The Hunt for the Next RAZR

[Jerry Raia]

<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://telephonyonline.com/wireless/news/telecom_hunt_next_razr/' target='_blank'>http://telephonyonline.com/wireless/news/telecom_hunt_next_razr/</a><br /><br /></div><i>"After a long period of resurgence, Motorola has fallen out of favor in the last year. It has seen its seemingly unstoppable climb back to the top of the global handset food chain not only stop but reverse itself, sending its phone market share — as well as its stock — plummeting back to earth. The cause of Motorola's fast rise and decline are often attributed to a single handset: the RAZR."</i><br /><br />I have been saying this for quite some time about Motorola. The latest Q remakes are a good example. They just keep making essentially the same device over and over in a new package and hope it sticks. It looks like the RA ZR has finally stopped sticking. How can a company as huge as Motorola not see the light here. Maybe that is the problem. Remember when AT&amp;T thought the cell phone was a bad idea?

[Rocco Augusto]

look on the bright side, at least we will stop seeing the RAZR everywhere :)

[Jerry Raia]

:rotfl:

[ctmagnus]

I used a razr for a few weeks a few years ago. I did not see why it was so popular. Now, every time I hear that da*n ringring-ringring, I feel like hunting down the offender and putting their phone someplace where it will be less offensive to those around it.

[Rocco Augusto]

I used a razr for a few weeks a few years ago. I did not see why it was so popular. Now, every time I hear that da*n ringring-ringring, I feel like hunting down the offender and putting their phone someplace where it will be less offensive to those around it.

the recycling bin? ;)

[mbranscum]

Well here's your next Razr and I predict it will be a big hit.

http://www.engadget.com/2007/05/15/motorola-razr-2-hands-on/

[alese]

Well here's your next Razr and I predict it will be a big hit.

http://www.engadget.com/2007/05/15/motorola-razr-2-hands-on/

Why would it be a hit?
Because it's thin? That was something special when the first RAZR came out, now wou have such devices from pretty much any manufacturer, and Motorola probably has 10 "different" models like that...
Or maybe because it's from Motorola? I don't know how it's in the USA, but here in Europe Motorola doesn't have much of a reputation - except that everybody think their devices are hard to use...

[Mike Temporale]

I don't know... I don't think their approach is all that bad. They make a phone, then tune it a little and release it again, tune some more and release, etc... Think of how many times you have wished there was a fix for a bug on your existing phone. Remeber those joystick problems, dust under the screen, poor reception? If HTC (or whoever) had stuck with the existing model, fixed those issues and re-released it, they would sell even better and it costs them less than building a whole new phone.

[mbranscum]

[Why would it be a hit?

If you go out any city in the United States you won't see ordinary people carrying a Treo, or HTC, or Q, or some other smartphone. What you will see is a lot of Razrs. People buy them for a lot of reasons. Mainly because they look good, have great RF, good battery life and are easy to use.

Right now, if you go to a regular phone forum in the ATT/Cingular section and ask, "which phone has the best RF," the majority of replies you get will be the new Razr v3xx. The phone looks like a regular Razr, but has been completely rebuilt under the hood.

But, no matter which Razr model you pick out, people buy them because they are simple and they know they will work...period. All thin phones don't work well. Just because they resemble a Razr doesn't mean they have good RF or that they will be a hit. Example: My Cingular 3125 smartphone that is sitting in the drawer. It does not have good RF and I have dropped, missed a lot of calls on it. For 99.999% of all the people out there, it comes down to one thing. Can I make a reliable call that won't drop a signal, and the I can understand the other person and they can understand me. If a phone won't do that, the other features are pretty worthless.

As Mike said, Moto has released and re-released and tweaked until they got it right. Whether you like the Razr series or not, get used to it, because it ain't goin any where! :)

[eric]

Mike is right--they have a good approach.

BTW--have you read this phones specs? Touch screen high resolution screens with tactile feedback!, HSPDA, Crystal Talk (sounds like the technology in a Jawbone), music playback (Jerry IMHO you're in left field--a lot of people think the idea of listening to a book or music on their phone is nice--sorry).

If HTC updated my 3125 with these features and left the form factor alone I'd be all over it. For those of us who use a smartphone as a phone, better reception &amp; call clarity would be a HUGE upgrade. Add touchscreen with tactile feedback and HSPDA and I would be at my local Cingular store placing myself on the waiting list all over again.

Updating a good design--I wish HTC WOULD follow Motorola's approach.

[alese]

If you go out any city in the United States you won't see ordinary people carrying a Treo, or HTC, or Q, or some other smartphone. What you will see is a lot of Razrs. People buy them for a lot of reasons. Mainly because they look good, have great RF, good battery life and are easy to use.


I guess this discussion is in the wrong forum, because you can't compare RAZR with smartphones. RAZR is (original) is pretty much a "dumb" phone just like many other Nokia, Samsung, SonyEricsson, Benq... phones. And believe me in Europe it's Nokia that is the easiest to use and has the best reception, if you ask an average user.
I was beeing sarcastic a bit in my previous post, but the truth is just rehashing the same old design got Motorola in trouble and I don't think a new RAZR is going to get them out.

As for HTC, they released 4 devices based on HTC Wizard design in last 2 years, and most of their announced new devices are just rehashes/uupgrades of existing devices or the same HW in a different shell, so they are doing the Motorola and they are allready experiencing decreases in sales...

[Rocco Augusto]

the truth is, as long as motorola keeps offering RAZR like devices and giving them away from next-to-free there will be no need for the next RAZR. if there is one thing i learned while working for all the carriers, the free phone (or device that costs less than $50) will always be the hot devices :(

[Rocco Augusto]

BTW--have you read this phones specs? Touch screen high resolution screens with tactile feedback!, HSPDA, Crystal Talk (sounds like the technology in a Jawbone), music playback (Jerry IMHO you're in left field--a lot of people think the idea of listening to a book or music on their phone is nice--sorry).

you know, i use to think the same thing until i bought a zune. everything about a dedicated music device is just so much better than whatever functionality you could get on a cellular handset. there is just no going back to watching movies or listening to music on my handset. :)

[mbranscum]

the truth is, as long as motorola keeps offering RAZR like devices and giving them away from next-to-free there will be no need for the next RAZR. if there is one thing i learned while working for all the carriers, the free phone (or device that costs less than $50) will always be the hot devices :(

How about the Blackjack for $49 at Cingular or free at other places with rebate.

[mbranscum]

I guess this discussion is in the wrong forum, because you can't compare RAZR with smartphones. RAZR is (original) is pretty much a "dumb" phone just like many other Nokia, Samsung, SonyEricsson, Benq...

Never was comparing them to a smartphone. Just making a point that no matter how smart the phone is, the mass market simply won't buy it unless it's simple to operate and has good, reliable call quality. More smartphones are getting there, but WM still has a ways to go.

[Jerry Raia]

Have any of you read the article? Motorola is no longer doing well with it. The RAZR didn't perpetuate the theory. If it is so wonderful, this remade recolored wonder, why are the sales falling flat?

[Mike Temporale]

Have any of you read the article? Motorola is no longer doing well with it. The RAZR didn't perpetuate the theory. If it is so wonderful, this remade recolored wonder, why are the sales falling flat?

I think the sales are slowing across the board. I'm sure it's nothing lasting, but it seems to me that it's a slow period. HTC has seen a slump as well. (Now I haven't done any research to see if that is the case with other manufacturers.)

I agree that Moto has milked the RAZR for all it's worth, and I think it's time for a new design for keep the life of the name alive.

[Mike Temporale]

As for HTC, they released 4 devices based on HTC Wizard design in last 2 years, and most of their announced new devices are just rehashes/uupgrades of existing devices or the same HW in a different shell, so they are doing the Motorola and they are allready experiencing decreases in sales...

yes and no. HTC has released other phones based on the same platform, but they've focused more on modifying the look of the phone and not tuning the inside. Where are Moto has tuned the internals to make it a better preforming device. Plus a lot of the different releases from HTC are carrier changes and not actual model changes. The carrier comes along and says "yes, we'll take that wizard platform, change the body to look more like &lt;blah> and remove feature &lt;blah>, etc..." It's not HTC pushing a version 2 of the wizard platform or anything. This is the reason that we still see dust issues with HTC devices - years after the problem surfaced.