My friends call me a “phone whore.” I change cell phones at least two or three times a year, never sticking with one for very long. The latest switch is to Motorola’s new KRZR K1, which just arrived today. In fact, the KRZR just started shipping out of Asia last week, according to my phone importer, so don’t expect to see it in stores for a couple more weeks or months. I’m switching from a standard RAZR, which I went back to from a disappointing RAZR V3i. Below are some quick thoughts and a small gallery of photos of the new device compared to the RAZR.
– The KRZR is noticeably narrower than the RAZR, but also a little thicker and longer. There’s no real size innovation here—it feels like Motorola is using the same internal components, but just rearranged them a bit.
– I don’t hate the “Cosmic Blue” as much as I thought I would, but I still wouldn’t pick it if I had any other color choice.
The CDMA model comes in a dark gray/black which I like a lot better. But knowing Motorola, you can expect a rainbow of colors over the next year or two.
– The main screen is really bright and crisp. The external screen seems about the same as the RAZR.
– The 2-megapixel camera is better than the RAZR and RAZR V3i, though not as great as I had hoped. A sample of the KRZR’s photo quality, compared to the RAZR and RAZR V3i, can be seen here. Note that all of the photos were scaled down from their original sizes to 640×480 (the KRZR’s pics are 1600×1200 at full size).
– The interface is super fast.
Not sure if it’s completely new, but it looks tons better than the RAZR’s interface and is much snappier.
– Like all shiny gadgets, fingerprints are an issue. The KRZR has a mirror-like finish that will make you want to keep a microfiber cloth with you at all times. I’ve only had the phone for a couple hours, yet it looks like 40 or 50 people have already handled it.
– It can play MPEG-4 video and MP3/AAC music files, but with no iTunes I’m not even bothering. The internal speaker, however, is rather loud and much clearer than the RAZR. MP3 ringtones sound great.
– It feels better in your hand when closed, but not as good when open and using as the RAZR.
