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My wife calls my cell phone the “butt-ugliest phone she has ever seen”. thanks, dear. Yes, I own a Motorola i880 and I know it’s not the latest and greatest in phones but I like it. I have to admit that I get a bit embarrassed whipping it out when others are sporting the newer touch-screen styled smart phones but for what I use it for, the i880 does the job.

First of all, I use the i880 on the Boost mobile network. At the time I got the i880 there wasn’t an alternative clamshell phone offered by Boost that had the same features at this price range. Boost offers the newer (and more stylish) Motorola i9 but at $300, it’s just way too expensive. The other option was the i776 but it’s a bit barebones for my tastes and didn’t offer microSD storage. Anyway, the i880 is a Sprint Nextel phone that can also work as a Boost phone simply by inserting a Boost SIM. This is basically true for any Nextel phone using the iDEN 800 band. Just be sure that the phone isn’t currently registered under a Sprint/Nextel plan.

Anyway, two main reasons I’m on Boost right now is that I don’t make a whole lot of calls on my phone that would require me a regular monthly plan and the iDEN coverage is great inside the office building where I work as well as at my house. iDEN is an older technology but it definitely does a good job in getting signal through thick office walls where other cell providers can’t reach.

Things I like about the phone: it’s built like a rock, it’s got a large color screen, it features a good camera/video recorder, you can play mp3s on it and it’s got a push button on the side that quickly flips open the phone for you.

The few drawbacks that I’ve encountered include: no built in calculator or alarm clock (but I believe I can download/purchase a java app for those features, I think), it’s a bit particular in converting photos as full screen wallpaper (needs to be a specific dimension) and it’s also a bit difficult to convert mp3s into ringtones for the phone (but there is a way to do it and I’ll probably post a how-to in the near future).

All in all, it’s a good phone that gets great signal and is built like a tank. Yes, it’s a f-ugly phone but hey, it gets the job done and that’s all that matters. … at least until I can find a better looking phone that works on Boost Mobile, that is.

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Motorola i880 SPECS
Modes: iDEN 800
Weight: 4.34 oz
Dimensions: 3.55″ x 1.97″ x 0.97″
Form Factor: Clamshell
Antenna: Stub, Extendable
Display Type: LCD (Color TFT/TFD)
Resolution: 176 x 220 pixels
Colors: 262,144 (18-bit)
Bluetooth: HSP, HFP 1.5, DUN, OPP, BPP version 1.2
Internal Memory: 22 MB
Phone Book Capacity: 600
other features: GPS, external display, microSD, mp3 player, video, push to talk, push to open, AgION anti-microbial coating, 2 megapixel camera

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