Sprint's rendition of the SLVR features EV-DO for streaming video and Bluetooth in a thin form. Does 3G networking keep it up to speed, or should you pass it by?
Review summary of the Motorola SLVR L7c:
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 The Motorola SLVR L7c is certainly a mixed bag. Streaming videos look great, especially in landscape mode. Calling functions work well on the phone; calls sound good and the address book looks nice and allows for plenty of information. However, other features fall flat. Messaging is difficult on the small, flat keys; and Web browsing is a disappointment. Overall, the phone (whose cousin, the L7, came out a year ago) is in dire need of an update. Besides slimming down just a bit, Motorola would do well to update the camera and the keypad, lose some of its RAZR genes to improve the aging candy bar. Release: January 2007. Price: $70.
Pros: Handles streaming video very well. Good call quality. Nicely designed menus.
Cons: Camera is unusable. Keypad makes messaging a drag. Lacks audio accessories and music management software.
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Full Motorola SLVR L7c Review:
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Design
The Motorola SLVR L7c could best be described as a candy-bar version of the RAZR. It bears the RAZR's etched metal keypad, as well as the matte black aluminum shell of the black RAZR model. Perhaps when the original SLVR L7 was released a year ago it was a comparably thin candy bar, but after Samsung's recent onslaught of emaciated phones, the SLVR feels thick and outdated. The 1.9-inch screen is plenty roomy, though resolution is a bit low and the color depth -- 65,000 colors, down from 262,000 on the original SLVR L7 -- hurts the overall pop of the screen. The screen also happens to be an oil magnet, especially when held it against our cheek during calls. The phone's biggest design flaw is the placement of the microSD card under the battery; in fact, even once you find the slot, the card door lacks guides to slide the card properly into place.
Calling - Very good
Calls on the L7c sounded very good, if a bit hollow. Reception was always strong; we got four to five bars in our lower Manhattan office, and we never heard static. Dialing on the flat keys was a bit troublesome; the keypad is not quite as roomy as that on the RAZR, so mistakes were frequent. The phone features plenty of calling options, like Bluetooth, speaker-independent voice dialing and a speakerphone, which was a little quiet for our tastes. Three-way calling is handled nicely; calls are merged automatically once connected, which eliminates some menu drilling. The color scheme on the contact list, yellow and black, made it very easy to read, and there were plenty of fields for a non-smartphone. In our battery tests, we got a quarter hour shy of four hours straight talking, which is OK, but better than Motorola's estimate of 3.6 hours.
Our favorites: Speaker-independent voice dialing is a convenient, advanced feature
Our request: Though we beat Moto's battery-life estimates, we wouldn't have minded another hour or so of juice.
Messaging - Mediocre
Messaging on the SLVR is hurt mostly by the cramped, flat and slippery keypad. Keys are very close to their vertical neighbors, which also places the "Back" key dangerously close to the "End" key and the right soft key. Mistyping was too easy, and long messages were a pain to write. Also, pressing a soft key often resulted in no action, and we wonder if the phone is simply slow on the uptake or if the keypad is unresponsive. SMS allowed only two lines of text, 38 characters, on screen on outgoing messages, but accepted a satisfactory 126 characters on screen from incoming messages. Instant messaging for AIM, MSN and Yahoo users comes preloaded, as does e-mail service for those networks plus EarthLink and Sprint's own PCS mail. E-mail was generally sluggish, but instant messaging worked well, though it was not instantaneous like on our PCs. The messaging apps allow you to choose a recipient from the contact list; we prefer a while-you-type search in the contact field. SMS, MMS and voice SMS messages are all supported.
Our favorites: Pre-loaded IM and e-mail is convenient.
Our request: Give the keys more vertical space to cut down on typos.
Camera - Poor
The poor camera abilities of the SLVR L7c make us wonder why a camera was included at all. The sensor is a measly VGA resolution. The lens is lousy, with pictures that are grainy, blurry and so cool they look almost gray. Photo management is cryptic: the phone stores photos "On the camera," which can then be moved to the phone, though the difference isn't clear, or the external memory card. The phone has basic options to adjust white balance and color, and an 8X digital zoom, which makes poor photos look ridiculously bad, as well as some frame and special effect color options. Videos are equally bad, with a jerkiness and pixilation on the murky image. Photos can be e-mailed from the camera app, but there are no options for Bluetooth transfers or printing from the phone -- and that's probably for the best.
Our favorites: If you can't say anything nice . . .
Our request: Give us a usable camera with convenient image transfer features or no camera at all.
Video - Very good
Multicasting mobile TV from Verizon Wireless is just around the corner; for now, however, Sprint's Power Vision service probably represents the pinnacle of the current generation of streaming media. The SLVR does an excellent job handling the video Sprint offers. It is one of the few phones we've seen that scales videos not only full screen, but also fills the screen in landscape view as well, with a simple top-level menu selection. Our review unit came with all the standard Power Vision channels, as well as a special offering from Comedy Central, comprised of short bits of shows and stand-up routines. The Sprint Movie Store was active as well, and movies look clean and smooth on the handset. The phone took a few seconds to play all the videos we tested, but once videos began, they ran without stuttering or noise.
Our favorites: Full screen landscape mode sets a standard for video on phones.
Our request: Bring on the mobile television.
Audio - Good
The SLVR L7c forgoes the iTunes capabilities of its GSM cousin, the SLVR L7, in favor of Sprint Music Store support. We like the Sprint Music Store; the selection is impressive and the pricing isn't bad, three songs for $5, but as iPod users, we wish iTunes support and the music store could walk hand-in-hand. The music player is simple and barren, though it can display a tiny version of the album cover artwork; it lacks features like an equalizer or advanced playback options. Streaming media from Sprint's Power Vision is satisfying, with a broad selection of channels, including 20 channels of Sirius radio, and good quality playback. The phone lacks A2DP for stereo Bluetooth headsets as well as dedicated music keys, and transferring MP3 files was a drag thanks to the poorly placed microSD slot. MP3 files can be used as ringtones, though not the files you download from the music store, which is unfortunate.
Our favorites: The Sprint Music store has plenty of buried treasures, especially in older music and comedy.
Our request: iTunes and the Music Store side-by-side.
Multimedia - Mediocre
While streaming video on the SLVR L7c looked great over Sprint's EV-DO network, our Web browsing experience was a letdown. Besides the fact that typing long URLs on the L7c's keys is uncomfortable, the phone is incapable of loading complicated Web pages, such as The New York Times homepage. Our infoSync World page loaded completely, but the low-resolution screen reduced our layout to a long, blocky scroll. No zooming or formatting options exist to manage pages.
In terms of accessories, the Motorola includes a 64MB microSD card, which is pathetically small, considering the low price of much higher-capacity cards. Though the phone only has a mini-USB port for headphones, neither a headphone adapter nor headphones are included, not even a hands-free microphone. GPS is handled through TeleNav (read our review of TeleNav here, and the sensor is surprisingly sharp. Our phone found its location in a cubicle buried in our office, where most phones are unable to pick up a satellite.
Our favorites: Very strong GPS reception, even indoors.
Our request: A full lineup of music accessories, including a larger memory card and heaphone adapter.
Related phones: Thin candy bar phones
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Price and availability
The Motorola SLVR L7c is available now for $40 with a 2-year contract.
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