Motorola Milestone Review (part three)

Available from www.clove.co.uk for £398.33

OK, time for the final part of my Motorola Milestone review. This is a difficult phone to judge as a whole because it includes so many facets that the at times contradict with other. The slide-out keyboard should be an advantage, but it is so poor that I have found myself using the onscreen keyboard nine times out of ten and as such it is an unnecessary addition due to its design. This is a real shame because Android is a great OS in my opinion and the inclusion of a decent keyboard would greatly enhance its corporate potential and the user’s ability to manage PIM to the extreme.

There is little doubt that the Milestone is built very well indeed and that it is near the top of the pile when it comes to specification and that its provides a near flawless Android experience, but the looks are another detracting factor which will put many in Europe off. Ugly phones still seem to do well in the US and the looks are of little consequence to many users. I can’t work out if Americans simply look for the functionality and are not fooled by the looks of a phone or if some just have no taste. I suspect it is more the case that many people like me are just too shallow to get past the looks.

In my time with the Milestone it as proved to be highly practical; the battery is excellent, the screen works well almost everywhere and the voice quality is ‘just’ good enough for my needs. It is not perfect, but when I consider the needs of someone who wants practically, fun and the ability to tweak a smartphone until their fingers bleed this is a dream device. Is it worth the asking price? Oh yes. For all of my grumbles about the keyboard and the looks I can’t help but like the Milestone. It has shown me just how good Android can be and the potential of the OS is huge. Of course some of the apps available are a little shabby and there is a lot of junk out there, but this is a trait seen on the iPhone, Windows Mobile, BlackBerry and all other mobile operating systems.

The Milestone is one of the very best smartphones I have used to date, but I can’t help feeling that the Nexus One and next iPhone will push things forward once again and date it quite quickly. However, if you need a powerful smartphone that is fun and one which offers multiple data entry options, that you are prepared to get used to, look no further.