Black RAZR and 05 bluetooth

Hey all,

I am getting a new phone for the bluetooth capability in my new M. Has anybody used a new razr with the bmw bluetooth? I hated the silver razr, but love the looks of the new black one.

Any comments appreciated.

Originally Posted by TD330ci

Hey all,

I am getting a new phone for the bluetooth capability in my new M. Has anybody used a new razr with the bmw bluetooth? I hated the silver razr, but love the looks of the new black one.

Any comments appreciated.

Yes, Works great..awesome phone as well..I hadn't been more satisfied, and I can't stand talking on the phone, much less nearly getting run off the road because of some teenaged girl with a phone mashed to her head, and not paying attention...I wish it could be law, that every car is equipt with BT...I'm trying to retrofit BT in my Chevy truck, but not having much luck...Damn domestic junk....

Originally Posted by dawgbone

Yes, Works great..awesome phone as well..I hadn't been more satisfied, and I can't stand talking on the phone, much less nearly getting run off the road because of some teenaged girl with a phone mashed to her head, and not paying attention...I wish it could be law, that every car is equipt with BT...I'm trying to retrofit BT in my Chevy truck, but not having much luck...Damn domestic junk....

WOW cool!! Thanks for the comment. I am going to pick it up this weekend.

Originally Posted by TD330ci

Hey all,

I am getting a new phone for the bluetooth capability in my new M. Has anybody used a new razr with the bmw bluetooth? I hated the silver razr, but love the looks of the new black one.

Any comments appreciated.

http://forum.e46fanatics.com/showthread.php?t=262890

Originally Posted by Technic

http://forum.e46fanatics.com/showthread.php?t=262890

In addition to that write up...I just recently found that the numbers have to be stored in a specific place..I.E. SIM card or phone..I believe that they have to be on the SIM, but I can't remember, so it could be the opposite..
Either way, It took over 50 minutes(90 contacts) to load the phone book(initially) so be patient as stated in the write up...

Originally Posted by Technic

http://forum.e46fanatics.com/showthread.php?t=262890

Wow great info. Thanks guys!!

The Razr is a fashionable phone, not a power user phone.

Let me describe a little. I am a consultant and my phone is part of my bread and butter. I own a Nokia 6230 that is aboslutely amazing. It is not stylish at all, but... It has a great phonebook, an MMC card that can go up to 1gb storing anything I want mp3, powerpoints etc, an mp3 player, and an abolsutely great user interface.

Having this said, the inital release of the phone by Cingular had firmware v.4.34. With this version bluetooth was only partially working with BMW. However the latest release v.5.43, works perfectly with the e46 M3.

Last week I upgraded my wife's phone to the Razr. So I decided to take a spin on it for a couple of days. From the looks it is amazing...non stop compliments...but that is it.
- The phone needs cleaning non stop, figerprints show up non stop.
- The address book is absolutely crap. Evey number gets its own memory slot. So you need to pair the numbers with the same name. It works and you get 1 name with several numbers. However, you cannot see in one screen all the numbers associated with a name, even though the screen is huge and has beautifull colors.
- If you want to add a second number you need to also enter the exact name.
- You assign a contact picture per phone number; not per name. It sucks since you need to add a picture for every number for a person.
- Outlook synchronisation is aboslutely horrible, because how the numbers are stored. I gave up on it.
- The User Interface is not intuitive, the terminology and menus are designed by developers, not business and focus groups. It does look good however, but it never uses the amazing screen that it has. The Nokia 6230 has a very basic "non flashy" interface" but is very intuitive.
- There is no quick search feature for the contacts. You can enter only the first letter and that it. I store more than 100 contacts and I need to be able to search on more than just first letter.
- Reception is good, but not as good as the 6230. It drops calls more often.
- The phone does not have an MP3 player or external memory.
- Battery life is aboslutely crap. With my bluetooth ear piece connected I was not able to get more than 2:30 minutes talk time. In additon, in low signal areas it drains a lot faster. I was not able to get through the day without charging it at least once. The Nokia can go at least a day with hard abuse.

My wife was used to the Nokia and Sony Erricsson and she was getting frustrated in adding a second number to a contact or texting (the "autocomplete" feature gets more in the way than help and it cannot be turned off). Yesterday I went and exchanged the phone for another 6230.

Bottom line
If you are a casual user, and want to have people arround you compliment you nonstop. It is a great discussion piece at the bar. Aboslutely get it.
If you are a power user, use a phone as a necessity, and just want solid features with a no-hassle UI get the Nokia.
If you have Cingular, than you have 30 days to try. I would get the Nokia first, try it for 2 weeks, than change to the Razr. This way you will be going from good to bad and realize the differences.

.Trex

Originally Posted by trex

The Razr is a fashionable phone, not a power user phone.

Let me address a few of your comments.

- The address book is absolutely crap. Evey number gets its own memory slot. So you need to pair the numbers with the same name. It works and you get 1 name with several numbers. However, you cannot see in one screen all the numbers associated with a name, even though the screen is huge and has beautifull colors.

Using the cursor pad, the left and right arrows will move through the various numbers associated with a name.

- If you want to add a second number you need to also enter the exact name.

You can just go to the existing name/number pair in the phone book. press the menu key, select "Edit", scroll down to "...MORE...", and press Select. Then you get a menu where you can add a new number or email address to the name.

- There is no quick search feature for the contacts. You can enter only the first letter and that it. I store more than 100 contacts and I need to be able to search on more than just first letter.

This was addressed in firmware 41.C3 (it was also in firmware 41.C2, but that release had other bugs). There is a new Phonebook Setup menu item called "Search Method" which can be set to either "Jump To" (the old method you have issues with) or "Find", where you press as many letters as needed to find the exact name.

- The phone does not have an MP3 player or external memory.

Well, the phone can play MP3s, but as the most free memory in the phone is about 7.5MB, it isn't very useful.

- Battery life is aboslutely crap. With my bluetooth ear piece connected I was not able to get more than 2:30 minutes talk time. In additon, in low signal areas it drains a lot faster. I was not able to get through the day without charging it at least once. The Nokia can go at least a day with hard abuse.

You either have a bad battery (my RAZR came new with a bad one), settings that are causing battery drain, or buggy firmware. I get 3 days or so before my phone drops from 3 bars to 2 bars on the battery indicator.

Hmmmm.....the black RAZOR......i dunno........the silver RAZOR is fully compatible. I think you might need a BT color adapter from BMW. That's an extra $200.

Just Kidding

I believe it should have full compatibility

Terry,

I do appreciate your comments. They are very valid. Let me give you my 2 cents.

Using the cursor pad, the left and right arrows will move through the various numbers associated with a name.

Yes, you are right. But most of the time I do not know how many numbers I have stored for a person, so I would like to see them all listed on the screen and pick the one I need. What's the point of such a big screen if it's not used right.

You can just go to the existing name/number pair in the phone book. press the menu key, select "Edit", scroll down to "...MORE...", and press Select. Then you get a menu where you can add a new number or email address to the name.

On a Nokia you type the number and hit Add to Contact and select the contact from the address book. Straight forward intuitive menu navigation. When you store a new number, moste likely it is because someone just gave it to you and you punched it in. So you start with the number and than assign it to the user, not vice-versa.

This was addressed in firmware 41.C3 (it was also in firmware 41.C2, but that release had other bugs). There is a new Phonebook Setup menu item called "Search Method" which can be set to either "Jump To" (the old method you have issues with) or "Find", where you press as many letters as needed to find the exact name.

Unfortunately, Cingular does not have that firmware yet. In addition, I had no clue that the new firmware adds this feature. On the opposite side, the phone should not be released without a search feature.

Well, the phone can play MP3s, but as the most free memory in the phone is about 7.5MB, it isn't very useful.

This is what I mean about having features that are useful. 7.5mb are just for storing small apps.

You either have a bad battery (my RAZR came new with a bad one), settings that are causing battery drain, or buggy firmware. I get 3 days or so before my phone drops from 3 bars to 2 bars on the battery indicator.

Hmmm...strange, after I told the Cingular rep what my experience was, he said that I should expect it from such a small battery. On the other hand, he was a rep and generally they are clueless, so you might be right. Also what is your daily usage? What adapters do you have attached to it?


My only advice is to try to a different phone brand if you are after business/power usage. The Razr is not a daily workhorse. There is a lot of hype, a step initial price tag and cool looks. All this made it "kinda" exclusive. But in the end hype/exclusivity lasts a couple of months until a new gadget is in "vogue".

.Trex

Originally Posted by trex

Unfortunately, Cingular does not have that firmware yet. In addition, I had no clue that the new firmware adds this feature. On the opposite side, the phone should not be released without a search feature.

This is the first Motorola phone that offers the feature (and only in this latest firmware). I guess you can read that two ways - nobody demanded it before now, or Motorola is finally responding to customer requests. If you stll have the RAZR, I'm in NYC as well and would be glad to update it for you.

This is what I mean about having features that are useful. 7.5mb are just for storing small apps.

This was Motorola's first "ultraslim" phone. Presumably new models will come with Transflash (or Micro SD, which is what I think they call it now). Of course, when a phone has 512MB of removable storage, they'll need to add features for people to use it effectively (stereo MP3 player, etc.).

Hmmm...strange, after I told the Cingular rep what my experience was, he said that I should expect it from such a small battery. On the other hand, he was a rep and generally they are clueless, so you might be right. Also what is your daily usage? What adapters do you have attached to it?

Most phone store reps are unfamiliar with technical details of their equipment (moreso at a brand like Cingular where there isn't a service center in the same store, like Verizon has).

There are two batteries - a 680mA/H and a 710mA/H (the 710 is better). All of the following is based on the 710.

I have Bluetooth permanently powered on on the phone. My daily talk time varies from none to perhaps an hour. The most important thing to conserve battery life is to have appropriate settings for the screen saver and display timeout functions. In the stock (unbranded) RAZR firmware, there is an option to set how frequently the RAZR "checks in" with the cell tower(s). Cingular hardcodes that option, to medium, I think.

My only advice is to try to a different phone brand if you are after business/power usage. The Razr is not a daily workhorse. There is a lot of hype, a step initial price tag and cool looks. All this made it "kinda" exclusive. But in the end hype/exclusivity lasts a couple of months until a new gadget is in "vogue".

I agree that people should get a phone that suits their needs. Fortunately, Cingular offers a 30-day trial before you're locked into your contract. My point in mentioning the items I did is that there are now improvements / workarounds available for some (but not all) of the issues you had with your phone.

Terry,

Points well taken. You do know what is up with the Motorola brand ; I am strong on the Nokia side. One reason why I always liked to Motos is that they are very easy to have the firmware upgraded.

I have an average of 3-4 hours of daily usage. Sometimes it can go to the 6-7 hour range. So you can imagine the amount of power I need with a bluetooth earpiece and a PDA constantly connecting to it and accessing the web.

.Trx

Trex, your first post could be from me. Those were exactly my observations (complaints) after purchasing a Moto V600 (the RAZR is a V600 in another case).

I could stand the phone only for 3 months and gave it to my dad.

I have a 2006 750Li. This is my experience:

Razr V3: Pairs perfectly with the car. Everything works fine. I also have the new firmware.
Nokia 6680: It just won't connect. The car shows "Reading Data" for a long, long time and nothing works. I don't know why in the world I ever bought a Nokia phone.
Samsung i730: Same thing as with the Nokia.

Originally Posted by dahruj

I have a 2006 750Li. This is my experience:

Razr V3: Pairs perfectly with the car. Everything works fine. I also have the new firmware.
Nokia 6680: It just won't connect. The car shows "Reading Data" for a long, long time and nothing works. I don't know why in the world I ever bought a Nokia phone.
Samsung i730: Same thing as with the Nokia.

Your Nokia is not on BMW's bluetooth phone list http://www.bmwtransact.com/bluetooth...ble_Phones.htm

The Razr is BMW approved. This was a reason why I considered it, until I confirmed that the 6230 works with the M3.

The Nokia 6680 is a new generation phone. It supports Bluetooth 1.2. BMW is still running on 1.1. Bluetooth is a new technology and there are hickups on both the BMW side and phone side.

.Trex

My thoughts...

Both the Moto Razr V3 and the Nokia 6230 are awesome phones. I've got both sitting on my desk trying to figure out which one I am going to send back or sell. There are strong and weak points to each.

I have been reading in the phone forums about them both and they both draw high praise. The Moto folks think the V3 is "it" in the Moto line and Nokia-heads give the nod to the 6230 unless you want more PDA features and then they go for the 6620 or the newly available (from Nokia, not Cingular yet) 6682. Both have been praised for signal strength and battery life (there are some bad batteries out there and you do need to condition the battery with several charge/discharge cycles as recommended in both the Moto and Nokia manuals).

BMW has recently released a snap-in cradle adapter (BMW P/N 84 21 6 973 983) for the 6230i/6230 in Europe. In fact, you can buy them on the UK and German eBay sites! Hopefully it will come to the US or else we'll have to buy them from a European supplier. The adapter allows the phone to charge and you use the external antenna which often gives a big signal boost. The Razr will probably never get an adapter (how to you snap into that little USB connector??).

For me, given that my last four phones have been Nokias and the availability of that adapter makes my hand gravitate towards that Nokia on my desk.

But the feel of that black Razr is so sweet and that screen is a treat to look at and the keyboard seems to go on for miles.

It's tough...I would not fault anyone for choosing one over the other...

Of course, in the next three months there probably will be two other phones that are "it"

Greg

Originally Posted by Liverman

My thoughts...

Both the Moto Razr V3 and the Nokia 6230 are awesome phones. I've got both sitting on my desk trying to figure out which one I am going to send back or sell. There are strong and weak points to each.

I have been reading in the phone forums about them both and they both draw high praise. The Moto folks think the V3 is "it" in the Moto line and Nokia-heads give the nod to the 6230 unless you want more PDA features and then they go for the 6620 or the newly available (from Nokia, not Cingular yet) 6682. Both have been praised for signal strength and battery life (there are some bad batteries out there and you do need to condition the battery with several charge/discharge cycles as recommended in both the Moto and Nokia manuals).

BMW has recently released a snap-in cradle adapter (BMW P/N 84 21 6 973 983) for the 6230i/6230 in Europe. In fact, you can buy them on the UK and German eBay sites! Hopefully it will come to the US or else we'll have to buy them from a European supplier. The adapter allows the phone to charge and you use the external antenna which often gives a big signal boost. The Razr will probably never get an adapter (how to you snap into that little USB connector??).

For me, given that my last four phones have been Nokias and the availability of that adapter makes my hand gravitate towards that Nokia on my desk.

But the feel of that black Razr is so sweet and that screen is a treat to look at and the keyboard seems to go on for miles.

It's tough...I would not fault anyone for choosing one over the other...

Of course, in the next three months there probably will be two other phones that are "it"

Greg

Hey Liverman,

Thanks for the comments. I went with the Black Razr and so for its been awesome. I am not a power phone user so the features are right for me. Going to try and snyc it to the M this weekend, when and if I ever get some down time.

Cheers.