Neither carrier has launched it
just yet, but yes -- the RAZR 2 V9m has now officially found a home on both
Sprint and
Verizon, with both promising availability in the next few weeks. To split hairs, Sprint will be beating its sworn enemy by a few days, launching its variant on August 22, while Verizon's just promising "September" at this point. Unless AT&T manages to
pull a rabbit out of its hat, it looks like the two will be the first in the US to launch what Motorola hopes will be the centerpiece of a turnaround for its flagging handset business. Thanks to EV-DO, attractive styling (yes, we realize we'll be
really tired of it in a couple years, but it's still hot for now), and a gargantuan external display with touch controls, the phone is being positioned on the higher end of both carriers' dumbphone offerings -- and the price reflects it. Look for it for $300 with a $50 rebate on Verizon, $250 on Sprint, both on a two-year agreement.
[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
Update: Looks like AT&T didn't want to get left out of this little party after all! The carrier joins Sprint and Verizon in announcing its version of the RAZR 2 today, the HSDPA-powered V9. Look for it in "early September" for $300 on contract. Check the release
here.
Read - Sprint press release
Read - Verizon press release
posted Aug 10th 2007 3:45PM
I'm hoping to pick one of these up on Verizon!
Yea so am I
Nice, I just emailed Verizon about estimated RAZR 2 availability earlier today because it's New Every Two time for me.
...And then I see the price, and I remember why I'm not an early adopter.
yawnnnnnn it no iphone
Moron.
"moron"
for want of a better word...
yea...moron.
yawnnnnnn it's no n95 ;)
yawn...it's no Blackberry 8830 World edition.
Razrs have gotten...dull.
er yeah thats why theres a new model......
and who knows how much these will cost without a contract? because i'm stuck in mine...
True. Until (or perhaps, "unless") Verizon gets the iPhone though, this is the best thing I can look forward to for a long while.
Uhm... the iphone is gsm... and is built on network features that verizon doesn't have. I don't think that'll be happening.
duhh dats why day made a new 1
And of course AT&T/Cingular won't offer it because of the iPhone. Bastards.
AT&Tingular actually has tentative plans to launch the V9. I don't see how it would interfere with the iPhone's sales.
It would be really hard to go from the iPhone to any other phone (except for maybe the LG Prada or N95).
Although, the RAZR2 looks pretty hot from the outside.
Hmm... you can access the Pac-Man game from the home screen now
After owning the Moto Razr v3c for 2 years.......I dont want a Razr 2.
Ditto to that!
I've been looking forward to this phone coming out on Verizon but after seeing the price (even with my $100 new-every-two discount) I'm not so sure I'll be snatching it up. Like most of the time it's probably better to wait a few months, see how the phone works, and wait for the big price drops.
AT&T Inc. (NYSE:T) has announced that AT&T will carry the Motorola RAZR2 V9, an eye-catching new 3G-powered, 2.0 megapixel, clamshell mobile phone. The RAZR2 V9 will be available in select AT&T retail stores and online in early September for as low as $299.99.
http://www.att.com/gen/press-room?pid=4800&cdvn=news&newsarticleid=24197
I wish I was a T-mobile customer. They're getting the V8, which is the phone with the Linux OS on it instead of Synergy (V9 for AT&T) or Verizon's POSBREWOS (V9m).
here are all of verizons leaked launch dates.... for your viewing pleasure
http://www.bsams.net/front-page/2007/8/6/verizon-phone-launch-roadmap-leaked.html
I might be interested in the V9m for Sprint if I hadn't just gotten a Samsung MM-A900 (the "Blade") last Christmas. A friend of mine has the Moto KRZR and the sound quality on that is 10 times better than my Sammy. Oh well, maybe I can wait until Xmas 2009 and check out the iPhone 2.
OK, not to turn this into an iPhone discussion, but is anyone going to complain about the fact that this "dumb phone" is $250 and it also requires a 2-year contract? IMHO this makes way less sense than spending $500 for an iPhone. If this is worth $250 then the 4Gig iPhone is worth a grand. This really is "just a phone" and comes with a 2-year commitment, and frankly, it doesn't look like anything special. Motorola apparently shot their entire development wad with the original RAZR and just keeps recycling the same basic designs. I liked the original RAZR. In 2004. They will have had to make massive improvements in the software for this to be worth anywhere close to $250. Motorola got lucky with the original RAZR and hasn't designed anything original since.
I disagree. Does the iPhone have GPS? Is it 3G? Does it have video recording capabilities? Can you send pic/video messages without emailing?
I'm going to get this under Sprint. I've had a RAZR with Cingular/AT&T for 2 years and have had no problems with it. I'm looking forward to this for GPS (w/voice) alone.
Not to mention that this has the same resolution camera, two high resolution screens, and you can just pop a 50 dollar 4 gig card (or a second fully charged battery) into this thing when you need it... now that kinda sounds smart.... rebuttal?
Agreed. Moto sat on its laurels. They had a fashion/design success but didn't build on it by improving other aspects, like the crappy UI, which makes them look even more out of it when they keep pushing minor fashion tweaks as reason enough to upgrade.
But the external screen - I'm interested to see how that works. If it's a complete touchscreen, imagine being able to control with gestures rather than discrete 'buttons'. Instead of fumbling with which button to press to control, say, music, you could swipe it left/right/up/down to go next/prev track and up/down volume, and tap to play/pause - without looking at it.
I agree with you. And in response to the first reply, some people are so quick to define the iphone by what it can't do. Don't kid yourself that the RAZR 2 is better than the iphone only because it covers a couple of the iphones bad points.
jere, I actually LIKE the iPhone. But, for a purchase price point that is far less than an iPhone, and I really want GPS, then this option is far better - for ME. I will also be able to get the phone for a bit less through our corporate account. The company I work for has deals with AT&T, Sprint and Verizon. Becuase of the deal between Apple and AT&T, I can't get a deal on the iPhone.
Granted there are things that this does, (GPS and 3G) that the iPhone doesn't, and my point wasn't that it is a bad phone. It's not. The point I apparently failed to make was that the iPhone (of which I don't have) does a lot more than this phone (I have a current moto phone myself) and I count usability in that. Full web minus flash, wi-fi, full iPod, includes a minimum of 4GB RAM, huge touch screen, visual voice mail, full virtual keyboard (as compared to a number pad), etc. People bitched and moaned about the $500 price and 2 year commitment, but somehow $250 for with a 2-year commitment for this is a non-issue? I was just wondering where the "OMG it's so expensive and you have to sign a 2-year contract" crowd was.
When the RAZR was first introduced it was very cool, and bleeding edge design. This is just recycled design that lacks the cool factor of the original RAZR. Sony and Samsung have much cooler stuff for way less money on all the major carriers sites. If Motorola is banking on this phone to stop their decent into mediocrity, it ain't gonna happen.
I don't care who makes which one, but the fact I can easily change the battery on one would sway my decision immensely. :)
There's usually massive specials offered by carriers "FREE-just sign your life away!"
What's wrong with that? Plenty of us are content with getting a free phone every two years. If you want to get a new phone every month, then yeah, a two year contract probably isn't for you.
...no way in hell I'd get one of these (or any other phone) from Verizon, you know they're gona cripple this phone like they have in the past... disabling bluetooth transfer/mp3 playback and such.
Not only disabling bluetooth transfers....but probably use their stupid verizon interface as well....worst idea ever by verizon.
You do know that the current higher-end Verizon phones (such as my LG VX8700) have full featured Bluetooth, and the Verizon interface has been overhauled so it's not the red bars anymore.
It really doesn't matter much to me what phone Verizon releases. They cripple the functionality of their phones so much it's pathetic. I can't wait for my contract to end in February to I can dump them.
Too little too late. How embarrassing for motorola. By the time they figure out they need to give it a decent screen resolution (QVGA is horrible for anything other than txt messaging ..forget web browsing in qvga) --in 2010 (they take about 3 years to update the RAZR) .. the iPhone 3 or 4 will already be out and light years ahead.
Glad to see that Verizon continues to put out crippled phones such as the V9m. It doesn't support CrystalTalk (for noise reduction) and processor speed is slower.
Razr is a good phone to avoid like THE EBOLA VIRUS! It might look half decent, but since the first Razr V3x they have a build quality which rivals a kindergarten Lego exhibit.
The proprietary operating system makes the unit excellent as a form of subliminal torture and doubles as a great boomerang! Its probably not so good as a phone though...
what? at&t, verizon, sprint, but no alltel? why do they always get the new phones so late?
Alltel, "Come and get your love".
Psssh, yeah right.
Motorola.com says it will be available with Alltel and US Cellular (now I can see it with Alltel, but not US Cellular, at least not right away)
"(yes, we realize we'll be really tired of it in a couple years, but it's still hot for now)"
Really? For me, its hotness went out for me around 2 years ago. The basic design had been around since 2003. I'm getting kinda sick of the whole theme. We've got RAZR styled clamshells, candybars and sliders. When do they bring out the taco style?
Ha! everyone I know that has/had a RAZR didn't like it. Their problem was mostly durability, the screen hinge, and the battery life.
http://www.phonescoop.com/phones/phone.php?p=1243
http://www.motorola.com/mediacenter/news/detail.jsp?globalObjectId=8557_8487_23
Motorola.com= The MOTORAZR2 will be available from Alltel, AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile USA, US Cellular, and Verizon Wireless, with availability from certain carriers within 14 days. Consumers should check with their wireless carrier for specific availability dates.
man can they please leave the f'n razrs alone? they are HUGELY oversold. I know little kids and those easily amused will pick them up who wana look cool and be like everyone else (u know those who dont fit in, like all those who use ipods altho they aren't the best b/c everyone else has em?)
i had one over 3/4 years ago when they first came out and no one had b/c they couldn't afford... and got rid of it a year or 2 later when they dropped them to 68 bucks and everyone had .. its terrible
Learn2write and stop sniping at iPod users, please. Ok, we get it you don't like the iPod. Don't buy one. But quit faux psychoanalyzing the iPod's userbase so they fit your bizzare little superiority complex.
But can it run OSX?
...if its anything like the original RAZRs, no thanks. I've had nothing but problems with mine since the day I bought it. Motorola needs to put their focus on durability and reliability, not just what is trendy at the time. I'd rather have something that works rather than something that looks pretty.
Cell phone makers should take the lead from Apple and not make people sign 2 yr agreements. It's ridiculous I have to wait 2 yrs in order to get a new phone without having to "pay full retail". I don't care if I sign a 2 yr agreement, but I want to be able to purchase a new phone on a whim. I'm sure the cell phone makers would probably sell more phones if the carriers would allow people to buy phones any time at a reasonable price.
a smartphone (e.g. blackberry, treo) on the weekdays for work and the razr2 for the weekend when you don't want to have a "growth" attached to your hip. plus the fear of losing all that important client information while "drunk"
oh the internet has become a grammatically correct world where we get paid money like working at a business to write correctly? Please tell me who invented this rule? hate to see the n00bs get around...
And nah im talking real facts. Why do people by iphones? some might actually have reasons based on hardware.. like they want an ipod phone and when they change companies or whatnot have a useless fone feature but an ipod builtin...
Its a given fact most (like 80% or more) people got an ipod b/c (because for you) everyone has one, its been advertised and its supposed to be the "in thing". People (many, the main crowd) buy things based on what looks cool not for what it can do you can ask anyone who is into selling and business and trickery they'll tell you the same. If im selling a piece of dog crap but i make it look soo good and all the celebrities have it you'd buy it. Look @ dell computers...
So having people buy stuff due to heavy advertisement and it being the in thing, I can clearly and truthfully say that people buy these things b/c everyone else does, and to fit in b/c its the "in thing". Im not blasting u or nothing but its fact everyone buys the in thing.. zen micro is way better and zune but no one buys b/c its not the "in thing" altho zune is like twice or more better
I have GOT to get out of T-Mobile. You always hear news of slick new devices being available at AT&T, Verizon, and Sprint. But you never hear anything about T-Mobile. T-Mobile is lazy... they don't do anything interesting or new. Nothing worth mentioning, anyway.
but will it blend?