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.
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.
Camera
While the Krave’s 2.0-megapixel digital camera and camcorder are slightly better than average, the package lacks in common photo editing tools and creative features that can be found on most camera phones today. Because the Krave doesn’t have a flash or brightness/color controls, photos and video should be taken during the day or in a well-lit room for optimum picture quality. There’s also no self-portrait mirror.
What this camera phone does have is an 8x zoom, wide 240 x 320 px screen and unique slide show application that can be watched in the phone’s landscape mode by turning the handset horizontally on its side. Krave supports MPEG4, WMV, H.263 and H.264 video formats. Files can also be transferred from the phone to a PC or other device, but the USB cable for that needs to be purchased separately.
While taking pictures or video with screen cover down, about a fourth of the LCD screen becomes blank due to the positioning of the phone’s earpiece. Open up the phone and the blank space fills up with a queue of the most recently captured images.
The Krave shouldn’t be compared to top tier 5.0-megapixel camera phones like the Sony Ericsson K850i and Motorola ZINE ZN5, but if users are looking for a phone with the basics, the Krave’s gets the job done.
Basic Features
One of Krave’s unique features is its visual voicemail application from Verizon. Using the touch screen, users can scroll through their voicemail inbox, click on the messages they want to hear or delete the ones they don’t want. The Krave also comes with basic necessities including a 1,000-contact phonebook, calendar, notepad, calculator, alarm clock, world clock, tip calculator, icon glossary and text display in English or Spanish.
Special functions include passcode protection, a check for software updates, airplane mode, TTY mode for the hearing impaired, voice readout for keypad digits and voice commands for sending messages, calls and activating music playlists. The Krave doesn’t come with any games, but they are available for download on the phone’s web browser.
Add a personal touch to the Krave by choosing from a selection of wallpapers and 24 polyphonic ringtone options. Features like alert sounds, keypad volume and display backlight can also be modified to any preferences.
The Krave uses a 950 mAh battery with an impressive standby time of 500 hours (20.8 days) and talk time of 260 minutes (4.33 hours).
Verizon is selling the phone with a two-year service agreement for $179.99, after a $50 online discount. The package comes with a travel charger, 950 mAh battery and user guide. The Krave is reasonably priced, not too expensive and also not the cheapest touch screen phone in Verizon’s lineup. Other similarly priced touch screen phones from Verizon include the Samsung Omnia and LG Dare.
Screen
The Krave’s transparent cover is its most distinctive feature. Embedded with an imperceptible touch-sensitive mesh layer, the cover not only protects the 2.8-inch LCD screen below, but it also serves as a touch screen menu with tactile feedback.
It displays images at 240 x 400 px when open and 240 x 320 px when closed – smaller than the iPhone and most other multimedia phones with touch screens. Using Thin Film Transistor LCD technology (TFT), the Krave’s 65K-color screen displays vibrant graphics, photos and text with no refresh delays and gorgeous clarity. Screen lighting and backlight time can be changed to suit users’ preferences.
With the flip cover down, the screen menu displays icons for music, Verizon VCAST TV, pictures and VZ Navigation. Flipped up, the touch screen shows a new set of shortcut icons for messages, the dialpad, contacts and the Krave’s main menu of 12 links to the Verizon web browser, phone settings, Bluetooth connections, call history, visual voicemail and more.
Touch the screen anywhere to go to the main menu. Consumers can navigate through the Krave’s various pages. A convenient “back” arrow key that appears at the top of the screen.
Both of the Krave’s touch screen menus feature tactile feedback and scrolling menus that move by sliding a finger up and down the screen. When viewing any of the Krave’s menus, users can see the phone’s signal strength, roaming indicator, Internet or device connections and battery life displayed in the top banner.
Audio
On the Krave, call and data networks are Evolution-Data Optimized (1xEv-DO) and enhanced by dual-band CDMA (Code Division Multiple Access) frequencies at 800 MHz and 1900 MHz. The result: high-speed voice and mobile data streaming that yields excellent call quality and fewer dropped calls.
Overall, call quality for the Krave – in regular mode and speakerphone – was first-rate and static free. In addition to vibrate only, alarm only and an all-sounds-off mode, there are five levels of volume to choose from. When switched to its highest level, call volume can be intimidating and loud, but for some, this won’t necessarily be a bad thing.
As a music player, the Krave handles MP3 and AAC audio files and connects to online music stores from Verizon VCAST Music and Rhapsody. The player is easy to use with customizable playlists, shuffle, repeat modes and an album cover flow display where users can move from one song to the next by tapping on the screen.
Although the Krave is equipped with a 3.5mm stereo headphone jack, headphones are sold separately. Songs sound best with when using headphones, as audio quality is a little low on the bass side, but otherwise good. While answering calls or using other applications, the music will pause automatically then restart once you return to the player screen. As the song plays, Krave’s high-resolution screen displays track information, album art and player controls.
Additional audio features on the Krave include speakerphone, visual voice mail and voice recording for up to an hour, depending on the phone’s available memory.
Messaging
SMS text messages can be sent with up to 1,000 characters to 10 recipients at a time. Save time by choosing from a list of 12 preset messages ranging from a simple “Let’s meet” to a more forward “Would you like to join me for a date tonight?” Have something important to say? Mark messages as urgent to let contacts know what’s important. The Krave also allows users to create 20-second video and pic-voice messages to help users send a strong statement.
Turn the phone sideways to activate the touch QWERTY keyboard, or keep the alphanumeric dial pad to text in portrait mode. Both formats utilize Motorola’s iTAP predictive text program and give tactile feedback and are comfortable for one-handed texting.
The Krave comes with email configurations for Yahoo! Mail, Hotmail, AOL, AIM, Verizon.net and mobile POP3 email services for Yahoo! Mail, Windows Live, Gmail and AOL mail. Instant messaging on the Krave is set for AIM, Windows Live and Yahoo! Messenger.
There are some flaws with the Krave’s QWERTY keyboard. One minor difference we found was that it didn’t use automatic first-letter caps. Hit the shift key once for caps and remember to hit it a second time to go back to lowercase type. The second hitch was that the Krave’s transparent touch cover makes it physically impossible (or at least very difficult) for double thumb typing like on most other handsets with QWERTY.
Entertainment
Verizon VCAST Mobile TV and Music lets consumers to take their calls and entertainment with them wherever they go. With the touch cover down, they can access menu links for videos or music. Once users have made their selection, turn the phone horizontally for a 240 x 320 px wide-screen view of favorite shows or use a finger to swipe through album covers in queue.
Starting at a subscription fee of $13 per month, VCAST Mobile TV offers live television programming straight to the phone from networks including CNBC, CBS, Comedy Central, ESPN, Comedy Central and MTV. This is television that’s sure to add enjoyment to midday coffee breaks and idle moments.
If users don’t have enough music already, Verizon downloads via Rhapsody are $1.99 for each song or $14.99 for unlimited access. On a PC, they can browse and purchase tunes from the VCAST Music online store via Windows Media Player 10. Then manage their music library, create playlists and sync songs to the phone.
Verizon VCAST also offers 3G streaming video, downloadable games, display themes, ringtones and more at prompt download speeds of about 500 kbps to 800 kbps.
Internet
Although the Krave’s futuristic design might suggest otherwise, Internet options on this Motorola phone haven’t changed much. Users can view HTML sites, but the phone will default to mobile versions. Users shouldn’t expect mobile web menus to give the same experience as surfing the Internet on an iPhone or a comparable smartphone device.
Unlike some touch screen phones that allow consumers to surf the web by touching links directly on the screen, the Krave’s web browser uses a touch screen navigation ring and cursor to point at links. Some may consider control of the cursor jumpy and cumbersome, so learning to maneuver it will take some getting used to.
Nonetheless, Verizon’s 3G EV-DO network is a true plus. New pages don’t take forever to load, and downloads are easier to come by. Krave also supports Verizon’s VZ Navigator service, which gives audible directions, traffic updates, maps and points of interest like restaurants and movie theaters.
Similar to its music player and other features, the VZ Navigator can also be viewed in landscape mode when the phone is turned horizontally.
Storage
With 130 MB of internal memory and a micoSD card slot that supports up to an additional 8GB (around 2,000 songs), the Motorola Krave is a data storing powerhouse among multimedia cell phones. Users wrho plan on using the phone as a portable music player should invest in a memory card. Extra storage and USB cables for are sold separately.
The Krave can store 1,000 phonebook contacts with space in each entry for five numbers (labeled under home, work and fax), two email addresses, photo ID and a customized ringtone.
Connectivity
The Krave supports some of the more popular Bluetooth 2.0 wireless connections. Headset Profile (HSP) and Hands-Free Profile (HFP) such as handsfree car kits or conference room devices can be enabled for use within a 10-meter distance from the phone. Dial-Up Networking (DUN) allows the phone to be used as a modem for a laptop or PDA. And for stereo sound, AVRCP and A2DP profiles will send audio from your phone to a Bluetooth compatible device.
Phone book access (PBAP) lets users share contacts, name card and calendar entries. Other profiles on the Krave include Basic Printing Profile (BPP) for Bluetooth-enabled printers, Object-Push Profile (OPP) for sending virtual business cards and File Transfer Protocol (FTP).
Bluetooth accessories for the Krave are sold separately.
