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Variations on a theme: the Motorola KRZR Fire
Motorola has rebuilt its once-diminished empire on the back of the RAZR and its endless variants, milking the platform for absolutely everything it's worth (and beyond, depending on who you ask). Why not continue the trend, then, with the RAZR's heir apparent? The KRZR "Fire" is pretty much like any other KRZR, but with a decidedly crimson appearance to its glossy outer shell. For the time being, the Fire appears to be a Korea-only special, but we'd be surprised -- nay, shocked -- if we didn't get our own full spectrum of KRZRs in these parts of the globe over the next couple years.[Via Akihabara News]
Got cash in the new phone budget? Do some good
'Tis the season for giving, which leaves the rabid phone fans among us in a tight spot: how do we get in on a little new mobile tech for ourselves and help those less fortunate at the same time? Our friends over at Phone Scoop are hoping to fill the bill by auctioning off a handful of hot, current handsets graciously provided by carriers and manufacturers with all proceeds going to benefit The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria -- the same fund (RED) benefits. Loot includes a T-Mobile Dash, LRG Sidekick 3, Motorola MOTOKRZR K1, unlocked Samsung i320, M500 for Sprint, and BlackJack, and a Helio Drift (see, we told you the goods were hot). Bidding will take place via Phone Scoops' forums, with all auctions ending this Friday. Bid generously, and bid to win!
Rogers gearing up to offer Motorola K1 KRZR
Their buy page appears to be pretty much fubar'd at the moment, but if you scroll all the way to the bottom, you'll see that the $349.99 CDN you're shelling out is going to net you a MOTOKRZR. For the record, that's the K1 we're talking about here -- not the K1m -- on account of Rogers being a GSM provider. On the plus side, that gives you world compatibility with four bands of GSM reception at your disposal, but on the minus side, you can kiss 3G data goodbye (the K1 tops out with EDGE). No word on whether this offering is official yet since we can't find any other links to it, but if you can't buy it now, you'll certainly be able to before too long.[Thanks, Shaun C.]
Motorola's KRZR K1 to get snazzy new colors?
Ah, there's nothing like adding functionality additional color schemes to a cellphone in order to generate more sales, and nobody's better at getting it done than Moto. While the KRZR had plenty of hype backing it, it hasn't been around quite long enough to get Motorola's oh-so-typical color-changing treatment (a dash of white notwithstanding), but that's apparently about to change. While details aren't certain just yet, it looks like the company may have two new variants coming down the pike for "Q4 2006" (just in time for the holidays?), but all specs should remain exactly as they current are. Purportedly aiming to hit the market in both black and "silver quartz," the newfangled KRZRs are actually fairly mild considering some of the variations we've seen, but we all know that lime green, fairly tale pink, and candy apple red are (probably) waiting just around the corner.[Thanks, RandomStranger]
Motorola KRZR K1m goes live on Sprint
Sprint still hasn't quite learned the fine art of not getting shown up by CDMA rival Verizon for prompt releases of the hottest phones, partially on account of Verizon's tendency to lock up lucrative exclusivity agreements that last anywhere from a few months to life of the model (as is the case with the CDMA Chocolate). Fortunately, as foretold by our friends at Phone Scoop, Sprint's K1m comes relatively hot on the heels of Verizon's. Thanks to a different UI and color scheme, the Sprint variant barely resembles its stablemates and it'll be interesting to see whether customers ultimately do a better job warming up to it. The Sprint K1m can belong to anyone willing to part with $200 and sign on the dotted line -- or, as Sprint likes to say, $399.99 minus $200 in "instant savings."[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
Verizon launches Motorola's KRZR K1m and LG's Chocolate, again
Just in time for Halloween, VZW has new flavors of the MOTOKRZR K1m and Chocolate phones up for grabs. Well kinda, since their new White Chocolate only appears on what looks to be a Verizon staging site at the mo' with actual launch still expected tomorrow for $130 and a 2 year commitment. Just don't forget to treat yourself to a speakerphone with the ol' firmware trick hear, 'cause it looks from the site to ship without. Also up is the return on the K1m KRZR only now in a ghostly white with gray exterior -- yours to ship home for $200 after on-line discount and two-year contractual obligation akin to a feast of apples and rzrbldz.[Thanks, John and Bob the Builder]Read -- LG Chocolate (white) Read -- Motorola MOTOKRZR K1m
A quick glance at Verizon's pipeline
It looks like Verizon customers are about to have themselves a very Moto-riffic holiday season indeed, with not one, not two, but three new models coming down the pike (technically, it's two new models and a new color of an existing model -- but work with us here, folks). First up is the W315, a low-end flip with a PEBL theme to it, though the external antenna certainly isn't helping its cause. According to Verizon's sappy internal marketing materials, the W315 will make customers say things like "Rain or shine, I rely on my W315's sharp color display as I browse through my messages while waiting at the bus stop," but frankly, with a marginal 160 x 128 display to its name, we're not sure we agree. Next up is the V325i, a phone that appears to be a near twin of the W315 but with the external display flipped 90 degrees -- perhaps a nod to corporate suits who find the W315 a little too hip for their liking; it's essentially a V325 with Bluetooth tacked on. Finally from Motorola, the K1m KRZR is going to make an encore appearance, this time with a white interior and gray exterior. In other news, the LG VX9900 has apparently been christened the "enV" (huh?) and should be launching by the end of November for around $200. Follow the break for a little more eye candy of Moto's goodies![Thanks, anonymous tipster]
Cingular's MOTOKRZR launching first week of November?
The latest word on the street has Cingular launching their version of the Motorola MOTOKRZR -- alias K1 -- some time in the first week of November, possibly on or around the 4th. This would line up nicely with what we'd been hearing before regarding a September / October launch window when you factor in the typical date slippage, application of Murphy's Law, forces of nature, and whatnot. Of course, this all sorta fubars the continuity of Cingular's RAZR pipeline, considering that they just managed to finally get the V3i out the door a few weeks ago -- but far be it from us to suggest that it should prompt them to hold a new release.[Thanks, anonymous tipster]
Vodafone announces blockbuster 31-phone lineup
So, this actually went down a couple days ago, and we've been sitting here trying to process all the information ever since. The idea of any carrier -- let alone a non-Japanese one -- announcing thirty-one handsets in one fell swoop simply boggles our mortal minds. We take it so seriously, in fact, that we liken it to the discovery of penicillin or man landing on the moon; if a US carrier were to launch 31 handsets at once, we wouldn't be surprised to see it on the front page of every newspaper in North America. Alas, this isn't Cingular or Verizon with the announcement -- it's Vodafone, so let's get down to business. First up, Nokia is bringing six phones to the party: the 6070, 6151, 6234, 6288, 7390, and the N73; all but the 6070 are 3G, and you get your choice of cams ranging from VGA all the way up to the N73's monster 3.2-megapixel shooter. LG will be contributing its KU800 (a Chocolate variant) and L600V, both with 3G data. Motorola rolls deep with four models, the MAXX, V1100 (an HSDPA-capable Vodafone exclusive), MOTOKRZR K1, and V3xx. Sagem's got the my600V and my800V -- both lower-end 3G devices -- and the super simple myC5-3. We're starting to get a little fatigued here, but let's keep going; Sharp has their 770SH and EDGE-only GX29 in store with 1.3-megapixel and VGA cams, respectively. Sony Ericsson brings their K310i, K610i, K800i Cyber-shot, V630i (another Voda exclusive, hence the "V," we're guessing), and W850i Walkman phones, though no mention of the P990. Samsung wins the title of "World's Most Phones Launched By A Single Manufacturer In This Particular Vodafone Announcement," dropping the X510V, X680V, Z400V, Z540V, Z560V, Z720V, ZV40, and ZV50. Last -- and possibly least -- the Vodafone 710 inaugurates Voda's self-branding initiative, bringing 3G and a 1.3-megapixel camera in (what should be) an inexpensive package. All told, six of the new phones will rock HSDPA, and a total of 24 support some manner of high-speed data. Now if you'll excuse us, we need some milk of magnesia and a nap, but we hope we've brightened the day of a Brit or two among our readership. [Warning: PDF link]
Motorola's RED MOTORAZR V3m coming to fight AIDS
So what does Bono do after taking the iconic MP3 player RED? Why, take the cellphone-equiv RED too, naturally. Right on cue, Sprint and Motorola just announced their joint effort to the fight of AIDS in Africa, the (PRODUCT) RED MOTORAZR V3m. The V3m will launch with Sprint sometime in November for $305, or $65 with a two-year agreement and will come preloaded with five RED screensavers and even a red headset so everyone knows just how generous you are. Or aren't, since the press release only states that "Both Motorola and Sprint will contribute directly to the fund with each RED MOTORAZR sold at Sprint." Come on guys, this isn't just a thinly veiled attempt at marketing your NFL Mobile and Sprint Music Services is it -- we're talking a cut of the phone sales and at least 5% of call charges like the UK's RED SLVR right? Expect more announcements from Moto as it looks like you'll be able to go RED with the MOTOSLVR and MOTOKRZR on Sprint when these launch for undisclosed prices in November as well. [Thanks, r0fl]
LG gets pissy at Motorola over KRZR design
In a world of 18-30 month development times for the average cellphone, it's understandable that the nerves of company executives get a little frayed when it comes to touting their latest creation. That's why we feel a degree of vague sympathy for Lee Hyoung-kun, a spokesman for LG Electronics who landed the enviable task of announcing to The Korea Times that his company thinks of Motorola's KRZR as a straight-up copy of LG's KV2300. Usually we're down with a little smack talk between companies, but this accusation doesn't leave us in an accommodating kind of mood. The point behind the whole accusation is very muddled, in particular the statement "we are very flattered that a company of such caliber followed our design policy." Besides, those 18-30 month development times mentioned earlier make copying cellphone designs practically impossible and especially unlikely for a phone we've known about for ages. LG, in future, leave the snarky digs to us, mkay?[Thanks, RandomStranger]
Alltel next to get Motorola K1m
If you've got your heart set on a MOTOKRZR K1m but you're not a Verizon customer, hold your horses -- Verizon has strangely failed to secure an exclusivity agreement on this one, and odds are the CDMA carrier of your choice will be picking 'er up before too long. Next up is Alltel, which is already taking preorders and looks to be shipping the curiously narrow RAZR successor on October 5. True, Alltel kiddies have had to wait a few more days than their Verizon brethren, but in exchange for the delay, they won't have to deal with Verizon's much-maligned custom UI.[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
Motorola K1m MOTOKRZR reviewed on Verizon
We figure peeps who've placed their orders through Verizon's site for Motorola's new gotta-have-it clamshell need a little reading material to pass the time while they wait for the good folks in the shipping industry to make their phones materialize -- so without further ado, we present PC Magazine's take on the Motorola K1m MOTOKRZR (pictured right). While the K1m is undoubtedly a fabulous-looking flip, PC Mag seems to share the same brooding, mildly pessimistic view we do: it's essentially a V3m in a narrower, shinier package. On the plus side, the new dimensions apparently make the phone both easier and more comfortable to hold against the ear, battery life is top-notch with just over five hours of tested talk time, and the microSD slot means many owners will be able to carry over their investments in memory expansion from prior phones. Sadly, signal strength doesn't quite match that of its older sibling, and the UI is typical Verizon fare -- no Flash here, a la the VX8500 Chocolate -- though it does share the Chocolate's tricky-to-use touch sensitive controls. In the end, it seems the K1m ends up setting the standard once again for mobile industrial design, while simultaneously managing to fall further behind in the spec sheet race.
Verizon launches MOTOKRZR K1m
Just as expected, Verizon is busting out Motorola's KRZR K1m sexyphone today. The 0.6-inch thick, 1.73-inch wide clamshell features a microSD slot, 1.3 megapixel camera and Bluetooth -- just like always -- and of course the flip is shiny as ever. All this MOTOKRZR purty-ness can be yours for $199.99 with a 2-year contract, or $249.99 for a single year of Verizon servitude.[Thanks, Sean T.]
Motorola KRZR K1m launches today on Verizon
We know the what, we know the who, now we can confirm the when -- and happily, the wait isn't a very long one at all. Motorola's ultra-narrow KRZR might be old hat in some parts of the globe, but as of today, Verizon is the first American carrier to ship the hotly anticipated RAZR successor. After the Internet exclusive has run its course, brick-and-mortar sales fire up on October 5; regardless of where you pick it up, though, expect to shell out $200 (and two years of your wireless life) to head home with this little bundle of joy tucked under your arm.[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
Motorola KRZR K1m drops in on Verizon sites
It looks like Verizon's gearing up for the K1m variant of Motorola's MOTOKRZR to drop any minute now, what with the slim RAZR successor making a variety of cameos across Verizon's intranets these days. It was no secret that they'd be getting the phone, but now we have a price: $199 on a two-year contract, likely positioning it to do head-to-head battle with upcoming VX8600 Chocolate flip from rival LG. We still don't have an exact date to pass along, but if history is planning on repeating itself yet again, we're guessing we'll see it before Sprint's launch.[Via phoneArena, thanks to everyone who sent this in]
The Boy Genius Report: Unboxing the Motorola KRZR K1
Field report tidbits from Engadget's mobile insider, the Boy Genius.Finally we have it folks, the full retail version of the now Motorola KRZR K1. Moto did the retail KRZR the justice of fixing some little things since I last laid hands on it back in April, and polishing up the retail version. The key pad is no longer bulging out (it's flush), the backlight color is changed from dark blue (a la the V3i), to a light green to make things easier to see, and the speaker has been dramatically improved. Nice! Thanks to CTI-Miami.com for the hookup.[Click on for more pics of the unboxing ritual. -Ed.]
Old, new, borrowed, blue: Motorola's offerings at CTIA
No surprises from Motorola today, though we were able to spend some quality time with their upcoming RIZR and KRZR models. We were surprised at how light and solid the RIZR felt, especially considering we're looking at a pre-production unit here. The matte, rust red finish was a nice touch, but check out the intricate design on the phone's hindquarters after the break -- it's a unique detail and we hope this makes it to the production handset.
MOTOKRZR goes retail in Hong Kong
Sprint, Verizon, and Cingular customers could well be in full holiday cheer before they get their freezing hands on Motorola's hotly anticipated MOTOKRZR (alias Canary, alias K1), but for peeps on Hong Kong's SmarTone-Vodafone network, it seems the seasons' greetings have come a bit early this year. The best RAZR since... well, the RAZR has gone live on the operator's website, retailing for HK$3,180 (about $400) on contract -- a smidge steep, perhaps, especially considering that they're pawning it contract-free for an extra HK$100, which by our humble calculations works out to about 13 bucks. Nonetheless, we're guessing they won't have trouble finding customers at the going rate.[Thanks, Brad]
Quality time with Motorola's MOTOKRZR K1m for Sprint
It's not terribly often that an assuredly hot phone drops on both Verizon and Sprint in the same timeframe, seeing how the former just loves scooping up those galdarned exclusivity agreements. Now, we knew that the CDMA variant of Motorola's MOTOKRAZR, the K1m, was coming to Verizon, and thinking that it'd live a long, healthy life there before ever gracing the hands of a Sprint customer would certainly be a reasonable knee-jerk reaction to have. Much to our delight, Phone Scoop's proven our worst fears unfounded by producing a great preview of a Sprint-branded K1m that looks to be just about ready for prime time. Apparently, this variant will get a very different operating system and UI than its GSM cousins, and even the differentiation from the Verizon version should be significant thanks to a good deal of software and UI customization commissioned specifically by Sprint. Phone Scoop came away impressed with what they saw, suggesting the carrier's got a winner on their hands for the holiday season; we'll reserve judgment on the Sprint-ified OS until we meet face to face, but thanks to EV-DO support, we know the K1m's already got the GSM boys and girls spanked in the data department.[Thanks, Sam]
