new cell phone w/bluetooth that syncs

[jelloshotsrule]

ok, so i am finally about set to upgrade to a modern phone (i have the most basic 2-3 yr old phone one could imagine) on my verizon plan.

i am looking to get bluetooth if possible, as it'd be nice to sync with the address book. that said, i'm still looking relatively low end (not a razr or other such thing).

what i see at verizon's site is making me lean towards either the

motorola e815

or the

lg vx 8100


however, after looking at the isync site, i don't see any lg phones listed as compatible. can anyone shed any light on whether lg phones work with isync at all? if not, i'm probably fine going with the e815, but does anyone have experience with this phone? like i said, pretty basic is good, i just want some bluetooth sweetness

thanks

 

[ckeck]

ok, so i am finally about set to upgrade to a modern phone (i have the most basic 2-3 yr old phone one could imagine) on my verizon plan.

i am looking to get bluetooth if possible, as it'd be nice to sync with the address book. that said, i'm still looking relatively low end (not a razr or other such thing).

what i see at verizon's site is making me lean towards either the

motorola e815

or the

lg vx 8100


however, after looking at the isync site, i don't see any lg phones listed as compatible. can anyone shed any light on whether lg phones work with isync at all? if not, i'm probably fine going with the e815, but does anyone have experience with this phone? like i said, pretty basic is good, i just want some bluetooth sweetness

thanks

Come over to Cingular and enjoy such great bluetooth phones as the Sony Ericsson Z520A (only $49.99 atm) or the Motorola V557

 

[jelloshotsrule]

well cingular's website isn't doing ***** for me right now, and i'm on a family plan with verizon that has coverage in my parents middle of nowhere place, so would be tough to switch up on em.

but thanks!

 

[Le Big Mac]

well cingular's website isn't doing ***** for me right now, and i'm on a family plan with verizon that has coverage in my parents middle of nowhere place, so would be tough to switch up on em.

but thanks!

I'm pretty sure you're SOL. Verizon's bluetooth support is pretty weak (i.e., the phones they carry). Same for Sprint. Bluetooth is mostly on GSM phones, and Sprint/Verizon use CDMA.

(please note, my information could be outdated)

 

[jelloshotsrule]

you're definitely right overall...

i was actually surprised to see verizon had 5 or 6 bluetooth phones available. and according to apple, isync is compatible with the moto e815. my girlfriend may very well have this exact phone, so maybe i'll test it out first.

any more input is welcome in the meantime!

 

[MacBoobsPro]

ok, so i am finally about set to upgrade to a modern phone (i have the most basic 2-3 yr old phone one could imagine) on my verizon plan.

i am looking to get bluetooth if possible, as it'd be nice to sync with the address book. that said, i'm still looking relatively low end (not a razr or other such thing).

what i see at verizon's site is making me lean towards either the

motorola e815

or the

lg vx 8100


however, after looking at the isync site, i don't see any lg phones listed as compatible. can anyone shed any light on whether lg phones work with isync at all? if not, i'm probably fine going with the e815, but does anyone have experience with this phone? like i said, pretty basic is good, i just want some bluetooth sweetness

thanks

A word of warning about Motorola and Bluetooth. SLVRs, V3 RZRs and some other relatively new phones dont play nicely with the bluetooth app or isync. There are two things that block the communications between them. One is on the motorola side the other Apples. Theres nothing we can do about it until they rectify the situation via an update of some sort.

I got a new SLVR because it is such a great phone but to my horror found it wouldnt sync with my G5. And so cant transfer anything to it from my mac.

If you check out the bluetooth support pages at apple you will see it is littered with people asking about Motorola problems.

 

[Roy Hobbs]

the motorola e815 as well as verisons version of the razr both sync with iSync

 

[jruc4871]

Does Verizon still cripple their phones so you can only use bluetooth for headsets?

Something about wanting customers to pay for their online data transfer instead...

 

[ckeck]

A word of warning about Motorola and Bluetooth. SLVRs, V3 RZRs and some other relatively new phones dont play nicely with the bluetooth app or isync. There are two things that block the communications between them. One is on the motorola side the other Apples. Theres nothing we can do about it until they rectify the situation via an update of some sort.

I got a new SLVR because it is such a great phone but to my horror found it wouldnt sync with my G5. And so cant transfer anything to it from my mac.

If you check out the bluetooth support pages at apple you will see it is littered with people asking about Motorola problems.

I have had several customers in my store use their SLVRs, Razr's & V551/V557 phones with iSync without any trouble at all. Maybe there is a problem with your SLVR or your Mac possibly?

How long ago did you get your SLVR? If its over 30 days call 800-801-1101 and see if they will replace it for you.

 

[gallagb]

i've got the e815 & Tiger

yes verizon cripples the phone (all of their bluetooth phones)

howardforums will help you get through those prbms

w/o Tiger- your bluetooth phone + mac = not much
w/ Tiger- you can synch your phone #'s & some other stuff i think

it is- also- very possible to get customized ring tones- (see the howardforums folks- i've got the link somewhere around here- PM me if u need it)

i had a REALLY old Nokia till about 2 months ago
when i got the e815
i'm very happy w/ the purchase

battery life rocks
speaker phone saves my butt
bluetooth headset is cool - although the technology could use some help-
phone looks cool
camera works...etc

PM me w/ questions

 

[MacBoobsPro]

I have had several customers in my store use their SLVRs, Razr's & V551/V557 phones with iSync without any trouble at all. Maybe there is a problem with your SLVR or your Mac possibly?

How long ago did you get your SLVR? If its over 30 days call 800-801-1101 and see if they will replace it for you.

It only seems to be specific phones. Strangely though some SLVRs for example can sync etc and some cant. There are a few model types out there though. Mine is a V8 and cannot connect and everything is right up to date via SU.

Heres the link i posted in the apple support:

http://discussions.apple.com/message.jspa?messageID=1802373#1802373

But heres the jist of it anyway:

"I found this bit of info on the interweb. I'm pretty sure most of us knew this anyway but it just clarifies the situation. It was found at
http://www.novamedia.de/sync/ and reads:

Q: When will you support Motorola phones?

Several user as well as we ourselves have discovered a communications problem between Motorola phone models SLVR L7, PEBL and RAZR V3x/V3i on one side and Macs on the other side. They have a general Bluetooth communication problem. They can pair, but can not exchange data about services they provide to each other. This means in fact, you can't use Bluetooth to exchange data between these 4 Motorola phones and Macs at the moment. You have to wait until this problem is solved between Apple and Motorola.

Ends

Interesting but it still doesnt answer the other problems like why my Sony Ericsson no longer Syncs. "

 

[crazydreaming]

I have a Moto. V710 on a Verizon Plan. It was recently replaced by the e815, but still very similar. Here is my experience:

-VERIZON SOFTWARE STINKS! They really do take away almost every feature that makes these phones cool. I have tried everything as far as syncing goes and have been able to sync my calendar and address book with iSync ONLY using a USB cable, and now that won't even work anymore, but it has in the past.

-I am able to charge over usb using the cable.

-I have been unsuccessful with many attempts to transfer pics and audio over usb and bluetooth.

-However I am able to do one really cool thing with bluetooth. I successfully connect to the internet over bluetooth all the time. It just uses my minutes on Verizon, but I only do it on the weekends or after 9:00PM so it's free! I think that is awesome, I can be anywhere and as long as I have service, I'm online, plus I don't even have to take my phone out of my pocket.

 

[Felldownthewell]

I have a Moto. V710 on a Verizon Plan. It was recently replaced by the e815, but still very similar. Here is my experience:

-VERIZON SOFTWARE STINKS! They really do take away almost every feature that makes these phones cool. I have tried everything as far as syncing goes and have been able to sync my calendar and address book with iSync ONLY using a USB cable, and now that won't even work anymore, but it has in the past.

-I am able to charge over usb using the cable.

-I have been unsuccessful with many attempts to transfer pics and audio over usb and bluetooth.

-However I am able to do one really cool thing with bluetooth. I successfully connect to the internet over bluetooth all the time. It just uses my minutes on Verizon, but I only do it on the weekends or after 9:00PM so it's free! I think that is awesome, I can be anywhere and as long as I have service, I'm online, plus I don't even have to take my phone out of my pocket.

I've always wondered if that was possible! I've had bad experiances with Verizon in the two years I've been with them, so I'm switching to Cingular when the V3i with iTunes comes out on Cingular. Is the phone-for-internet available on any bluetooth phone or just some?

 

[jimsowden]

Why not just get the verizon RAZR for free?
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/t...-0865968-1175359?v=glance&s=wireless&n=301185

 

[p0intblank]

I have the Motorola e815 and love it. I only tend to sync with iSync, so I am not sure if there is much else you can do with it. I would love to be able to sync my photos and videos on my Mac, but yet to find a solution. The camera is decent, too. It's 1.3 MP.

 

[aloofman]

I have the E815 and iSync works fine with it. (As long as you have iSync 2.0 or higher, which comes with Tiger.) As others mentioned, Verizon has disabled the file transfer function via Bluetooth so they can sell you their add-on service.

I successfully hacked the phone via the method mentioned above that you can find on howardforums.com. The actual hack is very easy, but getting the little software tools (Windows only, natch) is a hassle. It can be done, and my file transfer works great now, but you have to put some effort into it. This situation is entirely Verizon Wireless's fault, not Apple's.

 

[ITASOR]

Verizon's bluetooth cripple doesn't usually affect iSync with the address book. There's a hack/plug in available around the 'net for the V3c.

You could also just get a datacable for like $8 on eBay. I have the v265 (which I really, really love, Verizon offers the v267 now which is like the same thing) and I use a datacable to sync and it's fine.

To all of you that have the e815 (which I'm thinking about upgrading to), do you think it's too big? It looks/feels HUGE. I keep it in my pocket all day long, so I need something smaller.

Also, could you test something for me? Go to menu, Mobile Web, and tell me what you see. On the v265, I see both Web Browser & Web Sessions. Verizon usually blocks web sessions so you can't add your own, but not on this phone. Is it there on the e815? Thanks!

 

[puckhead193]

To all of you that have the e815 (which I'm thinking about upgrading to), do you think it's too big? It looks/feels HUGE. I keep it in my pocket all day long, so I need something smaller.

Also, could you test something for me? Go to menu, Mobile Web, and tell me what you see. On the v265, I see both Web Browser & Web Sessions. Verizon usually blocks web sessions so you can't add your own, but not on this phone. Is it there on the e815? Thanks!

I don't find it to big. its comfortable in my pockets. You'll know its their, but not bad. And about the web browser thing i don't see web sessions so i don't think its on the 815 it just opens up to the email new, sports things...

bluetooth headset is cool - although the technology could use some help-

which headset do u have for yours, i want to get one but don't know which one.

 

[aloofman]

To all of you that have the e815 (which I'm thinking about upgrading to), do you think it's too big? It looks/feels HUGE. I keep it in my pocket all day long, so I need something smaller.

Personally, I don't think it's too big. My previous cellphone was a little Samsung flip phone that felt too small in my hand and the buttons were kind of small for my thumb, although it worked great. Maybe I have bigger hands than most people, I don't know. The E815 feels pretty solid and I keep it in my pocket all the time. I don't find it too big, although in loose pants it kind of moves around on my hip sometimes.

Having said that, I would have gone for the RAZR if Verizon had offered it back in October when my contract came up for renewal. It would have made a much better pocket phone.

 

[ITASOR]

And about the web browser thing i don't see web sessions so i don't think its on the 815 it just opens up to the email new, sports things...

Ahh, thanks. Oh well, no e815 for me. Guess you can't beat the functionality of the v265...even if the screen does totally blow.

 

[JMGvtec03]

Verizon locks down thier bluetooth yes, but if you have narrowed it down to those 2 i would get the e815.

-J

 

[bodeh6]

Haha.

Sony Ericsson + Mac OS X = Bluetooth heaven

I love Cingular's service and GSM phones. Sony Ericsson is very good with Bluetooth implementation.

 

[jelloshotsrule]

thanks everyone for the tips and thoughts.

i think the e815 will work well for my needs. and if i decide to try the hack later on i may ask for help if i can't figure it out. but for now all i really want to sync is address info. pictures and stuff can come later if i get bored. hah

thanks again

 

[gallagb]

which headset do u have for yours, i want to get one but don't know which one.

i have one of the motorola ones
i'm not sure which unit off hand

i will tell u- they are QUIET!

it is hard to hear people- even w/ the sound turned fully up!

just be aware of this
i use the speaker phone a lot more

 

[wahn]

Several questions as I read through this post.

There is a hack for the Moto V710 posted here...
https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/128761/
I am wondering if it will work for the E815 which is an upgrade of the V710?

Does it require Tiger?

I have Panther, Moto E815

Does this hack mean you can skip the elaborate hack that must be performed on a Windows machine posted on howardsforums?

And for those who are synching the addressbook, you are synching the Mac addressbook to what? The E815 has no addressbook?

I am on Panther, Verizon, E815.