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Home > Reviews > Motorola Krzr K1m Review

Motorola Krzr K1m Review

Alfredo Padilla
Published on April 20, 2007 Comment on this




The Krzr K1m represents another attempt by Motorola to capture the magic of the Razr series of phones. Motorola seems to have done a solid job with the Krzr K1m's form factor as it is an attractive phone and will appeal to those looking for a fashion piece. Under the hood not much has changed as the Krzr K1m still runs Motorola's outdated operating system. The camera is also nothing to write home about and battery life is definitely an area of concern.

Once nice feature that the Krzr K1m adds are useful music controls on the exterior of the phone. This allows you to realistically consider it as a replacement for a stand alone music player, although we do recommend you invest in an expansion card. Combine this with the fact that Sprint has recently dropped the prices of their music store to be more competitive with services like Rhapsody and iTunes and the Krzr K1m is a solid music phone.

The Krzr K1m is a dual band CDMA phone that we reviewed on Sprint's network. Versions of the Krzr are available from all four of the major carriers, so you will be able to shop around for the service and price that best fit your need.

[page title="Tour & Design"]

Front Closed

From the front the Motorola Krzr is dominated by the reflective covering over the exterior screen and music controls. The handset is styled all in black. The external display sits just above center and is 1.1" diagonal. Below this are three touch sensitive music controls. Above the screen near the top of the front is the lens for the 1.3 megapixel camera.

Left

The left side of the Motorola Krzr sports a volume rocker and voice command key near the top of the lower flip and the standard Mini USB port near the bottom of the phone.

Top

The only thing on the top of the phone is the casing for the hinge.

Bottom

There is nothing on the bottom of the phone.

Right

The right side of the phone has a single dedicated camera key near the top of the lower flip.

Back

The back of the Motorola Krzr K1m is dominated by the battrery cover, with a latch at the top. The bottom houses a speaker, while the Motorola and Sprint logos sit in the middle of the battery cover. Everything is finished with soft touch paint.

Battery Out


When you remove the battery cover on the Krzr K1m you reveal the 880 mAh battery. Below the battery is a slot for the MicroSD card. There is place for a SIM card on the Sprint version of the Krzr that we reviewed.

Open

When you open the Krzr K1m you see the top part of the flip taken up by the 1.9" 176 x 220 pixel display. Above the display is the Motorola logo and above this the speaker for the phone. On the lower part of the flip you find the control keys and the keypad. These are made up of a single piece of metal in typical Razr fashion, however the design has been updated when compared to the Razr. The keys are separated by raised ridges instead of the etching found on the Razr V3m. The control keys include a circular D-Pad surrounded by two soft keys, dedicated recent calls key, back key and the talk and end butttons.The keypad's dividers are now arranged in a simple grid rather than the "wave" design found on the Razr V3m. Below the keypad is a pin hole for the phone's microphone.

In the Box (2.0)

The Krzr K1m ships with a limited selection of accessories. In addition to the manuals you will find a wall charger and a 64MB MicroSD card, which is enough for about one album of music. For a handset that is marketed as a music device we would liked to have seen a pair of headphones and a USB cable for connecting to your computer included.

Handling (8.0)
The Krzr K1m's long and thin design means that it should fit comfortably into most hands. It is 2.5mm thicker than the Razr V3m, and you feel the difference when holding it. The back of the phone is covered in soft touch paint and makes the handset easier to hold onto than the all plastic Razr V3m. The front of the device is all reflective black plastic. Opening the flip with one hand is easy due to the beveled divide between the top and bottom of the flip. We did find the device felt a little heavy in our hand, especially compared to the Sprint Upstage we just reviewed.

Portability (7.5)
Because of the added thickness and weight of the Krzr K1m compared to the Razr V3m you will feel it more in your pocket, however it is still small enough to fit easily into most pockets and more than small enough to fit into the side pocket of a purse or hand bag.

Aesthetics (8.5)
The Krzr K1m is nice to look at in a stark sort of the way. The all black casing, reflective finish on the front and soft touch paint on the back exude a professional and slick look. We did find that the reflective front was a magnet for fingerprints, so expect to clean it often. Overall we found the Krzr K1m more attractive than the Razr V3m or the LG Chocolate.

Durability (6.5)
The Krzr K1m exhibited no creaks during use, however we are always suspicicious of devices with moving parts. The Krzr's hinge had just the slightest bit of play, but this does trouble us in terms of its long term prospects. We liked the soft touch paint on the back of the phone as this helps reduce scratching, however the reflective front is much more likely to be scratched.

[page title="Audio Quality"]

To test the audio performance of phones like the Krazr, we use the same equipment that audio professionals use; a HATS (Head And Torso Simulator) combined with a professional audio analysis package called Soundcheck. The HATS simulates a human head and torso, including how sound reflects from the head and shoulders. Highly calibrated microphones inside the ears capture the sound in the same way that the human ear does, and a speaker in the mouth simulates the human voice. This device is controlled by the Soundcheck software (produced by Listen Inc), which analyzes the sound the HATS captures to tell us how good it sounds. For more on how we test, see here

Overall, the Krazr K1m had very good sound quality; we found that most of the frequency response curves were within the limits that we expect, and that the phone produced clear, easy to understand speech. However, there were a few unexpected aspects to the sound that detract slightly from the sound quality.

Sound Receive Frequency Response (7.71)

 


This test measures the frequency response of the phone for the sound it receives (such as someone talking to you over the phone). Our test system sends the phone sounds at known frequencies and measures how well these sounds are reproduced (indicated by the blue line). We measure this against the limits set in a standard defined by a group of international audio experts (as shown by the red lines). The frequency response of an ideal phone should run right between these two limits. The Krzr K1m did pretty well on this test; the frequency response is within the limits. However, it is not particularly smooth: there is a significant dip in the response in the middle of the range, and then a jump at the higher frequencies. This could lead to higher frequencies being overly exaggerated at the cost of the mid-range ones, which may make some voices harder to understand.

Sound Send Frequency Response (7.36)

 


In this test, we measure the frequency response of the phone when sending audio. This measures how well the phone detects and transmits sounds at different frequencies (as shown by the blue line, with lower frequencies at the left and higher at the right). We measure this against the limits set by audio experts for digital phones (shown by the red lines); an ideal phone should have a frequency response that passes right between the two red lines. The Krazr K1m did well on this test; the frequency response curve is smooth, which means that no frequencies are suppressed or exaggerated. However, the line oes get a little close to the limits at the lower frequencies; the standard we measure against calls for phones to have a slightly slower response to low-frequency sounds as they are not as important to making speech comprehensible. But this is a relatively minor issue, and the K1m had impressive performance overall for the sound it sent.

Handset Side Tone (6.9)

 


Side tone is how cell phones let you hear your own voice; they inject a small amount of your captured voice back into the speaker, so you can hear yourself speak and judge how loud your own voice is. How much of this captured sound they pass back is critical; the standard calls for -18db, but we measured the K1m as being a little lower, at -21.1dB.This isn’t a serious problem, but it does indicate that the K1m injects a little less of your own voice back into the speaker, so you might find yourself talking a bit louder than you really need to.

[page title="Imaging"]

Resolution (0.62)
To test resolution of a the Krzr K1m's camera we take several pictures of an industry standard resolution chart and then run them through our Imatest software. This measures how many black and white lines the camera can discern before they start to blur together, a measure called line widths per picture height or lw/ph.

 

The Krzr K1m scored 386.6 lw/ph horizontal and 454.2 lw/ph vertically. This is an extremely poor score, worse than the Razr V3m (521.7 lw/ph horizontal, 242.2 lw/ph vertical) and the LG Chocolate (654.4 lw/ph horizontal, 585.9 lw/ph vertical), and neither of those phones are exactly camera power houses.

Compared to an entry level digital camera the Krzr K1m looks even worse. The Pentax Option M20 scored 1682 lw/ph horizontal and 1620 lw/ph vertically. We score resolution slightly differently than digitalcamerainfo.com. If we were to use their scoring system the Krzr K1m would receive an ever more pathetic score of .19. As it is its score is nothing to brag about.

Color (3.59)
To test color we take photos of an industr standard GretagMacbeth color chart, which displays 24 different colors. We then run the photos through the Imatest software, which compares the camera's produced colors to the chart's colors.



Imatest produces the chart above, which shows the original colors in the small vertical rectangle, the adjust colors in the middle rectangle and the original capture colors in the outer square. Imatest also produces the color analysis chart below. On this chart the circles represent the colors that the camera captured while the squares represent where the color should be. The long the lines between the two the more innacurate the colors are.



As you can see the Krzr K1m did an extremely poor job of reproducing colors, with yellows doing the worse, but reds, greens and blues all showing significant shift. The Krzr K1m ended up doing slightly better than the Razr V3m, but slightly worse than the LG Chocolate. As we mentioned neither of these phone have particularly good cameras. The Sanyo M1 by contrast scored 5.66 on this test, significantly better than the Krzr K1m.

Noise (0.76)
We test noise by shooting a series of images at diferent light levels, ranging from 3000 lux to 60 lux. We then run the captured images through Imatest, which analyzes areas of the images for noise.

The Krzr K1m did as poorly on this test as the other photo tests we ran, with an overall score worse than the Razr V3m or the LG Chocolate. The Krzr K1m's score here is a little deceptive as it is significantly hurt by a very high noise level at 60 lux. In brighter lighting conditions noise actually falls to levels that are as good or better than most other camera phones.

Live Preview (2.0)
The Krzr K1m's live preview does a poor job of reproducing the scene when taking a photo. We noticed significant pixelation and poor color reproduction. This is likely related to the low resolution and supported colors of the Krzr K1m's display. In this it is similar to the Razr V3m, which also did a poor job in this section.

Unlocked Standby to First Shot (8.0)
Unlocked standby to first shot is a measure of how long it takes to go from phone closed until you capture a photograph. The Krzr K1m took 2.5 seconds to complete this test, this is significantly better than the Razr V3m, which took 3.5 seconds to complete this test. It is about the same as the LG Chocolate's 2.4 second time, and much better than the Sanyo M1's 4.9 seconds. To be fair however the Sanyo M1 has an auto focus camera, which adds a significant amount of time to focus, but produces better photos.

Shot to Shot Time (0.69)
Shot to shot time is the amount of time it takes to capture a series of photos. When possible we use a camera's burst mode for this test, but in the absence of a burst mode, as in the Krzr K1m, we take the photos manually. We try to turn off auto review of photos, but again the Krzr K1m lacked this feature. Under these circumstances the Krzr K1m took 21.8 seconds to capture a series of 5 photos. This works out to .23 frames per second, a very poor score and comparable to what we got under similar circumstances with the Razr V3m. By contrast the Sanyo M1 which has a burst mode was able to take between 2 and 3 frames per second.

Shutter to Shot Time (4.7)
Shutter to shot time is a measure of how long it takes for the phone to actually take a photo after you press the shutter button. The Krzr K1m had a shutter to shot time of .4 seconds. This is similar to the Razr V3m, which posted a shutter to shot time of .43 seconds. This is an average score for a phone, but not nearly as good as stand alone point and shoot cameras.


Interface (3.0)

The camera interface of the Krzr K1m is very simple. Along the top there are a couple of icons showing you what mode you are in and what the quality setting is. There is also a meter showing you how much space for photos you have left. At the bottom are the indicators for the soft buttons, with the left assigned to capture and the right opening the options menu. Accessing any advanced functions requires that you enter the menu system. This is exactly the same as the interface found on the Razr V3m and we do not find it very useful.

Photo Album Software Internal (1.0)

The album software on the Krzr K1m is the same as that found on the Razr V3m, and we wish it wasn't. This is one of the worst thought out pieces of software we have ever had the misfortune to encounter on a phone. When you enter the software you are asked to open photos in one of three different locations: in the phone, in the camera, or on the memory card. Once you have chosen you will need to cancel back out to the menu system in order to re-enter the album software and access another storage location. Add to this the fact that the ability to copy or move photos is different depending on which storage location you are in, and that the interface itself is not that good regardless and we found ourselves exhausted after trying to use this software.

Manual Control (2.0)
The Krzr K1m has only manual white balance controls. It does not have scene modes, aperture priority mode or full manual mode. This is not surprising as many phones, including the LG Chocolate, have no manual options.

Zoom (1.0)
The Krzr K1m has a digital zoom up to 8x, which can be accessed via the right soft key menu. Digital zoom is of limited utility because all it does is resize the image captured. Optical zoom, which is found on regular cameras, is only found on select phones like the Nokia N93.

Focus (0.0)
The Krzr K1m has a fixed focus lens, which means that what you see is what you get. This means that getting a shot in focus is sometimes impossible. Many higher end phones are starting to ship with auto focus lenses, for example the Sanyo M1, which helps you take much better shots. We do not award any points for fixed focus lenses.

Flash (0.0)
The Krzr K1m does not include a flash.

Metering (2.0)
Metering is used to control from which point or points light is measured. The Krzr K1m's only metering options are manual brightness settings that can be accessed via the right soft key menu. More advanced metering options like exposure lock and spot metering are not present. This is not surprising as few, if any, phones include these sorts of features.

White Balance (2.0)
Like the Razr V3m the Krzr K1m has 3 preset white balance options: sunny, cloudy and flourescent. There is no support for evaluative white balance which uses a white card to set white balance. Evaluative white balance modes are fairly common on phones today, however we wish more presets were available.

Image Handling (2.0)
The Krzr K1m provides you with very few image handling options. You can pan an zoom into images, but not resize them permanently. You can however rename them. More advanced options like cropping, auto color correction and red eye reduction are not present.

Video

Overall Video Score (2.0)
The Krzr K1m takes video at a resolution of 176 x 144 pixels in 3GP format. This is disapointing when many phones are beginning to offer video recording at higher 320 x 240 or 352 x 288 pixel resolution. Video produced by the Krzr K1m are poor. They are good only for sending via MMS, try to watch them on a computer screen of a TV you will the extreme pixelation and poor color reproduction will become very apparent.

Video Resolution (2.38)
To test video resolution we shoot the standard ISO 12233 resolution chart and run stills from that video through the Imatest software. The Krzr K1m scored 234.7 lw/ph of horizontal resolution and 101.3 lw/ph of vertical resolution. This is about the same as what we saw from the LG Chocolate and slightly worse than the Razr V3m. Comparing this to a stand alone camcorder is laughable as the Canon ZR700 for example scored 363.7 lw/ph horizontal and 257.8 lw/ph vertical.

Video Compression (2.0)
The Krzr K1m takes video in 3GP format. This is a standard for mobile video, however we would have liked to see more options such as MP4 or AVI on board.

Interface (3.0)
The interface of the Krzr K1m's camcorder is very similar to that of the camera. At the top you will see an indicator for the mode and a bar that indicates how much more video can be stored. At the bottom are indicators for the left and right soft keys. The left soft key is for record, while the right one opens the options menu. The options for the camcorder are less extensive than those for the camera. We were not impressed with the Krzr K1m's camcorder interface.

Manual Control (2.0)
As with the camera the only manual control available on the Krzr K1m is manual white balance mode. This is still better than the LG Chocolate which offers no manual control options.

Zoom (1.0)
Again similar to the stills camera the camcorder has 8x digital zoom available. Given the low resolution of video taken by the Krzr K1m this digital zoom is even more useless than that found on the stills camera.

Editing (0.0)
The Krzr K1m offer noe video editing options.

Modes (0.0)
There are no modes available on the Krzr K1m's camcorder.

[page title="Making/Receiving Calls"]

Dialing Speed (4.55)
To test how easy it is to make a phone call on the Krzr K1m we timed how long it took to go from closed position to hitting the send button for five different phone numbers. We score the phone on the average of these tests. The Krzr K1m took an average of 4.4 seconds to make a phone call. This is slightly faster than the Razr V3m, but slower than the LG Chocolate and Sprint Upstage. We found dialing on the Krzr to be a little difficult due to the cramped size of the keypad.

Talk and End Buttons (6.0)
The talk and end buttons on the Krzr K1m flank the directional pad just above the keypad. The buttons are smaller than those found on the Razr V3m due to the Krzr's thinner design. We found the play and tactile feedback to be about the same as the Razr V3m, and significantly better than the Sprint Upstage. Finding the keys by feel is easier than the Razr V3m due to the raised ridges that are used to differentiate them, but the small key size led to more incorrect presses.

Call Management (6.0)
The Krzr K1m's history is very similar to the Razr V3m's. You can access your call history easily by hitting the dedicated call history button to the left of the directional pad, or the talk button just below it. We don't know why Motorola chose to create this redundancy. Once in the call history you can view recent, missed, incoming or outgoing calls by moving between tabs using the right/left on the D-Pad. You can also manage your call history to erase one of the categories or all calls. Calls are arranged chronologically with the phone number or contact name displayed. The selected item also displays the call time and datem but not the duration. From the options menu you can save numbers to a new or existing contact or send a text message to that number. Hitting the talk key when a call is selected will call that number. There were no call timers present, which dissapointed us.

While in a call the options are again similar to the Razr V3m. The left soft key is assigned to the mute function while the right soft key brings up a menu that allows you to turn on the speakerphone, use a bluetooth headset, initiate a 3-way call or record the conversation. That last was especially pleasing as most phones do not allow you to record phone numbers. Overall we found the call management options on the Krzr K1m to be average, with a few drawbacks like the lack of call timers but also some bonuses that aren't often seen like call recording.

Startup to Call (3.06)
To test how long it takes the phone to start up and make a phone call we time how long this takes using five different phone numbers. The Motorola Krazr K1m took an average of 32.72 seconds to complete this process. This is slightly faster than the Motorola Razr V3m's 35.7 seconds but much slower than the LG Chocolate, which took only 20.8 seconds to go from startup to call. The Krzr K1m took the majority of its startup time launching the phone, connecting to the network was relatively quick.

Ring Volume (8.48)
To measure ring volume we choose the loudest ringtone on the phone and measure how loud it gets at maximum volume using a sound pressure meter. The Motrola Krzr K1m registered 84.8 decibels in our test. This is not as loud as the Razr V3m's 88 decibels and is fairly average for a phone.

Ringtone Customizability (0.0)
The Krzr K1m does not allow you to use music files as ring tones.

Non Audio Alerts (6.0)
The Krzr K1m has both a vibrate alert and lights up the exterior display with the incoming number as non audio alerts. We were dissapointed by the vibrate on the Krzr K1m, although not as bad as the vibrate on the Sprint Upstage, it is still very light and would be easy to miss in a voluminous pocket. The screen display is a nice feature, especially when you are in a situation where you don't want your phone making any sounds, but it is obviously only useful if you are looking at the display when a call comes in.

[page title="Messaging"]

Supported Email Services (0.0)
Like many regular phones from Sprint the Krzr K1m does not include a built in email client. Instead there is web based access to various popular email programs like Hotmail, AOL and Yahoo. You can also set up a Sprint email account and forward messgaes from other accounts to this one so they are accessible on your phone. We do not score web based email services because they are completely dependant on network access. For example you cannot check your inbox while on a plane flight, or write an email in the subway to be sent later.

Push Email (0.0)
No email client.

Multiple Email Accounts (0.0)
No email client.

HTML and Attachments (0.0)
No email client.

Email Customizations (0.0)
No email client.

Time to a New Message (0.0)
No email client.

Email Usability (0.0)
No email client.

Supported IM Services (0.0)

The Motorola Krzr K1m has a web based client that allows you to access AOL, MSN and Yahoo instant messaging services. You cannot access these services all at once. This feature is standardized on most Sprint phones. Unfortunately Sprint charges you for messages sent or received over these services. As such we do not award points for them.

MMS Support (7.0)
MMS messaging on Sprint is called Picture Mail. This service is integrated into the messaging folder on the phone but is seperate from text messaging. This means you can only view your inbox for one service at a time and you cannot turn a text message into an MMS message. The client is straightforward with fields for recipients, subject, text and the ability to insert a photo, sound or video. You can also send an MMS directly from the camera, camcorder or album software. Although we liked the integration with the multimedia applications, we were dissapointed that MMS and SMS were not better integrated.

SMS Smiley Face Interpretation (0.0)
To test smiley face interpretationwe send a text message with four common smileys to the device to see if they are correctly interpreted as graphic representations. Unfortunately, just like the Razr V3m, the Krzr K1m did not correctly interpret any of our test smileys, instead leaving them in their symbol format. The Krzr K1m does also does not allow you to insert smileys automatically, instead requiring you to type them out using the appropriate symbols.

SMS/MMS Ease of Use (5.0)
The SMS/MMS interface on the Motorola Krzr K1m is the same as that found on the Razr V3m from Sprint. SMS and MMS are both found in the messaging menu but are separate items. Messages are listed in a simple chronological list, with the newest item at the top. You can move amongst messages using up/down, but to move to a different inbox you will need to go back to the messaging menu. You can send messages to multiple users or to a contact group. This setup is fairly basic, but functional. It is nowhere near as good as the Palm messaging application found on Treo devices.

Time to a New SMS Message (3.05)
To test how easy it is to create a new SMS message we time how long it takes to go from phone closed to a new SMS dialogue. We repeat this test 5 times and take the average for our score. The Motorola Krzr K1m took 3.28 seconds to get to a new SMS dialogue. This is significantly faster than the Motorola Razr V3m, which took 4.58 seconds, but slower than the LG Chocolate's 2.72 seconds. The Krzr K1m is helped by the fact that a shortcut to the messaging menu is available on the home screen by simply hitting up on the directional pad.

[page title="Organizer"]

Synchronization Ease of Use (0.0)
The Krzr K1m does not support synchronization with your computer out of the box. You can add this support by purchasing software and a USB cable from Motorola for $49.99. Because we only score phones on their capabilities out of the box the Krzr K1m did not recieve any points for synchronization features.

Alerts (6.0)
The only program that allows you to create alerts on the Motorola Krzr K1m is the Calendar. Here you can set up an alert for a number of preset times before the event is scheduled. You can also set the tone that will sound for the alert. When the phone is in vibrate mode it will vibrate instead of playing the sound for the alert.

When an alert goes off the sound plays and the exterior screen displays the name of the event and its scheduled time. When you open the phone you can choose to snooze the alert or dismiss it. If snoozed the alert will sound again in 9 minutes time. There are no options to vary how long the snooze lasts. The alert will sound for one minute but the exterior display will show the item until you pick the phone up again. When you open the phone after missing an alert the display again shows the calendar information with the options to snooze or dismiss.

Over the Air PIM Sync (0.0)
The Motorola Krzr K1m does not support synchronization of your personal information over the air.

Address Book

Adding Contacts (4.6)

To measure how easy it is to add a contact we time how long it takes to add five diverse contact names and their phone numbers. We then take the average for our score. The Motorola Krzr K1m took an average of 21.74 seconds to add a contact. This is significantly faster than the Razr V3m, which took an average of 27.9 seconds and about the same as the LG Chocolate's 21.7 second average. The Krzr K1m is helped by the fact that the contacts application is mapped to the left soft key on the home screen. We also found that the application launched and saved faster than the Razr V3m, probably a result of newer hardware.

Looking/Sorting/Search (3.5)
Your contacts on the Krzr K1m are organized alphabetically by first name. You can also sort them by speed dial, email or distribution list. You can also filter them by group. You can search through your contacts by typing out a first name using multi-tap. You cannot search by last name, nor is there support for search using predictive text. We were not impressed by the Krzr K1m's sorting and searching options.

Fields (2.4)
When creating a new contact the Krzr K1m offers you 12 different fields including room for five different phone numbers, an email and web address, photo and custom ringtone. We were also pleased to see a memo field where you can enter any information you wish. The Krzr K1m's selection is fairly standard for a regular phone and is similar to what is found on the Razr V3m or LG Chocolate.

Speed Dial/Voice tags/Voice command (3.0)
The Motorola Krzr K1m allows you to assign any contact to one of 99 different speed dials. You cannot create voice tags for your contacts, which is a shame because the Krzr K1m's voice command software is terrible. Voice command can be accessed by hitting the dedicated button on the left side of the phone. This only works when the phone is open. We attempted to use the voice command software to dial a number to each of our five different contacts, but only one name was recognized. This is significantly worse than the Razr V3m, which recognized three of our five names.

Calendar

Adding Calendar Items (10.44)

To test how easy it is to add a calendar item we time how long it takes to add a simple lunch appointment for the following day. We repeat this test 5 times and take the average for our score. The Motorola Krzr K1m took an average of 9.58 seconds to add our test appointment. This is significantly faster than the Razr V3m, which took 22.6 seconds, or the LG Chocolate's 29.4 seconds. We were extremely pleased at how easy it was to add an appointment to the Krzr, this despite the fact that the calendar is buried in the menus. The Krzr's score was even faster than a smart phone like the Treo 700p, which took 12.2 seconds. The Krzr was helped by the fact that it used predictive text when entering the appointment title.

Calendar Views (3.0)
The Motorola Krzr K1m includes three different calendar views, day, week and month. The default view when the application is opened is the calendar view, which displays a single month at a time. Days when you have an appointment are indicated in yellow, no information about the appointments is shown in this view. You can move between days on the monthly view using the directional pad, and selecting a day using the center key or the left soft key will switch you to the daily view for that date.

The weekly view can be accessed under the left soft key menu. The week is presented in a grid format with days of the week along the top and one hour blocks indicated along the left. Times when you have an appointment are indicated by pink blocks. You move about the grid using the directional pad and you can switch to the daily view for the date your are currently on by using the center select button or the left soft key.

The daily view is the only view where you get details about your appointments. Items are organized chronologically with title and time. There are indicators that show if the appointment has an alert or if it recurs. You can move up and down the items of the list using the directional pad, and selecting an item will take you a screen that provides full details for the appointment.

The Krzr K1m's calendar views are very similar to those found on the Razr V3m. The functionality of the monthly and weekly views is extremely limited, while the daily view provides a good overview and details. Overall we found the calendar fairly average for a regular phone, with few features that stood out.

Fields (5.0)
When creating a new calendar appointment on the Motorola Krzr K1m you can select from six fields including more advanced features such as recurrence and assigning a custom ringtone for that appointment. Basic fields like title, time and date are also available of course. You can add an alert for the appointment, choosing from one of 7 different preset options ranging from on time to 2 days beforehand. The calendar options are very similar to what you would find on the Razr V3m.

ToDo/Tasks

Adding ToDo/Task (0.0)
The Motorola Krzr K1m does not include a tasks program.

ToDo/Task Sorting and Prioritizing (0.0)
See above.

Fields (0.0)
See above.

Notes

Adding Notes (0.0)
Just as with the Razr V3m the Motorola Krzr K1m does not include a text notes application.

Note Interface (0.0)
See above.

Note Formatting (0.0)
See above.

Voice Memo (5.0)
Despite the lack of a text notes application we were pleased to see that the Motorola Krzr K1m does allow you to create voice notes. By default such notes are limited to 30 seconds, but you can extend this to 60 seconds or 10 minutes. When in the application you can begin recording by hitting the left soft key. A list of your previous recordings is somewhat hiddin under the right soft key menu. You can set a voice note as a ringer and rename them. You can also sort your list of voice notes by name, date, size or type. We were dissapointed that you could not send a voice note via MMS directly from the application. The functionality offered by the Krzr K1m's voice notes application is very similar to that offered by the Razr V3m.

[page title="Multimedia"]

Accessing Music Software (2.01)

To test how easy it is to access the music software we time how long it takes to open the phone, launch the music software and get a song playing. We repeat this test five times and take the average for our score. The Motorola Krzr K1m took an average of 9.94 seconds to complete this process. This is faster than the Razr V3m's 12.1 seconds, but slower than the Sprint Upstage's 6.54 second average time. As with all Sprint phones that use their music software we found it slow to load.

Dedicated Music Controls (8.0)
The Motorola Krzr K1m has dedicated touch music controls on the exterior of the phone just below the exterior display. You can use these controls for play/pause, next and previous. You can also control volume using the dedicated volume keys. We normally have concerns about touch controls, but in this case we found them to be responsive and easy to use. We were pleased to see this array of music controls on the Krzr K1m, this is a significant improvement over the Razr V3m, and we found the controls to be more convenient than the Sprint Upstage.

Music Software Functionality and Organization (5.0)

The Motorola Krzr K1m uses Sprint's music software, the same found on other regular Sprint phones like the Razr V3m, Sprint Upstage and Sanyo M1. This software allows you to both create and manage playlists on the device. It was also able to recognize our standard .pls playlist file. Tags for our sample Mp3 file and an AAC file created in iTunes were recognized. You can sort your music by title, artist and genre, however there is no search functionality available. Album art is only supported for music purchased from the Sprint music store, and there is no support for background play that allows you to access other phone functions while music is playing. There is no equalizer included. Overall we found Sprint's music software to provide solid, albeit basic, functionality.

Online Song Downloading (8.0)

The Motorola Krzr K1m supports Sprint's Music Lounge music store. You can access the store directly from the Sprint music software where you can search for music and download it directly to your phone. Music downloaded to your phone is lower quality in order to keep file sizes down. You can download a higher quality version of purchased music to your PC. Sprint has recently changed its prices for music purchased from its store to 99 cents per song from $2.50 per song, which makes it competitive with services like iTunes and Rhapsody.

Streaming (0.0)
The Krzr K1m did not support streaming audio from our test web sites in any format. You can however stream audio using Sprint's on demand services.

Podcast Support (0.0)
The Motorola Krzr K1m does not include any software that allows you to download an download and organize podcasts.

Music Sync with PC (0.0)
The Motorola Krzr K1m does includes neither the software nor the cable necessary to synchronize your music with your computer. Because we only review handsets as they are shipped the Krzr K1m does not receive any points in this section.

Music Formats and DRM (2.5)
The Motorola Krzr K1m supports Mp3 and AAC music. It does not support WMA or Real music files. The only type of DRM the Krzr K1m supports is that used by the Sprint music store. This means you will not be able to use the handset with services that use other DRM types like Rhapsody or iTunes.

Music Interruption (10.0)
As with the Razr V3m the Krzr K1m and Sprint's music software does a solid job of handling calls when music is playing. Music is paused allowing you to take the call; when the call is complete music begins playing again from the point it was paused.

Video

Video Software Access (1.93)
The only video playback software included with the Krzr K1m that is capable of playing videos you place on the phone is that included in the album software. This software is generally meant to play back videos you take with the phones camcorder, but you can also use it to watch your own files if they are appropriately encoded. To test how easy it is to launch a video using this software we time how long it takes to go from phone closed until a video file is playing.

The Krzr K1m took an average of 10.34 seconds to play a video. This is significantly longer than the Razr V3m, which took only 6.3 seconds to play back a video. The Krzr K1m is hurt by the fact that it took a significant amount of time for the album software to load up the thumbnails of videos before we could choose one to play it back. It is also hurt by the fact that the album software is buried in the menus and the play button is also accessed via a menu rather than by simply selecting a file. We were dissapointed by how slow the Krzr K1m was to play back video.

Video Controls (4.0)
When playing back a video the controls available on the Krzr K1m are similar to those on the Razr V3m. The directional pad is used for play/pause (up), stop (down) and next or previous video (left/right). The left soft key and center select key both allow you to send the video via MMS, while the right soft key is assigned to an options menu. From this menu you can choose to play the video in full screen. The volume keys control video volume. You cannot customize your controls.

Video Software & Organization (2.0)
As with most regular phones the video software on the Krzr K1m is extremely basic. We were pleased to see the option to play back video in full screen, however there were no library management features or the ability to rate your videos as found on Windows Mobile devices.

The video software on the Krzr K1m is extremely basic and does not support any signficant video organization features. There is no support for playlists, however you can sort videos by date, size or name. There is no support for background play of videos, nor can you search your videos. This is to be expected given that we are dealing with software that is meant to play back videos you take on the phone, not to watch full length videos like TV shows or movies.

Video Sync with PC (0.0)
The Krzr K1m does not have the ability to synchronize videos with your computer.

Video Formats (4.0)
The Krzrk K1m was able to play back Mp4 video files and all three of our test 3GP files. Mp4 and 3GP are both popular standards for video and we were happy to see support for these. This is an improvement over the Razr V3m, which was unable to play Mp4 videos. The Krzr K1m was not able to play back any other video formats, including Flash, Quicktime or Windows Media.

Video DRM (0.0)
The Sprint Upstage does not support any video DRM formats. This means you will not be able to play videos purchased from services like iTunes or Amazon's Unboxed store.

Video Playback Smoothness (5.0)
To test how smoothly video plays back we use five different 3GP video files encoded at increasing bitrates. We then judge how many of those files can be played back without problems. Although all five of our video files could be played back they all had problems with jagged playback. For this reason we are only awarding half points for the Krzr K1m.

Online Video Downloading (0.0)
The Krzr K1m does not support any online video download services.

Video Streaming unscored
We tested the Krzr K1m with online streaming video services windowsmedia.com and www.zoovision.com. The Krzr K1m was unable to play WMV streaming files from windowsmedia.com, but was able to play 3GP encoded streaming video from zoovision.com. In addition to streaming video from the web you can also watch streaming video from Sprint's services on the Krzr K1m. We do not score video streaming because formats have not been standardized, which makes testing uncertain.

[page title="Software"]

OS (2.0)

The Motorola Krzr K1m runs a proprietary operating system that has been used on Motorola phones for years without a major update. This operating system is starting to show its age and we hope that Motorola finally rolls out its newer linux based operating system soon. We were pleased to see that the operating system is generally more responsive on the Krzr K1m than it was on the older Razr V3m, which may be related to hardware updates. Getting around the operating system is fairly simple, however there are some serious problems, for example the album software puts your photos in no less than three different locations. We also found that the soft key menu system is bloated in places, often making it difficult to find the item you are looking for. We score proprietary operating systems on a scale of 1 to 5, reserving higher scores for open smart phone operating systems such as Windows Mobile and Symbian.

Home Screen Score (5.0)
The Motorola Krzr K1m's home screen is the same as that found on the Razr V3m. Along the top you will find a series of icons and indicators for things like time, battery life and signal strength. The center of the screen has indicators for the functions of the directional pad, showing what programs are launched when you move the directional pad in that particular direction. This is a nice feature that we miss from phones like the LG Chocolate. At the bottom of the screen are two soft keys that launch contacts and music by default. These soft keys and the programs launched by the different directions on the D-Pad can all be reassigned to programs of your choice. We found the homescreen on the Krzr K1m to be generally usable and liked the ability to customize for individual needs. Icons and text are legible and well organized, although we recommend you look at the manual to find out what all the icons mean.

Extensibility (3.0)
The Motorola Krzr K1m's extensibility is very limited. Unlike phones running Windows Mobile or Symbian there are no third party native applications that can be installed on the Krzr. This means that the only way to add functionality is through java programs. There is a large library of java games that you can purchase directly from Sprint, and there are several solid programs like Opera Mini for web browsing or Google Local for local searches that we can recommend. Still, this does not provide users with the flexibility that smart phones have in terms of adding software.

Customizability (2.0)
Customizability options on the Krzr K1m are fairly basic. As we already mentioned you can change the functions of shortcuts on the home screen. You can also change the background picture to any photo you have taken or to one of the included graphics. You cannot change the default font or font size. You also can't change the overall look and feel of the device through themes, dissapointing since phones like the LG Chocolate and Sanyo M1 do support themes. This is another place where the aging operating system hurts the Krzr.

OS Responsivness (5.0)
We found the operating system on the Krzr K1m to be generally snappy, more so than the same operating system found on the Razr V3m. This is likely due to minor software updates and improved hardware. Programs launched quickly and menus did not display significant lag. We did find some places where the operating system slowed down, for example when drawing thumbnails in the album software and when launching the music program. We liked the improvement over the Razr V3m, but the Krzr is still no powerhouse in terms of responsiveness.

Gaming (1.7)

Once again we have to lambast Sprint for not including a single full version game on their devices as the Krzr K1m only ships with demonstration versions of games. This is frankly ridiculous, buyers should expect to have at least one full game on their device when they purchase it. There is a good selection of games that can be purchased for the Krzr K1m, all of them java based. The controls on the K1m are a step down from the Razr for gaming. This is due to the thinner design which makes the controls smaller and leads to more mistaken presses. We do not recommend the Krzr as a good platform for those who like to play games on their phones.

Browser Features (6.0)

The browser on the Motorola Krzr K1m supports both WAP and HTML pages. It did not support javascript in our test, nor does it support flash or java. It does support images, encryption and cookies. This is fairly standard for a browser on a phone, and is similar to what you would find on the Razr V3m or the LG Chocolate. If you want a more fully featured browser on your phone we recommend Opera Mini, a java based browser that works on most phones.

Browsing Interface (4.0)
The browsing interface on the Motorola Krzr K1m is fairly standard for a regular phone. Web pages are reformatted to fit in a single column on the screen. You move from link to link using the directional pad, there is no way to move up or down a whole page. We were happy to see that you can increase or decrease the font size in the preferences. There are no options to change your view to full screen, landscape or view web pages as they would appear on a desktop.

The history on the browser is a simple chronological list of the pages you have visited. You cannot create bookmarks from your history, the only options are to go to the page, erase the item or erase all of your history. We were pleased that the history was saved between sessions. The bookmarks are also arranged as a simple list. You can move items up or down the list and edit existing bookmarks, however there is no support for folders.

The left soft key in the interface activates the link you currently have highlighted, while the right soft key opens the menu. The menu provides access to features like entering a url, refreshing the page, searching, going to your history or bookmarks, marking a page as a bookmark and accessing the browser preferences. You can also send the web page as a link via SMS from the menu. More advanced features like those found on the Series 60 web browser are not available.

Overall we found the browser to have a fairly standard interface. We would have liked to see more viewing options because pages that are shrunk to fit the screen often don't format very well. It would also have been nice to see support for more web standards and the ability to page up and down.

Browser Access (2.86)
To test how easy it is to access the browser we count how many steps it takes to go from phone closed to our website. We count steps instead of doing a timing test to take the vagaries of the network out of the equation. Entering the URL counts as a single step. The Krzr K1m took 14 steps to reach our web page. This is about the same as the LG Chocolate or Razr V3m, but not as fast as the Sanyo M1, which took only 8 steps. You can reduce the number of steps necessary by placing the browser on your home screen as a short cut.

Calculator (5.0)

The calculator on the Krzr K1m is similar to the one found on the Razr V3m. It allows you to do simply arithmetic functions (addition, subtraction, multiplication and division) using the directional pad to access these items. The center select key is the equals button, while the * key inserts a decimal and the # key is used for +/-. You can also create more complex formulas by accessing the left soft key which allows you to insert parantheses or access the power function.

Alarm (8.0)

The Krzr K1m allows you to set five different alarms. Each one can be turned on or off and set to repeat once, daily, on weekdays or weekends. We were also pleased to see that each one can be assigned its own ring tone. This is very similar to the alarm found on the Razr V3m and provides good functionality.

Document Software (0.0)
The Krzr K1m does not include any software for viewing or editing office documents.

[page title="Battery Life"]

Call Time (4.14)
To test call time we make a phone call to the phone using Skype and pipe through an audio book to simulate talking. We then time how long it takes for the phone battery to fail. The Motorola Krzr K1m lasted 3 hours and 27 minutes in our talk time test. This is below the stated talk time from Motorola, which is 4 hours and 10 minutes. The Krzr K1m did do significantly better than the Motorola Razr V3m, which lasted only 2 hours and 41 minutes, and the LG Chocolate, which lasted 2 hours and 40 minutes. However as the old saying goes: better does not mean good. The Krzr K1m's battery life is significantly worse than the Sanyo M1's 4 hours and 15 minutes, and generally any time below 4 hours is probably going to give you problems if you make a lot of calls.

Music Playback (3.14)
To test battery life during music playback we play a looped album at maximum volume with the phone closed and all settings set to default. The Krzr K1m lasted 4 hours and 22 minutes in our music playback test. This is roughly the same as the Razr V3m, which lasted one minute longer. These two phones are currently at the bottom of the list in terms of music playback performance howerver. The Krzr K1m did significantly worse than the Sanyo M1's 8 hours and 12 minutes and also did worse than the LG Chocolate, which lasted 7 hours and 37 minutes. Despite its music capabilities, you should not expect the Krzr K1m to go the distance as a music player.

Web Browsing (4.28)
To test battery life when browsing we point the phone's browser to a web page that refreshes every 10 seconds and plays sounds intermittently. We then make sure that the phone's screen does not turn off and time how long it takes for the battery to die. The Krzr K1m lasted 3 hours and 34 minutes in our test. This is an average score, better than the Razr V3m (2 hours 24 minutes) and the LG Chocolate (3 hours 10 minutes), but worse than the Sanyo M1's 4 hours and 54 minutes.

Idle Time unscored
In order to ensure that we deliver these reviews to you in a timely fashion we do not test idle time. Motorola's stated standby time for the Motorola Krzr K1m is 435 hours or 18 days and 3 hours.

[page title="Connectivity"]

Cellular Bands (4.0)
The Motorola Krzr K1m we reviewed is a dual band (800/1900) CDMA phone that only works on Sprint's network. The Krzr K1m is also available in variants for Verizon's CDMA network and GSM networks. CDMA phones generally only work on networks in North America while GSM phones are able to work globablly depending upon which bands are supported. This means the Krzr K1m is not a good choice for world travellers. Our score for cellular bands is standardized based on the number and type of bands supported.

Data Support Score (6.0)
The Krzr K1m supports Sprint's EVDO network for high speed data speeds in the range of 400 to 700 kbps. In areas where EVDO is not supported the Krzr K1m falls back on the slower 1XRTT standard. The Krzr K1m does not support Sprint's newer EVDO Rev A network, which provides faster download speeds. Our score for data is standardized based on the type and bands supported.

Bluetooth (7.0)
The Krzr K1m supports bluetooth, although there is no information about what version of bluetooth is supported we suspect that it is 1.2. The Krzr K1m supports the following profiles: dial up networking, headset, hands free, object push, file transfer, imaging and printing. We were able to easily and quickly pair the Krzr K1m with a bluetooth headset.

Wi-Fi (0.0)
The Krzr K1m does not support Wi-Fi.

Infrared (0.0)
The Krzr K1m does not support infrared.

[page title="Hardware"]

Keypad

Text Words Per Minute (5.7)
To test how easy the keypad is to type on we time how long it takes to enter a short piece of text using two hands and calculate a words per minute score. We repeat this test five times and take the average for our score. The Motorola Krzr K1m took an average of 33.66 seconds to enter our sample text. This works out to 28.5 words per minute (WPM). This is slightly slower than the Razr V3m, which scored 29.4 WPM and significantly slower than the Sanyo M1 which was able to tap out 36.4 words per minute. The Krzr K1m was hurt by the fact that the keypad is very small and felt cramped as well as by the fact that several of the words in our sample text were not predicted immediately by the T9 dictionary, requiring us to choose the proper word from a drop down list.

T9 and Auto Complete (5.0)
The Krzr K1m support T9 predictive text entry but lacks a word completion feature. We were pleased to see that the T9 feature was available anywhere you enter text, including in the web browser when entering URL's. We were also pleased to see that the phone remebered which programs we turn T9 on in, something that Windows Mobile smartphones, for example, do not do. We were dissapointed by the lack of word completion as this can speed up typing speed significantly, something the Krzr K1m could use.

One Hand Usability (6.0)
In order to be complete with our tests we also run our words per minute test using only a single hand. The Krzr K1m actually did better on our test using one hand than it did using two hands, completing our pice of text in 31.98 seconds for a score of 30 words per minute (WPM). This is likely due to the fact that the small keypad on the Krzr K1m is easier to negotiate with one hand than with two. In this test the Krzr K1m came out ahead of the Razr V3m, which scored 26.1 words per minute. It still lagged behind the Sanyo M1, which was able to punch out 32.2 WPM with one hand. Those who constantly text with a single hand should be pleased by this score.

Keypad Backlighting (5.0)
The keypad backlight on the Krzr K1m is a blue backlight that does an excellent job of illuminating the dividers and characters on the keys. Unfortunately there are no separate controls for the keypad backlight, instead it uses the same setting as the screen backlight. This means you can set it to go off after 10 seconds, 30 seconds or never. There is also no sensor that automatically adjusts your backlight, nor is there the ability to change the brightness of the backlight.

Controls

D-Pad/Joystick (3.0)
Like all controls on the Krzr K1m the directional pad on the Motorola Krzr K1m is part of a single piece of metal. It is round with raised arrows pointing in each of the four directions. The center select key is not very well differentiated, with only a very slightly raised ridge separating it from the rest of the directional pad. We found the D-Pad on the Krazr K1m to be prone to errors, probably due to its reduced size when compared to the Razr V3m. That being said it was better than the touch control directional pad found on the LG Chocolate. Tactile feedback when pressing the directional pad was solid, just as on the Razr V3m.

Touch Screen (0.0)
The Sanyo M1 does not have a touch screen.

Jog Dial (1.0)
Although the Krzr K1m does not have a jog dial, it does allow you to use the volume rocker key as an up/down control to move amongst lists. This is of limited utility but we decided to award a single point in this section because some may find it handy.

Soft Buttons (7.0)
The soft buttons on the Krzr K1m are very similar to those found on the Razr V3m. They are part of the single piece of metal that makes up all of the controls and are differentiated from other keys with by raised ridges. This makes them very easy to find by feel, and we were happy that they were not as shrunken compared to the Razr V3m as some of the other controls on the Krzr K1m, which means that we rarely pressed other keys incorrectly when going for them. They are definately better than the touch sensitive soft keys found on the LG Chocolate or the back of the Sprint Upstage. As with all the keys tactile feedback when pressed was slight but easy to recognize.

Volume Control (3.0)
The volume control on the Krzr K1m are found near the top of the bottom flip on the left side. The keys are better placed than the Razr V3m, which placed them on the upper flip, however we found that they were significantly smaller, which led to more mistakes. Feedback when pressed is almost non-existent, and we found the keys to be very squishy and hard to find by feel.

Power and Standby (6.0)
Like the Razr V3m and many other flip phones the power key on the Motorola Krzr K1m is a secondary function of the end key; you press and hold to shut the phone off or turn it back on. It is differentiated from surrounding keys by raised ridges and provides the same solid tactile feedback when pressed as other keys. It is also not as small as other keys, which makes mistaken presses less likely.

Other Buttons (6.0)
In addition to the buttons above the Krzr K1m has several other keys. Like the Razr V3m there is a dedicated call history key to the left of the directional pad. As with the Razr we found this key to be redundant because the call key will also take you to the call history. To the right of the directional pad is a dedicated back key for going to the previous screen in the interface. On the right side of the device is a dedicated camera key, while on the left is a key that activates the voice recognition software. The Krzr K1m also has three touch sensitive buttons on the exterior of the phone that are used for music controls. None of these keys can be reassigned, which is a shame as the voice recognition software is terrible and the call history key is redundant. We did not award any additional points for the redundant call history button, but did award points for the other additional buttons.

Display


Primary Screen Gross Resolution (4.0)
The main display on the Motorola Krzr K1m has a resolution of 176 x 220 pixels. In a day and age where mid to high end phones are standardizing on 320 x 240 we were dissapointed to see this lower resolution display on the Krzr K1m. Our score for resolution is standardized based on the number of pixels supported.

Primary Screen Pixels per Inch (7.3)
Pixel density is a measure of how many pixels are packed into each inch of the display. Higher pixel density leads to deeper and richer colors, while a lower pixel density display can seem washed out. The Krzr K1m has a pixel density of 146.7 pixels per inch. This is higher than the Razr V3m despite the same resolution screen because the Krzr K1m's screen is slightly smaller. Still, despite the higher pixel density compared to the Razr V3m, the Krzr K1m still falls short of phones like the Sanyo M1 and LG Chocolate that sport QVGA (320 x 240) displays. These phones have pixel densities of around 200 pixels per inch. our score for pixel density is standardized based on its pixels per inch score.

Screen Physical Size (4.75)
The Motorola Krzr K1m has a 1.9" diagonal display. This is on the small end of the range that phones have standardized on, for example the Razr V3m had a 2.1" display and the Sanyo M1 a 2" display. Some newer phones are beginning to ship with 2.4" or even 2.8" displays, but these are still limited to higher end models for the most part. Our score for screen size is standardized based on the actual size of the display.

Screen Brightness (2.9)
To test screen brightness we set the screen's brightness to maximum and point the browser to a white page. We then measure the brightness in lux from two inches away. The Krzr K1m measured 58 lux in our test. This is significantly brighter than the Razr V3m, which measured only 46 lux, and also brighter than either the LG Chocolate (49 lux) or the Sanyo M1 (50 lux). We were pleased to see that the Krzr K1m had a bright screen, but less thrilled about the lack of an automatic brightness sensor or manual brightness controls.

Screen Bright Light Performance (7.0)
To test how well a screen handles bright light performance we shine 3000 lux of light on the screen, equivalent to a bright sunny day, and judge how legible the screen is. The Krzr K1m did well in our bright light test. Although any screen is going to give you some problems, the Krzr K1m did better than most, with both icons and text still legible.

Color Depth (6.0)
Color depth is a measure of how many colors a display can, well, display. The Krzr K1m's primary display supports 65,000 colors, which is fairly standard for a modern phones. Some phones are beginning to ship with displays that support 262,000 colors, like the LG Chocolate, or even 16 million colors, like the Nokia N95. More color depth allows a screen to more truly reproduce colors in things like photos. Our score for color depth is standardized based on how many colors are supported.

Secondary Screen (6.21)

The Krzr K1m's external display measures 1.1" diagonal with a resolution of 96 x 80 pixels and displays 65,000 colors. It has a pixel density of 130 pixels per inch. This is a fairly standard exterior display, and is comparable to that found on the Razr V3m. The Sanyo M1 had a higher resolution exterior display that supported 260,000 colors. Our score for the exterior display is standardized based on resolution, pixeld density and size.

Ports & Storage

Power & Data Ports (8.0)
Like most phones from Motorola the Krzr K1m has a single Mini USB port that is used for both power and data. We are pleased to see this port used, and wish that other manufacturers like Sany and LG would begin adopting this standard. The Mini USB port did not support charging from a USB port using a generic cable that we had on hand.

Headphone & Jack Compatibility (0.0)
The Mini USB port on the Krzr K1m is also used for wired headphones and headsets. The handset does not ship with a pair of headphones, which we considered rather cheap considering that the Krzr K1m is supposed to be a music phone. Unfortunately the Krzr K1m does not support stereo bluetooth headphones. This combination of poor accessories and features led to the Krzr K1m recieving a zero in this section.

Internal Storage (1.0)
The Krzr K1m has 20MB of internal memory. This is sufficient for storing a large number of contacts and calendar appointments, however it won't allow you to store many photos or music. We recommend that you purchase an expansion card if you wish to use these multimedia features.

Expansion Slot & Format
(5.0)
The Krzr K1m has an expansion slot for MicroSD cards. This format has become a standard for mobile devices, but its small size makes it rather fiddly. At the time of this writing MicroSD maxes out at 2GB of storage. We did find the storage slot of the Krzr K1m to be a slight improvement over the Razr V3m as it is no longer necessary to remove the battery to insert or remove a card. You do still have to remove the battery cover, and unfortunately the slot is still not spring loaded, meaning that you have to use some force to get the card in or out.

[page title="Other Features"]

Tethered Modem (3.0)
The Krzr K1m cannot be used as a USB modem out of the box due to the lack of appopriate drivers and a USB cable. We were however able to use the phone as a bluetooth modem. Setup was not exactly straightforward, but we were eventually able to dial out to Sprint's network. If you inted to use the Krzr K1m as a bluetooth modem you should make sure that you have the appropriate data plan.

[page title="Value & Comparisons"]

Value (2.0)
As of the time of this writing the Motorola Krzr K1m is available from Sprint's online store for $199.99 with a two year contract. That price is after a $50 mail in rebate. You can purchase the phone without a contract for $399.99. Given the limited feature set of the Krzr K1m we found this price to be a little excessive. Frankly the Krzr K1m is just a Razr with a new form factor and the addition of exterior touch controls. These additions may be worth something, but in our opinion its not worth $150. The Krzr is also available from all the other major carriers, so if you are not tied to Sprint we recommend you shop around for the best price.

Comparisons

Motorola Razr V3m
- In some ways the Krzr K1m can be thought of as the next evolution of the Razr line of phones. The form factor is slightly different, but under the hood much remains the same. If you're not enamored of the Krzr K1m's form factor you may be better off purchasing a Razr V3m for significantly less.




LG Chocolate
- The LG Chocolate is a very different phone from the Krzr K1m in terms of form factor and interface, however in terms of capabilities they share a lot. Both are music oriented phones with a low to mid range feature set. Both have 1.3 megapixel cameras and both support MicroSD cards. We did like the controls on the Krzr K1m much better than the LG Chocolate's touch controls so this may be the deciding factor between these two phones.



Sanyo M1
- The Sanyo M1 is a different beast from the Krzr K1m in many ways. First of all it has 1GB of built in storage, obviating the need for a memory card. Second it comes with a much better set of accessories, including a headset adaptor and microphone and data cable for your computer. Last it sports a 2 megapixel camera with auto focus. In terms of software we also have to give a slight edge to the Sanyo M1, given the Krzr K1m's antiquated operating system. If you're just looking at features its hard to argue against the Sanyo M1, however there is one factor that many will consider that may tilt the contest back toward the Krzr K1m: Looks. The Sanyo M1 just isn't that pretty to look at, while the Krzr K1m's stylings are certainly attractive. Many people buy phones as fashion pieces, and if this is what you care about the Krzr K1m is a better bet than the Sanyo M1.

[page title="Conclusion"]

Who's It For
Business User

The Krzr K1m is not a good choice for business users due to its lack of built in email client and poor talk time. Although the Krzr K1m has a professional good looks anyone looking for a serious business device should look elsewhere.

Budget Callers
The Krzr K1m is not a good choice for budget callers due its high price tag. As we've already mentioned, you can get the Razr V3m for $150 less from Sprint and give up very little in terms of functionality.

Chatty Teenager
The Krzr K1m may be a good choice for a chatty teenager looking for a fashion phone that can double as music device. Still we have serious reservations about how chatty you can be with such a poor talk time.

Media Maven
The Krzr K1m may be a good choice for a media maven. It's expandable memory, music functionality and exterior music controls make it a solid media device. It is not a good choice for media mavens that want video capabilities as well as music, and the camera is poor. We also have concerns again about the battery performance, this phone isn't going to keep going as a music player all day long.

Conclusion
The Motorola Krzr K1m is a mid range handset that competes with a plethora of other mid range handsets with multimedia features like the LG Chocolate and Samsung Sync. We liked the Krzr K1m's styling, but beyond that there's not a lot to recommend the phone. The camera is sub-par, battery life was poor and the software and operating system are old and in some places (like the album software) ridiculously frustrating.

We did find the music functionality of the Krzr K1m better than adequate, with the exterior controls adding significant functionality over the Razr V3m. We also like that Sprint has lowered prices for their music store to the point where it is a viable alternative to services like Rhapsody or iTunes, but that's not phone specific. Overall the Krzr K1m is a phone that will appeal to those who like its looks, but we recommend anyone looking for solid functionality and performance look elsewhere, or at least wait until the Krzr's price falls to a point commesurate with its capabilities.

[page title="Ratings & Specs"]
Dimension
Height 4.10
Carrier Sprint
Type Flip
Low Price 0.00
Width 1.70
Depth 0.70
Weight (including battery) 3.60
Physical
Number of Screens 2
Main Screen Dimensions 1.9 inches
Main Screen Resolution 176 x 220
Main Screen Colors 65000
Main Screen Type TFT
Secondary Screen Dimensions 1.1 inches
Secondary Screen Resolution 96 x 80
Secondary Screen Colors 65000
Secondary Screen Type CSTN
Keys
Number Keys Type Physical
QWERTY
QWERTY Keyboard Type
Other Control Keys
Internal Components
Processor
RAM Memory 25
Flash ROM Memory 0
Memory Card Slot MicroSD
Jacks & Ports
Microphone Jack
Headphone/Mic Jack
USB Port
Dock Port
Radios
Bands Digital Dual-band
Bluetooth 1.2
802.11 b wifi
GSM 850
GSM 900
GSM 1800
GSM 1900
CDMA 800
CDMA 1900
Bluetooth 1.1
Bluetooth 2.0
802.11g WiFi
External Antenna Port
SAR at Ear 0
SAR on Body 0
Flight Mode
Data Standards
GPRS
EDGE
1XRTT
EVDO
EVDO Rev A
HSDPA
UMTS
Battery
Standard Battery Type
Standard Battery Capacity 0.00
Standard Battery Model
Vendor Quoted Standby Time 438.00
Vendor Quoted Talk Time 4.00
Camera
Maximum Native Still Resolution
Image Sensor Type
Megapixels 1.30
Optical Zoom
Digital Zoom
Built-In Flash
Focus Type
Aperture Range
Shutter Speed Range
Focus Range
Exposure Modes
Exposure Compensation
White Balance Modes
Scene Modes
Video Capture
Video Resolution
Video Frame Rate 0
Video Format
Maximum Video Clip Length
Audio with Movies
Audio Format
Software
OS Proprietary
PIM Software
Max Number of Address Book Entries 0
Max Number of Appointments 0
Included Business Software
Included Leisure Software
Included Syncing Software
Other Software of Note
Calling Features
Address Book Type
Address Book Photos
Alternative Ring Types
Speakerphone
Can work as PC Modem?
Customization
Ring Tone Formats
Individual Caller Ring Tones
Skins for Look & Feel
Messaging (built-in clients only)
SMS
Yahoo! Messenger
MMS
POP3
Exchange
IMAP
AOL Mail
Blackberry Mail
Good Mail
AIM
ICQ
MSN Messenger
SMS Message Capacity 0
Web Browsing
Web Browser
Music
Music Playback
Music Player
Music File Formats Supported MP3/AAC/AAC+
Downloadable Music Service
Video
Video Player Yes
Video Formats Supported H.263; MPEG4
Downloadable Video Service
Bluetooth Profiles
Advanced Audio Distribution Profile (A2DP)
Audio/Video Remote Control Profile (AVRCP)
Basic Imaging Profile (BIP)
Basic Printing Profile (BPP)
Cordless Telephony Profile (CTP)
Device ID Profile (DID)
Dial-up Networking Profile (DUN)
Fax Profile (FAX)
File Transfer Profile (FTP)
General Audio/Video Distribution Profile (GAVDP)
Generic Access Profile (GAP)
Generic Object Exchange Profile (GOEP)
Hands-Free Profile (HFP)
Human Interface Device Profile (HID)
Headset Profile (HSP)