Razr Sharp (Motorola V3)

Member Name: plipplop

Product:	Motorola V3
Date:	28/03/06 (3037 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Sleek, stylish, trendy

Disadvantages: Technologically not the best, small memory capacity

I’ve had a lot of phones over the years. I used to a devoted follower of Nokia, largely due to the fact that if I ever tried to use anyone else’s phone, I couldn’t get my head round the menu structure. However, I’ve lost interest in Nokia styling over recent years. The big competitors – Sony, Samsung and Motorola – seem to have left Nokia behind and it was really only a matter of time before I succumbed to the strong lure of the V3.

Look and Feel

Sometimes referred to as the Razr, the V3 is extremely stylish. Have you seen the adverts with the room that keeps folding in on itself until the glamorous young lady in the middle is left holding nothing but her V3? The whole image is based on being sleek, compact and desirable and I have to say that Motorola have hit the right spot on all three. Size-wise, it is roughly the same surface size as a credit card, and when folded in half, it’s about one centimetre deep. As such, it is one of the most portable phones that I have ever had, and slips into just about any pocket, wallet or compartment in which it is deposited. The phone is currently available in three colours. The silver (the original and still the best, in my opinion) is polished, satin silver. The black is quite groovy but for some reason feels cheaper to me and the pink one is a bit too much of a gimmick (but great for the girls). The phone isn’t very heavy either, adding to its all round portability. I even think that the phone is easy to put together – I always seem to struggle to get the back on/off other phones.

Of all the clam shell (flip) phones that I’ve ever handled, I think the V3 is by far the easiest to hold and use. For a start, it is truly the only flip phone that I can use with one hand, as the groove on the side is designed such that you can slide your thumb down and flick it open with minimal effort. This is perfect for those crucial moments when you’re stood in the pub with a pint of beer in one hand and your phone in the other as you can genuinely use it with one hand whilst you hold your jar in the other. Better still, once it’s open, the large keypad means that the one-handed operation can continue.

The interior design is fantastic. The screen’s a great size, taking up nearly the whole surface area of one half of the phone and again adds to the ease of use when taking pictures or sending messages. The nickel-plated keypad is well thought out, with a futuristic metallic display that keeps things simple and a bit glamorous too. 12 buttons contain the basic numerals and symbols, with a round menu button and four directional buttons arranged around it to help navigate through the menu option. Around this are four icon buttons – one for messages, one to make a call, one to end a call and one to launch the Internet browser. There are three remaining keys at the top of the phone that are used within some of the phone menus – and that’s about it.

The look and feel of the V3 appeals to me in just about every way. It’s still the sexiest phone you can buy and extremely portable. The great thing is that it isn’t just gorgeous to look at. It’s also very practical, even for a big-fingered freak like me. Full marks on this from me – I really wouldn’t change it in any way. I suppose the only potential issue is that both the internal and external screens have a tendency to get a bit grubby and need cleaning regularly.

Making a Call

It might seem obvious, but so many manufacturers these days seem to be forgetting that phones are for making phone calls. I know it’s great to have lots of other features and accessories too – and I won’t deny that I am swayed by them – but first and foremost, I want a phone that is easy to use for the basics. The V3 fits the bit perfectly. For starters, the handset sits perfectly next to your ear such that the sound quality is excellent. Four small speaker “strips” on the top of the phone mean that wherever / however you hold the phone against your ear, you can hear what is being said at the other end. The microphone at the bottom is sizeable too, meaning that the person at the other end has the same luxury. Increasing / decreasing the volume during usage is easy too. There is a button on the side of the phone, divided into two that can be clicked to turn the sound up / down and unlike many phones you CAN actually use it without having to stop the conversation, look at the phone and work out what you’re doing! Sadly, like many clamshell phones, when the phone is folded in half, you can’t reject an incoming call – but you can at least silence the ringer.

The call lists are also easy to use but missed calls and received calls appear in the same list, which is initially slightly confusing. In actual fact, it makes perfect sense, but I’m so used to having a specific list of each that it is taking some getting used to. The call lists seem to empty very quickly too. As far as I can tell, only the last ten calls are shown – and if the same number has called ten times, it takes up the whole list. This can be a real nuisance – I missed a call on Friday morning and by Friday afternoon, it had gone from the list.

Phone Book

The size of the phone screen means that the phone book is also extremely easy to navigate. The phone book is either accessed using the top left-hand button on the keypad (cunningly underneath the word “PH.BOOK” on the screen!) and the listings are large, and easy to read. I can’t stand tiny little lists of telephone numbers that you need a magnifying glass to see properly and the V3 certainly doesn’t suffer from, this. An icon identifies whether the number is stored on the SIM or the phone (important when you change handsets a lot!) You can have multiple entries under one name for mobile, home number and/or email address as you require and like everything else on the V3, you can also personalise with pictures if you so wish. (I was considering asking for a number AND a photo when I met people in bars, but I figured they wouldn’t go for it.)

Text Messages

The V3 suffers from the same kind of problems that most modern handsets incur when it comes to sending text messages.

On the plus side, the size of the key pad means that it’s very easy to use and actually key in the messages. The number 0 is not on the number 0 key, however, which again confuses the hell out of you. The number 1 is also somewhere like the 12th icon available on the button in certain modes so I tend find myself typing ONE instead. The handset also displays status messages for text messages so that you instantly know whether the handset has sent the message or not. The maximum size of messages is normally set by your network (SIM) – my network seems to send anything over 100 characters as two messages. I also like the fact that all sent messages are automatically placed in my outbox – my Samsung only did this when specifically asked.

On the downside, the various text modes can’t be set up as a permanent setting, which means that every time you send a message you have to select how you want to input the message. The handset default is set to predictive messaging, which I have never been able to fathom out and as sure as eggs is fish, I always forget to turn it off and find myself typing in hidello when I only really wanted hello. Fortunately, via the keys at the bottom of the keypad, switching between modes is easy enough but I would like to be able to set this permanently. Also, if you want a delivery receipt, you have to ask for this on a message by message basis rather than as a permanent setting.

You can also attach animations or sounds to messages, either using the defaults on the phone or by downloading the sound of a horse farting (or whatever is currently doing the rounds on Jamster).

Picture / MMS messaging is very easy. It’s basically the same as a normal short text message, with an additional option to insert a picture and this is the first handset that I’ve owned where I’ve actually used this. To my friend’s delight, they now regularly receive photographic updates on the hour of many of my nights out. <grin>

In summary, all pretty good – I just wish they’d drop the predictive messaging!

Personalising Your V3

Motorola have obviously cottoned on to the fact that these days, the ability to personalise / customise your handset is pretty important and just about everything on the phone can be amended to suit your preferences. You can select a screensaver for the phone, either via download or by taking a photo (which I love). You can also set the wallpaper in the same way (this flashes up when the phone goes into hibernation.) There are copious amounts of ring tones available – Moonlit Haze is a lovely, trance-like tune, for example, or perhaps you could select the standard “Hello Moto” ring tone. You can, of course, download as many others as you like but I would say that there are more than enough as standard with the phone to satisfy your average user. The ring tone can also be changed from ring to vibrate, or a combination of both and you can also easily increase / decrease the volume using the button on the side. You can even use the “MotoMixer” function to create your own ring tones, based on preset tones that can be fiddled around with.

With some network providers, a leather case comes as standard in the box with the phone, but it’s ‘orrible. You can buy unofficial ones, but these aren’t much better and I have seen some very dodgy new pink / glitzy ones on eBay. The phone is fairly durable but doesn’t withstand many knocks and bumps without scratching.

Camera

The camera lens is integrated into the front of the phone and is activated via a button on the side of the phone or via a menu option. My experience of camera phones isn’t vast, but I have found this to be far better than any others that I have used. The size of the screen helps – you can actually see what you’re taking a photo of! You use the circular menu button on the keypad to zoom or adjust the brightness and then simply click the top right hand button to capture the picture. Picture quality is good enough – I still think that camera phones are more about the gimmick than real picture quality so for me the V3 is good enough. I can take fun pictures and send them to people to have a laugh at basically!

Technology

The battery stand by time isn’t great. I’ve read other reviews commenting that it’s fantastic but I’ve never found this to be the case. I use my phone a lot – all my business calls are diverted to my mobile so it’s in constant use all day and then into the evening too. If I charge the phone overnight, it will be nearly flat by about 5 p.m. the following day and normally needs recharging again to last until bed time. The battery power does, however, last better than my last Samsung when it comes to long calls.

The phone comes with a USB cable to connect to a PC, which means that you can fairly easily transfer files for wallpapers or picture messages, or to upload your favourite MP3 files. The memory capacity of the V3 is not as large as other phones on the market though, so if you want to upload lots of MP3 files, you may struggle with the capacity. The phone is also Bluetooth enabled although to upload from a PC via Bluetooth I think you have to buy a separate adapter. Setting up the Bluetooth for a headset is easy enough but it’s not something I’ve ever taken to.

Final Verdict

I do like this phone a lot. My love of the handset is partly due to its practicality and ease of use but also because I like the way it looks and feels so much. I’m actually dreading it breaking because I know that at some point, you won’t be able to get them anymore. Users looking for a high-memory MP3 player, or a really sharp camera phone would admittedly find the V3 a bit lacking but anyone who really just wants a good phone with some fun accessories then I reckon this is the best on the market.

Highly recommended!

Summary: Mobile phone for the fashion, rather than technology, conscious.

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