Customer Reviews

Motorola RIZR Z3 Unlocked Phone with 2 MP Camera, MP3/Video Player, and MicroSD Slot--International Version with No Warranty (Dark Pearl Blue)

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

As a long-time owner of Sony Ericsson and Nokia phones; I was a bit hesitant to buy any phone outside of those two familiar brands, but after my last phone got lost, I needed a replacement and needed a good phone fast.

You know know Motorola's popular Razr line dominated 2006 and is still a strong contender for 2007, so with that popularity, it seems the company is not going to venture too far from a line that really sky-rocketed them to the No. 1 spot. From the Razr came the new Krzr and Rizr line and so we will pick on the Rizr at this time.

I have had the phone for 3 days know, and I am really impressed with this little thing. The hardest thing for me was just geting use to the Motorola interface (this is my very first Motorola); but besides that, it had all the features I craved...

P..R..O..S......

1) WORLD PHONE Baby - I love Ericsson phones, but they are usually tri-band phones...I needed a quad band phone with all the travelings and phone calls I make, and I knew Motorola is very consistent with this modality.

2)CAMERA & VIDEO based- telephone - I love to take pics and I love recording capabilities on my cell phones, so when I found that this nifty devide has a 2MP camera and an un-timed video recorder (both of which can be accessed with a dedicated button), I was very thrilled..It has full-fledged camera and video options, so you'd never need to carry a separate camera or video camera when you have this phone

3)MP3 Player - I already have a dedicated music player, but it is nice to have the option to load as much as 40-50 songs on this phone ( with its included 128MB micro-SD card).

4) Great battery management - You'd think with a gadget that boasts to be a phone, MP3 player, video and camera will die in few hours right...wrong..I have only charged it once (I love having my phone fully charged before I leave the house) and it is really good with its battery management ( definately squashed my last cell phone which boasted all the same features - Sony Ericsson K700i)

5) EXPANDIBLE - The phone only has around 24MB of memory, but with the included 128MB card, and the ability to upgrade the phone yourself and get a 2GB card, there is virtually no way to ever really run out of space

6) STEREO Bluetooth HEADSET anyone? - Ok...so I havent purchased it yet, but because this is a Music player phone and because it does have Bluetooth, you can buy a Bluetooth stereo headset so that you can jam to your music and be totally wireless...NiCE!!

7) Perfect for NON-FLIP Lovers - I have a thing for bar/candy bar phones...I never cared for flip phones, so this is a real treat for both the lovers of flip phones and those of us who still like the European-type non-flip phones...

ALSO, voice recordings & voice note-talking capabilites, JAVA-enabled, standard productivity suite (Calendar, Alarm, World clock), Instant Messaging ( if you are on the T-Mobile network), Ability to use your MP3s as your own ringtones...


C..O..N..S......

1) What? No Infraread - Although I will miss having the IrDA technology, everything seems to be moving to a Bluetooth connectivity world, so I am not too sad about it.

2) No FM Tuner - I didnt really need this feature on a phone, but I did have it on my last cell phone and it was great to have. This phone's other features do make the lack of a FM tuner bareable though, so its all good.

that's it...I am really enjoying this phone. I am glad I got it. Thanks T-mobile. LOL
Let me know if you have any questions or want to know anything else about this wonderful product!

Motorola RIZR



First blush, day 1: Attractive phone, feels good & sturdy in the hand, buttons are very responsive, slide function is easy to use and graceful, GUI is not exactly pretty but mostly very intuitive. Rather well put together phone.

Why'd I get this phone: quad band, Bluetooth, good camera, a music player (or two actually, confusing) which seemed decent in the store. And because it was NOT a flip phone (which I loath), Tmo didn't have a decent candy bar (which I love), and ... it was not a Samsung (take that for what it's worth).

Pros:
1. Great camera compared to what I've had (SE T610, Samsung T809) with very strong flash, actually, it's like a flash light. Can I smart button this function anyone?
2. So far, reception is pretty good, antenna stronger than my old & beat up SE t610, and comparable to my Samsung t809 (which broke), but sometimes the call is scratchy or does that computer reverberation like sound (which I've never experienced on my other phones).
3. iTap text message entry is pretty impressive/smart (this is my first Motorola phone). I'm not sure of how it is implemented on other Motorolas but I like it on this one. I miss a few choices of T9 on my SE t610 (w/ Tmo) but iTap is cool.

Cons:
1. No timer or stopwatch
2. No analog clock option (but Moto if you're going to design one, make it look like the Nokia analog clock for the 6133 or the s60 menubar clock)
3. No mirror on the back for self pics like many Sony-Ericsson bar phones have
4. Placement of memory card: buy yourself surgical tweezers or hemostats to get this sucker out
5. Mac/Bluetooth/iSync: iSync does not work for me despite having first dl'd an iSync plug in which purports to doing so. With my Samsung this made me irate, but Moto has a good track record with iSync support so I'm waiting.
6. Headset has better mic, so others hear me better even than when I'm using the phone regularly. BUT, there's often (65% of the time) a buzz that either I can hear, or both my caller and I can hear.
7. Cannot access full menu when on a call, only some menu functions (but not text or call recording)
8. Cannot record calls
9. Some functions & settings hard to find (or completely lost)

Tmo has crippled this phone in some ways:
1. no MotoReader like the Moto site for the product says (which opens MS docs)
2. the option to save text messages to the SIM card has been removed. Tmo support says they can't control this. Moto says Tmo has removed it and thus controls that aspect.
3. cannot install Java apps like the Moto site says.
What? I thought this was MY phone now. Silly consumer, Deutsch Telecom owns it.

Comments:
1. screen is tiny compared to others, but still is very resolute and pleasant to look at
2. camera is great, doesn't have as many fun options as my old Samsung t809 (which I really didn't like but which did have lots of ways to play with your pics when taking them like comic bubbles etc)
3. my RIZR was set to display only SIM card contacts when I first got it from Tmo which frustrated me for a while since the phone kept telling me that the newly BT transferred contact was "outside current view"
4. I have decided to keep the phone with Tmo despite the drawbacks I've listed.

After long term use:
1. key pad lost responsiveness, would not enter some numbers, some numbers would enter two or three times, scrool pad lost sensitivity on one side.
2. after moving on to other phones, the features i miss are
- flash light (simple feature, but once gone is missed)
- iTap. going back to t9 is painful now! iTap took a little adjustment but once adjusted is far superior

Ok so I have the a Unlocked Black Rizr I got off of ebay since amazon is still so high. That will probably drop before too long. But keep in mind amazon has warranties and protection compared to the hassles ebay can ensue. So heres my take on it after a couple weeks.

The good and bad of this sweet phone!

1: Mp3 player. I love having this in my phone! I have a separate one but
this is so much better if you just want to pack light. The interface isn't the best on the media player but its bearable. It allows playlists and sorts by artist, album, and song. Only thing that really bugs me is no link to the now playing. It has one when you just let it play but once you leave that screen your s.o.l. Overall decent though, however you can't do other things and keep the music playing. You can suspend it, but that still pauses the playback. You can also add a 2gb microsd card to really make it worth while. Just make sure you have a card reader to speed transfers to the card.

2. Bluetooth/Stereo Bluetooth: Whooh, this may be my favorite new gadget! listening wireless like never before. I have a Motorola S9 headset and a SonyEricson. The S9 really makes me never want to use wired headphones again. However, the sonys are more comfortable but you have something hanging down still. I love both though. Definitely worth the money. Just hope you have gotten used to pairing headsets. Sometimes the phone likes to play games with me and make me repair them. Especially if you switch headsets a lot. Also, you can use the bluetooth and the motorola software to backup your contacts, make ringtones, and sync calendars with your computer. You just have to get the software.(I suggest checking forums for it but you can always be honest and actually buy it and keep motorola in business.) The software is nice but beware paying much for it. Theres many other ways to do the same thing. Thats all for that.

3. Camera: I love having the camera but beware its not going to blow your mind or anything. Good lighting though so it will get decent pics when you want it to. So generally it serves its purpose of getting you a pic in the spur of the moment. The video camera is awesome however. You get a clear picture with as much recording time as you memory can hold. SO you can catch not just that one moment but the whole thing. Just don't think the 2 mega-pixel camera will look as good as the a good digital one.

4. Ok here's a few little random things: Expect moto menus. Not a whole lot has changed here however the voice dialing on mine was like the British version. Just a couple more weeks and I'll have my accent perfect to use this feature. Hopefully =). The amazon versions are probably more the american version than mine. A drawback to ebay but hey it proves this is truly a world phone. I'm using t-mobile and get good reception pretty much everywhere. Battery works good I usually charge it like every other night or so depending how much I listen to the mp3 player. Good battery life considering all thats packed in it. Screen is good. Would recommend a screen protector to keep it looking good.

Overall, I'm very happy with it. It works great as a phone or mp3 player or camera. Just watch the price. Thats the only reason I gave it 4 instead of 5 stars. Also, get the black or red. The blue is sadly, real ugly.

Oh almost forgot, make sure you go to carriers website and get the download for the internet browser. Internet won't work without it. At least, not with t-mobile. Found it in faqs for phones not purchased through t-mobile. Don't worry, its free to download.

PLUSES:
Looks futuristic, up to date, cool. Menu is easy to navigate through, phone is pretty user friendly. Great display and graphics. Cool ring tones and backgrounds. 2megapixel camera, light. Good reception.
MINUSES:
Here is what I just don't get: Sony Ericsson has this and I think it is one of the most useful features. This phone nor any of the other motorola one I know does not have the ability to light up the main display when a button is pressed. When the screen goes blank, you have to press something for it to light up, but any button you press will perform that button's command. If you press any button on a Sony Ericsson while the screen is black, it first goes to the main screen. This is VERY inconvenient. If you are on a call, the screen goes black, so if you want to check how many minutes you've been on the call, or see what number it is, or what time it is, you can't, unless you press a command key, in which case you'll end up in that command. Sucks. Also, the speaker is shoddy, sometimes it just breaks up and sounds muffled, as well as the ear phone. I don't think the people on the other line sound as clear as they should, I often find myself asking them to repeat thmselves, but not on my Sony Ericsson. The picture quality is OK, not good, not great.
Bottom Line: Cool, but far from great. A few tweaks to the interface would make this phone much better, but Motorola just didn't hit the mark yet.

I have had my RIZR from T-Mobile for a few weeks now after switching from Verizon. I was originally considering the Nokia 5300. But when I compared the 2 phones side by side, the RIZR seemed more solid, more durable and less flimsy than the Nokia 5300. So I chose the RIZR and I could not be happier. The phone is easy to program and a breeze to use. The display is bright, clear and very easy to read (even without my bifocals!). So far the sound quality and reception have been outstanding. The best feature for me is the mp3 player. With my new RIZR I can transfer mp3 songs directly from my computer to my phone with a simple drag and drop (the 128 MB card is not very large, but enough for my needs). I can then select the songs to act as ringtones. Being able to assign a song/ringtone to a certain phone number is a really cool feature, at least for me.
The mp3 player included with the phone is very easy to use too.
My only "minor" gripe is the screen goes black during calls. But I found pressing the volume up button, which displays the volume screen temporarily, brings the main screen back fast enough for me.
All in all a great phone and highly recommended.

I was completely happy with my Motorola Razor. However, it didn't have the option to expand the memory so it let me to this phone. I'm fairly happy with this phone.

Pros:
Small size
2mp camera w/flash
MP3 player
Movie (3GP) player. You can rip dvds and convert them into the 3GP format and watch movies on your phone
Expandable memory
Quad band
Battery life. 5 days stand by 3.5 hours talk
USB port to manage your phone via computer

Cons:
Signal not as good as my Razr
The phone would seem like it's initializing itself from time to time. It gets very annoying. Sometimes I want to make a call and it'll do this for about 30 seconds. It gets frustrating specially when you have a very urgent call to make.
You need to be a surgeon to pull out the memory card and the sim card.

I paid one bill for this phone. It's a decent buy, specially when you go to the gym, it can be your phone and mp3 at the same time. I wouldn't pay a dime over a bill for this.

If the Razor had the same features, that would still be my phone.

I guess I just wasn't meant to have this phone... I originally purchased it from cells[...]

It's a neat phone, especially the video functionality that lets you pick different color filters, even a negative filter.

I chose the unlocked version thinking I'll have more versatility for travel. However, this means that you have to call T-Mobile to download t-zones so you can send and receive picture and video messaging. It also means, most annoyingly, that you won't get the usual icon to let you know you get voicemail - instead empty text messages _@ lets you know someone left you a message and delta@ lets you know you've checked your voicemail.

Unlike the phone from cellswholesale, amazon did send me a new phone, with the tamper sticker on the box and the protective plastic on the phone. Whereas cellswholesale's phone was for the Chinese market with a Chinese adaptor, amazon's was for Hungaria and Romania, so there was no English handbook. I went online to motorola's website and made the mistake of downloading the upgrade software for the phone hoping the voicemail notification would work. (It didn't work - it only erased a lot of the extras for the European market). Extras also included the PhoneTools 4.0 software with USB connector, which I unknowingly purchased separately.

It's still a neat phone - but the reception is HORRIBLE. Everyone I speak to sounds like they're congested with a really horrible flu and I miss out on over half the conversation. I'm with T-mobile in Northern Jersey and this reception is way worse than for the Nokia phone I had for over 3 years. Also small things I preferred about my Nokia phone was how it placed an icon on the screen to let you know you set the alarm and also Nokia let you know how much time was left before the alarm time. And yes, you need tweezers to remove the SIM card from the Rizr. You can set an analog watch on the lower right, but it's hard to read.

It's too bad I'm returning the phone to amazon. I love the way it feels - solid and compact and its smart multimedia features. It also has an easy-to-use voicedial program. If it wasn't for the terrible reception, I would keep it, but then again, what's a phone for?

I've had this phone for about two months now and have only two complaints: average to good call clarity (I'd prefer excellent) and a crappy OS.


Call clarity is acceptable to good and volume is great. Battery life is average for a phone with this sort of feature set. It needs daily charging if you use it a lot.

Only major complaint: The operating system blows. I've had a longstanding allegiance to Nokia phones, which has only grown since switching to Motorola and realizing that the Nokia OS is often sensible where Motorola's is cumbersome. But I didn't like any of the new Nokia offerings and decided to give Moto a try. Moto OS is to Nokia OS as Windows 3.1 is to Mac OS X Tiger, which is to say I won't buy another Motorola if I can find a phone by another company that isn't ugly, has good call quality and decent battery life, and has the features I need or want.

Bluetooth works great. Expandable storage is lovely to have (though getting that little card out is a pain). Camera is top notch for a cell phone.

FYI: Purchased it locked from T-mobile but successfully unlocked it when I recently switched to ATT (Bought the code off Ebay).

I've had this phone for a month or so now. For the most part I like it; not sure what I would have gotten instead. It works nicely, has the features I need, and the audio quality is significantly better than any other phone I've had.

A few notes:

- One thing that hadn't occurred to me with the slider design: there's only one display, and it's color. I'm used to using my phone as a watch, but, with this one, I have to poke it to make it turn on the backlight. For this reason alone, my next phone might be a clamshell.

- The vibrator is wimpy, to the point that I miss calls sometimes.

- The battery indicator is screwy - the battery is always completely full until it's empty.

- Getting it configured to work with my carrier (I think they're called ATT this week) was more work than I had expected. Non-technonerd people are likely to need help to get things like web browsing or GPRS working.

Overall it's a great phone, though.

I got this phone in April and for about the first month I was quite pleased with it. It's slim, easy to use and is generally a nice phone. Then it started to randomly shut down and reboot while I read text messages, while I wrote text messages, while I looked to see what time it was, in the middle of conversations, and even while simply sliding the phone open. This happens about two times a week and it is very annoying. Other folks have posted this same defect online but T-Mobile refuses to acknowledge that there is anything wrong. I hate very few things in this world but right now I HATE THIS PHONE.