Introduction

Released earlier this fall, Motorola's Krave ZN4 from Verizon Wireless joins a strong crowd of competitors in the U.S. touch screen phone market. Unlike the Apple iPhone or the latest BlackBerry Storm, the Krave is no smartphone, but it offers features and design that is unique in its own right.

Motorola Krave ZN4

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The Krave touts not one, but two innovative touch screens, a one-of-a-kind design and superior multimedia services including live television from Verizon's VCAST Mobile TV, Rhapsody music service and the VZ Navigator GPS application.

Despite being a flip phone, the Krave's transparent cover only enhances the phone's vibrant 2.8-inch TFT LCD screen underneath. Additional highlights include a 2.0-megapixel camera, MP3 music player software, 3.5mm headset jack, full QWERTY keyboard and Bluetooth 2.0 connectivity.

Design

The Krave's innovative design is truly eye-catching. With two levels of touch-screen menus, this Motorola handset exudes style and technological savoir-faire. Smaller and easier to carry in a pocket than most touch screen phones, the Krave weighs 4.59 oz. and measures approximately 4.13" (H) x 2.0" (W) x 0.75" (D).

It has a touch-sensitive transparent flip cover with tactile feedback. Users can conveniently view and access commonly used features. A circular Motorola emblem that doubles as a speaker to turn the Krave into a portable music player. Opening the flip answers calls, and the speaker's opposite side reveals the earpiece.

Opened, the top of the inside screen are two buttons - one button for power and one "home" button that will return users back to the main screen. An internal microphone is located below the screen.

Both of the Krave's touch screen offer iPhone-like navigation by sliding a finger up and down the screen.

On the left side of the phone there's a covered 3.5mm headset jack, and below that are volume controls and a covered Micro-USB port for transferring data from the phone to another device. The Krave's right side bears a camera-dedicated key, covered microSD memory card slot, "voice" key for recording voice memos and sending voice-activated commands, and a screen lock that deactivates the touch screen cover, preventing users from making unintended calls and exchanges.

The Krave's rubberized back won't get sullied by smudgy fingerprints like other shiny-surfaced touch screen phones. This is a plus considering that consumers will already have two touch screens to worry about keeping clean.

Also located on the back of the phone is the 2.0-megapixel camera/camcorder lens, recessed to prevent scratching and smearing. In the phone's left-hand corner is an enclosure for a hand strap.

Watching mobile TV and viewing picture slideshows on the Krave's long 2.8-inch, 240 x 400 px touch screen is another one of this its great assets. During calls, buttons for mute, speakerphone, Bluetooth connections and ending calls appear on the screen.

The outward appearance of the Krave is one of a well-designed phone. But because the Krave's touch screen duo divides the phone's features in two places, it may take some time to learn which features are available on which screens. Another common complaint about this handset is that its transparent cover actually gets in the way of two-thumb typing on its full QWERTY keyboard.

Out of the box, the Motorola Krave ZN4 comes with a standard 950 mAh Li-Ion Battery, Power Cable and User Guide.

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