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The new Moto RAZR, pro and con

September 10, 2007—Three years—and 50 million units sold—after releasing the era-defining RAZR V3, Motorola has finally put out a sequel. After the even-more-annoyingly-named ROKR, RIZR, and KRZR failed to catch fire—and following Apple's low-key entry into the market—Motorola could use a hit. So is the RAZR 2, which is just hitting shelves now, more Empire Strikes Back or Matrix: Reloaded? Well, it's a little bit of both. The new model looks fantastic: It's two millimeters thinner than its predecessor and boasts a flashy (if easily smudged) brushed-steel and aluminum finish, plus a sizable two-inch exterior screen. Motorola is releasing several models, each tweaked for a different carrier, and choosing one is confusing at best: Sprint customers are stuck with the V9m (left), which can't send or receive email, while Verizon's V9m offers email for an extra fee. AT&T and T-Mobile subscribers, meanwhile, get the V9 and V8, which have email capability as well as CrystalTalk technology, which adjusts call volume to counter ambient noise. (Though for some reason the V9 has far less talk time than the V8.) Whew. All versions have external touch screens that confirm each button selection with an odd little vibration—half cool, half creepy-feeling. The bottom line? The RAZR 2 is a solid if unspectacular phone housed in an unbeatably sleek package. Hey, it worked the first time.

Motorola RAZR 2, from $250 with two-year contract, hellomoto.com. And purists will be pleased to learn there are no plans (yet) to stop selling the original RAZR.