At A Glance:

The V3xx is Motorola・s 3G-capable phone from the RAZR line. With a slew of upgrades to the venerable line as well as a HSPDA 3.5G improvement - the V3xx is a solid step from its predecessor.

Design
Physically, the V3xx still maintains the thin iconic profile of the V3 and still looks just as boxy as before when viewed up front. Its exterior design is simple and uniform, with the phone coloured completely black to bolster the basic exterior. On the top left spine, you have the volume rocker; below it is the Smart key button. When the phone is closed, it serves as a unlock key for the exterior controls. The right button is for the quick camera function.

The V3xx is also less of a burden on the pockets than its predecessor. It now only weighs 107 grams.

The interior design is reminiscent of the older V3x design and still boasts the RAZR keypads. Its embedded keys are difficult to type into and usually result in clashing letters. The keypad has also been redesigned this time around. The plastic keys have been replaced by metal ones, giving a quality feel to the device.

The navigation array doubles as a shortcut to four user-defined applications and you can set the smart key as a shortcut to another chosen feature when the phone is open. Below the toggle are buttons for the Web browser, the Clear button and the Talk and End/Power controls

Features
The menu uses 3x4 grids with additional menu buttons for the camera, connection and browser. Much of it is redesigned from the V3x for 3G functionality. However, the menu interface is dull and has been around since the V3x.

An upgrade from previous models, the V3xx also boasts a 2.2 inch display with 256,000 colours and 320 x 240 pixels. The external display is the same as on the RAZR V3. That is, it is a tad small for the phone's size (96 x 80 pixels) but the 64,000-colour resolution is more than enough for most users. The internal display which is also noticeably large is built for web browsing and also makes it easier to text those messages.

There are some qualms about the reduced memory size for this model, 50MB compared to the V3x・s 68MB, especially if you plan to load up on songs. But fret not, as there is memory expansion available in the form of micro-SD.

The V3xx sports a much more powerful CPU as the lag from switching applications to another goes virtually unnoticed.

The applications found inside the phone are the Alarm Clock, Calendar, Voice Recorder, Calculator and a World Clock device.

The RAZR V3xx has a rated battery life of three-hour talk time and 12-day standby time. Three-hour talk time is quite low for a GSM phone but 12-day standby time is about the average.

Camera
Motorola has taken a step back from the V3x・s 2-megapixel camera and replaced it with a 1.3- mega-pixel camera. The main camera still has 8x zoom and the photos are still quite decent. At maximum zoom, however, much of the photo is blurry, plus this time around the RAZR has no flash available, making dark conditions especially hard to capture.

Pictures can be taken in four resolutions and there is a variety of editing options available that include six lighting conditions, a self timer, seven colour effects and three shutter sounds plus a silent option.

The pictures are saved in JPEG format while the videos are stored at 15fps in 3GP format. The V3xx still has a secondary VGA call camera.

Games
As far as the games are concerned, there are two preloaded Java ones. Both of them have been tried and true. One is Jamdat Bowling which is obviously a 3D version of said sport and the other is Tetris.

Connectivity
This time around, the V3x only supports triband technology to favour the new HDSPA network. The V3xx introduces a new technology called HSDPA (High Speed Download Packet Access) which enables data to be downloaded at speeds of up to 3.6 Mbps It is, therefore,10x faster than the conventional 3G and has been dubbed 3.5G.

This means that you can make maximum use of 3G network services such as high resolution video calling at 15 frames per second, super-fast music downloading and streaming, and receiving live TV on your phone. EDGE has also included into this model Class 10 GPRS. With the faster CPU, there is an additional mini-USB 2.0 transfer available and Bluetooth connectivity. like the newer incarnations of Moto phones- the Google web application is still kicking. Additionally the phone comes preloaded with Yahoo・s new mobile application, Yahoo Go!

The verdict
Despite a few shortcomings, the V3xx functions well as a multimedia phone. Fans of the RAZR series would have no problem embracing this phone. However, it is hard to recommend it to your everyday Joe.

The RAZR still looks good and is aging gracefully. The design has been given a facelift and I wouldn・t mind being caught with it.

At RM 1,300, the price is a bit steep for an upgrade but the phone is decent with HSPDA・s fast web-browsing capabilities. The 1.3 mega-pixel camera is one of the major downside for its price, especially when it is marketed as a multimedia phone.