PureMobile sent us in the brand new Motorola handset, second generation RAZR: the Linux-based V8. One of the most sleek and most-wanted phones in the market, and we take it for a serious spin.
The RAZR2 V8 is a quad-band GSM and EDGE phone, it features two 240×320 TFT screens (one internal 2.2″ and one external touchscreen 2.0″), 512 MBs internal storage out of which 420 MBs are accessible, Bluetooth 2.0 with A2DP support, a microUSB charging/data/audio port, and a 2 MP camera without flash. The V8 came with a headset, a British-style charger (PureMobile added to the package both a converter and a mini-USB Motorola-branded charger), a microUSB 2.0 data cable, CDs and manuals, and a 770 mAh Li-Ion battery.
The V8 is one of the most beautiful phones ever released. It is RAZR on steroids in terms of industrial design. It is extremely thin (11.9 mm), weighs 117 gr and feels “right” on the user’s palm with its stainless steel frame. It features volume up and volume down buttons on the left (also couple as user-profile selectors), a lock/unlock/confirm button below that, and a voice recognition/camera-shutter button on the right. Each time you click these buttons there is a vibration effect that provides tactile feedback. The external QVGA screen is a touchscreen one, but it only works as such when you are using the music player or when reading SMS. All other functions/screens shown in the external display don’t have any touchscreen support. Speaking about the screens, the internal one is very bright, and while the external one is of the same quality as the internal one, it is not so bright because it does not have its own TFT light but it piggybacks on the internal’s one. This is a good trick to save battery life, while by using the same resolution for both screens the graphics and menus don’t have to be redesigned, so it saved Motorola engineering time.
As for the internal keypad, it feels better and more rigid than previous RAZR phones. While this is a very thin phone, it has a very strong infrastructure. I can definitely “trust” the hardware to not fall apart in pieces or break. The only problematic thing I found about the hardware is that it’s getting really hot when playing music or talking for more than 10 minutes on the phone. Reception was amazing, one of the best phones we ever tested. Voice quality was good too, although the placement of the microphone was an unfortunate one: instead of placing the mic in the middle of the keypad, it’s placed on the right side of the keypad, so if you are using the phone with your left hand, there is a good chance that your fingers will cover the mic. Battery life was not too bad either, although it seems to be reducing fast if you also play music or use the EDGE network. Overall, we managed 4 hours of talk, while standby was not bad either.
The phone uses a microUSB connector, which unfortunately is not as standard as the miniUSB. If you need a new headset, or a new charger or a new data cable, well, good luck with that. It will take some time before the market is caught up to yet another kind of jack. I am unhappy about the microUSB connector mostly because the needed thickness to implement a miniUSB port in the phone does exist on the top & bottom parts.
Our version of the V8, which comes from Hong Kong, comes with a 512 MB internal flash storage, out of which 420 MB are available for usage. The American version that will be sold by T-Mobile, will have 2 GBs in it. The other three major US carriers will not be using the V8, but the V9, which is *not* Linux-based but instead it’s using Motorola’s old operating system (and it’s actually a somewhat bigger/heavier phone). Very unfortunately, there is no microSD slot on the V8 (there is on the V9), so all you get is 420 MBs of storage, and no FM radio (in case you run out of music space).
On the highlights, we found the Bluetooth 2.0 performance. It maxed out in file transfer at 95 KB/sec, it worked great with two A2DP music headphones we had around, plus a mono voice headset. Speaking about audio, the included headset is one of the best we’ve seen included with cellphones. I have smaller ears than most people so I have difficulty using earphones, but V8’s fitted fine — for the most part. Audio quality was top notch, while voice was good too: the headset has a answer/hangup big button too just like in the iPhone.
The 2MP camera is one of the better ones we’ve seen on phones, albeit without flash (sample pictures here). It has a night mode, but even without it, it performs well on low-light. A funny thing was that on the first ever boot of the phone, it would refuse to snap a picture for us, but after a reboot it never exhibited the same problem again. A cool feature is that if you open the camera application and then close the phone, you will see yourself via the camera in the external screen, like a mirror (although you unfortunately can’t snap a picture or video in this mode). The phone won’t zoom-in when on 2MP mode, but it will zoom-in up to 4x when on video or VGA/QVGA picture mode. The only bummer is, the phone is not capable of recording video in QVGA format, but instead only in QCIF one (176×144). More over, it will refuse to playback 30fps QVGA mp4 files, as it already drops frames with 15fps ones. Video performance was always very poor on Motorola’s Linux phones, either when they used to come with RealPlayer, or their current video player. The music portion of the phone offered us a better experience with MP3 and WMA, and especially with its external screen support.
Now, regarding the actual software: the phone is running on the MotoMAGX platform instead of their previous one called EZX. While EZX used exclusively a 2.4.2x kernel, the V8 uses a 2.6.10 one. When the native SDK will be released next year, there is a good chance that this phone will be supported. Problem is, you will have to wait a whole year before — and if– you get any native applications to install in it. Until then you can only install Java applications and so this phone must be called a “feature phone” rather than a true “smartphone” as of yet.
On the V8 you will find a pretty flexible file manager with a lot of options and information, a calendar, alarm, tasks, SyncML support, email, SMS, MMS, photo dialing, a good multimedia navigator, there is theme support, some pre-installed games, J2ME 2.0 support (Opera Mini 3.x, Gmail and Google Maps worked great but Opera Mini 4 beta had problems). The V8 allows you to run more than one Java application at the same time, but there is no application switcher utility. The phone’s browser is an Opera v8.50 port which worked adequately well, it had a full screen mode and it managed javascript and CSS too. There are various audio profiles to choose from too, but if you want to turn ON flight mode you need to restart the phone and choose that in the “login” screen, it won’t do it via the profiles.
While under the hood the MotoMAGX platform has changed significantly over the EZX, the actual user experience hasn’t, compared to the previous non-touchscreen Linux devices from Motorola (e.g. the Z6 or the ROKR E2). I still have the exact same problems as I had last year, and the year before that: the inaccurate battery reading, the artificial inability to boot without a SIM, the 12 clicks you need in order to turn ON/OFF Bluetooth, the low video playback performance, its inability to both vibrate and ring at the same time (this feature is actually implemented in the software, but was again artificially removed as Motorola for some reason usually does for most of its phones) and more. The only application that seems to be somewhat rewritten is the camera app.
One funny bug we noticed is that when you boot the phone, the “Options” menu in the front-screen is normal and your modified user settings have *not* loaded correctly by the phone, but if you then close the phone and the external display’s configuration data is loaded, and then you re-open the phone, your user settings are now active and the “Options” menu has now reloaded with new data (we know that because there is a typo in the second set). Finally, it is not yet a good phone to hack on with Linux, and it probably will never be as the rumor at LinuxWorld Expo had it that the API prohibits full access to the system (the native Linux apps will be somewhat restricted, just like Java apps are).
The way I see the user interface of MotoMAGX is that is lacking compared to the usability of Symbian S60. There is no copy/paste, the UI feels disconnected and not well-thought. To be honest, I think that older Motorola users who used the old Moto OS, will absolutely love the new Linux UI. Why? Because it is a definitive upgrade for them! It’s so much better than the old OS. But users who are already on Symbian S60 or on a touchscreen-based smartphone, they won’t be easily lured away no matter the good hardware looks of the V8.
Overall, this is a great upgrade for existing Motorola users, or for users who want a sleek-looking phone. Its industrial design makes justice to carry the name “RAZR”, and the software is a step-up from the previous RAZR offerings. However, while this is one big step for Motorola as they announced that 60% of their phones will be Linux-based in the future, they still need to make more steps (and quickly) to properly compete with Nokia and the other smartphone players in that market. Get it at PureMobile for $491.
Rating: 7/10
But… is it intended to BE a smartphone? My general impression is that the RAZR^2 is, like the RAZR, primarily a fashion phone with a little bit of everything in there somewhere.
Yes, Motorola’s new Linux phones (not the older ones) *are* intended to be smartphones, when the SDK is released next year. The new SDK will support all Linux phones from the V8 and later (again, not their older ones).
I don’t want to be picky but if the phone tends to be a smartphone i would expect it to have wifi. I quite like the slick design though.
Edited 2007-08-17 07:44
I understand that it is your personal opinion and I respect that, but since when does a phone require wifi to be considered a “true” smartphone? My Treo 650 has no wifi and yet I can go online anywhere I get a cellphone signal (which is anywhere I carry the phone) at near-DSL speeds. I don’t have to wait until I’m near a hotspot, and while I do pay for that, it’s cheap — US$19.95/month — and it’s unlimited bandwidth.
I do feel that wifi would be a nice addition for the added speed boost at hotspots, but to me it’s not worth buying a new phone and it certainly doesn’t disqualify mine as a smartphone. Just the fact that I can run any number of palmOS apps qualifies it.
For that matter, I would say the Treos and Windows Mobile PDA/phones out there are more worthy of the title than any RAZR or even the iPhone — at least until we get third-party app support for those.
Edited 2007-08-17 10:32
I fancy the zaurus pda´s and allways have. Sometimes it´s nice to have anonymous access. And any hotspot in theory can provide just that. Anyway wifi is handy if you want to sync anywhere in the office and at home. I personally don’t like bluetooth. You see the mileage may vary. The prize of the phone would held me back from buying though.
Is there any standart way to access the VT on this device?
Think printer scene from Office Space.
I’ve had the phone for several years, and it has been nothing short of a dismal experience. Bad enough that I would never even consider the RAZR2. Bad enough that I’d never even consider another Motorola period. Form trumped functionality, which is almost never a good thing.
Best of luck to them though w/ this new phone.
Haha, I know of only 1 person who has a Razr and actually likes it. The rest say it sucks. I don’t own one, but if the opinions of the phone are so negative, I don’t understand why it is so popular.
Marketing.
Like I said, form defeated functionality. People are more concerned about looking cool. Plus now most companies are giving them away for free.
And I HATE that. Luckily there are still companies that make items that put functionality over form…
Wow, yeah, that was worth a 0 rating !
What are your complaints about the RAZR? I’m using mine for over two years now, and the only thing that bothers me is that it’s to easy to accidentally change the ring style.
“What are your complaints about the RAZR?”
-Been through 4 batteries…they are good for about 6 months then rapidly go downhill, i.e. I’ll get maybe 30 minutes of talk time, or a day or 2 of standby.
-The phone randomly “white screens”…I don’t know what else to call it. The phone freezes and restarts, usually in the middle of a call. Happens about 1-2 times a month, and has been doing this for about a year (never dropped it, and no water damage).
-More thoughts I had about a year and a half ago: http://jaysonknight.com/blog/archive/2006/04/14/Motorola-RAZR-V3-_2…
Perhaps mine was a lemon, but I think it was more related to the model Cingular was selling (some friends who have the Verizon version are a little happier, plus their phones seem much snappier). I have a work issued blackberry pearl now and could not be happier.
>Perhaps mine was a lemon,
Nah mine does that too … moto sucks ….
Mine goes white screen too, and it’s irritating cuz I can’t bring it back easily, I turn it on and off several times until it finally starts to work.
It also has the least intuitive/functional interface among all cellphones that I had before, things that could be done with pressing 2~3 buttons require digging the menus on RAZR and you can’t set shortcuts for everything.
RAZR’s battery’s half-life is 4 months btw.
The fact that I am on Rogers (AKA robbers) although not RAZR’s fault, still worsens the experience.
On the plus side it looks good and it did survive couple of falls recently, but that’s about it.
Edited 2007-08-18 05:12
Interesting. I have never seen the white screen. Maybe a different firmware version? Mine’s one of the earlier ones that don’t have video recording functionality. And I’m still on the first battery, after two years.
..then wouldn’t you think replacing the OS would be a positive move?
But I know what you mean. Sony have burnt me a couple of times, so I don’t even consider buying their stuff anymore.
Who is going to pay almost $500 for a phone?
Browser: Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; U; CPU like Mac OS X; en) AppleWebKit/420+ (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/3.0 Mobile/1C25 Safari/419.3
Hahah, I see what you did there.
You sir, owe me a new keyboard because your post made me snarf my coffee all over my old one! XD
I don’t care who you are, that’s funny!
Exactly. If I’m going to drop that kind of change on a phone, it’s NOT going to be a Moto-POS.
Nicely done though. I nearly shot coffee out my nose.
My Verizon accounts long past the required contract bondage.
A colleague let me test out his iPhone.
I’m waiting until this Fall when the latest Mac Pros are out and then I’m adding that and the iPhone/ATT for work/home.
You, my friend, are funny. You gave me the first laugh of the day
Looks like a nice phone and gets the job done for now but the future trend of phones will include a qwerty keyboard to make it easier for txt messaging and web browsing.
But I tend to avoid Motorola phones – the quality, receiption, everything about them is below par when compared to the likes of Samsung, Nokia, Alcatel, LG etc. etc.
I had no problem’s with this phone’s reception. I had with their older Linux phone, ROKR E2, but not this one.
When I was with Vodafone I had a Motorola – so many problems it wasn’t funny; I thought it was just crap reception till I got another phone, an el cheapo Siemens, no problems, 100% perfect reception.
That must be because Motorola now has an unbelievable market share of 6% in EMEA (excluding China and India).
Pardon, but what has that got to do with the price of fish? nothing.
The fact that Motorola has that amount of marketshare tells more about marketing than quality of product; christ, just look at iPod, a sub par product marketed to buggery and sucked down by the masses as innovative.
Does anyone know if this phone supports prepaid plans? I have pay-as-you-go via Cingular (ok fine AT&T) and I want to just be able to take the SIM card out and pop it in this new phone.
I’m just confused because when I shop online for phones they always put prepaid phones in a separate category away from all the others as if there’s some technical distinction. Is there a difference?
No, there is not a difference. All unlocked GSM phones work with prepaid just fine.
So, at&t won’t be selling the v8 (linux based), but the v9 (old OS based). However, will the unlocked v8 work with their network without issue or at least mostly without issue?
Yes, of course. How do you think I used it? Don’t you see my screenshot saying “AT&T”?
I think the question is representative of the ungodly amount of control these companies have over us.
How restricted we are.
You can by a GSM phone unlocked and it will work with any GSM carrier. You do not need to have a phone “supported” in any way.
Pop in the sim. Network compatible with phone? Yes? Then it works?
See all the people that UnLock their iPhone just to use it with a different company…
Nice phone but, I’d rather have something like the Nokia E70:
http://www.thebestpageintheuniverse.net/c.cgi?u=iphone
An open OS would be nice, but usability comes first.
I just read through the review and I too have to say that I would rather choose E70. Atleast Symbian phones can run more than just Java apps. But well, I’m still happily using my Nokia 6630, no need to change yet
Was the headset mentioned (rather positively I might add) bluetooth? Wired?
Great to hear that t-mobile is getting the 2GB version which as far as I can tell is not available at the moment. Has anyone heard anything on the t-mobile timing?
The thing about 2GB: originally the V8 was supposed to have 2GB of memory, but becayse Motorola had a surplus of 512MB chips, they released a 512MB version first until those chips run out, then they’ll release the 2GB version.
I have to admit, Im rather impressed with the quality of the photos taken with the phone. I was never really interested in cameras in phones but the quality is pretty good.
Also…..Calvin and Hobbes rule!
The main question is, after I have read the review. Should I buy this phone? I currently own a blackberry 8800, and I love it. I honestly respect people’s opinions, after all, how will I know what’s cool?
A really hot phone – but the no radio is bad and the no microSD is a definite show-stopper for me.
Has anyone on here played with one of the openmoko phones? I’m kind of interested in buying one of those.
It’s open, and quad-band GSM, if I read it correctly.
Yes, I have a Neo1973. It is very much in development right now. I make calls from the shell. Any review at this point would probably frustrate the reviewer, unless they were also a developer and understood the possibilities of the future. Check back in a few months.
Just because it uses Linux doesn’t mean I’d be willing to pay anywhere near $500 for it. I might pay $50 after some encouragement.
$500 can buy you a brand new desktop computer with a Core 2 Duo processor or even a fairly decent notebook. Any computer is a million times more useful than any phone and get this… you can even call people on their cell or land line phone from a computer, go figure.
…or, on the other hand, $500 could buy you several boxes of tin cans and lots and lots of string, then you can make calls without it costing you a cent! Brilliant!!
Still E90 is better when it comes to features.
Nokia should use FreeBSD ARM for that