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Motorola D&G RAZR V3i

By Ella Morton on 31 July 2006

This fashion-focused phone screamed "tack-o-rama" according to our simple tastes, but label lovers might be sold on the gold.

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Motorola D&G RAZR V3i Rating: 6.4 out of 10 Ella Morton 31st Jul 2006 If you're a slave to fashion labels, you may fall for this golden phone. Others will find the inflated price and unsubtle branding a bit ridiculous. Motorola Mobile phones Motorola D&G RAZR V3i If you're a slave to fashion labels, you may fall for this golden phone. Others will find the inflated price and unsubtle branding a bit ridiculous.

• Good: Gold overload • Solid, reliable RAZR design • MicroSD card included
• Bad: Gold overload • Overpriced, but that's kind of the point • Camera stills could be better
• Specs: Flip • Bluetooth • Numerical keypad • See more specifications
• RRP: AU$899.00

Photo gallery: Motorola D&G RAZR V3i

Remember Goldmember, the bizarre Dutch Austin Powers villain who lost a vital organ in an "unfortunate shmelting accident"? This is his phone.

Accessories: Leather case

Design
Design? Design is everything in this phone, darlings. Given the D&G V3i is identical in its feature-set to the standard V3i, this review will focus on the several designer modifications that transform it into an haute couture status symbol. For a comprehensive look at the V3i's features and performance, check out the original review.

Now, onto what makes the D&G model unique. Firstly, and most obviously, the whole thing -- inside and out -- has been given a matte gold finish. "DOLCE & GABBANA" is embossed in the fashion label's signature font on the back of the phone, and just in case you forget the name by the time you open the clamshell and power up the device, a throaty, very manly voice purrs "Dolce and Gabbana".

Accessories: Headset

More D&G branding is to be found on the wallpaper of both the internal and external displays, which is -- surprise! -- gold with a large black "D&G". There are also three Dolce & Gabbana-inspired ringtones to alert you when your concierge calls to confirm the bulk beluga order for that party on Saturday night.

As with any style icon, there are co-ordinated accessories, including a very chic black wiping cloth to rid the phone of the smudges caused by inadvertent contact with filthy commoners. A gold D&G charm, which attaches to the phone and jangles around like coins in a Chanel pocket, rounds out the ensemble.

The original RAZR (or V3) debuted in late 2004, meaning this design has been kicking around for almost two years. Motorola continues to capitalise on the popularity of its slim and sexy silhouette, recently announcing a new line-up of new yet familiar-looking phones; the KRZR, RIZR and another RAZR. But in looking at the D&G model, we're beginning to get a bit OVR the whole thing. We were mightily impressed back in 2004, but, having seen a wealth of innovative phone shapes and features in the interim, the wow factor has dimmed somewhat, and the menus are beginning to look dated. Plus, the colours totally clash with the gold casing, and not in a groovy avant-garde Marc Jacobs catwalk neo-grunge kind of way.

Accessories: Bluetooth earpiece

Whether you'll covet the D&G V3i depends on how many designer labels feature in your wardrobe. If you want the cachet of having an attention-getting, limited-edition phone plastered with high-end fashion branding, this model will make you happy. While the V3i is a solid phone with a lot of cool features, we wouldn't spend AU$900 on this baby. But given we're more likely to wear KMart trackie dacks than a D&G dress, we're not exactly in the target market.

Optional accessories
Any fashion devotee knows that accessories can make or break an outfit. Optional extras for the D&G V3i all come in co-ordinated gold, and include a leather case (AU$79.95), stereo headset (AU$59.95) and a folding Bluetooth earpiece (AU$199.95).

Topics: motorola, v3i, d&g, gabbana, dolce, razr, and, accessory, phone, gold

• 

  jaqjaq gave 4/10 on 16/03/2009 15:45 Report abuse

  • Good: Sexy looking, Lotsa memory
  • Bad: Dolce gabanna thing.
    Doesnt handle being dropped.

  Love the phone but dropped it and the screen stopped working. Sexy looking and lotsa good stuff in the phone.

• 

  Derrick33 gave 9/10 on 07/02/2009 17:32 Report abuse

  • Good: when you turn it off and on and knowing no one will steal it cuz i only that has it
  • Bad: got it turned off

  hey i bought this phone great phone i dropped it two time on concrete in a row i like cried!!!!!!

• 

  guru-360 gave 10/10 on 04/02/2009 21:23 Report abuse

  • Good: Easy to customize the P2K operating system with skins, menu items etc. Far more customizable then any nokia to date.
    
    Instant messaging and email feature very useful.
    
    Loving the external display.
    
    Ability to install aditional operating system versions on there with different skins and features enabled.
    
    And the large keys make gaming a blast. Combined with some motorola headphones and some classic nintendo games the V3i (even though it's gold) makes a great games phone.
    
    Music player sounds better then my ipod. and the headphones are comfier too. Not to mention the Music player is quite like the ipod interface.
    
    Using the Skype java app, I can call for free!
    
    Far easier to transfer music to then my ipod. (JSYN this is my new iPod Nano 4th Gen)
    
    Can make a full backup of the OS including contacts etc.
    
    Plays Mp4 Videos and can also record them.
    
    Supports a bluetooth keyboard.
    
    Stylish and small. Makes an awesome noise when I close the lid.
    
    Wallpaper managment and picture viewing most advance and fastest compared to most Nokia S40 handsets.
  • Bad: Some 3D java games don't function (such as burnout)
    
    Will require a restart sometimes after watching a full length mp4 movie to be able to use all keys.
    
    Battery life isn't great (but better then my nokia 7380)
    
    Only supports 2GB Micro SD.
    
    When multitasking, (e.g. Playing music and writing a webmail to someone online) will slow the phones predictive iTap text down a bit.
    
    Takes a fair bit of hacking to enable EDGE on the device.
    

  Happened to find one of these lying about on the street (Maybe it was one of yours!)
  
  The firmware was stuffed and the keys weren't working. But with a bit of love and care I nursed this phone back to health. Now using it as my primary phone, Lucky I had some old V3 accessories lying around and a guy on ebay was selling a spare v3i housing.
  
  If you drop the phone, the inside cable connecting the body to the chipset will come loose. Get a T5 screwdriver, open it up and click it back together. Simple.
  
  Only wish I could get some original v3i DG accessories. Just having the phone is kinda lame.

• 

  Rufus gave 2/10 on 24/12/2008 04:11 Report abuse

  • Good: thin, stylish
  • Bad: cheap construction, unreliable, as to the battery, forget it, keep it plugged in!

  had this phone for about a year, never dropped it anywhere!! even kept it in a gold case!! speaker stopped working after 6 months, now the earpiece works now and then, and some of the keys malfunction, so much for a DG Gold!

• 

  princess_kazumi gave 9/10 on 21/06/2008 22:03 Report abuse

  if i will have extra money i will really buy this one! the motorola d&g.. it looks fabulous and attractive because of the color........ I just bought a prada KE850 in hk last month and it is not functioning now.I can't open it anymore. The solution is to go to hk again to ask for a warranty. god! it will be hassle enough for me because im in the philippines..

• 

  jineeeeeeeeeeeeee gave 10/10 on 10/06/2008 14:33 Report abuse

  • Good: everything:)
    
  • Bad: the "dolce and gabbana" thing gets annoying after awhile when you turn the phone off and on
    but, oh well

  sexy phone

• 

  sanjeev ranjan gave 4/10 on 05/06/2008 16:21 Report abuse

  • Good: good look, attractive
  • Bad: bad customer service, very poor battery life

  This phone is stylish and sleek. The customer service is very bad. The display goes black often and need to restart the phone. I have been using this phone for quite a long time but I did not know that this phone does have the advanced GPRS feature, so I cannot access internet on this phone. I can connect this phone to my PC to access internet. So this is sick feature.
  

• 

  nokia e90 gave 8/10 on 13/05/2008 19:10 Report abuse

  • Good: Camera result is good.
    Large LCD for playing movies.
  • Bad: Nothing i think.

  Same feature different color. I has this mobile my mobile is Motorola RAZR V3i in black that mobile is broken than i buy my dg motorola. Its good also.

• 

  ganesh gave 10/10 on 15/04/2008 16:13 Report abuse

  i always like d&g items

• 

  Jess gave 4/10 on 02/04/2008 18:31 Report abuse

  • Good: Colour, Style & Attention
  • Bad: Everything stuffs up eventualy

  This phone is the worst phone i've ever brought. I've had it 4 18 months now and in the first 5 months it stuffed up and i couldnt ring anyone cause of thge signal was pethetic so i sent it back then 2 weeks after getting it back the first time it turned itself off and wouldnt turn back on talk about annoying!!!! and then just 2 days ago it did the same thing so i sent it back to be fixed 4 the 3rd time they wouldnt fix it so i canceled and got a better phone

 

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