Motorola Razr V3
The Motorola Razr V3, popularly called simply the Razr, is a clamshell style cell phone developed by Motorola. A 2G quad-band worldwide GSM phone, it was released initially in September 2004, and in the US in November 2004, being the first product released under the RAZR moniker. Updated versions were later released as V3i, V3x and V3xx which included changes such as improved cameras, expandable memory, or 3G, and variants were released to support other networks.
The Razr V3's internal specifications were almost identical to the preceding Motorola V600 and V500 series, but it was built in a completely new, skinny body. Codenamed "Siliqua", Motorola began development in July 2003, in parallel with a complementing "feminine" flip phone project, although it was a technical challenge. Motorola industrial designer Chris Arnholt was responsible for much of the Razr's distinct features: the phone had a strikingly thin profile at the time on a flip phone set, sported an electroluminescent keypad made out of a single metal wafer, housed in an aluminium body with an external glass screen. The "Razr" name was coined by executive Geoffrey Frost, who was instrumental in the phone's success. Rather than launching at a fair, Motorola CEO Edward Zander unveiled the Razr V3 at a presentation held in Chicago on July 27, 2004.
With its unique look and high price, it was initially positioned as a desirable premium product. Despite its otherwise average internal features, its groundbreaking, and sleek exterior, eventually made it extremely successful following price cuts. In the United States the V3 series was the most popular cell phone in 2005, 2006 and 2007 and remained best-selling until the latter half of 2008. The Motorola Razr has become an icon of mid-2000s popular culture as well as a defining icon of industrial design. The Razr series was succeeded in 2007 by the Motorola Razr2 series.
Features
As a clamshell device, the Motorola RAZR V3 features a small external display that displays incoming call information, time and notifications, and can be used as a camera viewfinder when closed. The device also features a Smart Key, located on the left hand side, that anticipates the user's next action. The key can also be used to capture a selfie with the camera while the flip is closed. On the right hand side, the V3 also features a voice dial key.Although unique externally, internally the RAZR V3 was no different than the Motorola V500 series and V600, both of which had been conceived in 2003. Its specifications were approximately mid-range of its time, similar to the Motorola V620.
The original V3 model has a VGA resolution camera which is also capable of video recording. The device has a 2G cellular modem, although later 3G variants were also released. The phone includes a WAP 2.0 browser and an email client supporting IMAP and POP3. It also features Bluetooth connectivity.
The phone has a standard Mini USB which is used for charging the battery as well as connection to a PC for data transfer and for using a headset.
Release and colors
The Motorola V3 was released in the market in late 2004. It shipped first in Asia, before its November release in the US initially on the Cingular network operator. It was reportedly available in European territories by early September 2004.A black version was produced for distribution in the 77th Academy Awards gift bags, and was released in early May 2005. While distribution was initially limited to specific carriers in North America, the black V3 was widely available elsewhere.
Hot pink versions
The first pink version was released in October 2005, and as of June 2006, was available in the United States from T-Mobile as the Razr V3 Magenta. It was called the Razr V3 Pink and available on other carriers, including on T-Mobile networks in other countries in addition to Verizon, Cingular Wireless, Suncom Wireless, and Cellular One. It was also available in Canada from Bell, Rogers Wireless and Telus, and in the United Kingdom from T-Mobile and Carphone Warehouse. $25 of sales from the Rogers-branded pink V3 went to Rethink Breast Cancer. It was also available in all Movistar-serviced countries and Claro.Variants
V3c and V3m (CDMA2000)
The Motorola Razr V3c is the CDMA2000 version of the Razr V3, and supports the 3G CDMA 2000 1xRTT and 1xEV-DO technologies. It was released first on November 21, 2005, on Alltel and SaskTel carriers, then on December 7, 2005, to Verizon Wireless users. The V3c was also carried by Cricket Communications, Metro PCS, Canadian Telus, Bell Mobility and Aliant Mobility, Venezuelan Movistar and Movilnet, and Brazilian Vivo.The original version of the V3c was charcoal gray, and a light pink version called Satin Pink was released by Verizon Wireless in January 2006. Telus Mobility, Bell, Aliant, and Vivo also carried pink versions of the V3c.
The V3m was announced in April 2006 as an upgrade to the V3c. It features a microSD card slot for up to 2 GB of memory expansion, a longer-lasting battery, and a digital music player. The V3m came in silver, pink, and red although the original release, as well as models that used to be available on the Sprint CDMA network, featured the gunmetal gray color of the V3c. For a limited time Alltel and US Cellular offered a Fire Red color. Partnering with Motorola, US Cellular and Sprint released a special PRODUCT Razr and Bluetooth H500 headset to help support Global Fund programs which positively impact the lives of women and children affected by HIV/AIDS in Africa.Verizon Wireless's versions of the Razr V3c and V3m use their own proprietary user interface and disable some features, including the ability to transfer files to and from the phone via Bluetooth. Verizon blocked the transfer of most data over USB, such as ringtones. The V3m phones also run Binary Runtime Environment for Wireless, which signs each application to the phone's Electronic Serial Number, or ESN, thus preventing the use of free applications. Equivalent models offered by competitors retained these features.
VE20 (CDMA2000)
The Razr VE20 is an updated CDMA model introduced in September 2008. It was released in the U.S. for Sprint, Alltel, and US Cellular. It incorporated some of the design elements of the Razr2 V9m at a reduced price. It features a QVGA main display, outer display with virtual touch keys, 2-megapixel camera, stereo Bluetooth, and a microSD memory card slot up to 8 Gb.V3re (EDGE)
The Razr V3re is a GSM model updated to support EDGE and CrystalTalk technology. It is nearly identical to the original V3, but can be identified by a slightly larger notch under the Motorola logo when closed, a black matte Motorola logo in the battery cover instead of the metallic silver logo in the V3 and a software version starting with R3442A. It was available in three colors: orchid pink, silver, and stone grey, and was carried in by T-Mobile and AT&T in the US, Rogers/Fido in Canada and Vivo in Brazil.South Korean variants
The Motorola MS500 is the Razr variant specific for the South Korea market, released on June 1, 2005. It was the first CDMA version of the Razr V3, designed to operate on SK Telecom. It does not, however, have Bluetooth capability, as opposed to the original GSM handset. It did however have an improved 1.3-megapixel camera as well as video recording, 80 MB of internal memory, and a variety of UI features, such as a mobile blog, Yoga graphic book, diet diary, and lottery number generator for wellness theme. On February 8, 2006, Motorola Korea released its own slide-phone model of the Razr, called the Motorola Razr Z. A model that based on MS500 released as V3c in China, but with no relation with V3c that released in North America.Motorola Korea also released an upgraded version, known as Razr Luk that is HSDPA network compatible and upgrades the screen to 2.2 inch TFT QVGA, 1.3-megapixel camera with Bluetooth, and microSDHC support. The model features different color pattern compare to previous MS500, and hit the South Korean market by late February 2009.
V3x
Motorola Razr V3x is a 3G phone designed for European and Asian markets. It was originally announced in March 2005 as the Motorola V1150, before it was renamed as Razr V3x to capitalize on the RAZR name. It was made official under the new name on October 18, 2005, with a slated Q4 2005 release.The Razr V3x is fundamentally a very different device than the V3, using a different microprocessor, chipset, and Nvidia GoForce 4800 GPU. Its keypad design is notably different than that on the V3. In addition to being able to use 3G UMTS/WCDMA networks, the Razr V3x had other enhancements over the original V3 such as a 2.0-megapixel camera, a second camera, and expandable memory, a feature set closer to the Motorola V980. However, with its added features and new internals, the V3x was substantially larger and heavier than the V3 – about and thick compared to and.
The V3x was not released in North America. In Japan, the V3x was released on NTT DoCoMo as the FOMA M702iG, introduced in July 2006. The Motorola Razr V3x won the "Best 3GSM handset" at the 2006 3GSM World Congress. The Motorola RAZR maxx is considered to be its successor and this one was also released in North America.
V3i
The Motorola Razr V3i, announced on November 8, 2005, and released to most worldwide markets in Q4 of 2005–2006, is the successor to the original Motorola Razr V3. It addressed some of the faults of the original by having a better camera with 8x digital zoom, support for microSD cards, and music playing capabilities - functionally it was very close to the Motorola V635. Cosmetically it is near-identical to the V3, with the main change being the manufacturer's 'M' icon moving onto the glass and the icon also being illuminated in blue.It came in various colors, the main one being Silver Quartz while other colors include: Gunmetal Grey, Gold Plate, Dark Blue, Maroon, Violet, Orchid, Black for RED, Platinum, Red, Chrome Green, Chrome Purple, and Celery.
The Motorola Razr V3i was sold in two versions: one with Motorola's own Digital Audio Player, and another featuring iTunes, as part of a tie-up with Apple that also resulted in the Motorola ROKR E1. The V3i with iTunes have a 50 or 100 song limit restriction depending on where the phone model was made: in the European market, this version was sold as V3im with a 100-song cap, whereas T-Mobile, Cingular/AT&T, and Canadian cellular providers such as Rogers sold the V3i with no iTunes as the V3r and V3t.