KRZR, RIZR, 8801 or W810?!

E

Emxx

New member
Okay, I've essentially got it narrowed down to these phones due to form factor and aesthetics - KRZR, RIZR, Nokia 8801, SE W810.

I'm looking first and foremost for a phone, I am not overly interested in additional smart features that I probably won't use. I've got an iPod for all my music needs, so I'm not overly concerned about the phones ability to play music. I've got a DSLR so this will not compensate for my camera, but it would be nice to snap some pics of family, friends and pets to show co-workers (who carries pictures in their wallet anymore!). I'm in the GTA and on the Rogers network if that makes any difference. I'm trying to keep the price under $400.

I had an SE S710a that I lost, and hated the form factor. I also found the OS was quite slow at times, and my guess is it was slow because of all the "doo-dads" that I didn't use. My previous phone was a Nokia 7250i and I absolutely loved it. I am very familiar with Nokia and their OS, so that is a plus. I've never used a Motorola in my life, though I find their designs very appealing.

I will definitely use the Bluetooth, the address book, txt messaging and games, but it will primarily be used for phone calls. Bling is also a factor here - I don't mind if the phone is a little bit on the heavy side, but I tend to keep my phone in my front pants pocket or my inside jacket pocket. With a case, etc, the s710 was far too heavy.

What are your thoughts on the phones, and which would you recommend?
 
The KRZR is fairly small. If you've got big fat fingers, this phone will piss you off to no end. Otherwise, it is the height of cool looking handsets right now, and is feather light with a good build (feels much more solid than a RAZR, so combined with the light weight, drops probably aren't going to destroy this beauty), but only if you don't mind the fingerprints on the front. It has full bluetooth, games and the best phonebook in any Moto I've seen to date.

You've got a DSLR, so RIZR is out, as the camera is the main reason for the RIZR's existance. You can get it if you like the looks of it, otherwise pass, it's basically a RAZR in slider form.

The nokia 8801 is just a cool phone. It has looks right up there with the KRZR and the sliding keypad cover, while kinda pointless, is unique and actually fun to use. However, I have to make another fat finger warning, you can get you tips pinched when you close the cover and it hurts because the phone is fairly heavy. It also seems extremely well built, but the weight concerns me as it makes for a lot of inertia. It's also hella expensive, you could get a KRZR and a RIZR for the price of one of these.

I've never looked at a SE W810 in detail, so I can't comment. It looks kinda cheap.
 
Out of the 4, I would recommend the w810i. Great RF, great for texting, games I'm sure is great too ( I haven't tried any) and it's right up your alley if you're just using it for calls.

The K1 is small and the keypad may be hard for you to text. It does have the "wow" factor. This would be my second choice.

The RIZR is not out yet, so I have no idea how it feels in the hand. I'm assuming it's close to the size of the K1. But I can't really comment on it.

The 8801 has horrible battery life and the ringer is low. It does have the "wow" factor as well. But the battery life will drive you crazy. Not crazy about the keypad either.
 
For looks I'd go for the 8801 or the K1 above the other models. They are about the same price nowadays. Although they are different form factors, they are just about the same size closed. The 8801 may be heavier because of the steel construction.

In terms of functionality you can do infinitely more things with the K1, better camera, a microSD memory slot, better battery life, A2DP etc and much easier to modify and customize.

Also the 8801 has been around for a while so it isn't actually the "latest and greatest" like it's sibling the Sirocco or the K1. The advantage to that however is that it is much less expensive now than when it first came out (but still not so cheap that everyone has one like the RAZR)

Since you aren't going to use the MP3 or the camera much if at all, then I'd say the 8801 is a pretty solid phone in its own right. It has the best build quality I have ever seen on a phone thanks to the steel body and hardened glass. You won't see that on very many phones, if at all nowadays. Although the short battery life is an minor annoyance, the 8801 does come with 2 batteries and a desktop charger. The whole package screams of high class. When I use the 8801, I always keep a charged battery as a backup and with the 2 batteries I'm never stuck with a dead phone.

The keypad on the 8801 will take some getting used to but once you get a feel for the smaller buttons you may find that it's pretty ergonomic for it's size and it's ideal for one-handed thumb-keying operation.

So anyway here's my verdict.

Looks and Style:

8801 > KRZR K1 > RIZR > W810i

Functionality:

W810i >> RIZR > K1 > 8801

Basicially the functionality is inversely poropotional to the looks and style. It seems like the latter is the most imnportant to you though so my final verdict is the 8801.
 
Decision was made some time ago. I opted for the KRZR and so far I am loving the phone. I managed to get it for a decent price off of ebay ($315 shipped) and am extremely happy with the phone thus far. Thank you for all your comments and suggestions.
 
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