Moto KRZR Review (Verizon) - October 4, 2006
As we mentioned last Friday, Skatter Tech was able to get a hold of the brand new Motorola KRZR K1m for Verizon Wireless. The KRZR’s features include a 1.3MP camera, MicroSD, speaker phone, external iPod-like touch-sensitive controls, Bluetooth, and V Cast Music/Video. We had high expectations and hoped that the phone would be as good as it looked, unfortunately we ended up being quite disappointed.
Motorola KRZR K1m Specs:
- Provider: Verizon Wireless (CDMA)
- Form Factor: Clamshell Flip Phone
- Dimensions: 4.05H x 1.73W x 0.67D (inches)
- Weight / Battery Life: 3.6oz / 4hrs30mins
- Digital Camera: 1.3 megapixels
- Storage Space: MicroSD expansion (2GB max)
- Communications: Bluetooth + USB
- Others: Speaker Phone and Music Controls
- Price: $199 with new 2 year contract
KRZR Body - 5/5 stars
The shape of the KRZR is much more comfortable and natural to hold compared the RAZR. The phone is way skinnier than the RAZR, but is slightly thicker and taller. At first glance the phone looks expensive, sleek, slim, and glossy, however just as a PSP or an iPod the, KRZR’s coat is prone to fingerprints from even the slightest touch. Motorola has improvised the keypad dividing them with more natural grooves which helps finding keys, without looking, much easier.
Digital Camera - 2/5 stars
The KRZR’s 1.3 megapixel camera is pretty much the same as the one in the RAZR v3m. Other KRZR models have a 2 megapixel camera, however Verizon’s K1m has been cut down to keep prices low. Motorola has also failed to add a flash to the phone, which although not too powerful often will be handy when taking close up shots in the dark.
Display - 4/5 stars
The internal display is much crisper and brighter than that of the Motorola v3m. However it is extremely delicate and placing even the slightest amount of pressure causes the “ripple effect” in the LCD which may damage the display. The external display is a bit dull and with the fingerprints all over, it may be hard to see in sunlight.
Music Playback - 4/5 stars
Unlike the RAZR, the KRZR supports Mp3 playback as well as WMA and V Cast Music. Verizon’s Media Player is well developed and makes browsing through music easy. Users can view songs by artists, albums, genres, or search just as iPods do. The media player also offers the use of playlists, library shuffle, and even display’s album art. The #1 problem is that users must navigate through many menus before they can get their music started. (Can be annoying for people who plan to listen to music a lot.)
External Controls - 3/5 stars
The addition of external touch-sensitive music controls, which the RAZR lacks, was a good concept, but is flawed. There is no way for a user to start music playback from the external controls, the phone must be opened to do so. The controls are also sometimes too sensitive and the current song may be skipped or paused when the phone is picked up.
Speakers - 4/5 stars
The speaker phone quality is quite clear and has minimal or no static. It sounds more clear and is louder than that of the RAZR, however it is still poorly position on the back of the phone. Both music playback and speakerphone will sound muffled if the phone is in your hand.
MicroSD - 3/5 stars
The KRZR now supports use of up to 2GB MicroSD cards. The space can be used for image, video, and music storage. The card slot is unfortunately placed underneath the battery pack lid making it a hassle to get to. If you don’t have a USB cable and the drivers to sync music back and forth, it will be a pain to remove the card every time to transfer files.
Bluetooth - 5/5
Because Verizon has finally “un-crippled” the Bluetooth, the KRZR can now send phonebook entries, pictures, and other data between devices. When testing the handsfree feature with the Lexus IS250, we found that he KRZR now sends the phone’s signal strength, battery level, and other data to the car’s display, unlike the RAZR.
Overall the KRZR is a decent upgrade from the RAZR v3m. There is however a major lack of innovation. Even so, the KRZR will probably be replacing the current RAZR’s place in the market. If all you need is a phone with basic features that can make calls and looks good, this maybe for you. If you are picky and like customizable feature packed phones, there’s not much that the KRZR can offer. The phone is a bit pricy, currently about $199 with a new 2 year contract or $99 for existing customers eligible for upgrade.
DEAL ALERT: FREE Motorola KRZR K1m (w/ new plan)
Related: Verizon Wirelesss - Moto KRZR
Update: Verizon currently charges about $30 for a USB cable and some drivers, but if you already have the cable and are just looking for the drivers you can get it from the link below. Once installed, your phone will be detected as a portable audio device and you will now be able to sync the music in your Windows Media Player Library with your KRZR. After installing you may need to restart your machine. But once complete you will be able to use your computer to charge your KRZR and sync music. To start, go to Get It Now -> Music -> Sync.
Download: Moto_KRZR_Driver.zip (Note: driver found on developer.motorola.com)
Update: If the driver above doesn’t work, try installing the patch from Verizon’s site.
Download: Sync_Music_Fix.exe [Thanks for the info Elizabeth]
posted by Sahas Katta in Mobile & Reviews
on 10/4/2006 at 01:32 AM with Comments (372) & TrackPings (9)
Write a Comment.
372 comments.
David says
I love the music buttons! They are a great addition to the phone. I slightly disagree that music should be playabke without opening the phone, because that could lead to accidental starting.
If VZW tied the “smart button” below the side volume keys to a menu which could enable music playback, that would be cool.
That leads me to another quam: you can’t change the ringer volume/vibrate etc. without opening the phone. In the RAZR (and my old V60i) you’d just press the “smart button” and use the side volume keys to change the ringer.
Thankfully, you can now select “vibrate AND ring” in the tools menu, but the KRZR STILL lacks a “vibrate THEN ring” mode.
Fabs says
The music player is very good, but VZW needs to let us use music from the Vcast Music Store as ring tones. If you’re going to pay for a song, you should be able to use it as a ringtone as well. Besides that, it would be a good move for VZW to get more people interested in the store…
Colin Edge says
I got mine today & am disappointed to say the least. Maybe my old sim card is the problem but text memory is pathetic, no option to use the memory card for text storage. Reception is pants, no signal at home most of the time whereas my old Razr always had signal. The designers should be sacked for making such basic errors, it seems they put more effort into the fancy packaging than making the blasted thing work. It is going back tomorrow & I will get a phone from a better manufacturer.
EDIT: Forgot to add for David above, it does have vibe then ring & the vibrate lasts a long time so you can get to it before it rings easily if necessary. They got that bit right.
Fabiano says
It´s possible to start the music player without opening the flip, just press and hold the smart/speakerphone button until the touch sensor controls ate lit.
thomas says
Fabiano, I just test that and it didn’t work for me. Do you have a Verizon KRZR K1m or a different model? And if you do can you please tell us how you got it to work with some more specific info. Thanks!
David says
My VZW KRZR does NOT have vibrate THEN ring, it does have vibrate AND ring. Small difference, but if you want to catch the phone before it rings, it’s important.
I do like the vibrate AND ring feature, tho, and I think the vibrate is stronger than the RAZR.
Colin Edge says
David.
Maybe yours has a software glitch as the vibe then ring should be there, that is what I always use & as I said it vibes for ages before it rings so most times you can get to it in time.
My memory problem seems to have gone. Cleared all texts, checked I wasn’t doing anything stupid & the memory filled up again in no time. Cleared it again, switched off, removed battery & memory card, put it all back together again & it worked. Hmmm, must be well sorted software.
Reception is still pants, giving it a go for another couple of days but I reckon that one will be the killer. Phone is no use without a signal, may as well use a banana.
Jason says
I am sure there is someone out there that knows how to get rid of the lit up “verizon” sign on the outside flip everytime i use the phone. i hate to be a walking advertiser for verizon so blantantly. it would be a lot better to be able to out your own pic in there.
David says
Colin Edge.
I’m really quite baffeled at what KRZR you have, but the Verizon Wireless K1m most certainly DOES NOT have vibrate THEN ring. If you somehow have it, please take a picture and post a link. Thanks.
Colin Edge says
David
KRZR K1 is what it says on the box, type MQ5-4411A11 to be pedantic. A UK version perhaps. When you consider all the useless tripe they fill these things up with I can’t see why they would omit such a basic feature from one version to the next. Phone Motorola & see if they can make sense of it. I would be more than a little cheesed off if I didn’t have that option.
Will says
So how again does one get the play button to light up when the phone is closed?? Mine does not do this either. I think there is a difference between K1m and K1, I’ve got the K1m.
Also, which menu is the Ring then vibrate on? I only see enable/disable vibrate under the sound settings, there is no other option.
Also, my phone does not connect to windows media player after upgrading and all kinds of garbage. I’ve been on the phone with tech support and they just gave up and said “we can’t fix your problem so we’ll inform Motorola” and hopefully they’ll have new drivers soon.
Anyone with the same experience?
Acidalias says
Just pirate the music software from the web. Motorola phone tools. DOnt be all fancy with the install for music, just copy from your windows explorer if WMP doesnt work. The phone doesnt play from from the speakerphone button that user was fulla BS. And the reception does suck compaied to the razr
Patrick says
Yes there IS a differance between the K1 and K1m. The K1 is blue, it has a 2mp camera and a 256k color screen. It is only for GSM (T-Mobile, Cingular in the USA, most forign carriers).
The K1m is black. It only has a 1.3mp camera and a 64k color screen. It is for CDMA (verizon and Sprint in the USA). This is the phone I have… It is much more limited in many ways… Also, if you have Verizon, they intall their own User interface and “Operating system” onto all of their phones, so the menu structure is very differnet, adn some options have been dissalowed by Verizon. I believe that changing the ringer with the phone closed falls into this category, based on a comparison of the verizon user manual to the one for the K1m on the motorola site….
Hope this clears up some of the confusion
P.S. - I am assuming if you are in the UK you probably have the blue GSM K1, b/c I don’t think CDMA is big in the UK…
Phil says
I think I’m sticking with my RAZR.
smed says
Personalized ringtones on my krzr do not work. Personalized pictures don’t work either. Outside screen just comes up blank with name. Predictive text doesn’t work with apostrophies. hitting 416 should say i’m but it say i.o… lots of software flaws
Jonathan says
If you have the KRZR and it’s not working properly, I would blame it on Verizon before you blame it on Motorola. I have the KRZR on Alltel and it works very well. Vibrate then ring, working predictive text, etc. Verizon dummies down Motorola phones and puts proprietary user interfaces on them (which in my opinion ruins the phone). Head into an Alltel store and check one out - you will be pleased.
ryizzle says
yes… it seems that most of the problems on here are being caused by Verizon. They disable many options on their phones (like having to pay for their music, not being able to start the mp3 player from the outside, not being able to use mp3s as ringtons, the list goes on and on). Alltel does less of this, and US Cellular does not disable their phones at all. I think if you guys had the Canary from another carrier you would much happier. You could perhaps unlock your phone, but why not just get it from a decent carrier??
Walt says
hey. i can’t get my KRZR to sync with windows media player. all the USB cable does is charge the phone, and it doesn’t list the phone as a device in “my computer”. when i open windows media player, it doesn’t recognize a media device is attached. is there any simple way to fix this? thanks.
sahas says
Please re-read the bottom of this article. I have specifically provided instructions and drivers to get your KRZR working with Windows Media Player.
Walt says
sorry about that. i did, however, find a link on answer.com that walked me through it in a simple fashion. thanks for the time. already do love this phone.
strad says
How good is the music quailty on the krzr k1m. How does it compare with that of CD quality. Is it clear through the speaker phone and headphones?
Jason says
Anybody know how to get rid of the lit-up “verizon” sign on the outside screen when the phone is in use? i hate to be a walking advertisement for anyone.
mick says
So i know you said there was an asnwer to this in the article but im having the same problem as walt. I used the drivers and it connects and charges but windows MP isnt recognizing it and I cant put any music on it. Also, is there an easy way to upload pictures to/from the phone through the USB cable? i dont really feel like paying for picture messages to myself.
sahas says
Mick, make sure you are entering the sync mode on your phone. When you do that the phone will stop charging and will appear as a windows portable media device in “My Computer” and will appear under the sync devices list in Windows Media Player. Also if you use this method, you will not be able to directly transfer any other media onto the phone. However you can still do so by removing the card from the KRZR and inserting it into a card reader drive.
Walt says
when you have it plugged in via USB, go to “menu->get it now->music and tones->sync mode”. that sorted me out and i had no problems.
one question i had was this: can you use only midi tones as ringtones or are you able to somehow use a clip of an mp3? if not, i am searching for a program to somehow save mp3s as midi. thanks!
mick says
Yeah i did that and it just says connection failed. Also, when i connect it it charges it and recognizes the device but windows asks me to instal the drivers for the phone.
Jeff says
I have the KRZR K1m (verizon) and the user guide said “When you close your phone, the external screen shows the time, status indicators, and notifications for incoming calls and other events…..” Is it only short time? After 10 or 15 second, mine is just blank and looks like phone is off. If I touch the smart key or volume keys on the side, it comes back, but do I have to press those keys every time when I check the time or whatever? When I’m charging the phone, the backlight is off, but I can still see the time. Is it some kind of battery saving mode or something? Maybe I should ask verizon, but I want to ask other users first…..
ridingsonthewall says
I would like to add that music, pics, and video can be added easily using the SD micro memory card. When you first place the card into the KRZR it will format the card to the way Verizon wants it to be. (You might lose data so do this first. Then it will create folders on the card (my pix, my flix, etc.) You then simply transfer from your pc onto the sd card the mp3’s into my music folder and pics into my pics folder etc. When you place the sd micro back into the phone, whamo. Your stuff is there for you to use. They should have a utility to do this with your phone book but they dont.
any chance you can get the E815 firmware (menu sytem) onto this krzr (or something like it)? Seriously, how bad is the interface on this thing? Just when I thought they had it figured out with my E815 motorola, I get this krzr and ….?.? If you want to really get mad, go to motorola’s website and see their interface, so simple and usable…..?WTF?
Elizabeth says
I just got a krzr k1m for my birthday, and I CANNOT get windows media player to recognize the device, I tried all the advice on here. But still nothing, the phone says it’s not connceted when it clearly is. Then I get the bubble that pops up and says the computer found a new device but then it won’t install for some reason…I am really confused…HELP!!!
Richard Bird says
I too am having issues connecting my Verizon KRZR K1m to my PC. Computer recognizes the phone in Device Manager | USB but it does not show up either in My Computer or as an option in WMP.
When I try to put the phone in sync mode, I get a connection failed message after a Version 01.02.006 screen.
I have been able to add content using the SD card, and this is not a huge issue for me, but it would be nice to use the USB to add content, so any help would be appreciated.
Matt says
The krzr is a great phone. Very stylish. The only minor gripes I have are that it should have more internal memory, and Verizon should have improved the camera quality for the RAZR… http://www.best-mobile-phones.org/review/9-motorola-k1-krzr
Pete says
I’m seriously contemplating the KRZR for my next phone when Sprint comes out with it. (Supposedly by mid-November.) I’m looking for a yea, or no, all in one opinion from everyone. Obviously I know Sprint’s new software, etc on the phone will be new to everyone, and you can’t comment on that, but overall one the phone…..get it , or look at others?
Richard G says
Any idea where to get the mobile office software for the krzr.
Eric says
I have tried to get a video to save as the wallpaper and/or my screensaver and it won’t let me pick video from the menu. I’ve seen this on my friends motorola phones and it went as far as to save it to the outside display as well. Any ides on how to make it work for this one? Thanks.
Joe says
I am also having the USB connection problem with my Verizon krzr. I have been through several levels of Verizon support - they are admitting there is a problem - no promise of when it will be fixed. Sounds like it’s only Verizon though because obviously others have got it to work. Any Verizon users successful?
Will says
Joe, Sounds like you and I went through the same garbage. I spent probably about 6-7 hours with the third tier support guys. Actually my phone says it’s “connected” and is recognized by my computer. WMP simply will not acknowledge it. My Wifes laptop Sync fine, the only difference I can see is that I have WMP 10.00.00.4036 and she has 10.00.00.38xx. I forget the exact last digits but she seems to have a slightly older version and I have no idea how to get mine to that exact version.
By the way, any music downloaded by Music Match Jukebox has a DRM such that if you transfer it to the flash card with a card reader, the phone will say there is no liscense and will not play. That’s absolutley retarded, I’m not going to pay twice for my whole collection.
Does anyone know of a good DRM stripping program??
ali says
Whats the song on the krzr tv add??
Eric says
I downloaded music last night via windows media player 10 with a standard USB connection and the motorola supported driver. no issues. (XP as the OS) Any idea on getting video to play as a screensaver and/or wallpaper?
sahas says
Jeff:
There is a backlight setting in the menu which can be changed from 7, 10, 15, or 30secs. Or setting to to never turn of blacklight will also work. However this will drain battery and isn’t recommended.
ridingsonthewall:
There is no way what so ever to do something as big as rewriting an entire firmware with that of another phone’s one. Only software upgrades possible is by taking it to the Verizon store for upgrades.
ALL People with WMP Errors:
Plugin your phone and go to the Device Manager in My Computer. Select your device and uninstall the driver. Pull out the cable, uninstall any software you installed for this to work, and restart you machine. Try installing the software provided above, and plug in your phone again.
Richard G:
You can purchase the Office Software from Verizon’s Store.
Eric:
The current software firmware on the phone doesn’t support setting a video as a background or a screensaver. However it might become possible once a new firmware is released. Either way we don’t recommend it because it is a amazingly big battery drainer.
Jonathan says
@ridingsonthewall: You should be able to take the KRZR in to an Alltel store and pay them to flash it with the Alltel KRZR firmware. Since Verizon and Alltel are on the same network, all you have to do then is take it back to the Verizon store and have them re-activate it (making sure to tell them not to flash the phone). Then you’ll have the easy-to-use default Motorola user interface.
Will says
Found a DRM stripping program. Works very nicley. Go to http://jamesholden.net/fairuse4wm-download/ for it. Takes a minute to figure out how to use it but is not hard at all.
Adam says
Is there a way to get the Motorola user interface back on a Verizon KRZR? Someone said I could talke it to an Alltel store but as I am in NYC there are no Alltel stores. Any other way to do this?
marsel says
@jonathan you can activate a verizon phone on the internet at their site, this would make it MUCH easier and you dont have to pay. i called them on the phone and they said there was some sort of fee but its free at their website. now if only we can get a handle on the alltel firmware. come on someone!!
ridingsonthewall says
I tried all day to get this thing connected to my pc using motorola phone tools. No dice. I followed the directions in a post here using the v3c interface but it would not initialize. Getting very frustrated. I bought it from verizon online and refuse to take it in to pay $10 to transfer my phonebook. This should not be this difficult. Figure it out Verizon! For crying out loud. Motorola people - I’m sure you made a very fine phone. It seems that Verizon would like to ruin it for some strange reason.
Will says
ridingsonthewall, I had the same experience, I tried to update the phone tools to the latest but still no go. It will probably work if you go buy the Verizon tools, (basically they are trying to steal the money that belongs to Motorola for creating the phone tools). Verizon has really made this lame. I probably will not buy a Verizon phone next time (that’s if I don’t decide to take this one back sooner).
By the way, does anyone use “BitPim”, any luck with that?
marsel says
@adam you can check motox.info or howard forums, im trying to do the same thing but nobody has had any luck so far as i can see, i think its cuz no one has leaked the original ui yet, you pretty much have to wait for an update to appear and then someone to leak it so we can finally change it. hopefully its soon cuz the verizon ui sucks huge floppy donkey ****.
Joe says
sahas:
All (or at least most of)the people with WMP errors really do know what they’re doing. The phone is not working and Verizon knows about it but hasn’t been able to fix it yet. Obviously some krzr phones are working but I haven’t yet seen anyone with a Verizon phone say they’ve got the USB drivers to work.
Walt says
i have a question. i have a bunch of ringtones, have them set to play for certain contacts, yet every time the phone rings, i still get my default ringtone. anyone else having this problem and know how i could fix it? thanks.
marsel says
@walt how did you get them on your phone? i would restart my phone so the phone regenerates its ringtone file, then you should be able to tell it to play certain ringtones for contacts. thats all i had to do for mine to get it to work. always restart your phone after adding anything to it. at least thats what i do after working with p2k commander.
Moto says
can you listin to music on the Krzr K1m with out the head set?
Gary Yakstis says
The Moto KRZR has a defect. Although I have only had mine for just under two weeks I am now on my 4th KRZR phone from Verizon Wireless. The backlight on the keypad is defective and does not stay on per the software settings. Often the light does not come on at all. After four KRZRs Verizon has said there is a manufacturer defect from Motorola and the are working on a fix. Despite this one flaw it (which will hopefully be fixed soon) this is still one great phone in terms of style and use.
Will says
I can listen to music with the speaker phone just fine. Just start the player with no headset jack in and it should automatically play through the speaker. I don’t find it very enjoyable because it sounds like there’s no bass and all treble but knock your self out.
sahas says
Good and Bad news for you. Good News first, your phone isn’t defective. The KRZR has a light sensor which only lets the keypad backlight turn on when it is dark. (KRZR BacklightImage) This helps save the phone’s battery life. Try placing you finger over that spot circled in the image and opening the phone. You’ll realize what it is actually doing. Bad News, you unfortunately have been wasting probably hours doing the exchange process with Verizon. I’m surprised that people at the store are not aware about this feature (non-bug).
Richard G says
I am working with a Verizon KRZR first of all… I purchased a music kit and a Mobile office kit from Vreizon, both of which were for the RAZR not the KRZR. They do not have a kit for the KRZR and can not tell me when they might. I can now charge the KRZR from my lap top, sync with windows media player and make a phone call. I can not however seem to get the Quicklink mobile phone book software to recognize the KRZR nor can I get my PC to recognize the KRZR through the USB cable. Does anyone have any experience getting over these hurdles? Thanks
marsel says
richard g download the motorola software update program and run it, then connect your phone. this should get the krzr to be recognized by other programs. it certainly works when you want p2kcommander to connect with it.
Elizabeth says
I got my phone to connect and everything is gravy here is what verizon sent me to do - Please follow the steps below to enable Windows XP to properly detect
the KRZR:
1. Download the necessary patch from this link:
http://support.vzw.com/pdf/Sync_Music_Fix.exe
2. Power the handset on.
3. Connect the USB cable to the PC & the KRZR handset.
4. Click on the download “Sync_Music_Fix” to run the program. Upon
completion it will display “Done”.
5. Power the handset off.
6. Disconnect the USB cable from the PC & the handset.
Once the above steps are completed, you can return to Windows Media
Player and select the music you wish to sync to the KRZR and continue with
the steps below:
1. Power the handset on.
2. Reconnect the handset to the PC with the USB cable.
3. On the KRZR, press “OK” to select the “MENU”.
4. Select “Get It Now”.
5. Select “Get Tunes & Tones” then press “OK”.
6. Select “Sync Music” and press OK.
7. Windows Media Player will launch and the KRZR should now show
“Connected”.
Then…I went to the control panel and went to Add Hardware, and added an mtp device and now it works. Hope this can help someone maybe?
Walt says
unfortunately, shutting off and turning on the phone doesn’t reset the tones for my ringer. is anyone else having this problem? where you set ringtones for certain callers, and have a default tone, yet EVERY call comes up with the default tone? thanks!
Scott says
lol @ the backlight issue. I can’t believe they thought it was a defect. It’s amazing how little the people at Verizon know. **help help there are voices coming out of the back of the phone … oh wait my phone’s not defective I accidentally pressed speakerphone**
myke says
@Walt… Do you have the
“call vibrate” option turned on in your phone? I’ve read that with it on, it will ring the default every time, another stupid bug. menu>sounds setting>call sounds>call vibrate>off.
Also, I was able to get to get mp3 ringtones to work. I used a sound editing program (soundforge), took the section I wanted to use, saved it as an mp3 at 64kbps to save space, and emailed it to my phone. When recieved, I just viewed it and saved it, it was then selectable with my ringtones. At first I tried the older midi format method, and that didnt work. I believe the files need to be less then 250kb for this to work. Hope this helps.
Joe says
Elizabeth’s solution worked for my USB problem. Still waiting for the call back from Verizon support.
Walt says
thanks for the help with the ringtones about vibrate.
also, i have tried to e-mail myself through e-mail providers, as well as e-mailing them to come up as a text message, but yahoo and hotmail don’t allow me to view attachments, and when i send them as a text to my phone, they don’t even come up. still curious as to how i get these on my phone.
myke says
I use gmail, and simply send them as attachments, works every time.
Don says
Walt, I am having the same problem with my Verizon KRZR. I downloaded serveral ringtones using Get It Now and one ring tone I set as my default tone and that works ok. But when I set up a ringtone for individual names in my contact list it still just rings the default tone I have set up. I exchanged it once and it still does this. I have tried turning my phone off and taking the battery out to reset it and it worked once but only once then it started acting up again and now it wont work again. I need to know if I have to take it back again.
Gary says
Sahas…
Thank you so much for this info on the KRZR. I indeed have spent many many hours dealing with this. The interesting part is Verizon Wireless tech support has now determined this (apparently wrong) as a manufacturers software defect and said that a fix is on the way (told in person at VZ HQ and on their phone support line.) In their partial defense perhaps there will be a software change which will assist in the control of the light sensor. I only wish I know about it earlier…..
I spoke with Motorola Tech Support the other day for 45 minutes. They suggested that I return my KRZR to a Moto Repair Shop, an hour away, and they will take the phone for approx 14 days and repair it for me. Oh joy - imagine my delight…… So - question for you - how did you find this out?? If it is the manual I will be embarrassed - but still would love to know Thanks again - Gary
Tami says
what is the smart button key to turn vibrate on?
suBi says
Elizabeth…. i love you… i was gettin pissed since i couldn’t sync my phone…with WMP…. now it does… u’re awesome…. just gr8… i got my fone today…. thanx a lot…..
jason says
hi, i am looking to get a krzr k1m and i chose this phone because i was going to get the new ipdo nano as weel but as long as i buy a 2gb memory card it would save me money. the question i have is if i listen to alot of music will the battery die fast or is it decent to where i could listen to say an hour of music a day and use the phone moderatly and maybe have to charge it every 1 or 2 days?
Walt says
odd, because on mine, it won’t let me view attachments at all on my phone, regardless of whether i try gmail, yahoo, or hotmail to send it from or check it through. i have even tried sending it as a text, but it doesn’t even show up as anything attached.
moto says
yes, How many songs can you put on the KrZr K1m, with the stock memory? oh and thanks Will for your help!!
Werner says
I downloaded the software for the krzr that is at the top of this page and that did not work and I also did what elizabeth said and i still cannot connect my krzr k1m to my computer(it says Connect Failure.) and when it pops up new hardware found, the wizard comes up and i hit install recommended and it searches and cannot find the neccessary software to install the drivers and i have the disk in that came with my music package from verizon. I talked to the people at verizon and they said that there will be new software coming out for the krzr by Oct 31 at this site: http://www.verizonwireless.com/musicessentialsmanager
Hopefully that does come out, but if not maybe someone can help me out?
sahas says
Gary:
I had the same issue with the keypad light not turning on. I realized it was a light sensor when I had my finger between the screen and keypad and was flipping the phone. :)
Jason:
Battery life is definitely not as good as the new iPod or iPod Nano. Plus if you are using it as a phone as well it may not last two days. But since you mentioned that you will only listen to music for about an hour at max. It may just end up working for you.
Walt:
Same issue, emailing worked with the last generation phones, but hasn’t worked for me either.
moto:
KRZR has about 20MB of internal memory. So about 5 songs if each one is 192kbps and about 3mins.
P.S. Check back soon for a review on the White Chocolate and possibly the improved gray KRZR K1m both for Verizon.
Tiffany says
As everyone is saying, I too had problems with my usb to my Krzr. But following Elizabeths instuctions I got the stupid thing to work. Anyhow, my current issue is that I sync music to my SD card, and when I go into get it now music and tones then my music the screen wont upload. Help?
Eric says
To Myke/Anyone~
I emailed myself a music file (64kbps and small file size… 70KB) and now I do not have any sound. I can hear people talk when they call but there is no sound for ringtones or alarms or anything out of the speaker. I talked to a motorola tech and he got nothing. We went through all the vibrate settings that could keep me off and I did a poweroff as well as a battery removal and re-insert. Any ideas on why I have no speaker function or how to get it back…. any and all help would be appreciated. NOTE: The music tone shows up as a ringtone, but when you play it, you can not hear that either.
Thanks.
Jamespark says
There is no Alltel dealers around where I live also. Is there any software/hacking program out there to change the red bars? It’s so unattractive, and yes, I hate being a walking advertisement for Verizon also.
Logan says
I’ve followed the steps elizabeth provided to properly sync music……..however when i try to sync it says connection failure. Is there a specific motorola cable i need to use, because im just using a standard mini usb cable now. When i plug it into my pc it still says that its found the KRZR K1m, but the sync feature wont work
Edit: One more thing, the buttons on the front of my screen doint light up at all and are completely inactive. Any ideas on how to activate this feature, im a verizon customer.
Edit: I have this same problem too. Loook to the left of your ringtone, do you have a lock symbol there? I have a lock symbol and my phone will not play any audio files
KT says
Hi, I was just wondering if anyone know how to transfers music or picture from a SD card to the Krzr? Also is there any way to set up as a ringtone? After reading all the comments I am still confused about my phone and I am completely geting frustred
MKK says
This topic rocks, I downloaded the software from the link given above by sahas and the patch by Elizabeth, and my KRZR K1m was up and running in 5 minutes with mp3s. Unfortunately I havent bought a memory card yet, so am limited by the internal memory, so transferred few songs. Thanks guys for all the info!
I wish I could use these as ringtones too….
Ray says
I have been able to transfer mp3’s from my PC to the KRZR, but can’t set my mp3’s as ringtones. Has anyone else been able to set mp3’s as ringtones or know if this phone is capable of doing that? If so, please help…if not, I feel like I’ve been terribly mislead by motorola and verizon…
Marian says
How do you transfer or edit phone book from k1m/L7c phone? I did installed USB drivers and they work is there a program like it is for Motorolla V710 ?
Jay says
I have a micro sd card in my Verizon k1m and i am able to put music on it and everything works fine. i still havent got all of the things worked out w/ connecting it to my computer but im not to worried about that. I’m looking for a way to get my ringtones to the phone. i can create .mid ringtones which seem to be the format the default tones on the phone are in but i cant get my own on there. i have tried getting it to set a song as a tone and i have tried emailing a tone to the phone from gmail. any ideas?
KT says
How do you transfer the music from the sd card to the phone. Can you give me directions because I am having a hard time. Also, is the front of the phone, suppose to light up, meaning the play and forward buttons by default or is there a way to turn it one. Or mines is just another problem with the phone. This phone has given enough problems and I wish you guys can help if not, then I don’t like this phone.
Logan says
For anyone having the same problem as i did ( the ringtones were locked up and you couldnt play them but they worked when someone called) i had to trade in my phone for a new one….my new one seems to be doing fine, and now the blue buttons work and the music transfer was successful
dhruv says
is thier a way i can use the mp3s on my krzr to play like ringtones?? i would like to know
Will says
Ok so I just got two different stories from verizon. The phone support said you’re supposed to be able to make ringtone files and put them on the flashcard and use them as ringtones. The store said no this phone does not have the capability to bring in outside ringtones and that you can only BUY new ringtones from the online store.
So now I’m working on returning this phone and getting th LG 8300 which my roomate got free software called “bitpim” that syncs his music, calender, phone contacts, pics, and ringtones all for free and never had any problems. Ringtones are playable on that phone and the music player can be started with the phone closed, all of which cannot be done without spending $60 at Verizon and the tech support line cannot even support.
By the way there is a bug with the K1m phone firmware in that if an alarm is going and you hit the talk button on the bluetooth device, the phone locks up and you have to remove the battery to restart (meanwhile the alarm goes on forever!).
Tiffany says
Um-Alot of you guys have commented that you got your Micro Card to play music on your phone, help?-
Steve says
Anyone know how to sync this phone with a Mac? I have all of my contacts in Address Book and Entourage and would like to just dump them into the phone either via USB or Bluetooth. Has Verizon disabled this capability?
Pete says
i have been having trouble getting my songs to load from my MicroSD memory card. its like my phone freezes every time i try to load the musc files and the my phone temporarily loses service. i think it might be a defect in the phone or maybe in the card. i have no idea. is anyone having the same problems or knows how to fix it ?
Kieran says
Ok, so i was transferring pictures from my imac to my new Krzr via bluetooth, and i know that since the Krzr doesnt have much internal memory to make the file small (but this was an photoshop edited picture, planned to be set for my background) so i changed the quality of the picture and got it down to 2mb (i know still fairly large, but i didnt think it would be a problem) so i transferred it, thinking that my phone would accept it, it did. The only problem is that when i tried to se the new picture it was just a blank image (this is also what happens when i try to set it as a background). Cant say i have a clue about whats wrong, but i dont want what little space is on the phone, to be taken up by a blank image. And thats not even the biggest problem, i dont know if its the format of the photo, but i can only see the blank image when i try to set my wallpaper, like, it doesnt even exist in my pictures folder, which is considerably stupid considering i cant delete it. Wondering if you guys can help me out?
Tim says
I have the KRZR too and installed the MPT. Whenever I try to open the phonebook or calander or anything, I get the message “This function is not available…bla….bla…bla.” What am I doing wrong?
Thanks, Tim
Matt says
Could you go to a Sprint store to get the Motorola user interface back onto a Verizon KRZR?
Pete says
Sprint JUST listed the KRZR for sale on their website, and I’m not sure if it’s even in the stores yet. It was to come to the stores within the 1st 2 weeks of Nov.
Ray says