Motorola RIZR Z8

Motorola's RIZR Z8 tweaks the slider phone concept by being the first to feature what Motorola calls a "kick slider" design. In practice this means that the phone is curved when you put it to your ear, which is not only more comfortable but also enhances call quality. The Z8's other headline feature is video viewing quality of 30 frames per second. The video bundled with the phone, The Bourne Identity, certainly looked great and is clear and rock-steady - not words you normally associate with video on a mobile - though how many people are actually going to watch a full-length movie on a tiny screen is a moot point. Other good points are a good web browser, a reasonable 2 megapixel camera and great sound quality, further enhanced by the Bluetooth headphones. Where the Z8 comes unstuck is its interface, which is fiddly and not helped by unresponsive buttons. Overall, though, the Z8 is more evidence that after a few grim years Motorola is producing some very interesting phones.
motorola.co.uk