I have owned numerous cell phones over the years, as I am sure most people have, and while none have been particularly brilliant, some have absolutely been useless. The only problem I have ever had with my cellular phones has been with the cell battery. The battery has either broke or it just would not last long enough and I would need to purchase and carry a replacement battery.

I tend to use my mobile phone often, both for my work and for private use, so having a backup battery is often worth it but having to replace a faulty or damaged battery is disappointing. My latest phone is working well but I would like a replacement battery for when I am on the road.

Cellular Phone Battery

These are the details of my most current phone (yeah, I know it is a bit outdated, I really should purchase a new cell phone):

Samsung SGH-X820

Positives:
The Samsung SGH-X820 has an attractive, thin design and an admirable feature set that includes Bluetooth, a speakerphone, and a 2-megapixel camera. It’s a good performer, too.
Negatives:
The Samsung SGH-X820’s memory is rather small, and it lacks hands-free dialing capability. Picture quality and call volume level could be better.
Facts:
Despite some minor performance quibbles and a couple of missing features, the Samsung SGH-X820 is a nice blend of design, features, and performance.

Yet again Samsung jumps ahead in the race to produce the world’s thinnest cell phone with its new SGH-X820. Billed as the world’s thinnest candy bar phone–though not for long, we’re sure–the SGH-X820 is even trimmer than the already superslim Samsung SGH-P300. While we readily admit that we’re a little tired of the thin-phone fad, we also admit that the SGH-X820 is quite attractive. The black color scheme and the sleek shape result in a sharp, sexy handset that will win glances on the street. Features are decent, with Bluetooth, a speakerphone, and a 2-megapixel camera, yet we couldn’t help but notice the lack of an external memory slot and voice dialing. Also, while the keypad buttons are user-friendly, the navigation toggle is tricky to use. The lack of a supporting U.S. carrier means the SGH-X820 won’t come cheap ($329 from Dynamism.com), but thin-phone fanatics may be willing to fork over that amount.

At 4.4 by 1.9 by 0.27 inches, the Samsung SGH-X820 lives up to its razor-thin promise. It slips comfortably into pockets, and at 2.4 ounces, it won’t weigh you down. The internal antenna ensures there’s no deviation from the phone’s smooth lines, though the camera lens causes a slight but hardly noticeable bulge at the top of the SGH-X820. The handset also has a solid construction, but we’re beginning to notice that the thinner a phone gets, the more awkward it feels to hold against your head for extended calls. Also, the slim shape means it can be hard to feel the vibrate mode when the phone is in your pocket.

The 1.8-inch diagonal (176×220 pixel) TFT display lives up to Samsung’s usual standards. With support for 262,000 colors, it’s bright and vibrant and richly displays photos, games, and the user-friendly menus. Yet it’s hard to see in direct light. You can change brightness, backlight time, and font size, style, and color.

Below the display is the navigation array, which we didn’t care for. While we understand that tricky controls and thin phones tend to go hand in hand, the SGH-X820’s five-way toggle is just too difficult. The OK button in the center is flush with the rest of the toggle, and there’s no clear separation between the two controls. As a result, we made several mistakes when attempting to navigate through the menus and select functions. The toggle doubles as a shortcut to four user-defined functions. You also get two soft keys, the talk and end/power buttons, and a dedicated clear key. Though they are flush with the phone as well, their large size makes them easier to use. We also liked the design of the alphanumeric keypad. The individual buttons are large and well spaced, and they’re lit by bright backlighting. Like all other controls, however, they’re also completely flat. Completing the exterior of the SGH-X820 are a volume rocker on the left spine and a covered headset/charger jack and an unmarked camera shortcut on the right spine.

The SGH-X820 comes with a generous 1,000-contact phone book (the SIM cards holds an additional 250 names). Each entry holds four phone numbers, e-mail addresses, and notes. You can organize callers into groups and pair them with a phone and one of 20 polyphonic (64-chord) ring tones (the phone also supports MP3). Basic features include a vibrate mode, text and multimedia messaging, a world clock, a calculator, a currency and unit converter, a timer, a stopwatch, an alarm clock, and a calendar. Higher-end offerings include a speakerphone, a voice recorder, TV-out functionality, PC syncing, e-mail support, and full Bluetooth with a stereo profile. We were hoping for voice commands and dialing as well, but sadly they’re not onboard the SGH-X820.

The SGH-X820’s camera doesn’t have a flash or a self-portrait mirror.

The 2-megapixel camera is feature rich and easy to use. You can take pictures in a whopping seven resolutions (1,600×1,200, 1,280×960, 1,024×768, 800×600, 640×480, 320×240, 220×176) and choose from three quality settings. Other features include a night mode, brightness and white balance controls, an adjustable ISO setting, multishot and mosaic shot modes, a self-timer, eight color effects, 30 fun frames, and a digital zoom that’s usable even at the highest photo resolution. There are also a fair number of shutter and camera functions sounds, but you can turn them off completely. There’s no flash, however, and self-portraits are tricky without a mirror. The camcorder takes clips in two resolutions (176×144 and 128×96) with sound. Clips meant for multimedia messages are capped at 1 minute, 48 seconds; otherwise you can shoot for as long as the phone’s available memory permits. Speaking of which, the 80MB of integrated shared memory is impressive, but we were hoping for a multimedia card slot as well. Photo quality was about average and less than we expected from a 2-megapixel camera. Though colors were relatively sharp and there was adequate lighting, objects tended to be blurry.

The SGH-X820 has good but not great photo quality.

The Samsung SGH-X820’s digital media player supports MP3, AAC, and WMA files and is similar to the minimalist but serviceable player found on other Samsungs. The primary user interaction is done through the toggle, with a few other keys acting as shortcuts to different functions. The interface is minimalist. There’s no album art, and only the track name scrolls across the top of the display. You can choose from six skin types, but none are too fancy, and there’s an onscreen icon showing the toggle’s functions (which direction is Play and so forth). The player comes with a number of functions, including playlists, repeat and shuffle modes, and four equalizer settings, as well as 3D sounds, which didn’t seem to make much of a difference. As for getting music on the phone, you can transfer tracks from a PC with the included USB cable, send them via Bluetooth, or download them from the WAP 2.0 wireless Web browser.

You can personalize the SGH-X820 with a variety of wallpapers, colors, skins, background colors, and alert tones. If you want more options or more ring tones, you can download them through the Web browser. Gaming options include two Java (J2ME) titles, Freekick and Bobby Carrot, but you can always get more if you want them.

We tested the triband (GSM 900/1800/1900; GPRS/EDGE) SGH-X820 world phone in San Francisco using Cingular’s service. Call quality was surprisingly good, with sharpness and little static or interference. Volume was a tad low. While not a problem for us, it may be troublesome for users with hearing impairment. The speakerphone was satisfying overall. The sound was muffled at higher levels, but that’s standard for cell speakerphones. Bluetooth headset calls were decent as well, and though the SGH-X820 lacks external stereo speakers, tunes from the digital music player weren’t half bad for short stints.

The Samsung SGH-X820 has a rated battery life of 4 hours of talk time and 10 days of standby time. However, we managed to eke out an impressive 5 hours of talk time in our tests. According to FCC radiation tests, the SGH-X820 has a digital SAR rating of 1.19 watt per kilogram.

So I suppose the real question is do I spend the money getting a new Samsung SGH-X820 cellular phone battery or do I just buy a new phone with a long lasting battery? Replacement batteries are reasonably cheap but a new phone would be good too. Always decisions need to be made.

I have bought plenty of mobile phones over the last few years, as I am sure everyone has, and while none have been that outstanding, some have definitely been rubbish. The most common problem I have ever had with my mobile phones has been with the batteries. The battery has either broke or it just would not last long enough and I would need to get and carry a replacement battery.

I do use my mobile phone regularly, both for my work and for private use, so having another battery is often worth it but having to replace a faulty or damaged battery is a pain. My current phone is working fine but I would like a replacement battery for when I am travelling.

Cell Phone Battery

These are the details of my current phone (yep, I know it is a bit past it, I really should purchase a new mobile phone):

Motorola Slvr L6

Positives:
The Motorola Slvr L6 has a slim, sexy design, Bluetooth, and quality performance.
Negatives:
The Motorola Slvr L6 has a low-resolution display and a poorly designed keypad. It also suffers from blurry picture quality and an average speakerphone. Plus, Cingular has deactivated some important features.
Facts:
If you can get it at a bargain price, the Motorola Slvr L6 is a solid option for users who want a functional phone with sexy looks, but true phone fanatics will be disappointed.

Note: This product is part of the Motorola Slvr series. .

When its slim Razr flip phone rocketed to popularity last year, Motorola knew it was on to something, so it’s not surprise the company went to work on a candy bar version soon after. But rather than be satisfied with just one Slvr, as the resulting model came to be known, Motorola designed three that spanned the mobile spectrum. Cingular first introduced the higher-end model, the iTunes-equipped Motorola Slvr L7, in February, and it quickly became as popular as the Razr. And now Cingular rolls out the midtier version of the phone, the Slvr L6 (the low-tier Slvr L2 is a Cingular phone as well). Equally skinny but bearing a different coat and an improved Web browser, the L6 keeps the Bluetooth support, the speakerphone, and the VGA camera found in its sibling but ditches the iTunes compatibility, the MP3 player, and the TransFlash card slot. Also, while the phone is capable of supporting push-to-talk (PTT) services, Cingular has not activated the L6 for its PTT network. Overall, the L6 is an attractive and handy cell phone, but we weren’t impressed by the keypad design, the low-resolution screen, and the blurry photo quality. Available exclusively at RadioShack for Cingular, the Slvr L6 is way too expensive if you pay full price ($300), but service-plan rebates knock it down to a more respectable $100. Alternatively, unlocked versions average around $150.

There’s no escaping it–the Motorola Slvr L6 is all about design. Though it largely resembles the L7 in shape, it’s marginally shorter and slimmer than its sibling, making it the skinniest handset we’ve reviewed thus far (4.4 by 1.9 by 0.43 inches). At 3.3 ounces, it also weighs slightly less than the L7, so you should have no trouble slipping it in a pocket or a bag. Keep in mind, however, that the small size has its drawbacks. It’s difficult to feel the phone vibrate when it’s in your pocket, and it can be uncomfortable to hold the phone against your ear for long periods of time. The construction seemed mostly solid–we tried dropping the phone a few times–but as with the Razr, we’re worried about long-term durability.

The Motorola Slvr L6 has a sleek style.

We were disappointed that Motorola chose to downgrade the L6’s display from 262,000 colors on the L7 to 65,536 colors, or 128×160 pixels. Though it’s large enough (1.75 inches diagonally), the difference in resolution on the display is clearly noticeable. Graphics had a washed-out effect, so the screen isn’t the best for viewing photos, browsing the Web, or playing games. It was fine, however, for scrolling through the standard Motorola menus. You can change the backlighting time and the brightness, but you can’t alter the contrast or the font size. Also, be warned that the glossy display shows finger smudges easily.

The L6’s navigation controls are nearly identical to those on the L7 save for some minor cosmetic changes. There’s a five-way toggle, two soft keys, the Talk and End/power buttons, and a dedicated menu control below the screen. There’s no dedicated Back button, which we’d prefer, but the toggle can act as a shortcut to four user-defined functions. Also, hitting the center toggle in standby mode opens the Web browser automatically. The controls are large and easy to manipulate, and in a nice design touch, the toggle is raised ever so slightly above the surface of the phone. However, it was a different story with the keypad buttons. As on the L7 and the Razr models, the keypad buttons are completely flat against the surface of the phone, but instead of being metal, they’re a cheap-feeling plastic. The individual buttons are smaller and more scrunched together than on the L7. As a result, we had trouble dialing by feel. On the upside, the keys have a tactile feel due to raised numbers and ridges between the horizontal rows, and they’re brightly backlit.

Completing the exterior of the phone are just two unmarked controls. On the left spine is a "smart key" that functions as a user-defined shortcut, while a camera button sits on the right spine just below the mini-USB charger port. In a bad move, Motorola decided to design the L6 without an external volume rocker. It’s a bit annoying to have to remove the phone from your ear when on a call in order to change the volume. Finally, on the back of the phone are the camera lens (though no flash or self-portrait mirror) and the speaker.

As we stated earlier, the Motorola Slvr L6 has a comfortable selection of midrange features. Casual cell phones users will appreciate the Bluetooth, speakerphone, and Motorola Screen3 technology, but more hard-core users will lament the lack of a music player and a high-resolution camera. We’ll review the essentials first, however. The 500-contact phone book is adequate, and there’s room in each entry for six phone numbers, an e-mail address, a postal address, and a birth date; the SIM card holds an additional 250 names. You can assign contacts to caller groups, pair them with a picture for photo caller ID, or assign them any of 24 polyphonic ring tones. The phone also supports MP3 ring tones. Other basic features include a vibrate mode, a mini-USB port, a calculator, a date book, and an alarm clock. Messaging features are plentiful, with support for text, enhanced, and multimedia messaging. You also get instant messaging for AOL, Yahoo, and ICQ platforms. The Slvr L6 isn’t a business phone by any means, but it has a couple of offerings that road warriors should find useful. Not only is there full Bluetooth, a speakerphone, and voice dialing, the Slvr L6 also supports PC syncing and e-mail. And as we said earlier, while the phone is capable of supporting PTT services, Cingular has not activated the L6 for its PTT network.

Like the Motorola V557, the Slvr L6 features Motorola’s Screen3 Web-browsing technology (see the V557 review for a full description), which greatly improves the WAP 2.0 browsing experience.

The Slvr L6 lacks a flash or self-portrait mirror.

Like the Slvr L7, the L6 has a VGA camera. Though we were disappointed it was on the L7, we’re more willing to accept a VGA camera on such a lower-tier phone. It takes pictures in 640×480, 320×240, and 160×120 resolution. On the upside, we liked the useful camera options. A meter keeps track of how much storage space is left, and there’s a fair assortment of photo-editing features. You get a choice of six color tones and six lighting conditions, an adjustable brightness control, a 4X zoom, a 5- or 10-second autotimer, and a selection of five shutter sounds, as well as a silent option. The MPEG-4 video recorder takes clips with sound in two resolutions (176×144 and 128×96), and you can choose a lighting setting or color tone. Video length is limited to 30 seconds on clips meant for multimedia messages, but you can record longer videos depending on how much space is available in the phone’s 10MB of shared memory. Photos and video were below par even for a VGA camera; objects were fuzzy, colors were washed out, and videos appeared blocky and blurry.

The Motorola Slvr L6 has below-average photo quality.

You can personalize the Slvr L6 with a variety of wallpaper, menu styles, color schemes, screensavers, and alert tones. As always, you can buy more options from Cingular if you want them. You can also get more ring tones via download. Gamers get demo versions of three Java (J2ME) titles: Tetris, Texas Hold ‘em, and BlockBreaker Deluxe. We know demos are the norm these days, but you’d think we’d get at least one full game.

We tested the triband, dual-mode (GSM 850/1800/1900; GPRS) Motorola Slvr L6 in San Francisco using Cingular service. Call quality was generally good, with sharp reception and loud volume. Occasionally, we could hear a background hiss, but it wasn’t too bothersome. Callers said they could tell we were using a cell phone but reported no significant problems. We encountered more problems when using the speakerphone. Though we could hear callers plainly, they had trouble understanding us clearly at times. We had no trouble connecting the Slvr L7 to the Plantronics Explorer 320 Bluetooth headset for acceptable call quality.

While the unlocked Slvr L6 is a quad-band world phone (GSM 850.1900/1800/1900), Cingular removed the 900 band in its version. It’s a disappointing change, to say the least, as globe-trotters won’t get the best coverage worldwide with this phone. Also, the GPRS data speeds mean downloads are pretty poky at 30Kbps to 40Kbps.

The Motorola Slvr L6 has a rated talk time of 5.15 hours and a promised standby time of 15.5 days. In our tests, we beat the talk time by an hour and got 8 days of standby time. According to FCC radiation tests, the Slvr L6 has a digital SAR rating of 1.58 watts per kilogram.

So I guess the true question is do I spend the money buying a new Motorola Slvr L6 cell phone battery or do I just buy a new phone with a long lasting battery? Replacement batteries are quite cheap but a new phone would be fun. I must make a decision…

I have had many cellular phones over recent years, as I am sure most people have, and while none have been especially outstanding, some have absolutely been crap. The most common problem I have ever had with my mobile phones has been with the batteries. The cell phone battery has either died or it just would not last long enough and I would need to buy and carry a replacement battery.

I generally use my mobile phone regularly, both for my career and for personal use, so having a backup battery is often worthwhile but having to replace a faulty or damaged battery is such a pain. My latest phone is working fine but I would like a replacement battery for those times when I am on the road.

Cellular Phone Battery

These are the details of my most current phone (yep, I know it is a bit outdated, I really should buy a new mobile phone):

Hand Held Products Dolphin 9500

Product Short Spec:

OS provided:

Microsoft Windows Mobile 2003 Second Edition

Installed RAM:

64 MB

Processor:

Intel 400 MHzXScale PXA255

Wireless connectivity:

IrDA,

IEEE 802.11b

Dimensions (W x D x H):

3.5 in x 1.7 in x 9.6 in

Input device type:

Stylus,

Keyboard,

Touch-screen

Weight:

1.3 lbs

Smartphones ShortSpec:

Band/mode:

GSM 900/1800/1900

RAM installed size:

64 MB

review

So I suppose the right question is do I spend the money buying a new Hand Held Products Dolphin 9500 cellular phone battery or do I just buy a new phone with a longer life battery? Replacement batteries are quite inexpensive but a new phone would be good too. Always decisions need to be made.

I have bought plenty of cellular phones over the years, as I am sure most people have, and while none have been that amazing, some have absolutely been useless. The main problem I have ever had with my mobile phones has been with the cell battery. The battery has either stopped working or it just would not last long enough and I would need to purchase and carry a replacement battery.

I always use my mobile phone heaps, both for my job and for home use, so having a second battery is often worth it but having to replace a faulty or damaged battery is so annoying. My newest phone is working fine but I would like a replacement battery for when I am travelling.

Cellular Phone Battery

These are the details of my current phone (yep, I know it is a bit old, I really should find a new mobile phone):

Symbol MC9094-S

Product Short Spec:

OS provided:

Microsoft Windows Mobile 5.0 Phone Edition

Installed RAM:

64 MB

Processor:

Intel 624 MHzXscale

Wireless connectivity:

Bluetooth,

IEEE 802.11a,

IEEE 802.11b,

IEEE 802.11g

Dimensions (W x D x H):

3.6 in x 2.3 in x 7.9 in

Input device type:

Stylus,

Keyboard,

Touch-screen

Smartphones ShortSpec:

Band/mode:

GSM 850/900/1800/1900

RAM installed size:

64 MB

review

So I guess the right question is do I spend the money buying a new Symbol MC9094-S cell phone battery or do I just purchase a new phone with a long lasting battery? Replacement batteries are very low cost but a new phone would be fun. Decisions, decisions…

I have owned a number of mobile phones over recent years, as I am sure everyone has, and while none have been that outstanding, some have absolutely been rubbish. The only problem I have ever had with my cellular phones has been with the batteries. The battery has either broke or it just would not last long enough and I would need to buy and carry a replacement battery.

I generally use my cellular phone regularly, both for work and for personal use, so having a second battery is often worthwhile but having to replace a faulty or damaged battery is so annoying. My newest phone is working well but I would like a replacement battery for those times when I am travelling.

Cell Phone Battery

These are the details of my most current phone (yes, I know it is a bit old, I really should buy a new cell phone):

Motorola Razr V3xx

Positives:
The Motorola Razr V3xx cell phone offers decent call quality, stereo Bluetooth, and a great interior display. And thanks to the HSDPA data connection, it offers zippy Web browsing, fast downloads, and admirable streaming video quality.
Negatives:
The Motorola Razr V3xx isn’t a quadband world phone, and its 1.3-megapixel camera is inadequate for such a high-end handset. Also, the voice dialing is unreliable, the phone lacks stereo speakers, and the data settings for third-party applications are too restrictive.
Facts:
Though its feature set didn’t live up to expectations, the Motorola Razr V3xx cell phone improves on many of the traditional Razr pitfalls that have plagued the product line since its inception. As such, it’s the most satisfying Razr to date.

Note: This product is part of the Motorola Razr series. .

The carrier that brought you the very first Razr cell phone is now bringing yet another one (yes, another one) to the market. The Motorola Razr V3xx for Cingular Wireless (soon to be AT&T) doesn’t bring anything particularly revolutionary to the Razr family but it does include a handful of noteworthy offerings that deserve a closer look. Believe us, we’re as over the Razr as the next person, but with stereo Bluetooth, an Opera Web browser, and improved call quality, the Razr V3xx is a solid step above its predecessor. What’s more, the support for Cingular’s 3.5G HSDPA network makes it the fastest GSM Razr yet. You can get it for a very reasonable $79 with service.

Design
Except for a color change, the Motorola Razr V3xx is no different from the original Razr V3. You get the same iconic profile that sparked the thin phone tsunami, but it still looks just as boxy when viewed straight on. At 4.05 inches long by 2.08 inches thick by 0.6 inch thick, and weighing 3.8 ounces, it’s slightly bigger and heavier than its predecessor, but the change is hardly noticeable in the phone’s ergonomics. It feels just the same when held in the hand and its slips just as easily into a pocket or bag. And of course, it’s just as difficult to feel the phone vibrate when it’s in your pocket. Like most of its siblings, the Razr V3xx is available in multiple color schemes. We reviewed the dark gray version but you can also find it in a flashy gold hue reminiscent of T-Mobile’s gaudy Razr V3i Dolce & Gabbana. As the carrier is in the midst of a name change, the Razr V3xx has a Cingular logo on its rear face, while the AT&T globe shows up on the external display.

Speaking of which, the external display is the same as on the Razr V3. We’ll say again that’s it’s a tad small for the phone’s size (96 x 80 pixels) but the 64,000-color resolution is more than adequate for most uses. And in any case, it’s a big improvement over the V3’s 4,000-color screen. The display also works as a viewfinder for the camera but it’s annoying that there’s no dedicated button for activating the camera. Instead, you must open the phone, start the camera, and then close it again to snap vanity shots using the Motorola "smart" key. The camera lens sits just above the display, and once again there’s no flash.

A volume rocker sits on the left spine of the front flap just above the mini-USB slot and the aforementioned smart key. The latter control also locks the external buttons with you hold it down for a couple seconds. A voice recorder button sits on the right spine but it can be used only when the phone is open. The single speaker is located on the rear face of the phone just below the battery cover. While we’ve dinged previous Razrs because they put the microSD card slot behind the battery cover, we’re more willing to let it slide this time around. Though you have to remove the battery cover to change the card, you don’t have to remove the battery itself as well.

We’re glad to see a 262,000-color internal display on the V3xx. Motorola has been inconsistent with its Razr displays–some models get 65,000-color screens while others get 262,000-color resolutions–and we’d expect nothing less from an HSDPA phone. At 2.25 inches (320×240 pixels), it’s large, bright, and vibrant, and it displays everything from text to graphics well. Though it shows a few design tweaks, Moto’s dull menu system is the only distraction. We hope the company redesigns the interface soon, as it’s been looking long in the tooth for a couple years now.

The navigation array just below the display is standard Razr. Like the later models in the series, the Razr V3xx has tiny raised ridges between the individual controls. Dialing by feel still takes some getting used to, but it’s an improvement over the completely flat controls on the Razr V3. Shortcut options abound. The navigation toggle doubles as a shortcut to four user-defined applications, and you can set the smart key as a shortcut to another chosen feature when the phone is open. In standby mode the left soft key opens a further shortcuts menu while the right soft key and the central OK button activate the main menu. While some users have complained that you can’t change the settings on the soft keys, we don’t really mind. Below the toggle are dedicated buttons for the Web browser and the Cingular Video application, a Clear button, and the Talk and End/power controls. On the whole it’s a spacious easy-to-use arrangement despite the lack of a dedicated speakerphone button.

The keypad also shows no difference from other Razrs. The keys are flat with the surface of the phone but the numbers are rather large and lit by a bright backlighting. Tiny raised ridges separate the individual rows, but new Razr users should still give the phone a test drive first.

Features
As we said earlier, the Razr V3xx is more of an update to the Razr family rather than an entirely new phone altogether. The changes are all on the high-end features, so we’ll get the basics out of the way first. The phone book holds 1,000 contacts with room in each entry for six phone numbers, three e-mail addresses, a Web address, three street addresses, a nickname, a birthday, and notes (the SIM card holds an additional 250 names). You can save contacts to groups and pair them with a photo and one of eight polyphonic ringtones or 14 monophonic tones. You also can use voice notes as ringtones but in all honestly, the selection of integrated sounds is disappointing for such a multimedia phone. Other essentials include a choice of vibrate modes, text and multimedia messaging, a voice recorder, a world clock, a calendar, and a calculator.

Worker bees who aren’t quite ready for a smart phone should get some use out of the Razr V3xx. Inside you’ll find full Bluetooth with a stereo profile (yay!), PC syncing, USB storage support, PC modem capability, a speakerphone (minus a dedicated button), and e-mail and instant messaging for AOL, Windows, and Yahoo clients. Connecting to the instant messenger is relatively zippy, thanks to the HSDPA connection, but we still can’t imagine having full conversations on an alphanumeric keypad. Voice dialing is onboard as well but we found it harder to use than many other phones. More often than not, it couldn’t register the contact we were naming.

As a 3.5G HSDPA phone, the Razr V3xx supports the full range of Cingular broadband multimedia applications. Cingular Video brings a satisfying range of streaming video clips from such channels as NBC, Comedy Central, ESPN, The Weather Channel, VH1, and CNN. There’s a special channel for kids as well, with programming from The Disney Channel, Nickelodeon, and The Cartoon Network. We have to admit, though, that we spent plenty of time on Muppets Mobile. Premium entertainment is offered from HBO Mobile and Music Choice for an extra charge. For a full analysis of the offerings see our Cingular Video review. MobiTV applications are integrated as well.

If you’re more interested in listening to tunes, the Razr V3xx also supports the Cingular Music application (the phone identifies it as "AT&T Music," however). When it went live late last year, Cingular Music filled a hole in the carrier’s multimedia offerings by offering a central application for downloading tunes to the music player and accessing related music content. We like that Cingular uses partners rather than operating its stores, but at present you can’t download music wirelessly. There’s also a Music ID application, support for streaming radio, and a community section. The music player interface is strictly utilitarian but it offers Shuffle and Repeat modes, spatial audio, and bass boost.

The Opera Web browser is easy to use and offers a more pleasant interface than on other Cingular phones. And since it operates over the carrier’s HSDPA network, data speeds can fall in the 1.8Mbps with bursts at higher speeds possible. As we’ll cover in the Performance section below, browsing was fast and efficient but the phone’s default security settings severely limit the usability of third-party applications. For instance, when using the mobile version of Google Maps, the browser asked us whether we wanted to proceed every time we requested data. It’s quite frustrating, particularly since you can’t change the settings.

Like every other Razr, there’s no flash with the camera.

Though the Razr V3xx’s 1.3-megaixel camera is an improvement over the Razr V3, we were hoping for a 2-megapixel shooter on such a media-centric handset. In all seriousness, as high-resolution camera phones proliferate, 1.3-megapixel models are becoming the new VGA. We’re also disappointed that unlike the Razr V3x, Moto’s V3xx didn’t include a second interior camera for future use with video calling. You can take pictures in four resolutions and choose from a variety of editing options, including three quality settings, an 8x zoom, six lighting conditions, a self timer, seven color effects, and three shutter sounds plus a silent option. The video recorder shoots clips with sound in three quality settings and a choice of similar editing options. Clips meant for multimedia messages are limited to 16 seconds; otherwise you can shoot for as long as the available memory permits. And while we’re on the subject, you get a healthy 60MB of shared internal memory but you can always use a microSD card slot (up to 2GB) for more space. Picture and video quality are improved over the Razr V3’s, with distinct edges and colors. At times, however, the images are washed out, and since there’s no flash, darker conditions aren’t ideal. Video quality is about average for a 1.3-megapixel camera phone.

The Razr v3xx has decent photo quality.

You can personalize the Razr V3xx with a variety of wallpaper, screensavers, color themes, and alert sounds. You can always get more choices from the carrier’s MediaNet application and the wireless Web browser. You can buy more ringtones as well, but sadly, you won’t be able to use downloaded MP3 files for your calls. As for gaming, the Razr v3xx comes with demo versions of four Java (J2ME) tiles: EA Air Hockey, Midnight Pool, Platinum Sudoku, and Tetris. You’ll have to buy the full versions for extended play.

Performance

We tested the triband (GSM 850/1800/1900; HSDPA) Motorola Razr V3xx in San Francisco using Cingular service. It’s disappointing that the phone is not fully quadband like the Razr V3. As such, it won’t have as much coverage outside of the United States. It’s a baffling change to say the least, and one that makes the phone significantly less consumer-friendly.

Call quality was very decent with strong audio clarity and signal reception. Voices sounded natural and there was little static or interference. Even better, the volume level was much improved over previous Razr models. Low volume had been a recurring problem since the original V3. Callers said we sounded fine and didn’t report any significant problems. Also, voice recognition systems (like when calling an airline) could understand us. Our only complaint was that voices sounded tinny from time to time. It wasn’t a bother, but it was noticeable just the same. Sound quality also can diminish in noisy environments but it wasn’t a deal breaker either. Speakerphone quality was loud enough, but not unexpectedly, voices sounded more muffled. On their end, callers had trouble hearing us over the speakerphone unless we spoke close to the phone. Lastly, Bluetooth calls were decent.

Streaming video quality was quite sharp on the whole. There was very little pixelation, and videos suffered from almost no choppiness or color distortion. We did have to rebuffer a few times (mostly when inside interior rooms of a building), but it wasn’t too bothersome. Sound quality was good as well and voices matched the speakers’ mouths. Music quality was serviceable but nothing special. There was a tinny quality at times, and we’d prefer stereo speakers.

Due to the strong HSDPA connection, we had a strong wireless Internet connection without any major hiccups. Individual Web pages loaded in an instant, while moving backward to cached pages was even faster. In all, it’s a satisfying experience that involves none of the usual waiting that comes with mobile Web browsing. Downloads were also painless–we were able to download a game in just 8 seconds. Just be warned that the strength of the HSDPA connection will waver outside of urban areas.

The Razr V3xx has a rated battery life of three hours talk time and 12 days standby time. Three hours is quite low for a GSM phone, but 12 days is about average. We eked out a talk time of 3 hours, 30 minutes in our tests. According to FCC radiation tests, the Razr V3xx has a digital SAR rating of 1.21 watts per kilogram.

So I guess the real question is do I spend the money getting a new Motorola Razr V3xx cell phone battery or do I just get a new phone with a better battery? Replacement batteries are fairly inexpensive but a new phone would be fun. Always decisions need to be made.