Camera Phone Reviews

Motorola V9m

Sprint Motorola V9M News Release

Bringing the "third screen" of mobile video to two screens instead of just one, Sprint (NYSE: S) today announced plans to launch the latest Motorola handset, RAZR2 V9m with key features that make it stand out from the crowd. Sprint's RAZR2 V9m provides the ability to watch video on the external screen with the flip closed – a first for the U.S. wireless market.

Harnessing the speed of Sprint's Power Vision(SM) EVDO network, the RAZR2 will deliver exclusive access to multimedia content1 including:

* NFL Mobile, a Sprint-exclusive wireless application that brings fans access to same-day audio and video highlights, a live stream of NFL Network's broadcast, real-time statistics and scores, customizable team and player alerts, injury reports and other information updated every two seconds.
* Sprint Music Store(SM), powered by Groove Mobile, which allows users to browse and wirelessly download full-length songs directly to their phone from a selection of more than 1.6 million songs.
* Sprint TV(SM) with more than 50 channels of live television and on-demand video and audio including a comprehensive portfolio of ABC news and entertainment video programming from ABC Entertainment, ABC News and Disney Channel such as on-demand, full-length episodes of ABC programs, including the hit shows "Desperate Housewives," "Grey's Anatomy," "Lost" and "Ugly Betty."
* Sprint Power View, the industry's first made-for-mobile sports and entertainment video programming network.
* Sprint Navigation, powered by TeleNav, providing full-feature GPS navigation including voice and on screen turn-by-turn driving directions with real-time traffic alerts and more than 10 million business listings.

(Standard data charges apply to all downloads from Sprint.)

"We are excited to pair our advanced multimedia capabilities and network speeds with this beautifully designed wireless phone," said John Garcia, senior vice president of product management and development for Sprint. "Customers will find Sprint's version of RAZR2 to offer exclusive video content that is both enjoyable and relevant. They will also appreciate that this device is the first clamshell in the industry to provide the option of watching video on both the internal or external display."

The design of RAZR2 has a sleeker, more sophisticated look and feel than its predecessor. At the core of RAZR2 is a stainless steel internal frame to help provide strength and durability. The large exterior lens is made with chemically hardened glass to be more scratch resistant.

Both the internal and external screens on the RAZR2 are significantly larger than the original RAZR– external is 2.0" and internal is 2.2" – with twice the resolution. The external display incorporates Motorola's breakthrough haptics technology, which provides users with vibrating feedback in response to their finger taps. This allows the user to effortlessly control their music, video and camera without opening the flip.

Additional features available on RAZR2 V9m by MOTOROLA include a 2.0 megapixel camera with digital flash and zoom and advanced stereo Bluetooth® wireless technology.2 The device will also offer OnDemand(SM) with customizable up-to-date sports, weather and news information, Sprint PCS® Picture Mail for sharing and printing digital pictures and Wireless Backup to quickly restore contact information if the device is ever lost or stolen.

The RAZR2 V9m by MOTOROLA will be available at www.sprint.com and by calling 1-800-SPRINT1 on Aug. 22. It will be in all Sprint retail outlets by Sept. 4. The device will cost $249 with a 2 year agreement (without any required rebate).

Customers purchasing RAZR2 V9m by MOTOROLA as a replacement for an existing mobile phone are encouraged to recycle their current phone, battery and accessories through Sprint Project Connect. One hundred percent of the net proceeds from Sprint Project Connect are used to help keep kids safer online through Sprint's 4NetSafety program with partners that include the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children and the NEA Health Information Network. More information, including a free postage-paid mailing label, can be found at www.sprint.com/projectconnect.

Motorola RAZR2 V9m Reviews

CNET reviews the Motorola Razr2 V9m and writes, "In our tests, photo quality was very good. Colors were sharp, object outlines were distinct, and there was enough light. ... Call quality was satisfying on most accounts. Voices sounded natural, volume was high, and the reception was clear. Only very occasionally did we notice a slight humming in the background but it wasn't enough to be overly distracting. On their end, callers said we sounded fine. They said the V9m picked up a fair amount of wind noise, but they didn't say it was too bothersome. On the upside, they reported adequate volume and clarity levels."

PCMag reviews the Motorola RAZR2 V9m and writes, "The RAZR2's 2-megapixel camera is decidedly ho hum. It could be sharper, and it gave some of my photos a slight bluish cast. Low-light photos suffered from shutter-speed blur, and very bright areas in outdoor photos were washed out. The video mode captures 320 by 240 videos at 15 frames per second, of middling quality. ... the RAZR2 brings a 'wow' factor to Sprint's line that those other phones lack, and follows this up with enough horsepower to deliver multimedia services."

InfoSync reviews the Motorola RAZR2 V9m and writes, "We got some very strange colors out of our V9m's camera, mostly purple. Images were very noisy, blurry and pixilated around the edges. We noticed lots of ghosting around more distant objects. Also, again the default setting stymied us, as the camera twists into landscape by default. You can adjust to portrait, but it took us a moment to figure it out. The camera is accessible from the external touch screen, but for many options, like exiting the camera, you have to open the flip and work it from the inside. Editor functions were impressive, with red-eye reduction and some funny face filters. And, if you decide to send your pics, you can do so over Bluetooth or e-mail, no sweat."

MobileBurn reviews the Motorola RAZR2 V9m and writes, "The camera is a decent 2 megapixel shooter that has a very good automatic white balance system. While it lacks the simple d-pad controlled settings of some other Motorola devices, all of the manual settings are still available in a fairly straight forward menu system. The fixed focus lens appears to be setup for photographing people rather than landscapes, and most people shots turn out reasonably well. The camera also works fairly well in darker situations, though not as well as do most dedicated point and shoot cameras. The camera can also be used to record QVGA resolution video clips that can be sent to other people via email or even used as a video ringtone."

Washingpost reviews the Motorola RAZR2 V9m and writes, "The V9m has decent imaging for a phone. In our resolution test, the V9m was able to discern 988 line widths per pixel height (lw/ph) horizontally and 958 lw/ph vertically. Line width per pixel height refers to how many alternating black and white lines the camera can discern before it simply interprets them as gray. To put that in context, though, a typical point-and-shoot shoot digital camera will get a line width per picture height rating of 1500 or above, so the images the RAZR2 captures are nowhere near as sharp. The V9m also did well with color, though it did tend to oversaturate yellows and reds a bit. The video it captures is decent and would be fine for capturing candid moments."

Geek.com reviews the Motorola RAZR2 V9m and writes, "At first glance the RAZR2 has a lot going for it. The form factor is impressive and the dual screens (2.0″ external and 2.2″ internal) are bright and sharp, though resolution is on the low side. The exterior display also has touch sensitive zones which allow for quick access to the camera, music, and Sprint TV if you use this service. The camera can’t compare to that on many of the smartphones on the market, but it gets the job done in most conditions. Expansion is handled through a microSD card that is under the battery cover. While the card slot is not under the battery, the battery has to be removed to get at the card."

MobileTechReview reviews the Motorola RAZR2 V9m and writes, "The RAZR2’s built-in camera is 2.0 megapixels for still pictures and also captures video (in the standard 3gp format). The camera also includes digital zoom, up to 4x. In my tests, the pictures were sharper with truer colors than last generation Moto phones-- a big improvement in fact. Exposure was generally correct and indoor noise is accepible for the class. The camera can take still photos at a maximum 1600 x 1200 resolution and at smaller sizes suitable for MMS and photo caller ID. Video max resolution is QVGA at 15 fps, and the quality is average among US feature phones."