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Candy-bar cell phone with rugged body, but poor performance
- Very rugged body
- Excellent battery life
- Instant messaging support
- MicroSD memory card slot
- Battery cover pops off easily
- Phone deletes contacts, ringtones, some say
- Display screens are small and low-res
- 1.3-megapixel camera not very good
- Bluetooth isn't stereo
- Keypad not tactile enough
The Motorola Active W450 (MOTOACTV) is a rugged clamshell cell phone that gets a rating of "good" from the editors at the highly credible CNET but is generally trashed in owner reviews, including some at CNET. Owners say that while the plastic body is durable, the battery cover pops off rather easily during normal use. That's just the start of a litany of complaints that include poor low-res 1-inch and 1.75-inch display screens, a poor camera and some reports that the phone deletes contacts lists and ringtones at will. In CNET's professional review, Kent German says the keypad and navigation keys aren't tactile enough to make calling and texting by feel much of an option. He also says call quality is pretty good, though not all owner reviews agree.
On the other hand, the Motorola Active W450 offers a microSD memory card slot on the side, instant messaging support and a music player, though the Bluetooth capability isn't stereo. The camera/camcorder is a modest 1.3 megapixels, and CNET's German says it delivers a "pinkish" hue. CNET tested battery life and got about 40 minutes more than the promised 7.5 hours of talk time, which is very good. InfoSync rates more than a dozen rugged cell phones, and Motorola models make up three of the top five in its rankings, but the Motorola Active W450 isn't covered. The Motorola Adventure V750 and Samsung Rugby tie for the highest score there.
CNET has the only major professional review for the Motorola Active W450. Usual stalwarts PCMag.com, PC World, InfoSync, MobileBurn.com and WirelessInfo.com don't cover the Motorola Active W450. Neither does ConsumerReports.org, although it says it's in the process of testing the rugged Motorola Tundra. We found generally scathing owner reviews at CNET, Amazon.com, PhoneArena.com and PhoneDog.com.
Our Sources
1. CNET
Reviewer Kent German rates the Motorola Active W450 as "good," but about 13 owner reviews combine to say it's junk. They trash the screen and camera, say that the contacts list gets eaten and that the battery cover flies off very easily. German says the keyboard and camera are poor.
Review: Motorola Active W450 – Orange (T-Mobile), Kent German, Oct. 23, 2008
2. Amazon.com
There are just about a half-dozen owner reviews at this writing, almost all negative. Some say the phone deletes contacts and ringtones at will.
Review: Motorola ACTV Phone, Mandarin Orange (T-Mobile), Contributors to Amazon.com
The approximately eight owner reviews here are decidedly negative. The software takes most of the heat, and again, there are complaints that the phone deletes items without prompting.
Review: Motorola MOTOACTV W450 Reviews, Contributors to PhoneArena.com
4. Phonedog.com
The handful of user reviews are split among positive and negatives, but even the positive reviews say the camera isn't so great.
Review: Motorola MOTO-ACTV-W450 Yellow Cell Phone User Reviews, Contributors to PhoneDog.com
There's a ranking list for rugged models on the bottom of this review. The Motorola Active W450 isn't included, but the list is still a good resource for those buyers seeking another rugged alternative.
Review: G'zOne Boulder review (Verizon Wireless), Philip Berne, Aug. 25, 2008
