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Motorola RAZR V3i Phone (Unlocked)

Wireless/Mobile Phone Accesory/Cellular Phone Accessories

Nobody can deny that Motorola's RAZR V3 was a huge commercial success. It had a lot going for it, including that sexy and slim profile. But in spite of its success in the market, there were still some things that needed to be addressed. The newest version of the RAZR for GSM networks, the RAZR V3i, is an evolutionary upgrade to the V3. It seems quite obvious that Motorola was thinking "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" when then went about creating this upgrade.

The sleek V3i is an upgrade from the original RAZR V3.

For starters, the physical size of the V3i is the same as the V3, which is to say that it is about six tenths of an inch in thickness (about 14mm). Weight is also about the same at 3.4oz (97g). But this time around the V3i gets a new gunmetal gray exterior with a cool brushed pattern on the top half of the folder design. The Motorola logo also now glows blue. Otherwise, apart from some minor cosmetic changes made to the exterior and the flat but functional keypad, physically the V3i seems pretty much the same as the V3.

The basic features are also the same, with a few exceptions. The V3i supports all four of the GSM frequency bands, so it should work most anywhere in the world (if you have international roaming on your GSM account). The V3i's internal antenna seemed to work well, and call audio quality was very good, and we had no problems in weak signal areas. The large 262k color display appears to be the same, and is still nice and bright, and the external display is also the same, meaning it is functional but not at all awe inspiring. The battery in the V3i has been upgraded a wee bit, and managed to power the handset for just over 8 hours of talk time in our tests.

There is still no EDGE data support in the V3i, sadly, but the Bluetooth system is very good and supports data connections as well as headsets and car kits - though not in stereo. The camera's user interface has been updated to include a very easy to system whereas the d-pad can change most all of the camera settings on the fly without the need for menus. The camera module itself has also been upgraded to a 1.2 megapixel model that generates nice looking photos with good color balance, even if the focus is a bit soft (especially for subjects closer than 4' away).

See the unlocked V3i open and closed.

Another upgrade is the inclusion of speaker-independent voice dialing and commands. With this system, there is no longer the need to train the phone for various contacts names. You just speak the command (such as "Name Dial"), and tell it the name of the contact - it's that simple and works superbly. Another change that helps in making calls is a new multi-character search mode for finding contacts, something people have been asking about for a long time. In some versions of the V3i you will also find Apple iTunes support, just like in the ROKR E1. There is a 100 song limit, though, which is a shame since the new microSD memory card slot can hold cards as large as 1GB in size. No iTunes versions will have no song limit when using the default Motorola media player.

Pros:

Thin and sexy

Good battery life

Bluetooth

Cons:

No EDGE support

Metal keypad is not for everybody

While not a massive upgrade, the RAZR V3i gets enough boosts in the right places to ensure its spot as one of the most popular mobile phones in the world. The added features are all very nice to have, and the hold-over features from the old V3 still work as well as they did the first time around. If you like the RAZR V3, you will probably love it in the new RAZR V3i version.

--Reviewed by Michael Oryl, editor in chief of www.MobileBurn.com

Features of Motorola RAZR V3i Phone (Unlocked):

beautiful 262k color wallpapers & screensavers on internal display to make your razr v3i your own.
capture beautiful images during global travels with the motorola razr v3i’s 1.23 megapixel digital camera with 8x digital zoom. but when a still image just won’t do, video capabilities promise to capture all your action-packed experiences.
integrated class 1 bluetooth technology with imaging, printing, peer to peer gaming profiles
unlocked for use with your existing gsm 850 mhz, gsm 1800 mhz, gsm 900 mhz or gsm 1900 mhz service provider and sim card. note: this phone does not come with service or a sim card.
unlocked phones
with motorola’s digital audio music player and airplane mode – the motorola razr v3i gives you mobile music when you need it most.

Reviews:

Ogradek and Torah combined	Rating: 5
This is my life. Finally, my very spirit incorporated in a physical object. Death, where is thy sting?

Excellent cell phone, and I received it free!	Rating: 5
Why would you buy it, when you can get an unlocked Motorola RAZR v3i for free, without any service plan commitments? I got mine free at this web site: stuffnocost.com/razrv3i

Bad design, cumbersome to use.

Rating: 2

Love the sleek visual design of this phone. In my opinion, it's one of the prettiest phones on the market right now. It is also very light and fits conveniently into my front jeans pocket. However, pretty looks do not equal pretty functionality and I will not be buying this phone again. Trying to dial this phone without raised keypads is like trying to ride a bicycle on a hockey rink, especially when you are walking and trying to dial. The numbers are spaced too close together so that dialing errors are inevitable, especially for those with wide digits. The screen is not back-lit well, so trying to see it on a bright sunny day is next to impossible. The Motorola designers "conveniently" placed 3 functional bars on the sides of the screen that flips open. If you accidentally hit one of these bars while going to open your phone (which nearly always happens when you are outside/in a rush/trying to answer the phone before the caller hangs up), a range of lovely things can happen. I.E. your caller gets placed on speakerphone (fun...especially in a crowded environment), you accidentally silence the ringer (another fun feature when you are expecting calls and you can't hear your phone ring). Just trying to hold the phone, while you speak to somebody on it, and not hitting one of these lovely buttons is an exercise in agility.

Aside from these major design flaws, the phone is relatively easy to use. Menus are easy to understand and operating the camera and "Flix" section are very easy to use. Don't count on being able to capture good images with this phone, though, especially on a bright, sunny day. This phone is definitely all style and very little substance. I think Motorola rushed this model out into the market far too quickly. Their design team needs to consider these flaws in the future.

By Motorola