Motorola RAZR V3x

[Jerry Raia]

<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://www.motorola.com/motoinfo/product/details/0,,95,00.html' target='_blank'>http://www.motorola.com/motoinfo/product/details/0,,95,00.html</a><br /><br /></div><i>"Be seen and heard with the Motorola RAZR V3x – the supremely svelte, sophisticated mobile accessory for discerning fashion and tech enthusiasts. The handset’s intuitive multimedia offerings include: real-time 2-way video calling*, still and moving image capture and editing, and large color display. Additionally, the Motorola RAZR V3x features SCREEN3*, an innovative technology solution from Motorola that gives you zero-click access to news, sports, entertainment, and other premium content directly from your mobile device home screen* – no buttons to push, no browsers to launch. Motorola's SCREEN3 puts fresh content at your fingertips. A 2 mega-pixel camera, Bluetooth® wireless technology* and removable memory add to this lengthy feature set."</i><br /><br /><img src="http://www.smartphonethoughts.com/images/Jerry-MotImage.jpg" alt="User submitted image" title="User submitted image"/><br /><br />I read the entire description of this new Motorola remake a couple of times and had to ask myself, does Motorola really want to make a Smartphone? I have said before the the RAZR is just a remade StarTac with some new clothes. I have to give them this; the V3x is one good looking device. Take a look at the other pictures of it in the full description. No matter what one says about Moto they seem to have put a lot of effort into this one. The RAZR has been extremely popular. I see them everywhere. Now look at their Smartphone line parade. The Mpx200, Mpx220 and maybe the Q. Kind of thin so far don't you think? Is it just me or does it seem like Motorola is just getting dragged into the Smartphone world, but their hearts aren't in it?

[Mike Temporale]

Is it just me or does it seem like Motorola is just getting dragged into the Smartphone world, but their hearts aren't in it?

Gosh, I hope that's not the case. I would hope that they are releasing Smartphones and executing off a business plan with some sort of direction. I think things generally work better when there is some sort of plan. But, hey what do I know. i'm not Ed. ;)

[Jerry Raia]

I think when we see what happens with the Q we will know. All I can say is that V3x looks like no Smartphone they have ever made.

[Pony99CA]

I have said before the the RAZR is just a remade StarTac with some new clothes. I have to give them this; the V3x is one good looking device.
I think the original RAZR is better looking than the V3x. My daughter makes fun of me because I call the RAZR the "sexy phone". This phone looks a lot more powerful, but not as cool. Specifically, the keypad isn't as sharp as the RAZR.

I just hope Verizon will get a version more quickly than they're getitng the original RAZR. I'm thinking of trading my V710 for the CDMA RAZR, but not if it's $499 and a two-year contract. :roll:

Steve

[mar2k]

Motorola apparently hasn't figured out if they would just take the RAZR and add Windows Mobile 5, a nice speedy processor, and a memory card slot to it instead of using their crappy proprietary OS, they would have the hottest phone on the planet, bar none.

[Jerry Raia]

That's really the heart of it. They keep making the same phone over and over with a new suit on instead of innovating.

[Covert]

Motorola apparently hasn't figured out if they would just take the RAZR and add Windows Mobile 5, a nice speedy processor, and a memory card slot to it instead of using their crappy proprietary OS, they would have the hottest phone on the planet, bar none.
Amen to that. One can only dream. :(

[Pony99CA]

That's really the heart of it. They keep making the same phone over and over with a new suit on instead of innovating.
Define what "innovating" would mean to you. I think the RAZR was pretty innovative as far as styling and size went.

Also, saying the V3x is the same phone in a "new suit" makes it sound like the V3x only has differences in appearence compared to the V3. I guess you think the video conferencing camera, the 2-megapixel camera, the zero-click SCREEN3 and the memory card slot are merely cosmetic differences.

By the way, there seems to be a simple explanation for Motorola's lack of Smartphones -- and it was on the home page of this site last week (http://www.smartphonethoughts.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=9515). If a minority of consumers want smart phones, it makes sense that a minority of a company's phones would be smart phones, doesn't it?

Steve

[Jerry Raia]

As this is a Smartphone site I am focused on innovation in that area. I don't consider "styling" innovation. I consider styling cosmetic like a new suit. Video conferencing? Are they serious? Are you going to hold that small phone in front of your face so you can see a tiny image of the person you are talking to and they can see you doing the same dance? The v710 has a trans flash memory slot, nothing new there either.

I'm sure everyone will enjoy accessing the same old features and menus using the zero-click SCREEN3 nuclear atomic thing or whatever it is.

The thought here is that Moto isn't putting all the horsepower they have behind a Smartphone. HTC, for example, seems to be doing so. They think there are a few folks out there that want Smartphones.

Innovating to me would be as others have said, putting a Smartphone into that stylish v3 shell instead of a StarTac with color.

That's my story and I'm sticking to it! :mrgreen:

[Pony99CA]

As this is a Smartphone site I am focused on innovation in that area. I don't consider "styling" innovation. I consider styling cosmetic like a new suit.
So you're basically saying that no clothing styles can ever be innovative? I think the bikini, the miniskirt and the thong have been innovative, for example. I think putting old function in a new form (a "new suit") can be innovative. The PC has existed for years, but would you not call the OQO innovative? (It may not be good, but I think it is innovative.)

In fact, the last paragraph of your previous post proves my point:

Innovating to me would be as others have said, putting a Smartphone into that stylish v3 shell instead of a StarTac with color.
Smartphones already exist (in fact, wasn't Motorola one of the first companies to make them with the MPx200?), so putting one in a RAZR shell would just be a Smartphone in a new suit. Can't you see how you're contradicting yourself? ;-)

Video conferencing? Are they serious? Are you going to hold that small phone in front of your face so you can see a tiny image of the person you are talking to and they can see you doing the same dance?
Actually, it probably won't be used so much for videoconferencing as real-time video. Imagine calling your friend and saying "Look what's going on here!" instead of taking the video and sending it to them (even if you had enough memory to capture the entire event). It might be useful for things like weddings, child birth, graduations, etc.

The v710 has a trans flash memory slot, nothing new there either.
I didn't say the memory slot was something new for the industry (or even for Motorola), just that it's new for the RAZR (and therefore more than just a cosmetic change).

The thought here is that Moto isn't putting all the horsepower they have behind a Smartphone. HTC, for example, seems to be doing so. They think there are a few folks out there that want Smartphones.
Or maybe HTC -- a niche manufacturer -- has chosen to address a niche market, one that Motorola doesn't find that profitable. Maybe HTC can't compete with Motorola creating more basic phones, so they're addressing a space where Motorola hasn't been so active. Maybe Motorola feels they can make more money producing newer RAZRs than investing in Smartphones. There's a reason Ford doesn't try to compete with Ferrari and Ferrari doesn't try to compete with Ford.

Don't get me wrong. I too would love to see Motorola make a great smart phone, but I can also understand why they may not do it. We may not like that, but can you say Motorola is making a bad business decision?

By the way, Motorola did try to innovate in the smart phone space. Remember the MPx? What happened to that? Maybe that left a bad taste in their mouth.

Steve

[Stinger]

I think there's been some worrying signs that Motorola's heart is with Windows Mobile. They've seen a massive rise in smartphone shipments, but thanks to Linux in China, and we know that they narrowly missed out on buying Palm Source. It sounds like their future lies with Linux and not Windows Mobile (or Symbian).

If you look at the most successful smartphone manufacturers globally (HTC, Nokia, Sony Ericsson, Palm) then they all share one thing in common - they've chosen one smartphone OS and stuck with it. In contrast, Motorola currently makes smartphones based on Windows Mobile, Linux and Symbian. The old saying "Jack of all trades but master of none" comes to mind.

[Pony99CA]

If you look at the most successful smartphone manufacturers globally (HTC, Nokia, Sony Ericsson, Palm) then they all share one thing in common - they've chosen one smartphone OS and stuck with it.
I believe that besides making many Windows Mobile smart phones, HTC also makes the Palm-based Treo 650. That contradicts your premise.

Steve

[Stinger]

HTC only provide the facilities to manufacture the Treo. Palm handles the design, R&amp;D, marketing and operator partnering. It's still very much a Palm product and you never hear HTC's name mentioned with it or it ever being called the HTC Widget.

With the Windows Mobile phones, HTC handles everything themselves and work very closely with the operators. I think there's a very clear difference with what HTC do with the Palm and Windows Mobile, but I could be wrong. ;)

[Jerry Raia]

...an awful lot at 1:48 in the morning!
:)

You brought up some good points and they are well taken, but the thrust of my original post was that Motorola just doesn't seem to be into making a good Smartphone and there is no question they could if they wanted to. I am waiting to see how the Q comes out. If it is good then I will be proved wrong.

BTW we both stay up way too late doing this stuff! :lol:

[Pony99CA]

HTC only provide the facilities to manufacture the Treo. Palm handles the design, R&amp;D, marketing and operator partnering. It's still very much a Palm product and you never hear HTC's name mentioned with it or it ever being called the HTC Widget.
Are you sure they don't provide any design services to Palm? Even if they don't, they probably still need to know about the Palm OS. If it's like Windows Mobile, they need to know how to adapt it to the hardware, for example.

Also, I believe that was HTC's inital role with Pocket PCs. For example, HTC became (relatively) famous by building the iPAQ, but I think it was designed by Compaq. It was certainly marketed by Compaq.

With the Windows Mobile phones, HTC handles everything themselves and work very closely with the operators. I think there's a very clear difference with what HTC do with the Palm and Windows Mobile, but I could be wrong. ;)
That may be true, but that's because HTC has grown from their original role as builders of Pocket PCs. Maybe they'll do the same with Palm devices now (although with Access having bought PalmSource, who knows?).

They certainly seem to focus on Windows CE for now, but how long will that last? And will it hurt them if they diversify?

Steve

[Pony99CA]

You brought up some good points and they are well taken, but the thrust of my original post was that Motorola just doesn't seem to be into making a good Smartphone and there is no question they could if they wanted to. I am waiting to see how the Q comes out. If it is good then I will be proved wrong.
I certainly agree that Motorola could do better in the Windows Mobile area, and I'd love to see the devices they could make. I too would love a WM5 RAZR.

The MPx that I mentioned previously generated a lot of buzz, and was as innovative as anything HTC has done IMHO. Unfortunately, they took too long to bring it to market, and it was outdated.

What I objected to was claiming that Motorola was just putting the same phone in new clothes. A look at their phone page (http://direct.motorola.com/ENS/phoneSelect.asp?Country=USA&amp;language=ENS&amp;web_page_name=SUPPORT&amp;productid=) should dispell that notion. Had you simply said "I wish Motorola would focus their design talent as much on the smart phone space as they do on their other phones", I would have agreed completely.

Steve

[cortez]

it appears to me that Mr Moto is going after the high profit, no frills, "it's all about looks" buyer/consumer; hence, the razr. this crowd just needs a cool-looking cell phone with a few "trendy" features (e.g., camera, custom ring tones). that's easy stuff for Mr. Moto; just put a new skin on the same basic OS and see the $'s roll in... On the other hand, Mr Moto (in my humble opinion) has proven to me that they don't do smartphones very well (e.g., MPx220 fiasco, the MPx). ... :lol:

[Jerry Raia]

Had you simply said "I wish Motorola would focus their design talent as much on the smart phone space as they do on their other phones", I would have agreed completely.

Close enough :)

[stingray]

everybody knows microsoft stole the technology from sendo and gave it to HTC :twisted:

anyway what happened to the moto takeover of sendo............?