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As we mentioned last Friday, Skatter Tech was able to get a hold of the brand new Motorola KRZR K1m for Verizon Wireless. The KRZR’s features include a 1.3MP camera, MicroSD, speaker phone, external iPod-like touch-sensitive controls, Bluetooth, and V Cast Music/Video. We had high expectations and hoped that the phone would be as good as it looked, unfortunately we ended up being quite disappointed.
Motorola KRZR K1m Specs:
- Provider: Verizon Wireless (CDMA)
- Form Factor: Clamshell Flip Phone
- Dimensions: 4.05H x 1.73W x 0.67D (inches)
- Weight / Battery Life: 3.6oz / 4hrs30mins
- Digital Camera: 1.3 megapixels
- Storage Space: MicroSD expansion (2GB max)
- Communications: Bluetooth + USB
- Others: Speaker Phone and Music Controls
- Price: $199 with new 2 year contract
KRZR Body – 5/5 stars
The shape of the KRZR is much more comfortable and natural to hold compared the RAZR. The phone is way skinnier than the RAZR, but is slightly thicker and taller. At first glance the phone looks expensive, sleek, slim, and glossy, however just as a PSP or an iPod the, KRZR’s coat is prone to fingerprints from even the slightest touch. Motorola has improvised the keypad dividing them with more natural grooves which helps finding keys, without looking, much easier.
Digital Camera – 2/5 stars
The KRZR’s 1.3 megapixel camera is pretty much the same as the one in the RAZR v3m. Other KRZR models have a 2 megapixel camera, however Verizon’s K1m has been cut down to keep prices low. Motorola has also failed to add a flash to the phone, which although not too powerful often will be handy when taking close up shots in the dark.
Display – 4/5 stars
The internal display is much crisper and brighter than that of the Motorola v3m. However it is extremely delicate and placing even the slightest amount of pressure causes the “ripple effect” in the LCD which may damage the display. The external display is a bit dull and with the fingerprints all over, it may be hard to see in sunlight.
Music Playback – 4/5 stars
Unlike the RAZR, the KRZR supports Mp3 playback as well as WMA and V Cast Music. Verizon’s Media Player is well developed and makes browsing through music easy. Users can view songs by artists, albums, genres, or search just as iPods do. The media player also offers the use of playlists, library shuffle, and even display’s album art. The #1 problem is that users must navigate through many menus before they can get their music started. (Can be annoying for people who plan to listen to music a lot.)
External Controls – 3/5 stars
The addition of external touch-sensitive music controls, which the RAZR lacks, was a good concept, but is flawed. There is no way for a user to start music playback from the external controls, the phone must be opened to do so. The controls are also sometimes too sensitive and the current song may be skipped or paused when the phone is picked up.
Speakers – 4/5 stars
The speaker phone quality is quite clear and has minimal or no static. It sounds more clear and is louder than that of the RAZR, however it is still poorly position on the back of the phone. Both music playback and speakerphone will sound muffled if the phone is in your hand.
MicroSD – 3/5 stars
The KRZR now supports use of up to 2GB MicroSD cards. The space can be used for image, video, and music storage. The card slot is unfortunately placed underneath the battery pack lid making it a hassle to get to. If you don’t have a USB cable and the drivers to sync music back and forth, it will be a pain to remove the card every time to transfer files.
Bluetooth – 5/5
Because Verizon has finally “un-crippled” the Bluetooth, the KRZR can now send phonebook entries, pictures, and other data between devices. When testing the handsfree feature with the Lexus IS250, we found that he KRZR now sends the phone’s signal strength, battery level, and other data to the car’s display, unlike the RAZR.
Overall the KRZR is a decent upgrade from the RAZR v3m. There is however a major lack of innovation. Even so, the KRZR will probably be replacing the current RAZR’s place in the market. If all you need is a phone with basic features that can make calls and looks good, this maybe for you. If you are picky and like customizable feature packed phones, there’s not much that the KRZR can offer. The phone is a bit pricy, currently about $199 with a new 2 year contract or $99 for existing customers eligible for upgrade.
DEAL ALERT: FREE Motorola KRZR K1m (w/ new plan)
Related: Verizon Wirelesss – Moto KRZR
Update: Verizon currently charges about $30 for a USB cable and some drivers, but if you already have the cable and are just looking for the drivers you can get it from the link below. Once installed, your phone will be detected as a portable audio device and you will now be able to sync the music in your Windows Media Player Library with your KRZR. After installing you may need to restart your machine. But once complete you will be able to use your computer to charge your KRZR and sync music. To start, go to Get It Now -> Music -> Sync.
Download: Moto_KRZR_Driver.zip (Note: driver found on developer.motorola.com)
Update: If the driver above doesn’t work, try installing the patch from Verizon’s site.
Download: Sync_Music_Fix.exe [Thanks for the info Elizabeth]
I have the same problem with my phone, it worked great for about 6 months, now it will not hold a charge. When I charge it, it says the charge is complete but after one use (no matter how short)the battery goes dead. Sometimes the phone blinks from black and white and will not work at all. I plan to take it back to Verizon this week.
Jenny, I just replace my battery for the exact same reason. Your battery is shot. Mine lasted 1.2 years. I recommend buying a Motorola battery. I bought a no-name battery and it was slightly thicker – the back cover would not close. I had a crappy case for the phone, so that held the back plate in place and I attempted to keep using it as I spent $40 and could not return the opened battery. However: 1) when charging, the phone says, “Unable to Charge”, even though it does charge; 2) the phone does not know anything about the battery life, so when the battery is about out, the phone will cut off and you have no warning. I ended up placing the no-name battery on a shelf of junk in my basement never to be used again and spent another $30 ($10 company discount, yea) on the Motorola battery.
Oh, and the only reason I bought the no-name battery in the first place was because I got fed up waiting in line at the stupid Verizon store at the mall. You might be able to get a no-name on-line for $20, but I wouldn’t bother. It’s ridiculous, though, because now you can get a krzr for $20 after a rebate (and a 2-year plan). WTF.
Does anyone know of a good Verizon phone similar to the krzr that has a flash? The only time I take pictures is when I’m drunk, and I’m usually drunk somewhere with poor lighting, which renders the camera completely useless. Really, is it that hard to put a little LED flash on these things?
Okay I uploaded songs using USB to my Krzr (finally) I even converted an mp3 into a ringtone. How do I assign the rintone to a contact or even move the ringtone (it is on the phone as a sound)to be able to actually use it as a ringtone?
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FYI on the verizon Krzr phones, the ringtones have to show up in the ringtone list. If it is not there it cannot be a ringtone. Don’t know if the Cricket service is the same. If it is the same then the phone is locked down. Meaning you have to hack the phone. I believe you can send yourself a email with the mp3 attachment and i believe you can tell it to save it as a ringtone. Didnt do it myself, since all ringtones suck on the internet, and nothing in japanese jrock. So customed myself.
Just wanted to say thank you…..I’ve been having a Razr problem (‘memory full’ error when trying to text) and Googled the crap out of the internet looking for a solution with no luck. But, I found the solution here and it worked — so thanks. Very, very much appreciated.
I have had my krzr for a couple of months. The front screen light comes on just sitting there. It freezes up a lot during texting. Last time I took the battery out and put it back in and it fixed it. That was about a week ago. It’s doing it again. It is also saying something about a picture message everytime I’m using the phone.
I got a Krzr about 4 months back. At first it worked fine, but then the battery mysteriously wouldn’t charge up any more. When I plugged it in with the charger the phone would say that it was charging, but it never actually would charge, even after HOURS of trying. I took it to a store to ask what was wrong with it, but they had no idea and just gave me a new one. I hope this doesn’t happen again…I wasn’t even able to get my contacts off of the old phone.
I have a KRZR and it is showing a white screen, does any one out there know how to fix the problem. Or where you find the little sticker in the back of the phone and what I should liik for when I find the phone? My daughter was using the phone for texting and then the phone now has a white screen that will not go away.
Laura
I’m so glad to hear that other people are having the same problems as me… I’m on my 3rd krzr, soon to be the last because I keep encountering the same issue every four months, I could almost mark it on my calander when its going to go all crazy on me. So here’s what happens, it always happens in the middle of a text, it starts to go through a cycle every 30 seconds where it freezes then says that there is no service, then it finally gets reception again but then 30 seconds later it starts all over again. This drains the battery dramatically and makes it impossible to text. I can still send and receive calls but every time it tells me that I have a new picture message, which I don’t. The most frustrating part of this whole thing is that when Verizon gives me a new phone, which they should be credited for doing, I lose all my pics and ringtones. I just want a phone that isn’t going to freak out every 4 months…
These phones are HORRIBLE! I have went through three of them in less than a year. The first one just stopped working, the second one had something wrong to where i couldn’t hear what people were saying when they called, and they couldn’t hear me. The third one’s screen just stopped working. Sure it is a nice looking phone for the first week, until it gets fingerprints all over it. I would not recommend this phone to anyone.
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Quick question, do any of you use your “car” charger more than the “wall”? The reason I ask is because of a problem I had with the battery. Apparently the car charger is to powerful and “explodes” the battery. The phone would charge in a matter of minutes and die in a matter of seconds. I was advised NOT to use a car charger, at all. Unless you want to keep replacing batteries.
Oki,
I recenlty purchased a KRZR K1m, actually I recieved an awesome deal so than I decided to get it. Without the deal, this phone would’ve been my last choice. Here’s the situation, I realize I need a “micro-SD card” for music and such, however, all I do is place the card in the appropriate place, connect to PC thru USB, and that’s it? My phone and computer will automatically detect the card and storage? I have the updates and am able to sync from PC to Phone..am I good to go?
ANOTHER QUESTION…
Okay, I am with the Verizon network, and recently switched from an older LG model to the Moto KRZR K1m. I find that I need to save the “area code” before each phone number in my contacts in order to get “caller i.d.”. I have never had this problem on any other phone. Am I being charged additional fee’s from Verizon because of this? (I am on the Nationwide calling plan) Also, what needs to be done in order to save just the number (i.e. ***-****) for my redial and callier i.d. to work?
Can I view my texts from the front screen on my krzr? If so , how?
I recently subscribed to Napster for unlimited downloads and transfers to my media players. I can get the songs to sync to my MP3 player but they will not transfer to my krzr. I connect using a usb cord, the napster software reads the phone but when I attempt to transfer I keep getting a transfer error. Any thoughts?
I’ve read that some player will not suppport subscription rights and downloads. Is that the case with the krzr? Will it not support downloaded music with subscription rights/properties?
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Best bet is to buy a mini sd card and a sd card reader and transfer to it via that method. The other is a power and most of the time doesnt work as well.
My KRZR won’t play any ringtones or alarms. I have the volume set at high but it won’t play anything when a call comes in or i try to listen to a ringtone. But the buttons still beep when i push them. If anyone has had this problem or know how to fix it will you let me know.
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Will it play the factory ringtones?
No it won’t
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Hmmm can you actually go to your ringtones and just play them manually? Or even attach them to the alarm clock?
I can’t play them manually and it doesn’t work for the alarm clock part either
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Have you taken it back to the carrier to reset the phone? How old is the phone?
it is almost a year old