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Motorola Motofone F3 Unlocked Phone with Quad-Band GSM 850/1900--International Version with No Warranty (Black)
 
Manufacturer: Motorola
Customer Rating:
 
List Price: $79.99
Sale Price: $28.00
Availibility: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
Combining Motorola's sleek design sensibility with intuitive and easy-to-learn functionality, the nicely affordable Motofone F3 slides easily into your pocket. Functional and fashionable, the Motofone F3 is designed to keep you in close communication with your friends, family, and business associates via voice and text messaging. It features dual-band GSM connectivity (850/1900 MHz), speakerphone, a clock with integrated alarm, and up to 500 minutes (over 8 hours) of talk time as well as up to 300 hours of standby (over 12 days). This unlocked cell phone does not come with a SIM card, and it requires that you provide a SIM card for usage with your selected service provider.



The super-slim Motofone F3 features a unique electronic ink display with large, easily readable characters.
Phone Features
This candybar-style phone measures just 0.35 inches (9mm) thin, and it has a unique Motorola ClearVision display that helps to increase the battery life of the phone. The changeable electronic ink display (electrophoretic imaging film) is easy to read in bright sunlight or dimly lit environments from virtually any angle--just like paper. Additionally, the display is plastic, lightweight and ultra-low power, making it ideal for mobile and power sensitive applications by eliminating the weight and breakability of glass used in LCD displays.

The text display contains only two lines of six characters each, and it shows a digital clock when there's no activity. Combined with a flush-fitting keypad and dust-resistant design, the Motofone F3 is especially durable in active everyday use.

The Motofone F3 offers a redesigned user interface with voice prompts to guide the you quickly and easily through menu navigation, messaging, and other functions. In addition, graphical icons visually demonstrate the menu features as well as network status and battery strength. For pre-paid customers, the Motofone F3 automatically reports the status of your pre-paid account after each call or message.

This phone allows you to store contacts only on the SIM card (for 250 entries), and it provides a view of the last 20 dialed/received/missed calls. The layout of the numeric keypad resembles Motorola's SLVR phones, and it includes a large navigation pad as well as send/end keys and two soft keys. Above the display are bars showing signal strength and battery life. Other features include:

  • High-volume for call clarity in loud environments
  • Embedded polyphonic ringtones in eight voices
  • Ability to download ringtones
  • Silent vibration mode
  • Speakerphone

Vital Statistics
The Motofone F3 weighs 2.4 ounces and measures 4.5 x 1.85 x 0.35 inches. Its 750 mAh lithium-ion battery is rated at up to 500 minutes of talk time, and up to 500 hours of digital standby time. It runs on the 850/1900 GSM frequencies.

What's in the Box
Handset, battery, travel charger, documentation

Product Details
  • This unlocked cell phone is compatible with GSM carriers like AT&T and T-Mobile. Not all carrier features may be supported. It will not work with CDMA carriers like Verizon Wireless, Alltel and Sprint.
  • International version dual-band GSM cell phone compatible with 850/1900 frequencies and GPRS capabilities
  • Durable, flush-fitting keypad; large electronic ink display is easily viewed in direct sunlight; stores up to 250 contacts; clock with alarm
  • Up to 4.5 hours of talk time, up to 300 hours (12.5 days) of standby time
  • What's in the Box: Handset, battery, travel charger, documentation

Video Reviews
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Customer Reviews
Good replacement for emergency
 
Review Date: September 5, 2010
Reviewer: Rusty,
Good emergency replacement phone. Easy to setup for different language use. Did the job. NOT TEXT FRIENDLY
Love my F3!
 
Review Date: August 30, 2010
Reviewer: Troglodyte,
My wife and I both got these F3 phones, and we love them. They are everything we ever wanted in a phone - voice calls and limited texting with awesome durability and battery life.

Note that we did NOT buy these phones from Amazon - we found them cheaper elsewhere ($15 each plus shipping), so we did not have any of the issues many have reported in the 1-star reviews. Make sure you buy from a reputable source.

The phone has lots of quirky limitations, and you have to be creative to use an address book that can only display six text characters at a time, especially if you are using a SIM card from a more advanced phone.

My only complaint is that I couldn't figure out a way to edit existing address book entries. The only thing you can do is delete an entry and create a new one, which is a pain if you want to edit lots of contacts. I had to edit them on my old phone to be six-character-friendly, then move the SIM card to my F3. This is the only reason I didn't give the phone 5 stars.

Overall I'm just so delighted to have the cheapest and simplest new phone possible. I'm not paying for a camera, mp3 player, web browser, fancy screen, or video player, and I plan to sell the "free" phones we got from T-Mobile to someone who actually wants those features.
Basic phone, looks good, not for txt'ing
 
Review Date: August 27, 2010
Reviewer: J. Crawford, Pasadena, CA
I like the slim size and shape of this phone and it has been durable. It works well as a phone (sound quality, battery life). However, it has a very limited interface and some annoying aspects, such as beeping when you accidentally press it against things, which happens all the time. There appears to be no setting to turn off that feature or to lock the keypad. It does not store the number of missed calls reliably or intuitively. It's interface is otherwise pretty intuitive, but also very limited. Can't beat it for this price if you need an unlocked GSM phone.
Perfect for those who just want a basic, no-frills cell phone.
 
Review Date: August 26, 2010
Reviewer: JD Adams, Woodbridge, CA United States
I'm over 50, work hard for an honest living, drive a Jeep Wrangler and I enjoy the few remaining tools in life that simply WORK. The Motorola F3 is one of them. Like a Jeep, this phone is simple, basic and built to last forever. The dual-antennas really pull in weak signals, the call volume is crisp, clear and HUGE, the speakerphone really stands out as useful, clear and loud as hell. It's small enough to tuck into a pocket or in a horizontal belt case as I have, to keep it out of the way when I'm working.

The beauty of this tool is that it's simple, cheap and useful. It makes phone calls, and that's it. No muzac, movies, internet, texting, pictures and all the other assorted crap that kids like these days. It makes phone calls, period. If you want a toy, buy something else.

Very few people appreciate simple, useful tools like this anymore. Forget about impressing anyone with this particular communication tool. I leave it on 24/7 and plug it in every few days. Plenty of battery power, but I do carry a charger in the work truck just in case. I do recommend a slim horizonal case to keep it out of the way. The alarm clock works great and will get you up before the rooster. Ringtones are useful and basic, just the way I like it. I have 3 new F3's in the closet. These were discontinued in 2006. Get one while you still can.
Nice replacement/transition/back-up phone
 
Review Date: August 25, 2010
Reviewer: G. Burke,
Just what was needed when I lost a phone. It is easy to set up if you have a little time. But not so easy for the less technically inclined. It's a little cluncky and not intuitive for those that want everything to work exactly like the phone they were used to. But for the price, a good phone to have in the drawer and tell the kids not to loose their phone or they'll have to use this one.

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