Motorola Renegade V950 Review

Software:

The Renegade runs the exact same interface we saw in the VE20, so we won’t rehash it here.  The single difference is the Direct Connect options, which themselves are the same as we saw in our Sanyo PRO series reviews.  The Sprint Ahead theme is active by default, but the standard Motorola theme is available as well.  Like the VE20, the interface lag options seem to have been fixed and we never had problems with lockup.


The phonebook has more features than most, allowing for not only standards like numbers, emails and the like, but also personal information such as addresses, birthdays and others.  Like we saw on the Instinct and the other QChat phones, Mobile Sync allows the user to back up their phonebook to their online account.  There is a desktop program that will sync the web with Outlook, and the phone with the web, so indirectly users can have a nearly real-time sync with Outlook.

PIM functionality is basic.  The user has a simple calendar, a standard, advanced and tip calculator, notepad and a unit and currency converted.

Incoming texts are displayed on the outer screen, but unlike the VE20 there is no quick menu to access the messaging menu or anything else.  Beyond that messaging is standard, and users can send pictures, text and video.  Sprint Mobile Email is included and allows the user to check both personal and Exchange mail.

Like Sprint phones have done for years, the Renegade runs Java applications, meaning the user can add applications such as NFL Mobile and third party offerings like Gmail and Opera Mini.  Sprint’s new web interface is nice, but Opera Mini is still our dumbphone browser of choice. 

The Renegade is an EVDO Rev. A phone, and runs Sprint TV, Radio and the Music Store.  Everything is as we’ve seen before, there is nothing new to mention.  It accepts microSD cards up to 8GB in size.  It has built-in GPS as well, and Sprint Navigation is preloaded and as great as ever.

The camera on the Renegade wasn’t too bad, and definitely a step up from the disappointing VE20.  Lines were for the most part crisp, though colors had a tendency to wash out.  We noticed graining for low-light indoor shots, but in bright sunlight pictures turned out well enough for a cell phone camera.  Options are plentiful; the user can adjust the Brightness, White Balance, Resolution, Quality, Color Tone set the Sound and a Self Timer, apply Fun Frames or take Multiple Shots. There are five resolution steps from 120x160 to 1200x1600. Video quality was so-so, just as we’d expect.