Shop RadioShack for Great GiftsMotorola Rapture VU30 (Verizon Wireless)
Manufacturer: Motorola Part number: Rapture VU30
- More product information:
- Editors' review
- User reviews
- Specifications
- Accessories
- Manufacturer info
- Bottom Line:
- The Motorola Rapture VU30 offers an attractive blend of design and features, but it slips up a bit in performance.
Read more
Where to buy
| store | customer rating | inventory | tax & shipping | price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| eBay |  | In stock | Enter zip code to get total price: Price +Tax +Shipping =Total price | as of 12/08/2009 |
  | ||||
CNET editors' review
Motorola Rapture VU30 (Verizon Wireless) price range: $6.99
- Reviewed by: Kent German
- Reviewed on: 11/03/2008
The good: The Motorola Rapture VU30 has an attractive, well-built design with spacious and intuitive controls. Call quality was decent.
The bad: The Motorola Rapture VU30's volume level is rather low and multimedia performance was uneven. Also, the camera lacks a flash.
The bottom line: The Motorola Rapture VU30 offers an attractive blend of design and features, but it slips up a bit in performance.
The Motorola Rapture VU30 for Verizon Wireless is the shinier sibling to the Motorola VU204 that we reviewed a week ago. Not only is it shinier on the outside, but it also offers more on the inside, including 3G and a 2-megapixel camera. As for performance, call quality was satisfying, but multimedia performance was somewhat unreliable. We're not sure where Motorola came up with the name Rapture; to us it sounds rather ominous and so we're hoping they're referring to the single "Rapture" by Blondie. You can get the Rapture VU30 for $99.99 with service or for $149.99 if you pay full price.
Design
The Rapture VU30 has the same curvaceous, appealing shape as the VU204. We like the rounded edges and the smooth lines. It replaces the VU204's soft-touch skin with a glossy plastic surface, but the handset has a solid ,comfortable feel in the hand. The hinge has a sturdy construction as well--it opens and closes with a solid click. In many ways the VU30 also resembles the Motorola Pebl U6. The Rapture is of average size (3.9 inches tall by 1.9 inches wide by 0.67 inch deep) and it's relatively lightweight (3.4 ounces).
The VU30 has a rather large 1.6-inch external display. It supports full color (160x120 pixels), so it will show photo caller ID in addition to the date, time, battery life, signal strength, and numeric caller ID. You can't change any of the options, however, which is too bad given the short backlighting. The front face is a bit reflective, which means it shows smudges and fingerprints easily.
The Rapture's display also has two touch controls for activating the camera and the music player with the phone closed. The controls have vibrating feedback and they're well-placed at the bottom corners of the display. With the music control you can play songs, choose a playlist, and activate the shuffle mode. Since the camera lens faces the rear of the phone, self-portraits are impossible.
On the left spine of the VU30 there are a volume rocker, a speakerphone button, and a micro-USB slot, which accommodates both USB cables and the charger. On the right spine you'll find a camera shutter, a voice dialing button, and a handset-locking switch. Unfortunately, the 2.5mm headset jack is at the phone's bottom end, which is a rather inconvenient location when carrying the phone in a pocket while using the headset. Besides the camera lens, the back of the phone holds the single speaker. You must remove the Rapture's battery cover to access the memory card slot, but you don't need to remove the actual battery.
The Rapture's 2.2-inch internal display shows 656,000 colors (320x240 pixels). It's bright and colorful, with sharp graphics. The menu interface is available in three styles, but each is relatively intuitive thanks to Verizon's refined menu design. You can change the dialing font size, the brightness, and the backlighting time.
The VU30's navigation array is spacious and easy to understand and use. There's a large circular toggle that has a comfortable, tactile feel, even though it is almost flat. It is a different color than the surrounding surface to give it better visibility. You can set it as a shortcut to four user-defined functions. Surrounding it are two soft keys, a dedicated music control, a clear control, and the Talk and End/power buttons. These controls are just about flush, as well, but small silver bumps make them tactile. The Rapture's keypad buttons have a similar design. They're spacious and clearly defined, so we could dial and text comfortably without making mistakes. The keys have a bright backlighting for dialing in dim situations.
Features
The Rapture VU30 has a 1,000-contact phone book, with room in each entry for five phone numbers, two e-mail addresses, and notes. You can organize contacts into caller groups and pair them with a photo and one of 26 polyphonic ringtones or alert tones. There's a separate phone book in which you can designate three "in case of emergency" numbers.
Other essentials include a vibrate mode, text and multimedia messaging, a calculator, a calendar, an alarm clock, a stopwatch, a world clock, a notepad, and a speakerphone. And on the higher end, you get speaker-independent voice dialing, instant messaging, Web-based POP3 e-mail, a voice recorder, stereo Bluetooth, and USB mass storage.
The Rapture's 2-megapixel camera takes pictures in five resolutions, from 1,600x1,200 down to a special size for photo caller ID. You also can use a self-timer, brightness and white balance settings, three color effects, a digital zoom, nine fun frames, and three shutter sounds (there's no silent option). The camcorder shoots clips with sound in two resolutions (320x240 and 176x144). Editing features are about the same as on the still camera. Videos meant for multimedia messages are capped at 45 seconds; otherwise, you can shoot for as long as the available memory permits. There VU30 doesn't have a flash or camcorder light, which is disappointing on a 2-megapixel shooter.
The Rapture VU30's photo quality is decent. There is little image noise, but colors were faded and images were slightly washed out. Videos were about what you'd expect from a camera phone; which is to say, not great. The Rapture has 67MB of internal shared memory, but you can use a micro-SD card for more space.
As an EV-DO phone, the VU30 supports the full range of Verizon's 3G services, including the V Cast video service and the V Cast Music Store with Rhapsody. The music player's interface is identical to those on other Verizon phones. The handset also supports Verizon's VZ Navigator GPS service.
You can personalize the Rapture with a variety of wallpapers, clock formats, and alert tones, and you can type a personalized banner. You can download more options and additional ringtones using the WAP 2.0 wireless Web browser. The Rapture doesn't come with any games, but you can buy a range of titles from Verizon.
Performance
We tested the dual-band, dual-mode (CDMA 800/1900; EV-DO) Motorola Rapture VU30 in San Francisco using Verizon Wireless service. Call quality was satisfying on most fronts. On the upside, the signal was clear and strong and we suffered from no static or interference from other electronic devices. Also, voices sounded natural. On the downside, while the volume level was loud enough for most environments, we did have some trouble hearing in noisy places. In those cases we were able to hold conversations, but we had to ask our friends to repeat themselves.
On their end, callers were mostly pleased. They could tell we were using a cell phone, but on the whole they mentioned the clarity of the signal and the voice quality. A few also mentioned a rather soft volume level, but it was fine for most occasions. Automated-calling systems could understand us most of the time.
The Rapture's speakerphone quality is decent, though not spectacular. You have to turn up the volume pretty high if you want to hear, and at those loud levels the voice quality is somewhat distorted. Callers could hear us as long as we were speaking close to the phone. Bluetooth headset calls, however, were somewhat improved.
Streaming-video quality on the VU30 was just average. Though videos loaded quickly and played without interruption, the player-frame size is quite small and the video quality is pixelated. Sound quality wasn't bad, however, and the audio was in sync with the video. Music quality was pretty good. The single speaker has a respectable output, but headphones will provide the best experience. Songs downloaded in about 30 seconds, thanks to a strong EV-DO connection.
The Rapture has a rated battery life of 4.5 hours talk time and 19.6 days standby time. It has a tested talk time of 2 hours and 40 minutes. According to FCC radiation tests, the VU30 has a digital SAR rating of 0.88 watt per kilogram.
User reviews
-
-
Another Contender from Motorola for Verizon
by premieregs on October 15, 2008
Pros: Great looking exterior in a good form factor
Take photos while holding like a point and shoot
Touchscreen works well w/vibration and display lock is handy
Main display is bright and clear with good contrast
Non-existant lag while navigating menusCons: The Verizon UI still limited in customization
Lower quality materials than typical Motorola, though well put together fit and finish wise
OK sound quality from the earpiece, speakerphone and while playing music
Outside display is dark since hiddenSummary: Features:
All of the features that you come to expect from a flip. The music player works the same as on other Motorolas, unfortunately that means that you can't ...Summary: Features:
All of the features that you come to expect from a flip. The music player works the same as on other Motorolas, unfortunately that means that you can't navigate away from the music player to do other tasks like you can on LG's Chocolate phones (no big deal for me). You can access and operate it from the exterior touch controls. The camera works well since you can hold the phone like a point and shoot using the front display as the viewfinder, works pretty well IMO.
Touchscreen:
Responsive and provides vibration when buttons are activated. There are five areas the display responds to while in the music player or camera, the four corners and the center. One great point is that you can exit the music player from the outside unlike some other Motorola phones I've used.
UI:
The main interface of the phone speeds ahead with quick responses to your input. There is hardly any lag at any point in the menus. Although there is a new addition of a shortcut list when you press the right directional key, it's still only customizable to a point. Verizon's UI is still underneath so if you're familiar with past Verizon phones, you know what you're getting.
Build Quality/Materials:
Although this phone is put together very nicely fit and finish wise, the materials are lacking in comparison to Motorola's W755 and V9m. Thinner plastics are used which do however make the phone extremely light. The keypad works well but has the same feeling as the W755's thin plastic keypad.
Sound Quality:
To me this area makes or breaks a phone. The VU30 follows in the footsteps of the W755 in this area unfortunately. Volume is adjustable to pretty decent levels so that isn't a problem. There is some digital distortion in voices through the earpiece which can some times make it difficult to understand callers. This is just my opinion though as others have reported liking the sound quality of the VU30.
I love the form factor of this phone and the vanishing display with touchscreen on front is a nice little feature. Menu speed is awesome making tasks really easy to accomplish. The phone is also really light though a little thick. Sound quality is just OK and this is the main reason for my rating. One last thing to note is that the reception seems strong like most Motorolas.3 out of 3 users found this user opinion helpful.
-
Would Not Buy Moto Rapture
by bluedolphinjr on July 15, 2009
Pros: There are not pro's
Cons: Phone freezes and re-boots on its own
Summary: I purchased a Moto w755 for my daughter and she had several issues. Two of them are freezing and re-booting itself. Verizon Wireless direct store replaced the device with 5 ...
Summary: I purchased a Moto w755 for my daughter and she had several issues. Two of them are freezing and re-booting itself. Verizon Wireless direct store replaced the device with 5 Certified Like New Replacements. All 5 had the same issue. After going back to the direct Verizon Wireless store, they wanted to give her another W755 and I said no. They said she can get a Moto Rapture with a 2 yr. contract extension. I feel I should not have had to extend the contract due to Moto's issue but I did anyway. Before leaving the store after activation, the Moto Rapture froze while the rep saw this however, the rep would not exchange the device. I called Customer Service and advised them of what was going on. He looked up the known device issues and saw this is a known issue and also said most Moto devices have that issue. There is a software upgrade from Moto however, Verizon Wireless has not received it yet. July 15, 2009
1 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.
-
Not a good phone at all!
by colemangang on December 7, 2009
Pros: I did like the size of memory chip it would hold.
Cons: Too quiet even on loudest setting. Phone freezes up ALL the time. Only way to get it working is to remove battery and reboot, or let it set till it reboots itself. Getting replacement, fortunately verizon didn't have any more, now getting LG VX-8360.
Summary: Phone is piece of crap. If it didn't freeze up nearly every time you tried to text, and was a little louder it might be an ok phone. But, ...
Summary: Phone is piece of crap. If it didn't freeze up nearly every time you tried to text, and was a little louder it might be an ok phone. But, many of my job contacts i require texting, and when the phone freezes up during 75% of texts and you must reboot and start all over, it is very frustrating. I surely hope the LG VX 8360 they are replacing it with is a better phone.
-
Ok phone, nothing special
by phonejunkie12 on November 30, 2009
Pros: It is small and it seems durable, has a neat and different look
Cons: keys are small and don't light up with backlight, front touchscreen unresponsive, keys hard to push and phone feels awkward when trying to text with one habd
Summary: I just got this phone after a long line of others that had fallen or been replaced, i have texted on it alot and i havent had it freeze yet ...
Summary: I just got this phone after a long line of others that had fallen or been replaced, i have texted on it alot and i havent had it freeze yet but from the reviews thati have read it seems inevitable. It seems alright i kindove like the look and it seems as though it can take some punishment. I am not really liking the camera haveing it on the body of the phone itself and not on the top, and it dosent have a flash. Also the front screen is unresponsive, but it dosent really boter me. I like the look overall, but not really the buttons. A fine phone overall would suggest for only light use.
-
Freezes, Reboots itself
by provodrummer on November 13, 2009
Pros: Small, lightweight, good camera, nice large screen
Cons: Poor sound quality. Freezes when texting and re-boots itself. Takes a very long time to send and receive picture/audio messages. Camera's lens is in an inconvenient place, where your hand normally goes. The front screen is hard to keep clean.
Summary: The phone freezes when texting, then takes several minutes to re-boot itself. This happens to me during every 3 or so texts, so it gets very frustrating. I've only ...
Summary: The phone freezes when texting, then takes several minutes to re-boot itself. This happens to me during every 3 or so texts, so it gets very frustrating. I've only had it for 2 weeks and this has happened since day one. Also, I met someone else on campus with the same phone, and they had the same problem. I occasionally send picture messages to my parents, and that takes about a full minute per picture. If you don't text or send messages very often, this phone is fine. The buttons are a little hard to get used to. So far the battery life is good, I tested it for 3 days without charging and it didn't die. Ultimately I'd suggest getting a different phone (my last Samsung phone was great) or waiting for this one to be upgraded.
-
Average phone
by magstudios123 on May 25, 2009
Pros: Great in terms of looks and controls
Cons: Volume is too low. Nothing enticing in terms of features or performance.
Summary: The phone is not the perfect choice for people looking for a hi-end handset with user-friendly and advanced technologies.
Summary: The phone is not the perfect choice for people looking for a hi-end handset with user-friendly and advanced technologies.
-
Excellent Battery life, Excellent Reception
by fishkeeper87 on February 11, 2009
Pros: This phone has an excellent battery and also has excellent reception. I had an older motorola and had good reception, but this one gets reception where the other one didn't. I have yet to see the dreaded "searching for signal".
Cons: The feel of typing on the phone takes a while to get used to because the keys don't stick up, but that is the price you pay for having a skinny phone.
Summary: An excellent phone for making calls. I haven't used the music yet, but why would I when I have an iPod with upgraded earphones?
Summary: An excellent phone for making calls. I haven't used the music yet, but why would I when I have an iPod with upgraded earphones?
-
There are better phones out there.
by k8r2o on January 16, 2009
Pros: -Small and light
-Looks good
-Keypad is pretty cool and easy to use
-Battery Life was goodCons: -Feels like cheap plastic
-Flimsy display lock
-To many fingerprints on front
-Can't hold up to normal wear and tear
-Speaker blew after two weeksSummary: I owned this phone for three months, it wasn't anything special. The phone is slim and looks cool but it lacks the durability of everyday use. The speaker blew ...
Summary: I owned this phone for three months, it wasn't anything special. The phone is slim and looks cool but it lacks the durability of everyday use. The speaker blew after using it on medium for two weeks as my alarm clock. The paint is already starting to wear after just three months of using it. The lock button on the side seemed flimsy and would often unlock when the phone was in my pocket. Also, the placement of the button seemed to get in the way when I would use my thumb to flip the phone open. It would have been nice if the memory card didn't have to go behind the battery. I also had problems with the phone locking up about twice a week when sending a text message, which was a little annoying.
I usually love Motorola products because they are easy to use, sturdy, and look decent. This phone however feel very short of my expectations. If your in the market for a phone based on looks then this should be a posibility, otherwise there are a ton of decent phones out there that probably would be a better choice. 2 days ago I switched over to the LG VX8360 and it makes me realize just how annoying the Rapture was. -
Pretty, but cheap and buggy
by patnesha11 on December 9, 2008
Pros: It's nice to look at. Battery life is great.
Cons: Cheaply made. Smudges/scratches easily. Camera is sub-par and location of (flashless) lens is such that your finger is always in the way. Freezes/turns off by itself regularly.
Summary: I previously had a Krazr and got the Rapture as a new every two deal with Verizon. This phone is all plastic. It feels and is cheaply made. The touch ...
Summary: I previously had a Krazr and got the Rapture as a new every two deal with Verizon. This phone is all plastic. It feels and is cheaply made. The touch screen on the front is neat, but the lock on the side of the phone is flimsy.
The camera is sub-par with no flash and the lens is places as such that your finger is always in the way and to hold it so the lens in clear is awkward and makes the phone easy to drop.
Call quality is fine and battery life is great. No real complaints there.
There are no real features to this phone that you have not seen before or would expect of any phone.
Here's the rub. The thing locks up or turns off constantly, even when not in use. Nearly every time I take it out of my pocket, it has locked up or turned off and I have to wait 30-60 seconds before I can use it. Keep in mind, that I have a memory card in the phone and very little music/photos so it is not a matter of the phone being bogged down with too much data.
We all want different things in a phone, but above all else, we want something that functions - especially as a phone. Sadly, the Rapture doesn't live up to that lofty goal. I have returned mine to Verizon and ordered an LG. I can only hope it will work when I need to make a call.
Long story short. I can't recommend this phone. If you are dead set on buying it, buy the best insurance for it that Verizon offers. You will need it. -
Very Pleased
by marisphen on December 5, 2008
Pros: Stylish, does everything I need it do
Cons: Would like to be able to read text messages from the front
Summary: had the Samsung Sway and although loved the phone I couldn't live without EVDO. The Rapture is stylish, receptions is good and it has access to VCast, VZ Navigator, ...
Summary: had the Samsung Sway and although loved the phone I couldn't live without EVDO. The Rapture is stylish, receptions is good and it has access to VCast, VZ Navigator, Mobile Email and ESPN MVP! After a few failed attempts with Motorola phones, I am a believer again. Great phone!
Specifications
- Manufacturer: Motorola
- Part number: Rapture VU30
- Description: The Motorola Rapture VU30 stands out from the crowd with a captivating look and is packed with features customers demand. Whether capturing a special moment, purchasing songs over-the-air, or downloading tunes and syncing to a PC, the Motorola Rapture VU30 is always ready to meet Verizon customers' needs.
General
- Product Type Cellular phone With digital camera
- Service Provider Verizon Wireless
- Width 1.9 in
- Depth 0.7 in
- Height 3.9 in
- Weight 3.4 oz
Cellular
- Technology CDMA2000 1X
- Band CDMA2000 1X 1900/800
- Phone Design Folder type phone
- Antenna Internal
- Vibrating Alert Yes
- Polyphonic Ringer Yes
- Conference Call Capability Yes
- Voice Recorder Yes
- Caller ID Yes
- Speakerphone Yes
- Wireless Interface Bluetooth
- Additional Features V CAST Music, Rhapsody, microSD card slot, VZ Navigator
Communicator Features
- Synchronization With PC Yes
Messaging & Data Services
- Short Messaging Service (SMS) Yes
- Internet Browser Yes
- Included Services VCAST, VZ Navigator
- EV-DO (Evolution-Data Optimized) Yes
- Messaging / Data Features Text messages, Multi media messages (MMS), E-Mail
Digital Camera
- Camera highlights With a resolution of 2 megapixels, this model will give you better pictures than other phones.
- Sensor Resolution 2 megapixels
Organizer
- Alarm Clock Yes
- Calendar Yes
- Reminder Yes
- Calculator Basic
Display
- Type LCD display
- Technology TFT
- Display Resolution 240 x 320 pixels
- Diagonal Size 2.2 in
- Color Support Color
- Color Depth 18-bit (262000 Colors)
Display (2nd)
- Type LCD display - Color
- Display Resolution 120 x 160 pixels
Memory
- Internal Shared Memory Yes
Power
- Type Power adapter
Battery
- Technology - Lithium ion
- Talk Time 270 min
Accessories
- A-Data Speedy Series flash memory card - 2 GB - microSD (33795596)8.99
- ATP SD Trio Professional PLUS card adapter - flash: microSD - Hi-Speed USB (32128464)17.00
- Centon 2GBRSD3-1 - flash memory card - 2 GB - microSD (33503634)11.84 - 13.29
- Centon flash memory card - 4 GB - microSD (33362243)16.74 - 70.99
Manufacturer info
- Motorola
- Manufacturer profile
- Browse Motorola products on Shopper.com
-
- Website: http://www.motorola.com/
- Address:
600 N. Highway 45, Libertyville, IL 60048 - Phone: 847/576-5000
%20-%20Compare%20prices,%20reviews,%20user%20opinions%20-%20Shopper.com&srcUrl=http://shopper.cnet.com/cell-phones/motorola-rapture-vu30-verizon/4014-6454_9-33316958.html){kind=small}