release date: August 2007

CONTENTS

1. Review
2. Features
3. Prices
4. Similar Phones
5. Useful Links
6. Motorola Phones

RATING

SUMMARY

Thin and stylish flip phone. Decent features, 2 screens, 2 MP camera is OK. No 3G connectivity, but there is EDGE. Touch-sensitive keys on the music player interface. 512 MB or 2 GB versions.

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Review

The Motorola Razr2 V8 is a thin (11.9 mm) clamshell (flip) style phone. It's the "the ultimate iconic feature phone". 2 GB phone memory, Linux Java 6.5 interface, CrystalTalk, a 2.2-inch internal screen, 2-inch external screen, Opera 8.5 browser, music and video player, 2 MP camera, voice commands and more.

The Razr2 V8 does not have a memory card slot and it only has EDGE (class 12) data connectivity. There's no 3G. The 2 MP camera is OK. There's no flash, auto-focus, macro mode, ISO settings and other settings you'll find on camera-focussed mobile phones. The Linux Java interface is pretty good. Magic mushroom bonus marks for Motorola.

Design

From the Motorola press release:

"Motorola incorporated a seamless casing, a soft touch back and a stunning vacuum metal front finish. At the core of RAZR2 is a stainless steel internal frame to provide strength and durability. The huge exterior lens is made with chemically hardened glass to be more scratch resistant."

The V8 is a very shiny mobile phone. It has a nice solid feel, is well-built and the flip opens smoothly. Motorola tested the cast aluminium hinge in more than 100,000 lab tests.

Keypad: Big flat keys. Easy to press. The rows are separated by a thin line. The navigation keys above the keypad are also easy to use. The numeric keys have a soft white lighting.

Dual-screens: Both internal and external screens are 262k colour 240 x 320 pixel screens. The internal screen is 2.2-inches, the external screen is 2-inches (diagonal). Bright and vivid colours.

>There are 3 touch-sensitive keys at the bottom of the external screen. Tap one and you get vibrating feedback (haptic feedback). The external screen displays time, phone status, incoming calls and other events. Turn the music player and you get the music player interface. You can also read text messages and send replies using the external screen.

Memory: The Razr2 V8 comes in 512 or 2 GB phone memory versions. There's no memory card slot.

Features

Linux Java 6.5

The Razr2 V8 has a new (and better) interface than previous RAZR mobile phones. The V8 uses Linux Java 6.5. 3 x 3 icons on the home screen, customise the home screen, create new folders, reorder icon positions and more. It's pretty straightforward to use.

Music Player

The music player interface can be accessed on both internal and external screens. Use the touch-sensitive keys on the external screen to navigate. Music player options include: auto-repeat, shuffle, visualization, bass boost, spatial audio and file search. The quick access music player key is located above the call key.

View music files by recently played, playlists, artists, albums, genres or composers. The Razr2 V8 music player supports MP3, AAC, AAC+, WAV, eAAC+ and WMA formats.

2 MP Camera

OK image quality, providing the scene is in focus and you take the photo in reasonably good light. 2 MP (1200 x 1600 pixels), no flash, no autofocus and no macro mode. Options include: timer, multi-shot, shutter tone, image quality/size, auto-send, video quality/resolution/length.

Self portrait: Close the flip to show the viewfinder image in the external display. Press the side select key to take the photo.

Auto-send: Automatically send the photo to a list of contacts you specify.

Voice Commands, Talking Phone

Press and hold the voice commands key (right side of phone), wait for the beep, then speak a command. The user guide lists 23 of them - dial number, check calendar, talking phone, check time, open camera, set vibrate and more.

Talking phone: Press and hold the voice commands key, wait for the beep, then say "talking phone". You can set the V8 to recite incoming calling ID, read the names of menus, contact list entries, texts, emails and provide audio feedback for phone functions. It's a man's voice.

Video capture: Up to 176 x 144 pixels (15 fps).

Connectivity

EDGE, but no 3G, micro USB port and Bluetooth (A2DP profile).

CrystalTalk

Another Motorola technology - CrystalTalk gives better voice quality in noisy environments (that's what Motorola say). CrystalTalk adjusts the audio to match the ambient volume.

Battery Life

The Motorola Web site states 500 minutes talk-time, some UK mobile network sites state just 4 hours. 11 hours music playback, 2 hours video playback.

Razr2 V8 Luxury Edition

There's also a luxury version - 18k and 24k gold plated accents. One for the all the bling boys. You can get a luxury version for £460 from some retailers - Google it.

Top tip: The V8 user guide kindly points out: "Don't try to dry your phone in a microwave oven"..... Doh!

Summary

The Motorola Razr2 V8 mobile phone is a thin and stylish clamshell phone. It has decent features and good screens. The camera is OK, look to the latest best 5 megapixel phones if you want a decent camera phone.

You can buy the Razr2 V8 SIM free, on pay-as-you-go, or get it for free on a mobile phone contract.

Motorola Phones

  =   coming soon

• razr2 v8
• rokr e8   new
• u9
• z8 rizr

Prices

Prices coming soon.

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TAGS: fashion, music, flip phones

Useful Links

Official Site:	Motorola RAZR2 V8
RAZR2 Experience	RAZR2 Experience
YouTube Videos:	Motorola Razr2 V8 Videos
Images:	Motorola Razr2 V8 Images

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