Goodbye Moto (Motorola RAZR V3i)

Member Name: aestro

Product:	Motorola RAZR V3i
Date:	07/02/07 (563 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Decievably slim, expandable memory

Disadvantages: Actually a brick, bad coverage, prone to faultiness

It was only after my old 3g phone was dropped from a considerable height (4 stories) and completely smashed to pieces that I was finally able to indulge in a new phone. So after looking through a few magazines and websites, and then actually seeing the phone once I made the impulse decision to buy the Motorola v3i. Next time I know I will put a lot more thought in, maybe then I won't make the same mistake.

Inside the box, firstly and most importantly you get the actual phone. A slim, sleek mixture of navy casing, black plastic and rubber weighing in at just 100g. With a depth of just 13.9 mm it's easy to see why this phone became such a best seller. Although it's slim it's not actually small, and when you open it out it's transformed into a modern day, slimmer version of the brick phone. It's decorated with an "M" sign which lights up when the phone is opened or closed, or a call is received. This is admittedly a very useful feature. There is also a small screen on the front which portrays the time, and a smaller version of your display picture. One thing I noticed about this phone was how easily it scratched; I wouldn't be lying if I said my ipod scratched less. For some reason greasy fingerprints had a resilience to being rubbed off, and because of this, alongside with the scratching, within 2 months the phone was a mess. The one thing the Motorola came out tops in was how it fared in wet weather. Although it would completely soak the phone, I never had any problems because of it; simply leaving it to dry seemed to do fine. The battery slots into the back of the phone, underneath which you place your sim card and literally TINY memory card, which I was having problems putting in because I couldn't see it. The cover then clips onto the back. This took some time to achieve, and at first I thought the phone was broken. But after a good half hour fiddling I smacked the phone down on the table in frustration and miraculously, the cover was securely on. You then leave the phone to charge for around 6 hours, although this is what was recommended in the manual, I only left it for 3 or 4 and it seemed to work fine. Alongside the charger in the box there is a USB cable which allowed synchronization between the phone and computer where using the software, a software CD (more on that later,) a guidebook, a useful information booklet which gave information of customer services, a little brochure with quick easy to use information on the most prominent features and a small book which explained the warranty. The items inside the box may vary slightly depending on who you bought the phone from and what service you've signed up for. The guidebook in particular was easy to read and gave clear, helpful instructions.

You may also receive a number of other devices, depending on which service provider you use. But I signed up with T-mobile and they didn't offer any.

At first sight the camera was actually one of the things that attracted me to the phone. Being 12 and incredibly naïve I believed that if you could turn the picture black and white - it must be the best phone on the market. However the 1.3 mega pixel camera was incredibly hard to use. In retrospect it's not that complicated. There is one camera, but two different methods of viewing what you are photographing. The first is through the main screen, but the second is slightly more unusual. You close the phone once the camera function had been commenced, and you can view yourself through the small screen on the front I mentioned earlier, almost like a mirror. Once the photo has been taken it is stored to the memory card (or phone but there is a lot less space here) on a 1280 x 960 pixels resolution. From there it can be set as wallpaper, screensaver, or uploaded to your PC vie the Motorola phone tools software. It can also be sent by multimedia messaging to another phone or by Bluetooth. Despite all the assuring specifications, the camera really isn't that good. 1.3 mp isn't that brilliant to begin with, but to get even a half decent picture the lighting needs to be perfect, and all subject of the picture must be completely still. Around 50% of the photos I have taken with this phone have come out blurred, and to be honest - I don't think it's worth the space it uses up.

Although I am aware that the Motorola v3i supposedly supports quad band, I have not been able to access it. I have traveled to Germany, America and Portugal since I purchased the phone, and it hasn't worked in any of those destinations. Despite the fact that I realize I may have to activate something or contact Motorola to enable the feature, I received no instruction on how to do so, and it is not mentioned in the guidebook. I have the same problem with the internet, in my opinion this is malpractice on the part of Motorola.

All popular forms of messaging are supported by the V3i. Simple text messages can be sent and received with a limit of 160 characters via SMS, and most people I know would get nowhere near that amount when texting. Audio, video and picture files can be sent and received via Multimedia messaging (MMS) easily but not efficiently as it can take up to three hours to arrive. The Motorola V3i also supports the next generation of texting, enhanced messaging service or EMS. And an email address can be easily obtained. The phone also claims to support instant messaging, but I have found no evidence of that.

The video reveals the same problems as the camera, and eats away at memory space at a remarkable speed. It is low quality even on the highest setting and once into 4x zoom it is basically impossible to recognize more than an outline of what you are videoing. I believe roughly one minute of video can be taken at a time, but it depends greatly on how much space you have left on the memory card, as even a half full memory will cut down videoing time considerably. Once taken the video can be viewed and renamed easily.

The Motorola V3i doesn't have infa red technology, but it does support Bluetooth. Bluetooth enables the phone to connect wirelessly with other phones or a computer. If you wish to go hands free then this feature is essential. When the Bluetooth is working well then it is fine, but sometimes it is just a complete disaster. Other people have found it hard to pick up my Bluetooth and I have found it hard to transfer data via it.

The mp3 player on this phone is sufficient for anyone who just wants to store a few songs, but for die hard music fanatics I wouldn't recommend it. The phone comes without headphones, and large arrays of formats are unacceptable. So transferring songs from your computer to the phone is a lengthy and tiring process.

Alongside the phone when you first venture into the box you will find a CD, this enables you to download the Motorola phone tools software onto your computer. This in turn allows you to transfer data between your phone and computer. It was easy to install and although it takes a few minutes to work each time you use it is relatively hassle free, a lot better than the majority of phone software.

The phone also features a voice dial/memo, a speaker independent voice dial, a speakerphone, a currency converter and calculator, a PIM function as well as T9. It supports Java Games and is compatible with apple itunes.

The battery life doesn't commend praise. If the phone was being used heavily than a phone charged that night would die out before 3:00pm the same day, and even in light use a 2 day span was rare. The meter which indicates how much battery was left was incredibly misleading, as I would pick up my phone and check the battery life before leaving home, it would be fine and then ten minutes later I would open it again to find a glowing red message "BATTERY LOW."

After all the disappointment with the extra features on the phone, I at least expected the reception to be good. But it wasn't. When I first invested in the phone and made a call, there was a faint but noticeable buzzing sound in the background. I managed to persuade myself that it was just a small technical error and would soon fade, but as time went on it only grew more persistent, and gradually louder. I was also annoyed to find that, for instance when I came out of the underground into the open it would generally take around 10 minutes for the phone to pick up a signal again. At times the signal on the phone would disappear without warning, and take up to an hour to reappear. Texts could also go walkabouts or take copious amounts of time to be received. As far as I know im not im a well known area for poor reception and none of my old phones have had the same problem, so im led to believe that this phone is just special.

So there I was, stuck under contract with a phone that refused to work for 18 months. I was dreading what my mental status would be like when it was finally time to trade it in. But then, one day my phone did something - it froze. I noticed it starting to freeze more often, within weeks the display picture had faded and gone off center. It was finally time to accept that my Motorola v3i was dying. Such as young death - only 6 months old, but even so, a plausible excuse to exchange a piece of equipment that I had grown to hate. Eventually I stepped back inside the carphone warehouse store, this was where it had all started, and this was where it would end - or so I thought. Because the phone had only been bought 6 months ago I expected a replacement, or at the very least a repair. They agreed to repair it and we left it with them, expecting a phone call once it had been dealt with. But weeks came and went and still no phone call, so the decision was made to go back without one. They claimed it had been fixed almost a week ago, and refused to answer when we asked why we hadn't been contacted, but grateful at least that it had been fixed we went home. The Motorola repair company had not fixed the phone as it turned out; all they had managed to do was transform a phone that was dying into a phone that was dead. It would not even turn on now. So we took it back again. This process of taken back and then returned in worse condition than before went on for quite some time. And it is still not over. The next time I go back it will not be to pointlessly attempt to fix a phone beyond repair; it will be to cancel my contract or demand a new phone. Who knows, I might miss the little fella once it's gone.

For more information on Motorola visit www.motorola.com

xXx

Summary: Unlike the phone, you'd have to be thick to get this! Aka me.

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