Motorola Krave ZN4 Review

Camera:

A standard 2MP camera is included, but does not come with autofocus or a flash. When the phone is in landscape mode, simply press the camera button on the top to activate the application, which will take 3 seconds to load. Most of the display is used as a viewfinder, but there is a black bar on the right that is used to review images that were recently saved. The camera program is very basic and we were shocked to see that it doesn’t allow for any user settings or adjustments, such as changes to the resolution, white balance, or self timer. Images taken outside during the day look slightly out of focus and suffer from blotchy detail and inaccurate color. Even though the V9m has a 2MP fixed-focus camera, outside images from it look higher quality and more true to life. When bringing the Krave indoors, the image quality became worse due to lower light levels, but this is a problem with most cameraphones.

Videos can be record at 320x240 resolution at 15fps and up to 1 hour long. Once again there are no adjustments or settings that can be altered. Due to the low resolution of the videos, they look their best when viewed on the phone. Transferring them to a PC for playback will reveal their poor quality.




Multimedia:

Clicking on the Music icon in the main menu, and then on My Music will open the application to playback stored MP3 audio files. (It can also be selected directly when the flip it closed.) It starts by allowing you to select how you want to view the MP3 files, by genres, artists, albums, songs, playlists, or shuffle. When selecting an album, the songs within it are properly listed by their ID3 track number, not alphabetically like with the Dare. Once the song begins playback, it will show the album art (if loaded) on the screen and a progress bar at the bottom that you can use to play/pause, rewind, and fast-forward. Unfortunately, it does not support multitasking, like the Dare and Chocolate, so you cannot continue to listen to music while sending a text message or while using the web browser. The overall music playback quality through the rear speaker was quite good and sounded slightly better than we experienced with the Dare. You can also use standard wired earbuds since there is a 3.5mm headset jack, or a wireless headset using stereo Bluetooth.


The Krave can play streaming videos using both the VCast Mobile TV and VCast Video service. Using the VCast Video feature is the same as all other Verizon phones, where you can stream pre-recorded videos over the EVDO network, but because of speed limitations, image quality is pixilated and audio is low quality. For the best viewing experience, it is recommended to use the Mobile TV service, which uses the MediaFLO network, with live TV broadcast at 30fps. Unfortunately, this service is only available in select areas, which means spotty coverage when traveling. The Krave uses a built-in antenna, similar to the Z6tv, to pickup the Mobile TV broadcasts, instead of having a retractable antenna like on the Voyager and VX9400.


Software:

Just like all other Verizon non-smartphones, the Krave uses Qualcomm’s BREW format for all its applications. The most useful is VZ Navigator, which is used for GPS guided directions. It comes preloaded with the updated Version 4, which allows for new 3D maps, traffic congestion and accident re-routing, as well as the ability to find local gas stations, restaurants, movie theaters, show times, and local events. It can also be used with the phone in portrait or landscape mode, and with the flip opened on closed. We were able to use VZ Navigator around South FL without problems when going from one address or GPS location to another. The updated 3D maps are easy to follow and are more professional looking than the previous version 3. These added improvements and the ability not to get lost are well worth the $10 per month price.

No games come preloaded on the Krave, but can be purchased and download over the air directly from Verizon.

Another software feature is the support of Verizon’s FOTA (firmware over the air). This will allow customers to download the latest firmware for the phone without the need for visiting a store and having a technician install it. This is a valuable time-saver for both consumers and employees and we are pleased to see it starting to be implemented on more devices. We attempted to test the FOTA, but since our Krave has the latest firmware (01.19.09P), it did not download or install any updates.

Other applications include a calculator, tip calculator, notepad, and world clock.