Motorola Rizr Z3 user reviews (blue, T-Mobile)

Pros Loaded with features, better than average battery, nice camera

Cons Lack of time on front LCD,

Summary I'll be the first to add an actual review of the RIZR here. Just picked one up the other day and finally got my SIM card from Cingular to try it out with the service. I like having black gear, so I went with the black version, not the blue.

Past phones (within the past year): Samsung MM-A900, RIM Blackberry Pearl

Service: I like to stand out and not have what everyone on the block has. I bought the A900 last year when it first came out and constantly had to endure the questions, "Oh, is that a RAZR?". It seems everywhere you turn you see a RAZR, grade school kids to grandmas have RAZR's. I've been a Sprint user for the last 3 years and while their service was nice, it was getting pricey and being stuck with their OEM CDMA phones was getting to be a hassle. Having to pay a $35 activation fee each time you switch phones was getting to be too much.

I intially switched to T-Mobile to take advantage of their Fave 5 plan but found that the reception was terrible in my area. I found out this was due to T-Mobile operating strictly on a 1900 band frequency, I had no bars at my house, 1 bar after 1/2 mile away, and better the further I went. Switched to Cingular which operates on a 850/1900 and no other problem. Full bars wherever I go.

Initial Thoughts: The RIZR will turn heads, I've already been asked multiple times about it. Ended up paying slightly over $300 for an unlocked version. Very clean design, the black is a matte finish so with no hint of chrome anywhere. I absolutely hate chrome as it fingerprints too easily. The MicroSD slot is under the batter door, which I found to be a hassle to remove. You literally have to press down on the battery door button with a pen or something small to release the door. But the MicroSD slot isn't under the battery, so removal of the door gives easy access to the slot. The volume buttons are on the left side, with a bluetooth link button right underneath. On the right side you have a voice command button with the camera button under as well.

Review: The RIZR comes preloaded with two games, blockbreaker and Platinum Sudoku. The quality of the audio is solid, but it won't replace your iPod. It comes with a standard 20MB internal memory, so if you want to carry multiple full length songs, an optional card is the only way to go. The overall layout of the phone and menus is very solid, the interface of Motorola phones has been bashed for many years, but it does its job. The slide mechanism is easy to open with one hand, but not too loose that it's a pain. The MicroSD slot combined with Audacity has given me access to over 50 custom ringtones, each one set to an individual caller. The 2.0 MP camera takes decent shots better than most phone cameras but definately not a Digital Camerca replacement. It also comes with a video camera and a voice recorder. The layout of the menus is solid, with room for multiple phone numbers, email addresses, home addresses, birthday, and custom ringtone and picture. Text messaging with the RIZR is easy, easier than my old A900, and inputting text is very easy with T9 support that not only has common words, but words that you previously entered. So when inputting names if you have multiple entries with common names (Smith, James, John, Jennifer, etc), the T9 picks up on it as well.

Pros: Better than advertised battery life. Most places list it as 3 hours, but I think that they're looking it as 3:00, instead of 300 minutes, as I've been able to get over 5 hours off the intial charge.

Very intiutive T9 support. Inputting my entire phone book (160+ entries) manually only took about 30 minutes.

An intial wow factor. Not having to be one of hundreds on the street that have a RAZR is fun. But we'll see how long this appeal lasts when/if a carrier stateside picks up this phone.

Cons: Very few so far.

Removal of the battery door is a pain.

So far haven't figured out how to display the time on the screen. Not a huge deal since I wear a watch, but something so simple shouldn't be such a headscratcher.

Key pad is a little bleh. The A900 had a very nice keypad, but the RIZR's is just subpar.

Small internal memory of 20 MB. If you load full MP3's that only enough room for 3-4, luckily with custom ringtones you can fit more. But the low cost of memory cards shouldn't take away from the quality since a 128MB card is only like $30.

Well worth it if you are in the market for a GSM phone. Operates on a Quad Band 850/900/1800/1900 frequency. Standard features that everyphone has these days, Bluetooth, Camera, MP3 player, etc. Camera and MP3 are nice but not replacements.

I hope this review helps at least someone out there.