Home > Reviews > Motorola Krzr K1m Review

Motorola Krzr K1m Review - Software

Alfredo Padilla Published on April 20, 2007 Comment on this

Intro Making/Receiving Calls Software Other Features

Tour & Design Messaging Battery Life Value & Comparisons

Audio Quality Organizer Connectivity Conclusion

Imaging Multimedia Hardware Ratings & Specs

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.

Previous    Next
Shop for a wireless plan Shop Carrier Type Minutes $/Min Cost Shop   Close Individual 450 0.0889 39.99 Shop   Close Individual 900 0.0667 59.99 Shop   Close Family 700 0.1000 69.99 Shop   Close Individual 450 0.0889 39.99 Shop   Close Individual 900 0.0667 59.99 Shop   Close Family 1400 0.0643 89.99 Shop   Close Individual 600 0.0667 39.99 Shop   Close Individual 1000 0.0400 39.99 Shop   Close Family 700 0.1000 69.99