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)
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372 comments.
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JOHN PALMER says
Yeah I just got the phone today I learned a few things about it so far ,and I like it. One thing I don’t know u can do is get all the numbers say if u have 3 numbers for one name can u get them to all be in the name instead of having like 3 different Amanda’s like one for her cell her house and her work or can you, Also when u text like on my old phone i could see the number I was texting is there any way I can see the number that I’m going to be sending it to .. If u read this and u know anything about it feel free to im me on BIGJOHNP73@AOL.COM thanks for ur help.
Ryan says
I just wanted to thank you guys for hosting the drivers. I would have lost it had they charged me for the drivers disk.
Binye East says
I recently purchased the Sprint KRZR and each time i try to listen to music (of course, after inserting the pre-packaged 64 mb mini sd), i get an error everytime. There is nothing noted in the manual about formatting the mini sd or anything of that matter. I tried using a friend’s mini sd in my KRZR and the same ordeal ensued. I’m getting very frustrated here. Does anybody know why my phone is not playing music right off the bat (and i assume, like it should because it was not noted otherwise). Sprint is not handling this situation very well, i went to their website and there was no trouble-shooting guide/tips on how to manage this miniscule of an ordeal (well, i love my music so it’s a quite problematic on my part). Somebody HELP ME PLEASE?!?! And if this means that i have to purchase some software or usb cord, then by all means this product was a 400 dollar SCAM!!! (sure the 30 dollar rebate was nice, but WTF?!?!).
Sincerely,
A Disgruntled KRZR User
P.S. I wish the text-box screen was larger. Other than that, i wish i knew what the music player was like so i could throw in my 2 lincoln pieces on that.
Beth Ann says
Have you put any songs on your memory card for them to be able to play on your phone? sprint dont have predownloaded songs on your memory card. Your memory card will actully only hold about 4-7 songs, so you need to buy a bigger one. To put songs on your memory card you either need memory card slots in your computer, or a usb cable that goes to your phone. So yes you have to buy extras for the phone.. also I dont know if your aware but you need a blue tooth as well to listen to it, unless you listen to it in speaker phone type. There are no plug ins for head phones.
So unless you pay to download your music from the sprint music store, you will need a bigger memory card, plus a usb cable to get the songs from your computer to your phone. Also why your out shopping pick up a blue tooth as well.. unless you dont mind other people listing to your music.
I have learned all this in the past week.. so if you have any other questions just ask.. ill try to help.
Pete says
Beth Ann….2 questions for you….How do you switch the player to play through Bluetooth? I can only seem to get it to spit out of the speakerphone, not from my bluetooth headset. Secondly, How do you transfer songs from your PC to the card? I have a USB cable but can’t access the phone or memory card or anything…am I not doing something correct? Do I need to get a card reader separately?
Binye East says
Dear Bethany Ann,Hun, I already uploaded music to the microsd device, which was the reason as to why i was so perturbed when it didn’t work. I’m sad (but feeling a ton better since you took the time to aid me, i should praise thee :P). Anywho, i am not going to give sprint anymore of my dough, thus, me not buying music through their site (and i have 100 plus gigs of music, which means i got more jams than Smuckers). Another thing is that I haven’t come across the headphone set for the sprint KRapZR yet. And to resort to the Bluetooth set? I’d rather not look like Mr. Spock just to listen to music. No Startrek for me, precious, and that’s Phareel.
Let me know if you find out anymore about wired-headphone peripherals for the device and the whole ordeal with the microsd not functioning properly.
P.S. I would assume that the (future) headphones for sprints krzr would work the same way as all the other provider’s versions of the krzr; plug-in through usb hole. Shows how much you know Beth ;)
Beth Ann says
Well if thats how you feel that how you feel. I am not an expert in no way.. nor have I claimed to be one. I just know what I have been told and what works for me! The guy at sprint said they do not have head phones for the krzrs, you have to buy a blue tooth. Now yes he could be wrong.. but again that is what I WAS TOLD… and actually after doing some online checking now YES you can buy headphones for the usb port. WHICH AGAIN.. I was told different by the guy that sold me the phone!!! I am not an expert nor have I claimed to be one so calm down. I am here trying to help people with the same problems I have had. If you dont like my answers dont ask the question! But yes you can buy head phones. I did a basic search for Motorola KRZR K1m Accessories. and it brought up a few good sites with krzr products. the first one I clicked was 18.95 with free shipping.. So it isnt priced bad.
[Content Moderated: --- ]
Beth Ann (not Bethany Ann) @)—
Austin Taylor says
i have not been able to get my phone to connect with the computer. i’m using a canon computer USB cable. my phone didn’t come with a cable so i had to improvize. do i need to buy the cable for $30
sahas says
As long as the cable you are using is USB 2.0 and is Type A to Type Mini B, you should be fine. Also make sure you install the drivers first!
Gary says
go to sound settings,option 2 call sounds,option 2 call vibrate, turn to off and all your ringtones should work
Jack says
I think that the krzr is the best phone i have ever had it plays music with great sound quality and i think that verizon has really reliable service the krzr rocks…literally
Double-O-Zed says
I tried everything listed above, the K1M was being recognized by XP, but not locating the drivers. I was at my whits end and planned on just going to bed and watching Seinfeld, but before I did I wanted to confirm the model #.
I pulled off the battery and….all the device drivers began to load one after another. Keep in mind that the phone had been disconnected several times and the PC rebooted at least 5 times including selective start-up.
David says
cant you sync with like blutooth?
chris says
I went through the frustration of hooking the k1m up via usb and having the driver error repeatedly. I even have Moto Phone Tools. But if you start MPT, get to the plug phone in screen, turn your phone off anf then on, and THEN plug it in… voila! At least for me that worked.
But, my goal was to be able to transfer pictures from the phone to my PC. Alas, MPT doesn’t do that. And yeah, I know I can email them off, but i don’t wanna do that and get charged for a text each time! Any suggestions? HELP!!!
MKK says
Chris,
I have not been able to download pics using the usb cable either. So I have taken the longer route: saved the pics to my microsd card, removed it and plugged it into my latop using the sd adapter ofcourse and then copied the pics. This works but its painful as firstly getting the microsd card out and in every time is a big pain due to its location under the battery.
chris says
I guess that is the only way then, unless I can get BitPim to work. (Can’t yet) Its crazy right? You buy a phone, expecting certain things with technology, but Verizon cripples the phones’ features. Its a shame that you have to go through so much trouble to get what you want from your phone. I can’t believe I have a Gig of storage (on the microSD car) and I can’t access it via usb. Someone needs to create drivers to make it show up like a jump-drive.
MKK says
I followed exact instructions given by TimA above and can FINALLY set any of my mp3s as ringtones :) Thanks!
No MPT needed, just download P2K and MSU online for free. Also I use the same USB cable which came with my canon, so no expenses at all!
MKK says
Chris
Using the same method described above by TimA (P2K Commander and MSU), I can now transfer pics from my KRZR K1m to my PC using the usb cable :) No more removing of microSD card needed!
chris says
OK Sweet! Making progress…
Now what version of P2k do you guys have? I dl’d p2kman.
I think it might be old. I’ll look for a different p2k.
You guys rock!
MKK says
I downloaded 3.2.2, perhaps later versions will work too, not sure..
Dave says
I’ve enjoyed the Krzr quite a bit, but I have a few inconveniences that may be caused by my ignorance, but regardless I thought I should share it.
The phone doesn’t prompt you when transferring files via bluetooth to choose a storage device, It goes directly to the phone, and once phone is full you are forced to manually move files to the T- Flash drive.
Also when personalizing you ringtunes, you must have it in the phones memory. If you want to have a ringtune that is currently in your T-Flash drive you must first free up some space in the phones memory then transfer the file from the T-Flash then select your ringtune. It sounds a little crazy now that I am typing it. Perhaps it is just me, but I’ve fiddled around with it for a few days now, just can’t seem to get around that problem.
If you know the solution to this, please feel free to contact me.
Pages: « 1 … 2 3 4 5 6 [7] 8 9 10 11 12 … 16 » Show All
9 trackback / pingbacks:
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