Motorola Krzr K1

Though we're not really sure why, Motorola chose to bump up the K1's camera to 2 megapixels over the 1.3-megapixel shooter on the CDMA K1m. You can take pictures in just four sizes (2 megapixel, 1.3 megapixel, 640x80, and 320x240), and in another change you get a selection of three quality settings. Other options include a multishot option, brightness and white-balance controls, a self-timer, six color effects, five lighting choices, an 8X zoom, and five shutter sounds (plus a silent option).The camcorder shoots clips in two resolutions (176x144 and 128x96) with sound; editing options are similar to the still camera. Videos meant for multimedia messages are capped at 21 seconds; otherwise you can shoot for as long as the available memory permits. Image quality was decent but not quite what we expected from a megapixel camera. Images were bit blurry, and colors weren't always sharp.

The Krzr K1 has decent photo quality.

Unlike the Krzr K1m, which supports Verizon's 3G EV-DO network, the Krzr K1 taps out at 2.5G EDGE networks. As a result, the phone is not optimized for streaming video or for downloading large files quickly. Also, instead of a full service music player capable of downloading tracks on the go, the K1 offers a rather generic Motorola music player instead. Though it works fine and supports MP3, AAC, and AAC+ files, the interface is a bit spartan, and the feature set is limited beyond playlist creation and repeat and shuffle modes. You must load music on the phone via Bluetooth or a USB cable.

You can personalize the Krzr K1 with a variety of wallpaper, screensavers, menu styles, and color skins. If you want more options or more ring tones, you always can download them via the WAP 2.0 wireless Web browser. Gamers get two Java (J2ME) titles: BlockBreaker Deluxe and Platinum Sudoku.

We tested the (GSM 850/900/1800/1900; GPRS; EDGE) Motorola Krzr K1 world phone in San Francisco using Cingular's service. Sound quality was comparable with Cingular's Razr V3 but was a tad sharper with more volume. On their end, callers said we sounded fine but they had more trouble hearing us in louder environments than on the K1m. We rarely had trouble getting a signal and experienced no interference from other electronic devices. Speakerphone calls sounded a bit hollow but with enough volume, and Bluetooth headset calls were satisfactory.

The Motorola Krzr K1 has a rated talk time of 5.8 hours and a rated standby time of 12.5 days. Our tests for the Krzr K1 blew us way with an amazing talk time of 9 hours and 14 minutes. According to FCC radiation tests, the Krzr K1 has a digital SAR rating of 0.9 watts per kilogram.