The latest member of Motorola’s slim-and-trim RAZR family boasts microSD memory expansion, enhanced music capabilities and a 1.3-megapixel camera. Can the V3m slice through the competition?
Review summary of the Motorola RAZR V3m:
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 The RAZR V3m improves on the sleek, eye-catching looks of its wildly-popular by adding much-needed microSD memory expansion, but this slim 3G music phone drops the ball with its middling sound quality and fuzzy snapshots. And while we appreciate the V3m's ability to buy music downloads and sync with PC-based music collections, we're irked by the missing stereo earbuds and USB cable for file transfers. Release: May 2006. Price: $100.
Pros: Sleek design; over-the-air music downloads from V Cast Music; memory expansion; syncs with Windows Media Player; supports DRM-protected music files
Cons: So-so sound quality; no bundled earbuds or USB cable; MP3s must be converted to WMA format for playback; mediocre camera quality; no conference calling; no e-mail or IM apps
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Full Motorola RAZR V3m Review:
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Music - Good
Not only is the V3m missing a standard 2.5 mm headset jack (an adapter for the USB port is required), but you'll also have to pony up an extra $20 for stereo earbuds and a USB cable - accessories that should both be bundled with the phone.
Once plugged in, the actual music quality was disappointingly flat (at least we could crank our tunes nice and loud), and while there's a shuffle option, you can't repeat your music.
That said, you can choose from thousands of downloadable songs from the V Cast Music service, and you can sync with your PC music collection via USB with Windows Media Player (including DRM-protected WMA files), although MP3s must be converted to WMA for playback.
Calling - Very good
Armed with a speakerphone, Bluetooth headset and hands-free profiles, and rockin' MP3 ringtones, the V3M boasts impressive call quality (although the speakerphone sounded a bit tinny); unfortunately, conference calling is a no go here.
Messaging - Good
The V3M's flat, etched keypad looks cool but makes for tricky texting as the actual keys are a bit hard to press. Also, picture and text messaging are bot here, but disappointgly there aren't any instant messaging or e-mail apps to be had.
Camera - Good
With its mediocre image quality, the V3M's built-in camera (which is missing an LED flash) failed to impress; snapshots looked hazy and washed-out compared to other 1.3 MP mobile cameras, while video captures looked typically jerky and blocky.
Browsing - Good
Web surfing with the V3M was reasonably speedy given the phone's 3G EV-DO support, while images looked vivid and detailed. However, the display's limited resolution makes for a fair amount of scrolling, and the browser choked on longer pages.
Battery life - Good
We managed to squeeze in excess of 3 hours of talk time out of the V3M and close to 9 hours of music playback - not bad, but we've seen (and heard) better. The phone is also rated for about 13.5 days of standby time.
Price and availability
The Motorola RAZR V3m is available from Sprint for $100 with a contract.
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