I have had the pleasure of using a Motorola RAZR test unit for the last 10 days. I don’t think anyone is really a true cellphone user until you have owned and used a Motorola cellphone. Be honest, you have owned a Motorola device… Motorola is a company with a background in communications – whether it be 2 way radios, satellite telephones or just plain cellphones.
The Motorola RAZR was the first Android based cellphone that I have used. After using the Motorola XOOM tablet, I had high expectations. Android has given Google a product that ensures Google users can access their services (Gmail, Google maps etc) while being on the move. As I encountered with the Motorola XOOM, Android ensures a quick and very easy interaction with your Google products. It is funny, using my normal cellphone I can definitely feel the difference between a product that has deep connections to Google products and one that does not.
The RAZR is a big phone and has a pretty large screen that features only three buttons. The large size makes it a bit difficult to put into pockets. I also noticed that although the large screen provides an excellent viewing experience, it is resource heavy. I got one and a half days of battery usage when using the phone. Heavy email and social media usage took that down to about one whole day. I had some small issues with the screen and pressing buttons on it. Unresponsive periods of time occurred when I pressed a button on the home screen which lead on some occasions to nothing happening. Initially I thought it was the classic case of the battery being almost empty and then like the remote, by pressing it harder, it would solve the problem. It is not a deal breaker but just something RAZR owners will need to be aware of.
The Android marketplace (now called Google Play) is a pleasure to go through. Lots of apps are found in the store, from games to productivity tools. There is a definite comparison to the Apple apps store in terms of variety and what is particularly refreshing with Google Play is that payment is done in Rands and not Dollars.
I must confess, I did not open the user manual once and that normally is a very good sign. There is a logical flow of where things are found. It is simply a matter of browsing the various menu screens and remembering where items are found.
The one thing that I did have a slight issue with is the Wi-Fi browsing that the RAZR provided. Sometimes when walking away from the Wi-Fi connection that is found in one room lead to the entire signal disappearing, thus I lost connection to the Internet. I checked whether the settings were all properly set (which they were) or whether the Wi-Fi router was at fault and it provided inconclusive evidence. So RAZR owners make very sure that you have proper Wi-Fi settings set and maybe consider getting a Wi-Fi booster at home.
The verdict:
I had a very enjoyable 2 weeks with the Motorola RAZR and for those looking to experience Android 2.3 (not the latest version), I can definitely recommend it. It is a slick device that provides a very nice experience for browsing the Internet, social media and has deep integration with the various Google services. Heavy Google users will love this device.
