I admit, I am attracted to shiny objects and you cannot get much shinier than the Motorola KRZR K1 Limited Edition Champagne Gold cell phone. Too many years to mention of mobile phone use left me with a laundry list of desired features; living in the tropics added a few necessities to that list. While I know there are a number of phones available that would meet or exceed my needs, none would do it with as much style and give me as much satisfaction as the limited edition KRZR.

Let there be light…

Florida residents can easily relate to the case of the disappearing cell phone display. Modern technology affords us a variety of options in size, resolution and quality of displays; very few offer non-glare finishes that let the user view what is on the tiny screens in bright sunlight. The KRZR’s beautiful 262K interior 176 x 220 pixel color display fades a bit but not enough to obliterate the phone’s desktop or menus. Of all GSM compatible phones available for trial at our local AT&T/Cingular store, only the KRZR passed the fade-test with enough clarity for me to take advantage of the 2-MP camera in the glare of the noonday sun. Equally surprising, I was able to view the phone’s external 96 x 80 pixel color display in the same bright light conditions.

Unlocked – the only way to go…

The display on my aging, out-of-warranty Sony-Ericsson z525a died a quiet though sudden death and I was in dire need of a replacement. Motorola’s feature rich KRZR K1 met so many of my needs, I was ready to jump feet first into an extended contract in order to own one of these nifty items. Because my contract was in month twenty of twenty-four, AT&T offered no discounts, the phone’s retail price through AT&T is an astounding $349.00 online or $419.00 at their brick and mortar establishments.

Refusing to submit to highway robbery, I headed home to the Internet and discovered the unlocked version of the next generation KRZR K1 for GSM networks at $214.00 for the same cobalt blue model I tried at the AT&T company store. The July special on the Motorola site was the KRZR K1 Limited Edition Champagne Gold for $249.00 with accessories, a ten-percent discount and free shipping. Is color an adequate reason to plunk down the additional thirty or so dollars? In this case, I definitely feel I chose the right phone for me.

For the uninitiated, an unlocked phone (in this case an unlocked quad-band GSM phone) is the same as the phones offered by AT&T and T-Mobile without the carrier specific software installed. Gaining access to certain features requires bringing the phone into the carrier’s store and having the features enabled or software installed. Depending upon the manufacturer or service provider, some offer upgrades online as free downloads. If you can live without the few carrier-dependent missing features, install your SIM card, charge the phone and start dialing, it works out of the box without any special activation procedures.

Should something go wrong with an unlocked phone, the manufacturer’s warranty or extended warranty covers repairs or replacement. From my experience, dealing with the manufacturer brings about faster satisfaction than dealing with the carrier’s warranty division.

What, pray tell, is in the box for $249.00 minus 10%?

I probably glossed over the fact that Motorola claims the KRZR K1 Gold Limited Edition is only available through its own company stores and online sales site. I found it available at higher prices on a few select web sites based in the US. AT&T offers the KRZR Blue model and T-Mobile carries the silver version. The red, white or black first generation K1m models function on Verizon and other networks. What comes in the package depends upon where the consumer purchases the phone.

I was happily surprised to find in the box:

- MOTOKRZR™ K1 phone (Quad-band 850/900/1800/1900)
- Battery (BC50) - (Standard 750mAh) (SNN5779B)
- SanDisk 512 MB TransFlash Micro Memory Card and Adaptor (SYN1405A)
- Compact Rapid Travel Charger (CH710) (SPN5202B)
- Motorola Hands Free Earbud (0490R00)
- Motorola Car Charger (VC700)
- User Manual
- Easy Setup Guide Motorola Phone Tools 4 (CD + Data Cables) (98741H)
- One Year Limited Warranty
- Postage paid poly-mailer for recycling old cell phones

Install the battery and the user’s SIM card and setting up the phone requires only the ability to choose options in a simple wizard format. Synchronizing contacts from a SIM card to the phone is an option or the user can choose to directly access the card.

All that glitters…

This fit and finish of this phone appears to offer more than extraordinary good looks. Unlike its’ granddaddy, the industrial metal RAZR, the shell of this phone is plastic. Considering the price that may sound cheesy but in fact, the high gloss front panel seems impervious to scratches and scrapes. The matte finish back panel, including the replaceable battery cover, offers a slip-resistant surface contrasting the front side’s deep high-gloss. Hidden under KRZR’s glossy exterior, the 96 x 80 pixel color display comes alive when the phone rings or when using exterior button features.

Below the outstanding interior display, the metal keypad, reminiscent of the RAZR’s flat design with raised rubber markings, provides a perfect balance between too touch-sensitive and too stiff. The only drawback to date had to do with the initial days of use and discovering the rubbery residue from the keypad on the interior display. More than a month of keypunching eliminated that issue.

Mastering the phone’s features and utilities may require a learning curve beyond the norm. Accessing basic calling functions are as simple as any mobile phone (green button dials, red button hangs up). Initial call quality seemed less than perfect but my test calls went out to friends and family whose cell phones may qualify as antiques. Clarity and call volume improved remarkably when speaking with people using landline service or newer mobile phones.

Motorola’s Phone Tools software makes syncing contacts, downloading upgrades, swapping photos and sounds between the phone and computer and editing contact data beyond simple. Connecting via the USB data cable or Bluetooth brings up the software package and a simple wizard serves as a guide through each task.

Motorola claims the KRZR works with all Bluetooth accessories. That was a strong selling point; I admit to being one of those annoying people you see with a Bluetooth headset inserted in my ear nearly every waking moment. Pairing my variety of headsets was simple but the higher end devices seem to work better with KRZR than they did with other cell phones. Both the Aliph Jawbone and the SouthWing SH440 require nothing more than turning on the headset to be found by the KRZR. My SouthWing SH310 requires a four-step process for the KRZR to recognize it – it works, I simply find it annoying.

Now that you know about my Bluetooth obsession, let me share something that makes my heart sing. The KRZR offers voice commands and voice dialing features, both accessible through a mid to high range Bluetooth headset or through the speakerphone. Voice dialing no longer requires us to go through an extensive training process so the phone understands what we say. The short training process has the user repeat a series of numbers and a few commands.

Within minutes, the phone is ready to dial anyone in the Contacts folder by name, dial spoken numbers, check the battery, send an e-mail, instant message or note, go to any application, look up contacts and turn off voice prompts by briefly clicking the button on the right side of the phone and speaking the associated command. High-end Bluetooth sets add more voice command features such as signal strength check; talk time remaining before the battery needs a charge; and favorites.

A quick mention for those considering purchasing a Bluetooth headset, current technology has yet to address the issue of cell phone battery-drain from Bluetooth connections. Some devices may diminish talk and standby times by nearly half with Bluetooth connectivity in use. Motorola addressed this problem by setting an automatic Bluetooth disconnect time limit after one hour of standby which can be extended or disabled by the user through the phone’s settings menu.

My MotoKRZR's talk times are in line with the manufacturer's claim of 200 to 300 minutes per charge. With accessories and the display brightness set at 50%, I average between three and four hours talk time before the low battery notification beep sounds. Using the phone without accessories, I get closer to the five hour upper limit Motorola mentions. As far as standby times, the promised twelve and a half days may or may not be real, I never let the phone rest on standby that long. (So sorry!)

Too many notes?

Menu options include the choice of a list or icons and removing rarely used listings. User defined shortcuts let us choose which applications and features we want immediate access to on the keypad. Within the various submenus, the options seem almost ridiculous. A nearly endless list of ringtones and variety of sources for graphics and themes make the initial setup an adventure.

With so many features occupying the sub-menus and built into the KRZR, I offer a not so short list from the manufacturer’s site that should cover some of the features I neglected to mention. With apologies to the list-phobic among us:

“Features and specs:

-Embedded JAVA® Games
-MP3, Polyphonic Ring tones
-Video Capture and Playback
-2-MP Camera
-User-Customizable Shortcuts and Main Menu
-VibraCall Alert
-Caller Group Profiling
-Time and Date Stamp on Recent Calls lists, Messages, E-mail
-EMS
-MMS - Picture / Photo / Text / Sound
-Email Support
-Alarm Clock
-Date and Clock
-PIM Functionality
-Bluetooth® Connectivity V1.2, Class1
-Mini USB Connectivity
-JAVA® MIDP 2.0 / CLDC 1.1 plus API's
-GSM/GPRS/EDGE 850/900/1800/1900
-GPRS - Class 10
-Music Player - mp3 Player with up to 50 songs (w/512MB Memory Card)
-Downloadable Themes, Ringtones, Screensavers and Wallpaper
-Calculator and Currency Converter
-Calendar
-Airplane Mode
-Built-in Memory - Up to 12 MB
-Removable Memory - Up to 512MB
-Volume - 65cc
-Standby Time - Up to approximately 200-310 hours
-Talk Time - Up to approximately 200-400 minutes
-iTAPTM Predictive Text
-Speakerphone
-Dimensions: 4 x 1.65 x .6 inches
-Weight - 100 grams / 3.5 ounces”

What were they thinking?

One odd design flaw is the only negative I found with the phone. The flush-mount cover hiding the mini-USB port attaches to the phone by a short fiber cord. All Motorola accessories (chargers, hands-free earbuds, data cables, etc…) that use the mini-USB port have L-shaped connectors meeting the cable. Because of the shape of the connector and the location of the poorly attached cover, plugging in any of the USB accessories requires stretching the fiber cord to the point of almost snapping to clear the path to a solid connection. I expect to someday post an update letting consumers know the fiber cord broke and the flush-mount cover is history.

Cliff Notes Version

Considering the number of people who comment about the phone’s appearance, I should receive compensation from Motorola for my solid public relations work on their behalf. The KRZR K1’s form, function and features still bring a smile to my face, even after months of daily use. I doubt if I ever gave five stars to any product reviewed as deserving of that stellar rating as this phone. The solid feel, user-friendly applications and pure beauty of the next generation KRZR makes me feel as if I spent my money well. If your phone service offers either the KRZR K1 or K1m, do not hesitate to place your order. Should you feel a bit bling-deprived, go for the gold, it will make your day.


Recommended: Yes

Amount Paid (US$): 224.10
Recommended for: World Travelers - Works Anywhere and Everywhere!