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MOTORAZR V3xxToday's entertainment features wrapped in yesterday's clamshell design. Price: $79.99 (with two-year contract and rebate)
By Mark Spoonauer 
"Not another RAZR." That's what we said to ourselves when we first picked up the V3xx from Cingular ($79.99 with a two-year contract and rebate). Fortunately, this svelte clamshell has more going for it than just a darker metallic-gray paint job. It's optimized for the carrier's music and video services, thanks to its high-speed HSDPA connectivity. It also boasts a higher-resolution screen than the original RAZR. Yes, the design feels recycled, but this thin phone delivers a lot for a low price.
The MOTORAZR V3xx looks virtually identical to the original RAZR V3 introduced nearly three years ago. It's about as thin as its predecessor, and this 3G-enabled version is only a bit heavier (3.8 ounces vs. 3.4). The metal finish up front looks stylish, but both it and the external display are fingerprint magnets. Inside, you'll find the familiar precision-cut keypad, which is plenty large for easy dialing. Above that is a subtle addition: a launch key for Cingular Video. (See our photo gallery.) Pressing that key brought us to the Cingular Video menu in a speedy 8 seconds, and from there most videos we selected started playing within a respectable 12 to 15 seconds, as long as we were within 3G range. A fee of $19.99 per month for MEdia Net grants access to a wide range of content from such partners as CNN, Comedy Central, ESPN, MTV, and NBC (HBO Mobile costs extra.). When we streamed a clip from "The Office," the picture was pretty smooth, and the audio and video stayed in sync. With a press of a button, you can also go full-screen when viewing videos on the 2.2-inch QVGA display; just hold the phone sideways to watch. Details got a little fuzzier in this mode, but we could still tell what Michael Scott was up to. Having HSDPA on board also means you can tap into 50-plus channels of MobiRadio ($8.99 per month), as well as 25 channels of XM Radio (also $8.99 per month). We tested a trial version of MobiRadio that included music, news, and weather; it took about 15 seconds to tune in. The reception was decent when we listened to Lenny Kravitz on the Rock channel, with only occasional hiccups. It was also easy to navigate the channel guide with the RAZR V3xx' large D-pad. You can also load your own music on the RAZR V3xx using its microSD Card slot. (It's located underneath the battery cover, but you don't have to remove the battery itself to access it.). The built-in music player supports AAC, MP3, and WMA files, and we like that you can multitask while listening to music, whether that means reading the latest news headlines or downloading a game. The bottom-mounted speaker delivered plenty of volume while we listened to music and watched TV. Like the Samsung Sync, there's no easy way to transfer tunes to this phone out of the box. You'll either have to use a microSD Card adapter or spring for a USB cable. Cingular's pricey Motorola Music Bundle kit ($39.99) includes a USB data cable to sync music from your PC, a corded headset to listen to music and make calls, and a 3.5mm headset adapter for connecting your own headset. Or you could go the stereo Bluetooth route and pair this phone with a set of wireless headphones or a wireless Bluetooth speaker like the Altec Lansing T515; we did both without a hitch. On the messaging front, the RAZR V3xx supports most of the major IM services (AOL, Windows Live, and Yahoo), and it grants quick access to mobile e-mail using the left soft key. Yahoo Mail worked fine for us, and we appreciated that the phone alerted us to new messages even when the mail application wasn't running. Too bad we could see only three messages on the screen at once. (Other e-mail options include AOL, AT&T Yahoo, Bellsouth, and MSN.) As expected, the 1.3-megapixel camera took mediocre pictures that were out of focus. That's a shame, because the high-speed HSDPA connection e-mailed one of our test photos to an e-mail account in just a few seconds. People looking for more resolution might want to step up to the new Motorola KRZR ($199 with a two-year contract and rebate) from Cingular, which, in addition to a 2-MP camera, sports a more contemporary design, although it's limited to the EDGE network. Voice quality was excellent in our tests. The RAZR V3xx delivered solid reception in Manhattan and New Jersey, as well as plenty of volume both indoors and outdoors. The talk time is an anemic 3.5 hours, which comes with the territory of owning an ultra-thin phone. For the price, we prefer the Samsung Sync because of its sharper 2-MP camera and external music controls. But RAZR fans looking for a little more multimedia meat on their phones won't be disappointed in this edition. View more photos of the MOTORAZR V3xx. Suggested Articles & Links:
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