Motorola Rizr Z3 - blue (T-Mobile)

• Average user rating: 3.5 stars out of 139 reviews
• My rating: 0 stars

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• 9 stars

  Review of Motorola RIZR

  by TMaG82 on December 12, 2006

  Pros: Loaded with features, better than average battery, nice camera

  Cons: Lack of time on front LCD,

  Summary: I'll be the first to add an actual review of the RIZR here. Just picked one up the other day and finally got my SIM card from Cingular to ...

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  Summary: I'll be the first to add an actual review of the RIZR here. Just picked one up the other day and finally got my SIM card from Cingular to try it out with the service. I like having black gear, so I went with the black version, not the blue.
  
  Past phones (within the past year): Samsung MM-A900, RIM Blackberry Pearl
  
  Service: I like to stand out and not have what everyone on the block has. I bought the A900 last year when it first came out and constantly had to endure the questions, "Oh, is that a RAZR?". It seems everywhere you turn you see a RAZR, grade school kids to grandmas have RAZR's. I've been a Sprint user for the last 3 years and while their service was nice, it was getting pricey and being stuck with their OEM CDMA phones was getting to be a hassle. Having to pay a $35 activation fee each time you switch phones was getting to be too much.
  
  I intially switched to T-Mobile to take advantage of their Fave 5 plan but found that the reception was terrible in my area. I found out this was due to T-Mobile operating strictly on a 1900 band frequency, I had no bars at my house, 1 bar after 1/2 mile away, and better the further I went. Switched to Cingular which operates on a 850/1900 and no other problem. Full bars wherever I go.
  
  Initial Thoughts: The RIZR will turn heads, I've already been asked multiple times about it. Ended up paying slightly over $300 for an unlocked version. Very clean design, the black is a matte finish so with no hint of chrome anywhere. I absolutely hate chrome as it fingerprints too easily. The MicroSD slot is under the batter door, which I found to be a hassle to remove. You literally have to press down on the battery door button with a pen or something small to release the door. But the MicroSD slot isn't under the battery, so removal of the door gives easy access to the slot. The volume buttons are on the left side, with a bluetooth link button right underneath. On the right side you have a voice command button with the camera button under as well.
  
  Review: The RIZR comes preloaded with two games, blockbreaker and Platinum Sudoku. The quality of the audio is solid, but it won't replace your iPod. It comes with a standard 20MB internal memory, so if you want to carry multiple full length songs, an optional card is the only way to go. The overall layout of the phone and menus is very solid, the interface of Motorola phones has been bashed for many years, but it does its job. The slide mechanism is easy to open with one hand, but not too loose that it's a pain. The MicroSD slot combined with Audacity has given me access to over 50 custom ringtones, each one set to an individual caller. The 2.0 MP camera takes decent shots better than most phone cameras but definately not a Digital Camerca replacement. It also comes with a video camera and a voice recorder. The layout of the menus is solid, with room for multiple phone numbers, email addresses, home addresses, birthday, and custom ringtone and picture. Text messaging with the RIZR is easy, easier than my old A900, and inputting text is very easy with T9 support that not only has common words, but words that you previously entered. So when inputting names if you have multiple entries with common names (Smith, James, John, Jennifer, etc), the T9 picks up on it as well.
  
  Pros: Better than advertised battery life. Most places list it as 3 hours, but I think that they're looking it as 3:00, instead of 300 minutes, as I've been able to get over 5 hours off the intial charge.
  
  Very intiutive T9 support. Inputting my entire phone book (160+ entries) manually only took about 30 minutes.
  
  An intial wow factor. Not having to be one of hundreds on the street that have a RAZR is fun. But we'll see how long this appeal lasts when/if a carrier stateside picks up this phone.
  
  Cons: Very few so far.
  
  Removal of the battery door is a pain.
  
  So far haven't figured out how to display the time on the screen. Not a huge deal since I wear a watch, but something so simple shouldn't be such a headscratcher.
  
  Key pad is a little bleh. The A900 had a very nice keypad, but the RIZR's is just subpar.
  
  Small internal memory of 20 MB. If you load full MP3's that only enough room for 3-4, luckily with custom ringtones you can fit more. But the low cost of memory cards shouldn't take away from the quality since a 128MB card is only like $30.
  
  Well worth it if you are in the market for a GSM phone. Operates on a Quad Band 850/900/1800/1900 frequency. Standard features that everyphone has these days, Bluetooth, Camera, MP3 player, etc. Camera and MP3 are nice but not replacements.
  
  I hope this review helps at least someone out there.

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  34 out of 35 users found this user opinion helpful.

• 10 stars

  Phone works great

  by moe3754 on January 28, 2007

  Pros: This is one of Motorolas best so far.

  Cons: Speaker phone could be better

  Summary: Have had this for a week and have really enjoyed it after doing the motorola software upgrade to fix time display have had no problems with it at all.It ...

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  Summary: Have had this for a week and have really enjoyed it after doing the motorola software upgrade to fix time display have had no problems with it at all.It is a big improvement over the old and tired Razr V3 by a long shot.It is easy to use and has a great music player in it,really it has two music players one is the usual motorola player and the other is a Java player both work well.
  As I said the speaker phone could be better and a little louder but that is not enough to knock the score down by my feelings and use of this phone.there is some word going around that T-mobile will start to sell this phone by March to replace the Pebl I hope it is true because they could not have picked a better phone.Also the 20mb internal memory and the ability to use a 2GB trans flash card in it is also a big plus for this phone.

  Updated
  T-Mobile customer support has told me they now support the Rizr and the release is on schedule and should be released in March but the exact date was not released to me.

  Updated
  Well it is now being sold by T-mobile and can be purchased for $99.00 with contract and they are the only carrier in the US to have it so I would think that they should also get the Z6 and the Z8 when they are put out in the market.

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  6 out of 6 users found this user opinion helpful.

• 9 stars

  Won't display time and four way navigaion!

  by havetohaveit on December 21, 2006

  Pros: Sexy as heck

  Cons: There's a bug in the software

  Summary: Just got this phone about a week ago. It's awesome. Not too thin and not too thick in my opinion. It fits perfectly in my smaller hand and to ...

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  Summary: Just got this phone about a week ago. It's awesome. Not too thin and not too thick in my opinion. It fits perfectly in my smaller hand and to those who has RAZR phone, you know what I'm talking about lol.
  
  Compare to other slider phone, the sliding is smooth and doesn't feel like the phone is gonna launch out of your hand. The tactile (rubberized) feeling throughout the back and the side of the phone make it really nice to hold.
  
  Call quality is great, the speakerphone is not that bad either. I've never been a fan of Motorola headphone. For some reason it feels awkwards, heavy and too small but these buds sit in my ears pretty good, and sounded great!
  
  Setting up T-mobile web access is pretty easy. Goto http://tmobileus.wdsglobal.com/phonefirst. Even though there is no list for RIZR, I just use the RAZR V3 drop down list. Enter your phone number and follow the instruction on the website. The phone display the browser message and just follow the instruction. Click on WebAccess, Web Sessions and select TZones and you are good to go.
  
  My only beef with this phone is as mentioned before, it won't display the time and the four way navigation menu in the main screen. It is a pain to go initial setup menu just to look at the time. Hope Moto will make it easy to fix this by automatic software update. There is also no automatic update hierarchal menu capability in the time and date menu, although it is mention in the user manual.
  
  It is a bit of a pain to remove the SIM card, especially if you installed MicroSD card (which is not included). The slot for SIM is underneath the MicroSD slot, so you have to take that one out first before you can get to the slot underneath.
  
  Bluetooth operation with Macbook is painless. OSX recognize the phone as Motorola Z3 immediately and transfering my music to the phone is a cinch.
  
  Overall though, RIZR is an incredibly smart, sexy and fully functioning phone. Hopefully I won't have to buy a new cellphone in a while.
  (Cellphones in possession - T-Mobile, Samsung T509, RAZR V3t, T-Mobile MDA. Unlock - Moto Ming A1200, ETEN M500, LG KG320, Moto L6) I know..., I'm a cellphone junkie

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  6 out of 6 users found this user opinion helpful.

• 8 stars

  Sweet Phone!

  by JMonderine on January 19, 2007

  Pros: sweet design, cool features, easy to use

  Cons: clock bug, software a little slow, not the best call quality

  Summary: The design is really cool with the whole slider thing and it is pretty easy to use. It has really cool features like the MP3 player, 2mp camera w/ flash, ...

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  Summary: The design is really cool with the whole slider thing and it is pretty easy to use. It has really cool features like the MP3 player, 2mp camera w/ flash, and others as well. I usually hate Motorola but this phone is awesome. Other than the clock bug which i fixed with a software update it is almost flawless. The only other things that I dislike is the mediocre call quality and the sluggish software. Over all I would recommend this phone to everyone!

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  4 out of 4 users found this user opinion helpful.

• 9 stars

  Time Fix. Not sure if it works, please try and comment.

  by Phoenix_of_Ice on January 8, 2007

  Pros: nice design

  Cons: Time display problems

  Summary: Try this to fix the time, I'm not sure if it works, but I have heard it does.
  If not try this:
  Go to below link:
  http://direct.motorola.
  
  
  ...

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  Summary: Try this to fix the time, I'm not sure if it works, but I have heard it does.
  If not try this:
  Go to below link:
  http://direct.motorola.com/hellomoto/support/update/
  
  Select: Singapore
  Phone Model: Z3

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  3 out of 3 users found this user opinion helpful.

• 8 stars

  Moto Rizr Z3 - Sleek and functional.

  by berryjooks on September 25, 2007

  Pros: USB connectivity, solid feel to both the phone and the slider mechanism, excellent in call sound quality, great screen.

  Cons: Not easy to respond to text with.

  Summary: The Motorola Rizr Z3 is my new favorite phone. The Rizr is a quad band (GPRS/EDGE) GSM slider phone with Stereo Bluetooth, a music player (supports MP3, AAC, AAC+, ...

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  Summary: The Motorola Rizr Z3 is my new favorite phone. The Rizr is a quad band (GPRS/EDGE) GSM slider phone with Stereo Bluetooth, a music player (supports MP3, AAC, AAC+, and AAC+ Enhanced), a 2MP camera with high intensity light, video capture and playback, USB 2.0 connectivity, 20MB internal memory and a Micro SD memory slot for up to 2GB of extra storage (comes with a 128MB card from T-Mobil).
  
  It?s small and light but has a real solid feel to it and slides open and closed easily. The casing has a rubberized coating that protects it from scratches and provides a firm grip. You can operate the phone, music player and camera from either the open or closed position. Pictures and video are pretty good quality (remember, it?s a phone not an SLR). The full screen viewfinder reorients the image from portrait to landscape automatically depending on the way you?re holding the phone. The music player has a nice intuitive file structure and the USB 2.0 cable makes transferring music a breeze. It also has a calendar function and supports PC sync of contacts and phone numbers. Battery life and reception have been exceptional to date. All accessories have USB connectivity. $99 with contract or renewal through T-Mobile.
  
  I wasn?t in the market for another music player when I got the phone, but I?ve found it?s a great backup system. I drag and drop a few songs onto it and can listen via internal speaker, ear piece or Bluetooth headphones. The Bluetooth also syncs with our car?s stereo for a double bonus of hands free calls and music.
  
  Hmmm, wouldn't a Bluetooth iPod be nice?
  
  Although I liked your review of the Moto Rizr Z3 and your articles on the different methods of moving photos off of your cell phone, you neglect to mention something I think is key to both the review and the photo articles. The Rizr comes with a USB cable which allows you to drag and drop both photos and music with the greatest of ease and there is no software to purchase. With the SD card and cable that come with it you can drag and drop in both directions as easy as if it were a thumb drive, adding photos and music to your phone or moving photos off of the handset to your PC. You also list the location of the SD card (behind the battery) as an impediment. I say "why would you ever want to pop out a micro SD card that is accessible via USB unless you were going to replace it?".
  
  We as consumers can shape the future of personal tech to some degree by demanding devices with a standardized interface. You can help accomplish this by pointing out devices with user friendly features like the Rizr and by helping people to understand the importance of said features.
  
  I'm tasked with obtaining cell phones for the user community of a large company. Although there is a subset of users who want smartphones for email and data, the average cell phone user is looking for a device that works well as a phone first and foremost, and is also functional as a storage device. Recieving text messages is a close third. People are finally realizing that they can email an SMS to thier coworkers phone right from their desktop. "Don't forget the meeting @ 2" can be answered with a canned reply of "ok". No expensive Blackberry or data service necessary.
  
  http://www.berryjooks.com/

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  2 out of 2 users found this user opinion helpful.

• 9 stars

  An excellent slider

  by ~Canuck~ on September 12, 2007

  Pros: Slick design, great screen, push bar, decent feature set, 2MP Camera (with light!)

  Cons: Piddling memory, no headphone jack,

  Summary: This phone has been great for me. T-Mobile allows you to set your own songs as ringtones (no 99 cents per tone crap Apple!), and the phone has a basic ...

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  Summary: This phone has been great for me. T-Mobile allows you to set your own songs as ringtones (no 99 cents per tone crap Apple!), and the phone has a basic music player as well. My phone came with a 128MB miniSD card, so I can fit a decent number of songs on the phone too. The screen is phenomenal; colors are accurate and vibrant. I've also gotten compliments on the design, since this isn't the most common phone around, despite its good looks. Something I liked (although others might not feel the same) is the weight of this phone. It isn't light, like LG's Chocolate; this thing has a nice, heavy weight to it. The interface is easy-to-use, and quick, too. The camera is another nice touch; 2MP, and it has a flash. My only caveats are the 128MB card, and what I believe is only 20MB of internal memory; both get eaten up quickly by videos, music, and photos. There also isn't a headphone jack, so even though there's a music player, you're forced to play through the speaker, or through the hands-free (USB) earbud that's included with the phone.

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  2 out of 2 users found this user opinion helpful.

• 9 stars

  Really good slide phone (from an Anti-slide and Anti-flip lover)

  by st_loosh on September 11, 2007

  Pros: Durable, Great World phone, Video & Camera feature, Voice dialing, Media Player

  Cons: No Infrared, No FM tuner, A little sluggish overall (Camera feature especially)

  Summary: I love Sony Ericsson phones. I have always invested in them, as I love the interface and just everything about it. Plus, most Ericssons are not flip phones (which I ...

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  Summary: I love Sony Ericsson phones. I have always invested in them, as I love the interface and just everything about it. Plus, most Ericssons are not flip phones (which I do not much care for). So when I lost my last baby, I needed a replacement. Since T-Mobile is extremely limited on its Ericsson choices (and its seems most Ericssons are not Quadband) I needed a phone that was a Quadband and a candy bar replacement.
  
  This phone is really solid and I really like it. It has all the feautures I cannot do without: Bluetooth, internet access, video and camera capabilities, and its a world phone..(and althought it isn't a candy bar phone, I do not mind the slide feature at all). There are some features now I really love that I didn't have with past phones. This one has speaker-mode and voice-dialing ( which is really really innovating and amazing.) And what is mind-blowing to me is, I can add (so far) as much as 5 people onto my Conference line ( which is really convenient for me and my busy lifestyle). I still dont know how many lines I can add to a conference call as yet, so I will one day soon.
  
  The Cons: I was always a sucker for Infrared, and although the world is moving towards the age of Bluetooth, I still kinda miss it. The camera does not take good pics, in fact, I am surprise that this camera phone (which boasts a 2MP camera) takes pics of less caliber than my late SE k700i camera phone ( which had 1.7(?)MP). In fact, its a chore to take pics sometimes....Oh well... And forget about the processor; to get preview pics; check your videos, go on the internet - for some reason, the camera just responds much slower than my last cell phone...its like it has a recovery time for every function you press.
  But in all, its a great solid camera. I am still probably going to go back to purchasing Ericsson cell phones, but for my first Moto experience, I am pleasantly content!

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  2 out of 2 users found this user opinion helpful.

• 8 stars

  An Honest z3 Rizr Review

  by AlaberryPatch on July 22, 2007

  Pros: Solid Overall Phone

  Cons: Camera is Below Average

  Summary: My prior cell phone was the Motorola Timeport P7382; an excellent phone for it's heyday; but rather than buy every cell phone that came down the pipe, I was ...

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  Summary: My prior cell phone was the Motorola Timeport P7382; an excellent phone for it's heyday; but rather than buy every cell phone that came down the pipe, I was happy with what my old phone until it became impossible to find batteries for it including ebay.
  
  I got a kick out of my kids going from one phone to the next; many that enjoyed taking a bath - glasses of coke, chicken dumplings on the stove; even my step daughter's z3 went swimming in a glass of sugar-free apple kool-aid! By then we knew what the red dot meant. I will say one thing about the z3; once we re-charged the phone and dried it out; no problem; much to the relief of her because she had the phone only a week and I would have assassinated her if it didn't work!
  
  What I wanted was an all-in-one cell phone since the whole universe seem to have one now and it didn't make sense to have 3 separate devices - one for phone calls, another as an mp3/mp4 player, an a digital instamatic camera.
  
  T-Mobile has been never known for it's cell phones; it does have several smart phones but beyond my price range. I can't really bark too loud about the Samsungs; their 309 and 319 are staples in this house and their menus a snap to use.
  
  The z3 is the first small phone I've used that "feels" solid and doesn't "feel" like it's going to break in your hand.
  
  Big hands have faced a tough challenge and you will thoroughly frustrate yourself texting with the keypad until you're use to it.
  
  MicroUSB adapters can be found on ebay. If you use a headset with an everyday plug on it; you will be looking to find a 3.4mm adapter which are easily found on ebay. I bought two of them.
  
  As to why the minds at Motorola didn't ask themselves about putting two of them is about like asking if a rocket scientist has common sense. One MicroUSB doesn't cut it for power, headphones, head sets...you name it.
  
  Except Bluetooth; you have one of those fancy stereo wireless BT head sets, you're in business. Right now, I'm in the poor house and have paired a H500 by Motorola which is great while you're driving or hands free, wire free. It paired with no problems at all.
  
  As for it's battery compartment; get this... the battery, the sim card and the microSD card; smaller than a stamp. The micro SD is is incredibly small. To get at them; you must remove like me; the clear protective case I have on the phone which is a pain in the hind parts if the cover for the MicroUSB won't cooperate. Next, not even sardines in a can do this compartment justice. CNET would have you believe the microSD card is a pain in the kaboose; nope! The sim card is a royal pain in the kaboose and just plain stupid on Motorola's part. Pray that the only time you remove this card is after your z3 has died permanently. To remove it, I use a pin needle or a jeweler's screw driver like you use to tighten eye glass screws and prod it gently up. The microSD card you must press down this little piece of plastic adjacent to it; but after I figured it out, no problem; before I figured it out, wanted to cry!!! Like a Japanese paper puzzle or whatever that damn thing is called.
  
  Every cell phone I've owned comes with pulling your hair out features; this one is no different.
  
  What I like about the phone is you can play with this puppy and it comes with a USB adapter and that means if you're really resourceful you can chase down the Motorola Phone Tools software that otherwise will cost you $40 bucks over at Avonquest.
  
  Do not be afraid to use Google and fix your phone. The clock can be fixed, you can change the entire behavior of the phone with the right firmware, flex, language packs; the works! You can even add Opera Mini to your phone and access the internet; though it will cost you $5.99 to do so.
  
  Specific to T-Mobile Web or T-Zones as its often referred. It is the Opera Mini browser "branded" to T-Mobile. The difference between T-Zones and Opera Mini as an installed java application is T-Zones is WAP (internet specifically designed for mobile users) and Opera Mini is HTTP, or a miniature version of the internet on your desktop. Pages are reformatted through Opera and then sent to your phone. You don't have reading glasses; get them, the small font will drive you nuts if you're not use to it. Opera Mini will allow you to adjust the size of the font; but prior to every use, it must adjust the browswer to use the bigger font which will add time from startup to actual display of the intended web page.
  
  Personally, I downloaded from one of it's modd sites the iPhone's font or I believe what is called Calibri and it's simply perfect for the phone and easily readable.
  
  If you're a modder you will enjoy this phone.
  
  Frustrated by the clock; after modding it, you can either have an analog face like a watch or a digital one, display left justified or centered and more tools than you can possibly dream of for the removal of the zillion ringtones that exist on it and any wall paper and skins you don't like. Motorola Phone Tools or MPT is terrific for the address book and bookmarks if you have T-Zones.
  
  At this typing (July 22, 2007) Yahoo's 2Go isn't compatible with this phone; if it were, you're in business to use Yahoo Messenger without being charged text; however if you're patient Opera Mini will interface with Yahoo's web site and you can access it from there; but it might take you an hour doing it.
  
  Via WAP, a number of cool apps are compatible like Gmail which is what I use.
  
  The phone itself has an average camera; especially if you downloaded it to the computer. There is a slight delay from when you hit the shutter to the actual picture that takes some getting use to. I refer to it as an instamatic digital camera and I agree with CNET on this feature.
  
  The digital music player that comes with the phone is okay; it does what it is intended to do; the volume could be higher, but it can changed once you modd your phone.
  
  Speakerphone feature is excellent, if you like it louder, it too can be adjusted.
  
  It has an array of features I've yet to begin to tap into, but thus far I've enjoyed the hell of using this phone and while it isn't the prettiest or the most functional it does what it does, well and won't break the bank doing it.
  
  The phone doesn't deserve a 9 or 10 rating; nor does it deserve to bad a rating 5 or 6. It has both plus and minus if you're really finicky about every feature on the phone. For the everyday user, it's a solid 7; however if you interested in modding the phone, and fixing the bugs in it yourself like I did; it's a solid 8.
  
  I also want to thank the folks over at "ModdMyMoto" for their time and help and teaching me what I've learned to date about this cell phone. Don't be afraid to pay them a visit; thus far everybody has been terrific and answered all my questions.
  
  Bill B.
  Opelika, AL

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  2 out of 2 users found this user opinion helpful.

• 9 stars

  Great Phone! Would recommend...

  by bnafzinger on April 26, 2007

  Pros: Music Player, Photo Uploads, Easy Sliding

  Cons: Difficult to text

  Summary: This is a great phone. I just got it in the mail yesterday and I love it. With the USB cable that T-Mobile provides you, you can do pretty much ...

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  Summary: This is a great phone. I just got it in the mail yesterday and I love it. With the USB cable that T-Mobile provides you, you can do pretty much anything. This phone is recommended to all and it is worth the money spent for it.

  Updated
  I just got this phone in the mail and it is great. The instructions that are included with it are fantastic and very easy to follow. The phone included the USB cord, a memory stick, and a pair of headphones. Not only is this a very big step up from my Motorola V330, it also can replace any of my mobile mp3 devices. It is so simple to import the songs that my 7 year old sister could do it. Overall I would recommend this to anyone looking to upgrade their phone and looking to add a design twist to their life.

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  2 out of 2 users found this user opinion helpful.

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