Razr2 V9 on AT&T Cell Phone Review - Messaging
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Mark Brezinski Published on October 02, 2007 Comment on this |
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Supported E-mail Services (0.0)
Like the Sprint and Verizon takes on the Razr2, AT&T's vision of the device doesn't have a built-in e-mail client. Instead, the V9's e-mail is Web-based. The main problem with a Web-based e-mail client is if you're in a no-service area, you're totally cut off from your e-mail; you can't even write an email in preparation for when you get a signal again. Phones with built-in clients download your e-mail to the phone so you can read them at any time. We don't award points for Web-based clients.
Push E-mail (0.0)
N/A: no built-in e-mail client.
Multiple E-mail Accounts (0.0)
N/A: no built-in e-mail client.
HTML and Attachments (0.0)
N/A: no built-in e-mail client.
E-mail Customizations (0.0)
N/A: no built-in e-mail client.
Time to a New Message (0.0)
N/A: no built-in e-mail client.
E-mail Usability (0.0)
N/A: no built-in e-mail client.
Supported IM Services (0.0)
The V9 does support Instant Messaging, specifically AIM, MSN, and Yahoo! services. Like on Verizon and Sprint, however, each message sent and received is charged as an SMS. This means you'll still be charged even if you have an unlimited data plan, which is a ridiculous practice. As such, we don't award points for this service.
MMS Support (9.0)
It would appear AT&T is taking a step forward in MMS support by integrating MMS and SMS messages. Most phones keep the two separate, which means if you start writing a text message, you can't attach a picture later and call it an MMS. This isn't so on the V9, which we were very happy to see. Of course, you can also create an MMS straight from the camera or from an album. This is very good MMS support.
SMS Smiley Face Interpretation (0.0)
The V9 doesn't support smiley faces. It does give you the option to insert "graphics," which is separate from pictures. Unfortunately, our graphics folder was empty, but you can buy a whole collection over at the AT&T Mall. The exclusion of smiley faces and graphics is odd, especially since other carriers choose to at least include some small graphics for free.
SMS/MMS Ease of Use (6.0)
The SMS/MMS interface is really basic. The only field shown is the body of the message. The title and recipient's addresses can be input through Sending Options, under the left soft key's menu. The inbox itself can be sorted by time, subject, or message type, as well as filtered by phone or SIM card messages. The default sort is by date, with newer messages at the top. The interface is easy to use, and again, the integration of MMS and SMS messages is definitely a step forward.
Time to a New SMS Message (7.87)
We measure the ease of creating a new SMS message with this timing test. We begin with the phone closed and unlocked, then stop our timer when the new SMS entry dialogue opens up. We repeat the process five times, then average out the times. Thanks to its home screen shortcut, the Razr2 V9 only took 1.27 seconds to get to a new SMS message. This is a great score for a flip phone, which takes about a half second to flip open in the first place.
| Cell Phone | Time (sec) | Score |
| Razr2 V9 | 1.27 | 7.87 |
| Sanyo Katana DLX | 0.94 | 10.64 |
| Nokia N75 | 1.84 | 5.43 |
| Samsung Blast | 1.35 | 7.41 |
| Helio Fin | 3.40 | 2.94 |
| Apple iPhone | 2.62 | 3.82 |
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