Moto KRZR Review (Verizon)

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]

Tags: bluetooth, krzr, microsd, motorola, phones, razr, vcast, verizon

posted by Sahas Katta in Mobile & Reviews
on 10/4/2006 at 01:32 AM with Comments (372) & TrackPings (9)

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372 comments.

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10/2/2007 05:55 PM

jessica says

can you do it under the verizon krzr and does it have to be on the memory or can it be on the phone?

10/4/2007 06:32 AM

Stephanie says

I got my Krzr about a month ago and I have been having on and off problems with the sound. Sometimes it works and other times it doesn’t. I don’t get it. I have to keep my phone near me so I can hear it vibrate when I have a call.

10/5/2007 01:42 AM

Eddie says

I hope some people read this before going into contract or paying full retail for the KRZR. I got my first KRZR in mid-March of 2007. Mid-May of the same year it had software problems. I took it to the store and got a new one. 30th of September of this year, that gets software problems. I took it back and got my third KRZR. That same day the face place flew off when I opened the phone to take a call. Finally VZW switched me to a different phone for free. TAke it from me, three KRZRs in six months. Only get the KRZR if you dont mind changing phones every two months.

10/6/2007 10:10 AM

Rose says

I have the KRZR and love it to bits. I think if you are stuck on which colour to get, the blue has plenty of character and if you are unsure about it first like I was- you will probably grow to like it within days, the grey is very nice with let me warn you, it’s GREY not SILVER and the black looks very classy but is a very man-like colour.

10/9/2007 02:00 PM

Andrew says

that same problem happened to me where it flickered black and then just goes back to the main screen. Ive had it for 3 weeks and its gone back to motorola for the repairs. Apprently it had to get a thin wire replaced that changes the screen from when you open it to when you close it. I like the phone and payed a lot of money for it and i hope it doesnt keep breaking like this.

10/12/2007 05:11 AM

Lee says

i bought a KRZR from Verizon the other day and i was trying to use the bluetooth with a friend of mine. he sent me some songs and they are now on my phone but i can’t figure out where they are on it. i know they’re there because he said when he searches he finds them using his bluetooth from his phone. can anyone help me?

10/13/2007 04:32 AM

Fabian says

I purchased a KRZR a few weeks ago, havne’t had any problems what so ever, neither have my friends, but I am on a Bell network, sounds like most of the problems with these phones are due to the Verizon Network, most people that has a problem with the KRZR seem to have it through Verizon

10/28/2007 07:43 PM

Molly says

HELP! i have just recently gotten a new krzr phone because i cracked my old one, i have tried today to put more music on it. I use a memory card and usb cord. I do not know why it is not working right. Whenever i plug in my phone with the usb cord, it says found new hardware and i try to install it and it says can not find hardware. I do NOT no what to do and it is really making me mad! help me pleaseee.

10/28/2007 07:47 PM

Lee says

well, i went into verizon the other day and asked them about my problem. apparently verizon has disabled ‘bluetooth’ from letting anyone trade files with their friends on different networks because they “don’t want something harmful getting into the ‘network’” so i swapped out my krzr for a motorola q. i couldn’t be more pleased with the switch. so hopefully this helps anyone else who had the same problems i did.

11/8/2007 01:08 PM

Don says

I just bought 2 Motorola K1m’s on 11/06/07. First thing I tried was to download music from my pc through a usb and WMP. Says can’t connect, doesn’t recognize it. OK…I started to hit the internet and found very few positives on the phone.I installed all the updates that Moto has, along with the supposed fix that verizon has and still doesn’t work. So I went into the verizon store where I bought it and they said you have to purchase the music kit or something like that. She said $30 plus tax. I said I am taking these phones back tomorrow. That didn’t phase them. I like LG better anyway.Thanks to all of you for showing me the way.

11/8/2007 01:36 PM

Ken says

hey yall,

It’s ken again. I ended up gettin rid of my K1M…..it was junk. After getting the updates and all, it still never worked right. The people on verizon, US Celluar and ALLTEL, all have these problems. I guess wehn MOTO redid this phone to CDMA, they had way too many glitches as the GSM model(ATT, etc.) work great. I swapped mine with Allter for the MOTOROKR Z6M and it works great. All of the problems that the krzr had, this one doesn’t. I havent had a single problem with it so far and it is great. let me know if anybody has more questions with the K1M since i still have one and some friends with it.

Ken

11/11/2007 03:10 PM

aileen says

hey,
whenever i try to send a txt or a pic message,
it keeps saying that my memory is full..
i already deleted all my txts,
turn it off and on
took out the battery and the memory card
and it still wont work!
does anybody know how to fix it?

11/13/2007 07:01 PM

Rounin says

hey,
whenever i try to send a txt or a pic message,
it keeps saying that my memory is full..
i already deleted all my txts,
turn it off and on
took out the battery and the memory card
and it still wont work!
does anybody know how to fix it?

by aileen - 11/11/2007 3:10 pm

If your trying to text and find that when you click on new message, and it tells you that memory is full, and there is like nothing in your in or out box. Here is the way I got it to get around the memory full issue.

Click on Message
Then Settings
Then All Messages
select auto erase —> it settings should be defaulted to Off, click on On.

Once you do this the memory full issue is gone. Now what else does it effect, well you will need to keep checking to make sure it is not causing other ills.

This could also be the reason for the screen going white and going so slow to read and send messages.

This worked for me, it might not for you but worth a try.

11/25/2007 07:45 PM

Elizabeth says

I have had the KRZR for about three months and it keeps flashing a white screen whenever i open it and also in the middle of text messages or any operation i preform on my phone. Also, when i close my phone, sometimes the usual time display doesn’t show but instead the Verizon symbol as if my phone was open. Any idea’s on what this could be?? Or things i can do to stop this??

11/26/2007 04:56 PM

Elizabeth says

12/2/2007 06:14 PM

elizabeth says

seriosuly this phone sucks.. ive only had it for mayube 4 months and everythime i type in numbers or a text or even a new contact, the numbers and letters take up to a minute to show up. it constantly freezes and misreads information.
dont but this

12/5/2007 02:13 PM