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Though it's no different from the Slvr L7, it's disappointing that a 3G multimedia-friendly handset such as the Slvr L7c has a low-grade VGA camera. A megapixel really is the bare minimum on a phone of this caliber. As such, the camera takes pictures in just three resolutions (640x480, 320x240, and 160x120), but you can choose from a number of editing options, including three quality settings, a self-timer, adjustable brightness and white balance settings, an 8x zoom, three color effects, three fun frames, and six shutter sounds (there's also a silent option). The camcorder shoots 30-second clips with sound. Editing options for videos are similar to those of the still camera. Photo quality wasn't too impressive--colors looked a bit washed-out, and objects were a bit fuzzy. Videos weren't remarkable either, with a lot of jerkiness. You're allotted a paltry 18MB of internal memory to store your work, but you can use a Micro SD card for more space.
As an EV-DO cell phone, the Slvr L7c is compatible with Sprint's Power Vision streaming video service and its Sprint Music Store for music downloads to the onboard digital music player. It also supports Sprint's On Demand service, Sirius radio channels, and the carrier's new NFL Mobile application. You also get Sprint's Power View feature for watching full-length movies on the handset, though we're not quite sure why you'd want to do that. And if that isn't enough, there's also special programming from Comedy Central and trial versions of AccuWeather Premium and TeleNav Navigator. The interface for Power Vision and the music player is no different from that of other Sprint phones, which is to say it's easy to use. We don't miss the iTunes feature at all.
You can personalize the Slvr L7c with a variety of screensavers, menus and clock styles, and message tones. If you'd like more options or ringtones, you can download them from Sprint with the WAP 2.0 wireless Web browser. You get demo versions of four Java (J2ME) games--Zuma, Midnight Bowling, Pac-Man and Tetris--but you can always download more if you're an avid gamer.
Performance
We tested the dual-band (CDMA 800/1900, EV-DO) Motorola Slvr L7c in San Francisco using Sprint's service. Call quality was satisfactory on the whole. We enjoyed clear conversations with little voice distortion on our end. Callers occasionally could tell we were using a cell phone, but they reported decent audio quality, as well. Volume was somewhat better than that of the other Slvrs we've seen, but it still may not be enough for some users. Also, we had more trouble hearing in noisy environments and had to turn up the volume a few notches to hear people clearly. Static was rare, but reception seemed to fade out now and then, especially when we were around natural obstructions. On the other hand, we encountered no interference from other electronic devices.
The speakerphone was loud and only occasionally muffled, but it performed admirably overall. Putting the speaker facedown on a table affects outgoing sound somewhat, and callers had trouble hearing us at times under that condition. Call quality was clear with the Bluetooth headset, but volume on both ends was low.
Music quality was on a par with that of Sprint's other Motorola EV-DO phones, such as the Razr V3m and the Krzr K1m. Our tracks sounded a bit tinny, and there were noticeable bass-heavy effects. The sole speaker on the rear face provides decent output, but the music diminishes in quality the louder it becomes. You get better quality with a stereo headset, but take note that the phone uses a proprietary connection. Streaming video was a bit better than it is with most of the other Sprint Power Vision phones we've seen lately. Pixilation was kept to a minimum, and motions were fluid. The sound level was acceptable as well, and voices matched the speaker's mouth. Our only real complaint is that the EV-DO connection was a bit slow, and videos took a long time to load. On the upside, videos didn't have to rebuffer once they started.
The Slvr L7c has a rated battery life of 3.6 hours of talk time and 7 days of standby time. We managed to eke out a decent 4 hours of talk time in our tests. According to FCC radiation tests, the Motorola Slvr L7c has a digital SAR rating of 1.23 watts per kilogram.
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