Motorola KRZR K3 review: New party star

The calendar: seasoned performer

As usual, the main organizing function is the calendar. It can contain both standard events and tasks, all of them displayed together. The calendar can be set to repeat events in a preset order. Each task can be assigned a priority and a mark-off option. The calendar offers a monthly, weekly, and daily view.

 
Monthly, weekly, and daily view at the calendar • event detail

Motorola KRZR K3 has 5 alarm clocks, which could also be used as reminders thanks to a special option that lets you insert descriptions. They will wake you up with any of the available tones no matter if the phone is on or off. The alarm clock application does not offer repetition and thus requires setup each day. The handset also boasts a calculator including a unit converter, a world time application, and a voice recorder - the recording time is limited only by the memory available. Pity the Motorola KRZR doesn't offer text notes, indeed. A special Java application could be a small consolation, however, it saves notes on a remote server. The phone has the so-called K3 Help application, which gets you acquainted with your device. The Motorola Setup application is used for instant setup of data transfers, WAP, MMS, and for archiving your contacts and messages on a remote server.

 
Editing an event • selection of event types • task list

 
Organizer menu • several alarm clocks can be set up simultaneously • calculator

Better music player

One of the most serious flaws of the first KRZR was the integration of two music players, none of which worked well enough. This in fact is a longstanding Motorola fault. It was not before the RAZR V6 maxx that improvements were made. Fortunately, KRZR K3 offers a completely revamped and far better music player than its predecessors. The new music player can be minimized to run in the background and manages the following formats: MP3, AAC, AAC+, eAAC+, WMA, and WAV. The player indexes music files in order to work with them faster afterwards. It works with ID3 tags too.

Music player in action • and its menu and setting • stand-by display during playing

Tracks can be sorted by artist, album, genre, and composer or grouped into user-configurable playlists. There are no equalizer presets, but the sound can be refined by adjusting the bass and spatial effect. Repeat and shuffle are available as well. When the phone is folded, the music player is controlled through the keys on the sides of the phone. Playlists appear on the external display. You can skip songs, pause playing, as well as adjust volume levels.

 
Selecting a song and playing it on the external display

The best way to enjoy music on the Motorola KRZR K3 is with the wireless Bluetooth earphones. The phone supports the A2DP Bluetooth profile. You can use the Motorola DJ S805 wireless earphones with it, for example. Their sound quality is splendid. As we didn't have a copy of the standard wired headset delivered in the retail package, we cannot make judgments about its qualities. The loudspeaker sounds great too. The phone doesn't have an FM radio.

The main display of the music player • player menu and settings • stand-by display during playing

Speaking about entertainment, let us also mention the video player and the Java games installed in the phone. The video player can play videos in fullscreen and fast-forward and rewind them. It manages 3GP and MP4 formats. We found 6 demo versions of various Java games in the phone. The question, of course, is if they'd still be demos in the retail version of the Motorola KRZR K3. Java applications run not that fast, but they can be minimized in background, which is a great plus.

 
Menu with Java applications • pre-installed games were only presented by demo versions

jBechmark results:

• jBenchmark 1.0:   3663 points
• jBenchmark 2.0:     418 points

Lightning fast data

Like Motorola RAZR V6 maxx, the KRZR K3 also has support for HSDPA or 3.5G as some call it. It enables you to receive and send data at a theoretical speed of up to 3.6 Mb/s, which is comparable to home ADSL internet access. The phone also offers EDGE and GPRS Class 10, if HSDPA is not available. Motorola KRZR K3 can be connected to a computer via Bluetooth or through the miniUSB connector using a standard miniUSB cable or the one included in the package. The memory card appears on the PC as a new storage device. KRZR K3 starts to charge automatically as soon as it has been connected.

WAP browser

The integrated browser is developed by Opera. It features extensive setup options and manages simple websites with ease. Font size can be modified. It is even possible to disable images, sounds, and JavaScript. Internet pages can be viewed in fullscreen too. Enclosed in the Motorola KRZR K3 package you should also find a CD with the Motorola Phone Tools software, which is usually paid for. It helps you synchronize the phonebook of the phone with your calendar in Outlook and use the phone as a modem.

RAZR or KRZR?

The key aspect of Motorola KRZR K3 is design. Its functional menu is rich enough, but appearance is likely to come first when it gets to consumer attraction. On the other hand, appearance is easily blemished by the excessive susceptibility of the phone's front to finger prints. As far as features are concerned, a few drawbacks are notable, that have been present in Motorola phones for years: you cannot set delivery notification permanently, poor video capturing resolution, or the ringing SMS alert when a ringtone has been assigned to a contact, just to name a few. At the same time, Motorola KRZR K3 wins points with its HSDPA support, its high-quality music player and its miniUSB connector.

 
Motorola KRZR K3 or Moto RAZR V6 maxx? Which one will you go for?

At the moment Motorola's portfolio features two lifestyle clamshells: the KRZR K3 and the RAZR V6 maxx. You can see our full-featured of RAZR V6 maxx here. There's almost no difference between them in terms of software; the RAZR has a camera LED flash, which lacks in the KRZR K3, a bigger main display, external sensor keys to control the music player, and light effects. On the other hand, the KRZR K3 has exquisite bodywork and is smaller. That way or another, design most probably will be the battlefield to win consumer preference.