Motorola RAZR maxx Ve Review

Messaging:

Like all other camera phones, the Maxx is capable of sending and receiving Text, Picture, and Video Messages. Pressing the Left Soft Key will access the main Messaging menu. The available options are New Message, Inbox, Sent, Drafts, Voicemail, E-Mail, Mobile IM, and Chat. Selecting the New Message option will allow you to either send a Text, Picture, or Video Message. When choosing Text Message, you begin by typing in the phone number or E-Mail address of the recipient. You can also select to send it to a person that is already stored in the contact list. After doing so, you then begin to type the body of the message. The Maxx (and all other Motorola phones) use iTap predictive word entry. When you begin to type a word, the software tries to predict what word you are typing. This works a majority of the time, but unknown words are a problem and must be entered manually. Sending a Picture or Video Message is no different than a Text Message, except that you can select a Picture or Video file that is stored to be an attachment. Picture and Video messages can be sent to other camera phones or to any E-Mail address. We found that Text Messaging on the Maxx is simple to use and the keypad is spaced well so that wrong buttons are not pressed accidentally. However, if you are a heavy text message user, you may want to consider the LG enV, since it has a QWERTY keypad.

Connectivity:

Bluetooth v1.2 will allow up to 20 pairings and supports the following profiles: Headset, Handsfree, Dial Up Networking, Serial Port, Stereo Headset A2DP/AVCR, File Transfer and Object Push for images and videos. For call testing, we paired with a Jabra v250 headset and were able to use it up to 30 feet without any static. For Stereo Bluetooth A2DP we used the LG HBS-110 stereo earbuds and were also able to get up to 30 feet of static free music. However, the music control buttons on the HSB-110 would not work with the Maxx, despite the fact the Maxx says it is AVRCP capable. Since then, we have learned that the AVRCP on the Maxx is only compatible with Motorola brand Stereo Bluetooth devices. This is unfortunate that you cannot use the AVRC control with other brand stereo headsets.




Internet:

Like most other Verizon Non-SmartPhones, Internet browsing is limited to the included WAP 2.0 browser. Pressing the Up button on the navigational pad will start the browser and activate Verizon’s Mobile Web service. The main page will load in 5 seconds while in an EVDO coverage area. From here, you can choose News, Weather, E-Mail, Sports, Entertainment, VZW Services, and Shopping. There is also an option to enter in a specific WAP or HTTP address. Since this is a WAP browser, it will display WAP sites without problem, but going to a normal HTTP site can pose some difficulty. First, the site will take longer to load (up to 30 seconds) and images and text may not be displayed and formatted properly. Also, embedded items, such as Java and Flash, will not work. Because of these limitations, it is recommended to only visit WAP or HTTP site that do not have a lot of graphic content. If you need the ability to use a mobile device for viewing standard HTTP sites, then a SmartPhone will suite your needs better.

Streaming Video can be viewed using the V Cast video service. Unfortunately, the Maxx still uses the older V Cast version 3, which takes up to 30 seconds to connect. Other phones have been able to download a version 4 update, which only takes 5 seconds to connect. Hopefully there will be a version 4 update for the Maxx as well, since version 4 is a major upgrade. Once connected to V Cast, there are four menu choices: News, Sports, Entertainment, and Weather. Most video will take 10 seconds to buffer before playback. Video quality is lacking, but this is due to the limited speed of the EVDO network. If you are looking for better quality streaming video, you may want to consider the LG VX9400 or Samsung U620 that uses the newer MediaFLO Verizon TV service. This service is currently only available in a limited number of cities, but more areas are planed to be added each month.