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- Average user rating: 2.0 stars out of 61 reviews Back to product review
- My rating: 0 stars
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2 out of 2 people found this review helpful
2.0 stars
"Fatal flaw with Bluetooth using Voice Command"
Pros: cool looking, sturdy case, thin
Cons: Bluetooth limited, heavier than other phones, newer phones are just better
Summary: First off, not all Razr phones, even the same model #s are not created equal. Each mobile company has a its own version, with its own software version. Even keypad layout is different. So when reading reviews or asking friends for their opinion, make sure not only the model number is the same but it?s also Sprint?s, Cingular?s or whatever company you?re with.
Secondly, I only use a cell phone to make/receive calls. I could care less about web access, text messaging or camera. I have other much better quality digital equipment for the rest of that stuff.
All I ask out of cell phone is great reception, lightweight & ease of use. Every year I take advantage of Sprint?s 30 day trial & try every new phone that comes out. I?ve always gone back to my 6 yr old Sprint scp-6000 which is still the greatest, smallest & lightest phone ever made.
Only reason for changing phones now was to go Bluetooth. To cut the cord. Bluetooth headsets have come a long way in even a year to where call quality & battery life is good enough to be used regularly.
And on this point, the Razr has a fatal flaw. Receiving calls is no problem. You never have to touch the phone to answer or end a call. But it is impossible to access Sprint?s Voice Command without using the phone keypad.
If you don?t know (and most Sprint sales reps don?t even know this), Voice Command is a feature that allows you to enter up to 500 contacts with multiple phone numbers directly onto Sprint?s website. It?s way easier than entering all that data via a phone?s tiny keypad so it?s easy to enter or even upload numbers you rarely call but made need at a critical moment while on the road. The data is tied to your phone number so if you lose the phone, your data is still safe. It?s the best $5/mo spent.
To dial, you simply press * SEND from your phone and via simple voice commands tell the system who to call, what number to dial or to read back a specific contact?s phone number if you need to write it down.
Yes the Razr and all new phones have their own phone voice command feature built in but the quality of their voice recognition software, built into a tiny cell phone, can?t compare to Sprint Voice Command which resides on a huge computer system.
With the Razr or any other cell phone I?ve tried, I always have to correct the voice recognition software. It misunderstands every other call or number I read out. I never have a problem using Sprint?s Voice Command. It?s like calling Sprint directly, a major credit card company or airline. Their voice directed voicemail always understands what you?re saying.
As I said, this is where the Razr fails. With most other phones (like the new Samsung M500), I can create ?phone book? or ?voice command? as a contact and simply enter * as the phone number. From my Bluetooth, I simply use the phone?s built-in voice recognition system to ?call phone book? or ?call voice command? and I?m automatically put into Sprint?s Voice Command where I can access all of my contacts. So I can literally spend all day answering & making calls from my Bluetooth headset without touching my phone. And without using the phone?s own voice recognition & repeatedly correcting it.
But Razr will NOT allow me to enter * as a phone number for a contact. So the only way to access Voice Command is to pull out the phone and physically push the * key. And having to always keep the phone out handy to dial * to get a number I can?t remember OR when I'm fed up with Razr?s own software repeatedly getting my command wrong & I decide to dial the number manually, defeats half the benefit of going Bluetooth. Plus, because of its thin design, unless you?re a woman with nails, it?s a tricky maneuver opening the phone with one hand while driving.
Otherwise, I was impressed with Razr?s reception. Got a strong signal in areas where normally I can never make a call. And tho others complain about slow software response, I didn?t notice it. But then they may be texting or using other features I don?t.
It?s a great looking phone and I really wanted to like it but it failed for the one reason I was trading up. Otherwise, if you don?t use a headset, always dial via keypad & carry the phone in a bag or purse, you should be happy with this phone.
In the end, I got the Samsung M500 which is way better, a lot lighter & smaller. Plus it has a 2.5mm port for a wired headset if my Bluetooth fails. I can spend all day on the phone without ever taking it out of my pocket, and where I first thought the Razr was so thin & light, it now feels like a brick in my pocket compared to the Samsung.
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