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3 Responses to “Motorola Barrage V860 Phone”

• 

  Anna Matovich says:

  June 2, 2010 at 11:55 am

  …I have had this phone for only one month. In that one month, I have not dropped it or submerged it under water. I got the phone because I am clumsy. It turns out that the grip texture that is found on the sides and behind the phone has helped me to avoid dropping the phone.

  I do not like the buttons on the inside of the phone because pressing them is like pounding your fingers against the desk. This phone might be too complicated for me. After I updated the phonebook, when I receive a call, I hear a woman’s voice announcing the name of the caller followed by the ringing of the phone. I can’t figure out how to turn off the “announcing” feature.
  Rating: 3 / 5
• 

  Old Slappy Mc Gee says:

  June 2, 2010 at 2:22 pm

  Motorola Barrage – MOTV860

  Maybe this was designed to military specs, but it is just a cheap plastic phone… toy even. I don’t know where the metal and glass is on this consumer version of what may have once been an industrial grade design. The hinge doesn’t seem to be metal, it seems to be plastic although it could be aluminum or some other inexpensive and light metal. The screen doesn’t seem to be glass, but plastic.
  
  screen goes completely white randomly, rendering it useless a good deal of the time.

  Don’t know that it would survive even a 2 foot drop, since it didn’t seem to make it through shipping without getting messed up. The product description is a joke compared to what was actually delivered.

  Looking for a rugged phone? Don’t look to the Barrage unless appearances are all that matters. This phone should be heavy, it weighs nothing and feels cheap. I don’t know that a truly rugged phone exists anymore. If Motorola won’t make a quality product in the USA, there’s no one that will.

  The only thing positive about this phone is that it does seem to get rather good reception when the screen isn’t white.

  If Motorola wants to tout this phone as rugged, they need to use the original design components or change the description from metal and glass to thin plastic, made in China.

  Bottom Line – Looks Tough, feels weak. Good Reception. Rugged? HA… All Hat, No Cattle.
  Rating: 2 / 5
• 

  Mark W. Ingalls says:

  June 2, 2010 at 2:41 pm

  I was in the market for a new phone, and I had the following list of desires:
  
  + Tetherable wireless modem.
  
  + Ruggedized
  
  + Uses the same USB interface as my wife’s and son’s phones

  I first ordered a different ruggedized VZW phone, because it was advertised with more features and was well reviewed. The problem was, the other brand of phone did not come with a USB cable, nor was one available. While I was searching around for the cable online, I tried out the extra features, such as the thermometer- it was off by 4 to 6 degrees Farenheit, making it pretty useless. The LED flashlight was nice, but not nicer than being able to surf the WEB surfside.

  So, I exchanged it for this much less glitzy Motorola Barrage. I have already used it to get my email and upload documents far from any available Wi-Fi hot spots (cool!) and it has come in handy when I am in the shower and I get an important phone call (like from my wife). It also uses the same cord as the other cell phones in the family, which is great on trips.

  It has some other surprisingly useful features. For example, I can make a call without looking at the phone because it pronounces the names of my contacts as I scroll through the list. Also, it is actually very useful to know who is calling without having to put down whatever I am carrying to look at the cell phone display. The voice recognition, e.g., “Call… John… Mobile,” actually work on this phone for me and that is a first.

  I already have several great digital cameras, so I always thought having a camera phone was sort of stupid. But the other day I bought something at the lumber store that didn’t have a sticker. No problem, I just snapped a picture of the display tag, and the cashier keyed the SKU right in.

  I put one of those 4 GB micro SD cards into the phone for $11 so I can transfer files back and forth from the phone to my laptop, or to other computers. That’s when one gewfy ‘feature’ of the phone showed up. When you first plug it in to the USB cable, you get to choose between “Media Sync Mode” and “Modem Mode.” Choosing “Media Sync” gives you the option to either download music, or NOT. “Not” mode does nothing… nada… Zippo… except to charge the battery. If you want to transfer files or photos, you have to go into “Tools” and select “USB Mass Storage.” But even *that* is gewfy, because there are two menu items that have the phrase ‘USB’. To transfer files, you want the one that results from, “MENU, Settings & Tools, 2. Tools, 8. USB Mass Storage,” and *not* “MENU, Settings & Tools, 9. USB Mode.” Pretty stinkin’ ridiculous, eh?

  The bluetooth pairing thingie works, but I can’t get used to making or answering calls on a headset. Plus, people who walk around in public talking to themselves seem icky to me. I might get a car adapter someday, and I am confident this phone will work with it.

  Other than that one weird menu glitch, I really, really like this phone.
  Rating: 5 / 5