Motorola W490
As of late, Motorola has been known to constantly develop mobile phones for the high end market. A lot of what we have witnessed from Motorola in fact is targeted towards the upper and business type class of people that it is easy for us to dismiss Motorola as a high end phone developer only. But once you get past all these assumptions, one will realize that Motorola also developed some of the world's better looking entry level mobile phones that are not only very affordable but is also crammed with as many features as the budget for this bracket might permit.
These "cheap" handsets from Motorola combine basic features and stylishness that give the mobile phone a very expensive and no nonsense look. The Motorola W490 is no exception from this category as it is very affordable with a list price of only $49 in America.
The Motorola W490 closely resembles the W385 in both its function and form. The interface is easy to use and Nokia and Samsung users will not have much trouble switching to the W490's no frills design.
The W490 has the capacity to store one thousand contacts with enough room for each entry for up to six phone numbers, a URL, two physical addresser, three email addresses, the contact's birthday and even the nick name. Callers can be saved into groups or attach an image to be displayed every time that contact dials you number. Calls can be heard via 42 polyphonic ring tones and other alert sounds. The W490 also features the common mobile phone features such as a calculator, a calendar, and alarm clock, a 
speakerphone, vibration mode, text messaging, multi media messaging and a world clock. USB mass storage, Bluetooth, instant messaging and voice commands are also present in the W490.
The W490 performed rather well and the quality of the T-mobile service was decent but there are times when the voice sounded a bit tiny. This didn't pose much of a problem though. That being said though, the signal was very clear and static-free and the volume is more than sufficient. The mic on the W490 didn't perform very well as the person on the other side of the conversation had trouble hearing me even on a not so noisy environment. But if one will think about it, these kinds of problems are present in almost all the mobile phones available in the market these days.
The W490 also claims to a stand by time of 14.6 days and talk time of 7.5 hours. Tests revealed though that the talk time is significantly more than what is reported. Now, this is definitely good news for most of us still looking for budget mobile phones that won't scrimp on the power.
Motorola W490 Camera and Display
The Motorola W490 comes integrated with a 1.3 mega pixel camera and can take pictures in four different resolutions. There are also three quality 
settings that the user can further tweak. Also there are five lighting modes including exposure metering, five color tones, four different shutter sounds with a silent option, night option and what came as a complete surprise is the 8x digital zoom which is much more than what higher end models have to offer. It is quite disappointing though to find out that the W490 does not have a flash included. Images also sometimes come out as either blurred or with dull colors.
Aside from pictures, the camera on this phone is also able to capture videos in 15 second clip with sound. With only 5MB of memory though, not much can be stored in the phone. And what's more, the W490 does not offer a slot for expanding the memory.
Personalization with the W940 can be achieved with a wide choice of wallpapers and screen savers. Of course, more options are available for download from T-Mobile's TZone activities.
Motorola W490 Design and Accessories
The design of the Motorola W490 is rather svelte and is of the clamshell type. And at only 3.77 ounces, the handset is overflowing with features that even heavier phones would lack. When closed, the W490 looks sleek and minimal with just the tiny screen serving as a window against the all black background. And when I said window, it was rather literal as the small screen does let the user see a preview of what is in the bigger screen when the phone is flipped open. Information such as when a messaged is received or the time is displayed on the small screen so that the user won't have to open the phone each and every time messages have to be checked.
Summary of Motorola W490 Features
- Weight: 3.77 oz - 107 g
- Width: 1.81 inches - 48 mm
- Height: 3.90 inches - 99 mm
- Thickness: 0.69 inches - 17 mm
- Network: GSM 850 / GSM 900 / GSM 1800 / GSM 1900
- Screen Resolution: 262,144 colors, 176 x 220 pixels, TFT
- Data: EDGE EGPRS
- Connectivity: Bluetooth v2.0 (A2DP)
- Web Browser: WAP
- Music: MP3, AAC
- Camera: 1 mega pixel, 8x digital zoom, Video recording
- Messaging: SMS, MMS, Email, Instant Messaging
- Expansion Slot: microSD card slot up to 2 gigabytes
- Tones: Polyphonic, Vibrating alert, downloads
- Software Features: Java
- Other Features: PC Sync, integrated hands free, iTAP Predictive text
- Battery: 7.5 hours talk time, 350 hours stand by time
PROS: Although very cheap, the Motorola W490 does give a very expensive air with its svelte and almost entirely black design. The addition of the “preview” screen on the front flip panel is also a nice touch.
CONS: Call quality on the W490 could and should be greatly improved as there are times when the person on the other side of the conversation has trouble hearing the user.
Overall: Regardless of its very minor flaws, the Motorola W490 is still a great choice pound per pound as a communication tool. If full call and messaging functionality is your thing without the modern frills associated with mobile phones, then this is clearly the handset for you.