Motorola RAZR2-V9m Cell Phone
 Motorola’s RAZR is an icon of cellphones, technology, and design in general. The V3 and all of its brethren collectively became the second most successful mobile handset in history, and the word “RAZR” has become synonymous with “thin flip phone” in gadget parlance.
But the RAZR eventually grew a little long in the tooth, and Motorola’s dominance in the cellular world eroded over time. After a legion of “four letter phone” offshoots - KRZR, ROKR, RIZR, PEBL, FONE, et al - Moto finally released the long awaited sequel to the RAZR: The RAZR 2.
RAZR 2 dropped on nearly every major US network at the same time, and while there are differences from carrier to carrier, the new RAZR’s overall look and feel is the same across its variations. RAZR 2 is thinner but heavier and taller than the original, and its traded those razor-sharp edges for rounded corners and curvier lines throughout. The new RAZR is also built like a tank - it feels luxurious and nearly indestructible in hand.
But in a world where handsets let you do everything from watch TV to parse RSS feeds to find your way when you’re lost, is Moto’s new RAZR too little too late? I took the Sprint variant - the RAZR2 V9m - for a spin to find out.
Just 11.9mm thick, the RAZR 2 V9m is one of the thinnest clamshell handsets currently available, and thinner than the RAZR V3m by more than 2mm. The V9m is 103mm long by 53mm wide and weighs in at 117g, which is a surprisingly big number for a RAZR. But this RAZR doesn’t feel heavy in a bad way - instead it feels solid like a luxury class product should. The handset sports a stainless steel internal frame and hinge, which accounts for both that weight and the feeling that the handset could stand up to a pretty good lickin’ and keep on tickin’.
In find this RAZR much more attractive than the original, as well. The combination of rounded corners and hardened glass on some exterior surfaces is modern and sexy. And while some folks find the V9m’s pearly gray a little drab, I think it looks understated and classy (RAZR2 variants from other carriers are available in other colors).
A clamshell phone, the front panel of the V9m features a huge 2” external display with three touch sensitive controls along the bottom edge that provide haptic (vibrational) feedback when you press them. The lens for the two-megapixel camera is center mounted along the top edge of the panel. There’s a volume rocker switch and softkey along with a usb/charger port the left spine of the handset and a camera key on the right spine. Removing the battery cover on the back panel of the handset provides access to the microSD memory card slot as well as the battery. While it’d be nicer to have an externally-mounted memory port, at least it’s not hidden behind the battery itself.
Flip the V9m open and you’ll find a familiar, if updated, layout: screen on top, buttons on the bottom. The main display is larger than the external screen, though barely, at 2.2 inches. The button layout is a flush mounted, etched metal affair, with font faces that echo the futuristic vibe of this newest RAZR. A 12-button dialing array is topped with a navigational layout built around a shiny circular D-pad flanked by two softkeys, speakerphone and back keys, and call and cancel keys.
While all of the buttons on the inside of the V9m are flat, they offer better tactile feedback than most other flat/etched keypads I’ve tested. The buttons here have a bit of a slippery feel to them, but they have pretty good travel. Brushed metal on the D-Pad makes it rather nice to use, even without looking.
I give MOTO a general thumbs-up on their RAZR redesign. Obviously the original was a huge hit, but I never really liked the way it felt in hand. RAZR 2 fixes that issue by rounding over sharp edges and using pearly glass and a stainless steel hinge to give the handset the feel of a fine object from the near future.
Read full review » Apple may have disappointed some phone geeks by leaving a few badly wanted features off of the new iPhone 3G, but in typical Apple fashion they're looking past the specific desires of a few in order to set their sights squarely on luring more of the masses into the Cult of iPhone. Could Apple have added MMS messaging, stereo Bluetooth support, and a decent camera (with flash) to the new iPhone's redesign without sacrificing the grander... Motorola’s RAZR is an icon of cellphones, technology, and design in general. The V3 and all of its brethren collectively became the second most successful mobile handset in history, and the word “RAZR” has become synonymous with “thin flip phone” in gadget parlance.
But the RAZR eventually grew a little long in the tooth, and Motorola’s dominance in the cellular world eroded over time. After a legion of “four letter phone”... Some features will be common to all RAZR 2s, while others are of course carrier-dependent. Sprint decided to put that big external display to good use by making the V9m compatible with Sprint TV, and programming the handset to display programming on both of its screens. I was able to launch, watch, and change channels on Sprint TV without opening the handset, which is a neat trick that avid viewers might find pretty useful. ... The V9m’s external display is so big, and can do so much, it almost makes me wonder why there are two screens at all. And then I remembered that flip phones are cool, and generally quite comfortable to talk on. Still, a handset with two displays running at nearly the same size and resolution is either approaching the pinnacle of utility or total overkill.
On the outside of the V9m is the 2” secondary display running at QVGA (320... Messaging on the Sprint V9m is very good, with support for IM and email along with SMS and MMS messaging. The T9 predictive text input system worked pretty well for tapping out missives on the 12-key keypad, though heavy texters may well prefer a device with raised buttons.
Email required a free client download, but once I’d installed the application it was pretty easy to set up an account and also configure the software to work with... The RAZR 2 will not become the iconic classic that the original RAZR was. Too much has changed on the mobile landscape for that to happen. But the new RAZR is a worthy upgrade to its successor. I love the new softer, gentler look featuring curves and hardened glass where once only sharp metallic edges could be found. And the RAZR 2 has a pleasant heft to it that speaks of quality in an age of featherweight plastics that... Pros: Looks good,camera works well,display is good Cons: Sound is poor,battery cover comes off too easely Summary: The sound is poor on booth regular phone and speaker phone-volume can not be turned up enough. If you drop the phone, the battery cover comes off and the battery comes out-every time. You can not easily review your speed dial numbers. I prefer my old LG phone over this one. 1 out of 3 people found this review helpful Pros: Great Camera, sound, and calling.The service is great! Very Sleek. Cons: The battery starts to dimmer after 8 Months of use without using music,Touch screen randomly goes off. Buttons get worn down and have to press harder to use them. Summary: Great Phone usually performs better then others. 2.0 camera. recommended 2 out of 3 people found this review helpful Pros: Great sound,Excellent Camera. Cons: Some pictures can become corrupt and not show on the phone. The charger, if you buy your own or use the one the manufacturer gives you goes out within 2 or 3 months to where you have to maneuver the charger in the port to get the phone to charge. Summary: The phone looks Great and has is very technologically efficient, but it doesn't exceed much past its predecessor. 2 out of 4 people found this review helpful definately go for the instinct i dropped mine and there is a fairly noticeable scratch on the top but thats it im going to get a case for it and then put the inviseble shield on it but its definately my best phone I have ever bought.. Hey just to let you know i live in canada so i dont have sprint, verizon etc. My carrier is bell mobility and they have some phones like the blackberry storm, samsung instinct, htc touch diamond, lg reveal (lotus), lg voyager, razr2 v9m, htc touch and other phones. And 2 weeks ago i ended up getting the razr2 v9m. Should i have got another phone? What do you think about the phone? Is it goodcompared to the other phones like the instinct? Thanks, for the information. the phone is pretty durable, i dropped mine a few times pretty hard and its perfectly fine. Thanks a lot, by the way I'm trying to upgrade from the samsung m500 too lol with either the razr2 v9m or the samsung instinct (like you heard before). But you know, im probably going to get the samsung instinct but im still not 100% sure. And i live in canada so i dont have sprint or verizon, im with bell mobility and you might be asking yourself why am i asking for information on a US when the carriers are different but the... I've only had my Instinct for about two weeks but I'm definitely pleased with it so far. It has surpassed any expectations I had since it's release. Updating from a Samsung m500 flip phone, the Instinct is a huge leap in features. It all depends really on what you are used to. So far those who have been disappointed by the Instinct are people who either had a Blackberry, Treo, WinMo smart phone or expected it to be on par with those phones. The... I have a choice of 2 phones the samsung instinct or the razr2 v9m. I know that the razr2 v9m is from motorola and it might be of topic. So i told myself, "Hey why not get the samsung instinct, its touchscreen, and newer than the razr2 v9m". So i called my carrier and i asked the guy which phone i should get, the guy said " they're both really good phones, but you should go with the razr2 v9m because its a tougher and more durable phone, the... The V9 is now available for $249 , but is it really worth it?
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