| Product: |
Motorola RAZR V3 |
| Date: |
18.08.07 (325 review reads) |
| Rating: |
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Advantages: Flip design; large screen; large buttons; slim, sleek; well designed; decent software
Disadvantages: Motorola Phone Tools not included; ring tones could be louder; games & phone useless
I bought this phone for £60 including £20 credit on the Tesco Mobile network from tescomobile.com, to replace my old Sony Ericsson. I'm on the 'Extra' tariff, which is a no-frills package offering 5p texts and 15p calls to anyone, anytime.
First impressions are great: very slim design that fits snugly into any pocket; sleek looks in its black version; lighter than my previous phone, and larger screen, to boot.
Particularly impressive are its buttons - illuminated and large, I find them much easier to use than those of many newer phones, which tend to be small and cramped. If, like myself, you tend to text more than you call, I'm sure you'll find this a real plus.
As for the phone's software, no major complaints here. The camera and games are gimmicks - as is the case for the vast majority of phones - but if they're what you're after, buy a cheap camera or games console. No phone will ever come close to a dedicated piece of kit.
As mentioned, I mainly use the phone for texting. The Razr does a fine job of this. Big buttons, predictive texting, the large screen and responsive input makes texting the simple task it should be - unlike on my old Sony, whose buttons seized up after several years' usage. The few calls I've made have been of variable quality; the headset isn't particularly loud, and the signal seems to break up occasionally. I find it suffices for for the odd short call, but I wouldn't fancy using it for a longer conversation.
Which brings me onto the flip-screen aspect of the phone's design. What can I say? I'm a convert to this style of phone. The use of the folding design protects both keys and screen, meaning you don't need to worry about the display getting scratched all the time! If, like me, you tend to unthinkingly leave you phone in pockets full of keys and coins, you'll appreciate this protection. On the outside of the folding part is a smaller screen that means you're notified of new messages, without having to open the phone up. Of course, this small screen is still prone to scratching, but since you don't need to use it for texting etc., it's no big deal.
The phone's ringtones are fine - nothing special, but all the standard ringing tones you could ask for - and with the 'Motorola Phone Tools' software you can easily take any MP3 and make a ringtone of it. I've had a great time doing this, and while the resulting sound quality is nowhere near the original, it still sounds much better than the current chart ringtones!
It's a real shame, then, that Motorola doesn't bundle this software with the phone. Rather, the phone is sold with only Bluetooth transfer capability, and they demand an additional $35 dollars to download the software from their site. This seems a real kick in the teeth considering Bluetooth itself usually requires a USB dongle for around £9, and offers very poor transfer speeds. Worse, if you don't have the required mini USB data cable, you'll have to buy that, too - something Motorola charges an additional $15 dollars for. Alternatively, you can find it for slightly less on eBay, or at cablestar.co.uk - search 'v3'.
The battery life, on the other hand, is a strong aspect of this phone. Having left my phone at home while on holiday for a week, I returned to find it with half the battery remaining, despite having received several text messages. Obviously, this is reduced considerably when making calls or messing with the phone's features, but I doubt it would leave you disappointed.
Overall, while the phone is not ideally suited to those who mainly make calls, it's still a fully functional and reliable little gadget that's no bad looker, with all the functions necessary for texting and the infrequent call.
Summary: A well-designed, slick phone with all the features needed for basic texting and infrequent calls
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