If you are a South African then the name Defy will almost immediately make you think of kitchen ovens, stoves and home appliances. However Motorola has decided to challenge that thought with their new cellphone called the Defy+. (Motorola, please consider naming your products names that do not provide doubt… )
After opening the box and having the phone in the palm of my hand, my immediate thought was that the phone is very similar to the Sonim cellphones which are made to withstand accidental dropping from second or third floors of buildings. The Motorola Defy+ is one of a handful of cellphones that are waterproof, dust-proof and scratch resistant which in my mind makes this ideal for users who are working in construction etc.
Key Features and Specifications according to Motorola are:
- Powered by Android 2.3 (Gingerbread) and features more than 500,000 apps and games available on Google Play
- 1GHz processor that runs 25 percent faster for efficient Web browsing and multitasking
- Water resistant, scratch resistant and dust proof to withstand all that life throws your way
- Features scratch resistant Corning Gorilla Glass
- 3.7-inch high-resolution touch screen display
- Music Player connects you to all your favorite artists
- MOTOBLUR lets users stay in touch with friends, providing quick access to social media accounts and live widgets directly from the home screen
- Motorola Media Link allows users to sync their media content from their desktops at home or work
- Loaded with the ability to create group emails and communication to stay in touch with friends
- Adobe Flash Player 10 for uncompromised viewing of applications, content and videos
- 5MP camera with auto focus, flash and digital zoom
- 2GB internal; 2GB microSD card in box, expandable up to 32GB
- Access to Google Mobile Services (Google Maps 5.0 with Navigation, Google Talk, browsing)
- 1700 mAH battery3 for 7.1 hours of talk time and 16 days in standby
I must confess the initial setup of the phone lead to me having to open the phone manual as I battled to figure out where I switch it on. Then afterwards I needed to create a MOTOBLUR profile in order to be able to use the Motorola Defy+. Both are relatively minor issues and not deal breakers.
As with all Android devices, the integration with Google products is seamless and after using the phone for the 2 weeks I had it, it almost felt weird going back to a non Android device. Social media is very easily managed from the Defy+.
The one issue I did have and after doing a bit of research it seems to be an issue with the Motorola Defy+ is signal strength. Moving around inside buildings and outside, sometimes lead to error messages when browsing inside apps and the Internet, which becomes frustrating. That for me is a slight concern for potential Defy+ owners.
The verdict:
In general the Motorola Defy+ exceeded my expectations. Using the phone is super easy and managing Google products are done without thinking about it. Using social media based apps on the Defy+ is easy and becomes second nature when using the phone everyday. I have slight concerns of signal strength and how it is shown on the device which could be a factor that lead to users not selecting it as their new cellphone.
