Click to View

First in the thin phone craze, the RAZR has been winning fans with its sleek and stylish looks since it was released. The original was upgraded to the V3c, which added support for 3G networks, in early 2006. While it hasn't been out that long, the V3c has also been upgraded, this time by the music-capable V3m, in the middle of this year. That means the V3c is no longer available through Verizon, but you can still get it from regional companies, such as Alltel and MetroPCS. Because it's not the latest model, you'll be able to find it for a lower price. Alltel currently offers it for $99, after rebates, and throws in a Bluetooth headset.

Motorola designs many of the best-looking phones out today, and the Razr V3c is so elegant that you find yourself picking it up for no reason and turning it over in your hand. It measures 3.9 x 2.1 x 0.6 inches and weighs only 3.5 ounces. It's a flip phone, and when flipped open is quite long, so that the mouthpiece is actually next to your mouth.

The V3c has two screens, neither of which is terribly bright, but the small (96 x 80 pixels) external screen is especially dim and pale. The inner screen measures 176 x 220 pixels or 2.2-inches diagonally. The lens of the 1.3 megapixel camera is located on the front, so that you can easily take self-portraits (viewing yourself in the small external screen).

When opened, the V3c displays the cool silver-and-blue number pad that the RAZR is known for. It looks high-tech, without being confusing. While the buttons appear to be perfectly flat, they do have a nice little bit of push to them, so you're never wondering if you've hit a button all the way.

The button layout is fairly standard, with two contextual buttons, a circular navigation pad, and call start and stop buttons. The only additions are dedicated buttons for calling up the camera and clearing what you last entered. Three other buttons on the top part of the phone, on either side of the screen, let you turn on the speakerphone, adjust the volume, and activate the voice command mode.

It supports EV-DO high-speed data transfers, so if you have Verizon you can purchase a plan to download news and entertainment clips. It also offers Bluetooth for connecting a pair of wireless headphones, and a 1.3 megapixel camera. Pictures weren't as bright as they should have been in our testing. The phone also has a video camera mode.

The V3c is too small to be loaded with features, so that's about all you'll get. If you buy from Verizon, you'll find easy menu options for downloading video, new ringtones, screen backgrounds, and games, but remember that those extras are all steeply priced. The test phone we got didn't include a single game, which seems awfully ungenerous.

Conspicuously missing are music features, but those come with the improved V3m model. If having music on your phone doesn't matter to you and you'd rather have a steep discount than the latest model, hunt around for the V3c. You should be able to find good deals on the remaining inventory.