It's pretty fricking hard to believe that Motorola didn't have any touchscreen phones in the North American market before the
Krave, isn't it? It's true, though -- so when it came time to draw inspiration for that all-important first device, designers looked to none other than Moto's own
MING series, a popular (and fairly attractive, if we do say so ourselves) line of Linux-based smartphones sold in China for inspiration. In the course of its metamorphosis into a thoroughly Americanized phone, the Krave (Kring? MAVE?) lost GSM, gained CDMA and 3G, and found itself locked in to Verizon. All things considered, that's a pretty traumatic conversion there -- so how'd it end up faring? We took a quick look at the ZN4 to find out.
Say what you will about Motorola's industrial design, but generally speaking, Motos have a reputation for being built like tanks, and the Krave is no exception. The hinge on the lid (more on that little bit of magic in a moment) feels like it'll probably last one metric eternity, maybe longer. The entire phone feels great in the hand, thanks in part to a generous helping of soft-touch plastic around back. It's pretty thick -- about a millimeter thicker than the already-beefy T-Mobile G1 when its lid is closed -- but the tradeoff is that you get a solid, substantial phone that's still diminutive enough to slide into pretty much any pocket. It's hard to describe, but the Krave feels like it's the "appropriate" weight for its size; heavy, but not annoyingly so. Pick one up, and you'll see what we mean.
So yeah, back to that crazy lid. Chinese MINGs already have trick lids with micro-wires embedded inside the transparent plastic, connecting to an earpiece that seemingly floats without connections to the naked eye. It's a cool effect. The Krave takes it one big, important step further, though, by replacing the wires with a solid sheet of translucent conductive material. If you're not looking closely, you can't see it -- they've done a bang-up job of making it disappear -- but it's a critical feature of the phone that powers the earpiece and turns the entire lid into a second touch surface. In other words, you can use a few key features of the phone without bothering to flip the lid, which is more than a nice touch -- for the fickle American market, it's a must-have that saves users from constantly opening the somewhat unwieldy lid to perform even the most basic functions.
You're probably thinking, "but wait, wouldn't that huge earpiece get in the way when I'm trying to do stuff with the lid closed?" Ah, but Moto's one step ahead of you. Apps that are usable with the lid closed automatically shut off the bottom quarter of the screen when you flip it shut, which is less annoying than you might think. We found the responsiveness and the sensitivity of the lid to be every bit as good as the screen itself -- we only wished more apps were compatible in this mode. You can read text messages, use the music player, turn on
VCAST TV, browse pictures, and use
VZ Navigator, but that's about it; closing the lid with anything else running just boots you out to the home screen.
Opening the lid reveals one of the nicer screens you'll find on any phone sold in the US market today -- 400 x 320, exceptionally crisp and vibrant (it needs to be in order to be seen clearly through the lid), and a great feel for touch use. Atop the screen sit two backlit buttons, Home and Power; what possessed Moto to put 'em up there, we'll never know, because they're
way out of the way. For Power, whatever -- that's fine -- but the Home button is going to get pressed way too frequently to require thumb acrobatics to reach. It looks like designers were just plumb out of room, found a little free space in the nooks and crannies on either side of the hinge, and took advantage, but they would've been better off moving the screen up a quarter inch and dropping the buttons down below (or Home, anyway).
The inconsistencies and difficulties continue as we move into the Krave's user interface. Don't get us wrong, it looks pretty awesome, but it's paralyzed by poor execution and a processor that's clearly struggling to keep up with the demands being placed on it. A great example of this is the overuse of screen transitions; the Krave never looks quite up to the task for them with jerky animations that make us think the software and hardware were designed by two very different groups of people that didn't talk very much. Similarly, scrolling through menus looks like a Herculean task for the poor phone -- it just never quite kept up with what we were trying to do, and we got to the point where we dreaded having to access a menu item that was off-screen. We imagine this could all be improved significantly with future firmware updates, which the Krave supports over-the-air -- but will they ever come? Hard to say; sadly, it's a lot easier for a feature phone like this to get lost in the fray, EOL'd, and quietly swept under the rug than it is a mega-popular halo device like the
Storm or
iPhone.
The browser, music, and navigation apps are all pretty weak -- symptoms of a closed platform and tight development deadlines with no plans for further improvement. The browser's essentially useless for browsing sites that aren't designed specifically for mobile consumption; visiting Engadget's full HTML site froze it right up (alright, Motorola, we can take a hint). The music and nav apps will be no mystery to anyone currently using a Verizon feature phone; they're basically carry-overs tweaked to take advantage of the Krave's touchscreen. The music app was usable but clunky -- we certainly wouldn't want it replacing our dedicated PMP, though the inclusion of a 3.5mm headphone jack was a welcome touch (and we found sound with our Shure SE530s attached to be loud and clear). VZ Navigator immediately turned us off first by reporting a GPS error, and on a subsequent attempt, we realized that scrolling the map with your finger doesn't keep the map in the position you left it. It's hard to describe, but basically, it's the most annoying thing a mapping app could possibly do; you scroll the map, it starts to load portions that you've scrolled into view, and while it's doing that, it moves the app back about halfway between its current position and where you started. You'd think someone in either Motorola's or Verizon's testing process would've played around with that for about 15 seconds and said, "oh,
hell no."
You might have some reservations on account of that bizarre earpiece, but alas, sound quality on the ZN4 is fantastic. It's also got one of the best speakerphones in recent memory, and as we mentioned above, the 3.5mm headphone jack was nothing to sneeze at, either. We couldn't really say the same about signal quality, though; we're accustomed to getting fabulous EV-DO reception in our area, but the Krave's 3G signal kept crapping out and sticking us with 1xRTT. Uncool. If this was a bought unit, we'd probably exchange it and try another; it could've been a fluke, or maybe the cells near our office were having a bad day. We're especially skeptical of our testing here since Motorolas are famous for insane reception.
Unlike MINGs, the Krave goes without character recognition (and without a stylus), relying solely on a variety of virtual keyboards to get words 'n stuff into the phone. In portrait orientation, you have traditional triple-tap and iTap keypads available, and a swift rotation of the phone automatically pops up a full QWERTY setup. The QWERTY keyboard here is one of the better virtual keyboards we've ever used, with reliable registration, non-annoying haptics, and pop-up letters that confirm you're pressing what you mean to. Unfortunately, the experience is marred by the always-present lid, which dangles off to the left side and seriously gets in the way. We guess we'd probably get used to it after a while, but new owners should be prepared to be driven to the brink of insanity as they try to find a comfortable way to hold the phone while typing (or give up and settle for iTap).
It's clear Verizon wants this to be one of its premier non-smartphone devices, chock-full of glitz, pretty much every feature in the playbook (including the still-rare VCAST TV), and a truly high-end build quality. Almost to our surprise, we came away absolutely loving this hardware -- but the miserable software package was ruined by Verizon customizations that make the phone really hard to recommend. If Motorola were to make this exact phone running
Android,
Windows Mobile, or heck, even
S60 Touch, they'd have one hell of a product here. Hard to beat, actually.
posted Nov 24th 2008 9:29AM
Motorola's phones are characterized by outstanding reception, excellent build quality, and the worst darned software you ever did find. That last observation is why I was thrilled when I find out that they are part of the Open Handset Alliance. Maybe, just maybe, some day they will put out a great phone that is matched by great software. You know, software that _doesn't_ drive you to the brink of insanity! And software that, if they happen to screw it up, is open and adjustable to fit the a technophile's needs.
I'm with you. The build quality and sheer beauty of the PEBL has yet to be matched. I can't imagine a phone looking that good and actually having some useful features. I look forward to MOTOdroid.
too bad verizon writes their own shell, so the interface will be the same on every verizon phone....
@Dean
It's important to note that Verizon isn't part of the OHA, so I really wasn't expecting to find a "MotoDroid" device on their network. Of the US carriers, only T-Mobile (obviously) and Sprint-Nextel have signed on, but I believe Engadget reported that at&t is "looking into the matter" or something of similarly equivocal nature.
For the record, I hate VZW's custom interface. I like my phone to be somewhat unique and besides, that thing is a feature-castrator! Bluetooth sharing, anyone?
I can't speak much to the Motorola software, but I HATE the "Verizon" OS that they put on all of their phones these days... My old Nokia 6256i had a great interface that makes me wish it still worked, even if it was 2x the size of my KRZR.
After owning an iPhone, I never want a flip phone ever again.
This design is nice but if you can't type through the flip screen, its very uncomfortable.
I played with the Krave and liked alot of things about it, but the software's biggest flaw in my opinion was failing to have inertial scroll like the iPhone does. No other touch phone gets scrolling right like iphone does.
I do like the Krave's tactile keyboard response and its looks.
@Sean
Let me tell you, Moto's standard OS is decent (barely), but the built-in applications suck...badly. I bought an unlocked KRZR K1 from Motorola last year. Instead of storing text messages on either the internal memory or my 2GB microSD card, it stores them on my SIM card, which limits me to ~30 messages. Oh, but MMS messages appear to be stored internally (or somewhere not SIM-related). WTF?
The Java-based music app is alright, but slow to launch. Since it's separate from the main OS, it acts like a game -- that is to say, it needs focus to actually play music. Sure, I could use the OS "Sound Player" to compose messages and listen to music simultaneously, but that thing can be only described as "janky, at best." And don't get me started on that screwy non-predictive predictive T9 which "appears" to learn and then later appears to _forget_ at random intervals!
Yeah, I overlooked its shortcomings in the beginning, but I'm totally fed up with it now. Looking forward to getting the Samsung Eternity (a867), hopefully this Friday.
I'm with Verizon and have always loved Moto's phones. Except I absolutely HATE the laggy Verizon UI! Cripples the hell out of the phone and makes everything look generic. Reading the description, I see VZ is still crippling phones with that crappy old WAP "Openwave" browser too...
i think this phone. and most of verizon's or anyuone's touch screen (non smartphone) phones have so much potential, but the software never seems to be there.
imo it's just not worth it to have a touch screen if the software isn't robust enough to utilize it well. and honestly, software isn't goign to get there on a perhandset base (excep. iphone). that's why i think there is so much value in winmo, android and other generic interfaces.
and verizon's os pisses me off. if i leave when my contract expires. that's why.
I hate this phone. The blackberry storm is easier to type on than this thing!
Do you own a krave? Or is that just based on playing with them in store? My Hell-io contract is running out soon and I'm interested in this phone
I don't, but I spent some time using one, and it made me want to throw it. I like the dare much better, though the screen is exposed.
Agreed on the typing... everyone sys that typing on the blackberry is so hard. its not hard at all. i used it today on blackfriday, so it was all nasty and fingerprinted up. and was going slow, why they wernt loooking i did a battery pop. and its so much easier.
it's a pain to type on when it's in QWERTY mode because that screen gets in the way. Also, the web browser has this atrocious pointer on it, you can't just touch links, you have to move the pointer over then press the button in the pointer. What a pain in the ass.
I am not sure how many units verizon sold on the motorola krave, but it seems to me it's pretty few...a lot of verizon wireless customer didn't even know it existed, I mean how bad is that?
Motorola needs to build a phone that consumer wants, not build something they think they'll like. That's the wrong direction to go in this high competitive handheld market especially the touch screen mobile market.
Talk a look at http://www.Motorola-Krave.com I seriously don't know why this guy even bother to start a forum for this crappy phone..
Lid? the technology is pretty cool and stuff, but why would you need a lid when you can do something like the iphone???
I am seeing more motorola trouble down the road, if they don't change their designer team... get someone from Apple designer team or something.. gosh.
"a lot of verizon wireless customer didn't even know it existed, I mean how bad is that?"
So you are implying we should memorize all of the phones on all of the carriers? Well go on them, name all of the ones on T-Mobile for me..
this phone is really cool but its laggy just like all other motorolas. Id say about 75% of these that we've sold have all been exchanged for other touch screens.
Would you say it's better than the instinct, or no?
um... i would probably say that this is motorola's equivilant to the instinct. it really frustrates a lot of people. one of the worst parts about it is that when you are typing with the qwerty form keyboard the lid is in the way and makes it really awkward.
I cant see how that lid wont get in the way you are typing in landscape.
I mean when i use my iphone i wrap both hands around it when it is in landscape, then use both thumbs to hit the letters.
I am NOT an iphone fanboy. I just cant see how the lid will work, it seems to limit the ways you can hold on to the device w/ your left hand.
It's a bit disappointing Mot didn't adapt the A780 or E680 designs for their Linux touchscreen phones. I owned both of these and they were great phones. The KRAVE doesn't seem to live up to it's predecessors.
when you're in landscape mode, put your index finger of whatever side the flip is on over the lid, and against the hinge. it's not as awkward in that position, and actually helps to stabilize the phone when typing. well, at least that worked for me...
I am sick and tired of Verizon's interface. I have had Verizon for over 5 years and its getting damn annoying. It's time to let third party operating systems in because Verizon is doing a crappy job of making software. My voyager was recently replaced because of a broken screen and the replacement had new software on it. The new software has made scrolling through lists extremely jerky and the icons now look cheap and mismatched in many of the menus. Their software is getting worse and worse, enough of this default BS.
Bought one retail price at a verizon store, played with it at night....absolutely hated the keyboard...recognition isn't as grand as the article says it is. The phone however was a sexy piece of machinery, sad to have returned only because of the keyboard...(I do a lot of texting.)
A standardized interface is a good idea on paper....trying to teach the technologically challenged is next to impossible when every manufacturer changes menus every 6 months. Verizon is trying, but they need some more time to perfect it. You can't please all of the people all of the time.
Oh, and there isn't any speed dial settings on the Krave either...
Seriously. For a *good* standardized interface they should just borrow the one from KDDI or DoCoMo; they do a fairly good job of it.
@Sean
Let me tell you, Moto's standard OS is decent (barely), but the built-in applications suck...badly. I bought an unlocked KRZR K1 from Motorola last year. Instead of storing text messages on either the internal memory or my 2GB microSD card, it stores them on my SIM card, which limits me to ~30 messages. Oh, but MMS messages appear to be stored internally (or somewhere not SIM-related). WTF?
The Java-based music app is alright, but slow to launch. Since it's separate from the main OS, it acts like a game -- that is to say, it needs focus to actually play music. Sure, I could use the OS "Sound Player" to compose messages and listen to music simultaneously, but that thing can be only described as "janky, at best." And don't get me started on that screwy non-predictive predictive T9 which "appears" to learn and then later appears to _forget_ at random intervals!
Yeah, I overlooked its shortcomings in the beginning, but I'm totally fed up with it now. Looking forward to getting the Samsung Eternity (a867), hopefully this Friday.
Well, it also varies a lot. You can see a major improvement from the RAZR to the KRZR, and then to the more modern ones like the V3xx or V9/RAZR2. The V3xx OS is really, really nice. Every single aspect is improved, and comparing it next to the V3 or KRZR, you'd be shocked.
(Also, even on my old V3, you could switch the phonebook between the SIM and the Phone memory.. I know the KRZR can do it too, unless your operator decreed that you may not. But the phone sure CAN)
Why can we still not edit/delete mis-posts? Engadget, Blogsmith, Weblogs, AOL, whoever, get on it plz. kthxbai!
Anyways, @Asten, yeah, my brother and sister each have an at&t-branded V3xx. I like that my unlocked phone doesn't limit the size of files that can be used for ringtones, but you're right to say that the music player on that phone is MUCH, much better. To be honest, I'd completely forgotten about it.
Also, it's not the phonebook contacts that are storing on my SIM, it's the incoming SMS (text) messages. What's most annoying about this is that unlike the phonebook app, there is no option to change the storage location, effectively forcing me to manually delete every nonessential incoming message. (But seriously, how many texts really _need_ to be kept?)
Anyone know what type of processor does this Motorola run on?
"the 3.5mm headphone jack was nothing to sneeze at"
Oh Engadget, don't you know? All cell phones really are nothing to sneeze at. :-)
Is it me or does any one else have the urge to flip it open and say:
" Beam me up Scotty!"
That should be when you come to use one.?
Annyyway...this might help
http://blog.pcnews.ro/2008/02/14/ee-exclusive-star-trek-communicator/
This phone is exciting, even with its flaws, for no reason other than it shows Motorola can still produce non-crap hardware. I think if you took a phone like this and put Android on it, they'd fly off the shelf.
The same as my Moto A780 i've been running onTMO for 2 years..awesome Linux based phone/ with full html browser,email,MMS,Video recording,etc. Check it out on Ebay..I had it imported and it even has some Chinese games on it. The UK Version had GPS a whole two years ago, while the US model had Edge.
Yet another example that carrier branded stuff = no good.
But hey, I believe in motorola, as other commenteers said, puts a decent OS on this and it's gonna be awesome, even the linux of the original ming.
Motorola Klunki more like. Chapter 11 beckons.
Personally I have had three LG Dares and they all had to be replaced due to random reboots and screenfreezes. Verizon offered the Krave and a $70.00 credit to go to this phone. So far I actaully like it. I know it is no iPhone but it works and I can play my music when I forget my iPod touch. I also had V-cast but the Internet sucks on all Verizon phones. Just my two cents!
I bought this phone a few weeks back because I liked the idea of a lid to protect the screen. It lasted 4 days before I started having problems with it (battery issues, randomly launching the video recorder to name a few). It was probably the best thing that could've happened because it gave me a reason to take it back and get something else. Opening the lid to text sucks. Why even bother make the lid a touchscreen? There are only 4 apps that can be accessed with the lid closed and you can't pick which 4. The outer screen as a touch screen is great in theory and a nice way to protect the interior, but after about 2 hours you'll get sick of locking and unlocking the phone and just leave it locked at all times. If you use the camera on your phone a lot you should know that there are no options to edit your pictures.
In short,is it a cool looking phone? yes. If you prefer style over function and want your friends to say "cool phone" this is a great purchase, just don't let anyone touch your phone....EVER.
The phone looks like ming. With one or more features added and one or more features subtracted. Overall, it is more beautiful than ming. A phone worth buy from motorola!!
Yeah, kinda interesting with that wierdo lid trick, but usability which is 80% software related comes always first.
I mean if you can't browse engadget what shoud you use a phone for? Phoning?
Naah, my Omnia is still the best option (by far), unless the HTC 4G gets outta the Russian steppes and makes it to my pocket.
HTC HD? Tried. Sucks
HTC pro? Owned. Sucks
Storm? ..Mmmm.. sucks.
iPhone? Don't get me started. Sucks
And come to think of it you suck too.
Yea, you do.
Yea. Let me tell you something about the Motorola Krave ZN4. I have had nothing but problems. If you don't believe me. Go waste some money of your own and buy one. The first phone that I got worked fine at first then, the EZ nav application started to close all by its self every time you try to type in a new address. The same would happen when I tried to even open the V cast application. So I took it to the dumb phone store and got a Brand new phone. Ok things were great. Then, Three times the sound would fade out while I was in the middle of business calls. Not a lost call just it would sound like they were in a cave. Shouting into their phone from five feet away. Then the ability to send and receive text/picture messages would go in and out. When I called the help line I got, "try turning the phone off and on or taking out the batteries." Oh yea a few times the phone would turn off for no reason. Someone told me that that is suppose to happen when it is updating its software. That’s a crap feature. Also just this evening my EZ nav started to close by itself again when trying to type in an address for a business trip tomorrow. Other than that the phone is great. As long as you don't mine not being able to use features that you pay for every month.