Motorola Krave ZN4
Phone Scoop Review
Oct 14, 2008 by Stewart Wolpin & Eric Zeman
Our in-depth review of the Motorola Krave ZN4 for Verizon Wireless. See how this unique new finger-touch entry stacks up. Full review added. read review ›
User Reviews
Average Ratings
Not Bad at all.
I have had this phone for 2 days now. I am new to touch screen phones. It is very intuitive and easy to use. I am not totally sure it is a big enough screen for my fingers though. Dare is a little bigger. I may end up exchanging for a regular flip phone but I feel I need to play a few more days before I decide though. I want to love it because of its look and feel. It is most likely a comfort issue. Gave it a 5 because my only cons are personal taste.
Pros:
-Beautiful screen. Amazingly colorful and clear.
-Terrific call quality
-Design (looks)
-Pic flicking on closed screen
-ease of use
-Battery pretty good so far
-feels strong (solid build)
-decent camera
-touch screen feels good to touch
-unique
music player is great
Decent ringers and wallpapers included. great colors.
Built in screen protector!
cons:
-Verizon navigator icon. (hope it can be deleted)
-Flip a little in the way if you use your thumbs to text.
-I cannot use my big thumbs to text anyway.
-Fingerprint MAGNET like most touch phones.
I recommend this phone very much. I am unsure of my like a touch screen though. Though I would love and iphone on Verizon! Love my ipod touch.
Excellent Phone
I purchase this phone on Tuesday and I must say I am very impressed! The build quality is great, the display is sharper than any other Verizon phone and the call quality is top notch which Moto is known for. The touch screen seems very responsive with no lag at all. The overall style and design is very unique and creative. I think this should be a winner! One minor con- The battery cover door is a tad loose and does not always lock secure and in place, but a minor issue they can correct. I think all the Moto bashers should check out the Krave, you might just like it.
Not a fan!
This phone is very sharp looking but don't get caught up in the looks! I was so dissatisfied I felt compelled to write a review and I'm upset because this website will only allow me to type 200 characters!
PROS
- Sharp looking
- Touch through clear screen
- Battery life
- Sound quality and camera.
-
CONS
- Touch screen is overly sensitive
- Not much use to the clear screen
- Clumsy menu!
- clear screen gets in the way of the qwerty keyboard
THE CLEAR SCREEN
Scratches easily and gets dirty. You can't answer incoming calls with it, use the qwerty, reply to text messages, or use VZ Nav without opening it. More of a hindrance when unlocked.
THE TOUCH SCREEN
It's overly sensitive and inaccurate and I'm shocked if I dial it right the first time. The edge of the screen is not part of the screen but it's responsive to your touch so I found myself accidentally calling people by just by brushing the edge of my finger on the edge of the screen. The qwerty keyboard buttons are small. The clear screen gets in your way when using the touchscreen. When you go to the phone book, you have the option to scroll by touch. Problem is the scroll is more like a slot machine because you have no control. Don't even bother surfing the web unless you have steady hands like a surgeon.
CONTROLS
The controls are one of my biggest issues. It's clumsy. It doesn't have speed dial and it took me a minimum of 5 touches to call someone in the phone book and that's with no mistakes! It's even hard to call a 1-800 number because it goes to power save too quickly and you have to unlock it before you "press 1." After 2 weeks I still struggle to do basic functions.
In theory this could be the coolest phone ever but in reality it's not. I really wanted to like it. Overall, I would give this phone a one star.
Uggg!
When I first got this phone I was so excited, but I quickly learned I was way wrong. I am honestly shocked by the positive reviews.
Pros-Pretty, calls are clear, hasnât broken even though it was dropped, cover makes it easy to not accidentally dial,
Cons-Everything else!
The touch screen is WAY too sensitive. If I wave my hand over the screen, it will register something, anything, that it chooses. Verizonâs answer-ask Motorola how to adjust the sensitivity. It has been over 6 months and no answer. Texting is next to impossible because of the position of the cover. You flip open the cover from bottom to top and if you turn the phone horizontal the phone is supposed to activate the QWERTY key board. But you can hold the phone and text comfortably because the cover is now in your way. 9 times out of 10 the horizontal keyboard does not activate. While texting, the key strokes hardly register what you want. It seems to me that it is off to the right. If you shoot for an âEâ you end up with an âRâÂ. Every time you toggle between texting screens you have to hit âdoneâ and it will take you back to your message. The lag time between when you actually touch the key you want and the time it registers seems very slow. Too many steps to get to textingâ¦text message, type, person, then you can actually start texting. Making calls is just as frustrating, but with less steps. Again the key pad is too sensitive. Using the phone book is time consuming, locating the contact, then selecting which number you want to use. The camera is alright, photos always seem blurry no matter how still I was. The charging port seems loose and there is some wiggling to get the cord just right for it to actually charge. Just a frustrating phone all the way around for me. I wanted to get a new one within about 3 months. I thought it was just a learning curve, but it was not.
decent phone
overall this is a good phone. not great, but very close. The phone has a good amount of features. The Krave has everything I need on a phone, speaker, bluetooth and good overall phone functions. If you need the Internet all the time on your phone then this is not the phone for you.
pros:
great design
clear call clarity
loud speaker phone
loud ringer
responsive touch screen
durable
clear screen
Cons:
screen is unpredictable when dirty
some of the touch buttons are difficult to get used to
screen gets dirty quick
Internet browsing is difficult
OS gets bogged down at times
overall if you need a phone this is it. If you need a PDA smartphone, look elsewhere.
One of Motorola's best
If you're not looking for a smart phone but want some of its functions, the Krave is a really good phone. The TV function worked well with one of the best pictures we've seen. Boot up time is pretty fast and scrolling from one screen or tool to the next is seamless. The nav and web works well as well. Almost like smart phone light. The clear flip cover actually works in touch mode when it is enabled. A slide switch turns this function on and off. The camera also takes impressive pics. The battery seems to keep a charge almost as long as Motorola's basic phones but it will drain faster when using some of the phone's functions. Overall, it's a good working phone with good audio. Worth the price if you can find one. They are still available on some sites and through Motorola as of this writing but not through Verizon wireless. It is a dual band CDMA only phone. I highly recommend it. You won't be disappointed. Make sure to get the 2nd release as the first had some bugs that needed to be worked out.
Pregnancy Kravings?
Well, upon first seeing this phone, and seeing it in the store, I was sold. I was thinking Motorola was finally reading what everyone had to say and wanted to change it, but that was a short lived thought. The phone itself is a really solid phone, no complaints there. The clear flip was a good idea and I always got compliments on it and was told how unique my phone was. However, after the first few days, my thoughts began to change.
Touch Screen
Cool idea. It is a large, and bring screen and is very vibrant. With the basics, such as; callings, under fifty text messages a day, etc, you will probably love this phone. However I am a big-time texter, and the way the screen acted sometimes, such as hitting the "five" key and the "one" key is actually being pressed. But other then that, it is a pretty concept.
Battery
No complaints unlike some. I do not use any V Cast services, just the email applications, and the compulsive texting, and I never got below two bars. Using the phone sparingly, I could go about two days without a charge.
PROS
> Large, colorful display
> Unique design
> Lasting battery
> Decent camera
> Very touch friendly UI
> Pretty snappy OS
> Favorites list for contacts
> New software Motorola offers is a huge improvement.
CONS
> Accelerometer requires you to shut the clear flip to reset it. So, if your in a text and the key board is acting up, you have to save it, close the flip, etc.
> When you close the flip, it doesn't auto lock, you have to make the switch is on "lock", but you get accustom to it.
> A few extra steps to send a text, and preform other activities.
NATURAL
> Lots of learning to do.
Over all, if I had the money to blow, and a reason to have it, I would get it again. But texting and emailing is what I currently need, or in other words, I need buttons. If you are a causal phone user, you will love it. If you are like me, then please, don't take the time.
Voice commands
I don't know why people always seem to over look this for a significant quality for a phone...but the voice commands are awesome on this phone. The voice button is right there and quicker than opening your flip. It gives you suggestions for what you may want to do, i.e. Call...send message...use application etc. The best part is it takes NO voice training. It doesn't have to get used to your voice and to be honest..while I've had other phones with VC capability, I've never used it because it was a hassle. Not even a lot of hassle...just a hassle. The Krave makes it so easy that it actually becomes a crutch to get to what I want to do quicker. That alone makes me feel like I'm using a different kind of phone than I've used before.
Other than that everyone has covered just about everything about this phone. I'd like it to be a little bit more customizable but it is stylish enough that I don't really think about it too much.
Dont Buy This
Pros: Cool screen, cool flip cover.
Cons:
The fact is, Motorola has not made a good phone in a LONG time. They are constantly plagued with bugs. The OS is irrationally slow, like Windows phones.
If you want a touch screen phone (not a PDA), get the Dare, or the Versa, or even the new revision of the Samsung Glyde. Motorola has some catching up to do in the phone department.
Gadgety phone, but just ok
I got this phone about two weeks ago, so far it been fun to play with, but kinda hard to use. Not driver friendly at all, you must use the voice commands to stay safe and keep everyone else on the road safe. The gadget factor is high and fun to sit around and play with, but make sure you keep your charger nearby.
Pros:
Gadget factor very cool
Neat display with touch features
Great texter
Cons:
VERY short battery life (a day a most if used)
Not driver friendly
Would recommend for the neatness factor and everything it can do, but you need to buy chargers for home, work and car.
