Moto KRZR Review (Verizon) 382
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
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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.
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.
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?
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
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.
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.
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.
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
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?
[Comment ID #37435 Will Be Quoted Here]
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.
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??
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??
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
You can access the music externally but the play list is automatic in alphabetical order. To do it you press any of the side buttons so the ext. controls light up, then press and hold the play button for about 5 seconds then the controls will become brighter and music will play.
We purchased our daughters KRZR this summer and her phone has not worked proper 20 minutes out of the store doors. The battery does not hold a charge for more than 24 hrs regardless of use. Her phone freezes on a constant basis. Takes us more than one day to empty her Inbox and Sent box because the process is so slow and we have to re-start the process numerous times. And her most recent problem is whenever she places her phone on silent mode, the phone still rings. HaHa.
This is a nice phone, looks great, works great with a lot of neat features. As far as transferring your existing MP3’s to this phone, forget about it with Verizon Wireless. They apparently disabled this feature so that you can only have the VCAST songs downloaded. A bummer. I was thinking of getting the mini SD card and transferring my MP3’s to the card and then installing the card into the phone. Any other ideas?
[Comment ID #39145 Will Be Quoted Here]
Ken the best method is to go with the mini sd card. Most come with the adapter so transferring files will be quicker. The kit that they provide is about useless, great for syncing but other than that only to sync to VCAST. Just remember it is a bit of a battery hog when watching vids, or music. Sounds great though if pointing in the right direction.
this phone was perfect when i first got it….but the motorola repair department ended up seeing more of it than i did. i had to send it back about 4 times. once to fix a lifted faceplate, and 3 times to fix a blown little speaker. i was ok with this, because i got the phone back and it was working.
now my internal screen doesnt work…so i send it back, and the return it unrepaired saying that it was liquid-damaged. funny….the sticker in the back area of the phone tells me differently. if the phone was damaged by water, it would have showed on that sticker…that’s the sticker’s job right? i guess if the repair department did what they were supposed to do ( fix an expensive phone that is on warantee) this might have been a good phone. but without good customer and repair service, any tech-style motorola phone is a mere waste of money. shame on motorola for converting me to another brand.
Rounin, I received a Kingston 2GB memory card plus usb micro reader from Buy.com for about $25. Installed, works like a charm. The only thing I needed to do was make sure that the song files were placed into the my_music file on the card. This music player in the phone is not bad at all! After 6-hrs of trying to install software and synch-ing music, this is a refreshingly easy “modification.” Thank you for your help.
[Comment ID #39221 Will Be Quoted Here]
No problem, Im glad it worked for you.
Is there a way that I can change the way I view my text messages?
currently, I can’t see who sent me the message, I can only see the number.
Help please !
[Comment ID #39432 Will Be Quoted Here]
Hi Erika, just make sure that that person that is sending you text is in your contact list and it will show up with the person sending the text. The only reason the number would show up is if the person is not in your contact list. Hope this helps.
Rounin says
Is there a way that I can change the way I view my text messages?
currently, I can’t see who sent me the message, I can only see the number.
Help please !
by Erika – December 21, 2007 at 7:14 pm
Hi Erika, just make sure that that person that is sending you text is in your contact list and it will show up with the person sending the text. The only reason the number would show up is if the person is not in your contact list. Hope this helps.
Hello,
I have all the names in my contacts, and my friends have the same phone as me, and theirs show the names, so I took my phone back to the dealer, and she told me that all motorola phones dont show the names of the people who sent texts and who you sent them to.
I feel like she lied, because all the phones my friends have do show the names..
what do I do now !?
oh, and in my outbox it just says my number and the message..
and not the person i sent it to, or their number ?
is there something wrong with my phone ?
or are they all like that ?
i’m thinking its just me..
Does anyone have experience with the Motorola Bluetooth Car Kit – T605? I’d like to hook this up in my car! http://www.motorola.com/motoinfo/product/details.jsp?globalObjectId=174
[Comment ID #39469 Will Be Quoted Here]
I don’t think its you. Who is the service through? Verizon Wireless, Cingular, TMobile? And are your friends on the same service. I looked at my phone and I didn’t see anywhere that you would make the change from number only to contact listed names, I am on verizon and I have run some updates, but I know before the updates the phone did still show the names as long as it was in the contact list. Sorry if this is not alot of help. And if the dealer told you that it doesnt show names, the krzr’s, rizr, razor do show the names on texts and the sentbox. Actually even my cheap cingular crappy phone shows the name as long as they are in the contact list. So again someone that didnt know what they were talking about. Instead of saying honestly I dont know but let me find out instead you always get the ones that show you on the phone well its not working on yours so now all the phones in the world does the same thing which is nothing. As they say put the information on 3 websites and people will believe it to be true :)).
[Comment ID #39483 Will Be Quoted Here]
I guess I should read :)). Ok so you are on verizon wireless, and mine does show the contact and not the number. So I would suggest taking your phone to the Verizon Wireless Store, not the 3rd party that sells Verizon Wireless phones. Contact customer service to find the closest to you. And well if it was actual Verizon owned store, then talk to a manager or a elite member and they can assist you. Don’t go to the ones in the mall.
I am on Aliant. I live in canada.
but I don’t think the Carrier should affect the actual phone should it ?
my friends are all on aliant as well.
[Comment ID #39514 Will Be Quoted Here]
No the carrier should not matter, the only thing I noticed is just your available languages, English and French. Do you have it set to French? Or see if you can change the language and see if it will make a difference and then change it back. And if your friends are on the same carrier and has the same phone then it should be working. The only other thing is to have Aliant default the phone back to as if you bought it, and re-enter your contacts and have someone text you.
No the carrier should not matter, the only thing I noticed is just your available languages, English and French. Do you have it set to French? Or see if you can change the language and see if it will make a difference and then change it back. And if your friends are on the same carrier and has the same phone then it should be working. The only other thing is to have Aliant default the phone back to as if you bought it, and re-enter your contacts and have someone text you.
I have it set to English, but i will re-set it.
and if that doesn’t work, I will take it back and do what you suggested !
Thanks !
Erika
Thanx guys, you’re a big help :)
my KRZR’s front music lights will not turn off. the music player IS OFF and i dont even have any music on it, but the lights with the play and skip buttons remained lit up for as long as my screen is lit. i have had it for awhile and it did not do this before at all. i thought the lights were supposed to not be lit up when the player was off …???
[Comment ID #39654 Will Be Quoted Here]
Did you run any updates from motorola? If you did that is what caused it. I also did not have the lights come on, but now when i touch the button to the side the play button lights up. If you did not run the update, then I dont know. I know mine did not do this till I updated. Also is your video now zooming closer without the resolution changing? Or the pic taking is zooming but the numbers are not changing?
I have tried several bluetooth headsets with the KRZR with no success. After about 10-20 minutes, the person on the other ends says my voice is breaking up. Has anyone else had this problem??? Does anyone successfully use a bluetooth and if so, what kind???
In response to earlier comments (and the review above) about not being able to access the music player externally, that has changed (for new Verizon phones, at least). I can confirm that pressing and holding the left smart button on the phone turns on the player and lets you use the touch controls without opening the phone.
I need help…. i just got my new KRZR K1M and i was trying to figure out how to put the mp3 songs that i have as my caller id’s but it wont work. On my last KRZR, the blue one, it was super easy to do. Everything is on my memory card but it wont read off it. I looked at the details and i says it could be applied as one. There is no other way i can figure this thing out.
[Comment ID #39791 Will Be Quoted Here]
If the phone is like a verizon phone then it is locked down. And you have to place your custom ringtones in the phones internal memory. And it does not pull from the phones mini sd card.
“Corinthia says
I have tried several bluetooth headsets with the KRZR with no success. After about 10-20 minutes, the person on the other ends says my voice is breaking up. Has anyone else had this problem??? Does anyone successfully use a bluetooth and if so, what kind???”
I tried several different motorola bluetooths with the same problem. I finally ended up trying a Plantronics 510 that works great. I am told that I can be heard better with than without. Ebay- about $40.
I had no idea using the phone would be this difficult. My phone came with no memory card. Is it best to buy the card or to download the Motorola tools to transfer my songs to the phone?
[Comment ID #39888 Will Be Quoted Here]
Buy the mini sd card. And also buy a memory card reader. Most mini sd cards come with an adapter to adapt to the standard sd memory card. Its easier to upload songs via a reader then direct to the phone.
I have had this phone for almost a year and my battery is acting funny. It will charge for a short amount of time, then stop but say the battery is full when it actually isn’t. Then it dies down very quickly. Also, I have found that the front breaks very, very easily and is the case with anybody I have ever met who has had the phone. Doing it over again, I probably would not have purchased this model.
I have the same problem with my phone, it worked great for about 6 months, now it will not hold a charge. When I charge it, it says the charge is complete but after one use (no matter how short)the battery goes dead. Sometimes the phone blinks from black and white and will not work at all. I plan to take it back to Verizon this week.
Jenny, I just replace my battery for the exact same reason. Your battery is shot. Mine lasted 1.2 years. I recommend buying a Motorola battery. I bought a no-name battery and it was slightly thicker – the back cover would not close. I had a crappy case for the phone, so that held the back plate in place and I attempted to keep using it as I spent $40 and could not return the opened battery. However: 1) when charging, the phone says, “Unable to Charge”, even though it does charge; 2) the phone does not know anything about the battery life, so when the battery is about out, the phone will cut off and you have no warning. I ended up placing the no-name battery on a shelf of junk in my basement never to be used again and spent another $30 ($10 company discount, yea) on the Motorola battery.
Oh, and the only reason I bought the no-name battery in the first place was because I got fed up waiting in line at the stupid Verizon store at the mall. You might be able to get a no-name on-line for $20, but I wouldn’t bother. It’s ridiculous, though, because now you can get a krzr for $20 after a rebate (and a 2-year plan). WTF.
Does anyone know of a good Verizon phone similar to the krzr that has a flash? The only time I take pictures is when I’m drunk, and I’m usually drunk somewhere with poor lighting, which renders the camera completely useless. Really, is it that hard to put a little LED flash on these things?
Okay I uploaded songs using USB to my Krzr (finally) I even converted an mp3 into a ringtone. How do I assign the rintone to a contact or even move the ringtone (it is on the phone as a sound)to be able to actually use it as a ringtone?
[Comment ID #40008 Will Be Quoted Here]
FYI on the verizon Krzr phones, the ringtones have to show up in the ringtone list. If it is not there it cannot be a ringtone. Don’t know if the Cricket service is the same. If it is the same then the phone is locked down. Meaning you have to hack the phone. I believe you can send yourself a email with the mp3 attachment and i believe you can tell it to save it as a ringtone. Didnt do it myself, since all ringtones suck on the internet, and nothing in japanese jrock. So customed myself.
Just wanted to say thank you…..I’ve been having a Razr problem (’memory full’ error when trying to text) and Googled the crap out of the internet looking for a solution with no luck. But, I found the solution here and it worked — so thanks. Very, very much appreciated.
I have had my krzr for a couple of months. The front screen light comes on just sitting there. It freezes up a lot during texting. Last time I took the battery out and put it back in and it fixed it. That was about a week ago. It’s doing it again. It is also saying something about a picture message everytime I’m using the phone.
I got a Krzr about 4 months back. At first it worked fine, but then the battery mysteriously wouldn’t charge up any more. When I plugged it in with the charger the phone would say that it was charging, but it never actually would charge, even after HOURS of trying. I took it to a store to ask what was wrong with it, but they had no idea and just gave me a new one. I hope this doesn’t happen again…I wasn’t even able to get my contacts off of the old phone.