Pantech Razzle(Verizon Wireless)

Calls:We found calls made using the Verizon Razzle cell phone loud and clear. We even spoke to someone in a crowded, noisy restaurant and they could hear us perfectly and for our part we weren’t even distracted by the background noise. If anything, we needed to use the volume keys on the cell phone’s spine to decrease the volume on the handset. The speakerphone worked equally as well.

Audio playback: We found playback of songs loud and clear through the cell phone’s large built-in speaker. Since the bottom of the cell phone twists, you can turn the bottom so that the speaker is face-up on the cell phone or you can just turn it over – either way, music is loud and clear. We were disappointed to see that the cell phone only sports a 2.5mm headset jack and compatible headphones aren’t included in the box. Additionally, the Razzle does support the stereo Bluetooth, so you can listen to music in stereo via a stereo Bluetooth headset.

Menu/Phone book: At the heart of the cell phone is the typical Verizon Wireless user interface, though not as slick as those found on other models recently released. You can still tab over to different menus while viewing a specific menu’s options by using the left and right navigation. Use the touch-sensitive OK to select menu items and the surrounding arrows to help navigate the rest of the menu features. When you turn over the cell phone to use the speaker there’s one-touch access to music as well as dedicated rewind, play/pause, and fast-forward buttons. You can also re-assign the navigational arrows for one-touch access to your favorite features. After using this cell phone for a while, we found our favorite touch-sensitive feature is the C – it basically backs you out of any feature one screen at a time.

We particularly appreciate how easy it is to use the phone book. You can store five phone numbers, two e-mail addresses, an IM address, picture, and even a street address for each of 1,000 contacts. Additionally, there’s an In Case of Emergency slot where you can store three contacts and personal information. Also included in the cell phone menu options is mobile e-mail for web-based accounts such as AOL, Google, and Yahoo, instant messaging, and chat.

Camera: The 1.3-megapixel camera in the Razzle cell phone is acceptable. The cell phone lacks a flash, but it does have a small mirror next to the lens for snapping self-portraits. Additionally there are adjustment options for brightness, white balance, resolution, and color effects (normal, antique, negative, and black and white). There’s also a self-timer and the ability to take pictures in landscape or portrait mode. Overall, image quality is acceptable, and the shutter is faster than we would have expected.

Music: The centerpiece of the Razzle is the MP3 player. As noted, listening to songs played through the cell phone’s speaker is impressive you could take it to a picnic and everyone would be able to hear tunes. We were, however, disappointed that the cell phone doesn’t support Verizon’s VCAST with Rhapsody service. This cell phone lacks audio-centric controls such as bass and treble; however, it does have other audio effect such as Normal, Rock, Jazz, Classic, Pop, and Bass. We’re pleased to report that these extra effects do have a positive affect on audio quality, but we tended to prefer it set on Normal. It does have other MP3 player features such as shuffle, repeat, and playlists. There’s also a Music Only Mode, which is essentially an Airplane Mode.

The Razzle comes with a 1GB microSD card for storing music and photos that can store at least a hundred songs, but if you want more storage you this cell phone will support an optional 16GB MicroSD card – you can store approximately 400 albums of music on a card with that much storage capacity – that’s a lot of tunes. You can get music onto the cell phone in one of two ways either use the included synching cable and sync directly with your computer Another way is to create a My_Music folder on the MicroSD card and drag and drop songs from your computer into that folder on the microSD card. If you have are a Mac user this is what you’ll need to do since in our tests the Mac didn’t recognize the cell phone when we connected it. We should note that the Razzle plays MP3 and WMA (Windows Music format) files, but not AAC (Apple’s music format) files.

Connectivity/Bluetooth: We were able to easily pair the cell phone with a MOTOROKR T505 Bluetooth In-Car Speakerphone.

Look and Feel: At first glance, the Verizon Razzle looks like another messaging phone geared for the younger set. However, that’s not the case. This music phone is a bit of a chameleon. Simply twist the keyboard to the left and the QWERTY keyboard disappears and what’s revealed a large speaker with dedicated music keys. When you twist the keyboard, the cell phone goes from having an arch to being completely flat. While it looks like it might be a bit of a toy let us assure you it’s quite durable. The top half of the cell phone is essentially all display, however, it’s not very bright or crisp. Which makes us think this is really a good starter phone. We found the cell phone is easy to find in a bag, but might not be the best for pockets unless the speaker is parallel with the display.

Keypad: The Razzle white backlit keys may be a little on the small side, but they are well spaced and the tilted keyboard makes it easier to type. However, that said, those with bigger fingers will probably find they do most of the typing with their fingernails. One plus on the keyboard is that the numeric keys are green and easy to spot, so dialing numbers is a breeze. The color green is similar to that found on the HTC Ozone and kind of reminds us of the Incredible Hulk. The keys on the cell phone’s spine are well spaced apart. However, it’s not immediately easy to see what each button does. For example, the lock key also does double duty as a way to navigate through the cell phone’s menu. While that’s a great feature, it’s not exactly intuitive or easy to see engraved in black on the black button on the side of the cell phone.

The Razzle battery life is acceptable. We can use the cell phone to play music for a couple hours before needing to recharge. Heavy cell phone users who make a ton of calls, send/receive loads of text messages daily, and listen to tunes stored on the cell phone regularly will need to recharge it every two to three days. More moderate users will be able to make the cell phone last about four days before needing to recharge.

• Razzle Overview