Product Brief

The Motorola RIZR Z3 is a GSM/GPRS/EDGE compatible handset operable at GSM 850/900/1800/1900 frequencies.  The Z3 is the first slider design to become part of the 4LTR suite of sleek Motorola phones which includes the RAZR, SLVR, and KRZR.  The handset weighs just under 4-ounces and measures 4.15" (H) x 1.79” (W) x 0.65" (D).

Although the RIZR Z3 isn’t a true smartphone, it does have a flash memory slot for the addition of extra storage space.  The microSD, or TransFlash, slot allows you to store audio and video files on tiny memory cards for playback on the Z3.  Also, with Motorola's Mobile Phone Tools software, you can enter contact and calendar information for later use.  Other features include a 2MP digital camera good for still or MPEG-4 video capture, Bluetooth peer-to-peer wireless, USB 2.0 connectivity and a replaceable 780mAh Li-Ion Battery.

The following items are included in the box: one 128MB microSD flash memory card, one USB 2.0 cable, a wired headset/earphone combo set, a printed User Manual and Get Started Guide, and a recycling bag.

Look & Feel

I’m a fan of phones built around the slider design because, like a flip phone, a slider is small and compact when put away, but expands to be longer and easier to hold when in use.  When closed, the RIZR Z3 has a footprint about the size of a business card – slightly longer, but also slightly thinner.   In this state, the Z3 somewhat resembles the SLVR, Motorola’s 4LTR candybar phone.

The plate covering the battery compartment is formed aluminum, as is the band that wraps around the circumference of the phone. The remaining colored sections of the phone are plastic, but have been painted in such a way as to make the surface feel slightly rubberized.

When closed, you access to the RIZR's Talk, End, Web and Back buttons, as well as the four-way nav pad.  When you need to enter numbers or letters, however, just give the screen section a gentle upward push to expose the keypad beneath.  This sliding action is surprisingly solid and smooth.  You have full command of the handset with the keypad exposed, though you may not use the keypad that often if you primarily dial using preset contacts or voice command.    

There is no dedicated 2.5mm headset jack on the Z3; the miniUSB port doubles as an audio out port with the included headset/earbud combo.  There are adapters available to convert this port for use with standard 2.5mm headsets.

Using the RIZR Z3

The Z3’s screen is particularly bright and vivid, and is easy to see in any lighting condition. Even outside on a bright spring day, the screen is quite readable, more so than the RAZR V3 and my year-old Samsung A900.  The screen has  a resolution of 176x220, displays up to 260,000 colors and measures 1.5” (H) x 1.19” (W). 

Beneath the screen is the backlit keypad, which is composed of the 12 primary number, # and *keys. There are two functions worth noting here.  First, the # key doubles as a ring-mode toggle.  Press and hold the # for three seconds and the ringer switches on and off.  When off, the handset is placed in vibrate mode.  Similarly, pressing and holding the * key activates the keypad lock, which is nice if you need to lock down the phone in a hurry.

The Z3’s keypad is a bit small and stiff for my taste, and users with large hands may have trouble pressing the correct keys until they’re used to the layout. 

If you’d rather speak a command than enter one with the keypad, the RIZR Z3 also has voice command.  The fantastic no-training-required software comes from VoiceSignal, and accepts commands like “Call Judy Mobile” or “Call 1-800-555-1212.”  You can also speak commands like “Send Message: Judy” or Send E-Mail: Judy.”  This feature is triggered by pressing a dedicated Voice Command hardware button.

The onboard 2MP camera is also activated with a hardware button, located on the right side of the handset.  Turn the Z3 90-degrees counterclockwise and this button is where the shutter button would be on a traditional camera; the screen becomes a viewfinder.  The camera shoots both still images and video and has a weak LED flash for low light conditions.  Captured images are stored as .JPG files and videos are encoded as .3GP files, a variant of MPEG-4.  Video files can be played back in Quicktime.

If you want to use a wireless headset with the RIZR, you can do just that with the handset’s onboard Bluetooth.  Search for and add devices or set the handset to Discoverable Mode if you want to pair the phone with another Bluetooth device.  The Z3 supports Bluetooth Dial-Up Networking (DUN), so it’s able to act as a wireless modem with a Windows PC (if you spring for the data plan).

Software

As you can tell, I’m a fan of the RIZR Z3’s design.  My praise isn’t exactly glowing for the handheld’s software, however.

The software powering the RAZR, KRZR , SLVR and RIZR is based on JAVA.  Compared to the software that powers other non-smartphone handhelds, the Z3’s interface seems clumsy and plain.  For example, the main menu’s icons are blocky, and are composed of very few colors.  On a more substantial note, a task as simple as setting the main ringtone took several minutes to figure out; in the end I discovered that there was no dedicated menu for ringtones.  You must navigate to Menu > Fun & Apps > Sounds, select the audio file, select Options > Apply As and set the audio file to be a ringtone.  The good news here is that any ol’ MP3 file can be used as a ringtone.

This awkward interface is also found in the multimedia playback software.  Rather than a dedicated media player, you must select files from a list, which causes the file to play.

If you have a Windows PC, you can also connect the RIZR via USB or Bluetooth.  Connecting to read from or write to the flash memory card is easy, but you’ll need Motorola’s Phone Tools software to interface with the handset’s internal memory.

Though I’m a bit disappointed, I don’t consider the software interface to be a deal breaker, but it is my least favorite aspect of the RIZR. 

Subjective Analysis

If you’re a big talker, you’ll certainly appreciate the battery life of the RIZR Z3.  I was able to get just over six hours of talk time out of the handset, and considering its small size, that’s nothing to sniff at.  I also enjoyed particularly good call quality with the handset.  In my office I consistently saw five signal bars.  The reception you get will depend heavily on the area where you use the RIZR, but I can report that the transceiver is at least as good as the RAZR and KRZR. 

Conclusion

Although the software powering the handset leaves me unimpressed, the other aspects of the RIZR Z3 have won me over.  I like the slider design, which Motorola has implemented with solidity and style.  The built-in multimedia capabilities, along with Bluetooth wireless and a 2MB digital camera, make the RIZR Z3 an adequate MP3 player and camera replacement for the times you want to travel light. 

If you’re a T-Mobile customer and are in the market for a new phone, you could do a lot worse.

Overall Grade: B+