Digital Trends

Motorola PEBL March 7th, 2006 | by Nick Tesler

Features and Design

The PEBl is equipped with a basic laundry list of cell phone attributes -- Bluetooth, SMS and MMS messaging along with POP3, SMTP and IMAP4 email, speakerphone, voice dialing, and a Web browser. Included are 35 ring tones, including both MP3 and electronic choices.

At 1.93 x 3.41 x 0.79 inches and 3.7 ounces, the PEBL is smaller and lighter than it looks on TV. Motorola is promoting PEBL's rock-smooth surface, which feels almost like suede, but nothing is mentioned about the flip top. A magnet holds the two halves together; you have to slide the top down around a quarter of an inch with your thumb then let go and the top pops up. It doesn't sound complicated and once mastered its fun to do. But no matter how often we played with it, when the phone rang, our first instinct was to pull or push the top open. And it didn't.

Many other form-over-function compromises have been made, both inside and out. On the front is an oblong semi-reflective LCD screen that displays the time, signal strength and battery life -- the essentials. Almost every other phone that T-Mobile sells for less than the price of the PEBL has a color external screen. This is not just a matter of aesthetics; without a color external screen, it's impossible to snap self-portraits.

Speaking of the camera, it's only VGA with no zoom and, as noted, no self-portrait mode. Its lack of mega pixels isn't criminal at this price -- in fact, the RAZR doesn't have a mega pixel camera either. But mega pixel cameras are becoming more the norm than the exception in the two years since RAZR's introduction and the PEBL's design and price expectations.

PEBL's spine keys are nearly flush with its surface to complete its smooth presentation. But the flush volume toggle on the left becomes a bit more difficult to find and operate as a result. The other two spine keys are unmarked. You'll have to remember the single button beneath the volume is for the camera, which is redundant. The camera doesn't operate unless the top is up, and the right soft key provides direct camera access as well. The right spine button does...nothing. We thought this button activated Motorola's Screen3 feature, which supposedly gets direct Web access, but the manual doesn't include any reference to it.

Once opened, you'll find a crystal clear and luminous 1.9-inch LCD. But that's about the end of the pros. The etched dial pad is really pretty, but the sea wave-like lines that meander above and below the numbers cause a nano-second pause while you make sure you push the right key. In addition, the menu directional toggle is one of the smallest we've run across on a flip phone.

Image Courtesy of Motorola