Phones from the future?

you may not give it a second glance but ever since I picked up my new mobile, I couldn't help thinking I'd seen it somewhere before.

But similarities aside, does this phone warp us to new planets never seen before in phoneland or does the Razr look sharp but fail to cut the mustard? No-one can deny that Motorola's new Razr is a slick looking piece of kit. Barely the thickness of your actual telephone bill and certainly slimmer than its manual, the V3 looks good. The aesthetics also carry over to the 'feel' too. The phone is so thin, it has to be made of metal and the device certainly seems sturdy and strong with no 'squeaky battery compartment syndrome' which seems to blight many other handsets once you get to grips with them. Both the screens on the V3 are also great, so could this be the perfect phone? Does it operate as well as it opens?

I had to change my phone, by necessity not choice. Previously I had a Nokia 9500 which may have had all the character (and weight) of a housebrick but delivered well in the usability stakes. It was a sad day when after a freak 'droppage', the phone slowly began to disintegrate, plastic cover first. This was also coupled with a trip to the beach where the tide came in and the speakerphone function went out. I truly was sad to consign my N9500 to the mobile phone 'purgatory' which is my bedside drawer, containing such delights as a Nokia 702 (my first love), a Nokia 1700 (my first hate), a Sony Ericsson p800 (with cracked LCD screen) and a SE k700i (disappointing apart from the radio).



With all this hardware to hand, I think I know what I'm looking for in a mobile. The N9500 came really close to perfection for me with a great keyboard and fab software (albeit sllooww!) The Razr does suffer from bland 'in-screen' presentation but for me, that's just about where the bad features end.

This phone delivers really well, The beautiful chemically etched keypad lights up ethereally and entices you to get pressing its comfortably sized buttons and although the menus seem lengthy, the features are good with a built in VGA camera (buy a proper one if you want a real camera) and usable bluetooth capabilities and connection options.

Not only did I love my N9500 for its keyboard, I liked the calendar too. The V3 has a calendar, and although it isn't as good, its usable thanks to its great keypad. Couple this with full mac & pc compatibility and the PDA functions are adequate for most.

Conclusion
I didn't intend to actually review the handset here however that is how this is going so I'm going to sum up. As a photographer with 2 ipod's and 2 Apple Macs to go with them, the V3 fits in with my prerequisits such as elegant design and usability. Its a great handset which performs very well in most departments, and great looks aside, I don't feel as though this phone will let me down quite as quickly as my old housebrick.

I'd be interested for any extra comments here. Maybe you have a mobile memory of your own or maybe you have a question about the V3, I'd be happy to comment further on this if needed.