Motorola W385 Cell Phone Review
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Mark Brezinski Published on December 28, 2007 Comment on this |
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The Motorola W385 is an entry-level device available from Verizon for free with a contract. Since it's such a basic device, it doesn't offer much other than the ability to make calls. It does have a camera, but the pictures are nothing you'd want to print out and frame. Interestingly, however, it does come with more photo editing software than most smart phones. The phone is also not capable of music or video playback. It does have a calendar and notes application, but they're also fairly basic. The phone is pretty good looking for a free device, however, and fairly slim as well. If you're in the market for a free handset, the W385 will give you basic functionality and throw in a bad camera for good measure.Below you'll find a table of contents for this review. Clicking on the titles will skip to that section.
Tour & Design - The W385 handles well and seems to be surprisingly well built.
Audio Quality - Audio quality was decent. Many phones that do cost money performed far worse.
Imaging - The camera wasn't very good. We'd recommend leaving the pictures you take on the phone. This shouldn't be too much of an issue, however, as Verizon has made it ridiculously hard to transfer pictures off the device anyway.
Making/Receiving Calls - The W385 is quick with a phone call, but its in-call management is a bit confusing.
Messaging - While there isn't an email client, the phone handles SMS and MMS messages fairly well.
Organizer - The organizer features are what anyone familiar with phones would recognize as the bare minimum for a modern handset.
Multimedia - The W385's music and video playback scores were severely hampered by its inability to play back either music or videos.
Software - While the software is basic, the BREW OS is fairly responsive.
Battery Life - The W385 doesn't have very good battery life. Typically, entry-level phones won't have the best battery life, and it seems to be about average for phones in its class.
Connectivity - As a CDMA phone without wi-fi, the W385 isn't the most connected phone out there.
Hardware - The hardware behind the W385 isn't the best, but its still pretty good. We liked the keypad.
Other Features - The phone can be used as a Bluetooth DUN and VZ Navigator can be downloaded and installed, but both require more hassle than they're worth.
Value & Comparisons - We tend to think the W385 is a good options for bargain hunters. Though it doesn't have many features, many people just want a phone that makes calls. The W385 can do that, plus it takes really bad pictures as a bonus.
[page title="Tour & Design"]
Front Closed
When the W385 is closed, you'll be able to see the camera lens and the tiny external screen.
Front Open
Left
Top
Looking at the top of the phone you can see the seams of the hinge as well as the button on the back of the phone that releases the battery cover.
Bottom
Right
Back
The back of the phone features an external antenna port covered with a rubber stopper, the battery cover, and the speakerphone in a notch at the bottom.
Battery Out
Taking the battery out will yield no further discoveries.
In the Box (1.0)
The W385 comes with a wall charger and little else.
Handling (7.0)
The phone handles well, especially if you're a left. If you use your right hand, you'll find virtually no buttons fall under any of your fingers comfortably; if you're left-handed, your thumb will fall on the volume rocker naturally. Other than that, the phone is relatively thin and not very wide, so even small-handed users should find a comfortable grip. It also has a good amount of heft; it's enough to feel like you're holding something, but nothing that'll weigh you down.
Portability (7.0)
This phone is very portable. It's not as thin as other phones, but it's by no means a brick. It's also not very wide. It should fit into most pockets, though it might cause a bit of a phone-bulge in tigheter pants, and no one wants that. Bags and purses won't have issues with the W385.
Aesthetics (6.0)
The phone isn't the most sleek, attractive looking device, but it's not bad looking either. Most people will see this and recognize it's a free phone, and for a free phone it's nice looking. It's not as if someone will see this and think, "Well, it's no iPhone," because clearly you can't compare the W385 to a $400 fashion phone. This phone is certainly one of the better-looking options for budget buyers.
Durability (5.0)
The W385 is very plastic, but it's also surprisingly sturdy. The phone didn't peep when we twisted it around. It does flip open, however, and we can see the wear getting to the hinge. It does, however, keep the internal display safe from dirt and other abrasive junk. The external screen will have to fend for itself, however.
[page title="Audio Quality"]
The amount of money you spend on a phone shouldn't affect its ability to make calls. As such, we're holding the W385 to the same industry standards with which we test all our phones. To do this we use both the hardware and software used by phone manufacturers, scoring phones against standards set by the industry. Our hardware, a head and torso simulator (HATS), is basically the top half of a mannequin, except with far more sophisticated technology in its ears and mouth. Our software is Listen Inc's SoundCheck software, which we use to analyze the phone's performance at various frequencies, which represent the range of the human voice. If you'd like to know more, read this article.
Sound Receive Frequency Response (8.03)
| Cell Phone | Motorola W385 | Motorola Krzr K1m (on Sprint) | Motorola Razr V3m (on Sprint) |
| Score | 8.03 | 7.71 | 8.12 |
| Received Sound Frequency Response Graph (click to view) |  |
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| Cell Phone | Samsung Juke (on Verizon) | LG Chocolate VX8550 (on Verizon) | Samsung Blast (on Verizon) |
| Score | 6.89 | 8.27 | 8.85 |
| Received Sound Frequency Response Graph (click to view) |  |
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Sound Send Frequency Response (8.29)
Though the W385 handles your own voice slightly better than the voice of an incoming caller, it has all the same quirks. The graph is toward the higher end of the limits the entire time, which means your voice will sound slightly louder on the receiving end. Also the graph bumps into the limit towards the end. Again, however, these quirks shouldn't be noticeable.
| Cell Phone | Motorola W385 | Motorola Krzr K1m (on Sprint) | Motorola Razr V3m (on Sprint) |
| Score | 8.29 | 7.36 | 7.88 |
| Received Sound Frequency Response Graph (click to view) |  |
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 |
| Cell Phone | Samsung Juke (on Verizon) | LG Chocolate VX8550 (on Verizon) | Samsung Blast (on Verizon) |
| Score | 8.37 | 8.06 | 5.56 |
| Received Sound Frequency Response Graph (click to view) |  |
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Handset Side Tone (8.87)
Side tone was also pretty dead on performance-wise. Side tone refers to how loudly the phone plays back your own voice; it's for you to judge how loudly you sound on the other end. The ideal side tone is -18 decibels, and the W385 measured -16.87, which is pretty close to ideal. It is slightly louder, so you might speak a little softer than you normally would. Like the rest of the W385's audio quirks, however, this issue isn't something you'd notice.
For readability's sake, the numbers in the below chart have al been made positive.
| Cell Phone | Side Tone Measurement | Score |
| Motorola W385 | 16.87 | 8.87 |
| Motorola Krzr K1m | 21.1 | 6.90 |
| Motorola Razr V3m | 17.69 | 9.25 |
| Samsung Juke | 22.88 | 5.02 |
| LG Chocolate VX8550 | 17.85 | 9.85 |
| Samsung Blast | 19.56 | 8.44 |
[page title="Imaging"]
Resolution (1.22)
The camera's resolution was pretty bad. It only measured 524.3 lw/ph horizontally and 580.4 lw/ph vertically. Typical good cameras will score about 1000 in each lw/ph measurement. Shockingly, as bad as the W385 is, it did better than most of the comparison phones which actually cost money. Even so, we'd recommend you keep your captures on the phone, because trying to enlarge them in any way will just make a mess.
| Cell Phone | Motorola W385 | Motorola Krzr K1m | Motorola Razr V3m |
| Score | 1.22 | 0.62 | 1.13 |
| lw/ph horizontal/vertical | 524.3/580.4 | 386.6/454.2 | 521.7/242.2 |
| Image of Resolution Chart (click to view) |  |
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| Cell Phone | Samsung Juke | LG Chocolate VX8550 | Samsung Blast |
| Score | 0.40 | 1.69 | 0.68 |
| lw/ph horizontal/vertical | 300/295 | 616.8/569.5 | 392.1/345.6 |
| Image of Resolution Chart (click to view) |  |
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Color (4.20)
The W385 handles color surprisingly well -- we mean this relative to its class, because its score still isn't very good. Really, its only problem lies in its tendency to undersaturate yellows, light greens, and oranges. Other than this, the representations aren't too far off. Reds are especially well rendered.
The graph above and left is an actual capture, as taken by the W385, of our GretagMacbeth color chart. This chart displays 24 commonly-photographed colors (blue skies, red roses, green grass, flesh tones, etc.). Imatest drops two images over this picture. The smaller, innermost rectangle is the ideal color. The outer overlay is the ideal adjusted for luminance. The difference between the ideal and captured colors is then graphed in the color gamut below. The longer the lines, the further off the capture is.
| Cell Phone | Motorola W385 | Motorola Krzr K1m | Motorola Razr V3m |
| Score | 4.20 | 3.59 | 3.26 |
| Color Checker Chart (click to view) |  |
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 |
| Cell Phone | Samsung Juke | LG Chocolate VX8550 | Samsung Blast |
| Score | 5.50 | 4.69 | 4.48 |
| Color Checker Chart (click to view) |  |
 |
 |
Noise (1.28)
| Cell Phone | Score |
| Motorola W385 | 1.28 |
| Motorola Krzr K1m | 0.76 |
| Motorola Razr V3m | 1.05 |
| Samsung Juke | 1.50 |
| LG Chocolate VX8550 | 1.27 |
| Samsung Blast | 1.44 |
Live Preview (3.5)
The W385's live preview is a little laggy and blurry when the handset is quickly panned, but we were really surprised with how well it kept up. Images will look very pixellated, however. Overall, while the live preview isn't very good, we were actually impressed with its performance given the phone.
Unlocked Standby to First Shot (10.75)
The Q385 is a bit of a quick-draw. We were able to flip it open, boot the camera application (via the shortcut button) and snap a picture in 1.86 seconds. This is very quick. Typically phones can achieve this feat in 2-3 seconds, but the W385 undercuts them all but a relatively sizeable margin. While your pictures might not be of a good quality, the phone certainly wastes no time in taking them.
| Cell Phone | Time (sec) | Score |
| Motorola W385 | 1.86 | 10.75 |
| Motorola Krzr K1m | 2.5 | 8.00 |
| Motorola Razr V3m | 3.5 | 5.71 |
| Samsung Juke | 1.89 | 10.58 |
| LG Chocolate VX8550 | 2.36 | 8.47 |
| Samsung Blast | 3.75 | 5.33 |
Shot to Shot Time (1.23)
The W385 was able to take a series of five pictures in about 12.3 seconds. This is about .41 frames per second, which is fairly slow. This slow fps rate is partially because the phone has no burst mode and partially because we couldn't turn off the picture preview after each capture. With slow speeds like this, spontaneous photographers will have to hope they get it right the first time.
| Cell Phone | FPS | Score |
| Motorola W385 | 0.41 | 1.23 |
| Motorola Krzr K1m | 0.23 | 0.69 |
| Motorola Razr V3m | 0.2 | 0.60 |
| Samsung Juke | 0.56 | 1.68 |
| LG Chocolate VX8550 | 0.38 | 1.14 |
| Samsung Blast | 2.11 | 6.33 |
Shutter to Shot Time (5.00)
The time between pressing the shutter key and the camera actually snapping a picture was about 0.4 seconds. As you could probably guess from the table of scores below, this is slightly better than average. There are exceptions, such as the Juke, which is ridiculously fast. Many smart phones take between two and three seconds.
| Cell Phone | Time (sec) | Score |
| Motorola W385 | 0.4 | 5.00 |
| Motorola Krzr K1m | 0.4 | 5.00 |
| Motorola Razr V3m | 0.43 | 4.65 |
| Samsung Juke | 0.09 | 22.22 |
| LG Chocolate VX8550 | 0.22 | 9.09 |
| Samsung Blast | 0.35 | 5.71 |
Interface (3.0)
The W385's camera interface is basic and not very good. The top of the screen retains battery and signal information in a black border. The bottom of the screen is taken up by a large toolbar with a zoom icon, current resolution, and a camera graphic. We weren't sure what the camera icon was for since the phone can't capture video. Perhaps test groups showed users tended to get confused, thinking they'd stumbled onto a window to an alternate dimension. In any case, left and will digitally zoom in and out, the left soft key will open up the album, and the right soft key will open up the options menu. In this menu you can change resolution, brightness, and white balance. You can also add a timer or overlay a color effect or frame. There isn't much here, so we would've liked to see some sort of transparent menu that popped up on the live preview.
Photo Album Software Internal (2.5)
The photo album software is also fairly basic. Photos are displayed two-by-two, without any option to enlarge or shrink the thumbnails. There really aren't any options besides sending the picture, renaming it, or deleting it. You can also jump back to the camera to take more pictures. Viewing a picture will let you edit it with the phone's basic editing software. There are no options for sorting or organizing your photos. There is also no support for slideshows.
Manual Control (0.0)
The W385 doesn't provide any manual control.
Zoom (1.0)
The only zoom on the phone is a digital zoom with two magnification levels. Digital zoom just crops and enlarges pictures, which isn't especially useful since it's essentially capturing at an even lower resolution than it normally would. This feature is also a bit redundant on the W385 since it has a built-in crop feature.
Focus (0.0)
The W385 has a fixed focus, so what you see is what you get.
Flash (0.0)
The camera doesn't have a flash.
Metering (1.0)
The only metering option is a brightness slider. There are two brighter and two darker settings. The camera doesn't have more advanced metering options like spot or center-weighted metering.
White Balance (2.0)
There are four white balance presets in addition to the default, automatic setting: sunny, cloudy, tungsten, fluorescent, and darkness.
Image Handling (10.0)
Believe it or not, this basic camera also comes with some basic editing software. When viewing a picture, an edit option is available via the right soft key's menu. With this you can crop, rotate, and flip your image. There are also options to remove red-eye, an auto-enhance, and -- we can't even believe this -- a smudge feature. Photoshop this isn't, but this little phone has better image-handling software than most smart phones.
Video
Overall Video Score (0.0)
The W385 can't capture video, which certainly doesn't bode well for its score in this section.
Video Resolution (0.0)
N/A: Can't capture video.
Video Compression (0.0)
N/A: Can't capture video.
Interface (0.0)
N/A: Can't capture video.
Manual Control (0.0)
N/A: Can't capture video.
Zoom (0.0)
N/A: Can't capture video.
Editing (0.0)
N/A: Can't capture video.
Modes (0.0)
N/A: Can't capture video.
[page title="Making/Receiving Calls"]
Dialing Speed (10.15)
Say what you will about cheap phones: thin software means a fast pick-up-and-dial time. The W385 was able to place a call in 1.97 seconds, which is absurdly fast, especially for a flip phone. We didn't run into any lag at all when dialing. The numbers are big enough to eliminate mistakes, but not so big your thumb has to do a two-minute waltz to input the digits.
| Cell Phone | Time (sec) | Score |
| Motorola W385 | 1.97 | 10.15 |
| Motorola Krzr K1m | 4.4 | 4.55 |
| Motorola Razr V3m | 4.9 | 4.08 |
| Samsung Juke | 2.64 | 7.58 |
| LG Chocolate VX8550 | 2.96 | 6.76 |
| Samsung Blast | 3.36 | 5.95 |
Talk and End Buttons (5.0)
The talk and end buttons on this phone are good buttons. They provide solid tactile feedback so you'll know when you've hit them. They also have decent travel, so you won't find yourself sinking your thumbs into the phone. In terms of finding them by touch navigation, they aren't so great. There really isn't much to go on as far as texture or location. They're located directly above the keypad, and since your thumb memory has that down pat, it shouldn't be too hard to just aim a bit above the 1 or 3 keys. Even so, depending on someone's subconscious isn't something we award points for, which brings these otherwise great keys down to mediocrity.
Call Management (5.5)
The W385's call management program is a bit hard to find. On the home screen you can press the Send key to bring it up. If it's available elsewhere on the phone, it's very well hidden. Calls are listed in small, abbreviated entries consisting of the number, time, and date. There is also a small symbol noting if the call was incoming, outgoing, or missed; there isn't a way to sort by this criteria. The only additional information you can bring up by clicking an entry is the duration of the call. There are also both call and data timers which can be reset. This makes it easy to keep track of monthly allotments of minutes.
When you first get a call, there are two options: Quiet and Ignore. The first time you see this you might get slightly flustered wondering how to pick up, then realize that the Send key is the obvious choice -- we know we did. Once you've done this, the soft keys change to Mute and Options. Options will bring you to a list of typical shortcuts that will allow you to reach virtually any other application from the call, which we were impressed to see. Call waiting was confusing, however, as there was no on-screen reminder of who you were talking to. This means you'll need the person on the other end to verify you've switched between calls correctly.
Startup to Call (4.08)
The W385 took 24.53 seconds to boot up and make a phone call. This was a bit slower than we would've expected. The time was mainly spent waiting for the home screen to pop up. Though this phone isn't as slow as the Razr or Krzr phones, other, similarly simple phones like the Juke trounced it solidly in startup time. Even the Chocolate, which is a bit more sophisticated put up better numbers.
| Cell Phone | Time (sec) | Score |
| Motorola W385 | 24.53 | 4.08 |
| Motorola Krzr K1m | 32.72 | 3.06 |
| Motorola Razr V3m | 35.7 | 2.80 |
| Samsung Juke | 11.9 | 8.40 |
| LG Chocolate VX8550 | 22.37 | 4.47 |
| Samsung Blast | 21.48 | 4.66 |
Ring Volume (8.58)
The W385 is capable of outputting 85.8 decibels, which is about average for most cell phones. Probably 70% of the phones we've reviewed have had some denomination of 85 decibels. This should be loud enough to alert you if it's in a pocket or a purse/bag kept close by.
We test ring volume by holding the phone two inches away from a sound pressure meter and cycling through all available ringtones, marking the highest decibel output.
| Cell Phone | Volume (decibels) | Score |
| Motorola W385 | 85.8 | 8.58 |
| Motorola Krzr K1m | 88 | 8.80 |
| Motorola Razr V3m | 88 | 8.80 |
| Samsung Juke | 85.8 | 8.58 |
| LG Chocolate VX8550 | 85.4 | 8.54 |
| Samsung Blast | 85.5 | 8.55 |
Ringtone Customizability (0.0)
Unless you're hacking the phone, you can't use your own music as ringtones.
Non Audio Alerts (7.0)
The non-audio alerts on the phone are average as a whole. The vibrate is stronger than average, and tends to last longer each pulse. The on-screen reminders, however, aren't very eye-catching. There's no animation and the screen doesn't blink, though it will turn on if it was previously off. We wish the visual part of the reminder were a bit flashier.
[page title="Messaging"]
Supported Email Services (0.0)
The W385 has a web-based email client. We only award points for an actual software email client. Real (read: not web-based) clients download your email onto the phone so you can access your messages even when you don't have access to the network. Fancier email clients will download your email automatically the instant you get it. They will also typically handle POP or IMAP accounts, whereas web-based clients will only be able to accept a handful of popular services, such as AOL or Yahoo! mail. In case you haven't put this information together to sleuth out why we think web-based clients are worthless, allow us to pose you a question: if you have network access and can only use popular services, why not just browse to the real thing?
Push Email (0.0)
N/A: No email client.
Multiple Email Accounts (0.0)
N/A: No email client.
HTML and Attachements (0.0)
N/A: No email client.
Email Customizations (0.0)
N/A: No email client.
Time to a New Message (0.0)
N/A: No email client.
Email Usability (0.0)
N/A: No email client.
Supported IM Services (0.0)
MMS Support (5.0)
SMS Smiley Face Interpretation (0.0)
Smiley faces are just two more symbols for the W385 to render, nothing more.
SMS/MMS Ease of Use (6.0)
SMS and MMS messages are fairly basic. The inbox contains a list of entries that contain a read/unread graphic, the sender's name, and the first few characters of the letter. You can sort messages by time/date, read/unread, priority, or size. You can also lock messages, which prevents them from being deleted, which is a nice feature. New messages are fairly simple. You'll need to choose SMS or MMS before making a message. Once you do, you're whisked away to a dense forest of "To:" fields, below which is a clearing: the body. Under this is a field for subject, or fields for MMS attachments. You can choose to preview your messages and even add a priority level if need be. Again, fairly basic functionality here, but what is available is easy to figure out.
Time to a New SMS Message (3.60)
It took 2.78 seconds to bring up a new SMS dialogue, which was a bit slow. The process starts with opening the phone. The left soft key will open up the messaging menu. From here you need to click select twice, once for new message, and again for New SMS message. Also, we noticed the OS wasn't as fast as we originally thought it was: the phone took longer to hop around menus than we thought it would.
| Cell Phone | Time (sec) | Score |
| Motorola W385 | 2.78 | 3.60 |
| Motorola Krzr K1m | 3.28 | 3.05 |
| Motorola Razr V3m | 4.58 | 2.18 |
| Samsung Juke | 0.75 | 13.30 |
| LG Chocolate VX8550 | 2.61 | 3.83 |
| Samsung Blast | 1.35 | 7.41 |
[page title="Organizer"]
Synchronization Ease of Use (0.0)
The W385 doesn't support synchronization out of the box.
Alerts (3.0)
Alerts aren't the best at alerting you. You can choose to flip on vibration or choose a ringtone. Once it's time to actually alert you, however, the phone
Over the Air PIM Sync (0.0)
N/A: doesn't support synchronization.
Address Book
Adding Contacts (5.66)
It took 17.66 seconds to open the phone and enter in a contact. This time is a bit faster than average, but not but not a lot. To enter in a number, you'll first have to flip open the phone. From here, the quickest route is to type in the number first, then hit the left soft key, which will attempt to save the number. From here
| Cell Phone | Time (sec) | Score |
| Motorola W385 | 17.66 | 5.66 |
| Motorola Krzr K1m | 21.74 | 4.60 |
| Motorola Razr V3m | 27.9 | 3.58 |
| Samsung Juke | 14.57 | 6.86 |
| LG Chocolate VX8550 | 20.5 | 4.88 |
| Samsung Blast | 19.45 | 5.14 |
Looking/Sorting/Search (5.0)
Fields (2.5)
Speed Dial/Voice tags/Voice command (3.2)
There are 95 speed dial slots available to assign a contact to, which is a good number. Also, while the phone doesn't support voice tags, it does have good voice command software; it recognized four of our five test contacts, and for the fifth it returned a list of three contacts, the first of which was our test contact.
Calendar
Adding Calendar Items (8.87)
We were able to add a calendar item in about 11.28 seconds. This is a good time. Making a calendar items is easy. Starting the calendar application requires first opening the phone and hit down on the d-pad (the calendar shortcut). Once its open, you can browse to the appropriate date and use the left soft key to add a new entry. A fifteen-minute reminder is automatically added.
| Cell Phone | Time (sec) | Score |
| Motorola W385 | 11.28 | 8.87 |
| Motorola Krzr K1m | 9.58 | 10.44 |
| Motorola Razr V3m | 22.6 | 4.42 |
| Samsung Juke | 13.72 | 7.29 |
| LG Chocolate VX8550 | 6.48 | 15.43 |
| Samsung Blast | 26.46 | 3.78 |
Calendar Views (3.33)
Fields (6.0)
ToDo/Tasks
Adding ToDo/Task (0.0)
Since the W385 can't create tasks, it will receive a poor score in this category.
ToDo/Task Sorting and Prioritizing (0.0)
N/A: Can't create tasks.
Fields (0.0)
N/A: Can't create tasks.
Notes
Adding Notes (2.95)
We were able to jot down a simple note ("Lunch 12pm tomorrow") in 16.93 seconds, which is not a good result. There are various reasons for this slow time, but the main one is navigation. It's fairly time consuming to slog through the W385's menus, especially when the main menu won't let you select its tabs with a shortcut. This means you need to open the phone (1), then the main menu (2), hit right twice to get to the tools tab (4), hit 2 for tools (5), 6 for Notes (6), and press the left soft key to open up a blank one (7). Before you can even begin to type it's already seven steps. Also, you'll have to have done some preparation to get this time: word prediction's default setting is off, so you'll have to make a pit stop in settings to toggle it on. Unfortunately, one default you can't change is the text input method; it will always be multitap. Therefore, once you've opened the note, you'll have to tack on two additional presses to change from multitap to iTap (T9), bringing the step count to a grotesque nine. This is a fairly arduous process, and we wouldn't recommend anyone even try without a map and a Sherpa.
| Cell Phone | Time (sec) | Score |
| Motorola W385 | 16.93 | 2.95 |
| Motorola Krzr K1m | N/A | 0.0 |
| Motorola Razr V3m | N/A | 0.0 |
| Samsung Juke | 16 | 3.13 |
| LG Chocolate VX8550 | 13.73 | 3.64 |
| Samsung Blast | 11.69 | 4.28 |
Note Interface (1.0)
Notes are literally just one field. There are no options available other than changing the text entry mode. Notes are saved in the order they were written. There are no organization or search options available. We're not sure the interface could be more simple and still function.
Note Formatting (0.0)
There are no options for formatting notes.
Voice Memo (3.0)
Squirreled away under the Get It Now tab, just inside the My Sounds folder, you'll find the voice notes application. The interface contains a single button: record/stop. Despite its simple design, voice notes are not capped at the traditional 60 seconds, which is more than we expected. Once you've recorded a note, it gets dumped in the folder, below the program. You can rename the files but you can't organize them in any way. While we liked not having a cap on length, there's really no software to back the program up.
[page title="Multimedia"]
Accessing Music Software (0.0)
Believe it or not, the W385 doesn't have a media player. You can't play back either music or video.
Dedicated Music Controls (0.0)
N/A: cannot play back music.
Music Software Functionality and Organization (0.0)
N/A: cannot play back music.
Online Song Downloading (0.0)
N/A: cannot play back music.
Streaming (0.0)
N/A: cannot play back music.
Podcast Support (0.0)
There is no podcast client on the device.
Music Sync with PC (0.0)
N/A: cannot play back music.
Music Formats and DRM (0.0)
N/A: cannot play back music.
Music Interruption (0.0)
N/A: cannot play back music.
Video
Video Software Access (0.0)
N/A: cannot play back video.
Video Controls (0.0)
N/A: cannot play back video.
Video Software & Organization (0.0)
N/A: cannot play back video.
Video Sync with PC (0.0)
N/A: cannot play back video.
Video Formats (0.0)
N/A: cannot play back video.
Video DRM (0.0)
N/A: cannot play back video.
Video Playback Smoothness (0.0)
N/A: cannot play back video.
Online Video Downloading (0.0)
N/A: cannot play back video.
Video Streaming unscored
N/A: cannot play back video.
[page title="Software"]
OS (3.0)
The W385 is equipped with a basic BREW interface. This interface, though not very powerful, is quite easy to learn and use. It's also responsive for the most part. Those familiar with the OS will wish they could change the theme, because the tabs in the main menu can't be navigated quickly with keypad shortcuts. Other than this, however, menus can be navigated with the keypad. Menu items are logically laid out for the most part. The only layout problem we have is our dislike for shoving organizer software several menus deep, because they make d-pad shortcuts a must. While the W385's BREW OS isn't the prettiest one out there, it does get the job done for a fair price.
Home Screen Score (2.5)
Extensibility (1.0)
There are about six different links to Get New Apps, which will allow you to download from Verizon's library of BREW applications. Well, it isn't so much a library as it is 12 different bad programs. Verizon phones typically aren't the most extensive devices out there.
Customizability (1.5)
We've already mentioned the extent of the customizability on the W385. You can change the wallpaper, set the d-pad shortcuts, and add a personal banner. We wish the shortcuts were a bit more open, because we were unable to reassign the soft key shortcuts, and recent calls is stuck on the Send button.
OS Responsiveness (6.0)
The W385 ran fairly smoothly. It wasn't the fastest OS out there, but we really didn't have any complaints. We did run into a bit of lag navigating menus that was exacerbated by the inability to continue navigation and wait for the phone to catch up; if you press a button before the phone's ready, said input will be lost. Large applications like the camera boot up fairly quickly, and pictures render fast as well.
Browser Features (6.0)
The browser is Verizon's old standby. HTML, WAP, images, basic encryption, and cookies are all supported. There is also an autofill, but it isn't very sophisticated. Java, Flash, JavaScript, and feeds are all over the browser's head. We'd recommend sticking to WAP pages, because the screen is tiny and the browser handles them far better than HTML.
Browsing Interface (3.5)
The browser interface is basic. Scrolling is done with the d-pad, select will click, and back will skip back a page. The right soft key holds all your options, of which there are many. We wish the first item in the menu was Go To URL, because that's the feature users will end up using most. Other options there include a search feature you should never use, a home page button, bookmark options, memory management, and settings. Memory management is extensive, allowing you to clear your cache, history, cookies, or autofill information.
History isn't saved from session to session, which makes the feature essentially useless. You'll therefore have to rely on bookmarks, which are handled well. You can organize them by folder and rearrange or edit them. They are stored online, however, so editing them requires network access.
Browser Access (3.33)
It took 12 steps to browse to a specific web site. This is a bit slow, especially for a phone with a default d-pad shortcut. The reason it takes so many steps to reach a page is because the browser inhibits you throughout the process, placing your cursor at the tops of lists when the necessary item is still a few d-pad presses away.
This timing test uses steps instead of time because network connectivity can throw off the time considerable. Counting the steps is the most reliable way to judge how involved the process is.
| Cell Phone | Steps | Score |
| Motorola W385 | 12 | 3.33 |
| Motorola Krzr K1m | 14 | 2.86 |
| Motorola Razr V3m | 13 | 3.08 |
| Samsung Juke | N/A | 0.00 |
| LG Chocolate VX8550 | 12 | 3.33 |
| Samsung Blast | 6 | 6.67 |
Gaming (0.0)
The W365 comes with no games, only the vague promise that you could, perhaps, Get New Apps.
Calculator (5.0)
The calculator is very simple, but it can perform basic algebraic computations. In addition to the four basic operators, the menu will give you access to exponents and parenthesis.
Alarm (4.0)
You are limited to three alarms at a time. Each one allows you to set the time, recurrence, and ring type. Recurrence is limited to once, daily, Monday through Friday, or weekends. Though basic, the recurrence options were nice to have.
Document Software (0.0)
The W385 doesn't have document software.
Other Software (0.0)
There is a world clock application included, but it isn't spectacular enough to merit additional points.
[page title="Battery Life"]
Call Time (3.26)
Call time was a meager 2 hours, 43 minutes. This isn't very good, but it appears to be somewhat appropriate for the phone's class. The W385 performed about as well as the Razr V3m, though the more expensive devices all boasted better times. You'll need to charge the phone every day or two.
| Cell Phone | Talk Time | Score |
| Motorola W385 | 2 hours, 43 minutes |
3.26 |
| Motorola Krzr K1m | 3 hours, 27 minutes |
4.14 |
| Motorola Razr V3m | 2 hours, 41 minutes |
3.22 |
| Samsung Juke | 3 hours, 30 minutes |
4.20 |
| LG Chocolate VX8550 | 4 hours, 43 minutes |
5.66 |
| Samsung Blast | 4 hours, 3 minutes |
4.86 |
Music Playback (0.0)
Since the W385 can't play back music, it gets a zero here.
Web Browsing (unscored)
We were unable to test browsing time because our review phone had internet connectivity disabled. We will update this score as soon as we get in an appropriately-abled review phone.
Idle Time unscored
We don't test idle time because it would take months to get a reliable data set. Verizon claims the phone can idle for 440 hours, but we think this is far too high. With extremely minimal use we don't think it would last more than a week without needing a charge; if you weren't to use it at all you might be able to squeeze a few more days out of it, but not another week and a half. .
[page title="Connectivity"]
Cellular Bands (0.0)
As a Verizon phone, the W385 runs on the 800 and 1900 MHz spectra. This means you can refer to it as a dual-band CDMA phone if you want to sound smart.
Data Support Score (6.0)
Data comes in via EVDO, which can provide speeds up to 3.1 Mbps.
Bluetooth (6.0)
The W385 runs Bluetooth 1.2, and has six profiles: headset, hands-free, serial port, dial-up networking, object push, and file-transfer. We were able to connect the W385 to our test PC without issue.
Wi-Fi (0.0)
The W385 doesn't support wi-fi.
Infrared (0.0)
Infrared is barely supported by smart phones, so the W385 chooses to ignore it as well.
[page title="Hardware"]
Keypad
Text Words Per Minute (7.60)
We were able to type out our test paragraph in 25.28 seconds, which is about 38 words per minute. This is pretty fast for a keypad, though far slower than a QWERTY keyboard. We liked the keypad in general, as the buttons were a good size. If buttons are too small, typing with two hands is nearly impossible and it increases mistakes; if they're too big, the time it takes to bounce from one to the other will slow you down.
| Cell Phone | Words Per Minute | Score |
| Motorola W385 | 38 | 7.60 |
| Motorola Krzr K1m | 28.5 | 5.70 |
| Motorola Razr V3m | 29.4 | 5.88 |
| Samsung Juke | 36.7 | 7.34 |
| LG Chocolate VX8550 | 38.49 | 7.70 |
| Samsung Blast | 37.54 | 7.51 |
T9 and Auto-complete (10.0)
The W385 features both T9 and auto-complete. You'll need to turn on T9 once you're in a text field, since there's no option to make it the default text entry mode. Also, auto-complete is turned off by default, but this can be changed in the settings menu.
One Hand Usability (7.11)
We got through the same test paragraph in 27 seconds using only one hand. This is roughly 35.56 words per minute, which is just two words and a couple letters shy of our score on the two-handed test. One-handed usability is where keypads generally beat QWERTY keyboards. QWERTYs are usually huge, sprawling rows of keys, meaning you almost need to shift your grip in between key-presses.
| Cell Phone | Words Per Minute | Score |
| Motorola W385 | 35.56 | 7.11 |
| Motorola Krzr K1m | 30 | 6.00 |
| Motorola Razr V3m | 26.1 | 5.22 |
| Samsung Juke | 31.25 | 6.25 |
| LG Chocolate VX8550 | 29.8 | 5.96 |
| Samsung Blast | 29.23 | 5.85 |
Keypad Backlighting (5.0)
The keypad backlight can be set independent of the display backlight. There are five presets that govern its behavior: always on, always off, or turn off after 7, 15, or 30 seconds. The keypad itself is fairly evenly lit, though the left and right sides aren't lit as well. Even so, you shouldn't have any problem seeing the numbers. The letter are harder to see, but that's more of a fault of the tiny font than the backlight.
Controls
D-Pad/Joystick (5.0)
Though nothing special, the d-pad is a solid device. It has bumps over each of the four directions which will help users avoid hitting two at once. It's also textured differently than the surrounding keypad. There isn't much differentiation between the d-pad and the select key, however, but sticking to the outside of the d-pad should help users avoid misclicks.
Touch Screen (0.0)
The W385 doesn't have a touch screen.
Jog Dial (0.0)
There is no jog dial; not even the volume keys will help navigate menus.
Soft Buttons (7.0)
The soft buttons are conveniently located in the top corners of the d-pad array. This makes them easy to find by touch since the entire keypad is recessed into the case a bit, providing a ridge around its edges. The keys themselves also have a good snap to them, but it could've been a bit more stiff.
Volume Control (5.0)
The volume keys are located on the left side of the phone, towards the top. You can hit both at the same time, so it isn't really a rocker even though it looks like one. Both buttons have a small, raised arrow on them, so finding the keys blind is easy. The keys don't provide much tactil feedback when pressed, but they do audibly click.
Power and Standby (3.0)
Power is handled by a long press on the End key. As was mentioned in the Making/Receiving Calls section of this review, the End key provides good tactile feedback when pressed, but doesn't have much in the way of texture to aid in touch navigation. There is a bit of a lip above it, and a slight recess below it, but neither are particularly noticeable. There is no button for standby mode.
Other Buttons (4.0)
There are a few other buttons not discussed already in the review. The first two are the camera shortcut and CLR button in the d-pad array. These two keys are essentially the same great buttons the Send/End keys are, except they're nestled between two raised lines which helps in touch navigation. There is a dedicated speakerphone button on the left side, but it's awkward to use. First of all, it needs to be held to activate, and secondly it won't turn off until you manually do so. The right side of the phone features a dedicated Voice Command key.
Display
Primary Screen Gross Resolution (2.0)
This is a bit of an embarrassing score for the W385. The screen has a very low resolution, even lower than the Samsung Juke's, and the Juke's screen was smaller. This is a very poor resolution.
| Cell Phone | Resolution | Score |
| Motorola W385 | 128 x 160 | 2.0 |
| Motorola Krzr K1m | 176 x 220 | 4.0 |
| Motorola Razr V3m | 176 x 220 | 4.0 |
| Samsung Juke | 220 x 128 | 3.0 |
| LG Chocolate VX8550 | 320 x 240 | 8.0 |
| Samsung Blast | 176 x 200 | 4.0 |
Primary Screen Pixels per Inch (5.69)
The W385 contains 113.83 pixels in every inch, which is again worse than the Samsung Juke. This means pictures will look a bit pixellated, colors will seem a bit washed out, and lines won't be very crisp.
| Cell Phone | Pixels Per Inch | Score |
| Motorola W385 | 113.83 | 5.69 |
| Motorola Krzr K1m | 146.7 | 7.34 |
| Motorola Razr V3m | 125 | 6.25 |
| Samsung Juke | 115.73 | 5.79 |
| LG Chocolate VX8550 | 200 | 10.00 |
| Samsung Blast | 127 | 6.35 |
Screen Physical Size (4.50)
The screen on the W385 is a modest 1.8 inches. This isn't very big, but it also isn't very far off from the norm, which is between 2 and 2.5 inches in diameter. If you don't have good eyesight, however, the W385 is probably not for you.
| Cell Phone | Size Diagonal (inches) | Score |
| Motorola W385 | 1.8 | 4.50 |
| Motorola Krzr K1m | 1.9 | 4.75 |
| Motorola Razr V3m | 2.1 | 5.25 |
| Samsung Juke | 1.45 | 3.63 |
| LG Chocolate VX8550 | 2 | 5.00 |
| Samsung Blast | 2.1 | 5.25 |
Screen Brightness (5.25)
With our trusty light sensor, we've determined the W385 is capable of outputting about 55 lux at its maximum brightness setting. This isn't the brightest phone we've reviewed, but it's about average for a phone of its class. There are six different brightness levels to choose from. You can also set it to always on/off, or turn it off after 5, 15, or 30 seconds.
| Cell Phone | Brightness (lux) | Score |
| Motorola W385 | 55 | 5.25 |
| Motorola Krzr K1m | 58 | 2.90 |
| Motorola Razr V3m | 46 | 2.30 |
| Samsung Juke | 43 | 3.65 |
| LG Chocolate VX8550 | 55 | 3.15 |
| Samsung Blast | 92 | 5.85 |
Screen Bright Light Performance (3.0)
For this test, we shined about 3000 lux of light -- about what you'd expect from a sunny day -- at the W385 and tried to read the screen. We actually did have a bit of trouble reading the phone at certain angles, although we were able to navigate around fairly well regardless, thanks to our awesome eyes. Those with poor eyesight probably won't be able to read the phone at all.
Color Depth (6.0)
A total of 65,000 colors can be displayed on the W385's screen, which is more or less average. We wouldn't expect more from a basic handset. More advanced phones might put out 262 colors, while really high-end displays are capable of over 16 million colors.
| Cell Phone | Colors (thousands) | Score |
| Motorola W385 | 65 | 6.0 |
| Motorola Krzr K1m | 65 | 6.0 |
| Motorola Razr V3m | 65 | 6.0 |
| Samsung Juke | 262 | 8.0 |
| LG Chocolate VX8550 | 262 | 8.0 |
| Samsung Blast | 262 | 8.0 |
Secondary Screen (3.44)
Though tiny and basic, the W385 does feature an external display. It's about 0.95 inches diagonally, with a resolution of 96 x 32. This means it has about 106.52 pixels per inch, even if, at its widest point, it doesn't even measure an inch. The display is only black and white. It displays connectivity info and battery life as well as the time.
96x32 external B & W display
Ports & Storage
Power & Data Ports (5.0)
The power and data port are one in the same, and have a Mini USB port. Unless you're planning on hacking the phone, connecting it to a PC won't do too much since you can't get files on or off of it without doing so.
Headphone & Jack Compatibility (4.0)
There isn't a headphone jack, which makes sense because the phone doesn't play music. You can connect a Bluetooth headset for calls, however.
Internal Storage (1.0)
There's only 32.21 MB of internal memory available. This should be good for relatively small picture albums and your PIM information, but beyond that you're out of luck.
Expansion Slot & Format (0.0)
You're stuck with the 32 MB and change of internal storage, because there's no expansion slot.
[page title="Other Features"]
Tethered Modem (4.0)
Providing you get the appropriate information from Verizon, and pay their