Motorola Karma QA1 (AT&T)
Manufacturer: Motorola Part number: 3820317
- More product information:
- Editors' review
- User reviews
- Specifications
- Accessories
- Manufacturer info
- Bottom Line:
- The Motorola Karma QA1 belies its cute appearance with high-end features that put it above just an ordinary messaging phone.
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CNET editors' review
Motorola Karma QA1 (AT&T) price range: $29.99
- Reviewed by: Nicole Lee
- Reviewed on: 08/05/2009
- Released on: 06/28/2009
The good: The Motorola Karma QA1 has a great keyboard and a wide array of features like 3G speeds, a full HTML browser with Flash Lite support, GPS, stereo Bluetooth, and more. We also like the 3.5-millimeter headset jack, the quick access to Facebook and other social networks, and the excellent call quality.
The bad: The Motorola Karma QA1's photo quality could be improved and we weren't pleased with the streaming video quality.
The bottom line: The Motorola Karma QA1 belies its cute appearance with high-end features that put it above just an ordinary messaging phone.
It seems that PCD isn't the only manufacturer making square messaging phones. Indeed, the Motorola Karma QA1 for AT&T looks a whole lot like PCD's Verizon Wireless Blitz and the more recent Cricket TXTM8. However, the Karma QA1 is a step above those two in both design and features. It has 3G speeds, a full HTML browser, and quick access to social networking applications, making it more than just a normal messaging phone. The Motorola Karma QA1 is available for $79.99 with a two-year agreement with AT&T.
Design
If you look at the Motorola Karma QA1 next to the Cricket TXTM8, you would think the two are almost identical. They're both square with rounded corners and both have a similar black and silver color scheme. However, the similarities end there. Measuring 3.42 inches long by 2.52 inches wide by 0.7 inch thick, the Karma QA1 is a tad smaller than the TXTM8. And while the TXTM8 seemed to us like a plastic toy, the Karma QA1 has a far more professional feel with its tempered glass display and soft touch textured back. Weighing 4.97 ounces, the Karma QA1 also feels sturdier than the TXTM8.
We're quite impressed by the 2.5-inch display on the front. It boasts 262,000 colors and 240x320-pixel resolution that results in crisp and vibrant images and text. The grid menu interface is really easy to use, thanks to the big icons and large font. You can adjust the wallpaper, the screensaver, the "skin," the greeting text, and the display theme, but not the backlight time or the brightness. Along the bottom row of the home screen is a launch bar that consists of four user-defined shortcut icons, which can lead to either applications on the phone or browser bookmarks. This is especially useful when you add a shortcut to a site like Facebook or MySpace, thus giving you one-touch access to your favorite social network. You can hide or show the launch bar by pressing the down or up direction key on the navigation toggle.
The navigation array underneath the display consists of two soft keys, a square toggle with a middle confirmation key, a dedicated messaging key, a Clear/Back key, and the Send and End/Power keys on either side. The center navigation keys felt a bit slippery and flat, and we didn't like that the Send and End/Power keys are skinny, but they were still very usable. On the left side of the Karma QA1 is a "smart key" that can be mapped to any phone function. On the right is the volume rocker, while the charger jack is on the bottom. A 3.5-millimeter headset jack sits on top of the phone, which is great if you want to use your own headphones. On the back of the phone is the camera lens and flash LED. There's also a microSD card slot but it's inconveniently located behind the battery cover.
Slide the phone open and you'll see a full QWERTY keyboard. Not only is it roomy and easy to use, but each key is also raised above the surface and has a nice rubberized no-slip texture that makes it easy to thumb-type and dial. The number keys are highlighted in blue. Aside from the typical Function and Backspace keys, you also get a dedicated Caps Lock or Shift key, a dedicated browser key, and a Symbols or punctuations key.
Features
The Motorola Karma QA1 has a generous 1,000-entry phone book with room in each entry for six numbers, three e-mail addresses, a Web URL, three postal addresses, a birthday, and notes. You can also assign callers to categories, and pair them with a photo for caller ID, and any of 25 polyphonic ringtones, eight alert tones, and five vibration patterns. Basic features include a vibrate mode, a speakerphone, text and multimedia messaging with threaded conversations, a calendar, an alarm clock, a world clock, a calculator, and a voice recorder. You can read the latest incoming texts and messages on the front screen while the phone is closed. You can also multitask with other applications during a call or while surfing the Web by selecting the "Swap" option in the Options menu.
More advanced users will like the full stereo Bluetooth, voice dialing, instant messaging (AIM, Windows Live, and Yahoo), and A-GPS with support for AT&T's
A surprisingly nice feature of the Karma QA1 is that it has a full HTML browser, which goes hand-in-hand with the phone's support of 3G speeds. Because of the small screen size, though, we found that we had to do a lot more scrolling than usual, especially in large Web pages. Still, you can zoom in and out of pages, and fit the pages to screen. The browser even supports Flash Lite, so you can watch streaming videos from YouTube or CNET TV. You can access the browser's history, clear the cookies, reset the cache, toggle JavaScript and images on or off, and even save an entire Web page for later viewing.
As we mentioned, you also get quick access to social networking sites such as Facebook and MySpace. Bear in mind that these aren't really native applications per se--these quick access icons are really just shortcuts to the mobile versions of the Web site. Included in the phone are quick access applications to Facebook, MySpace, and JuiceCaster, which is a social broadcasting tool that lets you upload status updates, photos, and videos to a variety of social networks including Twitter and Flickr. You only need to log in once to use any of these services.
As a 3G phone, the Karma QA1 also gives you access to AT&T broadband services like Cellular Video, which lets you watch streaming video clips from content providers like CNN and CBS, AT&T Video Share, which lets you stream one-way live video calls to a Video Share-compatible phone, and AT&T Mobile Music, a music portal with an online music store. You can purchase and download songs from Napster and eMusic from that store, and you also get access to XM Radio Mobile, Music ID (a song ID service), music videos courtesy of MobiVJ, and several other music-related applications.
The music player on the Karma QA1 has a very simple interface. You do get the basic player controls, as well as repeat, shuffle, and the capability to create and edit playlists. You can also toggle on spatial audio and bass boost to make the songs sound better. You can send the music player to the background if you feel like multitasking, and you can send songs to your friends via Bluetooth if you wish. If you don't want to download songs from Napster or eMusic, you can load your own songs to a microSD card. It supports MIDI, MP3, AAC, AAC+, eAAC+, RealAudio, and XMF audio formats. The Karma QA1 has 100MB of user available memory, but it also supports up to 16GB microSD cards.
The Karma QA1 comes with a simple 2.0-megapixel camera. It can take pictures in four resolutions and three quality settings. Other camera features include five color effects, an exposure setting, six white balance/lighting modes with a night mode option, up to 8x digital zoom, a flash LED, a self-timer, and five shutter tones plus a silent option. Photo quality was average. Images looked blurry and the colors appeared washed out. There's also a built-in camcorder with three quality settings, four resolutions, the capability to toggle the sound on or off, and similar settings to the still camera. Video quality was not the greatest--videos seemed jerky and pixelated for the most part--but they're good enough for sharing with friends via MMS.
You can personalize the Karma QA1 with a selection of wallpapers, screensavers, and alert tones. You can download more via AT&T's Media Mall. The Karma QA1 also comes with several games and applications like Super Jewel Quest, Yellowpages, Scrabble Blast, WikiMobile, Mobile Banking, The Oregon Trail, MobiTV, Where (a location-based application that lets you find the nearest local business and so forth), and Zuma. Again, you can download more from AT&T's application store.
Performance
We tested the quad-band (GSM 850/900/1,800/1,900; UMTS/HSDPA) Motorola Karma QA1 in San Francisco using AT&T's service. We were very pleased overall with the call quality. Incoming voices sounded natural and we experienced little to no static.
On their end, callers said we sounded very good, with very little background noise. The Motorola Karma QA1 uses Motorola's CrystalTalk noise-canceling technology, so that is perhaps why our callers could hear us loud and clear. Automated calling systems could understand us with few issues. As for the speakerphone quality, it had plenty of volume, though callers did sound a bit harsh. Callers said we sounded quite good, almost as if we weren't using the speakerphone at all.
We had a little bit of trouble with the data connection on the Karma QA1. Though the QA1 is a 3G phone, we sometimes had trouble getting a 3G signal. When we did though, pages loaded very fast. A full HTML page like that on CNET loaded in a mere 15 seconds or so. We also downloaded a 3MB song in around 35 seconds.
We didn't have such a pleasant experience with streaming video, however. The buffering was intermittent and didn't happen too often, but the video quality was really quite awful. There were lots of pixelation and blocky images, even with relatively still shots. Music quality is better, though the speakers do make the songs sound rather harsh and light on bass. We would recommend using a stereo headset for better audio.
The Karma QA1 has a rated battery life of 5.2 hours talk time and 14.5 days. We were highly impressed with the tested talk time of 13 hours and 20 minutes. According to FCC radiation tests, the Karma QA1 has a digital SAR of 0.55 watts per kilogram.
User reviews
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So far an excellent phone.
by chiefdoolin on August 24, 2009
Pros: Battery seems to me more that adequate, bright vivid screen that is very legible in bright sunlight, very customizable menus and icons.
Cons: The only con I have is the camera. I would have to agree with the reviews of cnet. The camera could use some improvement.
Summary: I believe this is an excellent phone for the heavy texter. The keys in the beginning seemed too small but I found that I was able to get used to ...
Summary: I believe this is an excellent phone for the heavy texter. The keys in the beginning seemed too small but I found that I was able to get used to it quite fast and now I'm able to text quicker on this phone than I have on any phone I've had. The screen is awsom, even in bright daylight and is very legible. The applications run smoothly and monitoring facebook, myspace and twittter is a snap. The phone is very good at maintaining signal even in week areas. In areas I drive that my other phones would lose signal, the Karma held on to it all the way through the weak or dead zone. The ability to move icons or menu items to taylor them to your needs makes this phone very efficient for me. Most of everything I use is no more than 2 clicks away. I would have to say this so far has been the best phone I have had.
2 out of 2 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Good phone, great for conncectivity.
by Brad7777 on November 23, 2009
Pros: Good cell reception.
Nice sliding keyboard.
Good web access.Cons: Slider feels a little loose.
Front browser pad is not entirely lockable.
Applications lock out.Summary: Pro?s:
Good cell reception. As opposed to my last phone I can actually hear my conversations clearly.
Nice sliding keyboard. Though the buttons are small, it is still a ...Summary: Pro?s:
Good cell reception. As opposed to my last phone I can actually hear my conversations clearly.
Nice sliding keyboard. Though the buttons are small, it is still a functional and easy to use.
Good web access. The internet is easily usable and along with the keyboard and browser pad is easy to get around. Web access also costs half of the other phones.
Con?s:
Slider feels a little loose. I have only had this phone a few months and I can imagine after another year or two this slider is going to work itself loose and the phone will pop open.
Front browser pad is not entirely lockable. When the phone is entirely closed it is still possible to hit several buttons and turn the phone on. I searched for a slider phone specifically to not have to worry about it in my pocket and now I still do.
Applications lock out. Sometimes applications shut down and even if you try to start them again they lock out. It can simply be solved by turning the phone off and on but annoying non the less.
Overall, I think that ATT has a fairly limited selection when it comes to cell phones. It's either pay an arm and a leg every month for the iphone or get something of lesser grade. I think that the Karma is about as good as you can do without jumping up to a ridiculously priced service.1 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Get used to lugging a charger around with you!
by Annie5042 on September 22, 2009
Pros: The keypad, User Friendly phone. Cute. Stylish. Probably a great concept, except for: (see cons and review)
Cons: Talk Time & BATTERY LIFE.
for me, this makes or breaks my purchasing of a new phone.Summary: I don't use all the bells and whistles on my cell phones.. Totally guilty of that.
And never saw myself being an iphone user.
So, keeping that in mind, ...Summary: I don't use all the bells and whistles on my cell phones.. Totally guilty of that.
And never saw myself being an iphone user.
So, keeping that in mind, i have to say that it's pretty ridiculous that I got a Whopping 3 Hours talk time on this device. 3 HOURS! and that's not using the camera, not using the internet, not doing anything, except a couple texts and some phone calls. In disbelief, I decided to do a test of sorts, in order to find out if it's me, the phone I bought, or the Phone model. Conclusion: it's the phone model, I returned my original phone to the ATT store, for a new one, only to have the TT suck just as bad. 3 hours is a crock.
That being stated, I returned said phone, and bought an iphone 3GS, so i don't have to lug my ipod plus cell phone around, and the TT is AWESOME! I'm loving it! And i can actually enjoy all the bells and whistles, without fretting that I wont be able to use the damn phone.1 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Excellent messaging phone.
by spookytaco on September 5, 2009
Pros: Qwerty keyboard, threaded text, music player sounds great and plays all kinds of formats, standard headphone jack, rubber back cover, Yellow Pages works with built in GPS, decent camera with flash/light.
Cons: A little heavy but solid, internet not as slick as Eternity, iPhone, etc but half the price a month.
Summary: If you need a phone that makes clear calls, is a texting monster, and can replace your ipod with an excellent mp3 player then pick this bad boy up. Internet ...
Summary: If you need a phone that makes clear calls, is a texting monster, and can replace your ipod with an excellent mp3 player then pick this bad boy up. Internet is cheap too and works fine for light browsing.
1 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.
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So far, I'm impressed. Just might hang on to this one.
by OddObject on August 11, 2009
Pros: Easy to use interface. Full keyboard. Great call quality. Phone feels sturdy and comfortable. Accepts up to 16g microSD cards. Music playback sounds great. Screen is bright and clear even in the sun. Slick looking phone.
Cons: A phone this advanced could have come with a better camera than a 2.0mp.
Vibration could be a bit stronger.Summary: They were out of the phone I wanted, so I gave this one a shot. I have to say...I don't regret it. This is one slick phone. The ...
Summary: They were out of the phone I wanted, so I gave this one a shot. I have to say...I don't regret it. This is one slick phone. The screen is bright, easy to read, and doesn't vanish in the sun. The body of the phone has a unique style that stands out, and has attracted many comments. It's comfortable to use, and I'm not afraid I'm going to break it if I hold it too tightly.
While the keyboard is a bit small, I got used to it quick. The dedicated punctuation and shift keys make texting so easy it's ridiculous. The text interface is also very user-friendly. Chaining the texts together in a single screen is a feature my Razr lacked, and I'm loving it.
The call quality is amazing. I haven't heard a bit of static on any call. Even on speakerphone my contacts have no problem hearing me. Half the time they don't even know I'm not holding my phone. The sound is crisp and clear, and the volume is plenty loud enough. I could even hear my great-grandmother talking! It's amazing.
While the camera could be a bit better than 2.0mp, it's not that bad. The pictures look ok on the phone, but lose a little something when moved to my computer. The colors are a bit faded, and low light pictures aren't great. I didn't notice much change in brightness when switching the camera setting to night mode either. While I like the led light beside the camera lens, it's no good past a few yards. It also tends to irritate whoever I'm pointing it at.
The music player is pretty straight forward. Almost identical to the one on my Razr. What's not the same is the quality of sound I get out of this phone. The volume gets quite loud, and the music comes out clear and without distortion. I'm enjoying being able to search for songs by typing in their name, another feature my Razr lacked. I'm thrilled with the standard headphone jack on the top of this phone. That combined with the ability to slap a 16g microSD in this means I can almost leave my mp3 player at home.
The ringer on this phone isn't quite as loud as it could be, but I haven't missed a call yet because of it. I am having a few issues with not feeling my phone go off when it's on vibrates though. If I'm sitting still it's fine, but if I'm walking I tend to miss calls. I'm not discounting the chance that a different vibration pattern might help. However, I'm thinking I'm supposed to be able to feel all of them.
The battery life is great. I haven't charged my phone in 2 days, and have used it quite a bit. Despite that, my battery is still nearly full. My Razr would've been dead by now...or just about there. This makes me happy, as I don't always remember to plug my phone in.
Overall I'm very impressed. While I've yet to play with a lot of the web apps on this phone, what I've seen so far has been great. Even if I just needed a phone for calls and texts I'd still be quite pleased with this one. This was supposed to be a temporary thing until the one I wanted was in stock again. Now I don't think I'm going to return this one.1 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Great features, easy texting, just a few minor issues
by scmommy on October 25, 2009
Pros: This a great texting phone, and has tons of easy access features
Cons: My only complaint is the fact that it freezes sometimes
Summary: I have had a lot of phones and I have had this one for 2 months and really like it. It is small, but functional, especially for an avid texter ...
Summary: I have had a lot of phones and I have had this one for 2 months and really like it. It is small, but functional, especially for an avid texter like me!
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Wonderful Phone - Full Featured and Long Lasting
by PT1008 on October 21, 2009
Pros: I like the weight as it feels more durable than some other lighter weight phones. It is fast, connects via 3G within seconds (depending on area), and even when spending an hour or more online I still have more than half a battery left.
Cons: The online streaming video was a tad lacking, but nothing unbearable.
Summary: Great product, easy to use keyboard for texting, fast and great.
Summary: Great product, easy to use keyboard for texting, fast and great.
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4 phones and still having problems
by sockygirl on October 13, 2009
Pros: small,look fb my space
Cons: Not really anything
Summary: I am on my 4th phone, I love the phone but keeps freezing up.
month and a half ago, i bought a motorola Karma phone, this is my 4th phone ...Summary: I am on my 4th phone, I love the phone but keeps freezing up.
month and a half ago, i bought a motorola Karma phone, this is my 4th phone now, this time they changed the phone the sim card and the the batt, it seams everytime i upload a photo to fb it freezes up, I can?t even make a phone call, got home just now with the new phone and guess what after i uploaded the same thing again, I am ready to throw it out the window.. -
GREAT PHONE
by tilshea on September 25, 2009
Pros: Love the easy access to FB, love the keyboard, cute design, and great phone!!
Cons: I love the phone....I don't really have anything negative to say...only wished that they would have supplied some earbuds and it would have been perfect!!!
Summary: Great phone overall......from ages of 10 & up ......easy to to use
Summary: Great phone overall......from ages of 10 & up ......easy to to use
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Surprised....Great Phone!
by beolux on August 21, 2009
Pros: -Feels surprisingly good in hands
-Easy to use (almost no learning curve)
-size, although quite small, is great
-Graphics kick butt! very sleek and great looking
-Messaging format is perfect.
-call quality is amazing - crystal clearCons: -no option to change display time
-microSD card slot is under battery case (slight inconvienence but whatev)Summary: If you need a great messaging phone that will last but dont need anything special (blackberry, iphone) this is the phone for you. I've owned a curve (blackberry) and ...
Summary: If you need a great messaging phone that will last but dont need anything special (blackberry, iphone) this is the phone for you. I've owned a curve (blackberry) and the keyboard on this is better, which i was surprised to say so myself. Great phone, just overall a great phone.
Specifications
- Manufacturer: Motorola
- Part number: 3820317
- Description: You can't help it that you're popular. Actually, you can, with Motorola Karma QA1. This curvy and compact device helps you slide your way up the social ladder with an effortless social networking experience and conversational messaging capabilities over 3G speed.
General
- Product Type Cellular phone With digital camera / digital player
- Service Provider AT&T
- Width 2.5 in
- Depth 0.7 in
- Height 3.5 in
- Weight 5 oz
- Body Color Black
Cellular
- Technology WCDMA (UMTS) / GSM
- Band WCDMA (UMTS) / GSM 850/900/1800/1900
- Phone Design Slider
- Antenna Internal
- Vibrating Alert Yes
- Polyphonic Ringer Yes
- Voice Dialing Yes
- Conference Call Capability Yes
- Voice Recorder Yes
- Caller ID Yes
- Speakerphone Yes
- Wireless Interface Bluetooth
- Additional Features GPRS support, USB 2.0, POP3, IMAP4, SMTP, 16 GB microSD card slot
Communicator Features
- User Memory 100 MB
Messaging & Data Services
- Short Messaging Service (SMS) Yes
- Mobile Email Yes
- Supported Email Protocols POP3, SMTP, IMAP4
- GPRS (General Packet Radio Service) Yes - Class 10
- EDGE (Enhanced Data Rates For Global Evolution) Yes - Class 10
- Internet Browser Yes
- JAVA applications Yes
- Messaging / Data Features Text messages, Multi media messages (MMS), Instant messages, E-Mail
Multimedia Features
- Playback Digital Video Formats MPEG-4, H.263 video and AMR audio
Digital Camera
- Camera highlights With a resolution of 2 megapixels, this model will give you better pictures than other phones.
- Sensor Resolution 2 megapixels
- Digital Zoom 8
Organizer
- Alarm Clock Yes
- Calendar Yes
- Reminder Yes
- Calculator Basic
Display
- Type LCD display
- Display Resolution 240 x 320 pixels
- Diagonal Size 2.5 in
- Color Support Color
- Color Depth 18-bit (262000 Colors)
Digital Player (Recorder)
- Supported Digital Audio Standards AAC, MP3
Connections
- Connector Type Headset jack - IrDA
Power
- Type Power adapter
Battery
- Technology - Lithium ion
- Capacity 1170 mAh
- Talk Time Up to 312 min
- Standby Time Up to 366 h
Accessories
Manufacturer info
- Motorola
- Manufacturer profile
- Browse Motorola products on Shopper.com
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- Website: http://commerce.motorola.com/consumer
- Address:
600 N. Highway 45, Suite AS342, Libertyville, IL 60048 - Phone: 847/576-5000
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