    Btw, one thing I didn't see. Any built in games a la the Nokia phones? (Have to have priorities, you know) :^)

  • Timeport (Score:5, Funny)

    by jd ( 1658 ) <imipakNO@SPAMyahoo.com> on Friday September 14, 2001 @02:28PM (#2299968) Homepage Journal
    Bleagh.... When I first saw the headline, I thought they'd come out with a TARDIS extension.

  • Nokia 6198 uses Bluetooth (Score:1, Informative)

    by Anonymous Coward


    Motorola isn't the only one using Bluetooth in phones - Nokia also has a model. [128.121.12.52] Unless it's just a Mototola phone with a Nokia sticker on it.

    • Well, I'm about to kiss some Karma goodbye, but...

      "Informative"?!?!?!? This is a freaking Goatse.cx link for crying out loud!

      Please, please, at least follow a link before modding. Ordinarily I wouldn''t give an IP link the time of day, but the "informative" tag made me somehow think all was safe.

      • OT: You've just encountered the most recent level of trolling. Wait till you get some mod points and troll with an AC. Sure you'll get metamodded down but its worth it. I mean crap, look how much time they went to putting that all together!
    • All right, I've got some karma to burn, so here goes:

      Did any of you click the link? It's at Stile Project and is an image of the goat sex guy.

      Please, folks, click the links before you moderate!
  • This thing does nothing like a laptop. It doesn't even do as much as a handheld, so how is it like a laptop?
  • Bluetooth technology has a range of up to 30 feet and you can even surf the internet with the 270c using your home pc's internet connection. How many phones do you know of harness that ability?

    Why would you surf the internet with a phone when your laptop is 30 feet away?

  • Amongst numerous other annoyances in the review I noticed this little gem: the 270c has a built-in 365-degrees speakerphone.

    Arghh! 360 degrees in a circle, 365 days in a year. Or is he implying the battery lasts for a year?

  • entering numbers into cellphone. (Score:3, Informative)

    by Lumpy ( 12016 ) on Friday September 14, 2001 @03:05PM (#2300151) Homepage
    My qualicomm and Verizon made this easy.
    Go to my.verizon website, enter numbers and info.
    send.
    phone is now updated.
    Oh and I can beam them from my palm to the qualicomm and vicea versa.

    I assumed all advanced cellphones had this capability.

  • Yay. You can synchronize your phone book. What is really needed is a way for the phone to act as a modem for your other Bluetooth-enabled devices (laptop, iPaq, etc.)... Motorola's other phones can do this with a serial cable... I wonder if the 270 can with Bluetooth. This review does not imply that this is possible..
    • From the Motorola product page:

      synchronization, dial up networking and fax, capability

      The Dial-Up Networking Profile is exactly what your thinking of. Any other Bluetooth device that knows how to use the Dial-Up Networking Profile (which is all PCMCIA cards at this time) will be able to use the phone just like any other modem.

      "Profiles" is the Bluetooth name for standardized functionalities. So when you're looking at Bluetooth devices, check to see which profiles are implemented.

      On the more general note of Bluetooth as wireless serial: yes, it is. Bluetooth is capable of emulating--not that you'd ever want to--62 simultaneous serial ports. So if there isn't a profile that does what you want, you can implement it yourself over simulated serial links. Also, existing apps that know how to use a serial port will be very, very easy to retrofit to use Bluetooth.
    • The iPaq is alread doing this with the Ericsson T39 bluetooth enabled phone. I think PDA/Laptop link to a GPRS phone will be bluetooth's killer app.
  • The Nokia 7160 allows Outlook Phonelist/To do/Calendar integration. Very nice.
  • There have been phones out there for a long time that facilitated synching numbers. My Motorola Timeport (over a year old) will synch with my Outlook contacts list just like a Palm, and it's small and light and cool and ...

    --Kevin
  • Comment removed based on user account deletion
  • Ericsson started selling their R520m model a while ago. It has all of the mentioned features, and since it's a GSM phone you can use it almost anywhere in the world. Neat.
  • This looks like a neat phone but nothing like a laptop. Look at the nokia 6310 (http://www.nokia.com/phones/6310/main_feat.html) and compare. This has wap 1.2.1, bluetooth, GPRS, HSCSD... all the toys. (its not out yet - but neither is the Ericcson). S
  • having to input all my phone numbers into a new cell phone *sucks*.


    The Ericsson T39 bluetooth enabled cellphone uses the vCard standard to sync its phone number list with an external device. In theory it could Sync its phonebook with the PC anytime you walked into the same room as your PC.

  • A review of Motorola's first Bluetooth phone?!?

    Who gives a toss. Does this mean I get to also see a posting about Ericssons Bluetooth phones which have been out for ages too?!?

    I could understand if this was line up of Bluetooth phones. But this is a single phone buy a single manufacturer. I can't believe the dribble that makes the first page of this site sometimes.
  • The phone is pretty cool. Good features, nice screen (shoulda been color, but the resolution kick ass anyway). Havent tried the bluetooth card since there is nothing software wise that would work for me, although you can get sync software for some major portals - yahoo and excite.


    They do have the bluetooth headset that is pretty sweet. And the radio option (with the regular headset, im not sure about the bluetooth headset), is pretty cool.


    Also, they are working on a possible mp3 player for there phones that use the same connector as the the 270c and some of the newer phones.

    Kinda foolish that the organic led timeport doesnt have the same accessory port as the newer phones.

  • [...]having to input all my phone numbers into a new cell phone *sucks*

    Err... contact numbers are stored on the SIM card, not the 'phone memory, for precisely this reason[*] - give your old SIM card to one of the attendants at the shop when getting a new 'phone, and they'll copy your contacts across - at least, that's how all Nokia, NEC, Sony and Motorola 'phones that I've every used have done it. Uterly simple. Or is it different in the U.S.A.?

    BTW, if anyone works at the FCC, please send the people who decided not to standardise the spectrum and protocol along with the rest of the world my thanks - it's been a huge boost to the European especially, and also Asian, economies.

    [*] - Yes, I know, you /can/ store contacts on 'phone memory as well, but normally you can only use one of these locations (SIM card OR 'phone), and the default is the SIM card

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