Motorola W490 User Reviews

Please save yourself the aggravation and DON'T get this phone. I have had this phone over a year now and I am on my 5th or 6th replacement right now. I have had the same problems that others have posted...Let's see the first time it was the screen, it wouldn't recognize when it was being opened and closed, the next time I got the lovely 444444444 constantly and key pad stopped responding...they sent me one that just lagged ( right out of the box no less!!) so bad it was unuseable...Then it was another but this time it was stuck on 88888888888888....The last time it was the usb port...All of a sudden it wouldn't charge and couldn't use a headset...Now tonight I am on the phone and phone was closed of course...It drops the call, I go to call back and surprise! Yes you have guessed it, no working keypad...Sure it lights up but unless I want to use it as a flashlight it serves no other purpose.  Not to mention that on every replacement phone I have received that the battery door doesn't fit properly on one side so it's always partly opened- tmobile doesn't stock those parts and makes you feel like an idiot that isn't properly putting it on right...as if you need special training to snap a battery door on!...Motorola sent me a replacement back but that didn't fit either. I just decided to pick my battles and keep it with the gap in the back.  Tmobile has been decent I suppose, and luckily ( if it wasn't unlucky in the 1st place for it to happen)  this phone seems to break right before the 90 days for replacement warranty is up but what is the point if I keep on getting another crappy phone? I wish they would be honest with everyone and admit this phone sucks, these are known issues if a majority of people have the same exact ones- and maybe offer a comparable phone for a replacement. At least they waived the shipped on it for me this time. It's just an inconvenience to be without a phone until the new one arrives, only to not know when that one is going to decide to break!! Buyer beware!!  

I had this phone for a little over a year, and ended up breaking it.  Since I had no problems with it before the physical damage, I decided to purchase another one.
Big mistake.
I've had the new phone for less than two months, and the other day, it decided to shut off while I was on the line.  I figured the signal was dropped, so I tried to call back, but the keypad wouldn't respond.  I had to take the battery out just to shut the phone off, and when I turned it back on, the screen turned white and the phone started dialing 444-44444-44444.  Again, I had to remove the battery and replace it to turn it off and back on.  Eventually, I did manage to get it working, but it's been two days since the incident, and I'm having the following problems:

Dials random numbers (ex: #444#444443, 8888888888888888...)
The volume adjusts itself.  My phone is ALWAYS on vibrate, but after turning it phone on, it's automatically set at level 4.  IF I'm  lucky enough to have the keys are responding, I'm able to set it back to vibrate, but it goes back to 4 immediately after, and continues to increase until it reaches the maximum volume.
The backlight goes out when the phone is not in use and will not turn back on unless I shut and reopen the phone (again, because the keypad doesn't respond)
Immediately after the phone is turned on, it sounds like numbers are being dialed (almost like it's going haywire), and sure enough, the infamous 4444444444... or 8888888883 is being dialed on its own.
I can't view or send text messages.
If I receive a phone call, I am not aware of it because the constant dialing of 444444444 hangs up before I'm even notified of the call.

At first I thought I had done something wrong, but after reading these posts, I realized that I'm not the only person having similar problems.  I will be giving T-Mobile a call when customer service opens at 6 a.m. -_-

Purchased from T-Mobile. Had two replacement phones for the same reason, the usb plug for the charger keeps breaking. Its not attached well at all. I thank goodness purchased the insurance when I bought the original phone but after so many replacements they will surely cancel my insurance. I have about 6 more months ont he contract until I can get another phone. I will look for better model.

I got this phone from t-mobile (bubble gum pink) and since September I have had to replace it three times. All the times my phones screen kept on turning white and then it would dial numbers by itself and wouldn't let me call anyone. It's favorite number to dial was the number 8 constantly, and used to dial people while my phone was closed. I lost all my pictures on the phone (mostly newborn pictures of my daughter from the hospital, which really made me angry). So with phone number 4 I make sure not to bump it even slightly in fear that I will have to pay more money to replace it. Overall value of this phone is terrible and it shouldn't even be on the market. Do not get this phone, I am stuck with it for the rest of the year unless I want to pay $300 for a new phone.

I got this phone in June 08 the green one.. I regret getting. I had to return it once and get a brand new one becasue my screen was white and it still gets white at time. Sometimes when I put music on it doesnt even show. I have a memory card and I had to take it out because it kept on saying inserted removed and it kept my backlight on. If yer a fast texter llike me the phone iss so delayed id be done and it will still be typing. Pictures are okay outside their the clearest. I wouldnt recomend this phone and I cnt wait to get a new one.

I've had this model of phone for a around a year and have had to replace it no less than three times. It functions wonderfully at first - good sound, nice display, etc... Usually a couple of months later, the keypad goes haywire; it begins entering repeated random numbers (ex: 4444444#44444#4444), changing the volume and ring style without being touched and won't respond. Removing and replacing the battery doesn't help. I've had the same problem with all three phones (company won't replace it with a different model due to the time frame), and the first phone had an additional problem of the display screen going white every time you opened the phone - it had to be opened until the display showed up, then left open.

This phone is honestly terrible! please DON'T waste your money on it. My 2 year plan was up and time to get new phones and my family all got these phones and 3 out of 5 are broken already! and we have only had them for 5 months! THIS PHONE SUCKS!! DONT BUY IT!

I had the purple W490 since July 08 and the phone has been giving me so many damn problems.  For instance, my screen would turn black, the keypad will automatically input the number 8888888 continually I can't make andy calls and I can't even access any of my features this phone is totally the worst POS that I have ever brought.  I have had replacements in the past for this phone but they all end up the same Why should I have to pay for a replacement device when I have insurance which I still have to pay $40 each time that is total bullshit I even had them send me another phone through my warranty for free but I still was having major problems so I do not recommend this phone to anyone it really sucks

This phone does what you want it to do .. which is call, but as for the other features, they SUCK!!! If you are texting and are trying to type a word with 8 characters or more, be prepared to wait! Phone is slow and at times, the text messaging doesn't work, even with full service .. (that's what I am going through right now), the cam takes OKAY pictures, not great, As stated in an earlier review, buttons are sort of small, so people with big hands/fingers should try another phone.
When it calls someone though, it is very clear, but I mainly got the phone for the features .. but unfortunately, they hardly work.

I got this phone from my brother who got it from his friend. His friend had for a year before i have had it for the last 7 months. This phone has been through everything. I have ran it over numerous times, when my brothers friend had it they dropped in the water from the flood we had and didn't find it for 2 hours, and when they did find it, it was still on and still working. This is one freaking phone that will not give up. The memory is easy to use, if you want to put music on it just put it in the phone then take it back out that way the phone could format it, then put it in the adapter, when it comes up on your pc got to the memory card then click Mobile, and then click on i believe it is like music or audio.

I haven't really had any problems other than the fact that my computer suddenly won't let Phone tools detect my phone. However to those of you who seem to be worried that you can't get your phone replaced because you think your warranty is up well if its less than a year old MOTAROLA has to replace it there is a 1 year waranty on any phone no matter what your service provider tells you. Trust me I had problems when my razor messed up on me but I knew that and then they didn't fight me.
 
Anyway I just figured I would leave this here for anyone who didn't know

We've had really terrible "luck" with these phones. My brother and I both have the w490 from T-Mobile and have had a couple of issues. Mine is about four months older than his but we both are experiencing the same problem . Our screen turns white and the screen that displays the time on the outer part of the phone turns black. It also shuts off with no warning even when the batter has been fully charged, and then turns back on in the screen is white. Sometimes the buttons do not work when pressed and text messages/calls cannot be received. Overall, I am very disappointed with this phone because when it worked, it worked great. It was a great music player, took pretty good pictures, and overall got good  reception. T-Mobile is replacing my brother's phone through Motorola, which is good, but I'm not sure if they will replace mine because my warantee is up (and I have not even had this phone a year yet). Aside from the malfunctions of the phone, one of the only things I didn't like about its design was how small and close together the buttons were. It made it difficult to text sometimes even thought I have small fingers, so if you have larger hands I would advise against this phone for that reason. I would definitely advise not getting this phone, just because of the problems that both my brother and I had with it. I can also say that we are not rough with our phones and they are taken pretty good care of. We are also not on our phones all day and don't overuse them so I don't think that is the problem. Our dad has this phone too and it hasn't konked out on him yet, but we will see. Even though it is pretty affordable, I don't think it is worth it at all in the long run. Please pick something else!
 

I bought this phone on April 6, 2008, when my nokia musicexpress broke  after less than a year. I was pleasantly surprised at how well the w490 worked for me. It never froze, never shut down... it was the best phone I've ever had.
..Up until two months ago. Six months after I bought the phone (October) it started freezing on me. The screen would fade to the white screen of death. The time on the outside display wouldnt show at all.
 
It's now december, and i've been living with this shitty phone, thinking the problems wouldn't get any worse. I was wrong. Today, I got a phone call. The ring tone was distorted and I wasn't able to look to see who was calling me, because my screen was white and the display on the outside was back.
 
I am taking this phone back to tmobile tomorrow to see what they can do about it, but in my experience, they have incredibly shitty customer service and contracts, and I'll most likely have to pay another two hundred dollars for yet another phone that will bail on me in less than six months.

I would never waste my time writing a review for anything, but I feel I must vent somewhere. I just want to help other people, by warning them so they will not have to go through the frustrations as I have, with this piece of utter shit cell phone. TO EVERYONE WHO READS THIS, PLEASE, BE WARNED, DO NOT BUY A W490. It is a good phone, until about 3 months when it will break on you, and flush your money down the comode. I have had t-mobile replace this phone three times. I've had problems from buttons not working to the usb port breaking from the actual phone to the infamous white screen of death, where you open the phone and it will only take incoming calls and not work at all besides that. Do not buy this phone, please. Do your homework before you get a phone, don't get this one. Or a RAZR, they're even worse. I hope I at least deterred one person from putting this piece of shit to their ear.

My name is Mark Leonard and I am in the process of assembling a 'failure profile' and a list of potential claimants as regards the Motorola W490 cellular telephone. Please email me personally at: msteven515@aol.com and include a long or short explanation of any problems you've experienced with the Motorola W490 unit. Include your name, address, telephone number, email address and indicate date-of-purchase, price paid and whether or not your unit was replaced by Motorola under warranty or 'decommisioned' by you. Tell us, too, of any warranty claim difficulties you might have experienced as regards the W490.
Thank you.

I've had my phone for almost 6 months and for the last 1 and a half its been crashing. The screen goes white or black when I open it and sometimes it won't even come on AT ALL! I have to leave it open all the time or I can't use it. Doing this makes the battery run down & I have to charge it more often than I'd like. DON'T WASTE YOUR TIME ON THIS PHONE, PLEASE!

Or you will owe pieces of Crap a major apology!
I've gone through three of these 'things' in less then a year. I'm an ole timer and don't abuse electronics in any way, very gentle and respectfull of their 'needs'. three of these W490s have gone to the 'white screen of death' on me now.  But the kicker is the reason I got the W490 is my RAZr suffered fromt he white screen of death.
Also, MOTO makes rotten earphone cables. I've gone through FIVE of the wired ones and TWO blue tooth sets ALL MOTO products not knock-offs.
Save yourself major agravation and get a NOKIA or a Samsung or even two oatmeal boxes with a long string.
i can't imagine what kind of problems this phone will have in the hands of a kid.

I bought this phone in May of 08 and it was working wonderfully until today.  Now it has begun dialing straight 4444444444 and I cannot get it to turn off without taking battery out.  When I put battery back in, the screen turns completely white, takes a minute to come on, and then continues dialing 44444444444.  If I close it, it starts ringing and playing with the volume.  I cannot get help from T-mobile and they just indicate that they can send me a new phone, but reading these reviews it appears like I am going to continue to have problems....

Me and my mom just recently got this phone. We both love it. I have read plenty of reviews and this is how I feel about the situation, a phone can not break by itself, it had to have so kind of assistance. There are alot of electronic things around these days that is going to have some kind of malfunction. I have a family member who has had the W490 since it came out and she had no complaints what so ever and never had to get a replacement.
What I enjoy most about my phone is that I can use the music I have downloaded as a ringtone so that will save me some money from buying those pricey ringtones. Overall I like my phone and if it so happen to malfunction I am gonna take a deep breath and exhale because things are not made to be perfect.

Between T-Mobile, Motorola and the W490 I feel like I have taken on a new full time job. I am on my 4th 490. On two, the backs did not fit. On two the keys got stuck and dialled 88888888888 until I took out the battery. T-Mobile is of no help: their customer service department, which used to be so great, now is manned by half=trained people, very chirpy, who have no powerand read their lines from a book. I must now call Motorola to get a new back for my new 490 because a back is considered an accessory and not under warranty. I feel like I work for T-Mobile, doing all the calling running around to store, to UPS,etc. that I assumed I was paying them to do. Keeping this phone going is a full time job!

I first got this phone about 10 months ago for a good deal with my contract extension, it's a nice looking phone and it worked great for awhile, then the keypad froze and I couldnt do anything with it. The one I have now is the replacement phone that Motorola sent me and three months later the stupid thing barely works. I basically have to keep the phone open if I want to use it. If I don't the screen goes white/black when I close and try to reopen it. Or it randomly shuts off or freezes. Very aggrivating. Take your money and choose something else!!!

i have never once broken, or had a phone break on me until i have gotten this phone. Three times, in the course of two months, my phone's screen turned white, and was in-active.
Now my keyoad does not work, i just ended my warrenty, and i HIGHLY reccomend NOT getting this phone!!

Both my fiance and I have the same phone and we have gone through 7 of them in the past year, well.... 8 of them since the one he has now needs to be sent back also. Both of them have exactly the same problems randomly pushes keys, white screen, shuts off, won't shut off, etc... By some chance my fiance actually got pulled to be able to switch out for a different phone, themultiple exchange program as they call it, its like a lottery and you can only qualify for it every other Monday a month between 3 and 3:25 pm (exaggerating obviously) but that's exactly what it feel like. When they gave him the 3 phones, 2 of them where down grades, one didn't even have a camera, and the other hecouldn't use because it wasn't a flip phone, he'd break the screen quicker then the W490 stops working :-p So he just keeps trading in the same phone. I was fully ready to take whatever phone they offered me when my last one died but I missed the program by 2 DAYS!even though i didn't even have the phone for a week before it just died.Yet t-mobile says they NEVER have problems with these phones. UGH! I am so disgusted with dishonest people, I would feela lot better if they just owned up to the fact that they have problems with them but there's not much they can do. I would even be more willing to upgrade my phone if they where just honest with me. Now I just use my free Nokia that I got when I signed up, sadly it works alot better.
Please DON'T buy this phone its a huge waste of money and time.

I bought this W490 as a replacement for my Razr V3.I went through 3 Razrs in 6 months, and the second one they sent me wouldn't even turn on.  The screens kept going out and turning white/crashing.  The W490 I received I've had for about 8 months now and it just started doing the same thing, it crashes and I can't close it otherwise the screen won't turn on again.  People call and if I close the phone to hang up, it doesn't hang up, the call stays active until I turn my phone off, and even then sometimes it won't turn off if I hold in the power button.  Motorola phones are horrible from my experience, I have yet to find a good cell phone manufacturer.

This phone sucks! This is my fourth phone in way less than a year and like my second in about 3 or 4 months. I text alot and when i recieve texts the time that they came in is jacked up. For example, I'll recieve a text a 3:12pm but my phone will say that it came at 6:40am! Not to mention the fact that i have to go back and go through all the texts the get the most recent one bcuz they are in sequencial order which means im stuck going thru old texts that i read in order to get a new unread text. Also, i have fast text fingers. Wen im typing, the phone picks up extremely slow so i have to wait for everything to come up on the screen. The picture quality is okay unless u accidently drop the phone, then ur pics end up looking fuzzy and disgusting. The last motorola w490 i had would not stop freezing and crashing. I couldnt even close the phone because if i did, the screen would go white so i had to walk around everywhere with my flip phone open so that it didn't freeze when i needed it for like a month and a half! I had to keep turning the phone on and off to get it to work. Who the hell wants to walk aroud for months with their flip phone open and hanging out of their pocket?! PLEASE DONT WASTE YOUR MONEY!!!