Camera

The Motorola RAZR2 V9's built-in 2.0-megapixel camera with 8x digital zoom delivers improved picture quality over prior models. Capturing crisp and clear pictures despite not having a flash for low light situations, unfortunately the digital zoom function means images lose resolution rather than actually zooming in, as optical zoom would do.

However, like other camera phones, there are a number of features to complement the lens, such as Filters (Black and White, Bluish, Antique, Reddish, Greenish and Negative), Lighting Variations (Automatic, Sunny, Cloudy, Indoor-Home, Indoor-Office and Night) and Resolution (Large - 2MP, Medium - 1.3MP, Small - 480 x 640 px and X Small - 240 x 320 px). Shutter Tones vary from Chimp, Quack, Flix, Boing, Click or None. Users can also choose from five Exposure Levels, a 5- or 10-Second Timer and Quality Settings of "Good," "Better" or "Best."

Similar to former Motorola models, the RAZR2 V9 hasn't advanced much in mobile imaging. As many high-end devices have released 3.2-megapixel devices and above, the RAZR2 V9's camera is currently mid-tier, with lower-end handhelds integrating 1.3-megapixel lenses. While still better than most camera phones, the V9 lets the casual user take impromptu photos when a standalone digital camera isn't at hand but may not be enough for the photo enthusiast.

Aside from still pictures, the RAZR2 V9 has camcorder functionality with a similar set of customization options. It plays videos in QCIF (Quarter Common Intermediate Format) 176 × 144 px resolution with 25,344 px in up to 25 frames per second. The RAZR2 V9 can also record up to one hour of half-minute video clips depending on available memory. Grainy at best, the video recording feature is a novelty at best.

Basic Features

Motorola's RAZR2 V9 offers a satisfying mix of classic features alongside new and innovative functions. Basic features on the V9 include Alarm Clock, World Clock, Calculator, Voice Messaging, Voice-Activated Dialing, Speakerphone, Calendar, Fixed and Service Dial Entries, Airplane Mode and Text Display in English, French, Spanish or Portuguese.

As for its higher-end features, the V9 is enabled for Motorola's "MotoSync," which can synchronize mobile email, phonebook and calendar to the personal computer and "See What I See," which lets users to stream live video images to other wireless customers during a call.

The RAZR2 V9 is a quad-band world phone which operates on all four major cellular frequencies (850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 MHz) for enhanced call quality and fewer dropped calls. The 950 mAh Li-Ion battery provides up to 3.4 hours of talk time and 12 days of standby time, according to Motorola.

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