Verizon's RAZR V3m

Updated version of Motorola V3c RAZR phone adds V Cast compatibility and storage

By Frank Moldstad

Every time I get a new cell phone, I'm really impressed with it for about three weeks. So I'm still in the honeymoon period with the Motorola RAZR V3m, but it does have a lot to offer. The latest slimeline RAZR on the U.S. market, the RAZR V3m is available only from Verizon, which is aggressively marketing it as a companion for its V Cast download service.

Verizon offers the V3m for $69.99, after a $50 rebate. A two-year service plan activation is also required, so unless you're already a Verizon customer (as I was) or are dissatisfied with your carrier, the V3m by itself is probably not enough of a reason to switch.

That being said, the V3m's blend of a small form factor with audio-video functionality is a very good deal for the price. In addition to the V Cast download capability, the V3m has a 1.3-megapixel camera, a stereo headphone jack, Bluetooth wireless technology, VZ Navigator, and speech recognition calling.

But the V3m does not introduce huge new technological advances -- instead, it's a more audio/video-capable version of Motorola's existing V3c RAZR (also available from Verizon). The major differences are that the V3m offers V Cast support and adds a microSD storage card slot. Verizon sells the microSD cards separately, ranging from a 1GB card for $69.99 to a 256 MB card for $29.99. The V3m also comes with 30MB of internal memory.

Other accessories include a 1400mAh Lithium Ion battery ($49.99) for use when the phone's charger is not available. This is intended to supplement the standard 740mAh Lithium Ion battery, which provides 200 minutes of digital usage time and 200 hours of digital standby time, according to Verizon. A fairly extensive list of Bluetooth accessories is also offered, including headsets, speakers, and a hands-free car kit.

The V3m comes in a slick gun metal gray case measuring 3.86" x 2.08" x .57" and weighing 3.49oz  The main screen is 65,000-color TFT display measuring 176 x 220 pixels, which seems perfectly adequate to me, although I probably won't be downloading a lot of videos.

The 1.3-megapixel camera has a 4x zoom, and is well-integrated into the phone. The lens is on the back of the lid, and you frame the shot on the main screen, select your resolution and then press take. Although the camera can take pictures up to 1024x768 resolution, I found it better to stick with 640x480 or below because of the 1.3 megapixel limitation. A simple photo album application makes it easy to browse through and select photos in the phone's memory.

V Cast Music home page

Verizon's V Cast Music catalog offers thousands of songs for download at 99 cents each, including a good selection of current hits. In addition, the V3m will convert MP3 files on a user's computer to Windows Media format and load them during a USB sync process. This is necessary because the V3m can only play songs in the WMA format. The conversion does not affect MP3 files on the user's computer, however. One nice aspect of the V Cast Music stores is that a purchase includes two songs, one sent to your phone and one to your PC.

Other downloadable media available from V Cast includes ring tones, ringback tones, videos, games and assorted skins.

Video options include shows such as Everything the OC, CNN, ESPN, The Weather Channel and music videos. Verizon has set up the video service with something similar to a cable TV tiered-menu approach. First, a basic $15 monthly VPak subscription is required to access the videos. For this, you get access to unlimited basic video clips, including News, Sports, Entertainment, and Weather. Then, there's a separate category of premium video clips with their own application fees. The VPak subscription also includes access to news on Mobile Web 2.0 with unlimited airtime; unlimited email: and unlimited access to MSN Hotmail, Yahoo! or America Online email.

Games have variable pricing. EA's Need for Speed is available for $13.49 as an unlimited purchase or $5.49 as a monthly subscription, while InfoSpace's Tomb Raider: The Osiris Codex and Digital Bridge'ss Freestyle Moto-X II are priced at $5.99 for unlimited purchase.

I'll probably purchase a microSD card and download some songs and ringtones from V Cast, but for the most part I wanted the V3m as a phone. The audio and video capabilities are nice extras for my purposes, as is the camera. But they're not enough to make me put my iPod or my 7 megapixel Canon digital camera on the shelf just yet.

For what it is, however, the RAZR V3m suits me just fine. Those who want more flexibility with audio file formats or a 3 megapixel camera might want to keep looking. But the V3m is a solid multipurpose phone for users who want style, portability and a range of multimedia capabilities.