Moto Z8

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Features
Underneath a rather quirky exterior hides a growling tiger. The Z8 is jam-packed with features that will keep you infinitely more entertained than you would be using a Razr V3. In fact, this is one of Motorola's most feature-filled handsets to date. The Z8 runs on the Symbian OS so it supports third-party software, such as Quickoffice, which lets you view Microsoft Office documents on your phone. It also runs on a new and improved user interface that is so much better than previous offerings.

If you've ever owned a Motorola product, you'll know how painful it is to use the old Motorola interface. Fortunately, Motorola has seen the light--it has developed a new interface for the Z8 that is much prettier to look at and far more logical to use.

Thanks to HSDPA (3.5G), browsing the Web is very fast and the Z8's Web browser isn't too bad, either. We were disappointed to see that you can't watch videos via YouTube's mobile site, though -- you can on certain other handsets. We could, however, watch the The Bourne Identity, which comes bundled for free on a microSD card. The Z8 plays video at 30fps and the screen displays 16 million colors making it relatively watchable--just don't expect high-definition quality.

Equally, don't expect high-quality pics from the Z8's 2-megapixel camera. You do get a relatively decent shot for MMS messages and small prints, though. You can also use the camera to shoot video if you're in the mood for something a little more lively. There's a secondary camera (VGA) on the front for making video calls--if you really want to that is. Alternatively, you can use it to take pictures of yourself, which we found just as satisfying as staring blankly at our friends, if not more so.

One of the Z8's best features, and potentially most useful if you're a telly addict, is the ability to program your Sky Box using the pre-installed Sky Box app, and watch a variety of Sky channels over a 3G connection. This feature works rather well. In order to listen to programs on Sky, or your music using the Z8's music player, you have the choice of using the loudspeaker, wired stereo hands-free kit or a pair of Motorola S9 Wireless Stereo Headphones that come bundled free with the Z8.

Not only do the S9 headphones look good but they're also quite comfortable to wear and have very easy-to-use controls on the side of each earbud. The other great thing about the S9s is that they let you listen to music wirelessly--no more annoying leads.

In terms of the day-to-day features, sending text messages, setting an alarm and inputting calendar entries is fairly straightforward, but it is worth pointing out that most of the Z8's features are hindered by the awkward-to-use keypad.