Don't be fooled by the unassuming look of the Motorola A630. On the surface it looks like an average mobile phone, but flip open the top and you see what really drives this device.
Unlike typical mobile phones, the A630 opens like a book to reveal a full QWERTY keypad and directional keys, which make texting, e-mail and messaging a breeze. The included e-mail application supports POP3 and IMAP4, and the instant messaging client supports multiple IM networks.
When you flip open the phone, you're also treated to a vivid 65,000-color display (176x220 pixels) in a landscape format. Maneuvering through all the features available on the phone isn't difficult thanks to the display and the navigational buttons, but it takes some time to figure out just where to go to do certain things.
The display is also great when using the VGA camera. Flip open the phone to take pictures using the viewfinder, or keep it closed and use the dedicated photo button on the side of the phone. You can take pictures in Multimedia Messaging Service (MMS) (160x120), Medium (320x240) and High (640x480) mode. And although it doesn't have a flash, pictures come out surprisingly well.
If you like the wireless look, the A630 incorporates with Bluetooth wireless technology, so you can talk on the phone while it is in your pocket or bag without the hassle of wires. (A Bluetooth headset is required.) You can connect to other mobile devices and exchange contact information or other content, as well as connect to any PC or Mac and transfer images and other multimedia files.
The A630 has 5 MB of memory. That may not sound like a lot, but it's enough for photos from the built-in camera and text-only e-mail.
Another cool feature is the wireless Internet access via Cingular Wireless' high-speed GPRS data network. Use it to access such things as Yahoo news, Mapquest Mobile, movie reviews and weather reports. The downside, however, is that you can't view the pages as HTML.
All in all, the A630 is a great device for avid cell phone users who like to send text and e-mail messages.
