Wireless and Mobile News' Review or Reviews of the Motorola Krave ZN4 from Verizon Wireless.
Almost simultaneously with its release, reviews are available for the Motorola Krave ZN4 from Verizon. This phone really looks like a Star Trek communicator and boldly goes where no touchscreen phone has gone before because it has a clear flip cover, that doesn't have to be opened to make the Krave ZN4 work.
Reviewers found the design innovative and the touchscreens on the outside and inside accurate. Where the Krave ZN4 excels is as mobile TV device and real conversation piece. The screen is clear and vibrant. For iPhoneaholics this phone will not fulfill those who crave Wi-Fi.
Some reviewers noted that the touchscreen required acclimation, while others found it awkward. CNET loved the user interface while PC Magazine's Sacha Segan thought it was "stale." Reviewers were mixed about the web browsing that was clunky at times. Currently, the Motorola Krave ZN4 lacks full IMAP 4 support making it poor choice for enterprise users. POP3, however was easy to setup and use.
As with all cell phones, your choice depends on what you need and if you personally can use the phone. Star Trek fans will want flip the Krave ZN4 open at the next Star Trek Convention while other humanoids may want to try it out first. For summaries of the reviewers who did and did not crave the Motorola Krave ZN4 continue reading.
Kent German at CNET in his review rated the Motorola Krave ZN4 4 out 5, for its uniqueness, ease of use, and performance. He notes that looks like a Star Trek communicator with i's clear flip and is a conversation piece. The design is distinctive and the touchscreen vibrant. The clear cover acts as secondary touchscreen without opening the phone. To make a call you don't have to open the Krave. He was thrilled with the UI with icons and the touchscreen was accurate. The control buttons were kind of small. POP3 email was easy setup. Enterprise IMAP4 is limited to Outlook Web Access without calendar syncing. The 2 megapixel camera was disappointing and lacked editing features. The web browser helped by the acclerometer and cursor worked well sometimes and was clunky at other times. Call quality was excellent. Video performed well while music quality was pretty good. The main fault is that it lacks Wi-Fi.
Sascha Segan at PCMag rated the Motorola Krave ZN4 3.5 out of 5 because the software felt "stale" and "boring." Sometimes the clear cover when not locked triggered apps by mistake. The main reason to buy the phone is for mobile TV which worked well when not held in his hand blocking the antenna and the audio was fine. Call quality was good. He called the browser "barely HTML." The camera lacked options and he prefers the LG Dare for $50 more.
Todd Haselton at Latptop called the Motorola Krave ZN4 a "wild looking device." The touchscree was responsive while the UI is a bit sluggish. Audio was good because of its two speakers. The on-screen QWERTY keyboard was awkward. You have to open the phone to reply to text messages. He said he is excited to get working on his review.
Motorola Krave ZN4 specs appear in the original announcement posted this morning.