Puffed-up cell phones: Handsets that didn't quite live up to their hype
Kent German, Senior Editor January 16, 2007
There's lot of hoopla when it comes to cell phones, and many handset introductions are preceded by months of hype and tons of publicity. Just consider Apple's recent iPhone announcement as tech writers--CNET included--fell over themselves to report the latest tidbits even before Steve Jobs made it official. Unfortunately, anything that gets too much attention before it hits store shelves has great potential to disappoint, as the phones in reality can't live up to our frenzied expectations. We show you four cell phones that suffered this fate. The Motorola Q for Verizon Wireless brought thin to the smart phone, but we weren't wowed by the limitations to its wireless capabilities. Verizon's much-heralded LG VX8500 Chocolate was indeed pretty, but its touch-sensitive controls were too much trouble. The Bang & Olufsen Serene earns points for a unique design, but it's nowhere near worth its $1,000-plus price tag. And speaking of expensive, the Motorola Razr V3i Dolce & Gabbana had plenty of bling, but it was all a bit much for us. Not to mention that we're somewhat over the whole Razr design, as well.
| Product name | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | $98.99 | $2.87 to $13.99 | $91.49 |
| CNET editors' rating | |||
| Average user rating | |||
| Review date | May 24, 2006 | August 03, 2006 | October 27, 2006 |
| The Bottom Line | The Motorola Q lives up to much of the hype by offering good call quality, an excellent multimedia experience, and the essential productivity tools, all wrapped up in a sexy little package. | Though the LG Chocolate is beautifully designed and offers a respectable mix of features and performance, it doesn't quite live up to the hype. | With mixed performance and a standard feature set, the Motorola Razr V3i Dolce & Gabbana ultimately is a design-first phone. |
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| Features | |||
| Cellular technology | CDMA | CDMA2000 1X | GSM |
| Band / mode | CDMA 800/1900 | CDMA2000 1X 1900/800 | GSM 850/900/1800/1900 (Quadband) |
| Wireless Interface | Bluetooth Infrared (IrDA) | Bluetooth | Bluetooth |
| Weight | 4.1 oz | 3.5 oz | 3.5 oz |
| Service Provider | Info unavailable | Verizon Wireless | T-Mobile |
| Full specifications | Full specifications | Full specifications | Full specifications |
| Buying choices | | | |
