V3c for Thee
One of the Christmas presents I got for
SWMBO
is the
Motorola RAZR V3c
(no, it's not a secret, I've already given it to her). The
V3c is very similar to the V3 that I have but is designed to
work on
CDMA
networks (like Verizon Wireless) and is
EvDO
compatible (although, and I could be wrong about this, I
don't think that is available yet in Hawaii).
Cosmetically, the V3c has a dark gray finish that I rather like and a slightly different keyboard layout (in place of the web key, the V3c has a key for the camera. I like this tradeoff because I use the camera much more than the web. YMMV. Another keyboard difference is that the menu key is gone. I'm not sure I like this change as much because I tend to use the menu key a lot.). Speaking of the camera, my V3 came with a VGA (640X480) resolution camera while the V3c comes with a 1.3megapixel version. To store all those pictures, you get a relatively spacious 30MB to work with.
The case that Verizon sells for the V3c is okay but I like Motorola's version better because it (the Motorola version) completely covers, with clear plastic, the internal display (which is a fingerprint magnet if there ever was one) and has a removable belt clip (the Verizon version is permanently affixed and not that easy to use).
The operating system that comes with the V3c is also slightly different. I don't know if it boots up and shuts down faster than mine because of this or if the V3c has a faster processor. But in any case, the interface does seem to be more responsive.
I haven't yet taken it outside so I can tell you if Motorola has fixed the problem of not being able to see anything on the display screen when outdoors and the sun is shining but I'll let you know when I do.
Overall, I think SWMBO likes her new phone and so do I. That said, I'll wait for my carrier (Cingular) to bring out a rumored version 2.0 of the V3, Real Soon Now. This version supposedly has more storage, a sharper camera, and perhaps even a version of iTunes for playing audio files. Why this phone hasn't been released yet, given it's almost Christmas, is anyone's guess.
Aloha!