Introduction

Sometime in the mid-90s, Motorola released the revolutionary StarTAC - the first cell phone with the clamshell design which soon became a standard in the company's product portfolio. Subsequent flip phones from them were not as successful the StarTac however, and in terms of general cell phone design, Motorola was generally lacking back in the GSM days.

Two years ago however, Motorola released a flip phone that marked an inflection point that put the company back in the spotlight in terms of cell phone design, with a clamshell that commanded almost unprecedented attention since the StarTAC - the RAZR V3. Over the past two years, Motorola has milked the RAZR in a way that some people would deem as ludicrous, shelling out a multitude of new colors and variations, and releasing two upgraded models: the V3i and V3x. At this point, what was once deemed a sort of ‘exclusive' high-end product has become saturated, and everywhere you look, someone is using a RAZR.

The RAZR has lost its buzz in recent months as a result, and it's about time Motorola stopped rehashing an old formula and actually start taking it in a new direction. And they finally have. Introducing the true successor to the original RAZR V3 - the long overdue KRZR K1. Just as the RAZR has started to turn stale, the KRZR breathes new life into Motorola's latest generation of clamshell phones.

Package and Accessories

The box looks rather inconspicuous, except that instead of using conventional flaps, you are pull one end of the box (revealing a top flap for which to access the accessories), and the other end which houses the phone slides out. It's neat and compact, and essentially one piece even when opened.

What's inside the package however was something that baffled me. All you get is:

• 1 x KRZR K1 handset
• 1 x 750mAh (BC-50) lithium-ion battery
• 1 x cloth phone sack (good for protecting and wiping the phone)
• 1 x user manual*
• 1 x quick reference booklet*
• 1 x travel charger      

*The extra manual and booklets you see are translated versions

Referring to the manual, Motorola has a host of optional accessories for your phone, ranging from Bluetooth headsets, stereo audio headsets, data cables, to driver software CD's. You can buy them off a retailer or official Motorola dealer. Depending on your dealer, you could get some basic accessories like the stereo headset and USB cable at no additional cost, but I feel it makes no sense not to include certain things as standard especially when they are so cheap to produce. The driver software is perhaps the worst example. Why should I pay for drivers when I've already paid for the product? They should not be mutually exclusive. Motorola doesn't even have the drivers available for download at their site. Fortunately, some third party sites do, and if you Google a bit, you can find them. Still I think it's rather unwise of Motorola to operate like this.  

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