Handsome New Phone
Cellphones have gotten smaller and smaller over the years, and they are crammed with more "features" than most people will ever use. But, in general, their designs have been uninspired.
There hasn't been an iconic cellphone to rival such triumphs as the iPod music player, the classic Palm V organizer, or even some of the most beautiful digital cameras.
But I've been testing a gorgeous new cellphone that sets a new design standard. It's the thinnest, sleekest flip phone I've ever seen, yet it doesn't compromise on features. And it comes from Motorola, a company that, until recently, seemed lost in the digital woods, unable to compete with the likes of Nokia and Samsung.
WALL STREET JOURNAL VIDEO
Walt Mossberg admires the sleek, new Motorola V3 Razor mobile phone, despite its high price tag.
This bold new phone is called the RAZR V3, although it is known among cellphone devotees as simply the "Razor." It will go on sale from Cingular Wireless on Nov. 15.
The Razor is Motorola's best design statement since the company's pioneering StarTAC flip phone, back in 1996, and Motorola has some other interesting new phones on the way.
Although it has some Internet and organizer capabilities, the Razor isn't a real "smart phone." It isn't built around e-mail and data capabilities, like the PalmOne Treo or the new Research In Motion BlackBerry phone. It lacks a keyboard for e-mail. And, while the Razor does have a camera, it is primarily designed for making voice calls.
Yet the Razor isn't your average voice phone either, because of its design and price. At $499, with a two-year Cingular service contract, it won't be a mass-market item. It's likely to appeal mostly to style-conscious users with deep pockets.
Motorola's RAZR V3
This phone isn't perfect. In addition to its high price, the included software has some drawbacks. But it's a beautiful package, and in my tests it worked very well for voice calls and was even able to synchronize data with my PC.
The Razor is just 3.9 inches long, 2 inches wide and half an inch thick when folded. It weighs a scant 3.4 ounces. Unlike most other flip phones, which are thick and stubby, this one will slip easily into a pocket or purse without causing a bulge.
Yet, despite its slender shape, the phone houses a large, vivid color screen inside, measuring 2.2 inches diagonally, as well as a small color screen on the outside that can also serve as a viewfinder for the camera. And its battery life is decent, at up to seven hours of talk time and 12 days of standby time. If you are often far from a cellphone tower or use the Internet, those numbers will decline.
In addition, this little phone works on all four bands of the GSM/GPRS standard, which means it can be used in Europe as well as the U.S. The camera is low resolution and lacks a flash, but it worked well enough.
Despite its small size and light weight, the Razor is sturdy and classy looking because it's nearly all metal. The outside is anodized aircraft-grade aluminum, and the inner surfaces are magnesium.
The large shiny keyboard is fashioned from a single piece of nickel-plated copper alloy, with the keys chemically etched onto the surface. A light source underneath illuminates the keys in shades of icy blue, green and red. The etching is deep enough to make the keys easy to use. The only plastic outer part of the phone is an area at the base that houses the antenna, which is entirely internal. Because of this design choice, the antenna doesn't typically rest directly against the head.
As in nearly all cellphones, the hardware on the Razor is better than the software. In particular, I was disappointed by the e-mail program Motorola includes. While it promises access to your regular e-mail, I found it very difficult to set up, partly because Cingular doesn't preload needed network information. And I couldn't get it to work.
Cingular says it doesn't encourage users to manage their regular e-mail accounts with the Razor's e-mail program and prefers that they use the company's very limited Web-based e-mail, which is accessible through the phone's Internet function. But the Razor does have built-in access to AOL instant messaging, and that worked well.
One software feature I liked a lot was something called Motorola Phone Tools, an optional Windows program that installs on a PC and allows users to copy and synchronize data between the phone and the PC, using either a USB cable or the Razor's built-in Bluetooth wireless capability.
I installed the Phone Tools software on an IBM ThinkPad laptop, and was able to move over to the phone numerous address-book entries from Microsoft Outlook, which showed up in the Razor's phone book, and Outlook calendar entries, which showed up in the Razor's datebook. I was even able to copy over the logo of the World Champion Boston Red Sox, and use it as the wallpaper on the Razor's screen.
Unfortunately, the tools program, which works with multiple Motorola phones, isn't included by Cingular and has to be ordered from Motorola for $49, which includes a USB cable.
The Razor clearly isn't for everyone. But it's a great balance of form and function that I hope will inspire slimmer and sleeker phones at lower prices.
摩托罗拉RAZR V3手机测评
近些年手机体积越变越小，功能却越来越丰富，不过总体而言，手机的这些功能设计都缺乏新意。
还没有一款手机能像iPod音乐播放器、Palm V个人数字助理、甚至是部分最美丽的数码相机那样获得成功，
不过我最近测试了一部漂亮的新手机，它开创了一个新的设计标准。它是我见过的机身最薄、最光滑的手机，并且功能一点也不差。这是一部摩托罗拉(Motorola)生产的手机，直到最近，摩托罗拉在数字领域一直都郁郁不得志，无法与诺基亚(Nokia)和三星(Samsung)等竞争对手抗衡。
这款大胆创新的手机名为RAZR V3，而手机爱好者都把它简称为“Razor”。Cingular Wireless将从11月15日开始出售这款手机。
Razor是摩托罗拉自1996年推出StarTAC翻盖手机以来设计得最好的一款手机，该公司其他一些新型手机也将陆续推出。
尽管Razor有某些上网和事务管理功能，但它并不是真正意义上的智能手机。和PalmOne Treo或是Research In最新的Motion BlackBerry掌上电脑不同，Razor的设计不是围绕著电子邮件和数据处理功能，它没有用于处理电子邮件的键盘。虽然Razor也有内置数码相机，但其设计主要还是针对语音通话功能。
不过，RAZOR也并不是普通的手机，看看它的设计和售价就知道了。RAZOR手机、加Cingular两年服务的价格是499美元，可不是一般人能承受得起的，购买它的多数会是些追求时尚的有钱人。
这款手机也并非完美无缺，除了价格偏高以外，内置的软件也有一些不足。不过，它外形精美，根据我的测试，它的通话质量也很不错，甚至能和我的个人电脑进行数据传输。
Razor只有3.9英寸长、2英寸宽、折叠起来后厚度只有半英寸，重量也只有3.4盎司。与其他多数厚重的翻盖手机不同，Razor放进口袋和皮包内一点也不觉得累赘。
虽然Razor体积很小，但却有一个2.2英寸的超大真彩显示屏，并且还有一个小的彩色外屏，可以用作内置相机的取景。Razor电池效力强劲，一次充电的最长通话时间可达7个小时，待机时间最长可达12天。不过你经常远离手机信号发射塔或是经常上网，其通话时间及待机时间将会有所降低。
另外，这款手机支持GSM/GPRS标准的所有四个频段，这意味著它既可以在欧洲也可以在美国使用。内置数码相机的分辨率不高，也没有闪光灯，但用起来已经足够好了。
尽管Razor体积小、重量轻，但由于它几乎是全金属的，因此看上去既结实又美观。Razor外壳使用的航空级铝合金，而内部表面使用的材料是镁。
宽大闪亮的键盘由整块镀镍铜合金制成，按键凹槽用化学方法蚀刻在其表面，其下方的光源制造出冰蓝、绿色和红色的背景光效。按键凹槽蚀刻较深，因此按键使用起来较为轻松。机身外部唯一使用塑料的是内置天线的地方，由于有这样的设计特点，Razor在使用时天线不会直接对著人的头部。
和几乎其他所有的手机一样，Razor的硬件要好于软件。我对其内置的电子邮件程序尤为不满意。虽然Razor号称能收发日常邮件，但实际操作起来非常困难，部分原因是Cingular没有预先提供所需的网络信息。我无法通过Razor处理电子邮件。
Cingular称，它不建议用户使用Razor的电子邮件程序处理日常邮件，并推荐用户使用该公司的有一定网络局限的电子邮件，通过Razor的上网功能即可以收发此类邮件。但Razor的确有一个内置的链接，可接入美国在线(AOL)的网络寻呼，该功能非常好用。
我很喜欢Razor的一个名为“Motorola Phone Tools”的软件功能，这是一种可以安装在个人电脑上的Windows程序，通过这种程序，用户可以使用USB接线或Razor内置的蓝牙无线功能在电脑和手机之间进行文件复制和数据同步。
我在IBM的ThinkPad笔记本电脑上安装了这种Phone Tools软件，使用这种软件将Microsoft Outlook中大量的通讯录内容复制到手机的通讯录上。我甚至能将波士顿红袜棒球队的标志复制到手机上当显示屏的墙纸。
不幸的是，Cingular不提供这种能用在多款摩托罗拉手机上的软件程序，用户需要自己花49美元从摩托罗拉订购，其中将包含USB接线。
Razor显然不是面向大众用户的产品，但它很好地将外形功能结合到了一起，我希望由此能刺激手机生产商生产出更小巧、更光滑、而价格又更低的手机。
