I’ve had my Motorola Razr V3 for a couple of weeks now and
have a better feel for its strong and weak points.
Weak Points:First, the volume of the ear
piece is too soft. If I’m walking along the street, normal
traffic noise drowns out everything coming from the
phone.
Speaking of volume,
the feedback tone from pressing a key is also too soft.
Secondly, when outside, both the external and internal
display screens are unreadable. Even with the backlight on,
which shouldn’t be required outside, all I see is a shiny
black rectangle. Changing the brightness does not help. Not
being able to read the screen is a *BIG* problem when trying
to use the address book, check email/text messages, or just
about anything that requires seeing the screen.
Thirdly, speaking of shiny screens, before I installed
the Martin Fields Overlay
Plus protective plastic film on the displays, they would
attract fingerprints as if by magic. It is almost impossible
to use the phone without leaving unsightly fingerprints all
over the screens. Now that I have the overlays, they stay
much cleaner. Not to mention they protect the displays from
minor scratches.
Fourthly (is that a word? – ed.), the voice activation
system, which allows you to save voice commands linked to
phone numbers, is not all that great. You have to speak at a
specific volume at a specific speed for it to recognize the
command. Once you get it to work, it is a bit more convenient
than trying to type in a phone number (especially when
outside and you can’t see what you are typing on the display)
but it takes awhile for the processor to make the match and
start dialing the number.
Fifthly, the images from the camera are not very sharp.
Everything looks fuzzy, although the colors are true-to-life.
On the other hand, I’m not sure what a camera is doing on a
business class phone. But if they are going to have
one, why not make it sharper?
Strong Points: It is very thin and easy
to fit in just about any pocket. Thus, it is more convenient
to take with me than any other phone I’ve owned.
The wide keypad is easier to use. It seems many companies
have made phones so small that you need a stylus to press the
keys. Is this progress? I don’t think so. I need a phone that
I can use. This one works for me.
The mini-USB port is a convenient and secure way to move
data back and forth. While I could use the phone’s Bluetooth
capability, I find a USB cable is simpler (and probably more
secure).
I’ve had no problems with dropped calls. I was afraid that
switching to this phone would result in less reliable
connections (which is what happened to my wife when she
switched from a Motorola StarTac to a LG 3200). But so far,
and I haven’t exactly yet taken it to places like Waikiki
where reception is bad, I’ve had no problems with
reception.
I’ll update things after I’ve used it more.
Misc. Ramblings 