Motorola U9
(Credit: Corinne Schulze/CNET Networks)Though Motorola has succeeded in making a series of reliable, practical cell phones this year, the company hasn't been working the style angle that hard. Sure, the Z9 and Rokr E8 are attractive, but even those handsets put function over form.
The Motorola U9, however, wears its style on its sleeve. Sporting a glossy surface and curvy lines, the attractive U9 reminds us of the Motorola Pebl U6. Beyond the pretty face, it offers a brilliant display, decent call quality, and a functional music player. On the downside, its controls are flat and slippery, the camera takes poor photos and its menu interface was a bit sluggish. We also were hoping for a 2.5mm headset jack or better yet, a 3.5mm jack. Still, the U9 remains a stylish phone with substance.
Read our Motorola U9 review for the complete report or check out our Motorola U9 slide show.
(Credit:
Motorola)
Motorola is now selling its flashy U9 handset in an unlocked version at its online store.
Announced last autumn, the GSM can be used with either or . The streamlined U9, which comes in both graphite and bright pink, has a glossy finish and a unique hinge design. Features include stereo Bluetooth, a microSD card slot, Moto's Crystal Talk technology, a 2-megapixel camera, and quadband GSM world phone support. There's also a music player, which you can activate with the external controls. The U9 goes for $275.99.
On Sale Now: $99.92
View the latest prices for Motorola U9 - black (Unlocked)
Pretty in pink
(Credit: Motorola)Two weeks before CTIA, Motorola jumped the gun and unleashed a gallery of new cell phones. While most of the models were basic handsets for developing markets, the Motorola U9 and the Motorola Razr2 V8 Luxury Edition stood out from the crowd. Luckily, Motorola gave us the chance to see the handsets up close at a CTIA press event.
The Moto U9 inherits its curvaceous design from the Motorola Pebl U6. It has the same rounded edges and smooth body, though instead of a rubbery skin, it sports a glossy finish that reflects the light. It fits neatly in the hand, and I liked the slick external display. Though it's invisible when the backlighting is off, a flick of the volume rocker will cause the display to appear behind the front face.
The dark pink color is certainly eye-catching, but the U9 comes in a more subdued black hue as well. Unfortunately, I didn't get the chance to test the new "Spinner" interface, but it looks cool from the pictures. Features on the U9 include a music player, stereo Bluetooth, Moto's Crystal Talk technology, a 2-megapixel camera, and world phone support. And in contrast to what I said in a video, the U9 is not part of Moto's Rokr series (sorry about that, it was a long trade show day). Also, we first saw the U9's nontraditional hinge design in the Sony Ericsson Z600, not the Pebl.
The Motorola Razr2 V8 Luxury Edition has the same overall shape as the original Razr2 V8, but the 18-karat and 24-karat gold plating positively sparkles. What's more, the slate black accents, faux leather rear face and the pin-striped design around the external display certainly put it in a luxury league (assuming there is, and even should be, such a league for cell phones). Some users might find that all bling to be a bit too much, but if you love making a statement, this could be the phone for you. The spacious external display is here as well, but unlike the Razr2 V9, it doesn't use the nifty onscreen controls to its full extent (T-Mobile's Razr2 V8 had the same problem). As for features, the handset offers Bluetooth, a 2-megapixel camera, quadband GSM world phone support, Moto's CrystalTalk technology, a full HTML browser, and Windows Media Player 11. We'll review them just as soon as we can.
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