Motorola RAZR V3i iTune Review

Motorola V3i would be bronze, but this version has an attractive brushed metal look instead. It’s possible that other colours will follow though - Motorola have also announced the Pink and Blue versions of the RAZR to follow on from the Silver and Black ones.

The improved camera is a welcome boost for the V3i, the old handset’s camera was woefully out of date, and it’s a sexy phone to bundle with iTunes too. Of course, all of this needs expandable memory, and the V3i can take TransFlash / microSD cards - the maximum memory hasn’t been specified however, and neither has any restriction on the iTunes software (the ROKR only holds a maximum of 100 tracks, for example). Output is to stereo USB headphones, and the Motorola RAZR V3i comes with a flight mode so that you can listed to the music player while on an aircraft.

Inside the Motorola V3i is a 176×220 pixel display, essentially the same as the previous model, plus the etched keypad we’ve seen before, but with a different backlight. On the outside the small display is still 96×80 pixels but has been upgraded to 65,000 colours from 4096. The “M” logo lights up, it seems. There are no dedicated external media controls, however. The detailing on the aluminium case is interesting (see closeup on right).

There’s a catch with iTunes however - not all RAZR V3i handsets will have it. Some will come with a standard Motorola player instead, and the iTunes handset comes with an “iTunes” key which is a messaging key on the non-iTunes V3i. Confusing? Yes! So, we advise that you check before ordering. (The handset pictured is a non-iTunes V3i).

It’s a much sexier phone to have iTunes on too. The RAZR is a real design icon, unlike the E398 that the ROKR is based on. Unfortunately for Motorola, the ROKR has been a real flop.. but the RAZR V3i combines a decent specification with very stunning looks and it should probably be much more successful.