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"Awesome phone in all areas except...." on by irbrenda
Pros: Excellent clarity, reception, quick menus, nice camera
Cons: My only 2 gripes: no dedicated speakerphone, no voice talk
Summary: I was very leery about porting over from Verizon after being a customer for so many years but I fell in love with the AT&T version of this phone, as I had just gotten one for my boss the prior week.
The only thing I miss from my E815 is a dedicated speakerphone button which the Verizon version (V9M) has as well as the voice talk, where you can input numbers and the voice tells you what number you pressed as well as announcing what number it is dialing. I do not like leaving my phone open to use a speakerphone and AT&T was wrong when they said you can put the speakerphone on once on a call and then close the clamshell to talk. Nope, that cuts off your call.
Other than that, this is an awesome phone and I am very satisfied so far but it's only been a week. Time will tell.Updated
Not a big deal but it does not go off the opening splash screen on its own, as it does not close off the splash screen either but that existed from Day 1. Now, the only way to get onto the home screen is to hit the "End" button. AT&T said it needs to be exchanged, no questions asked, but they have none in stock so I have to wait. I still love the phone and it has worked very well.Updated
AT&T agreed it was a defect that hadn't seen yet and immediately changed it. So far, working as expected. It's a great phone. -
"Great update to the RAZR family of phones" on by jskyaz
Pros: love the larger external screen, the screen resolution compared to my old RAZR V3 is exponentially better, love the haptics, the 2mega pixel camera is excellent, great voice call quality
Cons: external side buttons are extremely small and almost flush with phone making them hard to access, shiny glass and metal exterior are very attractive but attract finger prints and smudges
Summary: I love my MotoRAZR2 V9!! I previously had a RAZR V3 and compared to that this phone is much improved. The haptics are awesome!! It would be nice to be able to read and or dismiss text messages / incoming calls, and reminders via the external screen's touch keys (the only thing the external screen's haptic keys are used for is the music player). I also wish there was a timeline meter for the song that is playing while the flip is closed. You can fast-forward/rewind using the external buttons but without a timeline (which is there when the flip is open) it is almost impossible to accurately guess how far you have moved in the song. The music player is easily accessed with the flip closed by pushing the external smart key. The call quality is excellent, the screen resolution really wowed me compared to my old V3. I bought mine directly from at&t and it shipped with micro usb charger, a mini usb to miccro usb adapter, and a micro usb to 3.5mm headphone adapter. I do not have a wireless stereo headset so I cannot review the bluetooth aspects... great phone feels very solid and luxurious... wouldn't go back to the old RAZR line after using the RAZR squared V9. Everyone I know comments on how beautiful it looks, even when I am not trying to show it off. =) A few tiny things that could be better, but nothing majorly lacking, overall I recommend it.
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"First Rate" on by G2Smooth
Pros: Beautiful finish, fast processor, voice/digit dial feature.
Cons: Easily smudged glass and finish, limited accessories available.
Summary: I have had this phone for a week and I am pleased with its performance. Motorola has done wonders with the new and improved GUI. The processor is very fast too.
It feels great and sturdy. Speaker is clear and sounds good.
iTap (T9) allows user generated dictionary.
Nice looking screens.
Callers say I sound very clear and the reception so far is outstanding. I love the new and improved contact list.
Efortlessly syncs with outlook and Windows Media Player.
Because this phone is so slim, Motorola used a Micro USB port. Unfortunately, there arent many accessories available yet with Micro USB connections but you can get a $10.00 adapter that reduces a Mini USB to a Micro so you can use your existing Mini USB data cable and car charger.
Flashbanger is incorrect, saying its a $600 phone. It's a $299.00 upgrade from AT&T -
"Good, not great" on by jb2c
Pros: Great looking phone, and a nice upgrade in the line, but not up to par with the latest and greatest
Cons: Lot of room for improvements
Summary: First, let me say I'm far and away no phone guru. So take that into consideration. But I have spent some amount of time going thru the V9. Just got the V9-ATT last week and have gone thru all the manual and tried it out. Biggest negative so far is that I can't email pics. But I assume that is an ATT problem, not a V9 problem. Sends messages fine, but can't view the pic when I receive the message on my computer. We'll see how that is resolved. It's a must have!
I also will say that I use my cell for business 99%. So I'm looking at it from that point of view. I'm finding that it isn't that well suited for the purpose. It seems better suited to a teenager for entertainment purposes than for a business person. I didn't want a PDA/Treo/Blackberry. Just a phone. But one that works for business. Only had it a short time, but overall am in the gray area on the V9.
The Good:
*The phone really looks classy. Love the color, although that is certainly personal preference. As most reviews mention, it does show alot of smudges on the front, but not a big deal for me. Definitely a 'statement' phone. I have a V3, and the v9 is larger, but not noticeably so. To give you a better idea on size, I am using my old V3 case for the V9. It's that close. The V9 is taller when open, and definitely harder to hold during calls. See negatives below on this point.
*Reception seems strong, but haven't had it in the fringe areas yet, so will reserve judgement for later there. This is very important for me. But I don't think I, or you, will be unhappy with the V9's reception.
*Like the feel of the phone overall, including keypad. Good feedback/easy to dial. Really feels like a well built, solid piece of telecomm equipment.
*Offers a nice array of features that gets you fairly up to date with today's technology. But it is lacking some things. See below.
*I don't live in a 3G area, but all the stuff I read prior to purchase indicates it would be very fast in a 3G area. And it's not bad with EDGE. It's useable for basic internet searches. I've got weather and Mapquest and a few other sites bookmarked, and it works well enough to use those. Still won't pull up other sites I need though, so it's no substitute for your laptop! But a good backup option.
*Good phonebook with plenty of entry options. It holds 7 numbers, 2 email addresses, street address, photo ID and ringer ID and notes for each of the 1000 possible address book entires.
*Not good memory compared to the other Razr2's, but it does offer the option to load a 2G card, which I'm sure everyone who buys this will do.
*Bluetooth to printer, other devices, stereo headphones, etc. I like the music player and stereo headphones option.
*Good 2.0MP camera with a few easy-to-use options to adjust the picture.
*Stores a bunch of 'Recent Calls', at least 100. This is a huge improvement over the V3, which only stored the last 10 Received and Dialed. Was told (by a call to Motorola actually) the V9 didn't change in this regard, but it in fact did. A big plus.
*Impressive screen displays in and out, especially compared to the original V3.
*Most importantly, it has good clear sound. What do you buy a cell phone for? If you're like most of the populace, it's to talk to someone. The V9 is a real winner here.
The Bad:
*No speakerphone when you close the phone. And it's feel and heigth make it harder to hold when open for extended conversations. Moto, listen up here! Others have said their speakerphone works when closed, but the mic either doesn't work or doesn't function well. Mine simply disconnects the call if I close the flip. Needs to work closed as well as open!
*Not a biggie, but the speakerphone needs a little more volume. It's not bad, but I'd like more.
*Poor battery life. From what I've read, it searches for 3G and drains the battery doing so. So if you don't live in a 3G area, the searching kills the battery alot more quickly than the V8 (which isn't 3G). If battery life is importatnt to you, I'd look at the V8 instead. But it's not a big deal for me. Just wanted to give you a heads up.
*Lack of choice of shortcut keys while on a call. There are very good shortcut choices when not on a call (I count 18) but that drops to 12 when on a call. 10 if you don't count using TTY and finding your own phone number! The big problem, though, is that only ONE of those shortcuts is user selectable. I'd like to hear if I'm wrong here. As I said, I'm still learning the V9. But that seems ridiculous to me. This is a major negative! See below for a list of shortcuts available. This may help someone new to the V9. They need more user selectable shortcut keys. I'll probably never use the 'CV' Cellular Video key. So why not let me use it for something I do need?
*Charging port cover is a pain to pull out. And the smaller miniUSB connection is harder to insert/remove than the V3's was.
*Select Apps option is hard to see when you're on a call. You have to hit Options, then scroll down the menu to find it. This choice is important, as it takes you to alot of other functions. Why in the world would Moto put TTY and Find My Phone Number ahead of this important choice in the menu?! It's only made worse by the fact there is only one user selectable shortcut key while on a call. If I need to get to the calculator function while on a call, that's five choices/entires I have to make to get to it, plus scrolling down the menu to find 'Select Apps'. All the while trying to remember what to hit to get there with a customer on the line. Same with calender. These are the kind of things that made me state that it doesn't seem to be made for business use.
*The size when open and 'curviness' makes it hard to hold for long periods. And easy to drop! It's a slick phone/neat, but it's also a slick phone/slippery. Maybe I'm just being too careful since it's new?
*Not compatible with video sharing. At least not with ATT's network.
Not a V9 issue, but while I'm at it, one of my biggest complaints is the inability to use the voice memo function while on a call. ATT has apparently disabled this function. Waiting for a call back from them, but that's what it sounds like. They're playing Big Brother here. Come on ATT, let the consumer decide what they want to do with their phones! Don't decide for us. I'm on the phone with customers alot. And I need to record instead of trying to write down alot of detailed info. Having the recorder on the phone would be way more convenient. Now I find after buying the V9 that ATT has disabled the function. That stinks.
Here is a list of the shortcuts I mentioned above. Keep in mind that several of these are user selectable. It's amazing that Moto doesn't list something like this more clearly in their manuals!
Shortcuts:
Press and hold down Send key:
(doesn't work while on a call)
Camera
Voicemail
Redial
Received Calls
Name Dial (voice dial from address book entries)
Digit Dial (voice dial by saying numbers)
Options Button from Main Screen:
(doesn't work while on a call)
Mobile Email
Bluetooth Link
Camera
Alarm Clock
Games and Apps
Instant Messaging
Scroll Buttons:
(doesn't work while on a call)
Up=Calculator
Down=Address Book
Right=Tools
Left=Voice Memo
Internet World Icon
Cellular Video CV button
Volume Side button
Music Side button
Camera Side button
I have other tips for the V9. Just makes it easier to use. The manual isn't bad, but nothing great either. Let me know if anyone is interested in them, and I'll post them here.
Seems to me Motorola should take a look at the mods forums to see what they should be doing with their Razr2's. Alot of interesting things being done there that seems Moto could easily include on their next series. Auto Redial/Continuous backlight (I'd like this... again, battery is of no concern to me usually)/Ring Lights (flash the front panel when a call comes in)/Roaming notification/Voicemail counter/prompt for message type when you hit 'Create message'/force list view when more than X itmes in the menu/etc. Plenty more they could do with what seems to be just minor software tweaking.
Oh, anyone know if videoconferencing is in the plans for cell phones? I guess the infrastructure/technology just isn't there to allow it yet. What would that require... a dual line cell phone?? One to receive their video and one to send your video. All at the same time. Are they working on it, or can I claim the patent?!
My rating may seem high given the negatives I've listed. But the V9 is a pretty good phone. I'm just comparing it to the ideal-for-me cell. When compared to what's actually available, I still think it's a solid choice. But there's plenty of room for imporvement too. Would I buy it again? I need a couple more weeks with it to answer that question.
JB -
"I'm Back To Flip-Phones Because Of The Razr2 V9!!" on by davistld01
Pros: Great build quality...and solid "feel", excellent call volume & quality, excellent reception & signal-capture, Beautiful display
Cons: MicroUSB Charger Port Cover Is Ultra-Fragile, No Linux-based OS, Navigation In Menus Still A Bit Laggy
Summary: After two years of forsaking Motorola and flip phones in general in favor of candybar-form smartphones, I came to the reality that I was tired of the hassle involved in many of these devices...and wanted to be back to the simplicity of my old Razrs. But, I was spoiled to a higher-standard of multimedia performance that the tired old Razr could not provide.
When I went to my local AT&T store, I saw the new Razr2 V9...and was immediately turned off by the non-conservative "Mahogony" color. I must admit that it was hideous in the flourescent lights. But, I decided to try it anyway...and I am very happy I did. In the light of the "real world" the color is beautiful, and I am very impressed with the look and feel of this phone. It is a quantum leap better than that of any old-style Razr in existance. The display screens are awesome, the phone performance is outstanding with clear call quality and excellent volume, the layout of the keypad and controls is very user-friendly, and it is absolutely the sexiest and best performing non-smartphone in the AT&T lineup of hardware. This phone is a keeper!!!
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