Motorola ZINE Cell Phone Review - Conclusion
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Marianne Schultz Published on January 28, 2009 Comment on this |
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Conclusion
Motorola's phone interfaces are not known for their user-friendliness and we were disappointed to see that the new ZINE was exceptionally similar to the Razr2 V8 in this respect, which is a little long in the tooth in cell phone time. The ZINE's camera did perform extraordinarily well in our still image resolution tests, earning first place here among all the phones we've ever tested, but it's video resolution performance was abysmal in comparison.
Although the ZINE's camera is very good for a cell phone, it's not a good enough device all around to it a completely compelling purchase. There are already cell phones out there that have good cameras that can do far more than the ZINE, and with more style to boot. We do like that it comes with a number of accessories in the box, so you're definitely getting what you pay for with it. However, you can do better with a dedicated digital camera if you really want to take good pictures, and get a phone with better controls and probably even more functionality separately.
Business User
Without a native email application, the ZINE is immediately out of the running for business users who need to stay on top of email regardless of their network connectivity status. While better than we normally see on feature phones, the ZINE's organizer functions aren't as robust as a business user will need, and no over-the-air syncing will deny it entry into the corporate world where Blackberrys and similar devices flourish.
Budget Callers
At $149.99, the ZINE is not entirely wallet-friendly, but it does come with a full complement of accessories in the box. If a Budget Caller is looking to buy the cheapest possible combination of a cell phone and decent digital camera, the ZINE is a possibility, but we still think it's possible to do better with a free cell phone with a new 2-year contract and a dedicated digital camera.
Chatty Teenager
With very good call time battery life, the ZINE will keep the chatty teenager in business all day. The ZINE's downfall for this group of potential users, however, will most likely be its horrendous keypad that's bad enough to cause nightmares with prolonged use. We don't know a chatty teenager who doesn't text as well, so the ZINE may lose out here.
Media Maven
The media maven will be absolutely thrilled with the ZINE's still image resolution performance, and then heartbroken with its video resolution performance afterward. While it offers a decent music player, its limited video file format compatibility will hinder its ability as an all-around media player, so the media maven will be unsatisfied with the ZINE for media consumption as well.
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