Motorola Krave

“Motorola Krave ZN4 for Verizon looks like a Star Trek communicator, makes a great little portable TV, and incorporates some genuinely innovative touch-screen technology. But its lack of interesting applications leaves me wanting a lot more. Here's the problem: The bar for touch-screen phones has been raised considerably recently. With the iPhone, the LG Dare, the Samsung Instinct, the T-Mobile G1, and the BlackBerry Storm out there, just having a touch screen isn't enough anymore. A handset needs to offer fresh software, too. And the Krave's software feels old—functional but stale.”

“The Motorola Krave ZN4 has an eye-catching and unique design with an innovative and responsive touch interface. It offers a bevy of high-end features and rates favorably in call, photo, and streaming video quality. The Motorola Krave ZN4 accomplishes something few other cell phones do: it's unique, easy to use, and it performs well.”

“Even with music playback that lasts nearly 16 hours - eight more than the iPhone - the Krave is still a disappointment. The touch cover is a great technology unto itself, but here, instead of making the Krave easier to use, it's actually more often a hindrance, both physically and functionally. Many of the Krave's other functions, especially the QWERTY keyboard, lack the attention to intuitive detail that makes the iPhone such a joy to use. It just doesn't seem as if the operating system and touch technology are matched very well. I'd love to see this technology better developed and matched with Android or LiMo, the Linux mobile operating system that Verizon has committed itself to. Overall, a shame, really…”

“Your first reaction to the startling innovative protective touchscreen, or touch cover, on the Motorola Krave, Motorola's first iPhone-like touchscreen phone, is likely to be How'd they do that?! That's right, the Krave, a Verizon EV-DO powered model with Verizon's V CAST TV, actually has two touchscreens – the iPhone/Samsung Instinct/LG Voyager/HTC Touch-like 2.8-inch touchscreen, and a clear protective touch-sensitive touch cover. Touch this clear flip screen and the Krave's main LCD screen underneath reacts. Plus, embedded in the touch cover is the Krave's earpiece. Flip the touch cover up and you hear your caller's voice even though there's no visible wire connecting the speaker to the phone's main body. This clear touch cover is awe-inspiringly clever, even more magical than the suddenly passé finger-swipe scroll. The question is, is it too clever for its own – and your – good?”