Motorola Rapture VU30 Review

Software:

The menu layout is identical to the W755, with categories for media center, messaging, contacts, recent calls, and settings & tools.  However, only 3 themes are included (classic, slick black and vapor) which are 2 less than the W755.  Out of these choices, the slick back and vapor themes looked the best, but they do have some on-screen lag while using the d-pad.  There is also the option to have the main menu layout changed between tab, list, and grid view.


The Phonebook allows up to 1000 entries to be stored, each with their Name, Mobile 1, Home, Work, E-Mail 1, Group, Picture, Ringtone, Mobile 2, Fax, and E-Mail 2.  After a contact is saved, you can assign them to one of 99 speed-dial locations.


One nice feature on the Rapture VU30 is the 2MP camera, allowing you can take pictures with the flip open or closed.  When it is in the closed position, the external display is used as the viewfinder, and has touch-sensitive icons in the corners for the zoom and changing between portrait and landscape mode.  What’s surprising is that images taken outside during the day have good detail and color representation, equaling that of the V9m, which is actually better than the more expensive Krave.  Images taken indoors don’t fair as good, with them having less detail and noticeable grain being shown.  A flash is also lacking; meaning low-light images are impossible to take. 

Camera settings:
Resolution:  1600x1200, 1280x960, 640x480, 320x240, Picture ID
Self Timer:  Off, 3 sec, 5 sec, 10 sec
Brightness:  -2, -1, 0, +1, +2
White Balance:  Auto, Sunny, Cloudy, Tungsten, Fluorescent, Darkness
Shutter Sound:  Shutter, Silent, Quack, Boing
Color Effects:  Normal, Antique, B&W, Negative
Fun Frame:  9 choices
Switch Storage Device:  MicroSD card, Phone



Another area where the Rapture is identical to the W755 and V9m is with the included music player, as all three have the same outdated user interface.  But this is where the similarities end, as the playback quality of the Rapture was not as good.  Voices and strings have a “tin can” sound to them, and no bass could be heard.  Also, when turning the volume to high, noticeable distortion and rattling in the speaker is produced.  Because of this, we’d recommend using a Stereo Bluetooth headset or wired earbuds to achieve higher quality music playback.  When the flip is closed, you can use the touch-sensitive areas on the display to play, pause, rewind, and fast-forward.  Those looking for the best music-phone should consider the Chocolate 3, as it has a more advanced player and allows you to listen to music while performing other functions.


Other software features include Mobile Web 2.0, VCast Music downloads, VCast Video streaming, and VZ Navigator for GPS guided directions.  You can also download a wide variety of games and other programs using the Media Center.  Applications open fast and there is no noticeable delay when using them.  The only problem that we encountered (just like with the W755 and V9m) was when using the Mobile Web program and going to large HTML sites, such as PhoneArena.com.  The page would stop partway during download and display an “insufficient memory” error message, causing us to view the page without most graphics.  When going to smaller sites (Google) or WAP pages, the browser was able to work without problem.

A total of 67MB of internal memory is included, with almost 32MB used out of the box, leaving only 35MB available to the consumer.  This is almost 30MB less available memory than on the W755, which is puzzling to us since the Rapture is a step above.  But unlike the W755 that can only use 4GB memory cards, the Rapture is capable of using 8GB cards, allowing it to hold twice the data for MP3s and pictures.