Motorola Razr V3 (AT&T)

0.5 stars

"ROTTEN APPLE" on March 25, 2005 by RazrSabre

Pros: Light - bright screen

Cons: Everything else

Summary: The host of problems after 6 weeks of use and 4 replacements :
1. System freeze
2. Keyboard light dead
3. Java applications freezing
4. Phone goes dead – camera on screen shows images as u move the phone – but no buttons respond. System has to be reset by removing battery
5. Talk time 45 mins max ( less than a qaurter of stated specs)
6. Standby time 24-36 hours max ( 15% of stated ? )
7. Hinge squeaking
8. Bluetooth headset ‘weak signal’ warning and cutoff within 1-2 mins of usage
9. Speed keys do not work – even though phone book shows it assigned to a key, pressing the key gets a msg the key is empty
10. Phone switches off and restarts frequently

Wonder if this should even be allowed to be on the market with these flaws - or maybe some batches have these and quality control is being compromised.

As if this is not enough hassle, Motorola refuses a refund or a solution even thought their engineers/repair center confirm existance of these issues. Way to go Motorola ! ! !

1.5 stars

"great phone... until you use it" on February 20, 2005

Pros: thin, thin, thin. I'm a sucker for "thin" product design, so obviously I love that about this phone. Also, despite its thinness, it appears to have decent quality and mechanical reliability.

Cons: Where to begin... this thing essentially has the same feature set of my old Motorola V60 clunker phone (which was free). You'd think that for such a nice phone with great product/industrial design, Motorola might have invested in a good user interface..

1.5 stars

"Waste of Money!!" on June 21, 2005 by jexner

Pros: Bond like looks

Cons: o/s is slow, voice quality is bad, reception is awful, bad quality, poor performer for the money

Summary: I was extremely dissappointed in this phone. I left Verizon Wireless for Cingular to have this phone; it was a big mistake. The RAZR V3 has no where near the capabilities, quality, or functionality that a phone in its price bracket must have. The good attributes to this phone include, a semi-capable bluetooth (when it works its a great little feature) small form that easily fits in your pocket, and a fairly decent battery life.

The negative's to this phone are numerous. The operating system is super slow and outdated. Trying to find a contact is not a quick task and can be very irritating. The voice dial is terrible; most new Motorola's have Obeymoto or a voice command system that is much more efficient. The V710 blows the RAZR away in terms of functionality! The keypad is also a horrible attribute. If you text much or make numerous calls, this will be a huge problem for you. Again, this is a fancy paper weight, so if you are looking to have any functionality, look elsewhere. The last issue that is a major problem regarding this phone is in regards to the internal antenna. I repeat, this is a major problem for this phone!!!! I experienced on average, 2 to 3 dropped calls per conversation. It was frustrating for me and the person i was talking with. Cingular told me that the RAZR has this problem and experiences numerous dropped calls and lousy reception (a constant hiss is always around when you are talking) and can be very irritating. Essentially there is nothing you can do about it!

After going through 3 RAZR's I finally gave up and switched to the Nokia 3120. Granted it is nowhere near a comparable phone, but it works! People can talk to me, no more dropped calls, the screen works, the keypad works, and it is considerably cheaper than the RAZR.

If you are dead set on the RAZR, wait to get it on Verizon. Rumor has it that according to a press release by Motorola, engineers are working on developing the RAZR with updated software for CDMA networks; Verizon or Sprint. Avoid making the mistake i made by switching to Cingular. Also, the SLVR and PEBL will be in stores soon; they are supposed to correct numerous problems that are prevalent in the RAZR V3.

I would look around and really take your time before you sign up for this phone! If you are with Verizon, stay as long as you can!!! If you are interested in a mediocre phone, and terrible service, Cingular has wonderful deals on 2 year contracts!!! Cingular: lowering the bar...

4.5 stars

"Excellent Phone w/ unfair knock on phone book" on June 17, 2005 by bchunter

Pros: Slim and comfortable in coat or trouser pocket

Cons: Documentation / Owner's Manual

Summary: This is a truly great phone that gets knocked for a poor phone book, an Achilles heel that really does not exist. Many complain about the phone book because they believe that you can store only 1 number per name. This is not true, but it also is not well-documented in the manual, nor is it immediately obvious from usage. While in edit mode for a particular contact, scroll down, and select "MORE." An option to append a new phone number or e-mail address to the name will appear. Enter new number (or e-mail), select the type (home, pager, mobile), and save. Also, you may set up the phone to display each number individually in the list of contacts or only the "primary" number assigned for the contact (by default, the first number entered, but you can assign any number as the primary). This option is accessed by hittin the smart key while in phone book and seleting "Set Primary." The "primary" display option allows faster searching through a list of contacts.

Then only thing I want for with this phone is a little extra volume on the ear speaker. It can be a little hard to hear with high ambient noise. My 2 year-old Samsung was better in this department and was loud enough to act as a one-way speakerphone.

Key press audio cues are also too low on highest setting, but that's a quibble.

The speakerphone is great. Everyone I have talked to with the s-phone has said they can't tell I'm using it. It works great while sitting on my desk 2 feet away from me.