Motorola EX115 Unlocked Dual SIM Full QWERTY 3 MP Camera

The Motorola EX115 Dual SIM unlocked phone is a hybrid phone that bridges the era of SIM-based devices that relied on small, insertable, programmable SIM cards for their functionality and today's smartphones that used dual-core processors and the Android or proprietary operating systems and memory to deliver their functionality.

Interestingly, while Motorola's older phones, based on SIM technology, were designed to work with CDMA-style networks, such as those used by Sprint/Nextel, the EX115 has been designed to work with the GSM network offered by T-Mobile and AT&T. As such, it is a quad-band phone, designed to operate in the 850, 900, 1800 and 1900 MHz bands.

The near-smartphone EX115, which can support up to 32 GB of memory, uses SIM memory dual-SIM technology. SIM technology embeds phone books and other phone information on small, removable electronic cards, about the size of a dime that easily slide into and out of the phone.

Using this technology is interesting in the EX115. When a call (text or email) is received, it activates one SIM, while the other remains active awaiting another call. If a call is received, and you have either call-waiting or voicemail activated, the caller or texter is automatically diverted to the second SIM and an alert is issued either with a different ring tone. Interestingly, one can program individual ring tones for each SIM, while, at the same time, one can also program each number in a phonebook, the basic building block of the SIM technology, with a separate ring tone.

The EX115 comes preloaded with social networking capability as it has apps loaded to interface with Facebook or YouTube. It also includes a calendar feature, as well as various reminders and alarms that you can program to reminder yourself when you have an appointment scheduled or if an event is planned.

It features a small 2.3-inch screen, although it is 3.76 inches long. More than half of the front face is taken up by a full QWERTY-style keyboard that makes email and texting easier, although the tiny keys do not lend themselves to touch-typing. One can easily and quickly type an email with a couple few fingertaps on real keys.

It also features a fixed focus 3.15MP rear camera and the ability to take and upload images to the Internet through its cell connection. (This is, still, after all, a hybrid-style phone and does not have WiFi capability, instead, relying on its cell connectivity to handle the job). Interestingly, despite all of the technology that has raised the density of digital photography to 18+ MP, if you want to view a standard image on the Internet, 3.15 MP is all that you need for reasonable detail. The 2.3-inch screen, by the way, delivers an excellent, if small image.

The EX115 allows a little more than two hours of talk time, while its standby capability is about 240 hours from its lithium ion batteries. It is a small, lightweight unit at 3.76 by 1.81 by 0.59 inches and 3.68 ounces. It is also a reminder that though a technology may be somewhat older, it can still work, despite being passed in the fast lane of digital communication by smarter phones.