If there was one phone that was the talk of town last year, it
was Motorola's RAZR -- with silver, black and pink variations
being toted around by business users and fashionistas alike. And
as we await for its 3G successor to arrive, the
RAZR V3x, Motorola has given second-generation users the
option of a candybar-shaped version, which it calls the SLVR
(pronounced sliver).
Upside
Motorola's emphasis on fashion continues in 2006 with the SLVR
bearing similar design characteristics to the RAZR, such as its
signature steel keypad backlit in blue. The mini-USB connector is
on the right this time alongside an infrared port and a
hotswappable
microSD card slot. Motorola bundles a 128MB card, Bluetooth
headset and a stereo headset with the SLVR.
The SLVR L7 has a bright 256K-colour display that is a tad smaller than the RAZR's screen, yet packs in the same amount of pixels (176 x 220), which gives it a sharper picture. The keypad is slightly different to its clamshell brethren in that the numbers are raised slightly, which should make text messaging more tactile. Motorola has shaved 2.4mm off the RAZR V3's ultra-thin design, which is only outdone by the recently introduced (and less expensive) L6.
Downside
Although slim, the candybar form factor makes the RAZR quite a
long and wide handset. At a time when more and more one- and
two-megapixel camera phones are hitting the market, the SLVR also
hangs on to the RAZR's 640 x 480-pixel (VGA) resolution. And even
though the RAZR is now available in three colours, Motorola has
released the SLVR in one colour only, black.
Outlook
The SLVR is hitting the Australian market with an RRP of AU$599.
At this price, we see the L7 as an attractive offer from Motorola
for people who prefer candybar-shaped phones -- especially
ultra-thin ones that can sit inconspicously in your pocket.
Motorola SLVR L7
Company: Motorola
Price: AU$599
6%
1%
Terrible customer service - phone was dead on arrival
by anonymous - 02/08/2006, 04:59 PM
Pros: Would be a good phone if it worked. Unfortunately, I got a "white screen of death" on startup.
Cons: Motorola Australia customer service really bad. I had to return a phone that was dead on arrival and it took 6 calls, complaints to a manager, and even compaints to the manager's manager before anything was done. On 3 occassions Motorola promised to call me back and never did. They tried passing me off to different internal divisons with different phone numbers who made me re-explain everything. Interestingly, their technicians acknowledged the phone was faulty but that didn't speed up the process any.
I'll never buy another phone from Motorola again, I used to love the brand.