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Motorola RAZR V3xx

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By Edvarcl Heng, CNET Asia
Dec 05, 2006

Time has failed to blunt the edge of the Motorola RAZR. Even though it has been three years since its debut as the 2004 fashionista must-have, it remains the American firm's most iconic design and continues the chic precedence set by the StarTAC in 1996.

Motorola has continued to push the envelope (and girth) of the RAZR with successive renditions packing more features, though such efforts have lagged behind similar phones in terms of tech specs. Now the V3xx is Motorola's new standard bearer for trendy 3G phones, though the same question remains: Is it a case of style over substance?

Design
The RAZR V3xx is Motorola's thinnest 3G phone. While no one will accuse it of possessing everything but the kitchen sink, it slyly retains the distinctive slickness that makes critics reluctant to fault it.


So sleek.

Unlike the bulky V3x, the V3xx's 102.9 x 53 x 14.9mm dimensions put it just slightly thicker and longer than the original V3. But the extra length is meant to accommodate the dual camera lenses on the hinge and we like the new sturdy heft of the V3xx.

Design-wise, the V3xx adds a glossy veneer to the faceplate, which, while admittedly classy, is also an effective lure for fingerprints and stains. If you are reading this, dear Motorola phone designer, we would rather like to see an external memory card slot for once, thank you very much.

As a long-time user of the RAZR V3, experience says it's rather pointless to have a dust cover for the mini-USB jack--it really makes no difference.

Fortunately our favorite shortcut buttons on the clamshell lid have not gone under the knife, but new users to the RAZR experience will find themselves on a learning curve with its paper-thin single-piece keypad. In terms of shortcut softkeys, the V3xx has two more dedicated to the browser and video calls, though we could not retag them to other features.

Internet browsing on the 2.2-inch QVGA screen is a bit of a mixed bag. Though it's plenty bright, the scroll function on the built-in browser is too slow and the vertical orientation of the screen means it's good only for blogs and not standard horizontal sites.

 
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