MOTORAZR²

Call Quality

Calls and speakerphone: We found calls to be clear on the Motorola Razr2 V9m. However, we occasionally needed to use the side volume keys to adjust the sound. The good news is that the speakerphone quality is decent; we could even talk over each other, without being cut out of the conversation. We also particularly appreciate the dedicated speakerphone button on the keypad, making it easy to activate this feature at any time during a call. On the plus side, no one could decipher our words when we were using a Bluetooth headset.

Audio quality: Playback of songs is acceptable but not stellar through the cell phone’s speakers. Although songs were loud when played through the Motorola Razr2 V9m’s speakers, they did suffer in a quality a bit, sounding particularly tinny. If you want to listen to songs in full stereo, you can’t plug in a normal stereo headset since the phone lacks the appropriate jack. Instead, you’ll need to purchase a separate Motorola headset or a Bluetooth stereo headset.

Ease of Use

Menu/phone book: We found using the phone book and navigating through the menu to be fairly intuitive. Both are easy to use and view. However, if you want to end an application, you can’t just press the End button. Once you press End, you’ll still need to manually exit each application. This is done by pressing Yes when the prompt “Do you want to add this application” appears on the Razr’s screen. Even entering and accessing phone numbers was easy. You can store up to 1,000 contacts, each of which can include 5 phone numbers, one e-mail address, a Web site, a picture, birthday information, and an actual street address (ideal for syncing with computer-based address applications). We particularly like the Motorola Razr’s predictive text app (iTap), which quickly retained words we used most often and predicted the correct word 80 percent of the time.

One of the main differences between the Razr2 V9m and its predecessors is the capability to activate applications without flipping open the cell phone. On the bottom of the external screen are three touch-sensitive launch keys: TV, music, and the camera. You can activate most of the applications highlighted on the external screen by touching the corresponding icon and holding it down; however, this isn’t immediately the case for the TV application. Additionally, only the bottom part of the screen is touch sensitive, so you’ll need to use the buttons at the bottom of the screen to navigate through the applications without opening the cell phone.

Camera/video: One of the more notable features in the Razr2 V9m is the inclusion of a 2-megapixel camera. Along with that camera comes quite a few options, such as brightness, a timer, shutter controls, white balance, color effects (sepia, black and white, and negative), fun frames, and even a multiple-shot option for capturing several frames of the same object quickly. The camera lacks a flash, but there is a 4X zoom that’s not immediately obvious. While the screen doesn’t automatically flip into horizontal mode when you turn the cell phone in this direction, you can manually make this adjustment when in camera mode. You can also easily snap self-portraits when using the camera with the cell phone closed.

As for picture quality, the Razr2 is pretty good at capturing flesh tones and surroundings. Video quality is acceptable as well. Since the Razr2 V9m comes with 65MB of internal memory, you should have no problem saving a plethora of pictures on this cell phone. Additionally, if you want to get the pictures off of the phone, you can opt to print them, then have them sent to your house or pick them up at a store by signing up for a Picture Mail account. One last note: Remember to turn off the camera application when you’re finished, or the external screen will be in viewfinder mode when the cell phone is closed.

Music: As noted, listening to songs played through the cell phone’s speaker or a stereo headset is acceptable. While you can shuffle and repeat songs, as well as create playlists, there’s little else this cell phone offers in terms of audio-centric controls. The cell phone has 65MB of memory, so if you don’t store a lot of pictures and videos, you will be able to save about 20 songs on this Razr. The Razr2 V9m will play back only Windows WMA and MP3 music files -- sorry, no Apple AAC files. If you get an optional cable and software, you’ll be able to transfer music files (WMA and MP3) to the cell phone using Windows Media Player, or you can just copy them onto an optional MicroSD card into the Music folder and get music onto your cell phone that way.

Connectivity/Bluetooth: We were able to pair the Motorola Razr2 V9m with a Motorola H680 Bluetooth headset. Call quality is acceptable using the headset. However, you can’t use the feature to do much more since you can’t send songs via Bluetooth. Although the manual says that you should be able to send pictures or songs over Bluetooth, we weren’t able to do this via our PC’s Bluetooth connection.

Design

Look and feel: The Motorola Razr2 V9m has many of the same design elements as its siblings. Namely, it looks slick and sports the trademark keypad. The Motorola Razr2 V9m is slightly bigger and noticeably heavier, meaning you’ll definitely notice it in a purse or pocket. Like the Razrs before it, the Razr2 V9m has a black rubberized casing on its back, but that’s where the similarities end. For starters, if you already have a Razr and are thinking of using the same mini-USB-to-USB cable on this Razr, that’s not going to happen since the Razr2 V9m sports a smaller version of the USB connection. Similarly, you won’t be able to use the same charger either. The easiest way to tell the difference between the first breed of Razrs and the Razr2 is when the cell phone is closed.

That’s right: It has a huge external display that’s not just sharp and bright but also touch-sensitive (as noted above). Well, at least the bottom part of the display is, which means you can activate features when the cell phone is closed. We should note that in our experience with the cell phone, applications didn’t “accidentally” start themselves as a result of being jostled in a purse. This is likely because in order to launch a program from the external screen, you need to keep your finger on the application for about 10 seconds. We’re happy to report that the same bright screen can be found on the internal display. We found viewing video on both screens decent; however, there’s occasionally some lag when the picture is being rendered. Our only quibble with the cell phone’s design is that both the internal and external screens easily attract face grease. That said, many cell phones suffer from this flaw.

Keypad: Of course, you’ll find the trademark flat keypad on the Motorola Razr2 V9m. Unlike its siblings, this keypad sports white backlit keys. Additionally, the numbers are slightly raised, so dialing in the dark or by feel shouldn’t be a problem. Dialing is easy, but if you have smaller hands and fingers, you might be more comfortable with a Motorola Krzr. We were even impressed with how well the 4-way navi-key worked. You can reassign the keys to your favorite shortcuts. Once you get the hang of it, using the navi- and soft keys (the two dedicated buttons at the top of the keypad that correspond to screen commands) become second nature. As noted above, there’s a dedicated speakerphone key, and the shortcut to the camera when the cell phone is open is the only key on the right side of the Razr2.

Battery Life

For a cell phone with so many features, the Motorola Razr2 V9m's battery life is actually pretty good. We found that we could last about 3 days before needing to recharge when using the Motorola Razr2 V9m regularly to make calls and send/receive text messages. Heavier cell phone users will likely need to charge the Motorola Razr every other day. Those who use the Razr2 V9m to receive a few calls and occasionally send/receive text messages should be able to last at least 5 days before needing to recharge. That said, we did find that watching video and playing music tends to drain the battery faster.