It’s a girl thing, this Razr

By Lawrence Casiraya
INQUIRER.net

IT’S all in the flip, says a lady friend, a fiercely loyal Motorola Razr user. “It’s got attitude, like when you’re angry at someone, for example,” she continues, timing a crisp “I hate you” while flipping her Razr back to a close.

I hate to say this but I’d have to agree with her. I’ve never used a Razr before but the sound of the “flip” sure is quite addictive. Apart from the sound of this clamshell phone “clamming up,” the new Razr V8 has new features Razr users would find impressive, like the shiny-metal outer finish. Try pressing it and you can actually see your thumbprint. I found myself rubbing the damn phone on my shirt to keep it shiny. And making a mental note to rub it anywhere but my chest.

Also a significant improvement from the old Razr models is the bigger, color external screen that allows you to read and reply to SMS using the shortcut keys on the side. Be careful about fiddling with side keys, though, since this new Razr is thinner and so can slip easily in the grasp of less nimble fingers.

The large external display also doubles as a touchscreen when playing MP3s so there’s no need to flip the phone — just press your thumb on rewind, pause or forward. What I find puzzling, though, is why they didn’t enable the touchscreen to view and flip through pictures as well so there’s no need to open the phone.

Pressing a side key also activates the camera, so camera whores can discreetly take snapshots of themselves while pretending to read a message. The Razr V8 comes with built-in 512MB of memory (a more expensive model has 2GB) unlike previous models that require additional memory cards. While it doubles as a music player — speaking of, is this the end for Motorola’s Rokr music phone? — there’s no earphone jack, which means it streams music via Bluetooth earphones. Which you have to buy separately. Darn.

The V8 sure scores high on aesthetics. Not much of a change in the user interface, though. Unless you’re a long-time Motorola user, navigating the phone’s functions — including finding your pictures and music — takes a few more fiddling since there are no shortcut icons on the home screen.

For a phone that’s endorsed by David Beckham and Fergie — also bear in mind that previous pricey, gold-color Dolce and Gabbana Razr — sexiness is on the outside. Like my friend was saying, it’s about attitude.

Suggested retail price is P19,000. So, what’s the verdict? The new Razr V8 looks sexier all right so it should be drool-worthy for existing Razr users. It may not appeal to the smart phone set, though — you know, the type of people who want 3G and GPS.

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